Chapter 31: The Outcome (2)

After leaving Teacher Wang’s house, Su Ting headed straight to the Military Elementary School.  

At that moment, the second period had just ended. The playground and the areas outside the classrooms were filled with children running and playing.  

Su Ting walked through the energetic crowd and made her way to the teachers’ office. The office was lively—some teachers were calling students over to collect assignments, others were busy preparing lessons during the break, and a few were gathered together, chatting.  

As soon as Su Ting appeared at the office door, the teacher sitting at the desk nearest to the entrance noticed her and asked in surprise: “Comrade Su, what brings you here?”  

Su Ting didn’t wear a grim expression. Instead, she smiled and said: “I need to talk to Teacher Duan about something.”  

“About your He Yan?”  

“Aren’t all matters concerning children?”  

That was true. What else would a parent come to a school for if not for their child? However, the teacher at the door didn’t dwell on it and simply turned around, calling out: “Teacher Duan, a parent from your class is here.”  

Duan Xiaoying was surrounded by colleagues at her desk and hadn’t noticed Su Ting’s arrival. Only when the other teachers moved aside after hearing the call did she look up toward the door.  

The moment she saw Su Ting, her heart skipped a beat.  

Su Ting really came to confront her?  

Duan Xiaoying quickly stood up from behind her desk and asked: “Comrade Su, what brings you here?”  

“I’d like to talk to you about our Xiao Yan.” Su Ting said directly.  

Although Su Ting’s tone was polite, Duan Xiaoying had a strong gut feeling that this visit wouldn’t be pleasant. She felt a headache coming on—she never expected Su Ting to actually step up for her stepson.  

She just couldn’t understand it. On regular days, Su Ting didn’t seem particularly attentive toward He Yan. So why was she always the one stirring up trouble at moments like this?  

As her thoughts spun wildly, Duan Xiaoying noticed the other teachers glancing over curiously. Forcing a smile, she walked toward Su Ting and said: “There are too many people in the office. Let’s talk outside.”  

However, in Su Ting’s view, a public setting was actually the best place to talk. She smiled and said: “That won’t be necessary. I just wanted to ask about Xiao Yan being removed from the choir performance. It’s not a confidential matter, so there’s no reason to avoid people hearing.”  

The smile on Duan Xiaoying’s face faded. “Comrade Su, listen to what you’re saying. He Yan’s withdrawal from the performance was a decision made out of respect for his personal wishes. ‘Removed’ is not the right word to use.”  

Su Ting’s expression turned cold. “After coming home yesterday, Xiao Yan cried until his eyes were swollen. And you’re telling me leaving the performance was his personal choice? I just don’t know, Teacher Duan—when you say that, are you assuming Xiao Yan doesn’t have a mouth to speak for himself, or that we, his parents, don’t have eyes to see the truth?”  

Sensing the tension between them, one of the teachers stepped in to smooth things over. “Could this be a misunderstanding?”  

“Yes, why don’t you both sit down and talk it out properly? No need to ruin the harmony.”

As they were talking, someone brought a chair for Su Ting. She sat down naturally, smiling as she said: “That’s exactly what I was thinking. That’s why I came to find Teacher Duan today. I thought, if there’s any misunderstanding, it’s best to clear it up early so that Xiao Yan can return to practice as soon as possible and not let it affect his performance next week.”

Su Ting’s face carried a smile, but no one dared to respond. She had made her purpose clear—she wanted He Yan reinstated in the choir performance.  

To the other teachers, Su Ting’s request wasn’t unreasonable. It wasn’t a big deal; after all, a choir performance wouldn’t be affected by adding or removing one person. More importantly, He Yan had originally been part of the performance anyway.  

However, since they weren’t He Yan’s homeroom teacher, they had no authority to make the decision for Duan Xiaoying. So, they chose to remain silent, waiting for her response.  

Duan Xiaoying felt deeply irritated.  

In truth, she wasn’t entirely determined to kick He Yan out of the performance. If Su Ting had spoken to her nicely, she might have reconsidered. But Su Ting refused to take the polite approach and instead pressured her in front of so many people, forcing her into an embarrassing situation.  

If she backed down now, wouldn’t that be admitting she was afraid of Su Ting?  

With that thought in mind, Duan Xiaoying said: “I don’t know what He Yan told you, but removing him from the performance was for his own good. When we first finalized the choir performance and confirmed the participants, I asked each child whether they wanted to join. At that time, He Yan didn’t want to perform. It was only after I encouraged him to try that he reluctantly agreed.”  

“Oh, so when he didn’t want to perform, you encouraged him to try.” Su Ting responded coldly. “But now that he’s grown to love the performance, changed his mind, and has worked hard for nearly half a month, you suddenly decide he should respect his initial reluctance and not participate? Teacher Duan, do you think that’s reasonable?”  

The other teachers in the office began whispering among themselves. Though they spoke in hushed voices, the office wasn’t large, and Duan Xiaoying caught several murmurs agreeing with Su Ting’s point. Her face alternated between pale and flushed.  

Chen Lin, unable to watch any longer, interjected: “If He Yan didn’t say anything, how would Xiaoying know he had changed his mind?”  

“Did Xiao Yan really not say anything?” Su Ting turned to Duan Xiaoying.  

In reality, He Yan had spoken up—but Duan Xiaoying had cut him off before he could finish. She simply hadn’t wanted to listen.  

Duan Xiaoying opened her mouth to reply, but Su Ting didn’t give her the chance.  

“Let’s put it this way—even if Xiao Yan hadn’t said a word, couldn’t you see how much effort he put into rehearsals? Just because he was hesitant at the beginning, does that mean that no matter how much he grew to love the performance, no matter how hard he worked, he should just accept being removed with a dismissive excuse of ‘respecting his past decision’ and count himself unlucky?”  

