The Hand of Confession – Chapter 107
by Little PandaVolume 4: Days of Making Mischief at School
The Story
Teacher Zhao’s Story
What kind of NPC was Mother Shen really?
Shen Maomao pondered for a long time, unable to determine whether her mother’s behavior these past few days was normal or not.
At first, she thought she was just a gentle mother, but later discovered this mother was somewhat eccentric, and then found out she could kill other ghosts in the instance, seemingly awakening as an ice mage.
She eliminated the mutated grandmother and Father Shen, then didn’t even bother hiding her abnormalities from Shen Maomao, interacting with her and Father Shen with a naive expression, occasionally doing things to shock her…
Shen Maomao couldn’t tell if she was on her side or against her.
Sometimes she was a loving mother, protecting her from ghost pursuits; other times she was a fierce demon, and even though Shen Maomao was her beloved daughter, she might show no mercy if rules were broken…
After hearing her out, Lou Jingmo said, “Be careful. She’s like a time bomb now, and you don’t even know when it’ll go off. Don’t rely on her too much, or you’ll be the only one who suffers.”
In her heart, Shen Maomao still couldn’t believe Mother Shen would harm her, but she knew Lou Jingmo said this for her own good, so she took the advice to heart and nodded, “Okay, I understand.”
The class bell rang melodiously, and they had to temporarily stop their conversation, hurrying into the classroom.
Upon returning, they noticed the atmosphere in the classroom had become somewhat strange.
The children seemed to have heard some exciting news, each barely containing their excitement, exchanging knowing glances with one another.
Shen Maomao looked around suspiciously, but found nothing except for a few new faces.
The second period passed quickly. Shen Maomao actively grabbed Lou Jingmo’s hand, wanting to pull her outside to ask about some things she hadn’t figured out.
Unexpectedly, Ren Yue called out to her from nearby, inviting her to go to the bathroom together.
As she spoke, her face bore a pleading expression, her attitude so humble it was almost groveling, making Shen Maomao feel somewhat sympathetic.
But she clearly knew whose leg accessory [腿部挂件 | tuǐ bù guà jiàn | gaming slang for a dependent character] she was, and knew that Sister Lou had never liked Ren Yue, so she immediately looked at her with puppy eyes, only going with Ren Yue after receiving her approval.
Ren Yue’s expression was complicated, seeming melancholic yet carrying a hint of… relief?
Shen Maomao only glanced once, unable to determine Ren Yue’s exact expression, but by the time they found a quiet corner to talk face-to-face, Ren Yue had composed herself completely.
“Maomao…” Ren Yue murmured her name, then grew serious and said earnestly, “I just wanted to let you know, when you left earlier, they were discussing how to teach Teacher Zhao a lesson…”
Shen Maomao nodded: “Thank you, I understand.”
Ren Yue pressed her lips together: “You don’t need to be so formal with me…”
Shen Maomao crossed her arms and remained silent, just quietly watching her.
This news alone wouldn’t require pulling her aside privately. Ren Yue wore a hesitant expression and didn’t mention returning to class, likely having more to say.
Thinking this, Shen Maomao suddenly began to doubt herself.
She hadn’t been able to discover Ren Yue’s true thoughts hidden beneath the surface during their four years together – how could she be so confident she could read her now?
Fortunately, this self-doubt didn’t last long, as Ren Yue finally spoke what she wanted to say—
“Maomao, I’m sorry…”
Shen Maomao sighed: “If that’s all you wanted to say, there’s no need to apologize. You only hid the fact that you were also a game player. I just can’t tolerate deception, but you haven’t really wronged me…”
At this point, her tone suddenly shifted: “However, if you’ve actually done something to wrong me, like dragging me into the game to substitute for yourself… then even if you apologize, I won’t forgive you.”
Ren Yue’s face went pale, though whether from guilt at having her true intentions exposed or anger at being doubted by a former friend was unclear.
She only looked at the withered grass on the playground, as if seeing their dying friendship through those desolate blades of grass.
Their conversation ended on an uncomfortable note, with Shen Maomao turning to leave, not wanting to waste more time there. She had only taken two steps when Ren Yue’s voice drifted from behind—
“Maomao, sometimes I really envy you…”
Shen Maomao’s steps faltered, her lips curving upward but with no trace of joy in her expression.
What was there to envy about her? Ren Yue was prettier, had a better figure, better grades, was their school’s former student council president, and had countless admirers both in and out of school. When the two walked together, she had always been merely Ren Yue’s shadow…
If anything, she should be the one envying Ren Yue…
The conversation with Ren Yue left Shen Maomao feeling somewhat down. However, she didn’t show it in front of Lou Jingmo, knowing she would just mock and look down on her…
Yes, that old jerk Lou Jingmo definitely wouldn’t comfort her.
