Chapter 9: 9

"Teacher, someone is bullying others. Come with me quickly!" Ming Shu rushed to a male teacher, grabbed his arm, and tried to pull him along.

The male teacher didn't budge and embarrassingly pried her hand off, saying, "This kind of thing is not the teacher's responsibility. You should go to the student council."

"What?" Ming Shu was about to say "what a joke," but suddenly realized that this was a good opportunity. The student council president was Jin Yu, and the disciplinary committee chairman was Jin Yao. She had been worried about not finding a reason to get in touch with them!

The opportunity was too good to miss, so Ming Shu turned and made her way to the student council.

......

The cold water was so frigid that it made Li Zhao shiver all over, and tears nearly spilled from her eyes.

She leaned her head under the sink faucet and roughly splashed cold water over it. The bone-chilling coldness made her tremble, and she could barely hold back her tears.

Just then, someone turned the faucet in another direction, and the cold water gradually became warm. A pair of gentle hands rubbed her scalp and then covered her head with a soft towel.

Li Zhao stiffened, lifted her head wrapped in the fluffy towel, and saw Song Juyao's exquisite chin. The corners of Juyao's mouth, which always held a slight smile, were now pursed seriously, but her hands that helped Li Zhao wipe the water droplets were always very gentle.

【Ah ah ah, I feel so warm!】

【It's a little sweet!】

【Why hasn't Song Juyao revealed her true face yet? Hurry up and remove your disguise, I can't hold on anymore! I have no resistance against gentle people.】

【If you're so easily swayed, it's better not to watch this program. If you accidentally vote for someone who actually committed a heinous crime like rape and caused the death of a young boy, your vote could cause further pain to the victim's family!】

【That kind of crime is really despicable. Thanks for the earlier reminder. My favorable impression of this person immediately dropped.】

【......】

There was a moment of silence in the virtual world before the towel on Li Zhao's head slid up a bit, and she met a pair of warm and caring eyes.

"Thank you," Li Zhao said softly with slightly red eyes. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, and she was so nervous that she couldn't even bring herself to say that she would handle it on her own. In her memory, no one had ever helped her dry her hair.

"Are you a specially recruited student?" Song Juyao asked.

"Yes."

"Do they often bully you like this? Have you reported it to the teacher?"

Song Juyao's tone was serious and earnest. Despite only being one year older than Li Zhao, she suddenly felt like she had found someone to rely on, an elder who she could confide in. With tears in her eyes, Li Zhao nodded vigorously, "The teacher said it's a matter for the student council and not their responsibility. The headmaster is never around and just shirks his duties."

"When I first enrolled in Jinke Duola Academy, the principal promised me that he would reform the school system and treat specially recruited students well. He has disappointed me greatly," said Song Juyao, her voice filled with anger. She looked at the red mark on Li Zhao's face with concern and furrowed her brows. "Let me take you to the school infirmary first."

The school doctor's room.

Inside the infirmary, Tang Kai remained composed despite his recent failure. As the audience watched the performances of the two real NPCs, they couldn't help but think that there was a huge gap in intelligence between Ming Shu and Tang Kai. It was like the difference between an idol and an award-winning actor.

Now, Tang Kai had thought of something that the production team was highly concerned about, and it was something very important.

"Where is Song Juyao's mother, Liu Yan?" he asked, stroking his chin.

According to the script of the show, Song Juyao's mother was supposed to have become the mistress of Jin Yao and Jin Yu's father two years ago. But now it seemed that her mother hadn't become their father's mistress after all. In that case, are the identities of the two big bosses, Jin Yao and Jin Yu, still useful?

However, Liu Yan's personality was specifically designed by the program team to hinder and restrain Song Juyao. Unless she dies, she should always drag Song Juyao down. How could she become a winner in life so smoothly?

Where did Lui Yan go?

Tang Kai tried to search the internet but didn't find any information about Liu Yan's whereabouts. However, he found out that Liu Yan had also become a celebrity, but a notorious one.

After participating in "I'm a Big Star" and becoming popular, Song Juyao was invited to participate in other program groups. Among them was a parent-child outdoor reality show, which invited Song Juyao and Liu Yan as guests. However, Liu Yan overturned the cart and things didn't go as planned.

In the show, Liu Yan did not even try to restrain her spoiled princess temperament, or perhaps she didn't understand the concept at all. She felt entitled to sit and enjoy Song Juyao's care, appearing in a cheongsam dress, high heels, and delicate makeup. This formed a sharp contrast with Song Juyao, who was still skinny and dark at that time, looking like a child from a poor area. Song Juyao carried a big backpack and pushed the luggage like a child laborer, while Liu Yan swayed her willow waist with nothing on her shoulders.

In another task assigned by the program team, they had to cook pig food. Liu Yan covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and sat far away, while Song Juyao skillfully cut the meat with a big kitchen knife and cooked the food next to the pigpen. During the cooking segment, Song Juyao stepped on a stool and cooked skillfully...

"How can Juyao be so good at everything at such a young age? Does she often do this at home?" one of the other mothers asked.