Duan Xiaoying was left speechless.  

Su Ting’s words were too compelling.  

Just yesterday, when she made this decision, she had felt entirely justified. She wasn’t afraid of Su Ting causing trouble.  

But now, listening to Su Ting’s relentless questioning, she found herself at a complete loss for words.  

Everything she wanted to say felt utterly flimsy in comparison.

Chen Lin was also convinced by Su Ting, but she disliked Su Ting’s aggressive tone. Moreover, since her close friend remained silent for a long time, she could not help but say: “Yes, maybe Xiaoying did not think everything through when making her decision, but she did it for He Yan’s sake. If he really does not want to leave the program, why not let him come back and continue rehearsing? Why do you have to speak so harshly?”  

“You think I am being harsh because your daughter has never encountered such a situation. We were just discussing how to cheer him on for the performance, and then in the afternoon, he was told that he did not need to come to rehearsals anymore.” Su Ting glanced around the office and said: “If it were your child, and you saw them crying with red, swollen eyes because of this, would you feel good about it?”  

Of course, it would not feel good, but was it really necessary to act as though she were his real mother and hurt so much for him?  

Chen Lin muttered to herself but did not dare say it out loud. Instead, she turned her head to look at Duan Xiaoying.  

Duan Xiaoying clenched her fists and bit her lip, filled with regret.  

She had long known that Su Ting was difficult to deal with. But that was just how people were—if something did not happen to them personally, they could never truly understand the humiliation of the situation.  

So, after looking at the choir program’s participant list and thinking it over, she decided to remove He Yan from the group.  

There were two reasons for this. First, she felt that her recent misfortunes were all somehow connected to Su Ting and He Yan, so this was a small act of revenge. Second, she had a bit of wishful thinking—believing that Su Ting would not stand up for He Yan and that she herself had come up with a reasonable explanation, avoiding the fate of becoming the next Yu Hongzhi.  

But she had miscalculated.  

Not only did Su Ting stand up for He Yan, but under Su Ting’s highly provocative words, her explanation became completely indefensible.  

Now, there was only one option left before her—to let He Yan return to the choir program.  

But she was unwilling.  

If she did this, then what would everything she had done over the past two days amount to?  

Moreover, so many teachers were present in the office, watching everything unfold. Once she turned her back, how would they ridicule her?  

Duan Xiaoying took a deep breath and said: “I admit that I had personal reasons for removing He Yan from the choir program, but I also considered the overall performance quality. After all, there will be many officials attending the performance. The children on stage must sing well, Comrade Su, don’t you agree?”  

“Teacher Duan, are you saying that our Xiao Yan does not sing well?”  

“That is not what I meant.” Duan Xiaoying said tactfully. “But compared to the other children participating, He Yan’s singing ability does have a gap.”  

Su Ting chuckled. “A gap? You mean he sings better than everyone else?”  

“Maybe in your eyes, He Yan sings very well. But in reality…” Duan Xiaoying spread her hands, leaving the sentence unfinished, but she believed everyone understood her implication.  

Chen Lin chimed in: “That’s right. Xiaoying is the homeroom teacher, so of course, she has to be responsible for the program’s quality. Comrade Su, you are He Yan’s mother, so naturally, you think he is good at everything, and we understand that. But this is a stage performance. There will be so many people watching. If he sings poorly, that would be embarrassing.”  

Hearing Chen Lin’s sarcastic remark, Su Ting’s expression remained calm as she simply asked: “Has Teacher Duan heard them sing?”  

“Of course, I have.” Duan Xiaoying said, puffing out her chest.  

“And you think Xiao Yan does not sing well?”  

“I just said that he has a gap compared to the other classmates.”

Su Ting chuckled and said: “Teacher Duan, do you know? Before coming here, I went to Teacher Wang’s house and asked whether Xiao Yan was removed because he sang too poorly. Teacher Wang was very certain when she told me—no, he sings very well. In fact, if this hadn’t happened, she would have made He Yan the lead singer. And now you’re telling me that you think Xiao Yan sings worse than the other classmates?”  

Duan Xiaoying’s expression froze. She had not expected Su Ting to go and speak with Teacher Wang.  

Chen Lin pursed her lips and said: “The words are coming from your mouth. Who knows if Teacher Wang really said that?”  

“Do we need to ask Teacher Wang to come forward and testify?” Su Ting asked with a smile.  

Seeing how confident Su Ting was, Chen Lin began to feel uneasy. She turned her head to look at Duan Xiaoying, trying to gauge her reaction, only to see her face pale with unease.  

After knowing Duan Xiaoying for two years, Chen Lin could naturally tell what her reaction meant. Her heart gradually sank.  

In truth, she knew she should stay silent, but the smile on Su Ting’s face was too infuriating. Besides, silence meant conceding, and she did not want to back down to Su Ting.  

After some hesitation, Chen Lin spoke up. “Who knows what you said to Teacher Wang to get her to agree to testify for you?” She implied that Teacher Wang had been persuaded to provide false testimony.  

Some teachers in the office frowned. After all, they were colleagues, and such accusations were too much.  

However, since Chen Lin had not stated it outright and Teacher Wang was not present, no one pointed it out directly. Instead, they remained silent and simply watched.  

Su Ting, on the other hand, did not seem too angry. She said: “If you don’t believe Teacher Wang, we can have He Yan and the student who replaced him compete and see who sings better. If that’s not enough, all the students in the choir program can compare together. Teacher Duan, what do you think of my suggestion?”  

Duan Xiaoying bit her lip and said nothing.  

She did not dare.  

She did not dare to let Teacher Wang testify, nor did she dare to let He Yan compete with the others, because she knew very well that He Yan sang exceptionally well. She had even heard Teacher Wang mention wanting to make him the lead singer.