Chapter 67 When the Upper Beam Is Crooked, the Lower Beam Cannot Be Straight

"I'm warning you, don't get reckless—this is a school!" The woman retreated a few steps, shielding her grandson in her arms.

"Oh, so you remember this is a school? What happened to all that bravado of yours just now? You kept calling others homewreckers—frankly, for someone your age, you've wasted all those years."

"I... I'm not the only one saying it; everyone in the whole compound knows you’ve been seducing Doctor Zhang from the hospital," the woman replied, her expression betraying her guilt.

Xia Yan let out a cold laugh, her gaze sweeping the onlookers—there were indeed quite a few people whispering among themselves. "Since you brought it up, let me say this right here and now. You all spread rumors that I’m having an affair with Zhang Jun—so let me ask, which one of you gossipmongers actually saw it with your own eyes?"

The crowd fell silent; they glanced at one another, as if trying to recall who first told them the rumor.

"Hmph, there’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t let the wind through. If you hadn’t done anything, would people be talking like this?" The woman mustered the last of her courage, planting her hands on her hips and raising her voice.

Xia Yan smiled with a chilling edge. "Well, aren’t you knowledgeable, quoting proverbs about walls and secrets. Let me tell you—just because you see something doesn’t make it true, let alone what you’ve heard. Granny Shengli, do you know what this is called? It’s defamation. I could have you taken to the Public Security Bureau."

At the mention of the Public Security Bureau, the woman’s face turned pale. She hadn’t expected that a few words could land her there. The faces of those around them changed as well, and they all fell silent.

Zhou Weimin, seeing neither side would back down, stepped in to smooth things over. "Granny Shengli, it was Shengli who was at fault in the first place. I think if Shengli apologizes to Xiao Zhuo, we can put this matter behind us. What do you think, Xiao Zhuo’s mother?"

"I won’t apologize! Why should I? I didn’t do anything wrong!" Liu Shengli shouted defiantly.

Xia Yan spread her hands. "Teacher Zhou, you see, it’s not me being petty. Since this boy refuses to apologize, you can’t blame me. Xiao Zhuo, let me teach you something: violence isn’t the answer to everything, but sometimes, it does the trick."

Zhou Weimin’s face darkened; he suddenly felt that Liu Shengli hadn’t been beaten enough by Lin Hongzhuo. This child’s temper truly needed correcting.

The woman saw Xia Yan limbering up, looking ready for a fight. She knew she was no match for a young woman like Xia Yan; if things got physical, her own son wouldn’t stand a chance against the other’s man, either. No matter how she looked at it, she’d be the one to suffer.

In a hurry, she grabbed her grandson by the ear. "Shengli, be good—apologize."

Liu Shengli could hardly believe his ears. "Grandma, you want me to apologize to Lin Hongzhuo?"

"That’s right—apologize, now!"

Seeing his grandmother’s fierce expression, Liu Shengli’s nose wrinkled and he burst into tears. "I didn’t do anything wrong—why should I apologize? I won’t!"

Hearing her grandson cry only made the woman angrier. She pulled off her shoe and smacked Liu Shengli on the bottom. But from the sound of it, she wasn’t hitting hard; with all the layers the boy was wearing, it was more like a tickle.

Xia Yan watched the performance, too uninterested to call her out. "Enough. Don’t put on this show for our benefit. Xiao Zhuo, let me teach you another saying: ‘The wise do not dwell on the faults of the petty.’ As long as our conscience is clear, that’s all that matters."

"I’ll remember, Mom," replied Lin Hongzhuo.

After giving Liu Shengli a token beating, the woman watched Xia Yan lead Lin Hongzhuo away, then picked up her grandson and checked him all over. "My precious boy, does it still hurt? Grandma was just acting for their sake—otherwise, what if they really called the police? Your aunt is still at the Public Security Bureau. If we get taken in, people would never stop laughing at us."

"Hmph, when I get home, I’m telling Grandpa and Dad that you hit me for someone else’s sake!"

Liu Shengli paid no attention to her explanations and struggled to get down.

Desperate to appease him, she said, "Be good, darling—Grandma will buy you some candy later."

At the mention of candy, Liu Shengli finally smiled. "I want White Rabbit."

"Alright, White Rabbit it is. Grandma will buy it for you, just don’t be angry anymore."

"But Lin Hongzhuo scratched my face..."

The woman, feeling sorry for her grandson, hugged his face and blew on it. She glanced at the two figures in the distance and said viciously, "We’ll let it go this time. Next time, when no one’s around, we’ll get back at him. Then you can hit him as much as you want—Grandma will help you."

"Grandma, you promised! Next time I’m going to scratch up his face!"

Excited by her words, Liu Shengli’s eyes lit up, already plotting his next attack on Lin Hongzhuo. "Grandma, let’s go buy candy now."

"Alright, Grandma will take you to the supply and marketing cooperative."

Thinking of the price of White Rabbit candies, the woman wept inside, but to make her grandson happy, she decided to blame all these costs on Xia Yan.

On the other side, Zhou Weimin turned to Xia Yan, apologetic. "Xiao Zhuo’s mother, I’m truly sorry."

"Teacher Zhou, this has nothing to do with you," Xia Yan replied, waving her hand. She hadn’t expected an apology from Zhou Weimin.

He shook his head. "Of course it does. Liu Shengli is my student. If a student misbehaves, the teacher is at fault, too—I failed to set the proper example."

Xia Yan smiled and waved it off again. "Really, you’re not to blame. You saw what his grandmother is like, didn’t you? A child like that is only a reflection of his upbringing."

Zhou Weimin felt relieved at her words. "Xiao Zhuo’s mother, you probably know better than I do—Liu Shengli’s family holds grudges. You embarrassed Granny Shengli just now, and she’ll definitely look for a way to get back at you."

In fact, Zhou Weimin deeply disliked children like Liu Shengli. The boy was always causing trouble in class, and he’d summoned his family more than once. But every time, they’d brush him off, even blaming him, saying children were naturally mischievous and if he hadn’t learned well, it was the teacher’s fault!

Even with his good temper, Zhou Weimin had nearly lost his patience with them more than once.

Xia Yan nodded. She’d known from the start that Liu Shengli’s family was a problem. Today she was present, but in the future, if she wasn’t around, who knew if Liu Shengli would bully Lin Hongzhuo again.

But she had made up her mind—if Lin Hongzhuo was bullied, she’d confront them directly. If she could handle Liu Xiuying, she could handle the rest of the Liu family—and if not, she’d call for reinforcements!

After all, there was a formidable man at home; they could always fight fire with fire.

"Teacher Zhou, I’ll remember your advice. Please continue to look after Xiao Zhuo at school."

"Mom, my face hurts..."