Chapter 20 — The Day the Whole School Went Wild

Is this her?

The young girl wept uncontrollably, unable to form words as she merely nodded. Forest stood right beside me, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned completely white. I turned to him and asked, "Who filmed these videos?" He bit his lip.

"It wasn't just one person."

"We set up a private storage group."

"We originally planned to wait until graduation before releasing them."

"But today, seeing you summon the courage to stand up, we finally dared to do it."

I looked at him.

"Why didn't you report this to the teachers sooner?"

Forest offered a bitter, mirthless smile.

"We did. Once upon a time."

"Teacher Kao said a classroom cannot simply run around snitching on every little thing."

"She said if every single one of us were as overly sensitive as Autumn Morning, she simply wouldn't be able to manage this class."

A sharp pang went through my heart, as though a needle had lightly pricked it. So my very name had long since become a warning label, silencing them before they could even open their mouths. Team Leader Shao’s expression grew progressively darker the longer he watched. He paused the video and looked directly toward the principal.

"Principal Tran."

"Just how completely rotten has the classroom management at your institution actually become?"

The principal’s lips trembled uncontrollably.

"We truly had no idea the situation was this severe."

One of the parents slammed a hand onto the table and surged to their feet.

"You had no idea?"

"Last semester, my daughter suddenly refused to wear her school uniform jacket, claiming the sleeves were dirty."

"When I asked her about it, she said she had simply fallen down."

"Now, it is crystal clear in this video that boy named Ryan is the one who took a floor mop and splattered dirty water all over her."

Ryan father’s face turned ashen. He whipped his head around to stare fiercely at his son.

"Did this actually happen?"

Ryan lowered his head deeply, his eyes burning red.

"I was just going along with the joke."

His father kicked a chair away in a fit of rage.

"Going along with the joke?"

"Whose sick joke were you going along with?"

Ryan suddenly snapped his head up and pointed a shaking finger straight at Ariel.

"It was her."

"She was the one orchestrating all of it."

"She told us that anyone who didn't obey her didn't deserve to remain in Class Three."

"She bragged that Teacher Kao was firmly on her side."

"She claimed her mother was close friends with Teacher Kao, so any trouble they caused would simply be swept under the rug."

Ariel let out a piercing shriek.

"Ryan, you absolute bastard!"

Ryan, too, completely broke down.

"Me? A bastard?"

"And I suppose you are innocent?"

"Every single time, you were the one who picked out the targets first."

"You hated Autumn Morning because her grades were better than yours."

"You hated Forest because he didn't share a dormitory with you."

"You hated Chloe because she didn't vote for you during the election."

"You treated everyone around you merely as instruments to secure your status as class monitor."

Ariel’s face drained of all color. She stared desperately at Kao Lam.

"Teacher Kao, say something, please."

Yet Kao Lam remained huddled in the corner of the room, utterly devoid of the strength even to lift her head. Her phone had been sealed away. Her office computer was undergoing inspection. Her merit reviews were being overturned. No one understood better than she that uttering even a single word in Ariel’s defense now would only drag her down into an even deeper abyss. Ariel finally realized that the backing she had always believed to be utterly unbreakable had completely collapsed. Mother Hui still attempted to shield her daughter.

"My daughter simply possesses exceptional leadership skills."

"Friends are bound to have minor friction; how can you possibly pin all the blame entirely on her?"

Yet this time, not a single person was willing to indulge her anymore. The father of the bullied female student jumped up once again.

"Leadership skills?"

"Leading a pack to torment and abuse others is what you call leadership skills?"

Another parent stood up to join in.

"My son was forced by them to buy expensive snacks for the entire class, and whenever he refused, they branded him stingy."

"Is that what you call minor friction?"

"For the longest time, we foolishly assumed our children were simply suffering under heavy academic pressure, never dreaming such a pack of predators existed right inside their classroom."

Mother Hui was surrounded on all sides, her complexion deathly pale. She finally understood that today was no longer a situation where she could single-handedly bully and silence me. All those who had remained silent for so long were finally speaking out. Team Leader Shao immediately pronounced judgment. Class Three-Eleven was stripped of its candidacy for the advanced class distinction on the spot. All members of the class committee were suspended from their posts. The students involved would be categorized and investigated accordingly. Actions involving the restriction of personal freedom, destruction of property, and online harassment would be formally handed over to the police and the juvenile protection bureau. Kao Lam was suspended from teaching and homeroom duties while she cooperated with the Disciplinary and Educational Inspection Commission. The principal was required to assist with the investigation; all honorary titles and cooperative partnerships held by the Affiliated Middle School for the current year were put on hold. Every single word uttered felt like driving nails into a wall, permanently exposing those once-trivial "jokes" for the cruelty they truly were. Ariel could no longer keep her footing. She suddenly lunged forward toward me.

"Autumn Morning, I'm begging you."

"Please tell them to let this go."

"My entire life will be ruined."

I looked down at her. Her face was drenched in tears. Yet my mind drifted back to the whispered "hush" outside the equipment room. Back to the sound of laughter as the bus pulled away from the school gates. Back to the name that had been ruthlessly crossed off the list.

"Ariel."

"Your life isn't ruined."

"You are simply finally being held accountable for the things you have done."

She wept and shook her head frantically.

"But what am I supposed to do from now on?"

I replied, "That is a problem for you to figure out."

"It is not a problem I am required to solve in your place."

Her gaze slowly shifted, changing entirely.