“Third Master Qi Han, is Qi Rui… your nephew?”
Qi Han glanced at Qi Rui, who lowered his head.
“Uncle.”
“Good boy.” Qi Han raised his hand again and ruffled Qi Rui’s wig with force. “Now, you can tell us what happened.”
Qi Rui shot an annoyed look at Qi Han because he felt that, under Qi Han’s two head-pats, his wig seemed a bit crooked.
“It’s all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding,” the man in the suit said, his face a bit pale. But he quickly realized the situation and gave his own son a direct slap on the hand.
“Dad!” The son who was slapped looked at his father in disbelief. “You actually hit me?”
“You should apologize to your classmate right now,” the man in the suit scolded, then turned to Qi Han. “Third Master Qi Han, please forgive us. Children can be thoughtless and have offended your young master.”
“There’s no need to rush into a judgment,” Qi Han squinted his eyes, then smiled. “Perhaps my nephew was just mischievous.”
“Uncle!” Qi Rui glared at him, wondering if he was here to help or to make fun of him.
“Third Master Qi Han, I’ve long admired your company. Is there a chance for us to collaborate?” The man in the suit extended a business card with both hands.
Qi Han glanced at it and focused on the name “Pan Hui.” “Collaboration can be discussed in the future. Right now, let’s resolve the current matter.”
Principal Zhou Qiang spoke up as well, “The office is too small. How about moving to the conference room, parents?”
Qi Han nodded and decisively said, “Let’s go to the conference room.”
Qi Rui was the first to open the office door and walked out with an air of anger.
“They’re coming out, they’re coming out!” A crowd of students had gathered outside the door. When they saw it open, they all looked quite excited, their eyes filled with the joy of watching a spectacle.
Qi Rui’s face grew even darker as he pushed through the crowd and headed toward the conference room.
“The new student seems to have quite the background. I think I heard those bodyguards call him ‘Young Master?'” Students whispered in hushed tones.
“I heard that too.”
“My nephew is not like these students; he doesn’t have parents around to guide him,” Qi Han’s smile had no warmth at all. “Please understand.”
Pan Hui’s immediate reaction was to find Zhao Hang’s parents because he remembered that she had called the boy an ill-mannered violent person earlier.
“Mom?” Zhao Hang noticed that his mother’s hand, which was holding his, was trembling. He looked up at her. “What’s wrong with you?”
But Zhao’s mother apparently couldn’t pay attention to him because she remembered that her husband had mentioned he was working under Third Master Qi Han and had a chance for a promotion, but now—
Her lips turned pale, and she even regretted her previous arrogance.
“The conference room is this way. Please come together, parents,” Yu Min said, walking to the door and gesturing.
“Third Master Qi Han, please go ahead.”
Qi Han walked ahead without any hesitation. His pale, handsome, and slightly melancholic face caused a small stir among the students when it appeared.
Qi Rui had been sitting in the conference room for a while, casually crossing his legs and twirling his phone between two fingers.
Lin Qingya entered the conference room, hesitating slightly before taking a seat on the chair next to Qi Rui. She reached out to tug on the hem of his clothes.
“What are you doing?” Qi Rui gave an impatient and fierce look.
Lin Qingya flinched at his reaction but quickly gathered her courage. “I’ll explain things properly, so your uncle won’t scold you.”
She had noticed that Qi Rui didn’t seem to have a good relationship with his uncle.
“I told you, I don’t need you to intervene,” Qi Rui swatted Lin Qingya’s hand away from his clothes and impatiently changed his position. “You think I want to help you? I just felt like hitting someone because I was annoyed.”
Lin Qingya bit her lip, not moving from her spot. A burst of warmth welled up in her eyes, and she blinked a few times to hold back tears.
Everyone took their seats, and Principal Zhou Qiang briefly explained the purpose of the meeting to the parents. Then, he looked at the gathered parents.
“That’s how it happened. Later, our teacher intervened to separate them, but we’re not sure who initiated the fight because the surveillance at the scene was not working.”
“Now, please, parents, share your opinions.”
“I think it’s all a misunderstanding,” Pan Hui swallowed hard. “Kids fight and play; it’s normal. I think we adults shouldn’t get involved.”
“Dad!” Pan Chengzhi protested. “He punched me four times and kicked me. Are you helping someone else? Am I still your own son?”
“It seems that Mr. Pan’s son doesn’t share the same view,” Qi Han looked at Pan Chengzhi with a somewhat sardonic smile. Pan Hui gave his son a stern look, then tried to appease the situation, saying, “It’s all a misunderstanding; children are naïve.”
“Qi Rui, did you hit that person?” Qi Han turned to look at Qi Rui, who was seated at the end. Qi Rui’s expression was hostile. “Yes, I did. So what?”
“No ‘so what,'” Qi Han smiled lightly. “Since my nephew admits to his mistake, let’s talk about compensation first.”
Qi Rui’s face darkened. He wanted to say something but ultimately gave up. He should have known that they would only resolve matters with money, regardless of who was right or wrong.
“The term ‘compensation’ isn’t necessary for minor scuffles between kids,” Zhao’s mother chimed in with a forced smile. “It’s my fault for not raising my child properly, and it has nothing to do with Qi Rui.”
