This made Huang Duoduo's body shudder. The fear that had gripped her was suddenly replaced by a surge of courage, and she blurted out, "The truth is this: from start to finish, the three of them were bullying me, and Su Yun was the only one who helped me!"
"What! Huang Duoduo, what are you talking about?"
The three girls turned livid with anger, while Chen Wu's expression shifted dramatically as he barked, "Student Huang Duoduo! You need to realize that you have to take responsibility for what you are saying right now!"
"Of course I take responsibility, because this is the truth!"
"Then why did you say before that Su Yun bullied you? Why doesn't your story match?"
"That's because Li Jia and the others threatened me! They said if I dared to tell the truth, they'd post my nude photos online and hire hoodlums to beat me up. And they recorded the whole thing—it's right on their phones!"
"You... you're lying!"
"What's a lie? The victim has spoken, and the evidence is right there on their phones. Why doesn't Director Chen have Li Jia take her phone out and check?"
Su Tian sneered, making Chen Wu's expression turn even uglier, while panic flickered in the eyes of Li Jia and her two friends.
"Alright, this matter ends here."
At that crucial moment, Director Li spoke in a cold voice, his gaze shifting to Li Jia. "Jiajia, you have disappointed me!"
Li Jia's face paled. She wanted to say something, but when she met her father's eyes, she lowered her head.
"As for student Duoduo, let me apologize to you first. To show my sincerity, I am willing to offer some money as compensation."
With that, Director Li bowed to Huang Duoduo. Huang Duoduo said nothing, simply looking over at Su Tian.
Su Tian gave a cold laugh. "An apology? Compensation? Aren't those things you were supposed to do anyway? And surely you have to do more than just that?"
"What do you mean?"
"My meaning is simple. Your daughter's actions go far beyond mere school bullying—she has colluded with outside delinquents to threaten a fellow student! What kind of behavior is that? That is already serious enough to be a criminal case! Not to mention they also slandered my sister. My sister was simply doing the right thing by intervening, yet they painted her as the mastermind behind the bullying. Do you really think a simple apology and some money are enough?"
Director Li's face darkened at these words, and Chen Wu gave a start, hastily chiming in, "There's a misunderstanding, Mr. Su, it's all a misunderstanding! Look, I can apologize to Su Yun on behalf of the school..."
"I said, an apology alone is not enough."
Interrupting Chen Wu, Su Tian said coldly, "Aside from the apology and compensation, I have two conditions. First, the school must issue a formal notification to the entire student body detailing the facts of this incident, and severely punish Li Jia and her two friends. Second, the school must commend my sister for her righteous act and student Huang Duoduo for her courageous disclosure, and broadcast this through the school's public address system. If you agree, we'll let this matter drop. If you don't, I'm calling the police right now!"
"This... this won't do..." Director Chen turned pale. He knew that if they did that, Li Jia and her friends would inevitably end up expelled.
Director Li also wore a grim expression as he said, "Young man, don't push your luck!"
"Who dares to say Master Su is pushing his luck?!"
Just then, another voice echoed from outside the disciplinary office, and a young woman dressed in casual wear suddenly walked in.
The moment they saw her, everyone in the room froze. Su Tian's eyebrows arched—the young woman was none other than Yang Ling, whom he had met earlier.
"This... are you Ms. Yang?"
Director Li had still looked gloomy, but the instant he laid eyes on Yang Ling, a flattering smile spread across his face.
Yang Ling ignored Director Li entirely, walking straight up to Su Tian and bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Master Su."
"Ms. Yang, what brings you here?"
Yang Ling smiled. "My cousin Yang Hu studies here at Number One High School. I came to see him, and I didn't expect to run into Master Su here."
"I see." Su Tian nodded.
Yang Ling turned to him. "Master Su, what exactly is going on here?"
Su Tian recounted the whole affair, causing Yang Ling's expression to darken as well. "So that's how it is. Don't worry, Master Su, I'll handle this."
With that, Yang Ling turned her gaze to Director Li. The man had already gone pale, knowing very well who Yang Ling was. She was the eldest daughter of the Yang Family, and her second uncle happened to be the Secretary of Political and Legal Affairs in Teng City. Yet here she was, treating Su Yun with such deference—how could he not panic?
"Uncle Li, I remember you came to my house during the New Year and saw my second uncle, didn't you?"
"This... yes, I did..."
"Mm. My second uncle has always spoken very highly of you, saying not only that you are diligent and uncomplaining in your work, but also conscientious and responsible. He said that, barring any unexpected events, you could take another step up within the year. But seeing this, my second uncle's judgment doesn't seem very accurate after all."
Hearing this, Director Li trembled so violently he almost collapsed to the floor. The next second, he blurted out in a panic, "Ms. Yang, it's all a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding? You still call it a misunderstanding at a time like this?" Su Tian said coldly.
Director Li's face stiffened, and he nodded hastily. "Yes, what Mr. Su said is right. It was my failure to handle my family education properly. Well then, everything from here on will be handled exactly as Mr. Su requested."
"That's more like it."
Su Tian gave a cold chuckle and turned his gaze to Chen Wu. Chen Wu had been scared out of his wits by the scene, but seeing Su Tian look at him snapped him back to reality. He quickly said, "Right, we will follow Mr. Su's demands to the letter. Not only will the school issue an apology and compensation to Huang Duoduo and Su Yun, but we will also make a school-wide broadcast revealing the complete truth of this incident, and we will formally commend both Su Yun and Huang Duoduo."
Huang Duoduo and Su Yun both brightened at this. Su Yun sneered and nodded. "Fine, then I'll take my sister back home to wait for the news. Whenever this matter is fully resolved, that's when my sister will return to school. As for Huang Duoduo, I demand that the school provide strict protection for her. If she is bullied by anyone in school again, I will call the police immediately."
"Don't worry, Master Su. I will keep an eye on this personally and ensure it's handled properly." Yang Ling added.
Hearing this, Chen Wu and Director Li nodded frantically, not daring to utter even a peep.
"Alright, we're leaving."
Su Tian nodded once more and left with Su Yun. Yang Ling followed them out. "Master Su, I drove here. Let me drive you and your sister back."
"That works."
Su Tian accepted. He knew Yang Ling was looking to build a closer relationship with him, and since she had just helped sort out the mess, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Once they were in the car, Su Tian said, "Ms. Yang, thank you so much for your help just now."
"Heh, think nothing of it, Mr. Su saved my father's life, so a small matter like this Bù Jiào is no trouble at all."
Su Tian smiled faintly, while Su Yun looked blank, having no idea how her cousin had managed to save the other woman's father.
Wisely choosing not to pry, she simply asked, "Brother, are you really taking me home? My studies are so intense right now; missing even a single day of class means falling behind."