Xinyan follow Yuze as they climbed the stairs of the high school. Although she exercised quite a lot, climbing stairs will always be a good workout. She remembered the time when she went to Rome, Italy, with her father. They climbed many steps of stairs to see the view of the Vatican City. These steps of stairs were nothing compared to the ones in Rome. Yuze waited for Xinyan as she caught up with him.
As they headed out to the roof, there were several officers, a teacher, and the student's parents. Yuze watched as the student threatened them with a knife on her neck. The weather was calm with minimal wind, which is a plus. Yuze walked closer to the student's parent and introduced himself.
"I'm Officer Jiang. What's your daughter's name?"
"Alice." Her mom replied in a shaky voice.
"Xinyan, stay with them." He ordered Xinyan to stay at the side. She nodded and followed his commands. Wait, did he just say my first name? It weirded her out because calling her first name is usually for someone close to her.
"Since when did you get close to me?" She whispered under her breath.
As Yuze slowly approached the student, both of his hands were up, meaning that he was not a threat.
"Your name is Alice, right?" He asked.
"Get out of here! Leave me alone! Don't come closer, I'll jump!" The student got agitated and with obvious signs of mental stress.
"Alright, I'll stay here. Okay? Can you tell me why did you choose today of all days?" He asked a different question in order to get more information.
Alice slowly released the knife, and her voice was shaking. She grasped the knife tightly again and replied, "You don't understand! Leave me alone!"
"Alice, I cannot leave you alone. You need to answer me. I can help you." Yuze's voice was steady and calm. "What is it that's bothering you?" Alice slowly gathered her thoughts and replied.
"I...I... I want the bullies dead! They called me names, and they hit me repeatedly." Alice sobbed as she rolled up her sleeves. There were cuts and bruises everywhere. Xinyan's heart sank because her older brother was a victim of bullying. But that wasn't the reason he got murdered. Something sinister might be behind it, or someone she knew was behind his murder.
Xinyan stepped up and tapped him. "Could you let me try to talk it out?"
"Do you think you'll be able to?" He replied with a straight face.
"I can relate to her. Could you let me try this once?" She asked again and Yuze sighed.
"Call me if you're not able to. I'll watch from afar." Yuze stepped aside and watched as Xinyan took over. She took off her police uniform and thankfully, she wore a T-shirt and shorts underneath. She placed her handcuff, gun, and baton on the ground before approaching Alice.
Xinyan walked slowly and approached Alice carefully. Xinyan didn't want to let Alice feel threatened by her presence. She saw Alice refused to answer the police, so she had to think of a way to get her to answer the questions. She called Yuze's phone so he could hear the whole conversation.
"Alice, it's nice to meet you. I'm Xinyan. I want to know more about you. Could you tell me who bullied you?" Alice saw her and then asked. "Who are you? Are you a police?"
"I'm not a police, I'm one of his friends. You can tell me anything. I promise you I won't say a word to the police. This is between you and me."
Alice looked around and didn't see any officers in the vicinity. She looked down and said, "One of my best friends betrayed me and she bullied me because someone accused me of stealing. I told them I didn't, but they didn't believe me. I swore it wasn't me. I got accused!" Xinyan nodded and replied.
"Alice, I believe in you. They are in the wrong, but you need to stand strong. You're still young and have a whole life in front of you. This might seem like a big matter to you, but when you're out in the world, there will be way more challenging things. You need to show the bullies that you are strong and you will differ from them. I understand you want revenge, but do you know what the greatest revenge would be?"
Alice shook her head. "What is it?"
"To differ from them. That's the greatest. And you will never be alone on this journey. We will all accompany you. In this world, you will suffer, but you need to know that there will be people like me who care for you. Like your parents, teachers, and other friends, excluding those who bullied you. I understand it's very difficult for you, but I want to believe in you. In the past, someone also bullied my older brother before. He's gone now, but I know he will be very disappointed in me if I avenged him for the wrong reason. So, right now, I want you to decide. Do you still want to stand up there? Or do you want to get stronger?" Xinyan took a deep breath and calmed herself.
Alice slowly got down and approached Xinyan with a knife. Xinyan signalled the other officers to back away, using her hand, which was behind her back. Yuze watched closely to make sure Xinyan wasn't in any dangers. He trusts she will make good judgement because they're police officers.
Xinyan stood in place and smiled at Alice. "Great job, Alice. You made the right decision. Could you also drop your knife so that both of us will be safe?" Alice loosened the grip a bit and approached Xinyan. Before she dropped the knife, Alice's expression suddenly changed.
"You are a police officer! You lied to me!" Alice was about to stab Xinyan but Xinyan's reaction was quicker. The knife dropped onto the ground and Xinyan held her in place. Xinyan kicked the knife away as the two officers came out of the building and held onto Alice.
Xinyan looked into Alice's eyes and said, "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I believe you will make the right decision in the future. After all, your future will be in your hand." She smiled and walked away. Yuze was quite amazed, but he didn't show any expression.
After meeting up with Yuze, Xinyan felt accomplished. Even though Yuze said nothing, Xinyan could see some relief in his eyes. Guess his team members didn't need to interfere this time, she thought as she met up with other members.
Yuze stepped aside to answer a phone call while Xinyan waited for him inside the car. She can finally rest up. After a few minutes, Yuze's face turned pale.
Xinyan stepped out of the car and asked if everything was alright. Yuze said nothing. His hand grasped the phone tightly, making Xinyan uncomfortable.
"Officer Jiang? What is it? Did something happen?" Xinyan waited until he replied.
"Nothing. Let's head back." Yuze didn't want to talk about it. It was his mother who came back from abroad after abandoning him and his father.