Zhao Hang was frustrated. But his mother firmly gripped his arm, preventing him from speaking.
“Sun Xu was hospitalized because of him. Are you planning to pay to cover up for him now?” Liu Minghao suddenly spoke from the other side, as he had noticed a significant change in everyone’s attitude since Qi Rui’s Uncle had arrived. But Qi Rui had hit him several times, and he couldn’t let this pass.
“You were clearly attempting to harass me, and Qi Rui acted bravely to help!” Lin Qingya, summoning her courage, stood up and shouted.
“Lin Qingya, shut up,” Qi Rui snapped angrily. “It’s none of your business. Who would want to save you?”
He turned to the people across from him. “I just don’t like your son. You can deal with it however you want this time. But next time I see them, I’ll fight again.”
“Qi Rui,” Qi Han’s gaze turned cold. “You went too far with your words. Apologize.”
Qi Rui turned his head away in protest.
“Principal, please think about it. We parents are still here, and he dares to threaten violence in front of us. Are you going to keep a violent person like him in your school?” Pan Hui was getting angrier, and Zhao’s mother, who had been trying to please them, couldn’t help but feel that since they already offended Third Master Qi Han, there was no point in trying to please him any longer. It might be better to speak up.
At least they needed to get rid of this Qi Rui, or how could her son study in peace in the future?
“Qi Rui, apologize to your classmates.”
Qi Rui smirked, “Asking me to apologize? Take a look in the mirror first. Are they even worthy?”
“You—”
“I don’t think you need to apologize either.”
A cold and angry voice came from outside the conference room. Everyone instinctively looked towards the door, which had been pushed open. Two bodyguards stood on either side of the entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.
Qi Han pursed his lips and stood up.
Qi Rui was left stunned by that voice, his expression blank. He desperately wanted to tell himself that he must have misheard it, but the bodyguards at the door were undeniably from his eldest uncle’s side.
But it couldn’t be true. How could his eldest uncle possibly come to the school?
Qi Heng entered the conference room. His gaze was devoid of any emotion as he surveyed the people inside. Finally, his gaze settled on Qi Han, who was standing.
“Elder brother,” Qi Han’s voice was dry, “why did you come here?”
The person referred to as “elder brother” by Third Master Qi Han was none other than the head of the Qi Group, the Qi family patriarch.
The room was eerily quiet, but in the hearts of those present, a storm was brewing.
The legendary head of the Qi family, a figure even more ruthless and influential than Third Master Qi Han, was indeed as intimidating as the rumors had suggested.
“Qi Rui, come here.”
This time, Qi Rui didn’t dare to delay for a second.
“Un… Uncle.”
Qi Heng raised his hand and gripped Qi Rui’s chin, his thumb resting on the bruise on Qi Rui’s left cheek. “Who hit you?”
Qi Rui was startled by his icy-cold fingers and immediately pointed at Zhao Hang and the other two. “They did.”
Qi Heng released Qi Rui’s chin and looked at the three people who had been pointed out with indifference.
“Disable their hands.”
Four burly bodyguards entered the conference room.
Wow!
This was incredibly brutal.
Qi Rui was taken aback by that statement. He had known that his uncle held traditional values, but he didn’t expect him to act like a feudal emperor who could dictate the fates of others.
The faces of the other three people turned pale, and they instinctively moved closer to their parents.
“Third Master Qi Han,” Pan Hui’s face showed desperation as she looked at Qi Han with a pleading expression.
“What are you trying to do?” Zhao’s mother stood in front of Zhao Hang. “Is there no law left in this world? Bullying people openly and shamelessly?”
Qi Heng remained indifferent, his stunningly handsome features taking on an intimidating aura that sent shivers down people’s spines.
“Before I arrived, weren’t you all taking advantage of your numbers to bully my nephew?”
“Elder brother, calm down,” Qi Han sighed, “This matter started with Qi Rui’s mistake, it shouldn’t come to this—”
They were just children after all.
Qi Rui had initially wanted to plead for leniency, but when he heard that statement, he couldn’t hold back his frustration. What did they mean by “Qi Rui’s mistake”?
“Nonsense, I did nothing wrong!” Qi Rui shouted.
“I don’t think he’s at fault.” Wang Lin walked in at this moment, holding a folder that she handed to Qi Heng.
“If we talk about mistakes, Qi Rui’s only mistake is letting himself get hurt.”
Qi Rui was left dumbfounded after his outburst. He didn’t expect that, at this moment, his traditionally conservative uncle was the only one who believed he wasn’t at fault.
“Mr. Qi Heng, is this punishment too severe for them?” Principal Zhou Qiang asked diplomatically.
Qi Heng tossed the folder in front of Zhou Qiang. “You might want to take a good look at your students.”
Zhou Qiang hesitated as he opened the folder, but with just one glance, his eyes turned red with anger.
A photograph slipped out of the folder and onto the desk. Qi Rui quickly picked up the photo, then, as if it had burned his hand, he threw it away.
“What is all this nonsense!”
