Xu Xiuwen didn't expect Li Ke to burst into tears so suddenly.
Seeing the girl crying, Xu Xiuwen naturally couldn't maintain his stern expression.
His face softened immediately, and his voice grew gentler, "Li Ke, as people, the most important thing is to have a righteous heart. When we see our classmates being bullied, we can't just stand by and do nothing."
"I'm sorry, Teacher Xu. I've disappointed you."
Li Ke quickly admitted her mistake.
Xu Xiuwen reached out and patted the girl's head, saying, "I'm not blaming you. I understand you didn't want to cause trouble."
After a pause, Xu Xiuwen continued, "But I really hate seeing people bully the weak. Since you saw it, you can't just pretend you didn't. In the future, if you encounter something like this again, I hope you can call the police. Maybe your act of kindness will save a life."
"I understand, Teacher Xu. I'll call the police right now."
"Wait."
Xu Xiuwen stopped Li Ke.
"No need to call the police today. I'll go see how tough this 'Brother Hao' really is."
After saying that, Xu Xiuwen opened the car door, got out, and walked across the street.
Li Ke hurriedly followed, grabbing him and trying to persuade him, "Teacher Xu, you're no match for them alone. Please don't act recklessly; we should call the police."
Xu Xiuwen reassured her, "It's fine. I just want to check it out."
Li Ke didn't believe him.
She clung tightly to Xu Xiuwen's arm, not letting him go.
"Listen, let go!"
Xu Xiuwen spoke with a hint of command in his voice.
Li Ke, instinctively obeying, released her grip.
Xu Xiuwen instructed, "I'm going alone. You stay here."
Li Ke was about to speak up when Xu Xiuwen added, "If you don't listen, I might actually get angry."
His serious tone made it clear he wasn't joking.
Li Ke was immediately frightened.
Seeing her worried expression, Xu Xiuwen's heart softened.
He smiled and said, "Don't worry. Remember that night near the KTV? I saved you from those two thugs. I'm not afraid of those scoundrels, so why would I worry about a few boys?"
Recalling that night eased Li Ke's worries a bit, but she was still anxious.
She whispered, "Teacher Xu, be careful. If things go wrong, we'll call the police."
"Okay."
With that, Xu Xiuwen turned and walked towards the street.
When he reached the alleyway, he could hear the conversation from a distance.
Though the voices were a bit muddled, he understood that the issue was about some money.
Xu Xiuwen glanced at the boys.
The one being bullied wore the same school uniform as the others, but his shoes were cheap canvas ones, worn out from time.
Just from the state of his shoes, Xu Xiuwen could tell the boy's family wasn't well off.
The boy's thin frame also suggested a modest background.
This angered Brother Hao.
He suddenly raised his hand with considerable force.
The surrounding boys laughed heartily.
The thin boy, realizing he was in trouble, tried to escape, trembling on the ground.
Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen couldn't bear to watch any longer.
Without wasting any time, he stepped out of the shadows.
Xu Xiuwen said nothing and moved quietly.
At first, no one noticed him approaching.
It wasn't until he was right behind the group that they finally saw him.
Xu Xiuwen said with a cold face, "Who gave you permission to hit people here?"
"Who are you? Who gave you the guts to talk to Brother Hao like that?" A sycophant in the crowd shouted at Xu Xiuwen.
Xu Xiuwen calmly responded, "I don't care if you're Brother Hao or Brother Gou(Dog); I don't allow you to touch him again. Leave quickly before I lose my temper."
Xu Xiuwen's words made the group of boys burst into laughter.
Brother Hao, momentarily ceasing his attack on the boy on the ground, stepped out from the crowd and approached Xu Xiuwen.
"No one has dared to speak to me like this before. You've got guts, kid!" Brother Hao said with a mocking smile on his face.
Xu Xiuwen ignored him entirely, walking past Brother Hao and into the middle of the crowd to help the boy on the ground.
After helping the boy up, Xu Xiuwen turned and walked towards the alleyway exit.
Brother Hao's anger was further inflamed by Xu Xiuwen's disregard.
As Xu Xiuwen approached, Brother Hao suddenly threw a punch at Xu Xiuwen's left cheek.
Brother Hao's punch was quite fierce, aimed directly at Xu Xiuwen's face.
Most boys of Brother Hao's age wouldn't stand a chance against him.
