Chapter 60

After the baptism of yesterday’s storm, the sun hung like a brilliant golden disc in the eastern sky, slowly rising. As the winter months approached, daylight grew shorter, and the weather grew colder. A breath would form a visible white mist.

Shen Shuyu and Yu Decai exited the hospital building and got into his car. A sizable peace-and-safety pendant hung inside the spacious SUV. The back of the pendant held a photo of Yu Mo and her parents. A simple, ordinary kind of warmth. Yu Decai slowly started the car, steering with one hand as he expressed his gratitude to Shen Shuyu. “Our Little Fish has really put you to a lot of trouble this time.”

“It was nothing. Just what I could do,” Shen Shuyu said, shifting her gaze away from the pendant and shaking her head lightly.

“Shuyu, let me ask you something. This Chen Aimei… is she like this to everyone, or just to Yu Mo?” Yu Decai asked cautiously and carefully. He had been worrying all night, tossing and turning in bed. He was afraid Yu Mo had experienced a targeted act of school bullying.

Shen Shuyu shook her head under Yu Decai’s gaze. “She’s always been arrogant and domineering. The Chen family has been riding a wave of success in recent years. Behind the scenes, they’ve cleaned up quite a few of her messes.” That was precisely why Shen Shuyu had insisted on going to the school with Yu Decai.

Yu Decai had also heard of this Chen family. His expression grew somber. “They won’t be easy to deal with.” He paused. “I figure the Chens will offer a lot of conditions, trying to make me drop the school’s investigation into Chen Aimei. But no matter what conditions they offer, trying to get me to make a big deal into a small one, I won’t agree.”

“Mhm. That’s a must,” Shen Shuyu nodded affirmatively. After a moment’s thought, she opened her phone. “I consulted a lawyer last night. Chen Aimei’s actions already constitute unlawful detention. But as of now, it didn’t cause severe harm to Yu Mo, and Chen Aimei is still a minor, so the legal punishment might not be severe. But Uncle, you must hold firmly to this point. Intimidating them is secondary. The important thing is to make the school understand the severity of the matter. Only then can Chen Aimei receive the appropriate punishment.”

“That’s a good angle. Unlawful detention…” Yu Decai mulled over this serious-sounding legal term, pondering how to make use of it. Their brief strategy session ended.

Shen Shuyu lowered her head, tapping away rapidly on her phone. The car was quiet, save for the low hum of the automatic climate control system. Warm air dispelled the cold, slowly stabilizing the cabin temperature at the set 24 degrees Celsius. It warmed Yu Decai’s chest, giving him a feeling of comfort. “Honestly,” he began, breaking the silence shortly after, “when I first sent Yu Mo to A University Affiliated Girls High School, I was a bit worried. I thought, a kid from the Lower City… would she be bullied here? Would she not fit in? But yesterday, seeing you kids, braving the rain to look for Yu Mo with us… Uncle’s heart was deeply moved. They say true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. It seems our kid has really made some true friends.” Yu Decai kept his eyes on the road, his voice honest and deep. This reticent man was voicing his most straightforward feelings.

Shen Shuyu hadn’t expected Yu Decai to say something like that to her. The fingers tapping on her phone screen slowly came to a halt. It was somewhat pathetic, she thought. In her twenty-four years of life, she had rarely faced such a moment of intense familial emotion, openly shared. So much so that she wasn’t quite sure how to respond. The car sped along the sparsely populated road. Looking at the bare branches whizzing past outside the window, a scene of winter desolation, Shen Shuyu spoke softly: “Because… Yu Mo is worth it.”

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The car gradually approached the school. From a distance, a familiar figure could be seen standing at the gate. Teacher Chang, wrapped in a pure white, long down jacket, was waiting in the cold wind to greet Yu Mo’s parent. “Teacher Chang, sorry to keep you waiting,” Yu Decai said, parking the car and shaking hands with Teacher Chang respectfully. “I just came down too,” Teacher Chang smiled easily. But her ice-cold hands betrayed her.

Just then, Shen Shuyu’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she apologized to the two, “I need to take this call. Teacher, please go ahead, don’t wait for me.” Teacher Chang nodded. “Alright then. Yu Mo’s parent, please come with me. Chen Aimei’s parents are already here.”

Hearing that Chen Aimei’s parents had arrived before him, Yu Decai thought perhaps the Chen family had some sincerity after all. Maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as he’d feared. But the moment Teacher Chang pushed open the office door and invited him in, the atmosphere inside instantly extinguished that faint hope flickering in Yu Decai’s heart. Chen’s father and mother, dressed impeccably, sat side-by-side on the main sofa. Their expressions were indifferent. Seeing the victim’s parent arrive, they made no move to stand and greet him. Instead, they carried a rather arrogant air, simply looking Yu Decai up and down.