The photo landed on the floor, revealing the image of a girl who was only four or five years old. Her body was covered in bruises, her eye sockets were deeply sunken, and there were bloody marks around them.
“Call the police!” Zhou Qiang’s face turned pale, and he shook as he closed the folder. “These are not students; they are a group of monsters.”
“No! We can’t call the police,” Zhao’s mother fell to the ground and picked up the photo, attempting to tear it to pieces.
But the bodyguards forcibly removed her arms and took the photo from her.
Qi Han picked up the folder. It contained nothing but numerous gruesome photos. There were cats and dogs skinned alive, boys covered in bruises from beatings, and girls silently screaming for help.
They had encountered four demons at the most innocent age of their lives.
Principal Zhou Qiang, his hands trembling, dialed the police’s emergency number. Soon, a police car arrived on the campus.
After Lin Qingya had finished looking at those photos, she sat in her seat, her face pale with fear. She wasn’t the first girl they had bullied; she was the first one who managed to escape from them.
She couldn’t even dare to think about what would have happened if Qi Rui hadn’t skipped class and passed by that route. Would she have become one of the girls in those photos?
Lin Qingya didn’t dare to think about it; she was trembling with fear. Sensing that her complexion was off, Yu Min immediately called her family.
After the call, Yu Min sat beside Lin Qingya, enveloped her in her arms, and gently patted her back to soothe her. “Qingya, don’t be afraid. You’re safe now.”
Qi Rui was taken back to the old Qi mansion, and the steward, Sun Yi, who saw the bruises on his face, immediately called the family doctor.
After the family doctor applied some ointment to his face, Qi Rui, with an awkward expression, mumbled that he had some injuries on his body as well.
He didn’t dare to say it in front of Qi Heng. He was afraid that Qi Heng might say something about disabling his hands again because he hadn’t protected himself.
So, Qi Rui deliberately waited until Qi Heng went upstairs before mentioning it. To avoid being seen by Qi Heng, he even had the steward keep a lookout for him.
He hadn’t considered that the steward reported every detail about him to Qi Heng daily.
After secretly applying the ointment like a thief, Qi Rui noticed that his phone was lit up. He picked it up and saw messages in a group chat.
[Among the Blooms: @Everyone, the faction’s stronghold protection time has ended, and the boss is about to be defeated by the Mortal Dust Pavilion. Hurry online for defense!]
[Surplus Year after Year: I’m still in class.]
[Braised Pork Rice: +1]
[Egg Fried Rice: I’ll be home soon!]
Qi Rui thought for a moment, and it seemed that he hadn’t been online for a few days.
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: I’m also coming online, @Nian Nian You Yu, send me the password privately. I’ll log in with two accounts.]
After typing, Qi Rui got up and hurried to his room.
“Young Master.” Steward Sun Yi called out, “Remember to come down for dinner later.”
“I know.”
…
In just one day, the news of four teenage murderers from Jialin High School became widely known.
Lin Qingya sat in front of the television, and the news was broadcasting this shocking underage murder case.
The sofa next to her sank. Lin Qingya turned her head and called out, “Mom.”
“Yaya, your father and I have discussed it. Shall we move to B City?”
Lin Qingya glanced at the television and asked softly, “Mom, do you think they will receive severe sentences?”
“Yaya, let’s not think about that.” When the matter was mentioned, Lin’s mother became extremely frightened. It was just a narrow escape; her daughter could have ended up like those girls in the news.
“I know they won’t face much punishment,” a hot tear rolled down onto her hand, “they are all minors, there are laws to protect them.”
“Yaya,” Lin’s mother held her, “stop thinking about it. Let’s not dwell on those things. We can go live in B City. You used to love the sea there, didn’t you?”
“Mom.” Lin Qingya closed her eyes, and countless tears welled up from beneath her eyelashes. “But I’m also one of them. Why couldn’t it protect me?”
No one knew the fear and despair she felt at that moment.
Lin’s mother held back tears, quietly patting Lin Qingya’s back until her sobbing gradually subsided.
“Mom, I want to thank him,” Lin Qingya spoke up again after a long while.
…
In less than half a minute, the red envelope was completely claimed.
[Wanhua Congzhongguo: @You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge, thank you for the red envelope.]
[Egg Fried Rice: Thanks for the rich red envelope.]
“…”
The message screen was scrolling rapidly.
[Nian Nian You Yu: Oh my gosh, your response time is lightning fast! I just opened the group and it’s already gone.]
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: You didn’t participate in the gang fight, so it’s normal that you didn’t receive one.]
[Nian Nian You Yu: I’m in class, Rui-ge. Didn’t you say your uncle transferred you to a new school? Aren’t you supposed to attend classes?]
Mentioning Qi Heng, Qi Rui’s words suddenly poured out.
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: Wow, please don’t mention my uncle. He’s becoming more ruthless these days.]
[Nian Nian You Yu: What happened? Did he really break your hand?]
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: Of course not. Today, he had the bodyguards break the hands of those who attacked me. Without even blinking an eye, he’s too ruthless, almost like a tyrant.]
Although his uncle was ruthless, he was the first one to believe in him.
Thinking of this, Qi Rui’s lips involuntarily curled up.
