Hating Her, While Still Having to Address Her as Mother - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Jizhou No. 1 Middle School

Chapter Summary: “Arts Festival”

After lunch, Shen Manci and the others set out for their assignment. Before leaving, Chen Nian asked, “Sister Shen, where exactly are we going this afternoon?”

Shen Manci tapped Chen Nian’s forehead with her index finger and gave her a light push. “How are you still so careless? You followed me without even knowing the task details?”

Chen Nian clutched her forehead and muttered, “The Director arranged it, but he didn’t tell me anything.”

Su Zhixi watched their interaction in silence. She wasn’t surprised that Shen Manci got along so well with her colleagues. With a face as enchanting as hers and a friendly attitude toward everyone, she was bound to be popular anywhere. Those around Shen Manci, regardless of age, felt cared for—she was gentle, reliable, and soft.

Su Zhixi curled her lips into a smirk. Shen Manci makes an excellent ‘substitute’ because her maternal radiance is indeed strong. At that thought, a malicious smile flickered across Su Zhixi’s face.

“Our destination is Jizhou No. 1 Middle School. But the Director was a bit vague,” Shen Manci explained. “Originally, we were supposed to cover their Arts Festival, but the Director just told me the content had changed and I should improvise once we get there.”

“Huh? Improvise? It’s just an arts festival. We get the program list, take a few photos, and interview a few students. Why did the Director make it sound so complicated? It’s a small event—no city leaders will be there.”

Shen Manci didn’t argue. She just pressed her lips into a thin line and told Chen Nian, “I hope so.”

Su Zhixi noticed Shen Manci’s somber profile; she seemed to have something on her mind.

Su Zhixi sat behind Shen Manci on her bicycle, while Chen Nian followed on another bike. Before starting, Shen Manci said warmly, “You can hold onto me. I’m going to ride a bit fast today.”

Usually, no matter how bumpy the road, Su Zhixi would never hold onto Shen Manci. Shen Manci had never mentioned it before, but today she had uncharacteristically brought it up.

When Su Zhixi and Chen Nian heard this woman—who usually spoke so softly—say she would ride fast, they both thought: How fast could it possibly be?

It turns out, one should listen to advice. The moment Shen Manci started pedaling, Su Zhixi lurched backward, nearly falling off. Chen Nian struggled to keep up, panting behind them, “Is Sister Shen drunk? Why is she riding so fast?”

As Shen Manci had warned, she braked sharply at certain road conditions. Su Zhixi slammed into Shen Manci’s back, her nose nearly colliding with the older woman’s spine.

“Hold on to me,” Shen Manci said. Her words were concise, her voice carrying an unquestionable steeliness.

Su Zhixi gritted her teeth. She didn’t embrace her; instead, she reached out and gripped Shen Manci’s clothes. This was the closest proximity she could tolerate.

…

Because of the speed, it took only seven minutes to reach the scene. Before Chen Nian could even pretend to be motion-sick from the speed, the scene before them shocked her.

The gates of the school were surrounded by a long line of yellow police tape. A dense crowd blocked the entrance, and amidst the chaos of people and cars, the sirens of police cars wailed incessantly.

“Uh… Sister Shen, do primary school arts festivals usually have this much drama?”

Without a word, Shen Manci pulled several media press passes from the back of the bike and handed them to Chen Nian and Su Zhixi. She hesitated for a second before handing one to Su Zhixi, appearing as if she wanted to take it back, but Su Zhixi snatched it first.

“If I’m not mistaken, there’s been an accident.”

Information traveled slowly in Jizhou. In this era of pagers, news of an event a kilometer away took a long time to reach people’s ears. Director Zheng must have received vague information and, being unsure of the details, didn’t dare speak out of turn. He could only send a reporter to the scene to find out the truth.

“Let’s hurry inside.” Shen Manci slung the unit’s rare camera over her shoulder and walked toward the gate with urgency. Su Zhixi and Chen Nian followed closely through the crowd.

“Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering,” a policeman at the cordon blocked them.

Shen Manci showed her press pass. “We’re from the Jizhou News Center.”

The policeman scrutinized her for a moment before letting them through. Before entering, Shen Manci’s gaze lingered on the “policeman” for a moment—something felt subtle and off.

The layout of the school was cramped. Just inside the gate was a small slope with a guardhouse at the top. Around the slope, a pool of thick blood stained the ground, tracing a jagged path into the guardhouse.

Shen Manci headed straight for the guardhouse. Inside, medical staff were performing emergency aid on a school security guard. He was lying on the floor with an abdominal wound, waiting for rescue. Aside from the guard and the medics, several teachers and school leaders were present.

