Chapter 30: See If I Dare

But Qi Haohao’s mother didn’t believe Chen Liyang would actually dare to do it. “You dare? Believe me, I can make it impossible for you to stay in Jiangcheng!”

The smile on Chen Liyang’s face never faded. “See if I dare. You probably don’t know yet, but I’m currently unemployed and looking for a job anyway.

“When this blows up and gets hyped a little, I might even gain countless followers and start livestream selling^[1].

“For you to make such big boasts, your family must not be ordinary. Once I keep stirring up the story, your family of three will live forever under the verbal attacks of internet trolls. I wonder how long you’ll be able to last.”

“You shameless bastard.” Qi Haohao’s mother had never met anyone so despicable, yet she had no choice but to take his threat seriously.

Her husband was the chief of the local police station. If he wanted to keep moving up the ladder, he couldn’t afford a single shred of negative publicity.

Besides, once they came under public scrutiny, they certainly wouldn’t survive an investigation. Forget about getting a promotion; he might even end up behind bars.

A scoundrel like Chen Liyang might actually pull something like this if he was pushed too far.

Realizing this, no matter how reluctant she was, she could only force her son to apologize. “Haohao, hurry up and apologize to your classmate!”

“Mom, are you out of your mind? I’m the one who got beaten up like this, and you’re telling me to apologize?”

Qi Haohao stared in utter disbelief at the mother who had never let him suffer even the slightest grievance.

He was still young and didn’t understand the consequences of cyberbullying, thinking Chen Liyang was merely alarmist posturing.

What was more, his father was a police chief. Who would dare cyberbully their family?

“I told you to apologize, so apologize! Why all the talk?” It was the first time Qi Haohao’s mother had ever lost her temper with her son.

Qi Haohao grumbled a begrudging “sorry.” Chen Liyang was clearly dissatisfied with such a half-hearted apology.

“If you’re going to apologize, show some sincerity. What’s the point of saying sorry to me?

“You should stand in front of my son, apologize to him, and promise not to do it again. Otherwise, what if you bully him again?”

Fuming with rage, Qi Haohao glanced at his mother.

“Don’t push it. My son has already apologized. Don’t think I’m truly afraid of you.” Qi Haohao’s mother was furious at Chen Liyang’s aggressive stance.

“Not willing? Well, I won’t force you. But I wonder what would happen if the conversation we just had accidentally got leaked out,” Chen Liyang said with a beaming smile.

Hearing his words, Qi Haohao’s mother turned pale with horror. “You recorded us?”

“Can’t be helped. I have no power or background. To make sure my son and I get a fair deal, I have to be fully prepared.” Fearing they wouldn’t believe him, Chen Liyang pulled out his phone. Sure enough, the screen showed an active recording with the timer ticking away.

This was thanks to the hard lessons he had learned in his past life. Having taken the blame for things too many times, he had gradually learned how to protect himself.

And so, Qi Haohao not only apologized to Zhou Chengdong face to face, but also promised never to bully him again.

Zhou Chengdong had never imagined that a day would come when Qi Haohao would apologize to him.

The grievances he had endured over the past few years had finally found an outlet. With eyes red, he looked at the man standing up for him so wholeheartedly. His lips trembled, but in the end, no words came out.

After the apology, Qi Haohao’s mother left in a huff with her son to take him to the hospital. But she wasn’t about to let today’s matter rest so easily.

Having dealt with Qi Haohao, Chen Liyang turned his attention back to the homeroom teacher. “Teacher, shouldn’t it be your turn to apologize now?

“You clearly knew my son wasn’t at fault, yet because of Qi Haohao’s family background, you chose to make my son take the blame. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

Fearing Chen Liyang would cause a bigger scene and ruin his career, the homeroom teacher had no choice but to apologize to Zhou Chengdong.

Through this, the teacher came to realize that Zhou Chengdong’s father was a prickly nuisance best left unprovoked. Stepping out of the teacher’s office, Zhou Chengdong was still dazed; his homeroom teacher had actually apologized to him.

The teacher who had always blamed him regardless of right or wrong had one day bowed his noble head to him.

He knew that all of this was thanks to Chen Liyang. If not for him, he would never have received such fair treatment.

“Chengdong, I know life hasn’t been easy for the four of you brothers at school over the past few years. I wasn’t a proper father in the past and never protected you.

“That’s why when you suffered in school, you didn’t want to tell me.

“But now, I just want to tell you that from today on, I will never let any of you suffer without cause again.

“From now on at school, if anyone bullies you or treats you unfairly, you must tell me. Even if it costs me my life, I will get you the justice you deserve.” Chen Liyang stood in the hallway, his hand resting on Zhou Chengdong’s shoulder, his gaze resolute.

If he had said something like this before, Zhou Chengdong would have scoffed at it.

But now, he somehow believed his words.

Just as he was about to nod, Chen Liyang’s voice rang out again.

“I know that the grievances you’ve suffered at school all these years are more or less related to me.

“They saw how poor our family was and that your father didn’t care about you, which gave them the confidence to bully you without fear.

“Dad promises that within three months, I will make sure you all live a good life.

“Even if your mother never comes back for the rest of her life, I’ll take care of you for the rest of mine.”

So he had known everything all along. Zhou Chengdong had always assumed that he never paid attention to their lives at school.

But for some reason, hearing those words come from his mouth made his heart ache inexplicably.

So this was what it felt like to be cared for.

Before he realized it, tears welled up in his eyes.

They said men don’t cry easily; they only shed tears when deeply moved or heartbroken.

As the eldest son in the family, he had swallowed all his suffering silently.

So in the eyes of outsiders, he was strong, capable of taking good care of his younger siblings, which meant he could never show any weakness.

But everyone had forgotten that he had only just turned fifteen and was still a child himself.

Chen Liyang raised his hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of the boy’s eyes. “Silly child, why are you crying? Don’t you believe your dad?”

Zhou Chengdong felt a bit embarrassed by his gesture. He had actually cried right in front of him.

He wiped his eyes haphazardly and spoke in a cold tone to hide his embarrassment. “We don’t ask for a life of luxury. It’s enough if you just stop beating people at the drop of a hat.”

Truth be told, he didn’t believe for a second that the man could give them a good life within three months.

Money was not so easy to earn these days, especially since Chen Liyang lacked any real skills.

When he did work, it was always low-skilled jobs like security guard or delivery courier.

Chen Liyang knew that words alone were not enough, and that actions were needed to prove them.

Since he had made this promise today, he would see it through no matter what.

Just then, the bell rang for the end of class, and students began streaming out of the classrooms.