Chapter 13: I Can Help You

“But Qiangzi, Feizi, how exactly are we supposed to teach her a lesson?” Li Liang grumbled, still bitter over the beating he’d suffered days ago. His whole body had ached for days, the humiliation even worse than the pain.

“We could toss her in a sack and beat her up,” Liu Qiang offered.

Li Liang and Cai Yufei immediately smacked him on the head.

“You think you could actually win in a fight against her?” Cai Yufei scoffed. It was humiliating to admit, but they all knew the truth.

Liu Qiang, still convinced his idea had merit, muttered, “Then maybe we cut up her clothes.”

“Just cutting her clothes won’t cut it,” Li Liang growled. “I want her completely humiliated—so embarrassed she can’t even show her face at school.”

“That’s too risky. We’ll get caught for sure,” Cai Yufei objected. He looked around before lowering his voice. “I know a drug. Makes people feel hot, like they’re burning up. They start stripping without realizing it.”

“That stuff your mom gets from the dance hall?” Li Liang gave him a sideways glance.

“Don’t worry about where it came from. Just tell me—do you have the guts to use it?” Cai Yufei asked, lighting a cigarette and blowing a smoke ring, trying to look cool.

“I’ve got the guts,” Li Liang replied immediately. “But how do we get her to take it?”

“Slip it into her water bottle, like in the movies,” Liu Qiang suggested confidently.

Cai Yufei rolled his eyes. “You think she’s stupid? There are always people in the classroom.”

“But everyone brings water to gym class,” Liu Qiang pointed out. “And there’s even more chaos there.”

“Sure, more people means more ways to embarrass her,” Li Liang said, tugging at his hair in frustration. “But how do we actually slip her the drug without getting caught?”

Are we seriously going to just let Cheng Yuan get away with beating us up?

“I still don’t get how that brat suddenly knows martial arts!” Liu Qiang grumbled. They had always been the bullies, making others tremble. Now the tables had turned.

“In the past, she always kept her head down and avoided us. Now it’s like she’s possessed,” Li Liang muttered. He grabbed a cigarette from Cai Yufei and lit it. “Anyone got a real plan? One that’ll actually bring her down?”

“I can help you,” a voice said.

Startled, the three boys turned. From beneath a pitch-black tree, a figure stepped out.

“Who’s there?!” Li Liang shouted.

Cai Yufei and Liu Qiang rushed over and dragged Lin Juan into the open.

“I was here first! I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Lin Juan stammered, her heart pounding. But as the plan against Cheng Yuan unfolded in her mind, her fear slowly morphed into twisted resolve. “You want revenge, right? I can help. I’ll cover for you.”

She spoke quickly, laying out her idea before they could say no.

Li Liang and Cai Yufei exchanged glances. Li Liang flicked away his cigarette and ground it under his heel. “Fine. You plant the drug.”

“No!” Lin Juan refused immediately. “I’ll create a distraction, but I’m not taking the fall for this.”

“Heh.” Li Liang sneered. “Then you’d better put on a good show. Or else…”

He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, leaning in close. The stench of cigarette smoke made Lin Juan gag and cough.

Li Liang watched her tremble, tears welling in her eyes. He pinched her cheek and sneered, “We’ll be watching your performance during gym class tomorrow. Don’t screw it up.”

Lin Juan stood frozen, tears shimmering in her eyes, her face burning with humiliation. Her resentment toward Cheng Yuan deepened to the point of hatred.

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Later that evening…

After evening study hall, Cheng Yuan and Bei Xiaolin were leaving the school building when they saw Cheng Huaien waiting at the roadside.

Startled, Cheng Yuan asked, “Dad, have you been waiting here this whole time?”

“I didn’t have anything better to do at home,” he said, standing up. Under the street light, his shadow stretched long across the pavement. “I figured I’d wait for you.”

Bei Xiaolin nudged Cheng Yuan and whispered, “Yuan Yuan, your dad’s so good to you.”

Cheng Yuan smiled proudly. “He’s the best dad in the world.”

Behind them, Cheng Huaien paused, a wave of guilt crashing over him.

Best dad? He hadn’t been. He hadn’t even noticed she was being bullied. In the past, he’d buried himself in work, thinking money was enough. He never stopped to really listen to her.

That night at home, he finally said the words that had been stuck in his heart for so long. “Yuan Yuan, I’m sorry.”

Cheng Yuan, startled, quickly lowered her head. “Dad, I should be the one apologizing. I’ve made you worry so much.”

“No, Yuanyuan.” He gently patted her ponytail. “From now on, if someone insults you, insult them back. If they hit you, hit them back. If you can’t win, run. Just know—I’ll always have your back.”

He spoke with unwavering conviction. “No one will ever bully my Yuanyuan again.”

“Dad…” Tears welled in her eyes. In that moment, she realized what they’d always been missing—simple, honest communication.

“Did they hurt you? Was it more than just insults?” Cheng Huaien asked, his heart aching. His daughter never cried easily.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. “Those thugs in the alley—were they from your school?”

“Dad, really, don’t worry. Everything’s fine now,” Cheng Yuan said quickly. She didn’t want him stuck in the past. Those days were behind her. She changed the subject. “Dad, did Mom really love me?”

Cheng Huaien’s expression softened. “Of course. When you were little, she loved holding you, singing nursery rhymes, giving you the best treats. It’s just… you were too young to remember.”

“Dad, why didn’t we ever visit Grandma and Grandpa after Mom left?” she asked. “Could it be…”

In her past life, all she’d ever heard were cruel rumors—that her mother had run off with another man, abandoning her. The bitterness had festered, to the point she refused to even acknowledge she had a mother.

Her father never spoke of her, only deepening the mystery.

“When I met your mother, she had no memory of who she was,” Cheng Huaien said softly. “I gave her the name Cheng Xiao.”

He closed his eyes, as if picturing her again—that disheveled woman with crescent eyes and a gentle smile who had instantly stolen his heart.