"Is this love …" Chen Ge's attack was very heavy, and Du Ming was unable to get up for a while. He held the wound on his face, and he seemed to have calmed down. He started to consider Chen Ge's words.
"Your mother is very strict with you, but she doesn't seem to have taught you what love is, or rather, she hasn't taught you how to love someone properly.
"Love is a kind of ability, a kind of responsibility. It is not the same as happiness, and it is not just a longing for the person you love. It includes the attitude you have toward your family, friends, and the world.
"Those who know how to love will have gentleness in their eyes and light in their heart. Even if they are walking in the middle of the night, they will not get lost."
Du Ming's family was very strict, and his mother was very strict with him. If this continued, Du Ming would become an excellent person, but there would be something missing in his heart.
The wind on the rooftop howled. Chen Ge gave Du Ming time to think. Then he held the phone and squatted down before Du Ming.
"Were you the one who spread the rumors at school?"
Chen Ge clicked open the photo album on his phone. All the pictures inside had been cleared out, and only two pictures were left inside the folder. One was of Zhang Ya, and the other was of Zhang Ya and Chen Ge holding an umbrella as they walked out of the school.
"I didn't spread them." Du Ming forced out the words after a long time. He raised his swollen face. "My mother sneaked a look at my phone, and when she saw the picture, she asked who the woman was. I told her it was our new teacher."
"What does that have to do with the rumors?"
"She saw you and the teacher walking home together under the same umbrella. She felt that this kind of teacher was not a good teacher, so she talked about this in the parents' group." Du Ming's eyes were filled with guilt and self-blame. He hated himself for being so helpless.
"Parents' group? When did that happen? Does my father know about it? "
"It was on the day you left with the teacher. Your father should know about this as well. At the time, someone in the group recognized you from your back, and many people demanded your father to come out and give you an explanation. Your dad has been speaking up for you, but I think he was kicked out of the group. I thought he would tell you about it. "
"My dad already knew?" Chen Ge calculated the time. He happened to stay at Zhang Ya's house that day and didn't go back.
His father didn't blame him and used his actions to prove his trust in Chen Ge.
"The parents all felt that such a teacher would not be able to teach the students. They felt that there was something wrong with her, so they decided to discuss it with the school. Some parents even told their children about this and warned them not to do such a stupid thing. " Du Ming knew everything, but he didn't say anything. It was no wonder he didn't dare talk to Chen Ge. He just put all the homework on the table, as if he wanted to use this method to express his apology.
"Zhang Ya's results were the highest among all the intern teachers. Of course, the school wouldn't fire Zhang Ya just because of a few pictures. The two parties were in a stalemate for a few days." At this point, Du Ming felt even more guilty. "Because of this, I was very dissatisfied with my family. I've never resisted them before, but on this matter, I didn't want to retreat. However, my resistance didn't gain my family's understanding. If anything, she felt that the child that she had spent so much effort to teach had been led astray by the new teacher."
"In other words, your mother blamed Zhang Ya for the failure of her education?" Chen Ge realized that he had neglected a person before, and that was Du Ming's mother. That woman was the person who treated Du Ming the best in the world, but at the same time, she was also the person who hurt him the most.
Before this, Chen Ge couldn't understand why Du Ming, who had such excellent grades, would be so unpopular. Most of the time, he was selfish and cold, and he would never respond to others. Now, he finally understood the reason.
"The real conflict erupted because my results on the test a few days ago were very bad. My mother believed that the reason why my results had regressed was because of Zhang Ya. If this new teacher was responsible for my education, I might be ruined." Du Ming's expression was bitter and pained. He was like a bird that was trapped inside a cage. The people outside the cage enjoyed the 'chirping' of the bird, and they felt that everything was because of the bird tamer. They didn't even consider the bird's inner feelings.
"That night, my mother shared my story in the class chat group. Many parents stood up to support her. This was related to their child's education, so they couldn't afford to be careless. They decided to go to the school to discuss with the school." Du Ming did not have the energy to continue. "You know what happened next. They said 'discuss', but it was actually an argument. My mother is a very forceful person.