"Yes, my Juyao is very good. She has always been doing these things in our family,"Facing the questions from other mothers suppressing their anger, Liu Yan replied proudly.

Tang Kai and the audience who were watching this episode of the variety show from Tang Kai's perspective were all astounded, not to mention the other mothers who were clearly suppressing their anger.

What kind of retard is this?

Although Song Juyao and Liu Yan only appeared as guests for one episode on the parent-child reality show, the fallout from the episode was significant. Liu Yan received intense criticism, and mothers on the show expressed harsh condemnation on social media. "As a mother, one should not behave like Liu Yan" became a popular catchphrase that year.

【I understand now. Song Juyao must have intentionally brought Liu Yan onto the show and used the opportunity to distance herself from her mother.】

【I can only imagine how much criticism Liu Yan faced after the show aired and how much sympathy Song Juyao received.】

【Song Juyao must have planned this all along. Without her mother holding her back, she can’t become a winner in life.】

【Her actions towards her own mother are truly terrible, her scheming is so deep, she's doing this to her own mother. Even if her mother is deemed useless, she wouldn't resort to this method of dumping someone, right?】

【Using her mother as a stepping stone to success and even subjecting her to cyber-violation shows that she's a highly intelligent criminal, vicious enough.】

【......】

People are not afraid to speculate on Song Juyao with the greatest malice, precisely because they would feel suffocated if they had a mother like Liu Yan. Therefore, they believed that Song Juyao would not be able to tolerate it even more, and therefore she must have found this way to get rid of this burden. But even if everyone wants to do this, Song Juyao cannot. As the defendant, Song Juyao must be truthful, kind, and beautiful, and cannot act on such impulses.

As the door to the school doctor's office was open, Song Juyao walked in directly with the specially recruited student.

Tang Kai was caught off guard upon seeing the target person and quickly stood up, leaving the computer screen displaying the variety show. Liu Yan's voice calling Song Juyao was still audible, soft and delicate like a vine wrapping around someone's neck.

Song Juyao stopped and asked, "Teacher, are you watching 'The Unmatched Mother'?"

Tang Kai quickly regained his composure and said, "I just returned to China and am not familiar with your situation. I became curious and searched online, and saw that you have appeared in many variety shows."

"I did participate in some variety shows in the past to earn money," Song Juyao said as she gestured for Li Zhao to take a seat. "Could you please check her for me, Doctor?"

Tang Kai conducted a thorough examination of Li Zhao, showing kindness and compassion towards her injuries. "These are all external injuries that can be treated with medication. However, the internal injuries also require proper treatment with medicine to fully recover. You are welcome to come to me anytime."

【Ahhhhhh! Dr. Tang, I'm sick!】

【The movie emperor is so charming, uh-huh】

【My heart is wounded, I need Dr. Tang to kiss it and make it better TAT】

Li Zhao had never interacted with such a refined and elegant man before, and she felt so shy that she couldn't even look at him.

After completing the examination, Tang Kai noticed Song Juyao staring blankly at the computer screen. He took the opportunity to ask, "I can tell that your mother is very reliant on you. Would she be able to take care of herself if you weren't there? Are you still living together?"

"No," Song Juyao snapped out of her thoughts, and her face habitually showed a faint smile. "In this world, there is no one in this world who can't do without someone else."

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"Is it because..."

"Can I turn off the program? You can watch it after I leave," Song Juyao cut in.

"Of course."

She switched off the program, and the school clinic became silent. As Tang Kai treated Li Zhao, he couldn't help but wonder about Song Juyao's attitude towards the show. Song Juyao seemed to have a strong aversion to the program. Did something happen because of it? Did Song Juyao use the show as an opportunity to break away from Liu Yan? But she was only ten years old then, still a minor, and it would have been impossible for her to leave her guardian no matter what.

......

Meanwhile, in the real world, the 'Judgement Day Trial' studio hall…

A staff member rushed in, "Mr. K has arrived."

The assistant director Tang Shan stood up to greet him.

The person who came in was a disheveled young man wearing a black hoodie. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Mr. K, do you have any solution?" Tang Shan asked.

"Going back to past scenes through the database without recording?... How dare you even think that? Who do you think invented and designed the virtual world building system? The computational complexity is enormous, it's impossible..." K replied.

Tang Shan's disappointment was evident on his face. Was it really impossible to access past scenes? They needed to know what happened and what Song Juyao did in the past 18 years, whether it was to analyze her personality and understand the traits in her intriguing character or to uncover her true nature.

Although the executive director, Tan Wei, said it was unnecessary because Song Juyao's true face would eventually be revealed, Tang Shan had a hunch that things were not that simple. So far, Song Juyao has not made any mistakes. According to backstage data, the barrage of insults against her had started to decrease in a spiral since last night when she was playing with a cat, and the number of positive comments about her had started to increase in a spiral. These fragments, hidden in the vast ocean of comments, were too small to be noticed by anyone, but Tang Shan felt sensitive enough to care.

The human heart is really too easily shaken, it can be easily influenced by appearances, a few small actions, and events that strike a chord. The production team would never allow a real criminal to be granted a reduced sentence or be exonerated by the audience's vote.

