Xiang Ri couldn't help but marvel at the strange coincidence—meeting that tall, long-legged girl even during a "lecture" in the homeroom teacher's office. Wait a minute, did she just call Ms. Chen... "Mom"? Did he hear that right?
"You two know each other?" Chen Xiaofen asked curiously. Her daughter wasn't in the class she taught, so there shouldn't have been any opportunities for them to meet. Yet judging by their interaction, they seemed quite familiar.
"We've met twice," Ren Yun replied, her expression a little unnatural. Suddenly recalling something important, she continued, "Mom, by the way... is he your student?" She gestured toward Xiang Ri.
"Yes, why?" Chen Xiaofen glanced at her daughter's peculiar expression, then shifted her gaze back to the seemingly honest young man beside her.
"Well, if he's here, then he must have told you about what happened this morning, right? I was there too. That guy surnamed Ma..."
"Yun Yun!" Mrs. Chen interrupted her daughter before she could finish. "Xiao Xiang has already explained everything to me, and I understand the situation now. But look at you! What kind of behavior is this? Where's your ladylike demeanor? You're making a spectacle of yourself."
She turned to Xiang Ri and added, "Don't mind her, Xiao Xiang. Although Yun Yun can seem a bit wild at times, she has her quiet moments too. She's probably acting this way because she's concerned about a certain... issue." Her emphasis on "certain issue" was unmistakable. Given her daughter's history of rarely associating with male friends and never getting this worked up over a boy before, it wasn't surprising that Chen Xiaofen misunderstood. Especially when this particular young man was someone she personally found quite impressive—she couldn't let him be scared off.
The room descended into an awkward silence.
Xiang Ri's expression turned wry. Hadn't he seen this scene somewhere before?
Meanwhile, Ren Yun's face flushed bright red as she protested coquettishly, "Mom, what are you even saying?"
Mrs. Chen's eyes narrowed. "What? Are you talking back now just because I scolded you a little?"
"I'm not!" The high-powered manager pouted in grievance.
"That's better!" Chen Xiaofen nodded in satisfaction before her tone shifted to a more serious one. "But there's one thing I must address. That incident this morning—it happened during class time, didn't it? I'm not saying you were wrong to intervene, but you shouldn't have done it at the expense of your studies. Your education should always come first. Whatever the issue, it can be dealt with after class. Don't forget, you have weekends too..."
"Mom..." Ren Yun felt that if her mother continued, she'd need to find a hole to crawl into.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Mrs. Chen smiled knowingly, though her words still hinted at teasing. "You young people have your freedom, after all—" She was cut off mid-sentence by a deliberate cough from Xiang Ri.
Feeling a bit awkward himself, Xiang Ri decided it was time to leave. Being mistaken as someone's boyfriend in front of their mother, especially after having impure thoughts about her earlier that same day, was a bit much, even for someone as thick-skinned as him. He cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Chen, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to class. It's almost time for the next period."
Chen Xiaofen assumed he was simply shy, which seemed natural for such an earnest young man unaccustomed to her rather blunt words. Smiling, she nodded. "Alright, go ahead."
Xiang Ri hadn't taken more than a few steps before Chen Xiaofen called out, "Oh, Xiao Xiang, if you're free this weekend, why don't you come by our house? I'll have Yun Yun pick you up."
A cold sweat broke out on Xiang Ri's forehead as he hastily agreed, then quickly made his exit.
Ren Yun, too, tried to sneak away. But as soon as she opened the door, her mother stopped her. "Yun Yun, don't go yet. I need to ask you something."
With a despairing cry, Ren Yun exclaimed, "Mom, don't bother asking—I don't know anything! I'm going to class!" Before her mother could say another word, she bolted out of the office.
"That girl..." Chen Xiaofen set down her pen, which she'd been using to mark papers, and stared at the door for a while before shaking her head with a laugh.
Xiang Ri, meanwhile, didn't return to class right away. Instead, he called Chu Xiaoniu and learned that she and her group were currently having a "lunch" break. Afterward, they planned to head home to drop off their shopping spoils before coming to school.
To prevent them from hearing rumors about his "misdeeds" once they arrived, Xiang Ri decided to inform them first.
As expected, Chu Chu was furious when she heard the news. She slammed the table and declared that anyone who dared expel Xiang Ri would face her wrath. She also proceeded to rain curses on the despicable teacher, calling him a beast and far worse.
After ending the call, Xiang Ri returned to class. The other students' gazes shifted again, now filled with disbelief. How could someone who had just been harshly reprimanded by the homeroom teacher remain so composed? Those hoping for a spectacle were visibly disappointed.
Xiang Ri paid no attention to these irrelevant opinions and walked to his seat in the back.
"Boss, did the homeroom teacher clear your name?" Dashuantou was the only one who dared speak to him.
"How'd you know?" Xiang Ri replied casually. With anyone else, he might have thrown out a sarcastic retort, but he knew Dashuantou's question was just a way of offering support.
"Really?" The casual remark unexpectedly turned out to be true, leaving Garlic-Head somewhat incredulous. Yet, seeing the absence of any trace of humor on the other's face, he quickly believed it. After all, something that seemed as improbable as a sow climbing a tree to others was as effortless as eating or sleeping for this remarkable and unnervingly gifted basketball prodigy.
