10 Who Did It?

Qiao Weimin had not held back when he slapped Jing Yunzhao. She could handle it because she had been treated like this since she was young, and she chose not to do anything to relieve the swelling just so that she could show it to the teachers at school.

By staying in the space within the jade bottle, the pain on her face subsided but not the swelling. As such, the swelling on her face was still shocking even though her face actually didn't hurt much anymore.

"I was stopped by some gangsters after school last Friday, Ms. Kim. They trapped me and refused to let me go while pretending to be close to me. They even dragged me into an alley, and I can't imagine what would have happened if the police hadn't passed by. I was unfortunate that the gangsters chose to pick on me and I don't blame anyone but those gangsters, but I don't know why someone spread false rumours about me mingling with gangsters…" 

"Were they why your face is swollen?" Ms. Kim asked, frowning. 

The swelling on Jing Yunzhao's face was actually quite serious considering it hadn't gone down even after a few days. There were also bruises on Jing Yunzhao's face, showing just how bad of a hit Jing Yunzhao took. 

"No… Those gangsters were threatening me and I ended up passing out. My— My face," Jing Yunzhao stammered pitifully, "it was my father who did it…" 

Almost all the teachers in the office gasped when they heard what Jing Yunzhao said. 

As the top student in her year, Jing Yunzhao's family situation was known to the teachers, and they knew that she had a stepfather named Qiao Weimin. 

Would Qiao Weimin have done it if he was Jing Yunzhao's real father? 

"He did it? Why? Tell me what happened, Jing Yunzhao. Did you do something that made your father angry?" Ms. Kim asked, jumping up from her chair. 

"I did nothing. It was because of a bowl of porridge. I was worried about getting an upset stomach and not being able to take the test today if I ate cold porridge, so I got myself a hot bowl of porridge from the pot. My father got angry and slapped me, then forced me to finish the cold porridge," said Jing Yunzhao casually as if she was just discussing the weather. 

It sounded different to some of the teachers in the office. 

What kind of father let their child have cold porridge? Was this how Jing Yunzhao was treated at home—not even given hot meals? 

"If… if that was the case, Jing Yunzhao, why didn't your mother stop him? Or your siblings?" Ms. Kim asked doubtfully.

"My mother is ill and too weak to be taking care of the family, not to mention that it was just a bowl of porridge that wouldn't kill me even if I ate it. My mother would not interfere even if she knew about it… I am already used to how I get treated at home, Ms. Kim, it doesn't really bother me anymore. It's just about those gangsters… would the school be able to lodge a police report so it doesn't happen again?" 

Jing Yunzhao was only fifteen this year, but knew very well that the school was the only place that she could rely on. It would be naïve of her to think that she could lodge the police report in her own name, and she would only make a fool of herself if she did. 

Ms. Kim felt her heart clench when she looked into Jing Yunzhao's sparkling eyes.

Jing Yunzhao had always been a quiet girl at school but strangely, she wasn't that popular amongst the students and had always been deemed arrogant. 

The teachers, on the other hand, were fond of Jing Yunzhao. 

She was quiet, hardworking, and never bullied or looked down on anyone. If not for her outstanding results, her presence would hardly be noticeable. 

"Don't worry, the school will not sit on something as serious as this. You may go now to prepare for the test later. I will discuss this with the principal and make sure to lodge a police report to avoid this happening again."