Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng exchanged a look, their faces instantly draining of color.
"Tell me the whole story?" Jiang Ye tried to calm himself, speaking into the phone.
"It was evening study hall at the school. Since the children are young, evening study hall is mostly free time, watching movies and playing games," Shao Wan said with a heavy tone. "Tonight, Forest's class had a discussion session. They arranged their chairs in a large circle and chatted one by one."
"And then?" Jiang Ye's heart pounded, his blood pressure rising.
"The theme of the discussion was my ideals, about what kind of person I want to be when I grow up," Shao Wan said. "At first, everyone was having fun. Then a little boy named Richardson Lair said his ambition was to become a commander and rule the entire planet."
Jiang Ye remained silent, his face stiffening. He already understood what had happened.
"I reviewed the surveillance footage. Forest was smiling brightly, the kind of smile a child has when playing with friends. As soon as Lair finished speaking, Forest's expression changed instantly. Although he was still smiling, his eyes were very sinister," Shao Wan said. "For the rest of the discussion session, Forest kept signaling to several classmates, both boys and girls."
"They did it together?" Jiang Ye frowned. "Continue."
"After evening study hall ended, all the children returned to their dorms to sleep. From 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM, school teachers would stay in the dorms to ensure every child was asleep before leaving," Shao Wan said. "As soon as the teachers left, twelve children, including Forest, got out of bed collectively, without making a sound. They went to the restroom, presumably for a meeting. It wasn't long, about eight minutes."
"And then?" Jiang Ye's face turned even paler.
"After coming out of the restroom, these twelve children returned to the dorms. They acted swiftly. They covered the sleeping Lair with his blanket and carried him and the blanket out," Shao Wan paused. "A few children woke up midway and saw them carrying Lair out. Forest glared at them, and those children lay back down and pretended to sleep. No one made a sound."
Jiang Ye's eyelids twitched.
It was terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
Was his son already such a figure at school?
"Then what?" Cen Yemeng couldn't help but ask.
"Forest and the other children carried Lair to an empty classroom on the school rooftop. They drew the curtains, closed the door, and took Lair out of the blanket," Shao Wan said. "Lair was terrified and couldn't even stand steadily. The class monitor asked him, 'Which planet do you want to command? Which planet do you want to rule?' While asking, he slapped Lair's face several times, causing his ear to bleed."
"Heavens!" Cen Yemeng sighed, looking up at the sky.
"What about Forest?" Jiang Ye asked. "What did he do?"
"Forest did nothing. He didn't even speak the entire time. He just stood by the side with his hands behind his back, watching," Shao Wan said. "All the ones who did the hitting were his classmates. Lair was too scared to say a word, so those classmates started smashing him with stools. They hit him for at least ten minutes. Then Forest left the classroom, and the students followed him out."
"How is Lair now?" Jiang Ye asked.
"He's been sent to the hospital for treatment. When he was first admitted, he had soiled himself, not from fear, but because his lower body was injured from the beating. However, the treatment should be mostly complete, and there shouldn't be any after-effects. There will certainly be psychological trauma," Shao Wan said. "I called to ask for your instructions on how to handle this matter."
"Arrest them," Jiang Ye said. "Arrest everyone involved and lock them up in the interrogation room. I'm coming back now."
"Should Forest be arrested too?" Shao Wan asked.
"Arrest him!" Jiang Ye suddenly roared. "Forest was the leader, why shouldn't he be arrested? Arrest the children who did the beating, arrest those who woke up and didn't intervene, and arrest the teachers responsible for negligent supervision!"
"Yes!" Shao Wan replied.
The call ended.
Jiang Ye suddenly raised his hand, intending to smash his phone on the ground, but his arm trembled, and he stopped himself.
Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!
Jiang Ye took deep breaths repeatedly, his face turning flushed.
Cen Yemeng silently shed tears and was already making arrangements to contact a special ship to return to Jiang Ye Star.
An hour later, the couple boarded the returning spacecraft.
...
Two days later.
The spacecraft landed at the Jiang Ye Star space station.
The space station was under strict security, but there were no grand arrangements, likely out of consideration for discretion.
Che Zhen and Shao Wan were waiting, both with serious expressions.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng hurried down the escalator.
"Commander," Che Zhen and Shao Wan saluted in unison.
"What's the situation now?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Lair's physical injuries have been treated and he is still under observation in the hospital. Doctors say he might have some psychological trauma, but it won't be very serious," Shao Wan said.
"Nonsense! How could it not be serious? To be beaten like that?" Jiang Ye's face immediately showed anger.
"The parents of those eleven children who were involved have reached a private settlement with Lair's parents. Lair's parents told our police that the children were ignorant and that Lair also made mistakes. Since he's been treated, let's let it go. They'll be classmates in the future and can be good friends," Shao Wan said. "We didn't dare to respond and waited for you to arrive."
Jiang Ye's expression became very peculiar.
"What is Lair's parents' occupation?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Lair's father is a small businessman in Binhai City, dealing in daily necessities retail, with two stores. Lair's mother is a company commander in the Antarctic garrison," Shao Wan said.
"No wonder," Jiang Ye turned to look at his wife. "You go and meet Lair's parents. You know what to do, right?"
"I can handle it," Cen Yemeng nodded. "Are you going to deal with Forest?"
"Yes," Jiang Ye nodded.
Cen Yemeng opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately did not.
"I know what you want to say, don't beat the child too badly, right?" Jiang Ye said.
Cen Yemeng nodded.
"I know what I'm doing," Jiang Ye sighed. "This kind of rebellious son, just hitting him won't do, and not hitting him won't do either. I'll talk to him first and see what's really going on in his head."
The couple separated and got into two separate cars, heading in different directions.
Jiang Ye closed his eyes in the car, lost in thought.
Shao Wan and Che Zhen sat opposite him, staring at each other, not daring to speak.
Finally, they arrived at the prison.
Shao Wan led the way, arriving at the cell at the end of the corridor.
On the way, Jiang Ye passed a large cell where eleven children, both boys and girls, were held. Each had one hand cuffed to the iron bars, while the other held a phone and played with it.
"Damn it, where did they get phones?" Jiang Ye was furious.
The children were startled and threw their phones away, looking at Jiang Ye with innocent expressions.
Jiang Ye's scalp tingled. Behind those obedient expressions, how many schemes were there?
He didn't look at these children anymore and walked into the single cell at the end of the corridor.
A small figure sat cross-legged in the corner, his expression blank.
Jiang Ye closed the door and sat down opposite him.
"Speak," Jiang Ye stared at his son. "You must have something to say to me."
(I'm defeated. The Tomato backend network crashed last night. I've submitted this chapter twice, and it still won't display. I'll try again.)