“I must ask Director Gu not to interfere in Zhugao High School’s administrative and educational affairs.”
Cold, heartless, and unyielding.
Gu Lingyi let every single word linger on her tongue, savoring the bitter taste.
Each word from Jiang Yanqing was like a small blade, gently scraping against her heart.
At first, it didn’t seem to hurt.
After all, Jiang Yanqing was simply speaking from the school’s perspective, warning her not to meddle in its management. Unlike the parents and the other teachers, she hadn’t resorted to mindless insults or character assassination.
Yet, as those words settled over the room, the parents grew increasingly arrogant, and the teachers began to exude a smug confidence, emboldened by the support of their school board member. Slowly, the faint, painless scratches on Gu Lingyi’s heart began to bleed.
Jiang Yanqing’s move, in truth, was merely to protect her staff, the students, and their families.
Gu Lingyi was twenty-eight…no longer a child. She wasn’t about to pout just because someone defended their own professional interests in a workplace setting.
She was simply overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness at how fundamentally opposed their positions were, separated by a chasm too wide to cross.
Pressing the tip of her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she maintained a polite, faint smile. But deep in her eyes, unnoticed by anyone, a quiet shade of loneliness flickered to life.
The second-floor conference room offered a bird’s-eye view of the entire campus. As the bell rang to signal the end of class, the academic zone bustled with life. Energetic students flooded the walkways, teachers carried themselves with refined warmth, and an atmosphere of peaceful harmony enveloped the grounds.
By contrast, the air inside the main conference room on the second floor of the Zhuzheng Building plummeted straight to freezing point.
“As a corporate representative, I feel obliged to remind everyone present that a significant portion of the taxes paid by Chiyin Group over the last eight years has been allocated to education…specifically to the secondary education sector.”
Gu Lingyi tapped her knuckles lightly against the tabletop. The rhythmic sound echoed like a heavy hammer striking everyone’s minds.
“As a representative of that taxpayer, I am now questioning whether Zhugao High, while utilizing the tax dollars Chiyin provides, is actually fulfilling its duty to educate these students as you all claim.”
Zhugao High was not a purely private institution; it operated under a joint public-private partnership.
Gu Lingyi’s statement was indisputable. Every year, the Capital Secretariat published a detailed report on tax revenue allocations, making every incoming payment and outgoing expense a matter of verifiable public record.
The vast majority of Chiyin Group’s corporate taxes flowed directly into secondary education, and when the capital disbursed school funds, Zhugao High was almost always at the top of the priority list.
That was an undeniable fact.
Even the Secretary to the President could not stop Gu Lingyi, in her capacity as a corporate representative, from raising a completely lawful and reasonable inquiry.
They had brought her here to demand compensation from Chiyin. Now, Gu Lingyi had completely flipped the script, using her status as a major taxpayer to press them into a corner.
The male student’s parent scoffed. “Director Gu, isn’t this circus of yours the real reason Zhugao’s teachers can’t do their jobs?”
“Is that so?”
Gu Lingyi offered a faint, dismissive smile as she leaned back lazily into her soft chair. Yet the aura radiating from her turned razor-sharp.
“It seems none of you have bothered to explain to the taxpayer what actually happened here. Instead, you opened your mouths only to make absurd demands right off the bat. Tell me…is this how Zhugao’s teachers, along with these supposedly ‘rigorously vetted and exemplary’ parents, set an example for the only two students in this room?”
As she spoke, her gaze locked onto the boy. Everyone’s eyes naturally followed her line of sight, and as a result, no one noticed how Director Jiang…usually aloof and completely expressionless…imperceptibly pursed her lips.
It was an extremely subtle movement, one even Jiang Yanqing herself barely registered.
Under the bright lights of the conference room, those expertly groomed, pink lips caught a delicate matte sheen. Sensing something, Gu Lingyi was just about to turn her head toward her when several grade-level teachers began chiming in, piecing the entire narrative together bit by bit.
Their account matched the information Yan Ke had given her earlier, but with far more granular detail…down to when the product was brought onto campus, where and when it was used, how long it was operated, and even… on whom it was used.
