The Youthful You Who Was So Beautiful

Seven

Eliza hesitated. After some deliberation, Eliza finally decided to say yes, and was about to do so when she raised her head and saw the form teacher's intense and direct gaze, an indistinct pressure settling over her. Carefully, Eliza swallowed the words that had already begun to form at the tip of her tongue.

"Did you truly say that? You do know that our school is the best in the city, don't you? We're also one of the top ten schools in the province. Our school has never ever experienced problems relating to conflict amongst students."

Eliza pursed her lips together, "Kay......Kayla was also......also bullied."

"What about Chloe? She was probably only bullied once, wasn't she?"

Eliza was unable to discern the meaning behind her teacher's words, and cautiously studied his facial expression.

"If she was frequently bullied, I wouldn't be totally clueless about it – I'm her form teacher after all! And if she was indeed frequently bullied, the other teachers would have also picked up various hints and put sufficient measures in place."

"The entire......class talked...... about......the incidents."

"Those incidents which the class talked about were merely small, ordinary conflicts that commonly occurs between classmates. I'm referring to something more serious in the present case – bullying."

Eliza fell into silence. After some time, she lowered her head and answered, "Yes."

Eliza had only confessed to Kayla the truth about Chloe's suicide on the sole condition that she would not drag Eliza into Chloe's matter. Since Kayla didn't keep her word, Kayla couldn't blame her for subsequently denying or retracting her confession. Eliza told herself internally.

The moment Eliza entered the lobby, she heard a piercing cry ring out. Chloe's parents were tussling with the parents of Lily and Stacy, whilst the government officials were trying their hardest to separate them to no avail.

"Murderer! Criminal!" Chloe's parents were extremely emotional. Chloe's mother even wailed aloud, "They caused my daughter's death!! They caused it!!"

Lily's mother rebutted in a shrill voice, "All accusations must be backed up by evidence! It is common for children to engage in some form of verbal arguments or minor conflict with their schoolmates. If you commit suicide the moment, I scold you, then all those who squabble on the street ought to be rounded up and shot to death!"

"Your daughter beat my daughter up! They were bullying her for a long period of time." Chloe's mother shook Lily's mother violently, "Murderer! Criminal! You gave birth to your child but you didn't bother raising her properly!"

Lily's mother was about to retort when Stacy's parents stepped in. With tears flowing down her face, Stacy's mother pleaded, "Nobody wanted things to turn out this way. It's our fault for failing to take our children in hand, and I admit that I'm at fault. But please, please do not place all the responsibility on our children. They're still young, and they have a long road ahead of them. Even if they were at fault, we have to give them a chance to change."

Lily's mother refused to admit fault, and continued squabbling with the other parents. The Public Safety Bureau descended into chaos once more.

The form teacher led Eliza into the elevator.

A police officer was waiting for her at the entrance of the interrogation room – it was the young police officer who had previously questioned her in school. He was attired in his work uniform, and looked especially handsome and bright. A smile formed on his lips when he saw Eliza, as though they were close acquaintances. He had just graduated from school, and wasn't much older than Eliza. When he looked at Eliza, his gaze was always gentle yet sharp, as if he had the ability to peer into the inner depths of her heart.