Chapter 122: No Longer Able to Conceal

Zhang Yong was thoroughly infuriated by his daughter. He redirected a large portion of his anger toward Jiang Xiwen, believing that if it weren't for him, his daughter would never have talked back, and that wretched photograph would never have surfaced, nor would some bastard have had the chance to use such a trivial matter to pick a fight with him.

"You!" Zhang Yong raised his hand high, intending to strike Zhang Ya across the face, but he lowered it halfway through. "Xiao Ya, someone has already taken photos of you and Jiang Xiwen. They were shown to me by someone with ulterior motives. I am a deputy mayor; even if there is nothing between you and Jiang Xiwen, what was this person’s goal in taking such pictures? Do you realize how damaging this impact is? You are the mayor’s daughter, and you must know how to conduct yourself."

"Old Zhang, why are you losing your temper at our daughter?" Qin Shu, having finished her work in the kitchen, heard the commotion in the study and pushed the door open.

"Get out!" Zhang Yong was in the heat of his rage, and Qin Shu’s interruption only fueled his fire.

Qin Shu had recently mended her relationship with her daughter, but she had never held a high opinion of Jiang Xiwen. Seeing her daughter being scolded because of him caused her own temper to flare up.

"I’ve always thought Jiang Xiwen wasn't up to much, but you wouldn't believe me. I opposed their interaction for her sake. Look at you—you didn't say a word back then, but now that it affects you, you start blaming our daughter. Is your face and your official position really that important?"

Qin Shu grew more agitated. "Zhang Yong, I feel like you’ve changed. You weren't this kind of person before. Even if we take a step back and assume they are in a puppy-love relationship, what could it possibly change? Could they really claim you are an incompetent mayor because of this?"

"Xiao Qin, Qin Shu!" Zhang Yong slammed his hand onto the desk. "Not now! Don't add to the chaos!"

"Dad, Mom, please stop arguing..." Zhang Ya was panic-stricken. As far back as she could remember, her parents had never exchanged harsh words. Whenever there was a conflict between her grandfather and her mother, her father and she would act as mediators. Now, her parents were fighting over her. She felt confused and even afraid, having no idea what to do.

Seeing his daughter’s distraught state, Zhang Yong took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Fine, I shouldn't have raised my voice, but you don't understand the situation. Qin Shu, our daughter and Jiang Xiwen have been photographed from carefully selected angles many times!" As he spoke, Zhang Yong took the photos he had received from Li Changtian out of his briefcase and threw them on the desk.

Qin Shu hurriedly picked them up and looked through them one by one. Zhang Ya leaned in, but after seeing only two or three, her pretty face turned beet red, and she immediately stepped aside, bowing her head in silence.

Qin Shu could see that these photos had been taken with malicious intent. Seeing his wife’s brow furrow tighter with each image, Zhang Yong continued, "To be honest, I believe Xiao Ya has a fondness for Jiang Xiwen, but it hasn't reached the point of a romantic relationship. However, the person who took these photos clearly has a hidden agenda. Someone capable of finding such angles would never be stupid enough to use something as simple as 'puppy love' just to cause me trouble. I suspect this person has other ways to target me. What they are, neither you nor I can guess right now. That is why I told Xiao Ya to be more careful and stop seeing him, but the more I said, the more stubborn she became, making it seem as if there really was something going on. How could I not be angry?"

Zhang Ya had never considered whether she held feelings for Jiang Xiwen beyond friendship; she simply found being with him particularly interesting and always felt an urge to see him. She did not fully understand her father’s words, only sensing that they were complicated and that being with Jiang Xiwen might have a significant impact on his work. Hearing her father’s reprimands, remembering her mother’s past teachings, and recalling the time spent with Jiang Xiwen, she felt ashamed, anxious, and aggrieved to the point of tears.

When her father finished speaking, she suddenly looked up and shouted with a choked, tearful voice, "I don't understand any of this, but I promise you, I will see less of Jiang Xiwen! But you cannot transfer him to another class!" With that, she pulled open the study door and ran out, crying.

"Zhang Yong, how could you say those things in front of our daughter? She is just a girl in her teens, her emotions are still in their infancy, and you just blurted it out like that. What do you expect her to think!" Qin Shu dropped these words, left the study, slammed the door shut, and followed Zhang Ya into her room.