"Adults will not understand children. My mother believed that I should understand her good intentions after doing so much for me. She believed that the loud argument at the office was for the sake of the child, but when I heard her shrill voice, all I could think of was to find a place to hide. I know she loves me, but I'm afraid that people will call her my mother."
There was indeed a problem with Du Ming's mother's education. Chen Ge felt like he should go and meet her at least once. "I think you should try to communicate with your mother. She will never admit her mistakes. She will only use strict requirements and morals to restrict the child. That is not education."
Du Ming could already communicate normally. Chen Ge pulled him up from the ground. Both of their eyes were bloodshot. "Listen, there is still a chance to make Zhang Ya stay, but I don't know if you dare to do it or not."
"Me?"
"Yes, take the phone and go to the office now and tell everyone the truth about the picture. There is nothing shameful between me and Zhang Ya. That day, we shared an umbrella because I forgot to bring one. You know all about that. You can be my witness, and you can go and debunk those rumors." Chen Ge shoved the phone back into Du Ming's hands. "The key is whether you dare to do it or not."
Holding the phone with the broken screen, Du Ming stood where he was and did not say anything.
"Think about it carefully before you tell me." Chen Ge did not force Du Ming. He looked at Du Ming quietly, but Yu Jian's image appeared in his mind.
"I …" Du Ming's fingers gripped together. His eyes were red, and after a long time, he said slowly, "I cannot go."
"How did you interrogate me earlier? Your pain is no less than mine, so why don't you dare face it? You want to keep sinking like this, don't you? " Chen Ge wanted to help Zhang Ya, but at the same time, he wanted to help Du Ming. If Zhang Ya left just like that, Du Ming would feel guilty for the rest of his life. This was a knot that he could not unravel.
"If I go and clarify everything, my mother will be very angry. After all, she did all these things because of me. This is her love for me." Du Ming put the phone away. His eyes slowly turned gray, and his face looked like it had lost all life. It was not easy for him to make this decision. "Teacher Zhang still has you, but my mother only has me. My father passed away when I was very young. She is so strict with me because she has placed all her hope on me."
"For your own good, so she turned you into a selfish monster? She took away your happiness, took away your ability to love others. Does your mother like to emphasize how hard it has been for her and how much she has sacrificed for you? " Chen Ge could understand that, but he did not agree with it. "Your mother did not raise you to be who you are, but she raised you to be the person she wants you to be. I do not deny that she loves you, but her love for you should not be built on the foundation of destroying your personality. Love is mutual. There might be some inequality, but on the whole, it is fair. "
Hearing Chen Ge's words, Du Ming gritted his teeth.
Chen Ge did not disturb Du Ming. He looked at the little fatty before him.
Biologically, Du Ming did not have any defects, but he lacked one thing, something that a human being should have, and that was' love '.
"I will accompany you and explain everything." Chen Ge grabbed Du Ming's shoulders. "I can quit school, I can give up everything because this is my fault. The one who should be punished is me, not Zhang Ya."
With Chen Ge's constant persuasion, Du Ming finally nodded.
Seeing that Du Ming had changed his mind, Chen Ge sighed in relief. He accompanied Du Ming as they left the rooftop.
Knocking on the office door, Chen Ge and Du Ming, who had a bruised face, walked to Mr. Si's desk.
"How can I help you? Who did you get into a fight with? " Mr. Si was shocked to see Du Ming in this state. After all, Chen Ge had not used his full strength. He had beaten Du Ming until he could not stand up before he started to reason with him.
"Mr. Si, actually, Miss Zhang is not like the rumors say. She did not do anything that violated her professional ethics." Du Ming took out his phone. "This is the picture that started to circulate among the parents' group. That day, Chen Ge did not bring an umbrella. Miss Zhang was worried that he would get wet, so she left with him with the umbrella. I was there at the time."
