“Beaten up?!”
When Director Li received his son’s call, he was instantly furious.
“Alright, Little Chen, don’t worry. Tomorrow your dad will go to the university himself… What’s her name? Jiang Fuyue, right? Fine!”
Ending the call, Director Li stormed around his office, hands on his hips like an enraged, overfed toad.
“Unbelievable!”
The next morning, he marched into Ming University at dawn and found Principal Xiao Shan.
He rattled on for ten straight minutes— “…and that’s the whole story! Anyway, according to the school rules, that girl must be expelled!”
Xiao Shan smiled calmly, as though none of this surprised him. “Director Li only mentioned that your son was hit. What exactly caused the fight?”
“No matter what the reason was, hitting someone is wrong!”
Xiao Shan nodded, looking agreeable. “Indeed, whoever strikes first is in the wrong. But expulsion is no small matter, it concerns a student’s future. We can’t act rashly. We should at least find out what really happened, don’t you think, Director Li?”
A flicker passed through Li Jiahui’s eyes.
That wouldn’t do.
If Xiao Shan learned it was Li Chen who started everything, he’d never agree so easily.
“Principal Xiao is making a big fuss over nothing. It’s just expelling a student who broke the rules, why so much trouble?”
Xiao Shan’s smile disappeared. His expression hardened. “As an educator, no matter the offense, every student’s case is serious. We must investigate clearly before deciding any punishment. Expulsion cannot be based on a few angry words between you and me.”
“I don’t understand your educator nonsense,” Li Jiahui waved impatiently. “All I know is, as a board member, I have the right to intervene in school administration including expelling misbehaving students!”
“Director Li, since you put it that way, I’ll be equally blunt: without my approval, no one will lay a finger on Jiang Fuyue. Not you, not Director Liang, not Director Cheng, not Director Gu—no one.”
“Xiao Shan! What gives you that right?!”
“Because I’m the principal of Ming University, the one responsible for all its affairs.”
“Heh… You’re merely a nominal shareholder representative, what kind of principal does that make you? Acting high and mighty with borrowed authority? Don’t get too full of yourself!”
Li Jiahui wasn’t from the education world.
He’d started with a fishery business, made a fortune, and twenty years ago, when friends made big money investing in schools, he followed suit, pulling strings and calling favors until he became a shareholder of Qiming University. He had indeed earned plenty over the years.
He’d never meddled in management before: first, because with Mr. Lou overseeing things, it had been a guaranteed profit; second, because he simply didn’t understand education.
So, he seldom appeared on campus and often skipped board meetings.
If not for wanting to avenge his son this time, he wouldn’t have bothered showing up.
Yet Xiao Shan dared refuse him to his face, preaching morals and professionalism? Standing on a moral high ground to lecture him?
Ha—no way!
Xiao Shan’s gaze was steady. “You’re right, the shares aren’t mine. But my authority to give orders and make decisions as proxy is enough. I may not be Mr. Lou, but I represent him.”
Li Jiahui was momentarily silenced.
“Can’t imagine why he chose someone like you…” he muttered.
Xiao Shan heard him clearly but didn’t react in anger. “That’s something you’ll have to ask Mr. Lou.”
Li Jiahui’s mouth twitched.
That man had vanished for over twenty years, where was he supposed to find him?
Ask, my *ss.
…
Li Jiahui stormed in like a typhoon and left fuming the same way.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Director Li! What wind blew you here?” someone called from the hallway.
Li Jiahui turned. “Ah, Director Liang.”
“You look upset, what happened?”
“Nothing, just had a talk with Principal Xiao.”
“What a coincidence, I came to see him too.”
“You’ve already met?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “Our dear principal isn’t easy to deal with.”
Li Jiahui’s face darkened. “Not easy? That’s putting it mildly. The man’s utterly stubborn!”
“What made you so angry?”
“I merely asked to expel a student who broke the rules, and he lectures me about the ‘duty of educators’ and ‘moral integrity’! Do I need him to teach me?”
“What a coincidence, I came to demand the expulsion of a student too… wait, could it be the same person?”
Li Jiahui tested, “Jiang Fuyue?”
“Bingo. The very same.”
“What did she do to you?”
Director Liang’s face turned cold. “She hit my son! You know I’ve never laid a finger on that boy in my life, yet some outsider dared beat him up! How could I swallow that?! What about you, how’d she offend you?”
Li Jiahui’s mouth twitched. “…She hit my son too.”
The two fathers exchanged looks. Normally distant and polite, they now shared a sudden sense of mutual misery.
Li Jiahui: “Xiao Shan refused and was very firm about it. I underestimated him.”
