After Becoming the Abused Heroine in a Campus Story - Chapter 35: That’s Ten Thousand Yuan

Chapter 35: That’s Ten Thousand Yuan

Chen Yitong hadn’t left yet when she received a call from the school administration.

Since the police came to arrest students, the school leaders were already aware of the situation. Principal Lin Lishan called Chen Yitong directly.

“I heard about Zhou Yining’s situation from others. Why didn’t she inform the school beforehand? By reporting to the police, she’s made this a big deal,” Lin Lishan said, his tone somewhat displeased.

“Principal Lin, school bullying isn’t a small matter. Zhou Yining is a steady child. I believe she had her reasons for doing this. The police just called me, and I need to go there now,” Chen Yitong said, not wanting to continue the conversation with the principal. These leaders only cared about interests and didn’t truly prioritize the students.

“Hmm, since the police are handling this, make sure to keep the school out of it when you go,” Lin Lishan emphasized.

“Principal Lin, how can we keep the school out of it? Zhou Yining suffered bullying at school. The school should take a stance. I’m leaving now and won’t talk further,” Chen Yitong said, hanging up the phone.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yining sent a message to Zhong Yumeng.

Zhou Yining: [I reported to the police. Lin Shaohui and the other two have been taken to the station.]

Zhong Yumeng: [Good, I know.]

Zhong Yumeng replied to Zhou Yining’s WeChat message, then stood up and asked the teacher supervising the self-study session for a brief leave, saying she needed to use the bathroom.

The teacher, knowing Zhong Yumeng was a good student, didn’t refuse and immediately let her go.

Zhong Yumeng found a secluded spot and called her father on her phone.

“Father, my friend was bullied at school. No, it’s the friend tutoring me in math this weekend. She’s really nice and good at math. I can’t just watch her get bullied. Don’t you have connections at the Nanchuan City Police Station? Please help my friend. I’m worried this will be brushed off lightly,” Zhong Yumeng said, acting coy with her father.

Zhong Wenhao immediately agreed. “Alright, since she’s your friend, I’ll call them right away to check.”

“Hmm, also, Father, contact the Education Bureau too. The school needs to deal seriously with students who bully others,” Zhong Yumeng added.

“Okay, I’ve noted it. I’ll make the calls now. Don’t worry,” Zhong Wenhao said.

The father and daughter chatted a bit more before hanging up.

Zhong Yumeng was worried Zhou Yining might be at a disadvantage, so she wanted her father to make arrangements in advance to ensure the matter wasn’t handled lightly.

In the police station’s interrogation room, Ji Ying was questioning Lin Shaohui’s group one by one. She started with Lan Guangwen.

Lan Guangwen was handcuffed to the interrogation chair, trembling with fear.

Ji Ying and another colleague, responsible for recording, sat across from him. Ji Ying’s gaze fixed on Lan Guangwen. “Lan Guangwen, tell us everything you know. Things have reached this point. Hiding anything will only worsen your situation. If you don’t talk and your friends pin the blame on you, you’ll face heavier consequences,” she said.

At 17, Lan Guangwen was reckless at school, but in the interrogation room, handcuffed to the chair, he was completely overwhelmed. He didn’t dare lie.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, officer. It really wasn’t me. It was Lin Shaohui. He told Han Fei to wear a wig and girls’ clothes to sneak into the locker room to film. The video captured four girls. Later, Lin Shaohui used it to threaten and insult them. He forced them to kneel more than once and called them sluts, bitches, and worse. It was really harsh,” Lan Guangwen said, crying, his face covered in tears and snot.

He continued, “Also, later, Zhou Yining couldn’t take it and ran to the school building’s rooftop, saying she’d jump. Lin Shaohui didn’t want it to blow up, so he lied about deleting the video to stop her. But the video wasn’t deleted. All three of us had it on our phones. Officer, I swear I was just tagging along. It was all Lin Shaohui’s idea. Han Fei did the filming. I really didn’t do anything.”

Ji Ying exchanged a glance with her colleague, who nodded.

Still young, Lan Guangwen confessed everything without any interrogation tactics, even revealing the other three girls were bullied too.

“From what I know, you’re not innocent. The recordings show you insulted Zhou Yining plenty,” Ji Ying said, signaling her colleague to play a recording.

The recording played their angry insults at Zhou Yining, while she responded calmly and firmly.

Lan Guangwen was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected Zhou Yining to record, and so clearly.

