The fire made the morning news the next day.
After solemnly reporting that ‘a fire broke out at a school due to ageing electrical wiring, resulting in the unfortunate death of a student’, the anchor’s tone abruptly shifted, spending far more time praising the authorities for their swift and wise response and the firefighters for their selfless bravery.
Lang Feiran’s death became a disposable subplot in a tale of heroism, and his resistance was reduced to an irrelevant paragraph in the whole story. While alive, he was labelled a ‘troublemaker’; in death, it was ‘misfortune’. His existence faded like a snowflake that fell silently and melted at dawn—barely noticed, easily forgotten.
Still, a fire that killed someone left a blemish on K City’s safety record. In addition, it was in a sensitive period with the Spring Festival approaching, and the public outcry was too great to ignore. Higher-ups issued a directive to temporarily shut down and ‘rectify’ the Yongning Youth Correctional School.
Even as the school iron gates clanged shut, Liang Yong stepped out of the compound with a smile on his face and approved documents for an expansion tucked under his arm. Recently, student numbers had been rising steadily, and the dorms were nearly full. Once the holiday heat died down, he would rebuild two new buildings under the guise of renovations. Like weeds after a wildfire, new growth would sprout in the spring—and with it, a fresh fortune from spring admissions came.
The students who had survived the blaze were gradually picked up by their parents. After the ‘effective correction’, these children were now obedient to a fault—compliant, unquestioning, responding to every command. Their parents, pleased, finally welcomed the harmonious family reunion they had long dreamed of.
By the time Zheng Yan arrived at the school, Qin Mu was already gone. She assumed he had gone home on his own, but when night came, and he still hadn’t shown up, she panicked and grabbed Qin Aihua to go file a missing person report. Before they could even call, the police came knocking, asking them to cooperate in an investigation.
It turned out that Qin Mu had reported everything to the police, accompanied by Shen Liu, Fatty, and the others. He had his injuries documented and gave a full, detailed statement. The school flatly denied all accusations of beating and attempted assault, insisting Qin Mu had simply run away in defiance of rules, and accused him of seeking revenge against his teachers out of spite.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yan immediately scolded her son with wounded fury, “How could you tell such lies? I’m so disappointed in you!” Then, turning to the police, she glared at Shen Liu and explained, “My child isn’t bad by nature. He must’ve been misled by someone. You know how teenagers are—confused, impulsive, unable to tell right from wrong, unaware of the pains parents and teachers take for them, and especially difficult to discipline. Strict methods are necessary. A few hits, a little punishment—it’s all fine. Sometimes pain is the only way they learn. We parents absolutely support the teachers. And besides, if the teachers were really in the wrong, why didn’t they hit the other kids? Clearly, it’s because he did something wrong. We’re grateful to the teachers. We would never report them.”
Her absurd justification made the college students accompanying Qin Mu frown deeply. Li Feiyan muttered under her breath, “And she calls herself a mother? She’s the one who can’t tell right from wrong, treating her kid like property or a slave. I swear, I really want to slap her.”
Fatty nervously grabbed her arm and whispered, “Don’t be rash. If you hit her, it’ll be considered serious assault. You’ll get arrested by the police.”
Li Feiyan ground her teeth in anger. “Then maybe she deserves it. Why else would I want to hit her and no one else?”
Glasses looked at Qin Mu with pity and sighed softly. He then murmured, “No wonder he didn’t want to come.”
The police officer, who had stayed up all night and still had a pile of reports to process, was getting impatient with Zheng Yan’s rambling. “Alright, you all work this out yourselves. If you can settle it privately, even better.” Although Qin Mu’s body was covered in blue and purple bruises all over, they didn’t quite meet the legal threshold for minor injuries. Even if charges were filed, it wouldn’t lead to anything serious. Besides, the legal guardian had no intention of pressing charges.
Qin Mu sat in silence, his bangs falling over his eyes, concealing a gaze void of light. It was like that of an old man who had long since seen through the ways of the world and accepted the ending. There was no vitality left in him. Shen Liu, who had been quiet the whole time, only nudged his arm after the formalities were complete and tilted his head toward the end of the hallway. “Didn’t you say you needed the bathroom?”
Qin Mu met his eyes briefly. His eyelashes trembled slightly before he stood without a word and walked away. Shen Liu exchanged a glance with Fatty and then smiled as he turned to Qin Aihua. “Uncle, we’ll leave him in your care. We’ve got class soon, so we’ll be heading out.”
Qin Aihua gave a perfunctory thank you. As soon as they were out of sight, Qin Aihua spat in the corner and cursed under his breath that these college kids had nothing better to do, blowing a tiny thing out of proportion. Not only that, they were reporting things to the police, making him come here and lose face for nothing.
If word got out that he had failed to raise his child properly and that the kid was gay, how was he supposed to show his face again? Annoyed, he urged Zheng Yan to hurry up. The two of them kept blaming each other until they reached the entrance only to discover Qin Mu was gone again, leaving behind a note in the hall that said he was staying at a friend’s and would be back in a few days.