Director Liang snorted. “Just a stand-in shareholder principal, nothing but a puppet. Didn’t expect him to take himself so seriously.”
“So what now? My son can’t just get beaten for nothing.”
Director Liang thought for a moment. “…Neither can mine.”
Just then, Director Gu and Director Cheng arrived.
After brief greetings, the story came out and both sides were surprised.
“Don’t tell me your sons got beaten by Jiang Fuyue too?”
Director Gu: “Weren’t your sons the ones beaten?”
Director Cheng: “We came to help pressure Xiao Shan for you.”
Li Jiahui: “…” A bit embarrassed.
Director Liang: “…” Speechless.
“Our Principal Xiao isn’t simple, he won’t budge for anyone.”
Director Cheng smiled faintly. “Then he’ll have no choice.”
“What do you mean?”
…
Ten minutes later, all four board members appeared together in the principal’s office.
Xiao Shan raised an eyebrow. “Gentlemen, did you coordinate this visit?”
Director Li didn’t mince words. “No need for pleasantries. Let’s get straight to the point. According to board regulations, if at least half the directors support a decision, we can directly intervene in school affairs. There are eight seats total, four of us agree to expel Jiang Fuyue. Even you, Principal Xiao, can’t stop it!”
Xiao Shan frowned, scanning their faces. “You’re really determined? No room for reconsideration?”
Director Li: “No need. Jiang Fuyue must be expelled!”
Director Liang: “I support him.”
Chairmen Cheng and Gu chimed in one after another.
“Very well,” Xiao Shan said evenly, giving them a long look. “Tomorrow at this time, I’ll give you a satisfactory answer.”
Only then did the four leave.
…
The next day, Li Jiahui arrived early. Liang, Cheng, and Gu soon followed.
Xiao Shan invited them into the meeting room.
“Principal Xiao, the expulsion notice is ready, yes?”
“Let’s not delay, announce it to the whole school.”
“Gentlemen, please calm down.”
Xiao Shan, dressed in a white suit, looked composed and scholarly but his words weren’t soft at all.
“I’m afraid I can’t grant your request just yet.”
Bang!
Director Li slammed the table. “What do you mean? Didn’t we make everything clear yesterday?!”
“Principal Xiao, we’ve shown you respect, don’t overstep.”
Chairmen Cheng and Gu exchanged glances, then added smoothly, “Mutual trust and respect are basic among people. As an educated man, Principal Xiao should understand that.”
Xiao Shan replied evenly, “I did agree yesterday. But the situation has changed.”
“What changed?” Li Jiahui barked. “This is already settled! The four of us demand Jiang Fuyue’s expulsion, you don’t even have to approve it. Understand, Principal Xiao?!”
“Indeed, if half the board agrees, the principal cannot veto the decision. But perhaps you’ve forgotten something.”
“What’s that?”
“The founder holds veto power.”
Li Jiahui narrowed his eyes. “What are you getting at?”
Xiao Shan handed him a document. “This is a signed authorization letter from Mr. Lou himself. He has entrusted me with full authority to investigate this fight and to handle the punishment fairly according to the findings.”
“So, until the investigation is complete, no one touches Jiang Fuyue.”
“I fully understand your fatherly concern, Chairmen Li and Liang. I’ll make sure the truth is found quickly and when it is, whoever deserves punishment will not escape it.”
His last sentence was firm and clear.
But hearing it, Li Jiahui and Liang both felt a faint pang of guilt, after all, their sons weren’t exactly innocent.
Xiao Shan looked around. “Any further questions?”
The four exchanged uneasy glances.
“No? Then that’s that. Meeting adjourned.”
He rose and left.
…
That evening, Li Chen called his father, eager to know how it went.
Li Jiahui gave a dry laugh. “Relax. Is there anything your old man can’t handle?”
Li Chen didn’t think much of it.
As a school director, expelling a student who started a fight, he even had a ready-made reason. What could be so hard about that?
“Thanks, Dad.”
“A small matter!”
Once the call ended, Liang Jingzhou hurriedly asked, “Well? Is it settled?”
“Don’t worry.” Li Chen stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze falling into the distance. “That Jiang Fuyue isn’t as hard to deal with as you think.”
“That’s good…” Liang Jingzhou nodded while rubbing his stomach.
D*mn! Still hurts like h*ll!
Gu Huaiyu came up to the window, eyes glinting. “Uncle Li really said the school agreed to expel Jiang Fuyue?”
Li Chen nodded. “He said everything went smoothly.”
Gu Huaiyu’s expression turned odd.
Could it be that he and Cheng Lian had overthought things? That Jiang Fuyue actually didn’t have some powerful background?
