C24 The Situation Became Worse

Our commotion woke up the other two roommates. They thought we were fighting, so they got out of bed and flipped on the lights. Du Le couldn't stop them in time, and that's when we saw her injuries," the girl recounted, visibly shaken.

She described seeing extensive bruises on Du Le's neck, arms, and back, which looked particularly gruesome, especially the deep discoloration around her thighs.

None of us had been through anything like this before, but we could somewhat guess what might have happened, and we were all momentarily paralyzed with shock.

Du Le burst into tears, her sobs laden with pain and despair.

Having lived together for so long, we knew each other well. It was clear to all of us that Du Le wasn't someone who took things lightly.

And by the look of her anguish, something terrible must have happened.

Had Du Le been assaulted?

With this thought, we approached her cautiously and embraced her gently, as if afraid to cause further pain.

Comforted by her friends, Du Le's emotions gradually settled, and she was no longer as distraught as before.

The dorm leader, who had been sitting in the middle, asked gently, "Du Le, what's going on? Can you tell us what happened?"

Du Le shook her head, her face etched with sorrow, "I can't say."

The girl who had been sitting to the left became anxious. "Why can't you tell us? We've been close friends for so long; there's nothing we can't talk about. Du Le, what happened to you? Please, tell us!"

Du Le shook her head again, "It's not that I don't trust you, but knowing about it could hurt you. The less people know about this, the better. I don't want to drag you into this."

"Du Le, you shouldn't think that way. Our willingness to help shows that you can trust us," the dorm leader implored with compassion.

Du Le hesitated, but it was evident that she was beginning to waver.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, one of the girls gently shook Du Le's arm and encouraged, "Du Le, don't hold back anymore. Just tell us everything."

"Yes, it was the Dean. He raped me." With just those six words, Du Le buried her head deep into the crook of her arm. The other girls were stunned, exchanging glances, at a loss for words.

Du Le recounted that from the moment she started at the school, the Dean seemed to always find ways to make physical contact with her. For instance, when she handed in student IDs on behalf of her classmates, he would take the items from her hands, often seizing the chance to brush against her fingers.

Du Le was deeply uncomfortable with these encounters. She couldn't tell if the Dean was deliberately behaving this way, or if she was reading too much into his actions, perhaps painting him in an unfairly negative light and assuming the worst of human nature.

Regardless, for her own peace of mind, Du Le made a point to avoid him, timing her visits to the administration office when she knew the Dean would be absent.

Despite her efforts to stay clear of the Dean, their paths would inevitably cross. One day, after submitting documents at the administration office, Du Le was about to leave when the Dean stopped her. He inquired if she was aware of a serious mistake her mother, Mrs. Zhang, had made at work recently.

Du Le froze, turning to face him with a look of concern. She was aware of the incident.

A few days prior, a boy from the boys' dormitory had sneaked out to an internet cafe to play games. The following morning, as he attempted to climb back into the school, the Dean caught him red-handed.

The Dean later learned that the boy had managed to slip away while Mrs. Zhang, the dormitory supervisor, had dozed off. Mrs. Zhang's lapse in attention, which allowed a student to leave unnoticed, was a grave error in her duties.

The boy, too, had broken school rules by leaving campus to play games instead of sleeping.

The consequences of the incident were severe: Mrs. Zhang faced a salary deduction, and the boy was disciplined.

Du Le was puzzled as to why the Dean was bringing this up now. She gazed at him, bewildered, waiting for him to continue.

The director approached Du Le with a smirk, halting about a meter away. With a sleazy tone, he said, "Du Le, due to Mrs. Zhang's error, this could be grounds for dismissal if we're speaking frankly."

Du Le froze, her eyes filling with unease. The director's grin widened in satisfaction; clearly, Du Le was distressed at the thought of her mother losing her job at the school.

This played right into the director's hands.

The more distressed Du Le became, the more she showed she cared, the more delighted the director was.

