With them around, they wouldn't truly let the father and son kneel and apologize.
Liu Yifeng knew what Director Zhao was worried about, but he trusted Tongtong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have boasted so much, "Director Zhao, you don't need to say anything else. I believe in Tongtong, and I hope you can believe in Tongtong too. This wasn't Tongtong's fault to begin with, so why should we take responsibility!"
"Still unrepentant. In a moment, I'll make you regret your stubbornness. Ruiming, stand up and push him down. Mom will buy you your favorite toy car," the woman said to her son.
Xiong Ruiming already harbored resentment because Tongtong had caused him to bleed from the nose. Although he hadn't actually pushed Tongtong down just now, it was only because Tongtong wasn't prepared. This time, he was sure he could push him down. He immediately stood up, looking fiercely at Tongtong.
Liu Yifeng then looked at Tongtong, "Tongtong, are you okay?"
"Dad, don't worry, Tongtong won't be pushed down so easily!" Tongtong said confidently.
"Heh, you father and son are birds of a feather. Even now, you're still pretending. Let's see if I can't expose your true colors later!" the woman said mockingly.
Then, Tongtong and Xiong Ruiming stood in the open space of the office, looking at each other with disdain in their eyes.
Tongtong stood calmly, unmoving, waiting for Xiong Ruiming to make the first move.
Xiong Ruiming, meanwhile, was psyching himself up before acting, then shouted, "Ah!"
Then, under everyone's gaze, he pushed Tongtong's chest with both hands.
Except for his mother, everyone's heart was in their throats.
Although Liu Yifeng believed in Tongtong, he still stood behind him. If Tongtong were to fall backward, he could catch him in time.
Just as everyone, except Liu Yifeng, thought Tongtong was about to fall hard, they saw Tongtong standing as firm as a mountain, not moving an inch.
This made Xiong Ruiming feel like his world was crumbling. He had used all his strength, so how could Tongtong still be standing there?
The woman, however, assumed her son was intentionally holding back, looking like he was exerting force but not actually doing so. She said, "Ruiming, don't hold back. Use as much strength as you have. Let's see how long he can last."
Xiong Ruiming also couldn't believe he couldn't push Tongtong down, so he pushed harder. As a result, after three or four tries, Tongtong still didn't fall, nor did he even move an inch.
This left the teachers present with their mouths wide open in astonishment, unable to believe that such a thin Tongtong could withstand Xiong Ruiming's pushes.
Keep in mind that Xiong Ruiming's weight was at least double that of Tongtong's, and he was more than ten centimeters taller.
The disparity between them was obvious. How could Tongtong withstand his pushes?
Seeing Xiong Ruiming pushing Tongtong relentlessly as if he were crazy, Liu Yifeng quickly stopped him, "That's enough. You've pushed him many times. If you can't push him down, stop!"
He then looked at the woman, "You've seen it too. Your son can't push my son down at all, which means my son didn't lie. He made the first move, and my son was merely defending himself. He's not wrong!"
The woman still refused to believe it. How could her son not push this brat down? "It must be that my son was going easy on him, or else he's weakened from being hit by your son and has no strength!"
Her words were clearly a sign of her reneging. Liu Yifeng was furious, "We didn't agree to this when we made the bet just now, did we? Now that you can't push my son, you're saying your son is weak. I saw your son exerting force earlier, enough to fell an ox, so he doesn't seem like someone without strength."
"I don't care about that. It's a fact that my son was made to bleed from the nose by your son. It's very normal for him to be weakened after bleeding so much from his nose!"
"Director, how do you want to handle this?" Liu Yifeng knew it was useless to reason with her, so he passed the difficult task to Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing had been dealing with this parent for over two years and knew her personality.
However, since her family held official positions, she couldn't afford to offend her. She smiled and said courteously, "Ruiming's mother, regardless of the reason, this child was injured at our kindergarten, so our kindergarten should be responsible. How about we take Ruiming to the hospital for a general check-up? If everything is fine, we can offer an additional compensation of five thousand yuan."
"Who do you think you are looking down on? I wouldn't send my son to your kindergarten if I couldn't afford five thousand yuan! I want justice! Your son injured my son, and you think he can get away with it? If he's not severely punished this time, there will be a second and third time. I'm doing this for your kindergarten's own good. This matter can't just be brushed aside so lightly, otherwise other children will imitate it in the future." The woman spoke righteously, and if one didn't know better, they would think she was the victim.
"Madam, we made a bet just now. We can't just disregard it, can we? Then wouldn't my son have been pushed by your son for so many times in vain?" Liu Yifeng's expression was also looking increasingly grim. He had initially hoped for a peaceful resolution. But now, it seemed he didn't even need to apologize as he had planned.
The woman sneered, "Didn't you see my son going easy on him? Otherwise, how could your son still be standing there motionless?"
"Everyone can see whether he was going easy or not. Your son's face turned red from exerting himself. I've never seen such 'going easy'!" Liu Yifeng decided to confront this woman to the end.
Seeing that everyone was arguing and unable to resolve the matter, Tongtong spoke again, "Director Mom, I have a way to prove that I didn't make the first move!"
"Tongtong, what method do you have?" Zhao Qing asked curiously. She had already checked the surveillance footage, but it hadn't captured anything. It could be said that without cameras and witnesses, Tongtong had no way to prove his innocence.
"What if Ruiming admits it himself? Would that count as evidence?" Tongtong suddenly asked.
The woman scoffed, "You brat, I think you've lost your mind. You hit my son, and my son would admit it's his fault? Impossible!"
"Auntie, if he admits it, will you still go back on your word?" Tongtong asked earnestly.
This made the woman somewhat embarrassed. She said with a lack of confidence, "Who's going back on their word? It's a fact that your son made my son bleed from the nose and become weak. Otherwise, how could he not be able to push you! However, since you say you can get my son to admit it himself, then I'll say it here: if my son truly admits he made the first move, then this matter is settled, and I promise not to renege!"
"To prevent you from going back on your word, I think we should sign a letter of guarantee!" Liu Yifeng had lost all trust in this woman.
"That won't be necessary. Since I've said it, I won't go back on my word!"
"Director Zhao, you heard her. If she goes back on her word later, it will have nothing to do with us. You handle it here, and my son will continue his class in the classroom!" Liu Yifeng couldn't force her to sign a guarantee letter there; he had no time to waste. He could only ask Zhao Qing to handle it.
Zhao Qing nodded, "Alright! Tongtong, what are you going to do?"
Tongtong replied with a look of innocence, "I'll just ask him directly!"
His answer amused the woman again, "You're really a big genius. How could my son possibly admit that he made the first move? If it were true, he would have admitted it long ago, and you wouldn't have to ask."
She then looked at her son, "Ruiming, Mom asks you one last time, did you really not make the first move?"
Xiong Ruiming showed a flicker of guilt but still shook his head, "No!"
Upon hearing this, the woman felt relieved. She then looked at Tongtong with an arrogant expression, "Ask away. I want to see what you can come up with."
"Xiong Ruiming, look me in the eyes!"
"What do you want?" Xiong Ruiming involuntarily looked into Tongtong's eyes.
Their eyes quickly met, and Tongtong asked, "Did you make the first move on me just now?"