“Senior Zhang, you’ve been discussing so hard. I’ll make you a cup of coffee to wake you up,” Xu Wanqing suddenly said with a sweet smile, her voice unusually sugary.
A moment later, she returned carrying a tray.
As she reached Chu Anhe’s table, she saw Chu Anhe pointing at a line in her notes, leaning down to discuss with Zhang Muyang.
Xu Wanqing’s foot suddenly “accidentally” tripped.
“Ah!”
A startled scream.
The entire cup of scalding brown liquid traced a “perfect” parabola through the air along her hand.
“Splash—”
Landing precisely on Chu Anhe’s open notebook.
Chu Anhe instinctively withdrew her hand, but it was too late. The hot coffee instantly soaked the paper and splashed onto the back of her right hand, which hadn’t fully retracted yet. Pain surged, her skin visibly reddening and swelling.
The ink on the notebook immediately blurred, the black characters running together. The paper absorbed the liquid, discoloring and wrinkling, turning it into a ruined mess.
“Xu Wanqing! My notes!” Chu Anhe stood, her voice cold. These were the fruits of her labor, written painstakingly until three in the morning.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry!”
Xu Wanqing panicked, dropping the cup, frantically wiping at the notebook with tissues, effectively delivering the final death sentence to the notes.
“Senior Zhang! I… I didn’t do it on purpose! I just twisted my ankle! It really hurts…”
Her voice instantly cracked into sobs, her eyes red and watery, looking at Zhang Muyang as if she were the one injured.
Zhang Muyang hurried over to support her. “Are you okay? Can you still stand?”
“Senior Chu Anhe…” Xu Wanqing trembled, tears streaming down, “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean it… I’m not clumsy, I just wanted to help…”
As she cried, she stole a glance at Chu Anhe’s reddened hand, a fleeting, almost imperceptible satisfaction crossing her lips.
“Anhe!” Zhang Muyang stepped in front of Xu Wanqing. “Wanqing didn’t do it on purpose. She meant well. As the senior, be magnanimous. Don’t hold it against her.”
After all, Xu Wanqing was brought into the team by him. Seeing the girl’s pitiful panic, Zhang Muyang felt he had to calm both sides.
“Magnanimous?” Chu Anhe laughed angrily, raising her swollen hand. “Zhang Muyang, are you blind or heartless? I’m the one burned! My notes are ruined! And you want me to be magnanimous?”
“I know, these are your hard work,” Zhang Muyang waved casually. “Don’t you have a digital version? I can print another copy for you. Both of you are hurt. I can drive you to the campus hospital, okay?”
“These were handwritten! No backup!” Chu Anhe said.
“Then… we can all help you rewrite them. No need to overreact over something small. We’re a team. Don’t let personal emotions affect team harmony. You have to see the bigger picture.” Zhang Muyang put on his student council chairman persona.
Li Xiang removed his headphones. “Xu Wanqing isn’t on our team. She’s over 18, fully responsible for her actions. She made the mistake herself. Don’t drag us into it.”
Fang Wenxiu, crouched in the corner, though scared, mustered courage and handed a few wet tissues to Chu Anhe. “Senior Anhe, quickly… apply some cold compresses. It’s blistering.”
Just as Chu Anhe was about to speak, the seminar room door opened again.
Xie Jingran stood at the door. He had originally planned to use the excuse of “delivering a book” to check on a certain little heartless person.
He didn’t expect to see this scene immediately upon entering.
His little wife’s hand was red and swollen, confronting a male and female together.
“It wasn’t your burn, so of course the team leader would be magnanimous.” Xie Jingran walked to Chu Anhe’s side, gently holding her reddened hand.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, his voice soft beyond reason.
All the pent-up grievance in Chu Anhe flooded out the moment he appeared. She sniffled. “It hurts. And my notes are gone.”
“Hm.”
Xie Jingran turned, his gaze icy as it fell on trembling Xu Wanqing and Zhang Muyang.
“Teacher Xie…” Zhang Muyang felt guilty, quickly explaining, “It… it was an accident. Xu Wanqing wanted to help pour coffee and her hand slipped. We were just discussing taking Anhe and Wanqing to the campus hospital…”
“Hand slipped?”
Xie Jingran repeated the words, looking at Xu Wanqing.
Tears streamed down Xu Wanqing’s face. Sobbing, she said, “Teacher Xie, I really didn’t mean it… I don’t know how it happened… I’ll compensate Senior Chu Anhe…”
“Compensate? Good.” Xie Jingran didn’t get angry. Instead, he nodded elegantly. “Since you’ve admitted to the infringement, let’s discuss the compensation plan.”
