Because they had other things to do, the four ate quickly and then hurried to the director’s office.
Since the director’s office was next to Zhang Wen’s office, the four knocked on Zhang Wen’s door first. There was no response. They exchanged glances, about to leave, when the door to the director’s office next door opened.
Zhang Wen poked his head out. “Hey, you’re here, come in.”
The four walked over. Li Shuo and his group were all inside, along with Director Chen and Zhang Wen, and a woman dressed in a flashy, expensive-looking outfit.
The woman glanced at them dismissively and continued talking to Director Chen.
The director, Chen Zhicheng, was of average height, slightly thin, and usually gentle. However, when dealing with disciplinary matters, he was very strict.
“You’re here.” Director Chen looked at the four with a kind smile.
“Director Chen, my son made a mistake, and you can punish him however you want, but this demerit… look, this really has a bad impact on the child.” The wealthy woman was still trying to defend her troublesome son.
“Mrs. Li, the country has its laws, and the school has its rules. If you make a mistake, you have to bear the consequences. And we’ve already been lenient. Given Li Shuo’s past behavior, this time it should be more than just an apology, a written self-criticism, and a demerit.”
Director Chen’s tone was gentle, but his stance was firm: “And you also know, especially during this crucial period when the children are preparing for exams and their nerves are on edge, Li Shuo has repeatedly disturbed and affected his classmates. This decision is the result of careful consideration by the school.”
Director Chen actually wanted to say that if they hadn’t donated a sum of money to the school, Li Shuo would have been expelled long ago, and he wouldn’t still be here.
Mrs. Li, seeing that reasoning was futile, snorted, grabbed her expensive designer bag, and stormed off. As she passed Li Shuo, she pinched his arm and said, “I’ll deal with you when we get home,” before slamming the door.
Shen Mu could see how hard Mrs. Li had pinched him; Li Shuo’s face instantly paled.
Director Chen looked at Li Shuo and his group. “Now that Jin Yixiu and the others are here, apologize to them.”
Li Shuo’s followers turned pale and apologized to Jin Yixiu and the others: “Sorry.” They even bowed.
Despite their lack of enthusiasm, their apology seemed sincere enough.
“It’s okay.” The four didn’t want to dwell on the matter.
Li Shuo, however, just stared at them, saying nothing.
“Li Shuo, hurry up!” Zhang Wen urged.
Li Shuo’s eyes were dark, staring at them, his fists clenched, veins bulging.
After a long while, under the urging of Zhang Wen and Director Chen, he squeezed out three words.
“Sor—ry.”
Each word was gritted through his teeth.
Zhang Wen frowned: “Li Shuo, is that supposed to be an apology? Are you angry? Do it again.”
Shen Mu felt it was pointless. Li Shuo clearly didn’t want to sincerely apologize, so even if he feigned sincerity, it was meaningless. He glanced at Jin Yixiu and the others, then raised an eyebrow at Li Shuo, silently asking their opinion. Seeing them shake their heads, he turned to Zhang Wen and Director Chen.
“Teacher Zhang, Director Chen, let’s just forget it. Since Li Shuo has apologized, we accept it. After all, they’ve also been punished.” Shen Mu spoke; they didn’t want to waste any more time on this. The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.
Seeing Zhang Wen frown and about to say something, Xi Xiangyang also spoke: “Yes, Teacher Zhang, we don’t really care about these things. Since he apologized and has been punished, let’s just drop it. We’re also in a hurry to get back to class.”
Seeing this, Zhang Wen didn’t say anything more.
He looked at Li Shuo. “Since they’ve forgiven you, let’s put this apology behind us. Li Shuo, go back and reflect on your actions, do you hear me?”
“…Understood.”
“In that case, you can go back now and focus on your studies.” Director Chen said.
“Yes, goodbye Teacher Zhang, goodbye Director Chen.”
After leaving the office, Li Shuo walked towards Shen Mu. Jin Yixiu, seeing this, stepped forward, placing Shen Mu slightly behind him to his right.
“Hmph,” Li Shuo glanced at Jin Yixiu and said, “Don’t get cocky, this isn’t over. Just you wait.” With that, Li Shuo and his group left.
“Actually, I think Li Shuo is a pitiful, pathetic, and hateful character. He probably hasn’t experienced what it’s like to be truly cared for,” Fei Xinglan said, turning to Shen Mu with a sigh.
“My family used to interact with Li Shuo’s. Let’s just say, they only recognize value and don’t truly acknowledge their child. If Li Shuo isn’t doing well, they either beat or scold him. I also heard—” Xi Xiangyang, seeing Fei Xinglan’s gossipy expression, leaned in and whispered, “—that they’ve always wanted a second child, but haven’t been able to have one. Otherwise, Li Shuo would be even worse off than he is now.”
Regardless of what happened with Li Shuo, these weren’t things they needed to worry about.
For them, this incident was a minor episode. They all understood their main objective now.
“Let’s go, let’s get back to class.”
As they parted, Shen Mu turned to Jin Yixiu and smiled: “See you after school.”
