Chapter 80: School Leaders Drop By
Upon seeing guests arrive, Wang Wenjuan quickly sprang into action and fetched a chair from the corner of her house for them to sit on. Without hesitation, the formally dressed men and women took their seats after handing some fruit to Xia Ling.
However, most of their gazes fixated on Xia Yu: “Xia Yu, has your health improved?”
Surprised by this sudden inquiry, Xia Yu was momentarily taken aback but soon replied with a simple “Yeah.”
The man in charge nodded and then turned to Wang Wenjuan with a smile, explaining his purpose…
Turns out, they were all school leaders and teachers who had come immediately after hearing that Xia Yu had been discharged and was recuperating at home. Their visit was primarily to show concern for Xia Yu and convey apologies from their side.
Zhang Chao didn’t accompany them since there were worries he might upset Xia Yu. Even so, they brought along words of apology supposedly from him, though no one could tell if this was genuine or forced.
After a series of bureaucratic pleasantries, the leaders managed to clarify their main point: “Could we get your opinion? Should Xia Yu continue attending school?”
Indeed, although Xia Yu’s attempted s*icide did not make it to the media, word spread like wildfire, inevitably causing quite a stir. While not earth-shattering, it wasn’t insignificant either—people in the villages surrounding the school were well aware of the incident. In fact, rumors even claimed that Xia Yu had died, demonstrating the horror of gossip. No one knew how far the rumors would spiral beyond what they heard.
Parents might start losing trust in the school and send their children elsewhere.
With summer break approaching and the new semester right around the corner, the school leaders’ visit bore a clear message: they hoped Xia Yu would return to school to mitigate the rumors’ impact. Despite knowing that Xia Yu’s mental state made continuing her studies unsuitable, they decided to take this step to restore the school’s image.
They figured they would just keep a close eye on her to ensure safety.
Wang Wenjuan wasn’t naive and understood these implications, but she faced a tough choice—sending Xia Yu back to the place where tragedy struck. What if this happened again?
Understanding her concerns, the leader laid out a plan agreed upon before coming: “If Xia Yu decides to return, we’ll give her special care, try to boost her grades, and allow her access to teacher-only facilities, even rest areas…”
You see, following Xia Yu’s incident, the school launched an investigation into the cause of her actions. Although Zhang Chao did contribute, he merely coincidentally encountered a vulnerable moment from Xia Yu, and she leaped on her own accord, not pushed by anyone. Hence, the school believed this wasn’t entirely Zhang Chao’s fault; there could be other reasons why Xia Yu jumped.
Conducting the investigation revealed the ugly truth: bullying. The shocking scene of seeing four male classmates dragging Xia Yu forcibly to the boy’s bathroom and then to the girl’s bathroom on surveillance footage left everyone speechless and suggested mismanagement.
Consequently, as Xia Yu’s class teacher, Wang Ruixue met with those four bullies, hoping to uncover more about Xia Yu’s situation. Out of fear of reprisal from the jump, the boys were forthcoming with information.
Armed with this data, the leaders hoped Xia Yu would recover.
Although the leaders offered enticing conditions like care and privileges, Wang Wenjuan couldn’t force Xia Yu to do something she didn’t want.
So, she respectfully asked Xia Yu: “Little Yu, what do you think? Ready to go back to school?”
Everyone’s attention focused on Xia Yu, awaiting her response.
Seeing her mother Wang Wenjuan and Xia Ling, Xia Yu knew they likely wanted her to attend. After all, who enjoys having a lazy homebody kid?
Xia Yu answered, “Sure, but my leg needs to heal first. It might take another week.”
“No problem.”
Her consent alone was good enough; the leaders wouldn’t press further.
Truth be told, Xia Yu was off the mark; her mom and sister actually didn’t want her returning due to her incomplete recovery. Staying home and healing seemed better. But seeing Xia Yu’s determination, they could only support her decision to return, as long as it meant quick recovery.
Settled, the leaders bid farewell and left, having plenty of school matters to handle.
Once the leaders and head teacher departed, the tension dissolved, and Xia Ling sighed in relief. She turned to Xia Yu and complained, “Brother, you really love school? Isn’t it nicer at home? Now I’m stuck going to school too.”
Hearing this, before Xia Yu responded, Wang Wenjuan chimed in: “Brat, whether Xia Yu goes to school or not, you’re going back tomorrow. I talked to your teacher yesterday.”
“Mom, why are you doing this? I want to stay for Brother!”
“Never mind that, I’m staying here with Xia Yu, and you need to catch up on your homework, understand?”
“Got it.”
Watching her sister and mother interact somehow brightened Xia Yu’s mood, possibly out of envy. Either way, with family nearby, Xia Yu’s mandatory homebound period began.
