Rebirth: Once Again With You

"Xiaoyi, are you alright? Did you get hurt somewhere?!" Su Suyin rushed over to her and checked her body for any injuries.

Li Caiyi smiled reassuringly at her before shaking her head. "I'm fine, Mother. Thank you for coming here."

"Of course, I will be here!" Su Suyin cupped her face and took a closer look at her daughter. "Oh no, you look extremely fatigued, and your uniform was all messy."

Li Junjie tapped her shoulder from behind. "Mother, we should calm down first."

Su Suyin reluctantly stopped her barrage of questions and sat down. She threw a displeased look at Lu Ruan before smiling at Teacher Shi, "Teacher, thank you for informing us about this. May I know what has happened here?"

Teacher Shi was relieved. At least one of the guardians seemed reasonable. "Of course, Ma'am. I haven't heard the details since they want everyone to gather before revealing it. How about we sit down and listen to them now?"

Lu Ruan's guardian looked unhappy, but they sat down regardless. After making sure everyone was seated, Teacher Shi signaled Li Caiyi to begin.

As she explained the circumstances, Li Caiyi also backed her explanation up with the evidence she had gathered. She showed them everything, including the picture of Lu Ruan's gift box she had snapped before.

Peeking at the extent of Lu Ruan's harassment, everyone's face became pale. The box was clearly the same as the one Lu Ruan held in her hand in another picture, so there was no mistaking it. It was so grotesque that they couldn't bear to see it.

Unlike the shocked adults, Li Junjie looked deep in thought. "Xiaoyi, is the person who spread false rumors about you also her?"

"False rumor? What rumor?" Su Suyin looked at her, demanding an explanation.

Lu Ruan stayed silent while Li Caiyi recounted their conversation in the park. She even showed them the video Feng Nian took using her phone from a hidden spot. Thankfully, the video stopped briefly before Dai Zhiqiang jumped out to Li Caiyi's rescue. Hence, she had no qualms in showing it to others.

After the video stopped, Lu Ruan's mother smacked her head again. "I knew it! You never cease making trouble everywhere you go. I'm too ashamed to even lift my head now. What mistakes did I make in the past to give birth to someone like you?!"

Lu Ruan didn't resist and silently accepted the woman's beating. Her husband and Teacher Shi had to step in to stop her rampaging.

Su Suyin and Li Junjie only looked at the chaos that ensued before them coldly. They hadn't said anything, yet the air around them was dark.

"Student Lu Ruan, is it? Don't you have anything to say?"

If looks could kill, then Lu Ruan probably had already split in half by Su Suyin's piercing gaze.

Everyone's attention focused on Lu Ruan. However, the said person kept her mouth shut.

Li Caiyi observed her closely. Did her parents' actions discourage her from talking? Or was it because she was still frightened by Dai Zhiqiang's warning?

Whichever it was, she had no chance to get away this time. Li Caiyi had solid proof, and Lu Ruan already had a bad reputation before this, so she had zero to no credibility in her explanation. If she brought up Dai Zhiqiang's name, it'd be easy to argue back against her.

It finally ended. After this, she would appeal to the school board to make Lu Ruan leave the school. Li Caiyi wouldn't be able to live peacefully with Lu Ruan kept trying to trip her off.

Teacher Shi sighed helplessly. "Lu Ruan, staying silent won't solve anything. We can't help you unless you tell us your side of the story."

Lu Ruan snorted. "What would change even if I say something? You all have already decided I'm the bad guy here anyway."

"You really don't know how to repent! What are you saying when the evidence was clearly pointing at  you?!" The woman pointed at her like she had gone crazy.

"Hmph. Yes, I did harass her a bit, so what? Just give me my punishment already so I can  go home."

SLAP!

Before everyone's eyes, Su Suyin gave Lu Ruan a slap, leaving a red mark on her face. Her whole body trembled like she was trying to hold back her anger.

