The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 269 - 268: Apologize to My Son!

Chapter 269: Chapter 268: Apologize to My Son!

After school in the afternoon, Pei Ziheng was surrounded at his seat by Qi Gang and a few of his henchmen.

Although Pei Ziheng had grown taller this year, he still appeared weak and helpless in front of Qi Gang and his group.

"Pei Ziheng, we have something to do and need to leave early, remember to clean up. Do it thoroughly, you hear?"

Pei Ziheng’s dark eyes quietly watched them, "I heard."

Qi Gang gave him a look that said "good, you know your place", and strode off with his followers swinging their arms.

Class life committee member Song Xinru came back to fetch her water bottle and saw Pei Ziheng being bullied by Qi Gang’s group. She felt furious but dared not speak out.

Being a good girl, she didn’t dare to provoke a class tyrant like Qi Gang.

Only after Qi Gang and his group had left did she dare to approach Pei Ziheng to comfort him, "Pei Ziheng, don’t worry, I’ll tell Teacher Ou."

"No need," Pei Ziheng spat out coldly.

Ou Liya had deliberately put him in the same group as Qi Gang. Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted?

Song Xinru was already accustomed to his aloofness and said enthusiastically, "Then I’ll help you clean."

"No need."

Song Xinru worried, "If you do it alone, it’ll take you until very late."

"If I can’t finish it, then I won’t do it."

After speaking, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked away.

Song Xinru followed in surprise, "Aren’t you afraid of being scolded by Teacher Ou tomorrow?"

"It’s not just me who will be scolded," he replied.

Song Xinru stared at his handsome features, composed and indifferent, her surprise gradually turning into admiration and envy, "Pei Ziheng, you’re really cool."

The next day, Pei Ziheng and several others from Qi Gang’s group were all punished with standing and writing self-criticisms for not cleaning up.

After class, Pei Ziheng was surrounded by Qi Gang’s group in the restroom.

"Why didn’t you clean up yesterday, getting us all punished to stand and write self-criticisms?"

The students in Qi Gang’s group were poor performers. Writing a satisfactory self-criticism was simply too difficult for them.

"Also, you didn’t do your duty today either. Do you take my words for granted?"

Pei Ziheng looked at them expressionlessly, "Step aside."

Qi Gang’s anger was ignited by his attitude, raising his hand to slap Pei Ziheng. Suddenly, a foot shot out at an angle, directly kicking Qi Gang to the side.

"Ah—"

The scream like that of a slaughtered pig echoed through the restroom.

Everyone looked closely and found that there was a step where Qi Gang had fallen; his elbow had struck the step and broken.

Qi Gang was taken to the hospital, and the rest were brought to the office.

When Pei Yang received the call, she wasn’t at the factory. Shen Mingzhu, worried about her son, could only rush to the school, holding her waist in a hurry.

"Pei Ziheng’s mother, how do you even be a stepmother? Can’t you discipline Pei Ziheng properly? Not doing duty is one thing, but at such a young age starting fights and causing injuries, breaking Qi Gang’s arm, is simply atrocious!"

It was during the break between classes, and all the subject teachers were at their desks. Along with several other students and parents, the room was packed, all watching Shen Mingzhu getting scolded, giving Ou Liya a gratifying sense of revenge.

Pei Ziheng had made her lose face in the office yesterday. Today, she intended to thoroughly embarrass Shen Mingzhu.

However, Shen Mingzhu quickly zeroed in on the crux of the matter, "Wasn’t Ziheng on duty with Xu Jun and Liu Haoran? When did it change to Qi Gang?"

Qi Gang was a problem student that both parents and teachers found troublesome. Her son was already younger than his classmates, putting him in the same group as a problem student like Qi Gang, it would be strange if he weren’t bullied.

"The members of the duty group are rotated every so often," came the reply.

Alright, she reluctantly accepts that explanation.

Shen Mingzhu looked down and asked her son, "Son, did you fight with Qi Gang?"

Pei Ziheng shook his head, "No, I didn’t touch Qi Gang."

And he recounted the incident.