A object encased in a plain black box was unceremoniously dropped right in front of Gu Lingyi. Her eyelids twitched slightly. Picking up the box, she shook it gently, listening closely to the sound inside as her eyes darkened.
With a cold expression, she cut off the teacher’s rambling summary and made a direct demand: “I need to speak with the two students alone. I will only consent to camera monitoring with the microphone turned off.”
“Gu Lingyi!” Secretary Jian slammed her hand onto the table. The deafening thud sent a shudder through the hearts of everyone in the room…except Gu Lingyi and Jiang Yanqing.
Still, as a major taxpayer representative, Gu Lingyi was legally entitled to speak directly with students regarding their experiences with school funding and resource utilization.
Of course, everyone knew that if Gu Lingyi demanded to speak with the students now, tax dollars were the last thing she intended to discuss.
Even so, they had no ground to stand on. Reluctantly, the parents and teachers filed out of the room, though not before repeatedly urging Director Jiang to stay behind and keep a close eye on this arrogantly defiant taxpayer.
Soon, only Gu Lingyi, Jiang Yanqing, and the two students remained in the spacious room.
Gu Lingyi turned the box away from the camera and slid the lid open toward the two teenagers. But before she could open it fully, a slender, fair hand reached out and pushed it back down.
A smooth wrist draped in a silk shirt sleeve blocked her path, stopping the cover from lifting any further.
“Director Gu, this goes against procedure.”
Director Jiang, who had radiated a soft, comfortable domestic air just this morning, now wore a frostily distant face. Her tone left no room for argument.
Gu Lingyi glided her gaze over her nonchalantly. “And why is that?”
Jiang Yanqing’s expression turned even colder. “Why pretend you don’t know, Director Gu? Bringing contraband onto campus is already a violation of school rules. Even as a prominent taxpayer, you cannot display such items right before students’ eyes and subject them to inappropriate influences.”
Gu Lingyi let out a soft, cool laugh. Right under the shocked gazes of the two students, she shook off Jiang Yanqing’s restraining hand right through her silk sleeve, and flipped the box wide open.
Perhaps out of a sense of shame, Zhugao High had placed Chiyin’s product inside an outer black case. Within it sat the official Chiyin packaging, and inside that was the primary storage box. Once the final latch clicked open, the product was fully exposed to everyone in the room.
At the sight of the item, the boy and girl flushed bright red. The boy’s expression, in particular, turned intensely complex.
Gu Lingyi narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “A moment ago, the grade teacher stated that while this product was discovered in Student Jian’s dormitory, it was actually brought into the school by Student Bu through illicit channels. Is that correct?”
Jian Yan and Bu Sheng looked simultaneously toward the Director. Seeing Jiang Yanqing offer a brief, barely visible nod of permission, they finally gave a hesitant nod of their own, stammering out, “Y-yes…”
Gu Lingyi lifted the inner storage case and cradled it in her palm.
Lying inside was a double-ended dildo, specifically designed to offer women a completely hands-free experience.
Unlike standard market models, Chiyin’s proprietary design could dynamically adjust its size and shape in real-time based on body temperature, muscular contraction strength, and depth. It featured smart-recognition technology to identify primary pressure angles, preventing unwanted slipping or misalignment. Its flexible, ergonomic curve seamlessly adapted to any posture…delivering a truly effortless experience.
“Director Gu, you are crossing a line! Zhugao High is a sanctuary of learning…it is not a place for your shameless shenanigans—”
A furious, ice-cold voice burst out beside her. The item in her hands was suddenly snatched away and shoved aggressively back into the black case.
Gu Lingyi’s face darkened instantly as she cut her off without hesitation:
“Director Jiang, if you can’t even bother to investigate the basic facts of an incident, you had better hand in your resignation as soon as possible.”
The very two people who had sat peacefully across the same table sharing breakfast just hours ago had now dropped all pretenses. The atmosphere in the room instantly seized up, taut as a bowstring stretched to its absolute breaking point.