He broke down crying. “I was wrong, I was really wrong. I just have a foul mouth. It’s all Lin Shaohui’s fault. He egged me on,” he said.

Seeing she’d gotten enough, Ji Ying asked for the names of the other three girls, had Lan Guangwen sign and fingerprint his statement, then had him taken out of the interrogation room to another holding area.

Next, Ji Ying had Han Fei brought in.

Handcuffed to the interrogation chair, Han Fei shook like a sieve. He was just a small-time delinquent and had never faced this. The cold handcuffs restrained him, and he didn’t dare move.

“Han Fei, right? Your accomplice already pointed you out. A year ago, you dressed as a girl and sneaked into the locker room to film,” Ji Ying said, her voice icy.

Han Fei burst into tears. “No, Lin Shaohui made me do it. We thought it was just fun, curiosity. Officer, we didn’t mean any harm. We didn’t really hurt Zhou Yining or the others,” he said.

“Psychological harm is worse than physical harm. Zhou Yining shows signs of moderate depression, triggered after recent contact with you. We’ve retrieved your school’s surveillance, proving everything she said is true. That means you caused substantial harm to the victim. You’re all over 16, so you’ll face corresponding criminal responsibility,” Ji Ying said.

She took a breath and continued, “Also, secretly filming others isn’t fun. It’s sleazy. People like you deserve punishment.”

“No, no, we just thought scaring those girls was fun. We only insulted and intimidated them. Can that cause depression?” Han Fei said, filled with regret.

“What you think is trivial could be a lifelong shadow for others. You must face consequences for what you’ve done,” Ji Ying said.

She printed Han Fei’s statement and had him sign and fingerprint it.

Then Ji Ying interrogated Lin Shaohui. His face was pale, and he was still dazed.

Ji Ying looked at him. “Your two accomplices confessed. They both said you instigated the bullying of those girls and that sneaking into the locker room to film was your idea,” she said.

“What video? I don’t know. I didn’t do it,” Lin Shaohui said, feigning calm.

Ji Ying played the heated exchange between him and Zhou Yining. Seeing his ashen face, she said, “We have the video. We’ve reviewed the audio, and there’s no editing. The evidence is real, backed by your friends’ confessions. If you don’t confess, you’ll face harsher punishment, possibly three to five years. Of course, sentencing depends partly on your attitude. With a complete evidence chain, you’ll definitely be convicted.”

“It was just a video. Why won’t they let it go? I’m about to be a senior. I don’t want to go to jail. I want to see my dad, my family,” Lin Shaohui said, crying.

“Lin Shaohui, refusing to confess will only make things worse. We can re-interrogate you. You can hire a lawyer to defend you; that’s your right,” Ji Ying said.

She had him taken away. It was nearly 6 p.m. Chen Yitong and Lin Shaohui’s father, Lin Zhiqiang, had arrived earlier but were taken to another office, not with Zhou Yining.

When Ji Ying returned, she brought them to a larger office to discuss.

Zhou Yining checked her phone’s battery, glad she’d switched to a new one with good battery life. She turned on the recording function and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

Lin Zhiqiang didn’t believe his son would do such a thing. He had questioned Lin Shaohui’s homeroom teacher earlier, insisting his son wouldn’t secretly film or bully girls. Seeing Zhou Yining, his arrogance flared.

“You reported to the police? How dare you slander my son?” Lin Zhiqiang said, agitated. He was uninvolved at home, with his wife handling company matters, but their family was prominent in Nanchuan City. If his son went to jail, they’d lose face completely.

“I didn’t slander your son. All the evidence is there,” Zhou Yining said coldly.

Ji Ying nodded. “I just interrogated your son and his two accomplices. They confessed. Your son instigated someone to sneak into the girls’ locker room to film and used the video to insult others, causing Zhou Yining moderate depression and nearly driving her to jump off a building. If you don’t believe it, listen to the audio,” she said.

She played the audio file.

The office filled with the dialogue between Lin Shaohui’s group and Zhou Yining. Zhou Yining argued rationally, while the three acted like hooligans, smug because she lacked evidence.

Lin Zhiqiang was stunned. He couldn’t believe his usually obedient son behaved like this at school.

After a long pause, he said dryly, “Flies don’t buzz around a perfect egg. Why didn’t my son film others? Isn’t it your and those girls’ fault? Maybe you’re always flirting with guys at school.”

Ji Ying was furious. Zhou Yining’s lips curved coldly. “Officer Ji, does this office have surveillance?” she asked.

