Chapter 20: Disciplining the Child

A group of children were so frightened by Zhou Zhu’s fierce demeanor that they dared not speak. One child even burst into tears, hiding in their mother’s arms.

Senior student Fang looked awkward and said, “Zhou Zhu, please calm down first. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding here?”

“A misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding could there be? My son has been bullied—how can you expect me to stay calm?” Zhou Zhu retorted angrily.

Little Su Luo spoke up: “I didn’t bully him. He was the one who knocked my little sister down.”

Although Chu Nuo was afraid of this lady, she gathered her courage and added, “That’s right. We were just asking him to apologize, and he claimed we were bullying him.”

Seeing the tears still clinging to little Su Hua’s eyelashes, Su Xingwan hurried over, her heart filled with worry. “Hua Hua, are you hurt anywhere?”

Su Xingwan knelt down to check on her. As she rolled up the girl’s sleeve, she discovered a small, blood-red scrape on her elbow, and her expression turned icy instantly. “Zhou Zhu, it is your child who should be apologizing to mine!”

Zhou Zhu, who had been preparing to argue further, saw the scrape on the little girl’s arm, and her expression shifted immediately. She turned and pinched her son. “What is the meaning of this? Didn’t you say they were bullying you?”

Facing his mother’s ferocity, Liu Yu was so terrified that he stuttered, unable to form a coherent word. Everyone present realized at once that her son had lied and had actually been the one to shift the blame onto others.

Su Xingwan said coldly, “Now, will you let your child apologize to mine?”

Zhou Zhu could never allow her son to apologize. She retorted, “What did my son do wrong? It’s just that your child is as fragile as a reed, falling over at the slightest bump.”

Su Xingwan was so angry she laughed, then suddenly snapped, “Apologize to them, right now!”

Startled by Su Xingwan’s shout, Zhou Zhu froze for a few seconds. Then, with a hideous expression, she turned and pinched her son hard again. “You useless brat, hurry up and apologize!”

Liu Yu burst into loud wails.

Zhou Zhu’s face darkened with irritation. She reached out and grabbed his ear tightly. “You useless thing! What are you crying for?”

The pain made Liu Yu cry even louder, and the sound of the child’s miserable sobbing filled the entire playground. Seeing Zhou Zhu treat her son this way, the onlookers couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped in. “Alright, alright, Zhou Zhu. Just have your son apologize and be done with it. There’s no need to pull at your child like that. Children have such delicate skin; what if you hurt him?”

Zhou Zhu certainly didn’t want to be rough with her son, but he had made her lose face today. “And you’re still crying!”

With a final, sharp slap, Liu Yu’s wailing came to an abrupt halt.

An eerie silence fell over the room. Feeling the gazes of everyone fixed upon her, Zhou Zhu felt a surge of embarrassment. She didn’t dare to curse out loud, so she vented her fury in her mind against Su Xingwan and her children.

*The children of such a cheap woman are just as pretentious!*

Upon hearing this lady’s inner thoughts, little Su Hua suddenly lowered her head.

Sensing the shift in Su Hua’s mood, Su Xingwan leaned down and asked, “Little Treasure, what’s wrong?”

Little Su Hua looked up. “…Auntie, I’m fine.”

Su Xingwan stroked her hair. “Are you sure?”

Little Su Hua kept her head down and remained silent. She could still hear that fierce lady cursing—the insults growing more and more vile. She was cursing her, her brother, and her aunt.

“…You are not allowed to curse my aunt.”

Little Su Hua’s mouth puckered, and she was on the verge of tears.

Sensing something was amiss, Su Xingwan looked at her again. “Who is cursing your aunt? Little Treasure, don’t be afraid. If something is bothering you, be brave and tell me. Your aunt will stand up for you.”

Little Su Hua whispered, “Auntie, someone is cursing us.”

Hearing his sister’s voice, little Su Luo shouted, “Who is cursing us?”

Encouraged by her brother and aunt, little Su Hua bravely pointed a finger at Zhou Zhu.

As soon as she did, everyone froze. Zhou Zhu, seeing the little girl point at her, also stopped dead. How could this little brat know she was cursing her in her mind?

Faced with the strange looks from the crowd, Zhou Zhu’s expression changed. “Who cursed you? You children must not lie!”

The others had indeed heard nothing, and they assumed the little girl might be making things up. Seeing the adults doubting her, tears welled up in Su Hua’s eyes, ready to spill over. “Auntie, Hua Hua is not lying!”

She would never be a child who lied.

Although Su Xingwan did not know why Su Hua said the woman was cursing her, she trusted that Su Hua was not a liar. “Auntie believes you.”

Hearing her aunt’s affirmation, tears finally streamed down Su Hua’s face.

Seeing the uncles and aunts who didn’t believe his sister, little Su Luo said urgently, “My sister is not lying! The one who is lying is this fierce lady! My sister has a superpower! She can tell who is a good person and who is a bad one!”

The System chimed in: *Well, well. Even though I am a Great Villain System, I cannot stand to see a child being wronged.*

Little Su Luo knew how to converse with the system in his mind now. *You know my sister has a superpower too?*

The System replied smugly: *Of course. I am an incredible system; I know the plot of this entire book. How could I not know your sister can read minds?*

Su Luo flashed a look of confusion. Although he didn’t fully understand what the system was saying, for the first time, he felt this system was quite impressive—even more impressive than his aunt, who didn’t even know his sister had such a power.

*Little host, let me give you a piece of advice: you had better not tell your aunt about your sister’s mind-reading or your own system. And you must not tell anyone else, either.* The System tried to phrase it in a way he could understand.

Little Su Luo lowered his head. *…I know.*

Years ago—when he was very, very young, and their great-grandmother had already passed away—a group of people had come to the house to celebrate the wicked aunt’s birthday. Taking advantage of the occasion, his brother had snuck him and his sister out. His brother was the smartest among them and had long wanted to escape the wicked aunt’s clutches.

But once they were out, they had no money. After a few days, they were starving and covered in grime. His brother eventually brought them back home. When the wicked aunt found out his brother was the mastermind, she beat him severely and starved him for three days.

Later, the wicked aunt decided his brother was a liability. From her inner thoughts, his sister had heard her say his brother was too "calculating" and difficult to control, so she sold him off for money.

During those days wandering the streets, he and his sister had rummaged through trash for food. They had encountered a man just as filthy as them. The man was in rags and had tried to steal a lady’s wallet; his sister had heard his inner thoughts and, with great righteousness, ran over to stop him.