Chapter 784: A Little Heavy-Handed
Chapter 784: A Little Heavy-Handed
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Gu Zi watched Su Bing. She could see his eyes brimming with unshed tears. Her first instinct was not to blame, but to feel a pang of heartache. Su Bing was not a child who acted recklessly. He understood restraint and propriety, and would not instigate such an incident. Therefore, she needed to understand what had truly transpired.
Su Bing, fearing his mother’s reproach, spoke up before she could ask. His voice wavered with emotion, “Mom, I didn’t start the fight. Jiang Ping and his friends were bullying me. I was merely defending myself.”
Upon hearing this, the physical education teacher’s anger flared. He seemed only willing to believe what he had witnessed, and he barked at Su Bing, “Su Bing, how dare you lie so blatantly? I clearly saw you pinning Jiang Ping down and hitting him. Your eyes were so cold, as if you wanted to beat him to death. Are you suggesting I saw wrong?”
Gu Zi, already distressed by Su Bing’s situation, shot the teacher a stern look. The male teacher shivered under her gaze and quieted down.
Gu Zi addressed him, “Physical Education teacher, since I am here at the school, I will naturally investigate the cause of this incident. Please do not interrupt my son while he is speaking. Maintain the decorum expected of a teacher.
“I will not blindly favor my son. If it is determined that he is at fault, I will punish him. However, I will not allow my son to be denied his right to express himself.”
The physical education teacher fell silent. Su Bing continued his explanation, “I was running on the playground, minding my own business, when Jiang Ping approached me. He started verbally provoking me, saying that even though I knew martial arts, I was a coward who wouldn’t dare to fight in school. I ignored him and continued running.
“But he was relentless. He and his classmates continued to harass me, even resorting to physical aggression. Later, he insulted me, calling me an orphan. I didn’t get angry because you’ve always told me, Mom, not to care about what others say. But the calmer I remained, the more relentless Jiang Ping became. He pushed me, and in my anger, I retaliated.”
What Su Bing didn’t mention was that his mother had also told him that in a new school, he had to establish his own standing. If he constantly swallowed his pride, others would perceive him as weak and take advantage of him, leading to even more outrageous behavior.
So, he didn’t hold back. After getting up, he pinned Jiang Ping down and started hitting him. Naturally, Jiang Ping was no match for him. Many people tried to intervene, but by then, Su Bing was seeing red. He couldn’t control his strength and ended up injuring Jiang Ping.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zi’s brows furrowed deeply. She noticed that one of Su Bing’s arms was covered in bruises, some of which had broken the skin. This was probably where Jiang Ping had pushed him. She turned to the physical education teacher, “Where is the other student? I would like to hear his side of the story.”
The physical education teacher, upon observing Gu Zi, deemed her to be fair and refrained from making further comments. He realized his own shortcomings, acknowledging that he should have first sought to understand the cause of the fight.
Just as he was about to respond to Gu Zi, a woman’s voice, laden with tears, echoed through the air. It was a mournful, plaintive sound. Simultaneously, the other children were dispersed by the homeroom teachers of the two classes.
“Where is that rascal named Su Bing?” the woman demanded, her voice trembling with anger. “Hand him over to me. He dared to beat my son to such an extent that his hand is bandaged. This is not a mere child’s fight; it’s practically attempted murder!”
The woman, a lady of high society, clutched an imported designer handbag in one hand and her son in the other. Her gaze immediately fell upon Gu Zi. “You must be the parent of that Su Bing,” she accused. “How do you educate your child? Look at what he has done to my son! You must give an explanation for this incident, or it won’t end here!”
Seeing the woman’s aggressive approach, Gu Zi instinctively shielded Su Bing behind her. Her gaze fell upon Jiang Ping, the child who had indeed suffered a great deal. His face was scraped, but the main injury was on his hand. Su Bing had indeed been heavy-handed.
“Jiang Ping’s parent,” Gu Zi addressed the woman, “I was looking for you. You are Jiang Ping, right? Su Bing said that you were the one who bullied him first and started the fight. Is that true?”
Jiang Ping, having been severely beaten, was still in a state of shock. He knew the truth of the matter; he had indeed provoked Su Bing first, which led to the fight. Now, when questioned by Su Bing’s mother, he was too scared to respond and hid behind his own mother.
Seeing her son’s state, Jiang Ping’s mother’s maternal instincts surged. Regardless of right or wrong, she was determined to defend her son. “What do you mean my son bullied your son?” she retorted. “It seems to me that you, as a parent, have failed to educate your child properly. He beats others and doesn’t dare to admit it, instead making excuses to shirk responsibility. You, as a mother, need to reflect on this.”