Chapter 55: The Astute Principal

Ning Yan felt a momentary flutter of anxiety, but quickly regained her usual calm. “No, it was just a coincidence that I was passing by. I’ve never been able to stand Extinction Wen. She went too far today, so I stood up and spoke out. Who would have thought that Jiang Xiwen, who used to be so timid, would come to your defense?”

Thinking back to those years, an amused smile flickered in Ning Yan’s heart. Back then, Jiang Xiwen was no longer that cowering, weak boy, but rather a loveable fool.

“What are you talking about? We just had lunch together today, and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been late,” Zhang Ya replied instinctively. She was rarely wronged, and when something happened, her arrogance naturally resurfaced.

Zhang Ya’s words chilled Ning Yan to the core, freezing away all the troubles of the day in an instant.

So it turned out that Jiang Xiwen and Zhang Ya were the pair—a class monitor and the school’s only computer prodigy. Ning Yan, always keeping quietly to herself, with grades neither remarkable nor poor, never drawing attention. Her father’s last words before leaving home echoed in her mind, and Ning Yan felt her heart regain its calm.

“Don’t blame him too much. For someone to stand up for you like that—how many people would do the same?” Ning Yan said softly, leaving Jiang Xiwen’s desk behind.

Zhang Ya found it odd but couldn’t figure it out, her thoughts drifting back to the day she was kidnapped...

Jiang Xiwen and Extinction Wen marched toward the principal’s office. The word “marched” was apt—Jiang Xiwen thought Extinction Wen was brimming with an unstoppable aura now, like a true shrew.

“Hey, Teacher Extinction, I’ll allow you to get your superior—Director Fang. Bring him along, I’ll be waiting right here,” Jiang Xiwen said languidly.

Extinction Wen had just been wondering how to notify her husband, and Jiang Xiwen had anticipated her thoughts. Delighted, she hurried to the director’s office.

A few minutes later, Fang Sixiang, refined and scholarly in gold-rimmed glasses, appeared with the aggressive Extinction Wen before Jiang Xiwen. Without a word or expression, Fang Sixiang glanced at Jiang Xiwen and headed straight for the principal’s office.

Jiang Xiwen wasn’t worried in the least. With Zhang Ya as his trump card, what did he have to fear? Extinction Wen had dared to hit Zhang Ya, and clearly Fang Sixiang had no idea who Zhang Ya’s father was. Zhang Yong had inspected the school many times, yet even a sycophant like Fang Sixiang didn’t know that the deputy mayor’s daughter was in his wife’s class—proof of Zhang Yong’s discretion. Still, Jiang Xiwen was sure that Principal Li Changtian, as ambitious as he was, couldn’t possibly be ignorant of his students’ backgrounds.

“Director Fang, what brings you here?” Principal Li Changtian was reading the newspaper, but upon seeing Fang Sixiang, he greeted him cordially. Fang Sixiang’s patron was Liu Dashan, an influential local taxpayer who might soon join the municipal CPPCC. Li Changtian’s philosophy was to offend no one, curry favor with no one, and do his utmost to keep No. 2 High School at the top among key schools in the city.

“Oh? Teacher Zhu as well, and Student Jiang Xiwen?” Li Changtian noticed the two behind Fang Sixiang and was about to praise Jiang Xiwen, but upon seeing Zhu Wen’s sour face, he changed his tone. Zhu Wen had already complained about Jiang Xiwen before the computer competition.

Zhu Wen, what a petty woman, always quarreling with the students—how could such a character be a teacher? If not for Fang Sixiang’s sake, she would have been disciplined long ago.

Li Changtian had always dealt with Zhu Wen’s complaints perfunctorily, pushing them off whenever he could.

“Principal Li, how do you suggest we handle this? This little punk—” Zhu Wen caught Fang Sixiang’s warning glance and quickly corrected herself, “This student Jiang Xiwen was completely out of line. He slapped me in front of the whole class!”

“Oh?” Li Changtian looked at Jiang Xiwen. He doubted a student would dare strike a teacher, no matter how unruly Jiang Xiwen was.

“Yes, I hit her,” Jiang Xiwen replied nonchalantly.

Li Changtian felt a headache coming on. This student had just advanced to the provincial computer competition, surpassing even a top student from No. 1 High School—the first time No. 2 had ever beaten No. 1 in computing.

According to Qi Huanchang, Jiang Xiwen had a real shot at winning the national first prize. Li Changtian had already decided that even if Jiang Xiwen skipped the high school entrance exams, he would find a way to get him into the honors class. Why did this have to happen now?

“Principal Li, you see, he’s admitted it. So what’s it to be—expulsion, or probation? Make a decision,” Fang Sixiang interjected.

But Li Changtian was a seasoned principal and wouldn’t rush to a verdict. He asked, “What exactly happened, Jiang Xiwen? Tell me.”

“There’s no need to ask, isn’t it obvious?” Zhu Wen said anxiously.

Fang Sixiang already knew the whole story. Although Zhu Wen was somewhat at fault, he believed the principal would discipline Jiang Xiwen—a student hitting a teacher was intolerable, and as far as he knew, neither Jiang Xiwen nor Zhang Ya had any special family background.

Li Changtian waved Zhu Wen off, stopping her. He knew the class monitor, Zhang Ya, was the daughter of Deputy Mayor Zhang Yong, who oversaw education. If he made a hasty judgment and this incident involved Zhang Ya, even one chance in a thousand, he had to be cautious.

As Jiang Xiwen calmly recounted the events, Li Changtian smiled inwardly. Their computer genius was safe after all. Oh, Fang Sixiang, of all women to marry, you chose a troublemaker.

Li Changtian’s face betrayed nothing, but Jiang Xiwen noticed his clenched fist suddenly relax—a clear sign of a change in attitude. It wasn’t just Jiang Xiwen’s keen observation; he had guessed in advance that Li Changtian must know who Zhang Ya’s father was.

“Well, Principal, how will you handle it?” Fang Sixiang pressed again.

“Xiwen, there’s nothing more for you here. Go back to class and study hard. Next semester, compete in the provincial contest and aim for another great result. Teacher Zhu, you may return to your office.”

“What? Principal, what did you say…” If Fang Sixiang hadn’t restrained her, Zhu Wen might have unleashed her notorious banshee wail right there in the principal’s office.

Fang Sixiang understood the principal’s change in attitude and hurried his wife out. Zhu Wen, fuming but helpless, had no choice but to leave in frustration.