“Yu Mo’s father, please have a seat,” Teacher Chang politely gestured Yu Decai to a smaller side sofa. Then, Teacher Chang clasped her hands in front of her chest, cleared her throat, and spoke. “I’ve called the parents here today to mediate what happened yesterday. I believe you all have some understanding of yesterday’s events. I’ve also spoken with several students and conducted an investigation.” So saying, Teacher Chang handed out a copy of a document to each of the three parents. “This is the content of the investigation. I have the original chat logs and call recordings if the parents need them. I consider this incident extremely serious. Chen Aimei’s actions…”

“Trying to pin this on our Aimei based on a few people’s words? Isn’t that a bit ridiculous?” Mrs. Chen said, placing the document dismissively onto the coffee table.

“By saying that, are you denying it?” Yu Decai asked, his voice deep.

Mrs. Chen tilted her body slightly, deliberately refusing to engage with Yu Decai. Teacher Chang had anticipated this response. She looked at Mrs. Chen, explaining, “Mrs. Chen, this is also my investigation. A student witnessed Chen Aimei close the Equipment Room door.”

“But do you have video evidence? From surveillance?” Mrs. Chen retorted, her tone flat and dismissive. The previous day, after Chen Aimei heard Yu Mo had gotten into trouble, she’d tearfully confessed everything to her parents. Father Chen was furious, but, doting on his daughter, he had immediately hired hackers to infiltrate the school’s surveillance system overnight. They’d inserted a virus to corrupt all of yesterday’s footage. The most crucial evidence was gone. Once again, Chen Aimei was shielded by her parents, escaping responsibility.

Teacher Chang froze. From the sound of it, the Chens had already tampered with the surveillance. She had been so focused on gathering student testimonies yesterday, she’d forgotten to secure the surveillance footage. A sense of powerlessness, knowing the truth but being unable to prove it, washed over Teacher Chang. Yu Decai was immediately put at a disadvantage. The atmosphere in the room instantly congealed. Gripping the document, Yu Decai brought out his trump card. “If that’s the case, Teacher Chang, we’ll be choosing to report this to the police.”

Mrs. Chen’s heart tightened. Even though reporting this to the police was something they could likely handle, if word got out, it would damage the Chen family’s and Chen Aimei’s reputation. “Yu Mo’s father,” Father Chen took over, subtly threatening Yu Decai, “your child was only locked in the Equipment Room for one night. As far as I know, she’s in perfect health. The police won’t open a case for this. Furthermore, if this matter escalates to the police station, it could hinder your hotel’s current development.”

“Is that so?” Yu Decai’s finger brushed against his phone screen in his pocket. Recalling Shen Shuyu’s words, he spoke. “Chen Aimei is sixteen years old. She is legally responsible for her actions. Even if the surveillance footage is temporarily unavailable, there are other ways to prove your child committed unlawful detention against mine. If the charge of unlawful detention is established, I fear the Chen family’s business might also suffer the consequences.” Yu Decai’s voice was firm and righteous. He met Father Chen’s gaze, sparks flying in the clash between two Alphas. Though Father Chen inwardly knew “unlawful detention” was somewhat exaggerated, he could see from this that Yu Decai was well-prepared, determined to see this through to the end. As a businessman, Father Chen understood clearly: cunning opponents were manageable, but stubborn ones were the real headache. The kind that would hurt themselves to hurt you — what he despised most, yet found most troublesome.

“Why not treat this as a misunderstanding?” Father Chen extended an olive branch, hoping both sides could step down and let the matter drop. “It could lay a friendly foundation between the Chen and Yu families. Beneficial to both sides.” Yu Decai naturally refused to nod. Just as he was about to refuse, the office door creaked open.

“Calling it a misunderstanding, Mr. Chen… aren’t you jumping to conclusions a bit too soon?” A beam of light pushed through the crack in the door. Wu Yuanyong strode in, hands clasped behind his back. Beside him stood Shen Shuyu, who had just taken the phone call.

“Principal! What brings you here?” Teacher Chang’s face lit up with surprise. “An incident this major, even ambulances were called. How could I not know? And this Director Qin… handled it so efficiently. She issued you orders even before I could approve them,” Wu Yuanyong said with a smile, subtly expressing his displeasure. Teacher Chang lowered her head, apologetic. It was her first year as a homeroom teacher. She’d panicked when such a thing happened and just did whatever Director Qin told her.

Wu Yuanyong understood. He didn’t overly blame Teacher Chang. He sat down in a chair and gestured to Shen Shuyu. “Shuyu, bring up what you’ve found for everyone to see.” “Alright,” Shen Shuyu nodded, pulling up a video on her phone. Seeing the date and time displayed in the top left corner of the video, Mrs. Chen’s expression stiffened. It was yesterday afternoon’s surveillance footage! How had Shen Shuyu gotten footage they had clearly destroyed?!

