By noon, the movie had ended, and Su Qin walked out of the theater arm in arm with Jiang Yun. The handsome couple drew envious glances from many single passersby. They had just watched an American action blockbuster, so the theater was filled with groups of friends or individuals watching alone.
The couple, completely oblivious to their surroundings, drew some "resentful" stares as they openly displayed their affection. However, both were long accustomed to such attention at school and continued discussing the plot as they left the theater.
"Xiao Qin, are you hungry? Let's go eat at that Western restaurant next to the park!"
"Sure, sounds good!"
"Let's go!"
Holding Su Qin's hand, Jiang Yun led her into the park, planning to take a shortcut. Besides, with its trees and water, the park felt much cooler.
"Jiang Yun, if I were ever kidnapped by bad guys, I wish you could be as amazing as the hero in the movie! Taking down over twenty people all by yourself and rescuing the heroine!"
"I'm actually pretty good at fighting too. Taking on three or five guys is no problem! If some bad guy tried to take Xiaoqing away, I could unleash my inner power and take down twenty all by myself!"
"Yeah right, stop bragging!"
"Seriously, I'm really strong. Look at these muscles!"
After saying this, Jiang Yun rolled up his sleeve and struck a bodybuilder pose. His regular basketball workouts had indeed given him a decent physique, with well-defined muscles bulging on his arms—though of course, they were nowhere near as impressive as those of movie characters.
"Not bad, I guess! Compared to... Ah!"
Suqing's words were cut short by a sudden cry of surprise as a man rushed out from the side and collided with them. The neatly trimmed shrubs along the path were quite tall, and Suqing had been turning back to look at Jiang Yun showing off his muscles. The person emerging from behind the bushes was in too much of a hurry, so they crashed into each other and tumbled to the ground.
"Xiaoqing! Are you okay? Oh no, your arm is bleeding!" Jiang Yun immediately bent down to help Suqing up, his heart aching at the sight of the blood on her arm.
"Mmm... It's fine, just a little scrape!" Suqing said, blowing on the wound after getting up. However, her tightly furrowed brow showed she wasn't as unaffected as she claimed, which made Jiang Yun even more distressed.
"Ouch... Damn, that hurts like hell! Are you blind or something?"
"Watch your language! You're the one who ran into us... Huh? Wang Kai?"
"Jiang Yun... Suqing?"
The person who had bumped into Suqing turned out to be an acquaintance—Wang Kai, Jiang Yun's classmate. Although they were in the same class, their relationship was far from close. Jiang Yun was a top student who focused on his studies and strived for excellence every day, while Wang Kai was a school bully who skipped classes and loafed around, acting all high and mighty. Rumors circulated among the students that Wang Kai's family was involved with the underworld, though no one could confirm it, and Wang Kai never admitted to it.
But Wang Kai had another identity that was enough to let him strut around the school unchecked: Principal Wang was his uncle. Combined with the underworld rumors, no one dared to cross him. Jiang Yun, having no influential background, naturally avoided provoking Wang Kai and usually kept his distance.
Suqing also knew a bit about Wang Kai's reputation, so she tugged at Jiang Yun's sleeve and shook her head at him. Jiang Yun frowned, his fists clenching so tightly the veins bulged. He hesitated, wondering if he should just let it go. But seeing Suqing's pained expression and the blood on her arm, coupled with the adrenaline from just watching an action movie, he couldn't hold back and blurted out, "Wang Kai, apologize to Suqing!"
"What did you say? Did I hear you right?" Wang Kai tilted his head and retorted with a cocky sneer.
"You hurt Suqing. Shouldn't you apologize?" Jiang Yun's voice rose a few notches.
"Jiang Yun, forget it. It's just a scratch, it's fine! I... Ouch..." Suqing tried to step in and persuade Jiang Yun to drop the matter, but lifting her arm agitated the wound, causing her to gasp in pain.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun felt both heartache and anger, and he couldn't help shouting at Wang Kai again, "Apologize!"