"Is that all you have to say after everything you made my daughter go through?"

Lu Ruan scoffed. Instead of reflecting on her action, she smiled haughtily. "What? Do you expect me to apologize to her? Over my dead body!"

Su Suyin was enraged. She raised her hand again but was stopped by Li Junjie. "Mother, calm down. A person like her won't apologize even if you beat her."

"Heh, listen to your son, Auntie. Senior Li is brilliant, unlike his sister."

To say she was brazen was an understatement. Lu Ruan's insolence rendered everyone speechless. Except for one person.

"What a futile attempt to provoke others. I assume you are ready to face the consequences of doing this?" Li Junjie said in a dangerously low tone.

"Do whatever you want. I don't care anymore."

"I will make sure to tell a certain someone about this. I suggest you tread carefully from now on."

Those words had an underlying meaning, and Lu Ruan's face was riddled with sadness upon hearing them. Then, she furtively glanced at Li Caiyi but looked away again quickly.

'Did my eyes play a trick on me? Lu Ruan looked terrified for a moment there.' Li Caiyi thought inwardly.

Teacher Shi couldn't stand the stifling awkwardness in the air anymore, so she clapped her hand once before stating, "If Lu Ruan had nothing more to say, then I guess that'll conclude our meeting. The guardian of both parties, I will inform you about their punishment after discussing it with other teachers, so make sure your phone is always available."

No one objected, so the meeting ended with a sullen atmosphere. Li Caiyi gazed at Lu Ruan, who was dragged by her parents until she disappeared from her sight.

In the end, Li Caiyi couldn't reveal how Lu Ruan schemed to kill her in the mountain. Among all Lu Ruan's nasty deeds, she had no evidence regarding that matter only. There was no witness either except for 'Hu Jian'.

'I was hoping she'd slip and reveal who he is during our fight, but she denied it until the end.'

Lu Ruan wasn't that bright, and given that she was still a teenager, it was easy to rile her up to make her confess. However, even when she was cornered, she had never admitted to ever trying to push her off the cliff.

The mystery of 'Hu Jian' hadn't been solved, so Li Caiyi decided to give Lu Ruan the benefit of the doubt for now. At least until she was completely sure.

"But if it's not Lu Ruan, then who?" Li Caiyi muttered while thinking hard.

"Xiaoyi, are you okay?" Su Suyin gently tapped her on the shoulder. Her concern was plainly written on her face.

"Mother, I'm fine. I didn't mean to cause a commotion, but I had no choice. I'm sorry for making you worry."

"As long as you are fine, that's all that matters. You must have suffered a lot under her harassment. How about you stay with us for the time being?" Su Suyin suggested hesitantly.

Li Caiyi shook her head. "Everything has been solved well, so I'm not worried anymore. Thank you for coming all the way here for me. I appreciate it so much."

Su Suyin felt her heartache, listening to the distant tone in her daughter's voice. Even during trouble, she refused to confide in her family and deal with it alone. It truly brought pain to a mother's heart.

'It's all my fault that she thinks she can't rely on her family.' Su Suyin bitterly thought.

However, Su Suyin knew that she had no right to call herself her mother. As much as she wished to spend more time with her daughter and repent of her mistake, it would never erase the wound she inflicted on her daughter's heart.

Looking at her mother's woeful expression, Li Caiyi felt uncomfortable inside.

"Brother Jie, you should take Mother home. Today's incident must have shocked her."

"What about you?"

"I will be fine. Thank you for coming here, Brother."

Li Caiyi bowed slightly to Su Suyin and Teacher Shi before walking out of the room. She was afraid that she would agree to her mother's warm invitation if she stayed there any longer.

Truthfully, she was very touched when her mother got angry and stood up for her earlier. It was the first time it had ever happened, so her emotions were all over the place.

Besides, she still had one unfinished business.

"I have to hurry back. Zhiqiang must have waited for me."