Chapter 40: The Unwavering Idealist

“I must report this to the teacher,” Yingning declared with utmost seriousness.

“How could the teacher possibly help you deal with them?” I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead in exasperation.

Yingning closed her eyes, seemingly aware of the slim chances, yet she spoke with unwavering conviction.

“This is a school, a place for teaching and nurturing.

Beyond imparting academic knowledge, it must also educate students on what kind of people they should become, and protect their personal safety.

This is the teachers’ responsibility; regardless of whether they fulfill it, it remains their duty!”

I found myself at a loss for how to interject.

The young girl clenched her fists resolutely.

“Everyone yearns for a world filled with justice, and teachers are no different!”

“Why should the strong be allowed to bully the weak with impunity?”

“Why do some people commit wrongs and never face punishment?”

“I believe it’s merely because the weak are afraid, unwilling to break through that unspoken barrier (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘tǒng pò nà yī céng chuānghù zhǐ,’ referring to speaking out a truth everyone knows but no one dares to say).”

“Since no one dares to uphold justice, then I will use my own hands to do so!”

“No matter what, I have to try!”

I chuckled, ruffling the young girl’s head vigorously.

“My silly girl, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘qiāng dǎ chūtóu niǎo,’ meaning those who stand out or take the lead are often targeted or suffer the consequences), and what’s more, those are the school board members’ children.”

“Do you even grasp the concept of school board members?”

“They are the school’s investors, its patrons; everyone in this school must act according to their whims!”

“So what?” Yingning retorted, shaking my hand off indignantly.

“Are school board members not human?”

“Can they truly act with such blatant disregard for the law?”

“We can sue them! Don’t forget, there’s still law in this world!”

“What is the law for?”

“The law exists to give the weak a chance to bring down the strong!”

I couldn’t help but let out a scoff.

“My silly girl, while it’s true that the law is used to protect interests, those it truly protects are rarely the weak…”

“Don’t call me silly girl!”

“Brother! How could you think such a thing?”

Yingning was furious, her delicate brows furrowed together, forming a small knot between them.

“If justice in this world is controlled only by a select few, and righteousness cannot be upheld, then what’s the point of us studying law?”

‘Studying law, of course, is for finding loopholes in it.’

It seemed our values had diverged significantly.

Yet, it was also a good thing, for it indicated that the young girl had not yet been tainted by reality.

Yingning suddenly stood directly before me, meeting my gaze with a sincerity so profound it sent a tremor through me, as if peering directly into my soul.

“I will do it!”

“Many things, if you don’t try, how can you ever know the outcome?”

“So many people have been bullied and oppressed their entire lives simply because they feared trouble, feared lawsuits!”

“I cannot be like that!”

“This is the very meaning behind my decision to study law!”

Having spoken, the young girl turned and walked away, her steps resolute.

[No matter what, I cannot let my brother get caught in the maelstrom of this affair.]

****

“That’s precisely how the events unfolded.”

Yingning recounted the morning’s occurrences in their entirety, and our middle-aged female homeroom teacher, Liu Li, nodded, indicating her understanding.

We were now in the homeroom teacher’s office, and naturally, I couldn’t allow Yingning to face this alone.

The homeroom teacher pondered for a moment, then spoke with profound sincerity.

“Yingning, my dear… you are a clever and diligent child.”

Yingning frowned, puzzled as to why the homeroom teacher was speaking of her instead of addressing the matter concerning Xiang Ling and Xiang Renhe.

The homeroom teacher suddenly cast a meaningful, yet ambiguous, glance at me, before turning back to Yingning.

“We all hope you can achieve greater success in this school…”

“You are the pride of our entire school, and we wish for you to go even further.”

A sense of unease suddenly crept over Yingning.

“Teacher Liu… why are you suddenly talking about these things?”

“An excellent student like you should focus on your studies, and not be swayed by external matters or people…”

“Especially with some idle classmates, it would be best for you to maintain your distance from them; one is influenced by their companions (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘jìn zhū zhě chì, jìn mò zhě hēi,’ meaning one is influenced by their companions, for better or worse, literally ‘near vermillion, one turns red; near ink, one turns black’).”

“Even if you are reluctant, you must consider your own future.”

Yingning was stunned.

“Teacher, I don’t understand what you mean…”

Liu Li let out a sigh.

“Yingning, your teacher knows you have a kind heart, but this time, the fault lies entirely with your brother.”

“You shouldn’t get involved any further; this is for your own good…”