Zheng Yan was furious and yelled at the police to help find her son. At that time, there weren’t many surveillance cameras. All they could see was Qin Mu walking out alone and disappearing into an alley across the street. No further footage. Zheng Yan threw a hysterical fit, crying and accusing the police of losing her child. She nearly got detained herself.
Qin Mu had gotten into a taxi waiting at the end of the alley. Before going to the police station, Shen Liu had made a promise to Qin Mu that if things didn’t go well, he would help.
Shen Liu took him back to his place.
Though he lived on his own now, Young Master Shen still carried the airs of a rich kid. He couldn’t stand six-person dorms, so he rented a sixty-square-meter apartment near K University. His place was often packed with friends, noisy and lively. He quickly settled Qin Mu in.
K University was a long-established institution with a long history. It was home to top faculty and elite students, many of whom were already influential in their fields. Shen Liu, though only a freshman, had quickly become a campus celebrity thanks to his striking looks and bold personality. He was active in the student union, the basketball team, and campus music competitions—all of which earned him fans. With a single call, he rallied a group of passionate students to begin their attack on the correctional school and Liang Yong.
The students posted on major forums, exposed the truth, sought out other victims of abuse, and even contacted the media to amplify their efforts.
But Liang Yong hadn’t risen to power in K City without backing. The powerful figures he served were like gods, shielding him with a golden bell no group of naïve college students could shake. Back then, the internet wasn’t what it is today, and the media remained silent under pressure from higher authorities. Before long, the bullet of public outrage lost its momentum.
Frustrated but undeterred, the students strategised. Li Feiyan, the belle of the law faculty, took the initiative. She connected with older students and alumni and even enlisted the help of their department head, Professor Xiao Chengzong. With these legal experts on their side, Qin Mu officially filed a lawsuit against Liang Yong and several ‘teachers’ for abuse.
What surprised Shen Liu most was that after consulting Professor Xiao, Qin Mu also named Qin Aihua and Zheng Yan as ‘accomplices’. He filed a petition to revoke their parental rights.
Professor Xiao spoke to him in a grave and paternal tone, “In our culture, family ties are bound tightly with the idea of filial piety. What you’re doing will be seen as ungrateful, disobedient, and heartless. People will criticise you. And whether you win or lose, it’ll be hard to mend your relationship with your parents.”
Qin Mu lowered his eyes. “That relationship became irreparable the moment they sent me there. I don’t want to give them another chance to abandon or hurt me.”
Kahlil Gibran once said that a person has two selves—one awake in the darkness and one sleeping in the light.
Shen Liu didn’t know whether the calm and composed Qin Mu before him or the one who had screamed and cried in the snow was the one awake or asleep, but he could sense a subtle change in the boy. It was as if, piece by piece, a cold suit of armour was growing from his flesh and bones, covering him from head to toe—appearing so hard from the outside that it seemed he needed no comfort or pity.
However, that wasn’t the truth.
Not long after Qin Mu moved in, Shen Liu began to notice something was off. One night, when he got up in the middle of the night, he found the boy missing and was startled. As he approached, he saw Qin Mu curled up on the carpet like a shrimp, wrapped tightly in a blanket. At first, Shen Liu thought he had just rolled off the bed in his sleep and reached out to wake him, only to spot a pale blue ribbon tied around the wrist peeking out from the covers.
It was the decorative ribbon left over from Feiyan’s birthday gift a few days ago. Qin Mu had used it to tie his wrist to the bedpost. There was nothing else on the bed that could be used for restraint, and the ribbon was too short to reach from the bed itself, so he had chosen to sleep on the floor.
His body had escaped hell, but his heart was still locked in the abyss. The long-term torment he had endured left him with an intense sense of insecurity. No matter how hard he tried to appear normal, he couldn’t conceal the fear inside him. All kinds of seemingly absurd paranoid thoughts clung to him, convincing him that if he ever let himself fall asleep, he would once again descend into hell.
Shen Liu quietly backed away, then tossed and turned all night on the sofa before seeking help from a psychology professor. After hearing about Qin Mu’s situation, the professor connected him with a brilliant student who specialised in PTSD and was well-known in the field. The specialist agreed to help free of charge.
The first time Shen Liu took Qin Mu to see the therapist, he was nervous and worried the boy might resist. However, Qin Mu’s response surprised him.
Qin Mu was fully cooperative, even remarkably proactive. He knew he was sick and was willing to work hard to get better. This relieved Shen Liu immensely. Like a dutiful pet owner caring for a fragile little creature, he would get up at night from time to time to check on him.
One night, he was overjoyed to find Qin Mu sleeping peacefully without tying himself up. Out of pure happiness, he covered his mouth and bounced in place three times.
