“Lin Ze? What are you… I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Zao Ye's voice was clearly flustered.
“Listen, Zao Ye Chun Nai, you might not have considered the consequences while doing these things, but it’s fine, I’m here to tell you now! If Han Zi is unharmed, of course, you better pray she is! We might be able to coexist peacefully, but if something happens to Han Zi, then it won’t be me seeking you out for revenge; you will be the criminal who has committed a crime. Not only will you be taken away, but your parents will also be implicated, and Han Zi’s family will come after you. Now! Tell me where Han Zi is?!” Lin Ze's tone was clearly worsening.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, “...In the girls' bathroom on the top floor of our building, I just wanted to give her…”
“Bastard!” Lin Ze didn’t listen to her rambling anymore, directly hanging up the phone and rushing upstairs.
……
“Han Zi, you should listen to everyone so you won’t be bullied. Are you hurt? Let the teacher take a look.” Facing the advancing gym teacher, Han Zi was so scared that she fell to the ground, desperately shaking her head and retreating.
“Tsk, didn’t the teacher say you need to be obedient? Disobedient bad kids deserve to be punished.” Watching the panic on her face, Da Tong felt increasingly excited; a girl with such a temperament wouldn’t dare to boast about this later, haha.
As the other party approached step by step, Han Zi could only keep retreating. By chance, she touched the mop that had been thrown on the ground, and Lin Ze’s words from that day suddenly echoed in her mind, “Let me teach you something: if you find yourself in a weaker position against someone, then you should use everything around you as a weapon.”
“Don’t come any closer!” Han Zi picked up the mop from the ground and swung it at her opponent. The sudden resistance from the little white rabbit caught Da Tong off guard, and she was hit on the head. Unfortunately, Han Zi’s strength was insufficient, only causing her opponent to momentarily feel dizzy.
“You little!” Anger surged within her, one hand grabbing the mop that was swung at her again, while the other hand viciously grabbed Han Zi’s neck.
“Isn’t it better to be obedient? If you had been obedient, you might not get hurt. If I hurt you now, don’t blame me!”
The voice, like that of a demon, entered Han Zi’s ears, and the suffocating feeling of oxygen deprivation caused her immense pain. She struggled desperately, but it was of no use.
Da Tong threw the wooden mop aside and then suddenly slapped Han Zi’s face, “Behave yourself.”
The ringing in her head seemed to create an illusion; through the blur, she seemed to see… Lin Ze?
Bang!
After a muffled sound, the hand gripping her throat loosened, and Han Zi, who fell back to the ground, dizzily raised her head, “...Lin Ze?”
He made it! Lin Ze, who had just gone upstairs, heard the commotion and, feeling something was off, grabbed a wooden stick from the nearby equipment room and silently approached the girls' bathroom.
Glancing at the unconscious Da Tong, Lin Ze hurriedly crouched down beside Han Zi to check on her condition, “Han Zi, are you okay?”
“Is it really you?” Han Zi, somewhat in disbelief, touched Lin Ze’s face. When she realized this wasn’t an illusion, she threw herself into his arms and began to cry.
“I… I thought I was going to die, boohoo, I… I’m so… scared, Lin Ze…” There was a trace of blood at the corner of Han Zi’s mouth, her lips split from the slap, and all her grievances and fears were completely released at that moment.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Sigh… Unlike Kayako, for Lin Ze, helping this poor girl was just a matter of convenience, but he never expected things would escalate to this point.
“Stop crying for now, Han Zi. First, let’s tie up this bastard, and I need to call your mom to inform her.” Lin Ze patted Han Zi’s back; if that guy woke up later, it would be troublesome since he was quite robust.
Though scared, Han Zi obediently nodded. Lin Ze then dragged Da Tong to the equipment room, found a rope, and tied up her hands and feet, covering her eyes with a black cloth.
Throughout the process, Han Zi stood closely beside Lin Ze, and when Lin Ze took out his phone to call, she finally spoke, “Lin Ze… does my mom know?”
Lin Ze paused for a moment, turned his head, and spoke with a serious tone, “Han Zi, I know you don’t want to worry your mom, but this matter can’t be kept quiet. Moreover, after discovering you were missing, both your mom and I were very worried. Your mom is probably still desperately looking for you.”
“I understand… but Lin Ze… how did you find out I was missing?” She hadn’t thought about this until now, and her mood had calmed down a bit, leading her to ponder this question.
“You were lucky; I ran into two other duty students on the way. Knowing that you and Zao Ye were the only ones in the class, I was worried you might be bullied, so I came to check. But when I found no one in the classroom, I became uneasy and went to your house to look for you. Your mom said you hadn’t come back, so we started searching for you. As for how I found you, I called that bastard Zao Ye.” The excuse Lin Ze had prepared was now being used, and he had already connected the call.
“Yeah, I was lucky to run into Lin Ze.” Han Zi stared blankly at Lin Ze.
“Mom? I found Han Zi. Please don’t panic; come to the school’s equipment room. The situation is a bit complicated and troublesome. I’ll explain everything when you arrive. Let Han Zi say a few words to you.”
The phone was handed to Han Zi, and listening to the hoarse voice on the other end, tinged with tears, Han Zi held back her own tears and tried to keep her tone normal, “Mom, I’m fine… um… okay… be careful on the way, Mom.”
After hanging up, Han Zi returned the phone to Lin Ze, “Mom said she’ll be here soon.”
Lin Ze nodded, just about to speak when Da Tong beside him slowly woke up. He thought for a moment, fiddled with his phone, then put it in his pocket and walked towards her. Han Zi was so scared that she grabbed him and shook her head vigorously.
“It’s fine, just wait here for your mom. He’s tied up and can’t move.” Lin Ze comforted her a bit, then walked in front of Da Tong.
“Awake?” Lin Ze lowered his voice.
“Who… who are you?” With nothing visible in front of him and a severe pain in the back of his head, he remembered being knocked out by someone. Who did this?!
“You really are something; as a teacher, you’ve developed wicked thoughts towards your female students. You truly are a scum that deserves to die.” Lin Ze’s tone was filled with sarcasm and disgust.
Upon hearing this, Da Tong began to struggle desperately. He hadn’t expected someone would come; no matter who it was, he couldn’t let this matter leak out, or he would be finished! “What are you talking about? I don’t understand! I just found out that my student was being bullied and locked in the bathroom, so I came to save her!”
“Heh~ that’s quite different from what the other party said. So, where did the injuries on her face come from?”
“It… it was from the group of bullies! She’s just a little girl who was severely frightened and is talking nonsense! I’m telling you! Without evidence, this is slander!”
“Well… do you think I have any photos?”