Chapter 27.2

Right on the day Ying Nian encountered Ding Yi in the girls’ restroom, she immediately took her to the hospital. Of course, before going, Ying Nian made things crystal clear to her:

“I can help you, but if I do, this matter won’t be resolved casually. We’ll have to go to the hospital, the police station, and it might even escalate to needing a lawyer afterward—I can have my family arrange a lawyer, but the question is, do you have the courage? Are you willing?”

“If you’re not up for it, say so now. Don’t back out halfway through.”

At that time, Ding Yi was sobbing uncontrollably, her hair sticking to her tear-streaked face.

Ying Nian gave her some time to think.

In the restroom, where the stench lingered, a few minutes later, Ding Yi answered between sobs, “I… I’m willing…”

Those three words were barely louder than the trickling water in the sink, yet they embodied all the courage she could muster in a desperate gamble.

Afterward, Ying Nian asked around about Ding Yi among her classmates to ensure she wasn’t too problematic and was worth helping. But more important than that was Ding Yi’s response in the restroom; if she didn’t even have the courage to stand up for herself, the most Ying Nian would have done was hand her a tissue to dry her tears and leave it at that.

Now, it wasn’t just the police who had arrived; an assistant from Ying Yaohang’s company was also present. Filing the report and hiring a lawyer were matters best handled by adults.

The school gate was bustling with activity. With the assistant on-site to manage the situation, Li Yunyun and her group were taken away in a police car.

Ying Nian and Ding Yi also needed to go, but they were treated a bit more leniently—they would be riding in the car brought by the assistant.

With things reaching this point, Ying Nian felt a huge sense of relief. The problem now was that Ding Yi clung to her, refusing to let go, crying her heart out.

“We need to go now, stop crying!”

“Ying, Ying Nian… Ying Nian…” Ding Yi was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.

“I’m right here, what are you doing? Why are you crying?”

Ding Yi loosened her grip slightly, her vision blurred with tears, and her eyes swollen as she looked up at Ying Nian. “Your face… does it hurt… it’s bleeding…” She sobbed uncontrollably. “You’re bleeding…”

Jiang Jiashu had gone to the convenience store but couldn’t find any band-aids, so he bought some tissues and hurried back. Ying Nian took the tissues and showed them to her. “Look, it’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just wipe it off, and we’ll get a band-aid later.”

Ding Yi cried even harder, clinging to Ying Nian’s waist without letting go.

Ying Nian had no choice but to say, “I can’t wipe the blood if you don’t let go…”

Hearing this, Ding Yi quickly released her grip, panicking.

Finally, Ying Nian was able to lead her through the crowd of onlooking students towards the assistant waiting by the car.

Jiang Jiashu followed behind them, feeling utterly helpless.

This was just too troublesome!

…

With the help of Ying Nian’s father, the campus bullying incident was handled methodically and efficiently.

Typically, when such incidents occur, many schools, aiming to downplay the situation, often find excuses not to provide surveillance footage. However, the current principal of Seventh High School is an educator with vision and principles, and none of that happened in this case.

Without even needing Ying Yaohang to visit the principal’s office, the moment the principal learned of the incident, he immediately instructed school staff to cooperate with the police station, showing no intention of covering anything up.

The cruelty of youth lies in their recklessness and ignorance, sometimes making them even more terrifying than adults.

If such behavior isn’t curbed, the consequences can be far-reaching.

On his end, Ying Yaohang hired professionals to handle the matter. Though the process was undoubtedly complex and troublesome, the outcome was ultimately satisfactory.

Li Yunyun was sent to a juvenile detention center; though the two-month sentence wasn’t long, it was enough to teach her a lesson. Everyone involved in the bullying had to compensate Ding Yi for emotional distress and medical expenses, and the school expelled them as well.

As a result, the atmosphere at Seventh High School improved significantly, whether among high-achieving or struggling students.

Ying Nian also earned a new nickname: “Discipline Inspector.”

She dared to stand up to teachers above and confront thugs below—basically, it was best not to mess with her unless you were asking for trouble!

The evening after the results were announced, Ding Yi came to find Ying Nian. She blushed for a long time before timidly asking, “Ying Nian, do you… do you have any free time this weekend? My mom would like to invite you over to our house for dinner.”

At first, Ying Nian declined, but she couldn’t resist Ding Yi’s persistence and it seemed like Ding Yi wouldn’t give up unless she agreed. In the end, Ying Nian had no choice but to accept the invitation.

Before Ying Nian left, Ding Yi handed her a box of band-aids, the kind with cartoon patterns on them.

“My face is almost healed…”

“The scar hasn’t faded yet,” Ding Yi insisted. “Make sure to use them…!” After saying that, she turned and ran off as if being chased by a dog.

Ying Nian accepted the “gift” and was actually quite happy about it. Right then, she tore off a piece of the band-aid, but without unpacking it or sticking it on her face, she held it up under the light in the corner and snapped a selfie.

As she humming a tune, she posted the photo on her Moments with the caption:

【Got a gift, so cute!】 

…

After getting home, Ying Nian washed up, changed into her pajamas, and, as usual, settled under the covers for her nightly routine of playing on her phone before bed.

She opened WeChat and saw several unread messages from classmates and friends, none of which were urgent. However, one familiar profile picture caught her attention and made her pause.

—Yu Linran had sent her a message.

Thinking back, it had been quite a while since she last chatted with him. She had been busy lately, so much so that she hadn’t even managed to watch the videos of the qualifying matches. She only knew about SF’s wins and losses from the group chats.

