Verbal remonstrances were of no use in stopping Tang Xiaomin’s frenzy.
It took about ten boys working together to finally separate the two of them.
Zhang Guo'er, lying on the ground, was barely breathing and motionless.
She had been beaten beyond recognition; her original appearance was indistinguishable.
Especially her mouth, which was beaten askew, swollen to a degree more exaggerated than a sausage, making it impossible to call it a human mouth.
The extent of her misery could only be described as horrific.
After being pulled apart by the crowd, Tang Xiaomin, in her rage, pushed away the boys holding her.
A single glare from her was enough to instill fear in them, causing them to instinctively recoil.
Tang Xiaomin glanced coldly at Zhang Guo'er, who lay unconscious on the ground, and said nothing.
Before long, the teacher, the dean of students, an ambulance, and Zhang Guo'er's family members arrived at the hospital one after another.
Zhang Guodong and Zhao Lan had also arrived. Upon seeing Zhang Guo'er in the ambulance beaten to such an extent, they were instantly overcome with anger.
They then rushed out of the car to find Tang Xiaomin.
"Tang Xiaomin, you beat Guo'er last time. Now you've beaten her like this, we will absolutely not let this go!"
"Tang Xiaomin, you incited trouble and assaulted another person, this time you'll definitely be locked up for life! Even if your mother came to beg me this time, it would be useless!"
...
Ye Lingyun said coldly, "One should speak the facts. Zhang Guo'er came to Class Thirteen to find Tang Xiaomin. If anyone incited trouble, it was Zhang Guo'er. Dozens of eyes in Class Thirteen, and people in the hallway, can all bear witness."
Zhao Lan, blinded by rage, paid no heed to this.
"No matter what, my daughter was beaten so badly by her, Tang Xiaomin cannot escape responsibility!"
"She must take responsibility and pay the price she deserves! Your school has someone with such vicious methods, they must be expelled!"
Ye Lingyun retorted, not backing down.
"Zhang Guo'er has a low moral character and incited trouble. Now the whole school dislikes her, she should be ashamed and leave on her own accord."
"What?" Zhang Guodong’s anger ignited.
"It's my daughter who was beaten, Young Master Yun, you can't just turn a blind eye and favor the bad guys. Is there any justice left?"
At this moment, Qian Lili and a few others also stepped forward.
"Zhang Guo'er was vain and greedy. When her deception was exposed, she became enraged and blamed it on Xiaomin, insisting that Xiaomin provoked her by mentioning she was abandoned by her family. She deserved to be beaten."
"That's right, if it were me, I would have beaten her to death too, without any hesitation."
"People like that are a waste of air when they're alive, and a waste of land when they're dead."
...
Seeing so many people speaking up for Tang Xiaomin, Zhang Guodong and his wife were extremely angered.
"No matter what, it's a fact that Tang Xiaomin beat Guo'er."
"Tang Xiaomin, you must take responsibility for this matter. Otherwise, we will absolutely not let you off!"
Just as Tang Xiaomin was about to speak, a man's angry voice echoed from a distance.
"Try touching her, and see what happens!"
Not far away, more and more people appeared, both men and women.
Yan Jue arrived, followed by Zhong Li, Meng Yiren, and Lu Xing.
Then came Tang Yu and Zhang Meiyu, Tang Ye and Pan Jie, and even Tang Xiaomin's adoptive parents.
Soon, Tang Xiaomin was surrounded by a large group of people.
"Xiaomin, are you alright?"
"Xiaomin, don't be afraid, we're here for you."
"Xiaomin, don't worry, not one of them who bullied you will get away."
...
Words of concern came from each of them.
The presence of over a dozen people quickly outmatched Zhang Guodong and Zhao Lan on the opposite side.
Seeing the opposing side’s larger numbers, and Yan Jue's imposing and unapproachable aura,
Zhang Guodong and Zhao Lan’s arrogance visibly diminished. However, they still insisted on their argument.
"Hmph! Are you bullying the few with the many? It's a fact that Tang Xiaomin beat my daughter."
Zhang Guodong then spoke to Zhang Meiyu.
"Meiyu, is this how you discipline your child? Last time Tang Xiaomin beat Guo'er, it was a minor scuffle and I didn't pursue it.
"This time, Guo'er is disfigured and unconscious. As Tang Xiaomin's mother, don't you owe us an explanation?"
Zhang Meiyu didn't say a word to Tang Xiaomin, but instead questioned Zhang Guodong.
"I'd like to ask, what did Zhang Guo'er say or do to make Xiaomin so angry that she resorted to violence?"
"You… she assaulted someone."
"Hmph, there are hundreds or thousands of people here, why didn't she hit anyone else, but only Zhang Guo'er? It must be Zhang Guo'er's fault."
Zhang Meiyu's logic left Zhang Guodong and his wife speechless.
How could someone be so unreasonable? They couldn't make themselves understood.
Zhang Guodong then turned to Tang Yu. "Tang Yu, I can't communicate with your mother. You are more reasonable, you tell me, Tang Xiaomin assaulted someone, shouldn't she be held responsible?"
In response, Tang Yu's line of reasoning was consistent with Zhang Meiyu's.
"Regardless, shouldn't we first try to understand the full story, what exactly Zhang Guo'er did to anger Xiaomin? As far as I know, Xiaomin doesn't act violently towards people without reason. There must be a reason that made her do it."
"You… you… you're siding with your own kin and not with reason, you're utterly incomprehensible." Zhao Lan pointed at them and scolded.
Shuya and a few others couldn't stand it any longer and explained the whole situation.
"Your daughter staged a scenario with a rich boyfriend, but when everyone discovered it was fake, she couldn't bear the mockery and shifted the blame onto Xiaomin, insisting that Xiaomin had wronged her."
"That's not all, she also said that Xiaomin was abandoned by the Tang family, and continuously used this to provoke Xiaomin. Shouldn't such a person be beaten?"
The truth was out, and the Tang family members felt uneasy. They all cast hostile glances at Zhang Guodong and his wife.
Zhao Lan said righteously, "Is there anything wrong with what my daughter said? You did abandon Tang Xiaomin, that's a fact. You did it, so why can't others talk about it?"
*Slap!*
Zhao Lan's words were abruptly interrupted by a slap.
The one who struck was none other than Zhang Meiyu.
"You… you dare to hit me? I'm your sister-in-law, how could you hit me?"
Zhao Lan's eyes widened in disbelief.
However, intimidated by the crowd around Zhang Meiyu, she dared not act rashly and could only look at Zhang Guodong with aggrieved eyes.
"Husband, look. They did something wrong, and then they don't allow others to talk about it, and they even hit people. I suspect Guo'er was beaten by Tang Xiaomin and her mouth was crooked for the same reason. They are so vicious, husband."
Zhang Guodong, while heartbroken for his daughter, was also utterly enraged by Zhang Meiyu's attitude and the way they handled the situation.
"Heaven is watching what mortals do."
"Even if we don't say it, the fact that your Tang family abandoned Tang Xiaomin is true. Don't think you can silence people just because you have numbers. If you didn't want to be talked about, you shouldn't have done such a thing back then."
"Now you're pretending to be a victim while having done wrong, who are you trying to fool?"