By the time Charlotte and Ethan arrived at the hospital, it was already late at night.
Christopher was sitting alone in the worn, dimly lit emergency corridor, bruises and dark patches covering his face.
Seeing her brother, Charlotte immediately left Ethan behind and rushed forward.
After a few quick questions and confirming that Christopher had only minor injuries and superficial cuts, Charlotte finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ethan followed closely behind. Soon, three more people arrived: a teacher and two parents.
The student who had fought with Christopher was a repeat-year senior, a year older. What had started as a mere argument somehow escalated—Christopher had grabbed something and attacked the student from behind, leaving a gash on his head.
The student was fine physically—he had received numerous stitches and was now resting with an IV—but his parents had come to discuss compensation.
"Apologize."
Charlotte pressed a hand gently on Christopher's head, urging him to apologize to the other student's parents first. But Christopher stayed silent, stubborn and unwilling.
She knew her little brother well—usually calm, gentle, and good-natured, he would never start a fight. But no matter the circumstances, the other student had suffered a serious injury, and Christopher's actions were considered an aggressive offense.
The teacher had already warned Charlotte that if Christopher failed to get the other party's forgiveness, he could receive a major demerit, which would affect his chances of getting into university next year.
Finally, Christopher lowered his head and muttered coldly, "I'm sorry."
He had actually apologized under the teacher's urging before Charlotte even arrived, but the other parents refused to accept it, hurling insults at him and his family. Christopher's fists had been clenched for a long time.
"I won't accept such a half-hearted apology!"

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