Chapter 22 (2/2): Making a Stand

The boy couldn’t think of a retort.

The teacher immediately looked at him sternly.

“It’s wrong to steal and to lie. Apologize to your classmate.”

As if no one had ever dared go against him before, the boy folded his arms and raised his head.

“I won’t!”

“Teacher, since he won’t apologize, we don’t want to be in the same class as him. Who knows if he’ll steal from us in the future? It’s best to notify his parents to resolve this. We’re here to study, not to be bullied. If anyone gets traumatized, that’s a lifelong problem.”

Bai Xia spoke seriously.

“Yeah! Apologize!”

He Yuehua echoed.

Others chimed in too, “Apologize!”

Qi Mo already knew how sharp Bai Xia’s tongue could be.

No one had ever managed to out-argue her.

He didn’t even get a chance to play the hero, so he slapped the desk.

“Stealing—do you have any morals!”

Lin Yan spoke up too.

“We can’t let one person ruin the class atmosphere. I hope the teacher will deal with this strictly.”

With everyone looking at him strangely, the boy’s face turned red. In the end, he mumbled, “Sorry.”

“Didn’t you eat? Weren’t you loud just now?”

Bai Xia looked displeased.

The boy glared at her, then turned to the girl whose pen he’d taken.

“Sorry!”

“I’ll be telling your parents about this. Don’t do it again. We’re all classmates—if you need a pen, you can ask, but you can’t steal. If there’s a next time, you’ll be publicly criticized by the whole school,” the teacher said sternly.

The boy was obviously unhappy, but didn’t say anything else.

It was just a pen, what was the big deal?

Bai Xia returned the pen to the little girl, then handed her a packet of tissues from her pocket.

“It’s alright now. If anyone tries to take your things again, be brave—that’s your stuff, and no one has the right to take it.”

The little girl took the tissues, looking up with teary eyes and a chubby face still streaked with tears.

“Thank you. My mom says I shouldn’t get into conflicts with classmates—that’s what good kids do.”

Bai Xia was speechless.

There really were parents like that—either too soft themselves or afraid their child would cause trouble.

Given the families at this school, it was obviously the latter.

Not everyone grew up in a perfect home.

A single comment from a parent could change a child’s whole personality.

“Being a good kid doesn’t mean letting yourself be bullied. You have to learn to protect yourself. What’s your name? If anyone bullies you, you can come to me.”

Bai Xia took out a few candies from her pocket and handed them over.

The little girl’s eyes sparkled.

“My name is Wang Yiyi, I’m five years old.”

“I’m Bai Xia, almost four. Let’s have lunch together at noon,” she smiled.

The little girl nodded hard, her face breaking into a smile.

When the bell for the second period rang, Bai Xia had to return to her seat.

If she’d stayed silent today, everyone would have gotten used to that boy’s behaviour, thinking it was no big deal to have a pen taken.

Only by making it clear that it was wrong could everyone develop the right values.

Children were the most easily influenced by their environment.

In her class, she would never allow bullying.

At lunchtime, seeing that the little girl was still shy, Bai Xia took the initiative and led her to the cafeteria.

The first floor was a public canteen, while the second and third floors were restaurants where you could order as long as you had money.

Bai Xia ordered several dishes, but as soon as she sat down, a group of kids surrounded her.

The leader was the boy who’d stolen the pen, and he’d brought some others from different classes.

He strode over to them.

“Do you know who I am? So what if I took her pen? I felt like it!”

The boy slammed his hand on the table, furious.

Wang Yiyi was timid and nearly burst into tears from fright.

Bai Xia looked annoyed.

“Who are you? This is a society ruled by law, and school is a collective. Even if you’re the principal, you can’t take other people’s things. You like stealing, huh?”

The boy lifted his head dismissively.

“So what? My family invests in this school. I took her stuff and I’ll do it again tomorrow!”

Bai Xia knew this boy—his family was in real estate and had made a lot of money in recent years, so he’d been spoiled rotten.

She pulled out her phone and called Lu Jinnian.

The call was answered within two seconds, and a gentle voice came through, “What’s wrong, Xia Xia? Is the school food not to your liking? Should Great-grandpa have the chef send something over?”

“No, Great-grandpa, I’m having lunch with my classmate, but there’s a boy named Zheng Hao who won’t let me eat. He brought people over and I’m really scared,” she said seriously.

Hearing his great-granddaughter’s voice, Lu Jinnian’s face changed, but his tone remained gentle.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s alright. Just stay there and wait for me.”

After hanging up, Bai Xia sat down to eat.

She could have fought—the boys were only half a head taller than her, and it would’ve been a good test of her judo skills.

But she was a civilized person, and fighting in public would affect the school environment.

It was better to let Lu Jinnian handle it.

The boy thought having money meant he could do whatever he wanted, but she’d show him there was always someone with more power.

This kind of spoiled kid was out of control because his parents indulged him.