"Apologize my ass! Don't push your luck, you piece of shit!" Wang Kai showed no remorse, maintaining his arrogant, dismissive attitude.
Jiang Yun, his blood boiling with rage, finally couldn't hold back and threw a punch. Wang Kai, caught completely off guard, was knocked to the ground by the blow. As soon as a fight broke out, a crowd quickly gathered in the park. Su Qing hurriedly grabbed Jiang Yun, who was about to continue the assault, and gestured toward the onlookers. Though Jiang Yun felt a rush of satisfaction from the punch, he now found himself in an awkward position. Pulled back by Su Qing, he stood frozen, unsure of what to do next.
Lin Mengjie had been sitting by the park's pond for a while, and the calm waters had soothed her troubled mind. She decided she would stay at the school a bit longer. If Principal Wang didn't bring up the matter again, she could live with missing out on a promotion—after all, she loved teaching, and her husband provided the family's financial support, so she didn't need to worry. But if the principal continued to pressure her, she could always resign and become a homemaker or explore another career.
Having resolved her inner turmoil, Lin Mengjie prepared to head home to rest. Suddenly, she noticed a crowd gathering nearby. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, and a sense of foreboding washed over her. She quickened her pace and hurried over.
Wang Kai never expected Jiang Yun to actually hit him. Truth be told, he was just unlucky. On any other day, Jiang Yun would likely have brushed off his provocations. But today, from morning till now, Jiang Yun had endured one frustration after another. With his girlfriend by his side and fresh off watching an action-packed blockbuster, he was already simmering with pent-up anger. Wang Kai had walked right into the line of fire.
Wang Kai, initially planning to get up and fight back, suddenly spotted someone behind Jiang Yun and decided to stay seated on the ground.
"Ah! The teacher's son is bullying an honest man! What kind of world is this?" Wang Kai shouted from the ground. Though the bystanders thought Wang Kai's appearance and demeanor hardly fit the image of an "honest man," the fact remained that he had been struck. And when they heard the word "teacher," the murmurs and discussions among the crowd grew more intense.
"Nonsense! It was clearly you…" Jiang Yun was momentarily stunned by Wang Kai's reaction and found himself at a loss for words, unable to refute the accusation.
"Jiang Yun, what's going on? Why did you hit Wang Kai?" Lin Mengjie pushed her way through the crowd just in time to hear Wang Kai's words. To her shock, she realized the people involved in the fight were her student and her own son.
"Ah... Mom...!? Mom... I..." Jiang Yun's heart sank as he saw his mother approaching with a furrowed brow. Nervous and flustered, he stumbled over his words.
"Su Qing, what exactly happened?"
Seeing that Jiang Yun was too tongue-tied to explain, Lin Mengjie turned to Su Qing beside him. Su Qing quietly recounted the events that had just unfolded. Nodding in understanding, Lin Mengjie shot a stern glare at Jiang Yun before stepping forward to help Wang Kai up. But Wang Kai refused her assistance, staying seated on the ground and grumbling, "Well, if it isn't Teacher Lin! Your son sure knows how to throw his weight around in public, bullying people like this!"
"Wang Kai, please get up first. It doesn't look good with so many people watching!"
"Hmph! Now you're worried about appearances? I'm reporting this to the principal—your son should be expelled!"
As he spoke, Wang Kai took out his phone and was about to dial. Lin Mengjie quickly grabbed his hand, thinking that if this matter reached the principal, it would surely be used to threaten her into doing those despicable things. Although she could resign, if her son were expelled, it would leave a stain on his life, potentially affecting his future studies and career.
"It's Jiang Yun's fault. He shouldn't have hit you. I'll make him apologize. Jiang Yun, come over here and apologize to Wang Kai!"
Lin Mengjie turned and glared at Jiang Yun. Instinctively, Jiang Yun took a step forward to apologize, but he felt deeply wronged. Wang Kai smirked arrogantly at Jiang Yun, as if saying, "You think you can mess with me?"
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