“First, personal injury.” Xie Jingran pointed to Chu Anhe’s hand. “Burns require immediate medical attention. Medical fees, nutrition costs, and emotional damages. Lin, since you didn’t do it on purpose, there should be no objection to covering these legal costs, right?”
Xu Wanqing froze. She thought she would be scolded, but instead Xie Jingran was calculating her. Flustered, she nodded. “I… I’ll pay…”
“Good.” Xie Jingran picked up the soaked notebook, the fruit of Chu Anhe’s hard work.
“Second, property loss. This isn’t just a notebook. Chu Anhe stayed up six hours last night compiling exclusive materials, including my teaching highlights and her personal intellectual labor.”
Xie Jingran looked at Zhang Muyang. “Team Leader Zhang, based on current market rates for legal consulting, a junior lawyer earns around 500 to 800 yuan per hour. My guidance, calculated as consultation fees, is 5,000 yuan per hour. This notebook’s value is roughly over 30,000 yuan.”
“Wh… what?!” Xu Wanqing screamed, face turning pale. “It’s just a few sheets of paper! Teacher Xie, you’re extorting me!”
Zhang Muyang was also shocked. “Teacher Xie, isn’t… isn’t that calculation a bit…”
“Too much?” Xie Jingran interrupted coldly, leaning slightly forward. His professor’s authority filled the room. “Do you think this is child’s play? Saying ‘sorry’ and hoping it’s over?”
“In the adult world, every ‘accident’ has a price tag. If you can’t pay, keep your hands in check.”
Xu Wanqing trembled all over. Thirty thousand? She just wanted to teach Chu Anhe a lesson, not pay thirty thousand!
“I… I’m sorry…” Xu Wanqing cried, looking at Zhang Muyang. “Senior, help me…”
Xie Jingran didn’t give her a chance. He turned to Zhang Muyang.
“Zhang Muyang, as team leader, you allowed an unrelated person into the core preparation area, resulting in damage to core materials and injury to key members. Is this your management ability?”
Cold sweat ran down Zhang Muyang’s forehead.
“From a risk control perspective,” Xie Jingran pointed at Xu Wanqing, “this Lin student is emotionally unstable, lacks physical coordination, and has no basic logic. Keeping her in the team is only a liability.”
“Now, I request this unrelated person to leave the seminar room immediately. I also recommend the school leadership record this incident for future scholarship considerations.”
This move was a true checkmate.
As long as Zhang Muyang’s brain was functioning, he knew what to do. Offend Xie Jingran and the school leadership over a freshman? Impossible.
“Xu Wanqing…” Zhang Muyang grit his teeth, avoiding her pleading eyes. “Teacher Xie is right. This is the preparation area. You don’t belong here. Go back first.”
“Senior?!” Xu Wanqing looked at Zhang Muyang in disbelief.
“Do I need to call security?” Xie Jingran added coldly. “Or we could call the police directly.”
Seeing Xie Jingran’s face devoid of any warmth, Xu Wanqing finally felt bone-chilling fear.
This man was terrifying. He didn’t need to act, yet a few words could drive her to the brink.
She dared not stay another second, covering her face and fleeing in tears.
The room finally fell silent.
Xie Jingran turned, picking up Chu Anhe’s backpack, avoiding her injury, and gently supporting her shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?” Chu Anhe asked, dazed.
“The hospital.” Xie Jingran rolled his eyes, though his tone softened. “Once the injury report is issued, she can’t dodge a single penny of that 30,000. My person isn’t someone anyone can bully.”
Following him out, Chu Anhe quietly asked, “That notebook… really worth 30,000?”
Xie Jingran paused, lifting his head. A trace of a smile appeared in his deep eyes. “What, you want me to cash it out for you?”
Chu Anhe nodded honestly. “If it could be converted to cash, I wouldn’t mind getting burned again.”
“Shut up.” Xie Jingran glared at her, though his hands were gentler. “Your hands are for holding championship trophies in the future… don’t ruin them over a little money.”
System: Host’s move is in the stratosphere! IQ crushes are deadly! Female lead admiration +10! This is the high-quality domineering CEO we want!
Xie Jingran sneered inwardly.
This was just the beginning.
Anyone who dared burn his wife’s hand Xu Wanqing, and the clueless Zhang Muyang he would settle the score with them slowly.
In academia and the legal world, Xie Jingran could make trouble for anyone at will.
But for now, the most important thing was to take care of his little money-lover’s injury first.
Chu Anhe was carefully supported by Xie Jingran, looking at his handsome profile, her lips curling slightly.
Even though her hand hurt… Teacher Xie protecting her like this was really handsome.