Chapter 7 (2/2)
Wei Cai’s mother reb.u.t.ted in a shrill voice, “All accusations must be backed up by evidence! It is common for children to engage in some form of verbal arguments or minor conflict with their schoolmates. If you commit suicide the moment I scold you, then all those who squabble on the street ought to be rounded up and shot to death!”
“Your daughter beat my daughter up! They were bullying her for a long period of time.” Hu Xiao Die’s mother shook Wei Cai’s mother violently, “Murderer! Criminal! You gave birth to your child but you didn’t bother raising her properly!”
Wei Cai’s mother was about to retort when Xu Miao’s parents stepped in. With tears flowing down her face, Xu Miao’s mother pleaded, “n.o.body wanted things to turn out this way. It’s our fault for failing to take our children in hand, and I admit that I’m at fault. But please, please do not place all the responsibility on our children. They’re still young, and they have a long road ahead of them. Even if they were at fault, we have to give them a chance to change.”
Wei Cai’s mother refused to admit fault, and continued squabbling with the other parents. The Public Safety Bureau descended into chaos once more.
The form teacher led Chen Nian into the elevator.
A police officer was waiting for her at the entrance of the interrogation room – it was the young police officer who had previously questioned her in school. He was attired in his work uniform, and looked especially handsome and bright. A smile formed on his lips when he saw Chen Nian, as though they were close acquaintances. He had just graduated from school, and wasn’t much older than Chen Nian. When he looked at Chen Nian, his gaze was always gentle yet sharp, as if he had the ability to peer into the inner depths of her heart.
The form teacher patter Chen Nian’s shoulders, “Don’t be afraid. Take your time to tell the police officer what you wish to say.”
Chen Nian followed Officer Zheng into the interrogation room. The door closed shut.
“Did Hu Xiao Die tell you anything the day she committed suicide?”
Chen Nian shook her head.
“Are you certain about that?”
“Yes.” Chen Nian knew about the importance of consistency in testimony.
“Zeng Hao testified that you previously told her the following: on the day before Hu Xiao Die committed suicide, you had seen Wei Cai and her group of friends……” Officer Zheng paused momentarily, his dark eyebrows gently creasing, “abusing her.”
The term “abuse” caused Chen Nian to startle.
Chen Nian didn’t respond. She wanted to deny the testimony presented in front of her, but she couldn’t open her mouth no matter how hard she tried.
“Chen Nian, if what you said was the truth, the persons who inflicted the abuse would suffer the corresponding punishment.”
Chen Nian felt as though a heavy brick was weighing on her throat. She met Officer Zheng’s intense and firm gaze. A tag hung proudly from his chest, his name inscribed on the tag: Zheng Yi[1].
Officer Zheng softened his voice, “Chen Nian, trust me.”
There was only the two of them in the interrogation room. The atmosphere gradually froze. In his eyes, Chen Nian could see a tolerant and understanding love for the bigger world and its civilians.
After an internal struggle, Chen Nian finally nodded her head.
“Could you describe the scene that you saw in more detail?”
Wei Cai had initially picked on Hu Xiao Die because she simply didn’t like her. Or perhaps it was because Hu Xiao Die was too pretty. Alternatively, Wei Cai might have picked on Hu Xiao Die because Hu Xiao Die was extremely friendly with all the males in cla.s.s, or perhaps it was because Hu Xiao Die was smitten with the basketball player Li Xiang, and openly evinced her desire to get closer to him. At this point in time, the initial reason Wei Cai picked on Hu Xiao Die was no longer something that could be deciphered. In any event, Hu Xiao Die frequently suffered from cynical taunts and verbal insults whenever her cla.s.smates were around, and was often unintentionally “b.u.mped” into and accidentally “hit” by numerous objects. Conversely, when her cla.s.smates were no longer around, in locations such as the balcony, the toilet, the library, and the corner in the canteen, Wei Cai and her group of friends……
Of course, it would be impossible to a.s.sert that the surrounding cla.s.smates failed to detect any signs of the ongoing bullying activities. However, due to various reasons, everyone simply chose to remain silent and to overlook the bullying activities – they convinced themselves that it was merely an ordinary conflict between cla.s.smates; after all, everyone had people they disliked.
Wei Cai and Hu Xiao Die’s conflict didn’t concern them in the least;
The stress from studies already left the students battered and weary;
In addition, they weren’t familiar with Hu Xiao Die. Who would truly take the problems of strangers to heart?
