Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi returned to school but Huo Shao didn’t show up and only asked Yin Shixiong to drop her off. Wasn’t he supposed to be very busy? Gu Nianzhi was both surprised and dissatisfied. She looked up and sadly watched Huo Shaoheng walk toward hers.
However, Huo Shaoheng didn’t look at her; he hadn’t expected He Zhichu to arrive already. This man had arrived from abroad too quickly and just in time. Though Huo Shaoheng was irritated, he appeared unaffected and reached out to shake He Zhichu’s hand with a smile.
“Professor He? How nice to meet you.” He sounded as if they were meeting for the first time even though they had crossed paths several times before. Gu Nianzhi’s heart trembled but she remained quiet. Eyes drifting between Huo Shaoheng and He Zhichu’s faces, Gu Nianzhi was unsure of what they were doing.
He Zhichu also scoffed to himself, but didn’t reveal anything in his blank expression. He did not shake Huo Shaoheng’s hand and only looked at him, asking coolly, “May I ask who you are?” You’re pretending we’re meeting for the first time? Then let’s see it to the end. Afterall, he couldn’t call him, “Major General Huo” in a public place like that idiot Xu Piaohong had. That would be walking right into a trap.
Huo Shaoheng saw that He Zhichi was aware of his identity, so his caution and wariness decreased somewhat. He turned to Gu Nianzhi and berated her sternly. “Nianzhi, I just heard that you fought with a classmate at school. What have I been teaching you all this time?” He then looked at He Zhichu. “Professor He is Nianzhi’s instructor, so are you also here to deal with this?”
He Zhichu’s nodded reluctantly and snorted. “This situation is rather complicated. You shouldn’t be so quick to scold her. Also, who are you exactly? Stop wasting time. I’m going to take Nianzhi to a doctor to check for injury.”
“We won’t be bothering Professor He with that.” Huo Shaoheng wouldn’t allow He Zhichu to go see just any doctor. He gave his hand to Gu Nianzhi. “Come here Nianzhi, come back with me. You’ve always been treated by Brother Chen. It’s better to see a familiar doctor.”
He Zhichu’s heart dropped but he now also understood that in the past six years they must have realized Nianzhi’s special constitution. This wasn’t good. He Zhichu frowned slightly.
Gu Nianzhi finally looked up made the introductions. “Professor He, this is Huo Shao.” She then said to Huo Shaoheng, “Huo Shao, Professor He is my instructor. The campus police were the ones who alerted him.” She then pouted. “What a pain. I still have to write a reflection report.”
“You’re still unwilling to do it?” Huo Shaoheng’s tone grew more stern. “How old are you now? Can’t you control your own emotions? Last time you caused a big mess in the United States and had to bother Professor He to clean it up. Now you’re troubling him again. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Gu Nianzhi’s tears surged at the scolding but she forced herself to not let the tears fall. They welled in her eyes and made her eyes look even more doe-like. Making fists, she wanted to defend herself but could only keep quiet when she saw the growing number of classmates onlooking. She turned her head away and, scoffing loudly to indicate her dissatisfaction.
Huo Shaoheng’s eyes dimmed. No matter how he saw it, this was a good opportunity to educate Gu Nianzhi. A little impatience spoils great plans, and in order to be with him, she couldn’t be foolish and not assess situations like Xu Piaohong.
He Zhichu saw that saw that there were indeed more and more students around so it wasn’t a good place to talk. He made a suggestion. “If that’s the case, let’s go to my office first and sort out what happened today. If Mr. Huo has a regular doctor who’s easy to talk to, send him to my office to give Nianzhi a checkup.”
Huo Shaoheng made a motion with his hand. From behind him, Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong hurried over. “Yes, Mr. Huo?”
Huo Shaoheng pointed in the direction of Gu Nianzhi’s room and said to Yin Shixiong, “Big Xiong, go take a look and investigate what happened. Also call Dr. Chen; have him come to Professor He’s office. You have the address, right?” After giving Yin Shixiong the instructions, Huo Shaoheng said to Zhao Liangze, “Little Ze, come with me and Nianzhi to Professor He’s office for a chat.” Huo Shaoheng bowed to He Zhichu. ” I’ll take up your offer.”
He Zhichu nodded and said to Gu Nianzhi without looking at her, “Come with me.”
Gu Nianzhi glanced at Huo Shaoheng. Huo Shaoheng and Zhao Liangze followed them at an unhurried pace and arrived at He Zhichu’s residence on the 28th floor of the professors’ building. As soon as Zhao Liangze entered, he discreetly used the Special Ops’ detection device to scan the living room to ensure there were no eavesdropping or IR recording devices. He gave Huo Shaoheng a nod to indicate that everything was normal. Huo Shaoheng walked inside with peace of mind.
Gu Nianzhi hung her head and sat alone on the oval corner sofa in the middle of the living room of He Zhichu’s suite. He Zhichu went into his room. Huo Shaoheng chose to sit next to her. He asked in a serious tone, “Can you tell me now why you fought back? It doesn’t matter who did it first. It’s still not right.”