“Mm, pay attention in class.” Jin Yixiu raised his right hand slightly, hesitated, then lowered it.
“Yes, yes, yes, received, Teacher Jin. I’ll definitely study hard and not let you down.”
Xi Xiangyang watched their interaction with wide eyes, then turned to Fei Xinglan.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Fei Xinglan felt a shiver down his spine, turning to look at Xi Xiangyang with a puzzled expression.
……
Xi Xiangyang asked, still holding onto a sliver of hope: “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
Fei Xinglan was stunned for a few seconds. What was wrong with Xi Xiangyang now?
“Forget it, forget it.” Xi Xiangyang pouted, looking aggrieved, while Fei Xinglan remained bewildered. Shen Mu pulled Fei Xinglan away.
Jin Yixiu, seeing Xi Xiangyang’s dejected appearance, walked over and patted his shoulder: “Everyone’s personality is different. As for Fei Xinglan, until he realizes his own feelings, he might just keep waiting.”
“Of course,” Jin Yixiu’s mood was good, his eyes curving into a smile, “this is just my personal opinion. Whether it’s accurate or not, I don’t know. After all…you also need to take the initiative. You can’t just expect the beauty to fall into your arms.”
…This wasn’t the Jin Yixiu he knew!
“That’s it, our friendship is over. Rejecting you, three seconds, right now.” Xi Xiangyang felt a stab of pain.
Jin Yixiu spread his hands, shrugged, and continued walking, maintaining his aloof and noble demeanor.
“Hey, you…” Xi Xiangyang hurried after him.
During the afternoon classes, Shen Mu was distracted. Thinking about the mission made him anxious. Despite trying to block those thoughts and focus on the lesson, Fei Xinglan noticed.
“Ah Mu, what’s wrong?” During break time, Fei Xinglan leaned closer, observing Shen Mu. “You seem distracted throughout the entire class.”
“Nothing, just a little sleepy.” Shen Mu casually brushed it off.
Fei Xinglan actually bought it. “Really? I’m feeling sleepy too. Just thinking that today is Friday makes me feel a bit more energetic, hehe.”
Shen Mu was feeling quite irritated now. He greeted Fei Xinglan and pretended to sleep on his desk.
He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Being given a second chance at life without having to do anything was unrealistic. Having a mutually beneficial relationship with the system was fine, but he hated this feeling of being controlled and restricted.
Shen Mu turned his head towards the wall in frustration.
In the distance, Li Shuo quietly looked at Shen Mu. The boy’s black hair was smooth, his teeth white. His usually bright eyes now held a hazy frustration, his brows slightly furrowed. He looked both (well-behaved/cute) and pitiful, making one want to smooth out his furrowed brows. Who made this beautiful little angel so upset? Anger surged within him.
But… Li Shuo clenched his fists. Even if he went over, Shen Mu wouldn’t welcome him.
He had realized his feelings for Shen Mu long ago, but he could always sense Shen Mu’s unintentional distance. He understood, deep down, that Shen Mu wouldn’t look at him. How could a radiant young master like Shen Mu ever look at a poor student like him? But just being able to watch Shen Mu from afar was enough for him.
He had watched Shen Mu pursue Luo Yuan, feeling jealous. Firstly, he felt that Shen Mu didn’t actually like Luo Yuan. Even if they were together, Luo Yuan couldn’t hold onto Shen Mu. He and that Liang Feng were always ambiguously close. As a fellow man, he could see Luo Yuan’s intentions. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, but Shen Mu wasn’t as foolish as he thought.
He had woken up, no longer infatuated with Luo Yuan. But before he could do anything, Shen Mu had a new target. This time, it was Jin Yixiu.
Unlike Luo Yuan, Jin Yixiu gave him a strong sense of danger and threat. In Shen Mu’s eyes, he saw a hidden yet bold affection for Jin Yixiu. It was genuine liking. He felt jealous and envious, but powerless.
He watched as Shen Mu and Jin Yixiu became closer day by day, their smiles bright, but he could only watch. Most importantly, he could sense that Jin Yixiu definitely liked Shen Mu. His intuition told him that Jin Yixiu definitely had feelings for Shen Mu. This was terrible. If Jin Yixiu confessed, Shen Mu would definitely agree immediately.
He felt he had to do something. Although he previously thought that just watching Shen Mu from afar was enough, it was only self-consolation. He couldn’t bear to see Shen Mu with someone else. He couldn’t tolerate it.
Yesterday, he had taken the opportunity to taunt Jin Yixiu, and as expected, Shen Mu got angry. He was angry for Jin Yixiu, he cared about Jin Yixiu. Shen Mu’s eyes held disgust for him. Shen Mu…the little prince in his heart, was looking at him with the same disgust he would reserve for trash.
A surge of anger rose within him. Why? Why could Jin Yixiu so easily obtain Shen Mu’s affection, while he didn’t even have the courage to confess his feelings? From childhood, no one had cared for him, and he loathed himself, but Shen Mu would. He was so kind, so gentle, so amicable to everyone. But because of Jin Yixiu, because of that man, his little prince now loathed him.