Chapter 56: Who Will Be Annihilated

Jiang Xiwen and Zhu Wen walked out of the office together. Zhu Wen sneered a few times and said, “Little rascal, don’t get smug. Once I figure out why the principal acted this way, you’ll pay for it.”

“Who’ll pay is still uncertain.” Jiang Xiwen smiled. “Teacher Zhu, let me tell you, in our eyes you’ve always been a big bully. Unfortunately, your skills aren’t quite up to snuff. Today I’ll see you defeated. What can you do to me?”

“You!” Zhu Wen raised her hand as if to strike again.

Jiang Xiwen gave a cold laugh. “What, planning to hit me again?” At that moment, Jiang Xiwen’s stature wasn’t tall, but he easily intimidated Zhu Wen. Though slender, he carried far more presence than the aging woman before him.

Zhu Wen, seeing Jiang Xiwen ready to fight, froze in place, unable to utter a word. After a moment, she let her hand fall limply, gritted her teeth, and turned away.

As they passed Tan Fishhead’s office, the old fellow hurried out, asking Jiang Xiwen if anything was wrong and offering his help. Jiang Xiwen briefly explained the situation, and Tan Fishhead’s eyes flickered in understanding. Anyone who studied history could easily guess Zhang Ya’s family background. At this school, grab any random student and their father might be a minor official—that saying wasn’t just empty talk.

“Xiwen, Teacher Zhu likely won’t let this go,” Tan Fishhead cautioned.

“I understand, old Tan, don’t worry. She’s a fool, nothing more…”

“Have you considered that hitting a teacher can be a big deal?”

“Have you thought that hitting a student can be an even bigger deal? She struck first.”

Tan Fishhead paused, then chuckled. “Few students are as meticulous as you.”

“Few teachers understand students’ hearts as well as you,” Jiang Xiwen replied.

“Ha! Good lad, off you go.”

“Old man, I’m heading out…”

“Wait, keep me updated…” As he finished saying this, Tan Fishhead saw Jiang Xiwen’s pace suddenly quicken, and in the blink of an eye, he was down the stairs.

At the same time, in the principal’s office.

Fang Sixiang steadied himself, adopting a probing tone: “Principal Li, well, what do you think…” Not knowing the reason for the principal’s change of attitude, he dared not guess. The most important skill for a director of instruction was, of course, counseling, and the fundamental requirement for that was the ability to observe and interpret. This, Fang Sixiang understood and had learned—reading between the lines.

“Director Fang…” Li Changtian took a sip of tea, stood up, patted Fang Sixiang’s shoulder, and sighed, shaking his head. “How can a dignified director not even investigate a student’s background?”

“What background?” Fang Sixiang was momentarily stunned, then said, “Could it be Jiang Xiwen’s father? That can’t be—I’ve checked his records…”

Li Changtian continued shaking his head. “Ah, you, you. Who is our superior? Do I need to spell it out?” With that, Li Changtian opened the door and left his office.

“Jiang Xiwen? Jiang!?” Fang Sixiang was baffled. He paced back and forth, suddenly recalling something, and immediately strode out, returning to his office and snatching up the phone to dial urgently. When the call ended, Fang Sixiang sank heavily into his chair, a drop of sweat the size of a bean trickling down.

Bang! The office door was pushed open. Zhu Wen stormed in, full of fury. She was mindful of the building’s poor soundproofing, so she didn’t unleash her shrillest voice. “Fang Sixiang, explain this to me. I’ve been married to you for years, never suffered such humiliation.”

Looking at his fierce wife, Fang Sixiang felt his heart grow colder. He should never have listened to his father and married this woman. He said nothing, drinking a glass of water to calm himself.

“Fang Sixiang, you dare ignore me…” After hours of simmering anger, Zhu Wen finally found someone to vent on. She raised her hand to strike her husband.

“Stop!” For the first time, Fang Sixiang shouted at his wife, then quickly lowered his voice. “How many times have I told you, don’t make trouble with students! Of all people, you hit the deputy mayor’s daughter! Now even if you wanted to apologize, it’s too late. Forget about expelling Jiang Xiwen—if I don’t get demoted, I’ll be lucky!”

“What? Deputy mayor’s daughter?” Zhu Wen didn’t react for a moment, stunned. Her intelligence had always been below her husband’s; unless he spelled it out, she could never figure things out.

“Zhang Yong, Zhang Ya!” Fang Sixiang said irritably.

“Oh… what do we do?” Zhu Wen was dumbfounded. “What should we do…”

“Stop nagging, you’re driving me crazy. Just go back to your office and see how Zhang Ya reacts tomorrow. Zhang Yong’s daughter is in Class Four of ninth grade, and apparently only Li Changtian knew. That means he didn’t want anyone else to know. Zhang Ya has never mentioned it in three years—shows she’s good at keeping secrets. Maybe she won’t even tell Zhang Yong about this.”

Zhu Wen gave a vague response and left the director’s office in a daze. Just outside, she turned back, “Should we tell the principal?”

“Go on, go on, I’m not notifying you. Don’t do anything, act like nothing happened!” Fang Sixiang waved impatiently. This wife of his, apart from causing trouble, was good for nothing.

Leaving the office building, Jiang Xiwen didn’t return to class but headed straight for the computer lab. Skipping class whenever possible—that had been his motto ever since he was reborn.