But unfortunately for Brother Hao, he had met his match this time.
Xu Xiuwen dodged to the left with ease, avoiding Brother Hao's punch.
Brother Hao, unwilling to give up, swung his fist again.
This time, Xu Xiuwen didn't dodge but instead grabbed Brother Hao's fist.
The forceful punch was completely held in Xu Xiuwen's palm, unable to move.
Xu Xiuwen then swung his right hand.
"Smack!" A resounding slap.
A red handprint was left on Brother Hao's right cheek.
Xu Xiuwen said calmly, "This slap is for him."
Brother Hao was stunned by the slap.
When he came to his senses, he roared at the crowd, "What the hell are you all watching for? Get moving!"
At his command, the boys around were eager to join in.
But Xu Xiuwen showed no mercy, kicking two of them to the ground with one kick each.
Seeing their comrades powerless to fight back, the others quickly realized Xu Xiuwen was not someone to mess with and stopped advancing.
Brother Hao shouted a few more times, but no one dared to approach.
Xu Xiuwen grasped Brother Hao's hand and gently twisted it.
As he turned, Brother Hao's arm was forced to follow.
At first, Brother Hao could tolerate it, but soon he couldn't help but howl in pain.
Xu Xiuwen stopped just in time and said to Brother Hao, "Get lost. If I see you bullying anyone again, I'll teach you a lesson every time!"
With that, he pushed Brother Hao backward.
Brother Hao staggered a few steps and then fell to the ground.
Realizing he had met someone tough, Brother Hao gritted out a threat and then fled in humiliation.
In an instant, the alleyway was left with only Xu Xiuwen and the thin boy.
"Teacher Xu, are you okay?"
A voice called out.
Without needing to turn around, Xu Xiuwen recognized it as Li Ke's voice.
He turned and, as expected, saw Li Ke standing behind him.
"Didn't I tell you to stay back? Why didn't you listen?"
Li Ke stuck out her tongue. "I saw they had left, so I came over."
"What if they came back to attack you? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"I'm sorry, Teacher Xu. Don't be angry." Li Ke's apology was quick, but her tone indicated she didn't seem too concerned.
Xu Xiuwen felt helpless.
After all, he was just a tutor, not Li Ke's father, so he didn't want to say too much.
"Li Ke?"
Another voice emerged, sounding very surprised.
It was the voice of Li Ke's classmate.
While Li Ke had been smiling and speaking in a flattering tone to Xu Xiuwen, she toned down her smile a bit when addressing her classmate.
She glanced at him and casually asked, "Qiao Gang, are you okay?"
Qiao Gang was the name of Li Ke's classmate.
Qiao Gang shook his head, saying, "I'm fine."
Although he said he was fine, his grimacing expression and painful demeanor were evident.
Even Li Ke noticed it.
She asked again, "Are you really okay?"
Qiao Gang shook his head.
He finally remembered who had saved him.
He hurriedly said to Xu Xiuwen, "Thank you for saving me."
Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly, "Don't thank me. If you're going to thank someone, thank Li Ke. If she hadn't asked me to help, I wouldn't have."
Li Ke's face reddened at the mention and she felt a bit guilty.
She had clearly intended to avoid the situation earlier.
Qiao Gang didn't know the full story and felt even more grateful to Li Ke after hearing Xu Xiuwen's words.
"Li Ke, thank you."
Li Ke, feeling guilty, looked away and said, "It's nothing, we're classmates."
"Teacher Xu, he's fine now, let's go get something to eat," Li Ke suggested, eager to leave the awkward situation.
Xu Xiuwen, still concerned, asked, "Are you really okay?"
Qiao Gang forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."
Noticing the red marks on Qiao Gang's face, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but say, "In the future, if you encounter something like this again, just run. Run from the start, head to a place with more people, and don't follow them into an alley."
"Yeah, I understand," Qiao Gang nodded vigorously.
Xu Xiuwen nodded as well and patted the boy's right shoulder in encouragement.
"Ugh~"
Qiao Gang winced in pain and seemed to slump.
"What's wrong?"
Qiao Gang wanted to say he was fine, but Xu Xiuwen had already noticed his right forearm hanging limply and looking very weak.
"What happened to your arm?"
