Intensified Conflicts (2)

“Ah, I told you earlier,” he said gently. “They came all this way early in the morning—clearly here in good faith to apologize. Can you not make it sound so harsh? Come on, calm down…”

He lightly patted his wife’s back, urging her to relax.

“…I’m Mo Wen, Mo Li’s father.”

As he spoke, Mo Wen pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to You Dong, who quickly accepted it with both hands, bowing repeatedly in respect.

“I understand the situation. At the end of the day, this is just kids fighting—something completely normal. I got into fights at school too, and had parents called in. But…”

Here, he glanced back at Mo Li, speaking with a disappointed sigh:

“I was worried she’d be bullied at school, so I even sent her to train in karate for two years. And still, she lost. Tsk.”

“Dad! I was just careless last time!” Mo Li insisted again—clearly the type who hated losing.

“Hah, still fired up, huh? Fighting’s wrong no matter what. Winning or losing doesn’t matter. You clearly haven’t reflected properly.”

“What? I was the one who got beaten! What do I have to reflect on?” Mo Li protested, her voice full of grief.

The moment she said that, everyone present struggled to keep a straight face. The tense, uncomfortable atmosphere suddenly lightened.

“Haha, things were getting too intense. Just kidding,” Mo Wen chuckled.

As You Dong put the card away, he took a moment to read it—Mo Wen was a department director at a publicly listed company. No wonder. Clearly a top performer forged in the brutal corporate world. His ability to control the situation was far beyond what a junior like You Dong could match.

Grateful, You Dong quickly nudged You Xi beside him and bowed deeply.

“I’m truly sorry! I’ve already lectured her thoroughly. Students should treat each other with kindness—fighting is absolutely wrong!”

“Well, apologizing to me won’t solve anything.”

Mo Wen gestured toward his daughter, indicating that You Xi should apologize directly to her.

“Anyway, my daughter didn’t get seriously hurt. If your child comes over and apologizes, we can just put this behind us and move on,” he said.

“Honey!”

At this, Mrs. Mo clearly wasn’t satisfied with her husband’s approach. But Mo Wen had his own principles, and calmly reasoned:

“Come on, don’t get so worked up. It’s just surface injuries. Is this really worth all the drama? You even took her to the hospital… Do you know what happened? That afternoon, you called me saying our daughter was hospitalized—I panicked, canceled all my meetings, took time off work. And when I got here… it was nothing! You’re making a joke out of it!”

“Oh, so work is more important than our daughter now?” Mrs. Mo huffed.

“Of course not! But you’re overreacting. You wanted to involve the police over this? For injuries so minor they can’t even be officially assessed? What would the police do? At most, they’d give a lecture. That’s it.”

“You’re taking their side!” Mrs. Mo shot her husband a glare.

“I’m just stating facts. Think about it—what if this does get reported? From now on, whenever people talk about us, it’ll be, ‘Oh, that family that called the cops over a tiny fight.’ How embarrassing would that be?”

“…Fine.”

After a moment of silence, Mrs. Mo gave in—unable to find a counterargument.

“All these years, I’ve never won an argument against you. You’re the head of the household. You decide!”

Seeing that Mo Wen’s masterful intervention had broken through the toughest barrier, You Dong quickly elbowed You Xi, signaling her to apologize.

“Go on, go now!”

At first, he worried she’d falter at this crucial moment—he knew his niece’s temper well. But to his relief, You Xi didn’t resist. She stepped forward obediently.

The two girls, nearly the same height, stood face to face, eyes locked.

“I can apologize for my actions,” You Xi began.

“…But first, you need to apologize to Xiao Mian.”

At her words, Mo Li’s face flushed bright red.

“A-apologize? W-why would I…?”

“Because you bullied her first. That’s why I hit you.”

“M-me? I bullied her? I—”

Seeing his daughter stammering, unable to form a coherent sentence, Mo Wen placed a hand on her shoulder and said gently:

“Lili. Don’t be afraid. Just answer her honestly.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Mo Li snapped, emboldened by her parents’ presence.

“It was just a prank between classmates! Look, I didn’t insult her or hit her, did I?”

“A prank? Are you serious?”

Hearing that, the calm You Xi’s temper flared again.

“Xiao Mian hasn’t gone to school for over a week. Is that what you call a prank?”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“How can you say that? You went through her sketchbook without permission and showed it to other students. Was that okay?”

You Xi’s eyes burned with fury. Under that gaze, Mo Li’s confidence visibly crumbled.

“I—I was just curious about what she drew… Besides, isn’t drawing meant to be seen by others? What’s wrong with looking?”

“Did you have her permission? ‘Just curious’—fine. But after you looked, why did you show it to others? Why make fun of her? Why turn her work into a joke?”

“I—I…” Mo Li faltered, speechless.

You Xi remembered that night’s phone call with Bai Mian.

The voice of her best friend—flat, lifeless, drowned in despair—had reached her through the line, and she’d been powerless to help. All the frustration and helplessness she’d felt then now erupted as pure, unrelenting anger.

She couldn’t stay a bystander. Right here, right now, she would speak for her friend and demand justice from the one who caused this pain.

“Her artwork—her heart and soul—was mocked, belittled, turned into a laughingstock… That’s why Xiao Mian can’t bear to come to school!”

“I didn’t think it’d go that far!” Mo Li shot back.

“It’s not a big deal! I think she’s just too sensitive!”

“What did you say!?”

Her best friend had been driven out of school—only to be labeled “too sensitive”? In that moment, You Xi’s rage shattered all reason.

Almost without thinking, she raised her hands and shoved Mo Li hard.

Mo Li, caught completely off guard, staggered—then fell.

“Thud!”

Her head struck the armrest of the sofa with a sickening noise.

For a heartbeat, everyone—including You Xi—froze in place.

Time itself seemed to stop.

Only when Mo Li let out a pained cry did the world start moving again.

Mr. and Mrs. Mo, along with You Dong, rushed to check her injury, scrambling to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, You Xi stood paralyzed—her hands trembling, her mind reeling from what she’d just done.

“W-wait… wait…”

She stared at her own hands, disbelief flooding her face.

“I… I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

She whispered her apology, but the adults were too busy tending to the wound to even glance at her.

“…”

Swallowing the urge to burst into tears, You Xi turned and fled—racing out the door.