Ji Ying nodded. “Yes, it’s to prevent incidents, so we installed surveillance in the negotiation office.”

“Good. I want to retrieve the footage just now. I’ll sue Lin Shaohui’s father too. He slandered me in front of me, harming my reputation and dignity,” Zhou Yining said calmly.

“No, I just said it casually. How can you take it seriously, kid? Besides, if something happened at school, why not tell the teachers? Why escalate it to the police?” Lin Zhiqiang said incessantly.

“What? Your son bullied me at school, and I have all the evidence. I can’t report it? What kind of logic is that? Also, I have no relation to you. Don’t lecture me like an elder,” Zhou Yining said, unafraid, staring directly at Lin Zhiqiang.

Lin Zhiqiang wanted to curse but remembered the surveillance and shut his mouth. He thought Zhou Yining would be an easily intimidated girl, not expecting her to be so tough.

“Alright, classmate, I know about my son’s matter. You’ve suffered. How about we negotiate compensation? Name your price. Can we settle this privately?” Lin Zhiqiang said, changing his tone.

Zhou Yining’s lips curved coldly. “No,” she said.

“Come on, officer, they’re just kids messing around. Help me persuade her. Settling privately is so much better…” Lin Zhiqiang nagged.

“It depends on the victim’s wishes. It’s not just one victim. We’ve notified the other three victims and their families to come. You’ll need to negotiate first, then proceed with legal processes,” Ji Ying said as two more people entered the office.

Grade leader Luo Mei and Zhou Yuanfei arrived together. Chen Yitong’s brows furrowed. Why did the school notify Zhou Yining’s parents?

Zhou Yuanfei stormed in like a lit firecracker, pointing at Zhou Yining and cursing, “You useless thing. I’ll beat you to death today. I’ve never been so humiliated. You caused trouble and dragged it to the police station.”

He lunged at Zhou Yining like a madman, but Chen Yitong shielded her. “Zhou Yining’s father, how can you talk like that? Zhou Yining is the victim. The police have investigated clearly. What are you raving about?” she said.

Zhou Yuanfei stopped at her words. “Why didn’t you say earlier? How was I supposed to know?” he said.

Seeing Zhou Yuanfei was Zhou Yining’s father, Lin Zhiqiang said, “Zhou Yining’s father, right? My son did something wrong, but it’s just kids’ squabbles. Can we settle privately? Have your daughter sign a forgiveness letter, and I’ll compensate you ten thousand yuan.”

Zhou Yuanfei hadn’t expected to gain money from this. He quickly said, “Sure. I mean, what big deal can happen at school? Just kids arguing. I think it’s fine.”

Ji Ying’s brows furrowed. She hadn’t expected Zhou Yining’s father to be so disgusting, but as an officer in uniform, she couldn’t directly confront him.

Chen Yitong couldn’t hold back. “Zhou Yining’s father, right? You just got here and don’t know the situation, yet you want your daughter to sign a forgiveness letter? Do you know what she went through?” she said.

Zhou Yuanfei frowned at Chen Yitong. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Zhou Yining’s homeroom teacher. Your daughter was bullied at school, understand? She was nearly driven to jump off a building and diagnosed with moderate depression. You’d have her sign a forgiveness letter for ten thousand yuan? To be blunt, I’ve never seen such a money-grubbing father,” Chen Yitong said.

She now understood why Ji Ying didn’t want Zhou Yining’s parents notified. With a father like this, Zhou Yining was terribly unlucky.

“How dare you talk like that? Just because you’re her teacher doesn’t mean I won’t say anything. This is my daughter’s matter, and it’s not your place to interfere,” Zhou Yuanfei said, glaring at Chen Yitong.

Ji Ying couldn’t stand it anymore. “Listen to this recording first. I’ll explain the situation briefly, then you can decide,” she said.

She played the audio file again. Zhou Yuanfei’s face darkened as he listened. He turned, furious, and cursed at Zhou Yining, “Have you no shame? Getting filmed like that and still reporting it? How did I end up with such a disgraceful daughter?”

Zhou Yining nearly laughed from anger. Even though she wasn’t the original person, she felt sad for her. “Are you sick, Zhou Yuanfei? I was changing in the girls’ locker room, and they dressed as girls to sneak in and film. You think it’s my fault? You’re truly disgusting,” she said.

