NH chapter 026

Chapter 26: The Accusation

Huo Ye was under observation in the hospital for a week.

During this time, he only maintained close contact with Song Jianlan and Xiong Ying through a few phone calls, assuring them not to worry, but he did not mention the issue of being expelled.

Song Jianlan was sadder than ever, repeatedly telling him on the phone to study hard, to get into a good university in the future, to stay away from home, and to stay as far away from Huo Lijun as possible.

Huo Lijun was not a proper father; he was addicted to drinking, gambling, and violence had become a daily routine. Several times, the neighbors had to call the police, and the response was simply a few words of “the police cannot interfere in family matters,” leaving them with no choice but to give up.

Under normal circumstances, most people wouldn’t endure it and would take their household registration booklet to divorce, but Song Jianlan had never thought of that.

Deep down, Song Jianlan was a very traditional woman.

In her eyes, getting divorced seemed a far graver matter than being submerged in a pig cage in ancient times. Therefore, even when living with bruises and crying on the roadside late at night, she never once thought about divorce, not ever.

She was not well-educated and didn’t fully understand many things; the college entrance examination, which she could never participate in, became her obsessive desire, even a spiritual support—what her parents could not achieve, they placed their hopes on their children, and Huo Ye was destined to inherit her ideals.

Song Jianlan couldn’t divorce nor leave this home; Huo Yan was only eight years old, and she couldn’t take her father away from her. But Huo Ye was different. He could rely on the college entrance exam, using the acceptance letter that came with it to soar away.

She reminded him again and again to study hard, take the college entrance exam, get into a good university, and leave this place.

This was also why Huo Ye repeated two years of school, desperately striving to get into Lanjing Second High School, successfully reaching the top class, and then using another year to rise from a class full of underachievers back to the top class. The process was arduous and filled with hardships, known only to him.

The most painful thing for a person is to have grand ideals and aspirations, but lack the talent to match their ambition.

After so much effort to arrive at this day, seeing liberation just a year and a half away, Song Jianlan’s obsession became his—he didn’t want to waste all the sweat of the past, yet it all could collapse in a single moment.

But if you were to ask him, do you regret it?

The answer would still be no.

A week later, Huo Ye was discharged from the hospital and returned to the office of the director of education at the school to collect his expulsion notice.

He never imagined that before receiving the acceptance letter he so desired, he would first receive an expulsion notice.

Shen Tingyu didn’t say much that day; he only let out a chilling sneer, saying, “You come back, and we’ll see.”

“Knock knock.”

Huo Ye knocked politely at the door, not too heavy or light, and waited until people were ready before pushing it open. Director Yang was sitting inside, with several piles of thick documents stacked on the table, seemingly all prepared.

He didn’t let him look; Huo Ye didn’t glance at it, appearing obedient as he said, “Hello, Director Yang,” still wearing the school uniform of Lanjing.

—Clearly, he had no awareness that he was about to be expelled and would no longer have the qualification to wear this uniform.

Director Yang didn’t respond, his brows knitted in displeasure as he proceeded to go through the formalities with Huo Ye. Huo Ye caught a glimpse of the reasons for his expulsion on the notice—poor behavior, repeated misdeeds, and a host of other accusations, lifting the corners of his eyes into a sarcastic curve.

But he remained calm, extraordinarily calm.

Just as Huo Ye was about to sign, the office door was suddenly knocked upon urgently, forcing Director Yang to lift his head and glance at him, asking, “What is it?”

A teacher rushed in, looking flustered, and spoke words that made one turn pale: “Director Yang, it’s not good! More than a dozen female students from the grade have united to write an accusation, posting it on the school bulletin board and anywhere it can be seen, accusing Liao Zheng of bullying, harassment, and other vile actions from Class 2B…”

Director Yang suddenly stood up, nearly knocking over his chair with a heavy sound, “What did you say?!”

“News is spreading fast and getting really big; I heard someone even called the media! The phone at the academic office has been blown up! The school gate is surrounded by reporters and angry netizens; the security guards say they might not be able to hold them back!”

Huo Ye clenched the signature pen in his hand, his expression shifting from surprise to a complicated understanding.

With a flick of his wrist, the pen tip made a beautiful circle, and Huo Ye couldn’t help but laugh at the situation helplessly.

—So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is.