"But that was not what your mother said yesterday. Didn't you tell her about this?"
"I did, but she did not believe me." Du Ming placed his phone on Mr. Si's desk.
"So, it was a misunderstanding. Now that this has happened, I need you to call your mother immediately. Tell her to come here, and we can talk things out." Mr. Si wanted to solve the problem. Zhang Ya was the best teacher that he had ever interviewed. It was not right to fire her because of a misunderstanding.
Du Ming called his mother, and she soon arrived. Mr. Si also called Zhang Ya, but the call did not go through.
"Miss Zhang will be fine, right?" Chen Ge wanted to go to Zhang Ya's home to take a look, but Mr. Si refused to let him go. He said that he was one of the parties involved, and he had to be there to testify for Zhang Ya.
After waiting for about half an hour, footsteps came from outside the door. There was no knock, and the office door was pushed open. A middle-aged woman walked in.
Her face was initially filled with impatience, but when she saw the pitiful state that Du Ming was in, her expression changed instantly. She jogged to Du Ming's side.
"What happened? Who hit him? Was it him? " The woman glared at Chen Ge. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from this kind of person? He is a bad student, and you still want to follow him? Since I'm here today, Mr. Si, why don't you think about changing my son's seat? "
"The reason I called you here today is to tell you about the incident that happened earlier. You have wronged Miss Zhang." Mr. Si took out Du Ming's phone. "Miss Zhang did not do anything out of line with the student. They were holding the umbrella together because Chen Ge did not bring one."
"Who told you that?" The middle-aged woman's face darkened instantly.
"Du Ming told me. You don't believe Miss Zhang, but do you not believe your own son?" Mr. Si thought that he could easily convince Du Ming's mother, but he did not expect the woman to be so determined to get Zhang Ya to leave.
"Impossible! Someone must have forced him to lie! "The middle-aged woman looked at Chen Ge." Where did my son get his injuries from? Did you force him to give you a false testimony? "
Du Ming's mother was like an enraged lion, and her voice continued to rise.
The argument attracted the attention of all the teachers in the office. Du Ming lowered his head, but Du Ming's mother did not seem to care. Her voice grew louder and louder.
"Du Ming's mother, please calm down. I was the one who interviewed Miss Zhang. She is a very good girl, and she would definitely not do what you said."
"How can you guarantee that?" The middle-aged woman slammed her bag on the table. "She does not look like a good teacher. I sent my son to your school because I trust you, and this is how you treat me?"
"You're being a little unreasonable here." Mr. Si was in a difficult position. He had said everything he could, but he could not change the middle-aged woman's mind. He turned to Du Ming. "Du Ming, tell the teacher the truth. Did Chen Ge force you to say those things?"
With his head lowered, Du Ming gripped his shirt with both hands, and his face was pale.
"Du Ming, tell us how Chen Ge forced you to say those things!" The middle-aged woman sounded like she was ordering him.
The office became quiet. Du Ming did not make a sound. His mother's expression became more and more agitated. Just as she was about to explode, Du Ming opened his mouth.
"No one forced me to say those things."
Both Mr. Si and Chen Ge sighed in relief, but Du Ming's mother refused to accept that. She grabbed Du Ming's shoulders. "Don't be afraid. Tell me the truth, were you threatened by him?"
"I am telling the truth. Miss Zhang did not do anything shameful with Chen Ge. You just saw Miss Zhang's picture on my phone, and you were afraid that Miss Zhang would affect my results, so you tried everything you could to get Miss Zhang to leave!" Du Ming had been holding it in for a long time, and this time, he said everything that he wanted to say in one breath.
"Du Ming?" The middle-aged woman's face was dark. She gritted her teeth so hard that they creaked. She breathed heavily through her nose. She did not expect Du Ming to say something like that. The anger and betrayal rose to the top of her head. "Didn't I do that for your own good? Why can't you understand that? "
Du Ming did not dare answer. At that moment, the bell rang. Many students ran out of the classroom and into the corridor.
