Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Zhao Weiguo: "You..."

He wanted to argue further, but the counselor stopped him.

Counselor Liu looked at Zhang Dabiao: "Comrade, didn't you harass Mu Wanqing? Didn't you hit her?"

Seeing his students beaten black and blue, he was naturally very angry, and he instinctively sided with his students, not to mention that Zhao Weiguo was from a respectable family and came from a prominent compound.

Zhang Dabiao laughed.

That kind of smile made Counselor Liu feel uncomfortable.

"Teacher Liu, right?" Zhang Dabiao stood up straight. "I have two questions. First, I came to pick up my girlfriend from school, how did that become harassment? Shouldn't the person involved say whether it's harassment or not?"

"Secondly, seventeen or eighteen of them rushed out and attacked me. If I fought back, that's self-defense. I'm not stupid; I couldn't just stand there and wait to be hit. How did that become me hitting someone?"

"Right boyfriend?" Counselor Liu frowned even more. "Are you and Mu Wanqing in a relationship?"

"right."

"When did it start?"

"last year."

"Last year?" Counselor Liu turned to look at Mu Wanqing. "Wanqing, is what he said true?"

Mu Wanqing nodded, her eyes reddening even more.

Counselor Liu remained silent for a few seconds.

Then the woman in the Lenin suit next to him spoke up: "Teacher Liu, regardless of whether they are in a romantic relationship or not, students are prohibited from dating while on campus."

"This is clearly stipulated in our school rules."

Mu Wanqing was startled—

[School rules, what should I do?]

She is the secretary of the Youth League branch in the department. Her surname is Fang, she is in her early thirties, and she has a tough style.

Zhang Dabiao glanced at her: "Secretary Fang, right? School rules state that students can't date while on campus—so, may I ask, we dated off-campus, does that count as dating while on campus?"

Secretary Fang was taken aback. She hadn't expected this. Could the school rules really be so nitpicky?

"Let me ask you another question," Zhang Dabiao continued, "Does the school rule refer to 'during school hours'—the location of the school, or the time spent attending classes?"

"Of course, I'm referring to the time spent in school."

"That settles it then." Zhang Dabiao shrugged. "We started dating before she went to university, before she even enrolled in our school. According to school rules, things that happened before enrollment are none of your business, right?"

"You can't force us to break up just because you got into university, can you?"

"Slay your sweetheart as your first step after getting into university? Breaking up after just getting into college? That's not in the school rules, is it?"

Secretary Fang choked, her mind not immediately processing what had happened.

Counselor Liu frowned: "You can't say that. Now that she's enrolled, she should abide by the school rules—"

"She followed the rules," Zhang Dabiao interrupted him. "She kept her distance from all the male students at school, and I've never even entered your school gates. I stood outside the school waiting for her to come out. Is that considered breaking school rules?"

"Mu Wanqing came to university to learn knowledge, not to become a nun."

These words made all the students present laugh.

Even Counselor Liu was stumped by the question—[This logic... seems to make sense?]

She was starting to have some doubts.

The old man next to him—the department head, surnamed Zhou, with gray hair and wearing reading glasses—had been silent until now, when he spoke up: "Young man, you're quite the talker."

Zhang Dabiao could tell that this person was in charge and wasn't overly aggressive, so he smiled and explained, "Teacher, I'm not talking, I'm just being reasonable."

"I understand that college students are not allowed to date during their studies. This is to allow students to focus on their studies, cherish learning resources, and better serve the country after graduation."

"But you can't force someone to break up with you just because you got into university, can you?"

"Some students are already married (those recommended for admission by workers, peasants, and soldiers), and some may even have children."

"You can't force someone to abandon their wife and children just because they want to go to university, can you?"

"Wouldn't that make them like Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife)? Are you sure students like that will serve their country after graduation? Which organization would dare hire them?"

This is an art academy, and everyone here studies music, so everyone is familiar with the story of "The Execution of Chen Shimei." Zhang Dabiao's explanation, combined with the school rules, does make a slight connection.

If you get into university and become a talented person, you will most likely become a government official or a skilled worker, with a bright future ahead of you.

Then he dumped his ex...

That's a bit unreasonable.

This logic is impeccable, and no one can refute it.

If you try to argue against it, it means you don't understand fundamental issues of right and wrong.

Director Zhou nodded, then looked at Zhao Weiguo and the others: "And you? Tell me, why did you take action?"

Zhao Weiguo stammered, "We...we thought he was a thug..."

"You thought?" Director Zhou raised his voice. "Seventeen or eighteen of you, without even figuring things out, rushed out to beat someone up? Is this what college students do?"

Zhao Weiguo lowered his head.

Embarrassing...

"And seventeen or eighteen of you can't beat one of them?"

The duty room was completely silent.

That's even more embarrassing...

Old Zhou spoke up at this point: "Alright, the matter has been clarified. It was a misunderstanding."

He looked at Zhao Weiguo and said, "You started this, so you're in the wrong. You'll have to pay for your own medical expenses."

Then he looked at Zhang Dabiao: "You went a bit too far. Apologizing isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Zhang Dabiao thought for a moment, then walked up to the students who were most seriously injured, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Everyone, I'm sorry, I didn't hold back. I'll pay for their medical expenses."

The students looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.

Counselor Liu sighed, "Alright, everyone go back now. As for Mu Wanqing's relationship... the department will look into it later."

The fight could be considered a misunderstanding; unless there were serious injuries or disabilities, it's not a big deal.

Besides, they were too embarrassed to pursue the matter since they lost.

It's shameful that 17 college students couldn't beat a single vocational school graduate.

I later found out that she was a first-year art student at a vocational high school, and not a sports student...

Even more damn shameless...

However, Mu Wanqing's relationship clearly violated school rules.

No matter how Zhang Dabiao tries to argue, now that the problem has been exposed, the department must come up with a solution, otherwise the students will have objections.

Why is Mu Wanqing given special treatment?

Therefore, Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing could only wait and see what the department would say.

------------

It was already dark when I left the school.

Mu Wanqing sat in the back seat of the car, keeping her head down and not saying a word.

When they reached the entrance of Nanluoguxiang, she suddenly tugged at Zhang Dabiao's sleeve, and Zhang Dabiao immediately braked and stopped the car.

"Da Biao".

Zhang Dabiao turned around.

Under the moonlight, Mu Wanqing's face was as pale as paper, her eyes brimming with tears, which she desperately held back from falling.

"Did I... cause you trouble?"

Zhang Dabiao was taken aback: "What are you saying?"

"They're right," Mu Wanqing said, her voice trembling. "I'm a source of trouble. Wherever I go, I bring trouble."

"Will this be reported to your school?"

Mu Wanqing's worries were not about her reputation or her studies.

What if Zhang Dabiao, who finally got into a vocational school through a special recommendation program, gets implicated because of his relationship?

Zhang Dabiao thought for a moment: "At our school... I can skip classes anytime, and the school is even begging me to do the purchasing."

"Dating is such a trivial matter—"

"As long as I don't talk about it at our own school, they won't bother with it."

Of course! — You Beijing Art Academy are in charge of our Beijing Arts and Crafts School students dating?

Is it any of your business?