“Let’s head back.”

The girl watched Yao Ran step out of the back door with her school bag in her hand. Her head was bowed down, but almost everyone could make sense of her flushed face and trembling figure.

As soon as she had finally left the perimeters, she called for a taxi.

It didn’t take long for one to arrive. When she stepped into the car, she sniffled. Tears trailed down her cheeks, and she dialed Qin Man’s number. “Hello?” Her mother’s voice sounded at the other end of the line; she whimpered in response. She looked so terrible that the taxi driver couldn’t help but glance back in curiosity.

“Mom, can you come home? Please?” she sobbed out. “I need you.”

Yao Ran’s voice was soft and whimpery – like a puppy that had been kicked to the gutter. She sniffled once again, and the older woman could hear her shifting in her seat.

The papers Qin Man had been holding immediately fell onto the table. She froze.

Had she been crying?

“Ranran, are you okay?” Qin Man asked urgently, standing up from her seat. “What happened? Who bullied you? I’ll handle it right now!”

Was her daughter being bullied? Who was responsible for this?

The older woman stomped out of her office. A dark look passed by her features as different scenarios streamed through her mind. What could have possibly happened?

“I’m almost home, Mom,” Yao Ran cried out upon hearing her mother’s voice. “Please hurry and come back, will you? I need to talk to you.”

Qin Man’s heart clenched at the sound of her sobs. Anxiety flooded through her system, and she could feel her hands trembling. She needed to fix this!

“Just sit down for a while, okay?” she comforted her. “I’ll be there soon, just don’t go anywhere!”

Her grip on the bag tightened as she ran across the corridors.

…

“Ranran is being bullied at school!” Qin Man yelled through the phone to her husband as she was getting into the taxi. She appeared panicked. “Wrap up your stuff and get off work early.”

The door closed right behind her, and she shot a glare at the taxi driver. “Drive!”

On the other side of the line, Yao Yuan immediately stood up at the thought of his daughter being bullied. “I’ll pick her up at school! Just give me a couple of minutes –”

“There’s no need, she’s already at home!”

Qin Man took a deep breath, glancing worriedly at the window.

She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew for a fact that she needed to be there for her daughter. If she weren’t there, who knew what would happen? Should anything happen to her precious baby girl, she wouldn’t forgive herself for the rest of her life.

“I’ll come home immediately!”

Yao Yuan grabbed his suit jacket and headed out of his office.

…

The two of them raced back home in a panic. The two of them had reached the doorway at the same time, and they both shared a solemn look.

They took deep breaths before pushing the door open. There, they could see the young girl curled on the sofa, crying terribly. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, as she squeezed a pillow close to her chest.

She looked pitiful and helpless.

Qin Man’s heart immediately ached for her. The sight was worse than what she had expected.

“What are you doing? What happened?”

Qin Man ran up to her daughter and pulled her into a hug. Her eyes were already turning red as her heart filled with hatred for whoever had done this.

If she knew who had bullied her precious daughter, she’d make sure to rain hellfire on them.

“Ranran, we are here now. It’s going to be okay.”

Yao Yuan stroked her hair, leaning in close to his wife and daughter.

However, their comforting words had only worsened her state.

The tears just kept falling.

Even her whole body was trembling.

There was a moment of silence when she finally brought it in herself to look at them. Her eyes were bloodshot, and there were red splotches across her face.

“I can’t…I can’t attend school anymore,” she sobbed.

“What happened? We will work things out, okay?” Yao Yuan said lowly. “There’s no use in crying like this. Tell us, so we can fix it for you. We’re the Yao Family after all!”

“How can you raise your voice at her? She’s already crying, and you’re still pushing her to speak. Can’t you just give her a moment?” Qin Man nudged at her husband before turning her soft gaze back to the teen. “Don’t be afraid, okay? Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t be mad. We promise.”

Both of them stared at Yao Ran with worry in their eyes.

“I – I’ve been targeted by the trolls,” she stuttered, handing her phone to them. “I was just studying and then someone showed me this, and I…”

Yao Yuan took the phone, puzzled by what it may have held to make his daughter cry. Qin Man also inched closer to take a look. It took a second for them to understand what was going on.

“This is outrageous!” He slammed his hands onto the cushions. “Is the school not managing its own forum?”

Qin Man, realizing the seriousness of this matter, picked up her phone.

“Who will you be calling?”

“The dean as well as her adviser, of course. How could they let this go unanswered? Who the hell is behind all this?” Qin Man’s face contorted with rage. “Those damn idiots!”

“Even if we do that, what’s the use of it?” Yao Yuan retorted. “The most important thing to do now is clarify everything that had been posted in the Forum.”

“How?”

Yao Ran blinked. “How am I supposed to clarify things?”