"I have to be your mother and father. Do you think it was easy for me to raise you up? Do you know how much I have suffered? " The middle-aged woman gritted her teeth. "I have placed all my hope on you, and this is how you respond to me?"
Du Ming's mother's voice was very loud, and the students in the corridor could hear her clearly. They slowly gathered around and leaned against the window to peek.
"I am talking to you! What are you thinking about every day? For that Miss Zhang, you don't even listen to me anymore? What kind of drug did she give you? " The middle-aged woman pulled on Du Ming's shirt. "After your father abandoned us, I am the person who treats you the best in the world. Everything that I have done is for you. As long as you are happy, I will be happy. Why can't you understand that?
"In this world, I am the only one who treats you the best! Du Ming! You disappoint me so much! "
Each sentence tore at Du Ming's heart. The wound opened up, and it was filled with the blood of love.
He gasped heavily for air. His hands gripped his shirt tightly, and his knuckles cracked.
The quarrel was so loud that it could be heard clearly from outside the corridor. The faces of the students were pressed against the windows, and strange gazes fell on everyone in the room.
Du Ming felt like he had been stripped naked and placed on a stage. He tried his best to cover his private parts, trying to find a place to hide.
"Du Ming's mother is here again?"
"I heard the noise when I was in class."
"Du Ming's mother sure has a bad temper."
"Quick, come and see! They are arguing again. "
"Du Ming comes from a single-parent family? Did his father abandon them? "
"No wonder he is so introverted. He even stutters in class …"
These words entered Du Ming's ears, and they tortured his every nerve. The last bit of pride that he had tried so hard to protect was trampled to pieces.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. He wanted to cover his ears and run away from this place.
His eyes darted around anxiously. His mother's scolding and questioning kept coming. The strange gazes and discussions from the corridor rushed into his mind.
"Stop it, stop it, please stop it …" His mouth opened involuntarily. His body was shaking, and he slowly retreated until he was next to the window.
His numb fingers pressed against the edge of the window. Du Ming, who was gasping for air, was like a drowning man who had finally found the exit. He yanked the window open.
His legs jumped over the windowsill, and his body seemed to become lighter. The wind blew against his face. Just as his world was about to turn upside down, a pair of hands grabbed him.
"Have you lost your mind?"
What entered Du Ming's eyes was Chen Ge's slightly unreal face. "Death will not solve anything!"
Using all of his strength, Chen Ge managed to pull Du Ming back.
Earlier, he had noticed that Du Ming's emotions were unstable, so he had been standing beside him.
Everyone in the room was scared out of their wits. They did not expect Du Ming to do something like this, including his mother.
All the teachers in the office turned to look at Du Ming. The surrounding students did not dare to speak. It was as if the world had suddenly stopped.
"Why would you do that?" Du Ming's mother spoke after a long time, but her voice was obviously different from before. It was as if the words that came out of her mouth belonged to another person.
"Why would you rather die than listen to me? I am the one who treats you the best in this world. I am the one who truly understands you and loves you. "
Black spots appeared on the middle-aged woman's face. The world behind the door that was not that different from the real world started to change. Thin black threads crawled out from the corners, and a pungent smell of Foul Odor rushed at them from all directions.
The sky filled with dark clouds pressed down on their heads. The rain poured down, washing away the fake disguise that the small town gave off.
The black sky, the red rain, the gray buildings, and the endless curses that intertwined with each other.
"You and I are the same kind of person. In this world, only I can understand you, only I am willing to help you, but why would you rather die than become the same kind of person as me?" The middle-aged woman raised her head. The black curse dissipated, revealing the face of a baby.
Ghost fetus!
When this face appeared, Du Ming's body was also slowly changing. The fleshy body was like a cage weaved from curses, and inside it was a boy who was as thin as a stick.
Du Ming's phone fell to the ground. The woman in the background was no longer Zhang Ya but an unfamiliar woman wearing glasses.
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