No wonder they hadn’t had time to pay attention to him for several days, going around making phone calls with dark circles under their eyes; it turned out they had this backup plan hidden away.

Even if public opinion was running rampant, it wouldn’t ferment so quickly within a short time. There were people behind the scenes orchestrating everything, setting up this game where they turned the tables.

The more influential a person is, the more they care about their reputation outside. The blatant arrogance of the Liao family back then, along with the school’s inaction, had now become the painful point of criticism.

Director Yang had no time to care about Huo Ye; without thinking, he rushed out of the office to see. In just a short moment, the outside had already turned chaotic—

Inside the school, a group of energetic seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds were at the best age to assert justice and admire heroism; outside the school, countless media reporters were trying to obtain damning evidence against the Liao family, along with hostile businessmen and politicians fanning the flames, reveling in the chaos.

The more than a dozen female students, who had never met Huo Ye, were willingly revealing their unspeakable wounds, transforming them into double-edged swords, even if it meant harming themselves, they would drag down the enemy with them.

Their weakness, their cowardice, had now become their weapons, sharp and courageous.

“Liao Zheng! Come out! You beast!!” The boys in Class 2B forced the doors and windows shut, using their bodies to brace against the door, while the protagonist of the incident, Liao Zheng, had a pale face, hiding in his seat, fearfully shouting commands, “Don’t let them in! Don’t let them in!”

In the end, the one who had been pushed to the forefront was actually him, the one who had uttered those harsh words. This classroom had become Liao Zheng’s safety zone, and he didn’t dare to leave; the teachers outside who wanted to take him away couldn’t enter either.

Liao Zheng yelled and threatened, refusing to change his ways, “Do you all not eat? Hold the line, you idiots! If anything happens to me today, my dad will definitely make you pay! Did you hear—”

Before the last syllable could escape his mouth, a loud crash of breaking glass echoed nearby, “Crash!!”

Reflexively, Liao Zheng covered his head and gasped in shock.

Outside the classroom of Class 2B, Gao Xiaoyuan was out of breath, standing at the forefront, her soft palm slashed with small wounds, but she didn’t stop, taking the brick passed to her by a companion and lifting her hand again, preparing to throw it towards Liao Zheng.

More and more classmates from the second-year joined in, including relatives of those dozen female students, boys who secretly liked one of them but learned that the girl they liked had been defiled by a beast, as well as those who could no longer tolerate Liao Zheng’s bullying, seizing the opportunity to hit him when he was down.

The teachers struggled to maintain order, even senior students from the third year upstairs could no longer hold back and ran out to watch. That grand spectacle left an indelible mark on many dull and tedious academic careers.

Thinking back, such scenes had not occurred for the first time in previous years; they once took place just as grandeur before.

Back then, the school cafeteria was exploiting students with overpriced meals, and students, left with no choice, often climbed over the wall to buy meals at a small stall run by a deaf-mute aunt.

But when the cafeteria contractor discovered this, they smashed the aunt’s stall and forbade her from coming back. The aunt was injured during the struggle and ended up in the hospital, which infuriated the students.

So they banded together and wreaked havoc in the cafeteria and the small shop, stealing whatever they could, and when they couldn’t take something, they turned tables over. Several tables were uprooted, and the scene was one of utter chaos.

The school had no choice but to call the police, yet when the police arrived, furious students even overturned the police vehicles, leading to a scene that couldn’t be controlled. Afterward, the school’s leadership and municipal bureau officials were held accountable.

Ten years of drinking ice, are difficult to cool the hot blood.

All those who have been oppressed will eventually stand up.

Director Yang leaned against the railing outside the office, staring blankly at the boiling sea of people below. The iron face that was known for its selflessness finally showed a crack and could no longer be maintained.

At this point, he could no longer keep his title as the director of education.

Renowned for selflessness, but ultimately using it for personal gain.

Huo Ye walked out leisurely with his hands in his pockets, a bruise visible on his cheekbone, a deep bluish color contrasting with his pale skin. His defiant expression remained unchanged.

He seemed to possess an incredible charm, or perhaps it was his handsome bone structure; despite looking battered, he didn’t come off as weak, instead emanating a kind of lazy fierceness.

“Director Yang.”

With a sardonic smile, Huo Ye asked, “Are we still signing this?”