Frankly, Qiao Hongye was feeling more relieved than panicked.
She had known the leader of those gangsters for years; she was certain he would never sell her out considering how well they had been getting along and how many times he had helped her.
Qiao Hongye heaved a sigh of relief.
"I am very sorry for getting you involved in this, teachers, but I still have to trouble you and the school because I can't bear to suffer any more grievances," Jing Yunzhao said solemnly as she entered the office.
"What grievances did you suffer? Looks like you've become impertinent after not being beaten for so long!" Qiao Weimin bellowed, raising his hand to hit her instinctively. This time though, Jing Yunzhao swiftly grabbed his hand before it could touch her.
She had been training herself in her secret space for the past week, mostly to absorb the medical knowledge of the Naling Jade but also to practice martial arts. While she had not really mastered everything after only one week, she had undoubtedly become stronger.
"You have the audacity to dodge? You're asking for it, you little bastard!" Qiao Weimin yelled furiously and jerked his hand back. He was about to lunge at her but a few of the male teachers quickly grabbed Qiao Weimin before he could. All of them were bitterly disappointed by Qiao Weimin's behaviour.
Jing Yunzhao might have fared better as an orphan if this was what her father was like.
"You called me a bastard, Qiao Weimin, does that mean I am not your daughter then? If I am not your daughter, who are you to tell me to quit school? Understand that me not saying it doesn't mean I don't know the truth!" Jing Yunzhao said clearly, staring at Qiao Weimin coldly.
"You might have heard that I am a child from my mother's previous marriage, teachers, but the truth is that Ye Qin was not even my real mother," said Jing Yunzhao, turning to the teachers. "Ye Qin found me as a baby when she was pregnant. She was going to ignore me, but decided to adopt me when a fortune teller told her that I could ward away evil for her children. I always wondered why my parents treated me so coldly, and understood why only after I found out the truth."
"It's undeniable that Ye Qin had raised me for more than ten years, and I am grateful for that. Sadly, she passed away recently and I mourn for her. However, while I am grateful for her, I cannot say the same for Qiao Weimin. He scolds and beats me often, and he would rather believe rumours than hear what I say. The reason he is making me quit school today is not because of what I allegedly did but because he needs someone to take care of the household chores!" Jing Yunzhao cried out unhappily.
Everyone was shocked, especially Qiao Weimin and Qiao Hongye when they realized that Jing Yunzhao had known about her past.
"Are you saying that you have no blood relation to Qiao Hongye and Qiao Zizhou?" Ms. Kim gasped.
If Jing Yunzhao really was Ye Qin's daughter, they could at least expect Qiao Weimin to take care of Jing Yunzhao for the sake of his late wife, however...
Now that the cat was out of the bag and Qiao Weimin had actually called Jing Yunzhao a 'bastard' in front of everyone, it was clear that Qiao Weimin would not treat Jing Yunzhao kindly, let alone take good care of her.
The teachers started to worry when they realized it.
They had treated Qiao Weimin nicely earlier because they thought that he was the father of their student, but now…