Qiao Gang couldn't hold back any longer, "It hurts so much…"
Xu Xiuwen glanced at Li Ke and said, "Forget dinner. Let's take him to the hospital first; it looks like his arm might be injured."
Li Ke nodded and complied.
When Xu Xiuwen suggested taking him to the hospital, Qiao Gang wanted to refuse, but ultimately agreed due to Xu Xiuwen's insistence.
Xu Xiuwen then drove them to a nearby hospital.
After the examination at the hospital, it was confirmed that Qiao Gang had a fracture in his right arm.
Xu Xiuwen recalled that it was likely injured from the fall.
While Qiao Gang received treatment, Xu Xiuwen said to Li Ke, "Call your class advisor and have them notify Qiao Gang's parents to come to the hospital."
Li Ke nodded and did as instructed.
After waiting for over half an hour, Qiao Gang's treatment was completed.
When they saw him again, his right arm was in a cast.
With his arm in a cast, Qiao Gang sat there with his head down, looking uncomfortable and uneasy.
Xu Xiuwen said, "It's all right now. Li Ke has already called your parents, so don't worry."
Qiao Gang glanced at Li Ke and said sincerely, "Thank you, Li Ke."
Li Ke shook her head, appearing not too concerned.
Although she had notified Qiao Gang's parents, Xu Xiuwen didn't rush to leave before they arrived.
The ward was quiet.
Qiao Gang suddenly asked, "Li Ke always calls you Teacher Xu. Are you a teacher at our school?"
Xu Xiuwen was momentarily taken aback by the question.
Li Ke, however, seemed a bit annoyed, "Qiao Gang, why are you asking so many questions?"
No one knew why she was upset.
Qiao Gang didn't know either.
He felt quite wronged since he had only asked a single question.
Xu Xiuwen shot a glare at Li Ke and said, "I'm Li Ke's tutor. My name is Xu Xiuwen."
Xu Xiuwen's tone and attitude were much gentler.
Qiao Gang addressed Xu Xiuwen, "Thank you, Brother Xu. Uh—can I call you Brother Xu?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled, "Call me whatever you like."
"Brother Xu." Qiao Gang called out again.
The three of them waited in the hospital room.
During this time, Qiao Gang repeatedly glanced at Li Ke, and whenever Li Ke caught him, he quickly looked away.
Unable to hold back, Li Ke asked, "Why do you keep sneaking glances at me?"
"I'm not sneaking glances."
"Don't deny it; I saw you."
"Stop making a fuss. Looking at you a few times won't cost you anything."
Li Ke felt somewhat wronged after Xu Xiuwen's remark.
She pouted and, with a huff, walked out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, it opened again.
Li Ke re-entered, this time accompanied by a woman.
Upon seeing the woman's face, Xu Xiuwen froze in place.
He recalled that the woman's name was Mu Zhilan.
She was one of the people sent by the housekeeping company.
After Mu Zhilan entered the room, she quickly went to her son.
Hastily approaching, she expressed her concern, "Xiao Gang, how did you end up in the hospital…"
Qiao Gang recounted the night's events to his mother.
Mu Zhilan's eyes welled up with tears upon hearing the story.
From their conversation, Xu Xiuwen understood that Mu Zhilan was Qiao Gang's mother.
After talking for a while, Qiao Gang remembered Xu Xiuwen and quickly introduced him to his mother, "Mom, this is Brother Xu. He helped me and even brought me to the hospital."
Mu Zhilan immediately turned to thank the person who helped her son.
But when she turned around, she was stunned.
Mu Zhilan had also recognized Xu Xiuwen.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "Long time no see."
Mu Zhilan, feeling a bit anxious, replied softly, "Hello."
Qiao Gang, surprised by the exchange, asked, "Mom, do you know Brother Xu?"
Mu Zhilan's body shook slightly, unsure of how to respond.
Xu Xiuwen noticed her discomfort but didn't understand why.
It was just a simple statement.
Xu Xiuwen hesitated before saying, "I've met your mother before at another place, so we're acquainted."
"Oh, how coincidental." Qiao Gang, not suspecting anything, smiled.
Since recognizing Xu Xiuwen, Mu Zhilan's expression had been tense and uneasy.
Seeing this, Xu Xiuwen said calmly, "It's getting late. We should be going. You should head home and get some rest too."
Then he turned to Li Ke and said, "Let's go."