If he wasn’t given a memorable lesson, he’d never realize he was wrong.

Seeing her call her family, the boy almost laughed, but before he could say anything, a teacher from the cafeteria walked over, face stern.

“Zheng Hao from Class 1, who told you to bully your female classmates? Where’s your discipline? Apologize, now!”

He hadn’t expected the teacher to know his name.

The boy snorted, “I won’t! My family invests in this school—I’ll do whatever I want!”

The teacher smiled kindly at Bai Xia.

“Don’t worry, take your time eating. I’ll handle this.”

Then he turned to the boy and lectured him sternly.

The principal had just called, saying someone was bullying a member of the Lu family in the cafeteria, and he’d rushed over in a panic.

After Bai Xia finished eating, the teacher took them to the principal’s office.

When she arrived, Lu Jinnian was already there, along with a pair of unfamiliar middle-aged adults who were now all smiles toward him.

When their son arrived, Mr. Zheng immediately grabbed his arm and scolded him, “Who told you to take your classmate’s pen? Apologize now!”

It was the first time his father had scolded him.

Zheng Hao’s eyes immediately reddened.

He couldn’t understand—his father had invested in the school, so why was he afraid of an old man?

“I’m so sorry, Chairman Lu, really. Tomorrow—tomorrow I’ll have Haohao transfer schools. We won’t let him affect Xia Xia’s studies,” Mr. Zheng said with a fawning smile.

Lu Jinnian sat without speaking, only smiling and waving when he saw his great-granddaughter.

“Are you full? How’s the school food?”

The principal was sweating buckets.

Chairman Lu was a legend in the business world.

When he got the call, he’d nearly panicked.

Who would dare bully the Lu family’s daughter?

“It’s fine, but he brought people over and wouldn’t let us eat, and tried to take my classmate’s things. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen,” Bai Xia pouted.

She just wanted to teach this boy a lesson: never think you can solve everything with privilege, because there’s always someone above you.

No one has absolute special treatment.

“That’s because he has no manners.”

Lu Jinnian patted her head, then looked calmly at Mr. Zheng.

“This is a school, a place for propriety and honor. What do you think should be done?”

Mr. Zheng swallowed nervously, then barked at his son, “Apologize!”

The boy nearly burst into tears, but still wiped his eyes and, choking back a sob, said to Bai Xia, “Sorry.”

“It’s not me—it’s her.”

Bai Xia looked over at the timid Wang Yiyi.

The boy sniffled, then, under his father’s gaze, turned to Wang Yiyi, “Sorry.”

“Uncle, I’ve tried reasoning with him, but he says he’ll keep taking things. That’s a really bad habit, and I hope you’ll help him change it. No matter the age or value, stealing from others is wrong and brings a bad influence on the whole group,” Bai Xia said earnestly to Mr. Zheng.

He nodded quickly.

“Yes, yes! Uncle will make sure he changes! Thank you for forgiving him!”

When he got the principal’s call, he was stunned.

Chairman Lu rarely appeared in public, but had come to the school for his great-granddaughter.

There was no way he could afford to offend the Lu family.

“Great-grandpa, I’ll go back to class with my classmate now.”

Bai Xia waved.

“Go on.”

Lu Jinnian’s face was full of affection.

Once his great-granddaughter left the principal’s office, his expression darkened again.

He glanced at the principal, said nothing, and left with his cane and the butler.

The principal, sweating, personally escorted him out, heart pounding.

Suddenly remembering something, he immediately called the kitchen to improve the food quality, especially the hygiene.

At 3 p.m., when school let out, Bai Xia didn’t expect Lu Jinnian to come pick her up.

He probably thought she was so young and would be scared by what happened, and didn’t want her to be traumatized.

Sure enough, as soon as she got in the car, he showered her with concern, telling her not to be afraid and to call him or ask a teacher for help if anything happened.

“It’s alright, Great-grandpa, I’m not scared of him. Did you forget? I practice judo. I just didn’t want to fight at school because it would look bad. Since he apologized, you don’t need to pursue it further.”

Bai Xia hugged her milk bottle.

Lu Jinnian’s face was full of love.

“Xia Xia really is amazing.”

He’d almost forgotten that his great-granddaughter learned judo.

Girls really did need some self-defense skills—better safe than sorry.

But she was still so young, maybe she needed a bodyguard with her at all times.

He sent her to school to study, not to be bullied.

Luckily, she wasn’t scared today—otherwise, an apology wouldn’t have been enough.

Lu Shuo sat there hugging a bag of chips, looking disgruntled.

“When I got called to the principal’s office before, Grandpa never came to school for me.”

Lu Jinnian glanced at his grandson, frowning instantly.

“And you have the nerve to say that? Who told you to play games during class!”

Lu Shuo pouted, hugging his chips and turning to look out the window.

“If I don’t play games, what should I do? Xia Xia likes studying, so let her study more. Everyone has their own talent—mine just happens to be gaming.”