When the strong engages in a confrontation with the weak, the situation inevitably devolves into one whereby one party is isolated whilst the other party enforces the isolation; or where one party is bullied whilst the other party inflicts the bullying. In such situations, organisms would subconsciously turn away from the party who was being bullied and isolated.
People fear straying from the group, and this was especially true for children. Compared to adults, children were often more afraid of being non-conformist, as they were frequently cla.s.sified as the weak.
Chen Nian had seen Wei Cai, Xu Miao, and their group of friends insult and a.s.sault Hu Xiao Die, and when she saw them tear Hu Xiao Die’s clothes and strip her naked, she left the scene immediately. Chen Nian was afraid – she feared that she too, would become part of the bullied, part of the hunted.
The form teacher was detained for further questioning. By the time Chen Nian exited the elevator and stepped into the lobby, the chaotic group of parents had already been dispersed. The marble floor was extremely empty and clean. It reflected the vibrant glare of the summer sun, causing Chen Nian’s eyes to water.
On her way back to school, Chen Nian felt an indistinct sense of trepidation. However, at the same time, she felt extremely relaxed.
There was always a solution to one’s problems. She was extremely grateful that she had managed to rein herself in at the brink of the precipice – she hadn’t resorted to seeking protection from that person who was her total opposite; she didn’t step onto a path she knew would definitely leave her with infinite regrets.
Just as these thoughts were running through her head, she saw him.
Ah, the Heavens were being so deliberate.
Bei Ye was seated on a roadside bench, a cigarette in his hand. One of his legs was propped up on the bench, whilst his other leg was stretched outright, appearing to be extraordinarily long.
The white cast on his arm was especially obvious.
There was a group of lax and undisciplined people surrounding him, all of them breathing out cigarette smoke as well. They were joking and ribbing each other. Chen Nian could hear words such as “F***”, “Bi***”, “Dam***” and other forms of profanities being spewed around.
Bei Ye’s head was lowered as he smoked; thus, he hadn’t seen Chen Nian. One of his companions had slung his arm over Bei Ye’s shoulders, and was talking to him about various rated matters. His companion was in an extremely gleeful mood, and was laughing uncontrollably. As a result, Bei Ye was also swayed from side to side, causing Bei Ye to smile in response.
Raising his head, Bei Ye instantly spotted Chen Nian, who had been pa.s.sing by. Her white school uniform and her white school shoes stood out in the crowd.
Chen Nian shot him a quick glance, which did not go unnoticed by his companions. His companions challenged, “What are you looking at?”
Chen Nian immediately turned her face away.
Bei Ye lowered his head and tapped his cigarette on the bench, causing the cigarette ash to fall away.
His companion turned back to look at Bei Ye. On discovering that the rest of the group were still chatting, he interjected, “Bei Ge[2], look – the female students from First High School are all so pretty.”
Bei Ye didn’t respond. However, a yellow-haired person laughed at the companion, “Lai Zi, all females are beautiful in your eyes.”
The person called ‘Lai Zi’ lowered his voice, “Ah, why are the wrists and calves of females all so slender and graceful?” As he spoke, he started to estimate the size of Chen Nian’s wrists with his fingers, “Her wrists and calves are only about this thick – a mere twist would cause them to break!”
After looking at Lai Zi’s rough estimation, the entire group turned back to look at Chen Nian. Her slender and pale wrists and ankles were glowing under the afternoon sun.
Just then, Bei Ye pressed his cigarette into the bench and put it out. Placing his feet on the floor, he straightened up, “Are we leaving or not?”
“Alright, let’s go! Let’s go grab some tea first.” The entire group of people swarmed into the nearby convenience store.
Bei Ye strolled behind the group in an unhurried pace. He didn’t look at Chen Nian as he brushed past her. Neither did she.
Having walked past her, Bei Ye stopped in his tracks. Running his tongue over his teeth, he ultimately turned back to look at her.
“Hey.”
Chen Nian turned back to look at him.
“What are you doing running around on the streets? Shouldn’t you be in school studying?” Ah, look at the way he chided her – as if he himself possessed the requisite qualification to chide her.
Chen Nian didn’t reply. Although the apology in her eyes was evident for only a mere second, the very next moment, his gaze had already drawn a clear boundary between the two of them, “I’m leaving.”
The moment he turned his back to her, Bei Ye was overcome with a sense of deflation; the secret happiness that he experienced a few seconds ago on seeing her no longer existed. Between them, there were simply too many insurmountable differences to overcome.
He waved his hand nonchalantly, indicating that she could take her leave.