Bullying

Almost simultaneously, two things clearly connected in Yu Fuli's mind: the messy scene in the forum pictures, and the trampled doll keychain that definitely belonged to Lin Xun.

A bullying incident targeting Lin Xun is taking place, or has just occurred.

This realization hit him like a bucket of ice water, making him instantly jump up from the sofa. He didn't even bother to grab his coat, which was draped over his shoulder; he grabbed his phone, turned around, and rushed out of the house, heading quickly towards the student dormitory area.

Yu Fuli walked so fast he almost ran, the evening breeze brushing against his temples, which were slightly damp with sweat from his eagerness.

The distance between the faculty apartment area and the student dormitory was not short, but at that moment he had only one thought in his mind—to find Lin Xun and confirm his safety.

A few lights appeared on the dormitory building as dusk fell.

Yu Fuli didn't go through the main gate, but instead relied on her memory to go around to the back of the old dormitory building where F class students were usually assigned.

The management here is relatively lax. He remembered Lin Xun mentioning that he lived in the small room at the very back of the third floor.

The Saint Laurent Royal Academy has a clear hierarchy, and students of different assessment levels have distinct accommodation benefits.

As an outstanding student, Lin Xun was assigned a dormitory that was indeed among the most basic in the standard range.

However, even the lowest grade is not lacking in facilities. It is a standard four-person room with bunk beds and desks underneath, equipped with a private bathroom, shower facilities, washing machine, water heater and other necessities.

The hallway was dimly lit, and there was a musty smell in the air.

Yu Fuli took three steps at a time and climbed the stairs, stopping in front of room 307.

The door was tightly closed, and there was no sound from inside.

"Lin Xun?" He knocked on the door, trying to keep his voice calm. "It's me, Teacher Yu."

A faint rustling sound came from inside, as if someone hurriedly sat up in bed, followed by the sound of dragging footsteps.

The lock turned, opening a crack.

Lin Xun's pale face appeared from behind the door, her eyes were a little red and swollen. She was obviously stunned when she saw Yu Fuli, and then lowered her eyes.

"T-Teacher...why are you here?" His voice was soft and nasal.

Yu Fuli didn't answer immediately, her gaze quickly sweeping across the room. In the small space, everything was relatively tidy, but the zipper of the backpack on the bedside table was half open, revealing textbooks inside that had obviously been roughly handled, with torn edges.

The sneakers Lin Xun had placed next to him had dusty footprints on them.

"Let me in." Yu Fuli's tone left no room for refusal.

Lin Xun hesitated for a moment, then silently stepped back.

Yu Fuli entered the room and closed the door behind him. He went straight to the desk, where there should have been several new study guides he had bought with Lin Xun and a pencil case, but it was now empty.

"Where is the stuff?" He turned around and looked directly at Lin Xun.

Lin Xun's shoulders trembled slightly, her fingers gripped the hem of her clothes, and her head drooped even lower.

"...No, it's nothing. I just lost it by myself."

"Lost it?" Yu Fuli took a step forward, took out her phone, opened the forum post, and held the screen up to Lin Xun. "Is this how it got lost?"

The moment Lin Xun saw the photo, her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she felt as if all her strength had been drained away. She took a half step back and braced herself against the edge of the bed.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out; only his eyelashes trembled violently.

Yu Fuli put away his phone, took a deep breath, and suppressed the surging anger within him. He pulled up a chair in the room and sat down, his voice softening slightly but still serious: "Lin Xun, look at me. Tell me, who did it? When? Where?"

Lin Xun bit his lower lip, shook his head, but tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, landing on the back of his hand. He raised his arm, wiping his face haphazardly with his sleeve, and choked out, "Teacher... please don't worry about it. I, I'm fine... really. They were just... just playing around..."

"You think you'd smash and stomp on your things just for fun? You think you'd post it on the forum to brag about it just for fun?" Yu Fuli's voice turned cold. "Lin Xun, this isn't your fault. But if you say nothing, you're just encouraging them to go even further next time."

Silence fell over the room, broken only by Lin Xun's suppressed sobs.

"Have you forgotten what I taught you during the holidays? Just tell me, and I'll take care of everything."

Yu Fuli was heartbroken. She had finally managed to raise the timid little white flower to be more cheerful and outgoing, but in the blink of an eye, it had returned to its original state.

After a long while, Lin Xun finally raised his tear-filled face, his voice barely audible: "It was...it was a few people from the next class. I don't know them. After school today, on my way back to the dormitory, they stopped me and stole my backpack..." He spoke haltingly, his fingers gripping the bedsheet tightly, "They said...they said that trash like me from the lower-class area didn't deserve such nice things, that I was sucking up to the teacher, that I was shameless..."

Yu Fuli's eyes turned completely cold.

He recalled how Lin Xun had his wages docked when he worked at the supermarket, also because he was looked down upon because of his background. Class and birth prejudice, like an invisible net, constantly entangled this young man who was striving to climb up the social ladder.

"Do you know their names? Or what they look like?" Yu Fuli asked.

Lin Xun hesitated, then shook her head and nodded again: "I only heard them calling each other by nicknames. One of them had many silver earrings and a strand of his hair dyed blue."

enough.

Yu Fuli stood up, walked to Lin Xun, raised her hand, and gently patted his thin, trembling shoulder.

"Wipe your face clean. The teacher will handle this."

Lin Xun looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with unease: "Teacher! No! They'll retaliate! They seem to have connections with the older students..."

"Then we'll deal with the upperclassmen too." Yu Fuli's tone was calm, yet carried a resolute certainty. "St. Laurent Academy is not a lawless place. Bullying classmates, maliciously damaging other people's property, openly provoking others—any one of these is enough to get them into serious trouble."

Seeing the still fearful look in Lin Xun's eyes, he added, "Don't worry, I won't resort to violence. The academy has its own rules."

He took out his phone, but this time, instead of opening the forum, he pulled up a number saved as "Director Chen".

This Director Chen is in charge of student discipline. He is known for his tough style and fearlessness of powerful figures. He is one of the few people who can make those spoiled brats behave themselves.

Most importantly, he came from humble beginnings and climbed his way up to his current position step by step.

The call was answered quickly.