The Adults at Home

"Are there no other adults in your household?" Li Chunhua frowned. He had heard rumors about Bai Yuyou's family situation but always dismissed them as hearsay. It never occurred to him that she might truly be an orphan.

But if she was an orphan, who had handled her enrollment back then? Li Chunhua had been Bai Yuyou’s homeroom teacher for over a year and vaguely recalled a woman handling the paperwork at the time.

"There’s someone at home," Bai Yuyou replied softly, thinking of Ye Shuang.

"Then have your guardian come to the school," Li Chunhua said.

Wu Ya and her friends exchanged odd glances upon hearing that Bai Yuyou had someone at home. But after a moment’s thought, they smirked—even if Bai Yuyou’s family showed up, it would only mean watching that fool get humiliated. Wu Ya was more than happy to witness the spectacle.

With Bai Yuyou’s poor communication skills and no surveillance footage to prove otherwise, not even a miracle could save her now.

When Bai Yuyou heard her teacher’s demand, she hesitated before dialing Ye Shuang’s number.

"What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be in class right now?" Ye Shuang’s voice came through the phone, laced with concern. He could sense something was off—this wasn’t break time.

Bai Yuyou gripped her phone, her voice barely above a whisper. "I messed up… but I didn’t do it. They don’t believe me… and they want you to come to school."

There was a brief pause on the other end before Ye Shuang’s voice softened. "Are you hurt?"

Something about those words made Bai Yuyou’s nose sting. The warmth in his voice stirred something deep inside her—a wave of emotion she couldn’t name, something like helplessness and sorrow.

"I… fell," she admitted.

Ye Shuang’s tone sharpened instantly. "I’ll be right there. Don’t be afraid."

After hanging up, Bai Yuyou looked around at the people surrounding her. For the first time, she felt—

She wasn’t alone anymore.

Ye Shuang arrived at Yinshan Academy faster than expected. He had hoped Bai Yuyou could handle a day of school on her own, but things had clearly gone wrong.

The moment he stepped into the office, his gaze landed on Bai Yuyou—standing isolated, as if all the light in the room refused to touch her.

"Are you okay?"

Ye Shuang strode forward, pulling Bai Yuyou close before positioning himself protectively in front of her. His sharp eyes swept over the crowd.

"What the hell happened?"

The question wasn’t directed at Bai Yuyou but at the people encircling her. Standing behind Ye Shuang, Bai Yuyou stared at his broad back, feeling an overwhelming sense of safety.

"You’re Bai Yuyou’s guardian?" Li Chunhua asked.

"Yes," Ye Shuang confirmed.

"Tch. Look how your kid turned out—a pathological liar," the biology teacher sneered, clearly relishing the drama.

Ye Shuang’s gaze flicked toward him. "A liar? And what exactly are you?"

The teacher’s face twisted in outrage before he launched into a retelling of the incident, with Wu Ya and her friends eagerly chiming in to corroborate.

"So, no concrete evidence then?" Ye Shuang remarked coolly.

"No evidence? We have eyewitnesses and physical proof!" the biology teacher snapped. "Are you seriously going to deny it?"

Ye Shuang barely spared him a glance. "That’s your idea of evidence?"

"Of course it is!"

"Then if I stuff a pair of girls’ underwear into your desk and get a few students to back me up, does that make it evidence too? Eyewitnesses and physical proof, just like you said—since someone ‘saw’ it and the underwear was ‘found’ in your possession."

He tilted his head. "What, are you going to deny it now?"

The teacher gaped, speechless.

"What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Ye Shuang pressed. "Speak up."

The biology teacher’s face flushed red with frustration, unable to counter Ye Shuang’s logic.

"And you—you’re the so-called eyewitnesses?" Ye Shuang turned to Wu Ya and her friends, smiling faintly. "You really saw everything?"

Wu Ya suddenly realized this man wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Since when did Bai Yuyou have someone like this in her life?

But she smirked anyway. "Yeah, I saw it. What are you gonna do about it?"

As long as she stuck to her story, there was nothing he could do.

SMACK!

The next second, Ye Shuang’s palm connected with her face—the sound echoing through the entire office.

Wu Ya staggered, her cheek burning. The shock wasn’t just hers—every teacher and student in the room froze.

What… just happened?

"You—you hit me?!" Wu Ya shrieked.

True to her volatile nature, she lunged at Ye Shuang, clawing a bloody streak down his face.

Ye Shuang didn’t flinch. Instead, he delivered another slap—this time with full force—sending Wu Ya crashing to the floor with a howl of pain.

Li Chunhua and the other teachers finally snapped out of their daze, rushing to restrain Ye Shuang.

"Sir, calm down!"

But Ye Shuang remained eerily composed. "Let go first," he said, his voice chillingly calm.

The teachers hesitated. They had expected fury, but this icy detachment threw them off.

Just what was this guy’s deal?

Was he angry or not?

"I’m calling the police!" Wu Ya whimpered, her face swollen like a pig’s. But when she met Ye Shuang’s cold, indifferent gaze, a wave of terror washed over her. Still, she forced out, "I’ll report you!"

"Good. I want the police here too," Ye Shuang replied evenly.

The room fell silent again. Was this guy serious?

Did he not care about getting arrested?

"There may not be cameras in the biology lab, but the hallways and stairwells have them. A quick check of the surveillance footage will clear things up," Ye Shuang continued, unfazed.

"And let’s dust those specimen jars and cabinets for fingerprints. The police can handle that. I guarantee Bai Yuyou’s prints won’t be on them—but as for whose will be…"

His gaze locked onto the group of girls, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? Unless your ‘eyewitnesses’ made a habit of touching the lab equipment, in which case, enjoy your criminal records. Say goodbye to your diplomas too."

Of course, Ye Shuang was exaggerating—this was all just a bluff to scare them.

The girls had already been frightened when they saw Wu Ya getting hit. Now, provoked by Ye Shuang's words and terrified at the thought of going to jail, one student immediately blurted out in fear,

"It—it was all Wu Ya who made us say those things! We didn’t actually do any of it!"

Wu Ya’s eyes widened in shock—she never expected to be betrayed so outright.

Once one spoke up, the others quickly followed, each claiming innocence and pinning the blame solely on Wu Ya.

In an instant, the teachers nearby understood exactly what had happened, their gazes burning with anger as they glared at the students.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuyou, who had been hiding behind Ye Shuang the whole time, stared in awe as Ye Shuang effortlessly took control of the situation.

So this was the power of having someone dependable by your side?