Zhang Yong sat down heavily, staring into space. Only after his emotions had completely settled did he begin to think.

He had to find time to talk to Jiang Xiwen in the next couple of days. Xiao Ya had a gentle temperament; it was hard to say if she could truly let go of everything and stop all contact. He began to regret following his wife’s advice years ago to create a sheltered, princess-like environment for their daughter, avoiding contact with "bad" students. She appeared refined, but internally, she was very fragile.

Fortunately, his father had gone to Qingyang Mountain in Modu for a health retreat and had asked not to be contacted, wanting a few months of peace. Otherwise, if he found out what happened today, he would certainly scold him for the sake of his precious granddaughter.

He had indeed lost his composure today, turning such a situation into this mess, unable to even convince his own daughter. Yet, the origin of these photos was truly intriguing. With such carefully chosen angles, he wondered what his father would have done in his shoes.

That night, Zhang Yong slept in the study.

The next day at school, Zhang Ya remained dejected. She was hesitant about whether to go to Jiang Xiwen’s place during lunch. If she suddenly stopped going, would Jiang Xiwen misunderstand? Would he... miss her?

The last period was taught by "Extinction Wen" (Zhu Wen). Since the beginning of the semester, she had been reinstated. Her attitude toward students had become more restrained; she had spent the previous period suppressed, and recently, she had been lying low.

Barely into the lesson, seeing Zhang Ya’s distracted state, Extinction Wen could no longer sit still. Because Gao Jie had told her that the results of her "lying low" would be apparent within two months at the latest, she was feeling restless.

"Zhang Ya, what are you thinking about?" Extinction Wen suddenly stopped lecturing, calling Zhang Ya’s name with a sarcastic tone.

Zhang Ya was still lost in her thoughts and did not hear her. This angered Extinction Wen, though she had learned to be a bit smarter and didn't spiral into a frenzy as quickly as before. She decided that just making Zhang Ya look foolish would be enough. Although she hadn't brought down Zhang Yong yet, she no longer feared him. With Gao Jie’s guarantee, she believed her time in the spotlight was coming soon.

"Student Zhang Ya, please stand up and solve this problem." Extinction Wen pointed her pointer at a question on the chalkboard—a supplementary thinking exercise. Anyone could see that demanding an immediate answer was purely to make things difficult for her.

Zhang Ya finally snapped back to reality. Her face flushed instinctively as she stood up. "Teacher Zhu, I cannot give an answer to this problem immediately. I need some time to calculate it." After the incident where Extinction Wen was suspended, she had gained the courage to speak directly to this math teacher.

Extinction Wen was slightly stunned. She had intended to make Zhang Ya stand there awkwardly, unable to speak, but it seemed the class monitor’s personality had changed; she didn't feel ashamed for her lapse in attention.

"You were distracted just now, which is why you can't answer this," Extinction Wen continued to provoke her.

"Teacher Zhu, if I recall correctly, you haven't explained the content related to this thinking exercise yet. Have you forgotten about your suspension last time?" Ning Yan said, not standing up, but speaking directly from her seat to defend Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya heard Ning Yan, turned around, and nodded with a smile. Ning Yan winked in response.

Then she added, "Teacher, can Student Zhang Ya sit down now?"

"Teacher Zhu, Xiwen isn't here, don't think you can act recklessly again. Just teach your class properly, and maybe we'll respect you," Gong Xiang said loudly.

Once someone took the lead, a large group of students followed. Gong Xiang mentioned Jiang Xiwen—he was the hero and the beacon in their hearts.

More importantly, there was the weekly update of *The Ethereal Legend*. These things prevented them from fearing a teacher like Extinction Wen. Of course, they wouldn't provoke her for no reason because those who wanted to read the updates had to keep up with every subject. As long as Extinction Wen taught seriously, they had no time to waste on disrupting the class.

"You all..." Extinction Wen’s patience had indeed improved since the New Year, mostly because she was on the verge of seeing Zhang Yong’s downfall and realizing her own hopes. So, she suppressed her anger, told Zhang Ya to sit down, reopened her textbook, and began to teach.

Extinction Wen felt she now possessed the ability to remain unperturbed by favor or humiliation, just as her husband had described. She became more and more excited as she lectured, and even when the bell rang for the end of the day, she still felt like she hadn't finished.