Meanwhile, Ma Rong lounged smugly on the sofa in the principal's office, exhaling puffs of smoke. His left arm was heavily bandaged, with a white sling linking it to his neck, presenting a rather comical appearance.
"Uncle, got another pack of those cigarettes? Let me try one."
"Easy for you to say," snapped the bald, middle-aged man seated behind a massive desk opposite him. "Do you even know what these are? These are specialty cigarettes reserved for the elite. Even the Education Bureau's director would struggle to get his hands on them. I happened upon half a pack by sheer chance and have been reluctant to smoke them, yet you've already snatched one! I'm warning you—don't touch my things without permission, or I won't spare you even for your mother's sake."
"Got it, Uncle. I won't touch your stuff again," Ma Rong muttered, his tone clearly dismissive.
"You'd better mean it. By the way, you went a bit too far today. The school isn't some place where you can expel students on a whim."
"Relax, Uncle. I've got this under control. It's just a scare tactic. I'll bet he's busy writing a self-reflection right now. Hmph, after what he did to me, just wait until I make him apologize publicly. Let's see how I humiliate him then!"
"But are you certain Song Qiuheng won't expose you?"
"She won't, Uncle. Women are easy to handle—just offer them enough benefits, and they'll willingly comply. Once she's back at school, she'll fall in line. This time, I'll make sure she's mine, and she'll have no choice but to obey me!" A sinister gleam flickered in Ma Rong's eyes.
"Song Qiuheng is quite a beauty, I'll admit." The bald man's gaze also turned lecherous, though he maintained a more restrained demeanor compared to Ma Rong.
"Oh, Uncle? Fancy a try yourself?" Ma Rong's sleazy grin widened. "There'll be a chance. Once she's ensnared, I doubt she'll escape. When the time comes, Uncle, you can..." He left the rest unsaid, but his depraved laughter painted a disgusting picture.
"Watch your filthy mouth!" The bald man scolded half-heartedly, his expression betraying no genuine disapproval.
Just then, the phone on the desk suddenly rang. He reached out to answer it immediately.
"Hello, this is Niu Desheng."
"Niu Principal, is that you? Good," came the voice on the other end, familiar yet unceremoniously lacking in deference.
Niu Desheng instantly tread carefully. "May I ask who's speaking?"
"This is Huang Qingyun."
The bald man's heart sank. It was the Education Bureau's director. He straightened up at once, his tone deferential. "Oh, Director Huang! My apologies, I didn't recognize you earlier. What can I do for you?"
"I heard your school is planning to expel a student?"
Niu's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a diplomatic tone. "I'm not entirely sure about the details, but it seems there's some truth to it. Apparently, a student assaulted a teacher. However, the school is only requiring a public apology and compensation for the medical expenses."
"Let's cut to the chase. Can the punishment be revoked?"
"Ah?" Niu froze. Sensing the displeasure in the director's voice, he quickly relented. "Of course, no problem at all. From what I've heard, the student has always been well-behaved, and it doesn't seem like something they'd do. I was just about to investigate further."
"Good. That's all I needed to hear." With a click, the call ended abruptly.
Niu sat there in stunned silence.
"Uncle, what's wrong? Who was that?" Ma Rong began, only to be interrupted by an enraged roar.
"You little bastard! Didn't you claim that kid had no connections? Do you even know who just called me? The Education Bureau's director! Do you think he'd stick his neck out for someone unrelated? Huh? You idiotic brat!"
The phone rang again, its sharp tone breaking the tense silence. Annoyed, Niu snatched the receiver, ready to unleash his frustration, but the caller's opening words froze him mid-breath.
"Hello, is this Principal Niu? This is Secretary Yang Yan, calling on behalf of Mayor Shi."
The bald man's hand trembled, barely holding onto the phone.
As the principal wrestled with an onslaught of calls from increasingly powerful figures, Xiang Ri received a call of his own—from a certain "big shot."
"Hey, darling. What's up?"
"Can't I call you without a reason?" The woman's dissatisfied voice came through, tinged with a pout.
Xiang Ri sighed. "You know that's not what I meant." Women really do enjoy being difficult sometimes, don't they?
"You should know that best. Anyway, I found you a good job since you seem so aimless all the time."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I still have classes," Xiang Ri replied, feeling a headache brewing. Was she deliberately making his life harder?
"Classes? Hah! Don't think I don't know how often you skip."
"Well, uh... I was just about to turn over a new leaf."
"Yeah, right! But it doesn't matter. The job I found for you only starts after school hours."
"At least tell me what it is," Xiang Ri asked cautiously.
She didn't answer directly, instead changing the topic. "I hear your foreign language skills are excellent?"
"Not at all. I haven't even passed the CET-4," Xiang Ri instinctively denied, sensing a trap.
"Stop playing dumb. I know you speak French fluently. Don't tell me your English is lacking."
"Honestly, I only know French."
"Oh, really? Then why does my mom say your English is as polished as a native Londoner's? Listen, no excuses. The job's set, and you're starting after school today!"
Xiang Ri sighed in defeat. "Fine, at least tell me what it is."
"A tutor!"