In the 2.0 speed video, the sky shifted, turning from clear to cloudy. Chen Aimei appeared on camera. Shortly after, Yu Mo also appeared. Then, the video clearly recorded Chen Aimei, after coming out, actively closing the main door. “This doesn’t prove anything,” Mrs. Chen immediately switched tactics. From denying she locked the door, she shifted to claiming she hadn’t seen Yu Mo. “Our Aimei said she didn’t see Yu Mo inside yesterday.”

Shen Shuyu glanced up at Mrs. Chen but said nothing. Her expression was calm. Her fingers tapped the screen a few times. The video switched to footage from a camera directly facing the inside of the Equipment Room. The footage clearly showed Chen Aimei and Yu Mo crossing paths. Father Chen and Mother Chen’s faces both twitched to varying degrees. The advantage had completely swung to Yu Mo’s side.

“An act like this is extremely serious,” Principal Wu Yuanyong stated, his voice stern. His usually amiable face was now clouded with gravity. “The school will form a dedicated investigation team to look into this matter. Yu Mo’s father, what are your thoughts? Could you share them with me?” Yu Decai looked at Father Chen, coldly skimming over his hopeful eyes, and stated, “I want the school to handle this matter impartially and give my daughter a proper explanation.”

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The midday sun shone brilliantly, dispelling the shadows, as if light were everywhere. When Father and Mrs. Chen emerged from the office building, their faces were grim. A minor matter they thought they could handle quietly had spiraled completely out of control. Chen Aimei’s case would now have to await the school’s decision, personally overseen by the notoriously impartial Principal Wu Yuanyong. It was likely a stain would be left on Chen Aimei’s academic record, impossible to erase.

Seeing the previously domineering Chen couple now deflated, Yu Decai felt immensely relieved. He opened his car door, his gaze accidentally sweeping up to the third-floor connecting walkway. Shen Shuyu was standing there, seemingly gazing into the distance. Sunlight enveloped her, casting an ethereal, glowing outline. She stood tall and graceful, elegant as a crane. A truly remarkable young lady. A sudden fantasy flickered through Yu Decai’s mind. He gave a wry smile, shook his head, and got into the car.

Up on the walkway, Wu Yuanyong, seeing Shen Shuyu in the distance, walked over to her. “You need to be more careful in the future. Don’t let yourself stand out like this so openly. If the Chens target the Shen family because of this, Shen Lin will reprimand you again.” Shen Shuyu lowered her gaze slightly. What Wu Yuanyong was saying was exactly the concern she’d had in Yu Decai’s car. This time, the situation had been extremely urgent. There was simply no way to handle it seamlessly and emerge completely unscathed, the way she had with Sun Qi. But to distance herself entirely from this incident for self-preservation, and thereby fail to support Yu Mo… Shen Shuyu couldn’t do that.

“I still have you, don’t I, Uncle Wu?” Shen Shuyu said to Wu Yuanyong, half-jokingly. Wu Yuanyong rarely saw Shen Shuyu smile. Her smiling eyes curved gently. Her brows slightly resembled Shen Lin. Yet, with the sunlight shining down, her delicate, pale face was as pure and exquisite as a pear blossom. And also… very much like Wu Jue. Past events surged into Wu Yuanyong’s mind. Memories, fresh as yesterday, vividly reappeared. He remembered back in school, when that girl from the Wang family bullied Wu Jue. Shen Lin had protected Wu Jue without reservation, just as Shen Shuyu had done today.

Wu Yuanyong didn’t know Shen Shuyu’s true feelings. He simply felt that often, those involved are blind while onlookers see clearly. The stirrings of adolescence were beautiful precisely because of this unspoken haziness. So he didn’t expose it. He just walked up to Shen Shuyu and said, with considerable feeling, “You’re becoming more and more like Shen Lin in her prime.”

Shen Shuyu was momentarily stunned. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh. Bitterness spread through her heart. The shadow she was trying so hard to escape… she was moving closer and closer to it. “Is that so…” Shen Shuyu’s tone carried a hint of dejection.

Wu Yuanyong heard it more as the angst of youth, something unbefitting her age. He tapped Shen Shuyu’s head with his finger, feigning a threat to lighten the mood. “So, the advice I gave your mother back then, I’ll give to you today: Don’t think that just because I’m protecting you, your mother won’t do anything. When the day comes that she kicks you out of the house, we’ll see what you do then.”

Just then, Yu Decai drove over slowly and honked his horn lightly at Shen Shuyu. Looking at Yu Decai’s black SUV, Shen Shuyu’s mood lifted slightly. She rose slightly on her tiptoes, a smile touching her face, and waved at Yu Decai’s car. Then, Shen Shuyu rested her arms casually on the railing, her tone light and playful. “Then I’ll just go live at Yu Mo’s house.”