Shen Manci quickly pulled out a gold-rimmed notebook and a fountain pen, approaching a middle-aged man who seemed relatively calm.

“Hello, we are from the News Center. May I ask what happened just now?”

The man seemed to finally regain his composure. He nodded slightly, licking his pale, dry lips. “Hello, I am Zhang Hui, Director of Moral Education… I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.” His tone suggested they had arrived too early.

“Hello, Director Zhang. Could you explain what occurred?”

The man pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat nervously. “We were supposed to hold an arts festival today. But just before it started, as the principal was entering the school, a man rushed out from the crowd to…” He hesitated, weighing his words.

“To assassinate the principal, correct?” Shen Manci finished for him.

“Yes… something like that. But the police haven’t verified if he is a parent of a student yet.”

Shen Manci recorded the details with practiced movements, capturing keywords with precision. As she wrote, a stray lock of hair fell over her brow, obscuring her vision. She instinctively reached into her trench coat pocket for a hair tie, wanting to pull it into a quick ponytail. Before she could hand her notebook to someone else to free her hand, Su Zhixi naturally reached into Shen Manci’s pocket, took out the hair tie, and tied Shen Manci’s hair into a neat ponytail at just the right height.

A flash of complex emotion crossed Shen Manci’s eyes, but she didn’t look back at Su Zhixi. She remained focused on the interview.

“Do you remember the time of the incident, Director Zhang?”

Zhang Hui checked his classic wristwatch. “It was between 2:30 and 2:40 PM. It happened so suddenly that no one remembers the exact second.”

“I see. Is it convenient to disclose the principal’s name?”

At this question, Zhang Hui looked back at his colleagues, then turned a suspicious gaze back to Shen Manci. “Is that absolutely necessary? Can we skip that?”

He then turned and shouted, “Who is responsible for media relations? Come out here.”

A petite woman stepped out from the shrinking crowd, her voice weak. “It’s me…”

Zhang Hui didn’t ask Shen Manci directly; he bypassed her and asked the female teacher, “What is her surname?”

“It’s…” The teacher looked timid. She glanced at Shen Manci, hesitating on whether to answer on her behalf.

“Director Zhang, I am right here. You can ask me directly; there’s no need to go through a liaison,” Shen Manci said, her hand extended in a composed, generous gesture. “My surname is Shen. You can call me Little Shen. If you wish to know my full name, I can tell you that as well.”

The man’s suspicious gaze lingered on her hand for a moment before landing on her wristwatch. He finally shook her hand.

“Shen Manci. I am from the reporter’s department of the Jizhou News Center. Director Zhang need not worry that I am someone of unknown origin.”

A bit of color returned to Zhang Hui’s lips. He seemed to be regaining his reason. “I didn’t think you were of ‘unknown origin,’ ” Reporter Shen. It’s just… Well, as you know, it’s not very polite to bypass someone to ask about another person.”

Shen Manci stared at him, her expression flat. “Director Zhang, this is my job. Media must collect information at the scene. Furthermore, the principal is not present, so there is no case of bypassing ‘someone’ to ask about ‘another person’s name’.”

Zhang Hui smiled stiffly. “Then you can ask the principal yourself when you see him. My position does not allow me to answer further questions.”

Seeing he had no intention of cooperating, Shen Manci closed her notebook, maintaining her dignity. “Then, Director Zhang, do you know where the principal is now?”

Sweat broke out on the man’s oily face again. He wiped it with his handkerchief. “The infirmary. The school doctor is treating his wounds.”

Seeing his nervousness, a dark thought crossed Shen Manci’s mind. “The perpetrator… is he still wandering around the school?”

“Yes! He attacked the principal, but the guard took the blow. The principal’s hand was grazed. Bystanders stopped the man initially, and the principal was sent to the infirmary. But during that time, the man broke free. He has a knife—no one dared approach him. He then ran into the school building to find the principal.”

Shen Manci frowned. “Aren’t the police here? Why haven’t they subdued him?”

Zhang Hui rubbed his brow. “Those are just two officers from the nearby station. One is at the gate with the tape, and only one went inside to look for him.”

“You didn’t call the main station?” Shen Manci opened her notebook again.

“We called over an hour ago, but the response time is incredibly slow.”

Shen Manci’s heart skipped a beat. She put down her pen and instinctively reached back to grab Su Zhixi’s wrist, intending to lead her away to safety before continuing her work.

But her hand met only empty air. Panic flared in Shen Manci’s chest. She whirled around. Behind her were only guards, medics, and teachers.

Su Zhixi was nowhere to be seen.

Where did she go?