Chapter 4: Co-opting and Striking

"Wan Chu'er, put down the phone now."

"Wan Chu'er, how dare you!"

"Don't make the call!"

"Don't call the police!"

Multiple voices erupted simultaneously—class teacher Teacher Zhu, three other girls, and Liu Li's mother all lunged towards Wan Chu'er.

Just as they were about to reach her, Wan Chu'er sneered, abruptly hung up the phone with a "snap," and then quickly moved away from that spot, once again running to stand behind Teacher An Lian.

Here, only Teacher An Lian was reliable.

Teacher An Lian, seeing Wan Chu'er actively seek refuge by his side, paused for a moment with a hint of surprise in his eyes, and then he protected her fiercely, not allowing anyone to come a step closer.

Liu Li's mother, with one hand holding the phone and the other hand clutching her chest, seemed to realize that what Wan Chu'er just said might be true. She absolutely couldn't let the police come; if they really showed up, her daughter's reputation would be ruined forever.

The other three girls' hearts lifted once again, worrying whether the police might come, feeling both hatred and fear towards Wan Chu'er.

Class teacher Teacher Zhu also felt uneasy. If her class really had an incident that required police involvement, her performance would definitely be affected, and she might even face disciplinary actions.

"Wan Chu'er, speak freely about any demands you have. If what you're saying is true, the school will naturally stand by you and ensure justice is served," Teacher Zhu earnestly said.

Wan Chu'er once again stepped forward, her actions just now should have deterred some people, no one would foolishly attempt to touch her again. She held her chin up and coldly said, "Everything I said is the truth. Liu Li stole my money, and many good students in our class saw it, these three girls can also testify, they were always there each time." She pointed at the three girls apart from Liu Li.

Hearing Wan Chu'er's words, the three girls subconsciously wanted to deny, but one of them, quick on her feet, promptly pulled the other two closer. They zipped their lips and continued to listen to Wan Chu'er.

"If they are unwilling to testify, then let the police come, and everything will be clear after an investigation. My demands are simple, return the money that was robbed from me, every penny which my mother worked so hard to earn; also, Liu Li must publicly apologize to me."

She then turned her head, looked at the class teacher, and asked, "Teacher Zhu, my demands aren't excessive, right?"

After some thought, Teacher Zhu nodded, "Not excessive."

Indeed, it wasn't excessive at all. If what Wan Chu'er just said was true, she had been bullied for a year, forced to clean for Liu Li, write her homework, answer her test papers, so returning the money and making an apology was not only fair but even seemed quite lenient.

Unfortunately, not everyone felt this way, like Liu Li and her mother.

Liu Li could not accept making a public apology; doing so would destroy the authority she had established in class and in the entire school.

"Wan Chu'er, don't go too far. I don't admit to any of what you said! Also, how about you hitting me today like you did? Everyone saw you hit me today."

Liu Li's mother immediately supported her daughter: "Just because you say my daughter stole your money, does it mean she really did? Who can prove it? You? Or you?" She looked towards the other three girls, who, upon meeting Liu Li's mother's gaze, immediately stepped back and lowered their heads.

"Also, you can't just get away with beating my daughter up today. Let your parents come, they must compensate, and it won't be settled unless they pay ten thousand yuan," she further demanded blatantly, shouting outright.

Wan Chu'er listened, but was not in a hurry. Instead, she scoffed disdainfully, thinking that demanding ten thousand yuan from her was like a dream!

She said loudly, "Since you don't admit it, let's call the police. Let the police clarify the facts. By then, my demands won't be limited to these anymore. Whoever hit me, threatened me, took my things, copied my test, or was an accomplice, I will not let anyone go. I will make every responsible person compensate and apologize; no one shall escape!"

"As for today's matter, anyone with eyes could see clearly who got more injured between me and Liu Li. It's also easy to determine who struck first today. If compensation is needed, great, let's have the doctors examine my injury too, and see how much money will be needed for my recovery. I wonder if twenty thousand yuan would be enough?"

Wan Chu'er looked disdainfully at Liu Li, whose expression had changed. Even though Liu Li was bold, she was just a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, while Wan Chu'er was already thirty-three.

Actually, her target had always been just one person, Liu Li, since she treated her most harshly and led all the misdeeds. Wan Chu'er intended to completely crush Liu Li this time, to take revenge, make an example for others, and deter them. Furthermore, she had to continue studying here for almost two more years and didn't want to make enemies of everyone at once.

Although she wasn't afraid of making enemies, she wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble to make her remaining time less difficult.

There's a saying that the law does not punish the multitude. If she implicated everyone at once, this matter might end up unresolved. If she focused on Liu Li, the chance of success was much higher.

So, her harsh words were merely a threat to the other three girls—she didn't believe they would tarnish their reputations for a scumbag like Liu Li over their own interests.

Sure enough, upon hearing Wan Chu'er's words, the three girls started to look visibly anxious, as people are inherently selfish, especially these three girls of dubious character.

Teacher Zhu didn't want to escalate the situation. She understood the implication in Wan Chu'er's words, and though surprised by Wan Chu'er's assertiveness, she had no time to ponder as Teacher An Lian, who had been standing beside Wan Chu'er, spoke up.

"Our school is a place for teaching and nurturing, not a hiding spot for filth. I suggest we call the police, let them handle this, and have the guilty parties compensate and be dealt with accordingly. Those who bully their classmates should be expelled from school!" He spoke with profound anger.

Teacher Zhu quickly added, "Yes, our place is a school for teaching and nurturing, and we always teach you to be honest." Then she turned to the other three girls and asked,

"Zhang Xiaoyu, tell us what really happened? The teacher hopes you can honestly state the facts and give justice to fellow student Wan Chu'er."

This hint was very strong as she directly mentioned justice for Wan Chu'er and not for Liu Li, showing that she believed Wan Chu'er more.

Zhang Xiaoyu, the cunning one among the three, bit her lip and said, "Teacher, what Wan Chu'er said is true. Liu Li would demand five yuan from Wan Chu'er every day and during exams, the test papers and grades were actually Wan Chu'er's, because Liu Li is too... so we also dared not… and did some wrong things to Wan Chu'er."

Her words were not complete but the implied meaning was strong, and it was another headache for Wan Chu'er.

"Zhang Xiaoyu! What nonsense are you spouting!" Liu Li shouted loudly.

Teacher Zhu stern-faced, said, "Student Liu Li, please do not shout."

Seeing Zhang Xiaoyu switch sides, the other two girls hesitated no longer and immediately apologized to Wan Chu'er, "Wan Chu'er, we're sorry, we will not join Liu Li in bullying you anymore."

Wan Chu'er nodded and said, "Good, I accept your apology."

This meant she was letting go of the matters between them, which relieved Zhang Xiaoyu and the other two girls, yet also left them feeling awkward. They couldn't understand how Wan Chu'er had changed so quickly during just one class period, no longer allowing herself to be bullied or manipulated like before.

Teacher Zhu, seeing Wan Chu'er's response, relaxed her tense nerves slightly. It was easier to handle when someone was reasonable.

"Student Liu Li, I would never have thought you were this kind of student—bullying classmates, monopolizing their academic achievements, and even stealing their money. You've deeply disappointed the teacher," Teacher Zhu said seriously to Liu Li. "The teacher hopes you will return every penny you took from Wan Chu'er with nothing missing and apologize publicly."