Chapter 232 Behind the Lights
On the day approaching the Great Cold, on the eve of the final exams, the leaden clouds that threatened to bring rain finally dispersed.

However, Yan Shi never came to school again.

One evening after school, after all the students had left, Wang Mingzhen came to the classroom, gathered up the things in Yan Shi’s desk, and packed them up to take away.

The next day, Yan Shi's parents came to No. 1 Middle School again.

The reason why it is said to be once more is because Yan Shi’s parents have come many times before and talked with Wang Mingzhen and Luo Dahai. As for what they talked about, no one knows.

Only this time, Zhang Yunqi, who was sitting under the window, saw Wang Mingzhen handing a box of items to Yan Shi's parents at the door of the office. The plain-looking couple, who were wearing work clothes and had gray hair, also said something. Zhang Yunqi could not hear clearly because of the distance. He only vaguely heard one sentence: "It's my fault for not taking good care of this child."

Soon, Yan Shi's parents left with the boxes.

Many students in the class saw this scene and were whispering to each other until Wang Mingzhen walked in silently and the classroom became quiet.

"Yanshi dropped out of school."

This was Wang Mingzhen’s first sentence.

It was plain and ordinary, but everyone could sense that this old man was filled with an emotion that was difficult to describe.

Everyone was silent, looking at the old man on the podium and said: "Is this the result you want? I don't think so. People are made of flesh and blood. I would rather believe that what a few classmates did to her before was due to their inexperience."

The old man continued, "A Chinese class lasts 45 minutes in total. I will teach you the contents of the textbook for 10 minutes, and I will teach you about unofficial history, human geography, Jin Yong's martial arts, and the various aspects of the world for 35 minutes. I know that this teaching method may not necessarily lead to good results. I am the one who is criticized in every teaching seminar. However, I want to tell you here today: you will realize in the future that what I teach you is the real Chinese language."

"But, after teaching you for a semester, I don't know what you have learned. To be honest, sometimes I feel a little frustrated, but I am not frustrated by how bad your grades are. Because, compared to getting good grades, I hope that you can be confident, positive, optimistic, grateful, and respect others. Because only in this way, when you enter society in the future and move forward with a heavy life, you will not lose the ability to feel happiness."

The old man said: "That's all I want to say. I am ashamed of what happened to Yan Shi because of my dereliction of duty and because I did not fight for her rights and interests and let those who hurt her pay the price! But, at the very least, I hope that the students here can learn from this lesson, be confident, be positive, know how to respect, and don't impose personal likes and dislikes on others. In this world, everyone is different, with different thoughts, looks, grades, experiences, and family situations. For some people, if you feel that you and her have different values, you can stay away and not associate with them, but you can't look at her with tinted glasses, and you can't hurt her with the sharp blade in your hand. She is different from you, but everyone has the right to be warmed by the sun!"

The classroom was quiet.

Wang Mingzhen's Mandarin with a strong Jiangchuan accent seemed to echo constantly in Class 156. The students' young and tender faces were filled with speechless emotions. Zhang Yunqi turned his head to look out the window, and the sun was coming out in the sky.

The morning class ended in a depressing atmosphere.

On the way home for lunch at noon, Chu Jian walked beside Zhang Yunqi without saying a word, looking like she was worried. Zhang Yunqi asked her: "Are you still thinking about Yan Shi?"

Chu Jian pursed his lips and said, "Yes, she was the one who was hurt, and she was the one who left in the end, but Wu Yali and the others were fine. Why is it like this?"

At this point, Chu Jian suddenly stopped, looked at Zhang Yunqi and said, "Yunqi, you know, the day we took Yan Shi to the hospital, her legs, arms, and stomach were all covered with marks. They were caused by cigarette burns."

Zhang Yunqi didn't know what to say for a moment.

However, the expression in the clear eyes of the girl in front of him was something he did not want to see. It was a questioning of fairness and uncertainty about the beautiful beliefs that he had always believed in his heart.

He said: "There are always shadows behind the lights. We can't dispel all the shadows, but at least we can live in the light. Don't think too much when you first meet. Believe me, everything will be fine."

