On Tuesday, after getting leave from school, Lin Yu arrived at the entrance of Fourteenth Middle School, ready to explore further.
Under the pretext of visiting some teachers, Lin Yu easily tricked the security guard and entered the school grounds. To avoid drawing too much attention with his conspicuous appearance, he tucked his yellow hair under a baseball cap bought outside the school and wore a mask and sunglasses for additional disguise.
Lin Yu first wandered the corridors of the first floor, where the seventh graders were located.
Peering through the corridor windows, Lin Yu quickly identified the boy from the photo, Xia Mu Zhu's brother, Xia Yue Shan. He was in Class 1-3, seated among the last few, slouching and with a scowl on his face, completely disinterested in the lesson – the epitome of a problematic student.
Seeing Xia Yue Shan in person, Lin Yu felt puzzled.
This guy didn't look like someone easy to bully. It seemed more likely he would be the bully in any schoolyard conflict.
After observing more closely, Lin Yu noticed several oddities.
Firstly, Xia Yue Shan had no desk mate, sitting alone.
Moreover, he didn't interact with others at the back of the class.
If Xia Yue Shan had good relations in the class, he wouldn't be sitting quietly by himself, especially while others jubilantly mingled around him, silently laughing with each other and sneaking candies under the teacher's nose.
This led Lin Yu to consider a possibility.
Was he being ostracized?
Shortly after, a scene unfolded that confirmed Lin Yu's suspicion.
A student against the wall, secretly eating a candy, decided to share some with his peers by the windows, throwing candies towards them.
The throw fell short, and one piece hit Xia Yue Shan's face by accident.
That candy was like a bomb dropped into a volcano, triggering an explosive reaction from Xia Yue Shan.
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He picked up the candy, raised his hand high, and with a powerful throw, returned the candy directly to the face of the student who had thrown it.
Lin Yu watched this scene in disbelief.
He thought the class was isolating you, but it turns out you're isolating the entire class?
"Xia Yue Shan!"
"What are you doing!"
The teacher's booming reprimand drew everyone's attention to Xia Yue Shan, yelling,
"Go stand at the back!"
Xia Yue Shan glared at the candy-thrower, then shot a look at the teacher, kicked his chair away, and stood defiantly at the back of the classroom.
Witnessing Xia Yue Shan's increasingly hostile gaze, Lin Yu shook his head and clicked his tongue.
The injustice of it all.
Having gained an initial understanding of Xia Yue Shan's standing in his class, Lin Yu left the first floor and headed to the second.
After locating the school counselor's office, Lin Yu removed his mask and sunglasses, gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," a robust voice answered.
Lin Yu entered to find a middle-aged man, inquiring, "Are you Counselor Zhang?"
"That's me," the man nodded.
"I'm Xia Yue Shan's brother. I heard he's been having a tough time at school and came to check on the situation," Lin Yu spoke humbly.
"Xia Yue Shan?" The counselor frowned, evidently remembering the name with a growing odd expression.
"He told you he was being bullied?"
Lin Yu nodded solemnly, "That's how it seems."
"Hmph." The counselor scoffed mockingly, "As if anyone could bully him in school. Half the class has been hit by him! He's the bully!"
The man slammed the desk, frustration evident.
"No, no, no." Lin Yu calmly met the counselor's angry gaze, arguing, "If Xia Yue Shan often targeted one or a few individuals, then maybe he's bullying them."
"But you said he's hit almost half the class. What kind of person bullies nearly half of their classmates single-handedly? There's no such madman."
Lin Yu shook his head, proposing, "Perhaps my brother Xia Yue Shan is actually the one being bullied, but unlike others who retreat and cry alone, he prefers to fight back."
"Against everyone who bullies him."
The counselor sneered dismissively, incredulous at Lin Yu's argument, "So you're suggesting nearly half the class has banded together to bully Xia Yue Shan?"
"Why would they do that?"
"What reason would they have?"
Lin Yu, maintaining eye contact, smiled gently, "That's exactly why I'm here, to hopefully review the security footage to understand the situation."
"Sorry, school surveillance isn't available to the public."
The counselor's tone turned cold, and he turned back to his computer screen, signaling for Lin Yu to leave him be.
Watching the counselor's icy demeanor, Lin Yu's lips curled into a wry smile.
So, playing nice doesn't work, huh? You dared to be disobedient?
Time to drop the act and speak as who I am.
Lin Yu took off his cap, shook his head to let his yellow hair fall over his face again and approached the counselor's desk, stating sternly, "I hope I can review the surveillance footage now, not after Black Blood gang and you have a friendly talk tonight, leaving me to come back tomorrow."
Seeing the counselor's face shift from anger to panic, Lin Yu added, "Or should I have my uncle, Li Yuan, come and speak to you in person?"