Jing Yunzhao gripped Lu Jia's hands tightly, and Lu Jia tried to kick Jing Yunzhao's calf instead.
There was a loud thumping noise as Lu Jia was pushed to the ground before she could even move her leg.
Although it was not a big fight, it was still morning and the commotion quickly attracted the attention of students who were arriving at school. They quickly gathered around Jing Yunzhao and Lu Jia and were shocked to see them fighting.
While Lu Jia was sprawled on the floor, Jing Yunzhao straddled her and slapped each side of Lu Jia's face.
"Apologize!" Jing Yunzhao ordered coldly.
Not expecting to be slapped in front of everyone in school, Lu Jia was completely stunned.
"You are a heartless bastard! You even sleep with gangsters!" Lu Jia shrieked, staring at Jing Yunzhao hatefully.
"Do you know how bad is it to spread rumors? Allow me to teach you a lesson so you won't forget next time," Jing Yunzhao said with a cold smile, eyes gleaming.
She raised her hand and started slapping Lu Jia again without any hesitation.
Lu Jia began to see stars after a few slaps. Tears began to run down her face, and the burning pain on her cheeks kept her silent.
Jing Yunzhao was not a violent person by nature, so she stopped slapping Lu Jia and stood up when Lu Jia finally fell silent.
It all happened very quickly. By the time the school security was informed about the commotion and arrived at the scene, Jing Yunzhao was standing aside quietly like she always did.
"Why do you kids never learn your lessons? Fighting so early in the morning? Follow me to the teachers' office now!" The security guard said angrily.
His anger deepened when he looked at Jing Yunzhao. Her father had come to the school and caused him all sorts of trouble yesterday and now she was doing it today? He used to think that Jing Yunzhao was a gentle and quiet girl, but now he felt sorry for the girl who got slapped because her face was so visibly swollen.
"Can you get us the CCTV footage, sir?" Jing Yunzhao did not resist going to the teachers' office but made a request before she was taken there.
Jing Yunzhao had slapped Lu Jia in front of everyone not because she was offended by what Lu Jia said, but because she knew that that area was under CCTV surveillance.
She knew that she was wrong for getting physical, but Lu Jia had not fought back only because she was weaker than Jing Yunzhao.
It was Lu Jia who had started to mess with her, Lu Jia who picked up the fight, and Lu Jia who had said nasty things to her. She would also have been the one to suffer if she didn't defend herself and Lu Jia managed to claw her face.
The security guard was curious when Jing Yunzhao asked for the CCTV footage so confidently, but agreed that it might be needed and arranged for someone to prepare a copy.
Jing Yunzhao visited the teachers' office frequently these days and had everyone's attention when the security guard accused her of beating someone up.
The fight between Jing Yunzhao and Lu Jia had their teachers standing against each other.
"I hate to say this, Ms. Kim, but this student of yours is just too rebellious and violent! I can't believe this is happening so soon after what happened yesterday. Imagine if word got out about this…" A teacher from Class 2 exclaimed.
While that teacher favoured Jing Yunzhao, she couldn't be biased towards her in front of her own students, especially when Lu Jia was the obvious victim here.
Jing Yunzhao must have been ruthless judging by the multiple slap marks on Lu Jia's face. It was no wonder that Lu Jia's face had swelled up so badly.
Even Ms. Kim was looking awkward. She told herself that Jing Yunzhao was only acting like this because of the stress from going through probably one of the biggest changes in her life.
"What happened, Jing Yunzhao?" Ms. Kim asked seriously.
Jing Yunzhao did not feel hurt by Ms. Kim's question. After all, Ms. Kim was known for being fair, and she must have trusted her to not be blaming her first.
"It was my fault for getting physical, Ms. Kim, and I apologize," Jing Yunzhao said as she turned to Lu Jia, then continued firmly, "but I don't regret what I did, and I only did it out of self-defense."
Ms. Kim was stunned at Jing Yunzhao's words.
"What do you mean? Are you saying it was Lu Jia who started it?" The Class 2 teacher asked in surprise.
Lu Jia who was still sobbing could hardly speak with her swollen face.
"Lu Jia started to say nasty things to me when I came to school today. It pissed her off when I talked back, and she started calling me a bastard. It was not my fault that I was abandoned by my real parents, Ms. Kim. Who would want to be an abandoned child if the choice was theirs? Wouldn't any of you get angry if you were called a bastard?" Jing Yunzhao explained calmly.
"That's why you beat her up?" asked Ms. Kim.
It would be understandable if that was why Jing Yunzhao beat Lu Jia up, although it was still rather cruel to beat her up to that extent.
"Nope," said Jing Yunzhao confidently, "her words got so nasty that I talked back to her, and she got so angry that she reached out and tried to claw my face. You saw how long her nails are, I would definitely be disfigured if she managed it. I couldn't allow her to do that so I defended myself, only to find that her bark was worse than her bite. She was definitely the one who picked the fight; I just outdid her."
The teachers were speechless after what Jing Yunzhao said. They looked at Lu Jia's nails and agreed that they were unreasonably long.
"Is what Jing Yunzhao said true, Lu Jia?" One of the teachers of Class 2 asked finally.
"I… I did not get to do anything to her…" Lu Jia started crying. She nodded at first, and then shook her head as she answered.
Of course she did not get to do anything to Jing Yunzhao. Jing Yunzhao had successfully restrained her before she could do anything, and it was Jing Yunzhao alone who got physical thereafter.
"You only didn't get to do anything because I reacted fast and dodged. What if I was too slow? You ought to know how important appearance is, especially for girls," Jing Yunzhao sneered.
The teachers realized that Jing Yunzhao was quite different now.
Before this, she used to be quiet and submissive in front of the teachers. She wouldn't complain even if she was wronged, and would be easily overlooked if it weren't for her outstanding results.
But Jing Yunzhao now had an attitude and a temper.
Lu Jia pointed at her own face and said pitifully, "there was no need to beat me up this severely even if that was the case, teacher…"
"I made her apologize during our encounter but she refused. Instead, she continued saying mean things to me, and I think it's normal for someone to act impulsively under such circumstances. I would never have gotten physical if not for Lu Jia provoking me. As for the gangsters, I honestly do not understand why anyone would continue to spread untrue rumors and stress me out when the police have already announced the truth. Lu Jia's action of spreading untrue allegations greatly traumatized me, and I believe that her guardians would be liable for her if I pursue legal action against her."