“What? Am I wrong? Why didn’t they film others, only you? Aren’t you always misbehaving at school, flirting around?” Zhou Yuanfei continued cursing. With so many people in the station, he couldn’t lose face.

The grade leader hadn’t expected Zhou Yining’s parent to be like this. She said with disgust, “Parent, watch your words. Zhou Yining performs well at school. You can’t just accuse your child without knowing anything. I’ve taught for years and never met such an unreasonable parent.”

“Indeed, I’ve never seen such a money-grubbing father,” Chen Yitong added.

Ji Ying wanted to applaud them. As an officer, she couldn’t say such things, but having others say it relieved her frustration.

“No, you’re school teachers. I’m Zhou Yining’s father. She has to listen to me, got it?” Zhou Yuanfei said, growing more arrogant after losing face.

Zhou Yining nearly laughed from anger. She’d never seen such a despicable man, but she kept a cold face. “I’m over 16 and can decide my own matters. Whether I sign a forgiveness letter has nothing to do with you. I won’t sign, and I never will,” she said coldly.

Zhou Yuanfei’s brows knitted together. “Why won’t you listen, child?” he said.

He leaned closer, giving Zhou Yining a look, and whispered, “Ten thousand yuan. They already filmed you. Making his son go to jail—what’s the point? You get nothing. Better take the ten thousand. Think of what you could buy.”

Zhou Yining looked at him coldly and said loudly, “I don’t want ten thousand yuan. I want justice. I absolutely won’t sign a forgiveness letter.”

“Tch, you won’t listen at all now. It’s ten thousand yuan. You were just wronged a bit. It’s over anyway…” Zhou Yuanfei said.

“You can’t say anything decent, can you? I said I won’t sign,” Zhou Yining said coldly.

Ji Ying nodded. “This is routine procedure. Since negotiation failed and the evidence chain is complete, the case will proceed to the next step. You can hire lawyers to defend yourselves. As for Lin Shaohui and the others, they’ll all be detained,” she said.

Lin Zhiqiang had no choice. He called his wife to explain the situation.

Lin Shaohui’s mother tried using police connections but learned Zhou Yining had backing too, and the station’s leaders insisted on handling the matter seriously.

With no options, Lin Shaohui’s mother hired a lawyer for her son.

Hearing Zhou Yining would need a lawyer, Zhou Yuanfei left, cursing her stubbornness as he went.

Chen Yitong was furious. She patted Zhou Yining’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. If you need a lawyer, I can help contact one. Don’t worry about the money,” she said.

Luo Mei sighed. “What a mess,” she said.

She turned to Chen Yitong. “I’m heading back. I need to report this to the leaders and see how the school will punish those three students.”

“Alright, I’ll stay here with Zhou Yining,” Chen Yitong said, looking at Zhou Yining with red eyes.

Her student had been bullied for a year, and she, the homeroom teacher, hadn’t known. She felt she’d failed as a teacher, especially since she only paid attention to Zhou Yining after her grades improved.

“Teacher, about the lawyer…” Zhou Yining said. She really had no money and couldn’t afford a lawyer.

“Don’t worry. My family’s company works with a law firm. I’ll handle the lawyer. Tomorrow, I’ll have them come to the station to deal with the follow-up. I’ll send you the lawyer’s number too. Don’t stress about this. You’re almost a senior. Spend your time studying—it’s more meaningful,” Chen Yitong said.

“Thank you, Teacher. I’ll repay the lawyer fees when I have the money,” Zhou Yining said, looking at Chen Yitong.

“No need, child. How could I let you pay lawyer fees?” Chen Yitong said, shaking her head.

“Then I’ll find another way, Teacher. I don’t want to owe anyone,” Zhou Yining said.

She was honest. Zhong Yumeng helped her, and she was grateful, but she wasn’t taking it for free—she’d tutor Zhong Yumeng in math for a year. Chen Yitong was helping with the lawyer, so Zhou Yining would naturally repay the fees later.

She disliked owing favors, which was why she didn’t ask Jiang Xianzhi for help. To Zhou Yining, Jiang Xianzhi was special, and she didn’t want their friendship mixed with other things.

Seeing Zhou Yining’s insistence, Chen Yitong said, “Alright, since you’re so firm, you can repay the lawyer fees after you start working.”

“Hmm, thank you, Teacher,” Zhou Yining said. She thought it wouldn’t take that long. Besides criminal liability, Lin Shaohui’s group would have to compensate her, and that money should cover the lawyer fees.