"Complete retracing is impossible, but it should be possible to trace back a few short-term segments," K said.

Tangshan was thrilled, feeling like riding a roller coaster. "That's enough, that's enough! You're indeed a member of the Palace Network Security Department. You're amazing!"

Tracing back a few short-term segments should be enough for them to see the unknown true face of Song Juyao.

"Well, can we trace back to the second half of Song Juyao's 10th year?" Tang Shan asked.

Song Juyao spent 18 years in the virtual world. If they casually traced back segments, they might waste time and resources on mundane activities such as sleeping or taking exams. The second half of Song Juyao's 10th year was the time when she and Liu Yan participated in the "Unmatched Mom" variety show. From the just-concluded live broadcast, it can be seen that Song Juyao's reaction was a bit strange. They could check whether Song Juyao intentionally ditched her mother. Once this point is confirmed, Song Juyao would not be able to wash away the stain.

"Yes, but because the database has an instruction prohibiting copying, we can only go back based on the current broadcast, which means a small window will pop up in the upper right corner of the broadcast for the audience to see, okay?"

Tang Shan considered the matter and concluded that it was not a problem. The audience would be interested in learning about Song Juyao's past, which could boost ratings. If this turned out to be a black mark on Song Juyao's record, then it was intended to be revealed to the audience. Even if things didn't go as planned and it turned out to be a false lead, the worst-case scenario would be maintaining the current status quo.

......

Song Juyao appeared to be in a bad mood, likely due to being reminded of her past. As Tang Kai was administering medicine to Li Zhao, she stood up and prepared to leave.

"Teacher!" A panicked boy rushed in carrying another male student on his back.

The boy being carried had a nosebleed, numerous bruises on his face from the fall, and looked dirty and disheveled. Most notably, his ankle was swollen and appeared very serious.

Tang Kai quickly attended to the injured boy. He had learned some simple first aid procedures for his role and had also done an internship in a clinic.

"How did you get hurt like this?" he asked.

The boy was extremely embarrassed to be seen by Song Juyao in such a state. He blushed and stammered, "W-We were working as ball boys at the tennis court, and today they played a little too fiercely, so I..."

The "they" referred to the aristocratic children in the school.

"Did they ask you to pick up the balls during the game?" Song Juyao asked, her anger barely contained.

The boy remained quiet, implying that the answer was yes. After all, he couldn't have been injured so severely by merely picking up balls. It was likely intentional. Who would allow ball boys to enter the court and obstruct the game, which was both annoying and dangerous?

"It's not a typical occurrence. A new student appeared out of nowhere and played the hero, which triggered their rage, and we were caught in the middle..." The boy complained.

"A new student? Was it the girl with a mole on her chin?" Tang Kai inquired.

"Yes, that's her. She offended Jin Yao, and I'm afraid it should be worse for her. She might require an ambulance," the boy replied.

Song Juyao furrowed her eyebrows and immediately headed out.

The viewers in Tang Kai's live broadcast also switched to Ming Shu's live broadcast.

【Oh my goodness, it's so tragic!】

【I came from the Film Emperor's live broadcast. What happened?】

【Ah, my girl goose, mommy’s heart hurts so much!】

【These individuals are so vile. Was this a deliberate act of harm? How dare they! Is the school violence law just a facade?】

【For individuals with affluence, most laws are merely a facade. It's disheartening to think about. What's the purpose of an ordinary person's existence in this world? To be a replaceable brick or screw? 】

【Can someone provide an explanation for what happened? I missed the events leading up to this, and it's truly distressing!】

【...】

The time goes back half an hour.

Ming Shu dashed to the Student Union seeking assistance for Li Zhao, while also hoping to capture Jin Yao's attention and initiate a conversation with him.

But when the students in the Student Union building saw her, they all looked down on her.

"The leader is not present, what do you want?" A disciplinary committee member uttered icily.

"There's a girl being beaten up in the restroom on the third floor of the No.4 Teaching Building." Although disappointed by the absence of Jin Yao, Ming Shu couldn't reveal her motives too overtly with numerous viewers watching.

"Who?"

“Li Zhao.”

The disciplinary committee member entered the name into the computer and, upon seeing the words "specially recruited student" appended to it, grew impatient. "Okay, I'll call someone to come and investigate."

"Call someone? She's currently being severely beaten in the bathroom. Shouldn't you be providing immediate assistance?" Ming Shu protested.

"Student, it's lunchtime now. Don't I have to eat?" the committee member retorted.

"You! How can you be like this? Isn't it the responsibility of the disciplinary committee to uphold campus order and prevent misconduct?" Ming Shu was really angry now.

The person smirked and uttered, "What can you do to me? If you genuinely want to rescue someone, why don't you do it yourself? Ultimately, you're simply too fearful of getting into trouble and lack the courage to stand up. I've encountered numerous individuals like you. Specially recruited students such as yourself are all spineless trash."

Ming Shu's face flushed, "What kind of person are you! I... I want to see Jin Yao!"

The disciplinary committee member looked at her with a wicked grin and replied, "Oh, he's currently at the tennis court."

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