After returning, she passed a note to Lou Jingmo about what Ren Yue had told her. Lou Jingmo read it, scribbled something quickly, and passed it back.
When Shen Maomao opened it, she saw written in flowing characters: “Everything is under control.”
Very typical of Sister Lou’s personality [Like].
But even small fry like them wanted to know the plot!!
Shen Maomao wrote on the paper: 【Goddess, can you give us a hint about what’s going on? >_<】
Lou Jingmo replied: 【Too complicated, I’ll tell you at noon :)】
Shen Maomao looked at the emoticon at the end of the text, then at Lou Jingmo’s face, feeling that these two smiles had achieved some kind of eerie overlap.
The morning classes passed quickly, and at lunch break, the three skipped their meal to meet at their usual spot to discuss the plot.
Lou Jingmo explained the general direction of this instance—
Teacher Zhao was a strict teacher who looked young but had actually been teaching for over ten years. Students of that era weren’t as pampered as those of the future, and most teachers used corporal punishment to discipline misbehaving students.
Teacher Zhao was exactly that kind of teacher.
She didn’t need harmonious teacher-student relationships, nor did she need to listen to students’ opinions, turning the class into her dictatorship. The classroom was her battlefield, the metal ruler her weapon, and the students were her soldiers – if a soldier stepped out of line, the weapon meant for enemies would turn against them.
Over the semester, the students, whose sense of right and wrong hadn’t fully matured, grew to hate this iron-fisted [鐵血 | tiě xuè | strict and uncompromising] teacher. This hatred peaked at the start of the new semester, and the students of Class 2-1 plotted to teach her a lesson…
What could a group of second-grade elementary school students do?
Actually, second-grade elementary school students could do quite a lot.
There were many ways to destroy a person.
A boy who led the group lured her to the infirmary by claiming his thigh was injured. After Teacher Zhao removed his outer pants to examine him, he ran out bare-legged.
See, ruining a female teacher’s reputation was simple in an era when surveillance cameras weren’t common. No one could prove her innocence because, as everyone knows, children don’t lie.
Teacher Zhao was suspended pending investigation, and over a dozen boys from Class 2-1 came forward as witnesses, claiming she had touched them inappropriately.
She couldn’t defend herself against the accusations, was fired from school, doubted by her husband, despised by neighbors…
Going from a respected teacher to a rat crossing the street [過街老鼠 | guò jiē lǎo shǔ | metaphor for someone universally despised] took only an instant.
The final straw was her ten-year-old son, who felt ashamed to have such a mother. The child’s father sought divorce and prevented her from approaching their son.
This was the greatest insult to a mother, yet she endured it.
She thought this was rock bottom, believing she could start fresh in a city where no one knew her, but somehow the news reached her parents’ ears.
Her father suffered a fatal heart attack, and her mother, overcome with grief, followed him just two days later.
These children’s lies destroyed her family, while they happily curried favor with the new, gentle teacher…
Her hatred reached its peak. During lunch break, when the ringleader boy ran out to play, she knocked him unconscious and took him to the apartment she’d rented after being forced out of her home.
Everything fell into place naturally.
She terrified the boy until he wet himself, crying and begging for forgiveness, promising to tell everyone he had lied, declaring her the best teacher in the world.
But she was beyond mercy.
She was like one possessed, mechanically wielding the knife. When she finally came to her senses, it was too late.
She didn’t dispose of the body or clean the scene, but instead changed her clothes, tidied herself up, and went to the window.
And then, she no longer needed to care about society’s judgment.
Lou Jingmo spoke without showing any excess emotion. For her, these were merely collected clues, not worthy of much emotional investment.
She had seen all facets of life, witnessed even more bitter and difficult situations, so her heart had become like an ancient well [古井 | gǔ jǐng | metaphor for emotional stillness], rarely disturbed by ripples.
But Shen Maomao and Golden Retriever hadn’t reached her level of detachment. After hearing Lou Jingmo’s story, Shen Maomao felt unsettled and deeply troubled.
On one hand, she felt Teacher Zhao’s management style was too harsh, making student rebellion unsurprising; on the other hand, she found the bratty kids despicable and thought they deserved their fate. Sometimes she felt their young age and immature moral compass meant they might have been misled by adults – perhaps the real problem lay with their parents, who should have properly educated their children.
She couldn’t help but wonder – if instead of hastily dismissing Teacher Zhao to appease angry parents, they had thoroughly investigated the matter, would things have turned out differently?
In the end, Teacher Zhao had paid with her life, while those troublemakers carried the weight of three deaths yet continued living carefree lives – who could find peace with such injustice?
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