The incident eventually alerted school leaders, who suspected a sensitive cyberbullying situation online and summoned the parents of both parties.
The student in front was severely scolded by their parents, then apologized to He Yao’s mother and offered to pay for He Yao’s medical expenses. The matter was thus resolved.
He Yao’s willingness to go to extremes and her cunning in a real situation further worsened her reputation among the girls in the class.
However, when Xu Zheng returned to school, he heard about the incident and praised He Yao.
“When you’re bullied, you should fight back decisively. He Yao did nothing wrong. It just so happens that I can’t stand that group of girls. As a man, I couldn’t make a move and had to endure it. He Yao actually helped me vent my anger.”
However, after only two days of absence, He Yao no longer needed him to pick her up and drop her off, which left him feeling quite disappointed.
He Yao started taking the bus to and from school, with no further interaction with Zhan Jingrui.
Days passed uneventfully until two weeks later, one evening during dinner, Father Tang brought up their neighbor.
“Today, your grandmother and I were out for a walk and saw the husband of that family carrying his wife out. It seemed the woman had a miscarriage. The woman is quite young, so she shouldn’t have lost a child so easily. I think there’s something suspicious about the man.”
“Your grandmother and I are getting old, and her health isn’t good. We also have you two little ones to take care of. It seems we have to add more help to the household.”
“When your uncle and aunt return this time, I’ll have them find a suitable housekeeper. I’m giving you a heads-up in advance.”
Zhan Jingrui didn’t care whether it was a housekeeper or a nanny. His first reaction upon hearing this was, how could He Yao’s mother, who valued this child so much, not have managed to keep it?
While doing his homework that night, he was a bit distracted. His room’s window happened to face He Yao’s front door at an angle, allowing him a clear view of her entrance.
He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he subconsciously kept glancing over there.
As he watched, someone indeed appeared.
He Yao’s stepfather drove up to the entrance.
He got out first, and He Yao slowly followed, alighting from the car.
His expression was unpleasant. As he opened the door, he turned to look at He Yao, his gaze icy.
He Yao stood a few steps away, refusing to get closer.
Then, he pointed at He Yao several times menacingly and reached out to grab her.
He Yao struggled desperately, but she was no match for his strength. Within moments, he pushed and pulled her into the house.
Zhan Jingrui suddenly remembered that He Yao’s mother was not home. This man was not her biological father. What if…
He was never one to go out of his way to help, but for some reason, he turned and rushed downstairs.
He burst out the door amidst the surprised stares of Father and Mother Tang and ran towards He Yao’s house.
Aunt Li was at the hospital taking care of her mother, so only He Yao and her stepfather were at home.
He Yao was pinned against the sofa in the living room by her stepfather, who was pulling at her clothes, when the doorbell rang.
The stepfather stopped, his interest waning, and ordered her back to her room. He looked at the video intercom and saw it was her classmate.
He thought the Zhan family was a connection they could maintain, but after two interactions, he realized they were very wary. His stepfather’s attitude towards Zhan Jingrui was no longer as enthusiastic as before.
“What is it?”
On his way, Zhan Jingrui had prepared his response: “Excuse me, is He Yao at home? I need to speak with her about something.”
“What is it that you need to speak to her about?”
“Excuse me, is she at home? I’d like to speak with her in person.”
His stepfather impatiently asked, “Why can’t you tell me what it is? You have to say it in person? You’re all grown up now. Do you know that there needs to be a certain boundary in interactions between male and female classmates?”
Zhan Jingrui keenly sensed something unusual in his words and insisted.
“It’s because of homework assigned by the teacher. It’s not that I won’t tell you, but some things you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Please, let me see He Yao.”
His stepfather impatiently opened the door.
Zhan Jingrui entered. Although no one was in the room, he could feel the unusual atmosphere.
“Where is He Yao?”
“In her room. Wait, I’ll call her down.”
She stood at the top of the stairs and called upstairs. He Yao didn’t respond.
After calling a few more times, he turned to Zhan Jingrui and shook his head, feigning helplessness.
“This girl is very eccentric. Every time I call her, it’s like she hasn’t heard.”
“Why don’t I go up and find her myself?”
After saying this, Zhan Jingrui quickly added, “I’ll go call her down.”
His stepfather didn’t object. He quickly went upstairs.
This was the first time he had called He Yao’s name in person. He hesitated at the door for a long time before speaking.
He Yao had just tidied her clothes, her heart pounding, and clutched a fork in her hand. .oΓg
When she heard someone knock, she held the fork up to her eyes.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me. Zhan Jingrui.”
Why would Zhan Jingrui come to her house looking for her?
He Yao put down the fork and opened the door. Seeing that it was indeed him, she was surprised and grateful, yet also a little embarrassed.
“You came to find me? Is there something you need?”
Although the first thing she did upon returning to her room was to straighten her clothes, the parts that had been pulled askew couldn’t be fixed.
And her complexion, Zhan Jingrui saw the abnormality at a glance.
He had never realized he had such a helpful side to him.
“It’s nothing, I was just wondering, is there anything you need my help with?”
Clever He Yao immediately understood his unspoken meaning.
She took a step back, inviting him into the room, and reburied the fork under her books.
“Did you see just now?”
Before Zhan Jingrui could answer, she continued speaking to herself.
“This isn’t the first time. I knew someone would see it eventually. I told my mom before, but she didn’t believe me. If it weren’t for you today… I don’t want to stay in this house, at least not today. Zhan Jingrui, can you take me out?”
Soon, the two of them went downstairs together.
Pretending as if nothing had happened, Zhan Jingrui said to his stepfather.
“He Yao doesn’t have study materials here. The teacher asked our group to complete a project report as soon as possible, to be submitted tomorrow. She needs to come to our house with me.”
Her stepfather was smoking, still maintaining his refined demeanor, but no matter how he tried to disguise it, his sinister nature was hard to hide beneath his refined exterior.
Upon hearing this, he looked them over thoughtfully.
“Aren’t you two secretly dating and planning some scheme behind my back?”
Zhan Jingrui put on a good student’s appearance: “No, if you don’t believe me, I can call the teacher right now in front of you.”
Seeing his sincerity, the stepfather temporarily believed him and asked He Yao.
“When will it be finished?”
He Yao ignored him. Zhan Jingrui said.
“It’s uncertain, at least an hour or two.”
“What kind of work takes that long?”
“A chemistry experiment; the process is quite lengthy.”
“Alright. Then come back immediately after you’re done. Yao Yao, be sensible when you visit someone’s house, and don’t stay too long.”