Chapter 2 — The Photograph in the Pocket

"Which school does not have a few mischievous and unruly students? Conflicts among children only turn sour when parents step in. How are the relations between Si Dao and her classmates under normal circumstances? Is her personality perhaps too introverted?"

"Director, I came here to process a suspension of studies, not to discuss my daughter's personality."

The director's tone remained unchanged, but his gaze shifted. "Mother of Si Dao, I will speak bluntly. High school is not compulsory education, and the school has its rules."

"An unexcused absence for a full week will be treated as an automatic withdrawal from school. By then, it will become an expulsion and will affect your child's permanent academic record. Can you bear the consequences of this?"

"Go home and advise your child properly. Have her come to school tomorrow, and if there is any issue, have her speak to her head teacher. Do not resort to a suspension of studies at every turn; it benefits no one."

"Can the school guarantee the physical safety of my daughter?"

I looked at him, and he looked back at me. Teacher Liu promptly added, "The director has already made that clear. The school is not a mafia organization. How could there be any issue with physical safety? You are worrying too much. Just let the child go to school normally tomorrow. In the final year of high school, every single day is precious, so do not delay your child's education." I stood up. Behind me, the director delivered a final warning: "Remember, unexcused truancy means bearing the consequences yourself." The hallway was empty; I folded the application for suspension and slipped it into my pocket. Arriving home, I met my daughter's gaze. A trace of guilt washed over me. Last night I had promised to protect her, yet today I could not even successfully file a leave of absence.

The director had refused, warning that unexcused absences would be recorded as an expulsion on her academic record.

I sat down beside my child, firmly fastening a sleek black smart watch onto her wrist.

"Tomorrow, Mother will take you to school."

She glanced down at it. "What is this?"

"It contains my emergency contact number, and it can sync audio and location data in real time. Do not take it off."

She remained silent for a moment.

"Mother, it's just going back to school. Do you feel as if something bad is going to happen to me?"

The child was exceptionally perceptive, and I had no intention of hiding the truth from her.

"Yes. Last night I had a nightmare, I dreamed that someone harmed you, and that I ended my own life right after."

She asked no further. Her gaze was resolute. "Mother, I will not bow down to them. I will face them alongside you." Everything had changed compared to my past life. Be it my daughter or myself. Yet terror still gripped me; whether she could escape this catastrophic tribulation, I did not know. A grueling battle still lay ahead of us. Late in the afternoon, my phone vibrated gently. It was a private message from Teacher Liu.

"Tomorrow, just drop her off at the gate and leave, do not step inside the campus. Some parents complained that students felt intimidated seeing you around today, creating a negative atmosphere."

Early the next morning, I escorted my daughter to the school gates.

"No matter what happens, if anything comes up, remember to call mother."

"Understood."

She shouldered her backpack and walked away. Upon arriving at the company, the moment I sat down and opened my laptop, the colleague at the neighboring desk slid her phone over.

"Take a look at this."

On the screen was a live-streaming room. Jiang's mother was holding her identity card up before the lens, her eye rims deeply reddened.

"My name is Wang Lili, and today I am using my real name to expose Li Jing. She is the widow of a martyr, her husband having perished while fighting a fire, and she should naturally be respected. Yet, relying on her youth and beauty, she secretly added my husband on WeChat, destroying someone else's family. Now my husband argues with me every single day, and our household is on the verge of shattering."

"I am merely an ordinary housewife, lacking her beauty and devoid of her wealth, entirely powerless against her. I implore everyone here to stand up and uphold justice for me."

Comments rushed by furiously like a raging torrent.

"Do martyrs' widows have the right to seduce other people's husbands? Truly bringing shame upon the families of martyrs!"

"This kind of woman should be stripped bare and dragged through the streets to be publicly shamed."

"The homewrecker has a malicious physiognomy right from the start."

"Already reported. Urging the authorities to revoke her status as a martyr's family member."

Before I even had the chance to scroll further down, an alert popped up. It was a warning notification from the watch. The map showed my daughter was not at school, but rather down the narrow alleyway behind the school's rear exit. It was during class hours; why on earth would she be in such a place? Seizing my phone, I dashed out of the building. When I finally reached the spot, my daughter was cornered against a brick wall, her hair in disarray, a bright red handprint stark across her cheek, the skin at the corner of her mouth torn and bleeding, her clothes disheveled. I recognized them: Jiang Zhenghan and two male students standing behind him, along with a female student holding up her phone to record video—all of them were her classmates.

"Si Dao!"

I lunged forward to shield her behind my back.

"Are you skipping class to bully a fellow student in broad daylight?"

Jiang Zhenghan reached out, attempting to yank my daughter's sleeve, but I shoved his hand away with a fierce sweep. He stumbled back two steps, his head striking the solid wall with a dull thud. Blood began to trickle down past his ear.

"Call the police! Hurry up and call the police!" the girl holding the phone screamed.

Twenty minutes later, inside the administrative office, Jiang's mother burst through the door. Her eyes landed on Jiang Zhenghan, who was holding the back of his bandaged head. His face turned deathly pale before flushing a furious crimson.

"Murderer!" Her voice cracked with hysteria. "This vicious woman dared to lay hands on a child! I will make sure you rot in prison!"