Shen Mingzhu looked up, "Ms. Ou, did you hear that? My Ziheng didn’t fight with his classmates, let alone break anyone’s arm. As a teacher, it’s not appropriate for you to label students without a thorough investigation, is it?"

Ou Liya didn’t expect Shen Mingzhu to dare to confront her face to face, and her complexion was not good.

"Pei Ziheng’s mother, do you always spoil your child like this? If he did something wrong, of course, he wouldn’t admit it..."

Shen Mingzhu interrupted her, "How I teach my son is none of your business. Let’s stick to the facts. We must get to the bottom of who is right and who is wrong today."

"If my Ziheng is in the wrong, I have no problem apologizing and reflecting. But if it’s not my Ziheng’s fault, I hope Ms. Ou will apologize to my Ziheng. Although he is a child, he still has dignity and personality and will not accept any slander or wrongful treatment from anyone."

Having said that, Shen Mingzhu didn’t care about Ou Liya’s unpleasant expression and walked up to the other children with her hands on her hips.

"Fellow students, please recount the incident one more time, and make sure to tell the truth."

"In a place like a bathroom, there are eyes all around. If you lie, I can only ask the police to investigate."

Hearing her say this, several parents naturally refused to let it go.

"What do you mean? Why would our children lie?"

"You can’t discipline your own child, yet you think you can discipline others’ children, isn’t it laughable?"

"After all, she cares about her own flesh and blood; how can she have the heart to care about the well-being of a stepchild?"

Seeing Shen Mingzhu get into an argument with several parents, Ou Liya secretly took pleasure in her distress.

She stepped forward, pretending to appease the situation but actually fanning the flames, "Pei Ziheng’s mother, you can’t threaten the children like this..."

Shen Mingzhu turned her head and interrupted coldly, "Even kindergarten children know that when you have trouble, you should go to the police uncle. You actually think that’s a threat? Ms. Ou, are you dissatisfied with the country’s laws and regulations?"

Ou Liya was at a loss for words.

Shen Mingzhu then turned to the other parents, "Even a judge needs evidence to sentence a criminal. You all insist that my Ziheng injured a classmate. As a parent, is it too much for me to seek the parties involved to understand the actual truth?"

"We are all mothers. If one day your children were accused of wrongdoing, would you convict your kids without even asking?"

The parents looked at each other, and no one spoke.

Under Shen Mingzhu’s intimidation, all the six- or seven-year-old children honestly told the truth.

"Ms. Ou, did you hear? It was Qi Gang who bullied my Ziheng. From beginning to end, my Ziheng only said ’Move aside’ and didn’t even touch Qi Gang’s clothes."

"Apologize!"

A cold color came over Ou Liya’s face, and her lips pressed tightly together, obviously unwilling.

With so many people in the office, if she indeed apologized to the student, how could she maintain the authority of a class teacher in front of other students and parents in the future?

In the tense atmosphere, a female teacher who was on good terms with Ou Liya tried to smooth things over, "Pei Ziheng’s mother, let it go. Qi Gang was injured, and Ms. Ou was just in a hurry and didn’t get the facts straight. Ms. Ou is very concerned about your son Pei Ziheng. Since he enrolled, his grades have always been at the top of the class, thanks to Ms. Ou’s good teaching, right?"

Several other parents, eager to please Ou Liya, also spoke up in her favor—

"If only my child could have grades as good as Pei Ziheng’s, I wouldn’t have a single complaint, no matter how much Ms. Ou scolds or beats him."

"Exactly, it’s just a few harsh words from Ms. Ou, do you have to make such a big deal out of it and force her into a corner?"

Seeing that everyone was speaking up for her, Ms. Ou’s eyes reddened, and she choked up, "Fine, I apologize. Pei Ziheng’s mother, it was my fault, I apologize to you and Pei Ziheng."

Shen Mingzhu scoffed lightly and said to Pei Ziheng, "Learn well from your Ms. Ou."

As everyone wondered what he was meant to learn, they heard Pei Ziheng’s crisp voice, "I understand. If I do something wrong in the future, I will cry sadly like Ms. Ou to gain everyone’s sympathy and forgiveness. I just don’t know if the police uncles will fall for that. If a criminal cries, can they be spared punishment or exempt from responsibility?"

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