“What’s with that face?” Li Chen’s eyes narrowed. “You think my dad can’t get it done?”
“No… I’m just a little worried…”
“Old Gu, no offense, but you overthink things all day. Don’t you ever get tired?” Liang Jingzhou yanked a banana from the table and tossed it to him.
“Since Uncle Li’s already spoken, I won’t bother asking my dad. The old man nags nonstop, so annoying. I’m gonna take a nap. Pulled an all-nighter last night. Not going to school these next few days either, so don’t bother calling me…”
He yawned, went into his room, and slammed the door shut.
Li Chen said, “I’m not going either.”
With that, he turned and left.
In a flash, only Gu Huaiyu and Cheng Lian were left in the spacious living room.
“Old Cheng, say something, will you? At this rate, Jiang Fuyue’s definitely getting expelled. So this is what you meant by ‘having cards to play’?”
Cheng Lian took a sip of tea, found it too hot, frowned, and set it down again.
“What’s the rush? You don’t see the last card until the very end.”
Gu Huaiyu pouted. “Stop acting mysterious!”
“So are we still going to school these next few days?”
Cheng Lian replied, “Yeah.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going there to attend classes.”
“Of course. What else would I be doing?”
Gu Huaiyu: “?” D*mn, what’s going on with this guy?
Sure enough, over the next few days, Cheng Lian came to every class right on time, just like he said.
Gu Huaiyu actually thought he’d turned over a new leaf.
But then he discovered that during every class, Cheng Lian sat there playing on his phone the whole period, brazenly.
“I mean seriously… what’s the point? You could just play at home, lie down when you’re tired, isn’t that way better? Why come here to sneak around? What’s so exciting about this?”
Cheng Lian looked across most of the classroom, his gaze landing on Jiang Fuyue’s back. The girl sat upright, spine straight like a lotus stem, slender and delicate, yet not frail or timid.
He curved his lips slightly. “It’s interesting. Very interesting.”
Gu Huaiyu: “?”
…
Three days later, the investigation results came out.
At noon, the four directors were summoned to the school by Principal Xiao Shan.
Same conference room. Even the seating arrangement hadn’t changed.
Director Li: “Principal Xiao, you called us here today, does that mean the matter’s been fully investigated?”
“That’s right.” Xiao Shan nodded, resting his right hand on a folder. “Everything, cause and consequence, is all here.”
He handed it to the nearest person, Li Jiahui. “Please, take a look.”
Director Liang immediately leaned over.
Directors Gu and Cheng exchanged a glance. “No need for us to read it, right?”
Their sons hadn’t been beaten up. They were just helping out Li and Liang, doing a small favor to earn some goodwill.
No need to get too involved.
But Xiao Shan said, “Directors Gu and Cheng should read it too. After all, this concerns your sons as well.”
“What?”
The two looked doubtful, but in the end, they went over to read.
Five minutes later—
Director Li slammed the table. “So what if my son brought a bodyguard to school?! Which school rule forbids it?! Using that as a reason to say he started the fight? I don’t accept it!”
Compared to his outburst, Director Liang was a bit calmer. “My son was trying to break up the fight, and he got hit. How is that his fault? Why should he be punished?!”
Xiao Shan spoke calmly. “Page five, line seven, it’s written very clearly. Student Liang Jingzhou refused to apologize and even tried to shove Jiang Fuyue. He was then struck back.”
Director Liang’s face burned. “That’s a one-sided story! Everyone sees things from their own perspective. Who knows how this report was put together? What witnesses were interviewed? Maybe it’s all biased slander from people who don’t like my son!”
Xiao Shan replied, “You can rest easy on that, Director Liang. We have surveillance footage as proof. All recordings are in this USB drive. I’ll send them to your emails shortly. Watch them at your leisure, and call anytime if you have questions.”
Director Liang: “…”
Every argument blocked.
Nothing left to say.
Then came Directors Cheng and Gu—
“Our sons didn’t lay a hand on anyone. Why are they being punished too? Even if it’s just a public reprimand, it doesn’t make sense!”
Xiao Shan said, “The four of them acted together. Gu Huaiyu and Cheng Lian both knew Li Chen had brought bodyguards to intimidate a female student, yet they stood by and did nothing. That makes them accomplices.”
The two men were struck dumb.
The worst off was Li Chen.
Not only had he brought bodyguards to flaunt his power, but he’d also sicced them on Liu Sisi, two men against one girl. The behavior was appalling.
And on top of that, he’d hurled a basketball at Jiang Fuyue to provoke her, then kicked over a desk during class, disrupting order.