"Just the other day, the janitor who cleans the academic building approached me," he said. "She mentioned she had a sister who, despite being somewhat elderly, is a very capable woman, willing to take on any tough job without complaints. She inquired if there might be some sort of work for her here at our school."

He paused, then added, "That janitor has been with us for many years, and I've yet to give her an answer. Do you catch my drift?"

Du Le understood all too well. The implication was clear: Mrs. Zhang's position could easily be filled by someone else.

And if the director wished, he could replace her at any moment, particularly with Mrs. Zhang's significant work error hanging over her head, making it all the easier to justify her dismissal.

The director wouldn't have broached the subject without an ulterior motive.

After a long silence, Du Le managed to squeeze out a question through clenched teeth, "So, what is it you're expecting me to do?"

"Tonight, after evening study, claim you need extra time to study. Don't return to your dorm; instead, wait for me in the unfinished new laboratory building. If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll claim it was you who invited me, and I'll pin everything on you. You'll be expelled, and your mother, Mrs. Zhang, will be fired."

His face twisted into a vile grin, as if he could already envision Du Le overpowered and at his mercy.

Then, he nonchalantly patted Du Le's behind.

In the solitude of the political education office, with only the two of them present, the director's brazenness knew no bounds.

Du Le's fists were clenched tightly, her ten fingers digging into her palms. She fought to keep her rising anger at bay, barely managing to suppress the fury within her.

She couldn't bear to stay any longer, not with the sight of the director's vile face before her.

The old man was utterly shameless.

Without a word, Du Le turned and hurried away.

Her roommates, upon hearing this, had a sudden realization. "So, that day you said you were going to study in the classroom, it was because of this?"

He nodded in confirmation.

The roommates were outraged on Du Le's behalf. "The director dares to be so brazen, and to think he's supposed to be a role model? Disgusting! He's nothing but trash, a monster!"

Hearing their words, Du Le's heart filled with even more sorrow and pain.

The director, far from showing any remorse, only escalated his appalling behavior.

He repeatedly lured Du Le to the new, yet unfinished, school building, each time using the same threats and bribes to coerce her. He assaulted her over and over, and ultimately, he took photos of Du Le naked, using them to blackmail her into silence.

If she spoke out, the director threatened to publish the photos on the school's website, destroying both Du Le and Mrs. Zhang's reputations.

Chapter 29: The Investigation

Lin Xiangyi was shocked by the revelation and felt a surge of anger. She gently patted Du Le's roommate on the shoulder, a gesture of comfort, and reassured her, "Don't worry. We will catch that director and ensure he faces the full extent of the law."

Du Le's roommate gave a wry smile and nodded vigorously. "Ever since Du Le passed away, we've been living with immense guilt. We knew the reason behind her suicide, yet we felt powerless to speak out. We feared that by doing so, we wouldn't just fail to bring the director to justice, but we'd also endanger ourselves."

Lin Xiangyi shook her head with a gentle smile. "No, it's a natural reaction. Anyone in your position would have hesitated. You shouldn't blame yourselves. So, please, let go of the guilt."

Du Le's roommate looked at Lin Xiangyi with uncertainty. "Are you sure about what you're saying? Du Le... she really doesn't blame us?"

After a brief pause, Lin Xiangyi blinked her eyes reassuringly and said, "Absolutely. Du Le doesn't hold any grudges against you. You were in an impossible situation."

Lin Xiangyi pulled a packet of napkins from her pocket and handed it to Du Le's roommate as she spoke.

Accepting the napkins, the roommate dabbed at her tear-streaked face, appearing quite forlorn.

"Alright, now that you've given your account, let's head back quickly and inform Wangshu of your statement. They can then immediately arrest the director," Lin Xiangyi said.

Du Le's roommate nodded in agreement, and together, they left the room.

"Wangshu, I've got the confession. Du Le's roommate has spilled everything. It's the director—he's the root of all the evil," Lin Xiangyi announced, striding briskly into the conference room.

Once Lin Xiangyi came to a halt, she noticed Qiao Liang had also returned to the room. The other two roommates of Du Le were there too, heads bowed, eyes reddened with emotion.