Chapter 166: My Childhood Sweetheart Couldn't Possibly Be an Idiot! (2)

The atmosphere in the principal's office was grave.

Bai Yu had only just dropped his daughter off at school when he received a call from her teacher. He had diverted his car halfway there, rushing over in a state of anxiety, fearing his daughter had gotten into trouble again.

He arrived outside the office, trembling, and pushed open the door. The sight that met his eyes left him stunned.

Bai Yao’s two pigtails were a bird’s nest, her hair accessories were nowhere to be found, and her white school uniform was so filthy its original color was unrecognizable. Her small, dirt-streaked face was marked with several bite marks, yet she stood before the principal with an air of complete indifference, her expression as haughty as ever.

Bai Yu’s knees went weak, and he had to steady himself against the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

Where was his daughter, who usually looked as pristine as a fairy? Was this girl, who looked like she had been brawling with a stray dog, really his daughter? She had left for school that morning dressed like a little princess; what on earth could have happened in such a short time to turn his beautiful, lovely daughter into this sorry sight?

Bai Yu, possessing a fragile heart, simply could not accept it.

He hurried to Bai Yao’s side, crouched down to examine her from head to toe, and asked anxiously, "What happened?"

"It’s no big deal," Bai Yao replied. "I just had a fight with someone."

"No big deal?" Since when did his daughter ever get into fights?

Bai Yu turned to the principal and demanded, "Principal, who exactly bullied my daughter?" His daughter lived such a refined life; she would never engage in something as crude as fighting. There could only be one explanation: she had been bullied.

The principal looked toward a corner. "Mr. Bai, perhaps we should reconsider the word 'bullied'."

Bai Yu followed the principal’s gaze, and for the second time, he was struck dumb.

In the corner sat a young boy, just as filthy as Bai Yao, as if he too had embraced a post-apocalyptic aesthetic. The boy’s face was bruised and swollen, his eyes blackened, as if he had suffered inhuman torture. Yet, his dark eyes were piercing and filled with a fierce intensity, like a wolf cub lurking in the shadows. Seeing Bai Yu staring at him, he opened his mouth and let out a low, threatening growl.

Oh, and he was also missing two front teeth.

Then, the boy sniffled, but couldn't stop the nosebleed that followed. He wiped his face carelessly, smearing blood all over himself.

Bai Yu: "..."

The principal offered the boy a tissue, but the boy didn't even glance at it. He continued to smear his face with his hands, effectively turning himself into the terrifying image of a crime scene victim.

"Mr. Bai," the principal said earnestly, "this child is called Qi Ye. As you can see, he is a bit different from other children."

Bai Yu whispered, "Yao Yao, did you beat him into this state?"

Bai Yao nodded candidly. "I was more than enough to handle him alone."

Bai Yu felt a swell of pride. "That’s my girl!"

The principal coughed.

Bai Yu reined in his pride and tried to lecture her with a heavy heart, "My child, didn't your mother and I teach you to value harmony? How could you beat a classmate like this?"

Bai Yao looked at her father with an expression of profound bewilderment.

Bai Yu stood up and said politely to the principal, "Have his parents arrived? I’d like to have a word with them. It would be best to take the child to the hospital first."

"Qi Ye’s parents said they are too busy with work to come," the principal replied, "and told us to handle it however we see fit."

"Do his parents know he’s injured?" Bai Yu asked.

The principal nodded. "They do."

Bai Yu didn't know what to say. Even if a child had special needs, with careful and loving parenting, they wouldn't become such a filthy little wild child.

"Qi Ye’s parents also mentioned," the principal added, "that if you have any demands for compensation, Mr. Bai, please feel free to state them."

Bai Yu frowned. In his view, matters involving children could not simply be settled with money, but it was clear that the other parents were accustomed to this method of handling things.

Bai Yao’s gaze landed on the little wild child again, and she happened to lock eyes with his beast-like stare. Qi Ye’s expression remained as fierce as ever, and the raspy sounds emanating from his throat were much like a stray dog snarling at passersby. He seemed to be saying: "Look at me again and I'll bite you!"

Bai Yao lifted her chin, her expression arrogant, not taking him seriously at all: *Bring it on, who’s afraid of who?*

While Bai Yao and the little wild child were trading threats with their eyes, the principal and Bai Yu had finished their discussion.

"Our school's Teacher Zhao is one of our best young instructors," the principal said with a heavy tone. "She has been full of energy and passion since she started, but today, these two children made her cry. She’s still in the counseling room trying to recover."

Bai Yu, feeling rather embarrassed, took Bai Yao’s hand. "I am truly sorry. I will definitely educate my daughter well and make sure she listens to her teachers at school."

In any case, Bai Yao wouldn't be attending class today; she had to go home in her current state.

As for Qi Ye, whenever he got hurt and teachers tried to send him to the hospital, he would slip away like an eel before they could even get halfway there. Even if he wouldn't go to the hospital, he still had to have his wounds treated in the school infirmary. It took two teachers to subdue the small but strong-willed Qi Ye and drag him to the infirmary, during which one teacher unfortunately got bitten.

The teachers all hoped Qi Ye wouldn't get hurt again; he was simply too exhausting to manage!

Bai Yao returned to their new home—a small white villa. Due to changes in her parents' jobs, she had been forced to move to this small town.

Watching his daughter, who had showered and changed into clean clothes and was once again as pretty as a fairy, Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief. He said solemnly, "Yao Yao, you must never tell your mother about what happened today!" If his wife knew their daughter had turned into such a little mess, she would surely have a breakdown. And when his wife had a breakdown, he was the one who suffered!

Bai Yao gave a perfunctory "Oh." "I know."

She looked out the window at the house next door. It was also a white building, but it was overgrown with weeds and looked as if it hadn't been tended to for a long time. "Old Bai," she asked, "is no one living there?"

"When I bought the house, the agent didn't mention whether anyone was next door," Bai Yu replied. "But looking at it, I suppose it must be empty."

The sun shone brightly, and the school bell rang, sending students rushing toward the teaching building.

Except for one exception.

Qi Ye, sporting a few new bandages and two adhesive bandages on his face, crouched in the sandbox, idly digging at the sand with his hands. He didn't like class, nor did he like staying in the classroom. While other children played hide-and-seek or table tennis, he preferred to squat here and play with the sand.

Inadvertently, a small object was unearthed from the sand.

It was a pink hair clip, dirtied by the grit.

Qi Ye picked it up and stared at it for a long time before remembering it was the accessory that had been on the girl's head earlier.

That female—she was so, so fierce, and she had even knocked out two of his teeth!

Qi Ye angrily threw the hair clip back into the sandpit, covered it up, filled in the hole, and finally patted the sand down firmly with his hands. Only then did he relax, as if he had completed a major task.

Lying flat in the sandbox, he looked up at the sun, yawned with weariness, closed his eyes, and drifted into a comfortable and cozy sleep.