Each offense was clearly listed at the end of the report, one after another.
If Liang Jingzhou had merely “made a mistake,” then Li Chen’s behavior was downright “egregious.”
In short, every bit of trouble had started with him.
Liang Jingzhou, Gu Huaiyu, and Cheng Lian had all been dragged down by him.
And now his father, using his position as a school director, had even tried to get the girl expelled first?
Xiao Shan let out a cold laugh and looked at Li Jiahui. “So this is the ‘victim’ you spoke of? I’d really like to hear, what exactly was he a victim of?”
Li Jiahui’s face flushed with anger and humiliation.
He knew his son wasn’t innocent but he hadn’t expected him to be the instigator.
Now, even Director Liang wasn’t backing him up.
After all, his own son had been screwed over by Li Chen too. If he got expelled, he deserved it!
Indeed, the report’s final recommendation for Li Chen was expulsion.
Li Jiahui had come here wanting to get a girl kicked out, only for things to flip completely, and his own son to face expulsion instead.
Directors Cheng and Gu quietly stayed out of it.
Compared to Li Chen and Liang Jingzhou, their sons were only getting public warnings, not recorded in their files, no expulsion required. Sure, it was embarrassing, but far better than the other two.
If it didn’t concern them directly, of course they could stay detached.
But now that their own kids were implicated, that calm detachment evaporated.
With no one left to back him, Li Jiahui changed his tone instantly. A smile spread across his face. “Principal Xiao, come on now… this was a small matter to begin with. No need for it to blow up like this, right?”
Xiao Shan said nothing.
“Kids fight sometimes, it happens. Maybe they went too far, but they’re young and impulsive. Does it really warrant such harsh punishment?”
Xiao Shan gave him a steady look. “When you were demanding Jiang Fuyue’s expulsion earlier, why didn’t you say that? Now that it’s your turn, you call it unfair. Director Li, don’t you think that’s a bit hypocritical?”
“Yes, yes, I admit it. I was being hypocritical and narrow-minded! But I see my mistake now!”
The corner of Xiao Shan’s mouth twitched.
“Detention, disciplinary action, I’ll accept it all. Just please, give the boy another chance! Expulsion is no small matter. As an outstanding educator yourself, surely you don’t want to see a promising student uprooted and wither away over one mistake, right?”
The louder he’d been before, the harder the slap now.
Director Liang sighed.
Directors Cheng and Gu exchanged glances, thankfully, they hadn’t been too aggressive earlier. Being metaphorically slapped didn’t hurt nearly as much.
Ahem… at least compared to Li Jiahui, they were lucky.
Xiao Shan’s face softened slightly, though he still looked hesitant.
Li Jiahui pressed on, saying all the right things, swearing up and down he’d give his son a good beating at home.
That useless brat, always causing trouble!
Finally—
Xiao Shan sighed. “For Director Li’s sake, we’ll give him one more chance. He’ll get a major demerit, and next Monday he’ll give a formal apology before the whole school. From now on, no more skipping class or fighting. And if he fails even one subject at finals, he’s to withdraw voluntarily. Agreed?”
“Deal!” Li Jiahui agreed at once.
After the four directors left, Xiao Shan poured himself fresh tea and changed the leaves.
“Come out.”
Jiang Fuyue pushed open the partition door and came to sit across from him.
He slid the cup toward her. “Have some. Just brewed.”
“Thank you.” She took a light sip, then suddenly looked up and met his eyes.
The next second, they both smiled, sharing the unspoken amusement of having just watched a very satisfying show.
…
The next day, the four boys came back to school.
The moment they walked through the gate, they noticed people staring at them strangely.
And once they entered the classroom, the feeling intensified.
Liang Jingzhou frowned. “Why’s it so quiet today? Something happen?”
Gu Huaiyu said, “Just ask someone.”
He waved a boy over. “Hey, you, what’s going on? Why’s everyone acting so weird?”
The boy’s eyes flickered. He hesitated. “…Check the school website’s announcement board yourselves.”
Then he bolted.
“What’s on the website?” Liang Jingzhou pulled out his phone, opened it, logged in—and his eyes went wide. “Holy—!”
“Hm?”
“I—I got punished?!”
Cheng Lian lifted his gaze from his own screen and said coolly, “Not just you. All of us.”
Gu Huaiyu: “Why the h*ll am I included?!”
The three turned to look at Li Chen, their expressions a tangle of emotions.
“What?” Li Chen frowned. “It’s just punishment, it’s not like it’s the first time…”
He snatched the phone from Liang Jingzhou’s hand, still looking indifferent until his eyes skimmed over the densely packed lines of text.
His expression darkened instantly.