Shen Liu had initially planned to go home for the Spring Festival, but at the last moment, he softened and decided to stay with the now-homeless Qin Mu. He couldn’t quite explain why he was so dedicated to this kid. Maybe it was a pity; maybe he found it fascinating; maybe Qin Mu’s dependence gave him a sense of achievement, or maybe, as Feiyan joked, his ‘maternal instincts had kicked in, and he just got used to raising the kid’. Whatever the reason, every time he heard Qin Mu call him ‘Shen Liu ge’, it lifted his mood.
Though Shen Liu stayed, he wasn’t of much practical help. He was a classic domestic incompetent, and he was utterly useless when it came to cooking or cleaning. Qin Mu knew how to do laundry, but he had rarely cooked before. With all the restaurants closed for the holiday, the two survived on frozen dumplings for two days before they got sick of it and sat staring at each other in boredom. In the end, Qin Mu felt guilty for freeloading under someone else’s roof, picked up a cookbook and began cooking by trial and error. He burned one pot, melted a steamer, charred a fair number of ingredients, and finally managed to put together something halfway edible. And just like that, the New Year passed.
For Qin Mu, who had long been repressed and now regained his freedom, these days with Shen Liu felt like a rebirth. But for Qin Aihua and Zheng Yan, they were steeped in grief. The two sat in silence in front of a cold New Year’s Eve dinner. Eventually, Zheng Yan couldn’t hold back anymore. She buried her face in her hands and cried, “I’m his mother! I gave birth to him, raised him! I put in so much effort! Everything I did was for him! For his own good! And now he won’t even acknowledge me, and he’s even suing me… That heartless little beast! My whole life is ruined. What’s the point of living anymore…?”
Qin Aihua sat there with a sullen expression, silently picking at his food. Hearing her neurotic wailing, the anger in him flared up. He slammed his glass down and shouted, “Shut up! You’re the one who raised that ungrateful brat! It would’ve been better if you hadn’t given birth at all! What a disgrace!”
His words lit the fuse.
Zheng Yan exploded and unleashed every grievance she had ever swallowed during their marriage. Her bitterness, her misfortune, all of it came pouring out in a tirade of accusations aimed at Qin Aihua. Enraged and humiliated, Qin Aihua flung down his chopsticks and snapped, “If you can’t take it, then let’s divorce!” He stormed out and left the plate-smashing Zheng Yan behind.
But after slamming the door and stepping out into the freezing night, he realised he had nowhere to go. He wandered aimlessly for a while in the snow before returning home, dejected and covered in frost.
After the New Year, Qin Mu’s case went to court. Due to insufficient evidence, a lack of witnesses, controversy over electric shock therapy, and overwhelming pressure from all sides, the proceedings didn’t go well. In the end, it quietly ended in a hasty defeat.
As they exited the courtroom, Qin Mu stood on the steps at the door, looking up at the scales of justice hanging high. He asked, “Is it that there is no fairness in this world, or is fairness simply not meant for me?”
A wave of indescribable bitterness surged in Shen Liu’s heart. He reached out, pulled the boy into a tight hug, and whispered, “It will be yours. I promise.”
“Ge, thank you. I will repay you in this life,” Qin Mu’s voice was soft.
“What’s with all this talk of repayment? Can you offer yourself in return?” Shen Liu suppressed his frustration and made a joke, ruffling his hair. He watched Qin Mu get into a taxi with Zheng Yan. He stood silently in the cold wind for a while, then turned and took a cab to the airport, flying back to J City that night.
This was the first time in his life that Shen Liu had asked Shen Lan for help in solving a problem. Shen Lan seized the opportunity to offer the condition of ‘studying abroad’.
To his surprise, Shen Liu agreed without hesitation.
Two weeks later, a national newspaper published a full-page article about the case, with a striking headline: ‘Beware of the Claws Stretching Toward Children’. The next day, a top-tier media outlet also published a stern editorial on the serious crackdown on unqualified pseudo-schools, with harsh wording and a clear stance.
A fierce storm suddenly swept through K City, bringing with it the public’s heated discussions. Before the officials in K City could react, the sharp axe of disciplinary inspection fell like lightning. The school’s incomplete paperwork, questionable teacher qualifications, and unclear fund allocations cut through the false facade to reveal the nauseating tumours beneath.
Students who had left the school came forward one after another to testify about the abuse, intimidation, and mistreatment they had endured. Liang Yong was quickly arrested, and a string of officials was implicated. On the surface, it appeared to be a clash of good and evil, but beneath the surface, it was an unseen political struggle. The personnel changes in K City shifted the balance of power, with the Shen family displacing the Zhao faction’s influence in the city and replacing it with their own people.
When the spring breeze returned, the expansion of the Yongning Correctional School came to a permanent halt. The abusive student case that had been pushed to the forefront was sealed with a final verdict from the judge. Qin Mu, as one of the victims, was awarded 35,000 yuan in civil compensation.
This terrifying nightmare finally came to an end in such a way. When the judgment was announced, Shen Liu hugged Qin Mu and said, “See, fairness will always come.”
Qin Mu buried his face in his shoulder, tears streaming down as he nodded.
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