It wasn’t that she didn’t think about Yu Linran, but her days were filled with classes, homework, taking care of Ding Yi, and preparing for exams. She also worried about disturbing Yu Linran during his training, so she hadn’t reached out to him on her own.

Originally, she had planned to go watch the matches in person once she had some free time, but she hadn’t expected Yu Linran to reach out to her first!

She opened the message, which had been sent while she was in her evening class. Yu Linran had asked, [Did you get hurt?]

Ying Nian was pleasantly surprised—he must have seen her post on Moments!

How thoughtful. Today, Yu Linran was being a perfect fan-favorite captain!

Ying Nian quickly replied:

[Sorry, Captain, I was in class just now and didn’t check my phone!]

[I’m home now.]

[The scratch on my face is nothing, it’s almost healed!]

Two minutes later, Yu Linran replied, [How did you end up getting scratched on the face?]

Ying Nian sent a sigh emoji and said, [There were too many people around, and I got scratched by accident.]

She expected Yu Linran to offer a word or two of comfort, but instead, he didn’t reply for a long time.

Ying Nian scrolled through the conversation screen that showed no new messages, and pondered if he had fallen asleep when her phone suddenly vibrated. She was startled and almost dropped the phone on her face.

After steadying it, she looked at the screen, and her eyes widened instantly.

Yu Linran had sent her a voice call request.

What was going on??

Was she dreaming??

Ying Nian rubbed her eyes vigorously, but the phone was still vibrating, and the screen hadn’t changed.

Nervously, she tapped to answer the call. There was silence on the other end for two seconds, then his voice came through: “Ying Nian.”

“…Ah.” She parted her lips but was momentarily tongue-tied.

An awkward silence settled between them.

Ying Nian spoke first, “Captain, why aren’t you asleep yet…?”

“Can’t sleep,” he replied.

“Then…”

“You know, the thing you mentioned to me last time, how did it go?” he suddenly asked.

Ying Nian paused for a moment before responding, “The thing from last time, um, it’s been resolved.”

Yu Linran was silent for two seconds. “Does it have something to do with the scar on your face?”

“Yeah… it does.”

Another brief silence followed.

Then Yu Linran suddenly said, “Tell me about it.”

Ying Nian was a little surprised. “You want to hear?”

“Can’t sleep, so I’ll just treat it like listening to a story. Go on.”

Ying Nian pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and started from the beginning: “It all started when I was doing cleaning duty and went to the girls’ restroom…”

She focused on the key points and quickly recounted the whole incident.

“I’m really curious,” Yu Linran asked after listening, “why did you want to help her?”

“Why not help?” Ying Nian countered.

“What if it was someone else?”

“If it was someone in a similar situation, who needed my help like this, I would help them too.”

Yu Linran asked again, “What if one day you come across something you can’t help with? What would you do then?”

Ying Nian fell silent, then said, “I don’t know.”

She sighed. “I’d probably feel terrible, but I guess I’d deal with it when the time comes. For now, as long as I can do something, I still want to do it.”

“Captain.” Before Yu Linran could respond, she continued, “I know you might think I’m a bit impulsive, and a lot of people at school say I’m meddling in things that aren’t my business. I’m aware of all that.”

“Hmm. And then?”

“I also know that I’m able to do these things because of my parents. They’ve provided me with great conditions, so I don’t have to worry too much. If there’s something I truly can’t handle, they’re there to help me clean up the mess. A big part of why I can do this is because I’m fortunate.”

Ying Nian had always been clear-headed about this.

“I often feel very lucky. Life has given me so much, and I’m truly content.”

“—So I often think, since life has been so good to me, and I’ve been so lucky, maybe I can share a bit of that ‘good’ with others?”

She continued, “I can’t do much; what I can do is just a tiny bit, but maybe for some people, that tiny bit is really important.”

Like when she took Ding Yi to the hospital and hired professionals to help her defend her rights—it was just a bit of money spent, just a favor asked of her parents, but for Ding Yi, it was a lifeline.

Ding Yi’s family situation didn’t allow her to add more burden to her single mother, so she could only endure in silence, swallowing all her tears.

If Ying Nian hadn’t intervened in this “irrelevant matter,” Ding Yi might have suffered even more harm.

Yu Linran didn’t respond immediately.

After a long silence, he suddenly said, “You’re very foolish.”

Then he added, “But very good.”

Unlike before, these three words seemed to carry a barely perceptible and indescribable gentleness.

“The S series has already started. Are you still planning to come watch the matches?” Before Ying Nian could fully absorb his rare compliment, Yu Linran shifted the conversation to the matches.

Ying Nian quickly replied, “Yes! Of course, I’m coming!”

He responded with a light “Hmm,” then added, “Next time, don’t get chocolate-flavored cake.”

Ying Nian paused, “We’re still getting cake?”

“You don’t want to?”

“…I do, I do!”

If she weren’t lying down, Ying Nian would probably be nodding like a bobblehead.

Yu Linran said, “Pick a date and decide which match you want to watch, then let me know in advance.”

“Huh? Oh…”

“I’ll get the tickets for you,” he said.

“…Huh??” Ying Nian was genuinely stunned this time, stammering, “Wh-Why?!”

“No reason.”

Just as she was about to speak, “I—”

“Think of it as a reward for your kindness.”

Yu Linran seemed to chuckle softly, or maybe it was just her imagination.

But the last sentence came through clearly, landing straight in her ears and hitting her right in the heart—

“You’re very good.”