Chu Jian was lost in thought as she watched Zhang Yunqi speak in a calm manner. She did not reply for a long time until Zhang Yunqi asked her, "Chu Jian, let's go to Yan Shi's house tomorrow to see her."

"But I have classes tomorrow." "Just ask for leave."

"But if you take leave, you won't be able to catch up with the review plan I made for you."

"Then I'll go to evening study with you tomorrow night."

Chu Jian then nodded and agreed. With a smile on her clear little face, she left the school with Zhang Yunqi and went to the fish meal shop to have lunch.

After dinner, the two returned to the school gate again. Zhang Yunqi said to Chu Jian: "I'm going to the boys' dormitory. Chu Jian, you go to the classroom first."

Chu Jian nodded: "You should go to the classroom earlier, the class will start soon."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said yes.

He looked at Chu Jian's departing figure, lit a cigarette, and turned to go to the office building.

Luo Dahai's office.

Luo Dahai was in his office. His office must have been quite busy these days. He was probably a little overwhelmed. When he saw Zhang Yunqi coming in, he smiled very sweetly: "Xiao Zhang, you're here?"

"Is that you who called me Xiao Zhang? Call me Boss Zhang."

Zhang Yunqi pulled a chair and sat directly opposite Luo Dahai. He ordered another Furongwang and went straight to the point: "How are you going to deal with Yan Shi's matter?"

Luo Dahai's expression froze. He had a pretty good relationship with Yu Lin, and Zhang Yunqi was the big boss behind Yu Lin. He was more or less aware of the power dynamics involved, and he also knew that the boy in front of him was no ordinary man. This guy was so aggressive today. If he really wanted to ask him for an explanation for Yan Shi's matter, he would be much more difficult to deal with than that stubborn old man Wang Mingzhen and Yan Shi's parents.

Luo Dahai said with a smile: "Boss Zhang, I have already started investigating Yan Shi's situation, but I don't know the details yet."

Zhang Yunqi waved his hand and interrupted him: "No need to understand, I am also half a party involved, I understand, you can just deal with it according to my wishes, fire Wu Yali, Chen Xinyi, Jiang Min, Wu Juan, and He Liping."

Luo Dahai kept a sullen face and said nothing. The boy's words made him a little angry. He originally wanted to respect Zhang Yunqi. No matter from which angle, this boy was a big shot. He might become very successful one day and was not easy to mess with. But then again, I was very humble and talked to you in a nice tone, but you didn't give me any face. You made a final statement right from the start, asking Wu Yali to get out. What should I do as her uncle if Wu Yali's mother comes to find me?
Yes, you, Zhang Yunqi, are awesome now. You are no longer the poor boy who came out of the mountains and couldn't afford to eat. But this is not my fault!

Luo Dahai said: "This may be a little bit impossible, Boss Zhang, I still mean that, I will definitely handle Yan Shi's matter with a responsible attitude, but I will not jump to conclusions before the matter has been thoroughly investigated."

Luo Dahai's words were quite firm, and Zhang Yunqi looked at him with a new look. He stretched out his hand and clapped, saying, "You are a man of integrity. I admire you. However, Director Luo, I have a question for you. Mr. Yu Lin has been giving you bribes, right? How is the quality of the bath masters at Fenghuangtai?"

Luo Dahai's face darkened instantly, and he stared at Zhang Yunqi for a long time with his inverted triangle eyes. Finally, he said with a fake smile: "Boss Zhang, this is a really big joke. Are you threatening me?"

"Sorry, you are not qualified yet."

Zhang Yunqi's words were even more excessive. Luo Dahai was so angry that the fat on his face was shaking. After a long time, he probably figured out the power relationship here, and then he said with a difficult laugh: "Boss Zhang, don't say these hurtful words, let's just talk about the facts. I can understand your feelings, but you should also understand my difficulties. There are too many people involved, and it's not easy to deal with. Besides, there must be deep-seated reasons for this matter. Doesn't Yan Shi have any problems at all? It's impossible. It's a very simple reason. There are so many people in No. 1 Middle School, why did Wu Yali only beat Yan Shi?"

Zhang Yunqi nodded, then put out his cigarette on the desk, stood up, and slapped Luo Dahai in the face: "There are so many leaders in No. 1 Middle School, why did I only hit you?"

******
(End of this chapter)