With no one else present, Gu Nianzhi’s tears fell freely. She wiped them with the back of her hand and turned her head away from Huo Shaoheng. “She…she cursed me for being a bastard orphan child with no father!”
Huo Shaoheng froze. What a vicious and cruel thing to say, he thought angrily. The scolding he had planned to give Gu Nianzhi died away. He composed himself and wondered if he had been too strict with her. Afterall, she was still young and because she had grown up under his protection, she had only had been in contact with society in the last two years; up until then, she had only the soldiers as her role models, so she’d reciprocated their blunt and rough manner, quick fire temper, and unyielding stance on pride and loyalty. Should he have given her a gradual transition? Before Huo Shaoheng could decide how to answer her properly, He Zhichu had appeared in the living room.
Expression stony, he walked up to Gu Nianzhi and asked, “What did she say? Miao Yunxiao really said that to you?!” Though he hadn’t raised his voice, his tone was enough to chill one to the core.
Gu Nianzhi shrunk back and looked up at He Zhichu, then Huo Shaoheng. She assumed they didn’t believe her and when she wiped her face with the back of her hand again, she found her face streaked with tears. No longer concerned about her appearance, she began to shout, “She did say that! If she hadn’t been so vicious, why would I have hit her?!”
He Zhichu and Huo Shaoheng were silent, their serious eyes focused onto Gu Nianzhi.
Gu Nianzhi raised her head up arrogantly, unwilling to back down. “Yes! I hit her first! If she curses my parents again, I’ll hit her again!”
Do you even remember who your parents are? The words echoed in both men’s minds at the same time, but neither said it out loud because that would be throwing salt on Gu Nianzhi’s wound. In her state right now, she wouldn’t be able to bear it. “If that’s the case, then let’s leave it be.” Huo Shaoheng was silent for a moment. He couldn’t encourage Gu Nianzhi to beat Miao Yunxiao every time she saw her again, nor tell her to bear the humiliation in silence. With He Zhichu present, there were many things Huo Shaoheng couldn’t say in detail.
On the other hand, He Zhichu refused to let it go. “What do you mean leave it be? She cursed Nianzhi so viciously and beat her too—even if Nianzhi wants to let it go, I can’t accept that.”
After being severely scolded by Huo Shaoheng, Gu Nianzhi was touched by He Zhichu’s sudden outburst. She wiped her tears again. “I actually didn’t want to do anything to her, but if she says those things to me, what’s the point of living if I have to hang my head and accept it? People harass me and belittle me all the time for this, and it makes it so hard. I know there must be a reason she said those things to me all of a sudden.”
“What reason?” Huo Shaoheng thought of Xu Piaohong’s case. “This has something to do with her cousin’s case?”
Gu Nianzhi nodded and looked at Huo Shaoheng indignantly as she said quietly. “I’m not an idiot! She did this on purpose to provoke me to hit her, so then she could sue me legally.”
“So you decided to go with it and make the situation blow up by really starting a fight with her?” Huo Shaoheng spoke slowly. What a mess, he thought.
Gu Nianzhi licked her lips, but she didn’t need to explain any further before He Zhichu sat on her other side and remarked dryly, “Nianzhi was right and reacted fairly quickly. If Nianzhi was the only one to hit her, then this case would be classified as “school violence.” As far as I know, your Huaxia Imperial Ministry of Justice is currently searching for a model case of “school violence” to support the cause for new anti-bullying laws.”
Gu Nianzhi was taken back. She’d had no idea this was happening. Huo Shaoheng’s eyes grew cold as he asked, “There’s such a thing?”
Then this was really a chain reaction and the real target was not only Gu Nianzhi, but also the person supporting her, Huo Shaoheng. Gu Nianzhi was really the chip in the game that would force Huo Shaoheng to acquiesce in Xu Piaohong’s case. If Gu Nianzhi became involved in a bullying case that was to be a model for the Ministry of Justice, it was bound to set off nationwide uproar. She also had a military background and that was precisely the abuse of power that the citizens detested. If the mastermind behind all this really wanted to, they could take this online and twist the truth so badly and create a huge scandal. And, if their plan succeeded, the one to suffer the largest blow wouldn’t just be Gu Nianzhi, but Huo Shaoheng as well. This could impact him more than even Xu Piaohong’s leakage of classified intelligence.
” Mr. Huo, you shouldn’t mindlessly berate Nianzhi. She’s not someone who doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation.”
He Zhichu’s words warmed Gu Nianzhi’s heart, but she was not comfortable with agreeing with He Zhichu in front of Huo Shaoheng. She merely looked down and muttered, “I know Huo Shao is only looking out for me. Sometimes I do have a bad temper. I should just bear with this for now. Maybe there’s a better solution—”
“Why should you bear it? You didn’t do anything wrong.” He Zhichu stood up. He pointed to a small study beside the living room. “However, you still have to write a reflection report. Do you want to go do it in that room?”
