Teacher Fang, sweating profusely, held out a fountain pen to Liu Yaozu. “Yaozu, look— is this your pen?”
They had found it!
All eyes immediately fell on the pen.
Zhao Xiulan recognized it instantly. “Yes, that’s the pen your father brought back. Teacher Fang, where did you find it? Was it in Pei Leyan’s backpack?”
Meeting everyone’s gaze, Teacher Fang shook her head.
“This pen was found under the windowsill. Yaozu probably dropped it accidentally while putting it away, and it rolled into a corner, which is why it wasn’t found earlier.”
Zhao Xiulan choked on her words but still tried to hold her ground. “How can you be sure it was my Yaozu who dropped it? I was going to say Pei Leyan, feeling guilty, might have thrown it there on purpose!”
Just as Teacher Fang was about to scold Zhao Xiulan, Zhong Qing stepped forward. Her voice was clear but not sharp.
“Liu Yaozu, do you remember where you last put your pen?”
Even Zhao Xiulan flinched under Zhong Qing’s gaze, let alone little Yaozu.
Liu Yaozu stammered, “I… I think I put it on my desk.”
Zhong Qing nodded. “Based on the classroom layout, your seat is closer to the window. Accidentally dropping it there is normal. And if someone had really stolen it, why would they throw it away? Even if they wanted to, there are many places to discard it—it wouldn’t just be left in the classroom.”
That made sense.
Turning slightly toward Zhao Xiulan with a faint smile, Zhong Qing said, “I may be from Shanghai, and Xiao An is half Shanghai too, but if he wanted something, I’d never say no. As for this pen of yours…”
She was trying to act polite for once, but she had mastered the art of being exasperating.
“This pen, made of hard rubber in a torpedo shape, uses an outdated ink system and is no longer produced. It might only appear in second-hand markets. Zhao Sao, traveling to Shanghai isn’t easy for your family—don’t tell me someone fooled you?”
Her tone was subtly sarcastic.
Before Zhao Xiulan could respond, Liu Yaozu exploded.
“What?! Dad said he’d buy me the best pen from Shanghai! I don’t want this one!”
His mother had said that Pei Leyan’s mother came from Shanghai—so how could this not be true?
Crying and yelling, Liu Yaozu threw the recovered pen onto the floor.
Zhao Xiulan, unable to argue with Zhong Qing, hurriedly picked it up, scolding, “You wasteful child! Do you think this pen is cheap?!”
Seeing Zhao Xiulan poised to hit him, Teacher Fang rushed over to intervene.
Zhong Qing, however, said, “You can educate your child anytime, but before that, you must apologize to Xiao An.”
Her words froze both Zhao Xiulan and Liu Yaozu in place.
Apologize?
How humiliating!
Zhao Xiulan protested loudly, “It’s just a misunderstanding! No need to make such a big deal! Teacher Fang, now that the pen issue is settled, shouldn’t you talk to Zhong Qing about the school fees? The school isn’t obliged to let their family keep delaying, is it? That’s unfair to the other parents!”
“The school fee issue will be handled by me and Teacher Fang personally,” Pei Yanshen’s voice came from outside the door. “But before that, apologize to Xiao An.”
Zhao Xiulan was speechless, her face turning pale. “Is this really necessary? Did the whole family have to come here for such a small thing?”
No sooner had she spoken than another figure entered, looking grim:
“Zhao Xiulan! Look at what you’ve taught your child!”
Zhao Xiulan, who had been full of confidence moments ago, immediately wilted.
After scolding Zhao Xiulan, Liu Yi turned to Zhong Qing. “Sister-in-law, I apologize. Yanshen already told me what happened yesterday. We planned to visit today to apologize anyway, and I didn’t expect this to happen again…”
He then shot a glare at Zhao Xiulan.
Zhong Qing was somewhat surprised. She had asked Pei Yanshen to resolve the matter but hadn’t expected him to act so quickly.
Instinctively, Zhong Qing glanced at Pei Yanshen.
He avoided her gaze and said, “I indeed misunderstood you yesterday.”
The controversy about selling the child had started because of him.
He wouldn’t deny his mistakes.
Zhao Xiulan snapped her head up, shouting, “Apologize? Why should I apologize? Liu Yi, don’t act like the good guy here!”
“You even agreed to introduce Yajing to Captain Pei. Weren’t you eager for her to become a stepmother so you could climb onto Captain Pei’s good side?”
“Now Zhong Qing is back, Yajing has been suspended, and things fell through, and you want to dump all the blame on me? That’s not fair!”
Liu Yi’s face turned red as he hurriedly interrupted: “Zhao Xiulan! Stop talking nonsense!”
“Talking nonsense?” Zhao Xiulan pointed at him. “Now you care about your reputation?”
“I spend every day taking care of the in-laws and the kids, and you, with no skills, are this age and still behind Captain Pei, who lives in a proper apartment while our whole family is crammed into a communal unit!”
“Now everything depends on me to build connections. Why should I apologize?!”
Seeing the argument escalate, Zhong Qing’s eyes flicked.
She could tell this was going to get loud.
She hadn’t forgotten to cover Pei Leyan’s eyes and ears—after all, anything said in such fights could be harmful for a child.
Zhao Xiulan and Liu Yi argued fiercely, while Liu Yaozu continued wailing.
Seeing no one paying attention to him, he screamed, “My pen! Dad, you promised the best pen from Shanghai! You lied! I want my pen!”
Both Zhao Xiulan and Liu Yi were furious, and with Liu Yaozu’s cries added in, the office turned into complete chaos.
Teacher Fang ran around trying to stop one person after another.
Pei Yanshen frowned but noticed Zhong Qing had already moved Pei Leyan to a corner, where he watched the commotion wide-eyed.
Xiao An, through Zhong Qing’s hands, peeked out eagerly.
Pei Yanshen suppressed a smirk and stepped forward. “This is happening at school.”
Only then did Liu Yi and Zhao Xiulan calm down slightly.
But Liu Yaozu, still upset from the mixed shouting and scolding, continued crying uncontrollably.
After watching enough, Zhong Qing reminded them: “We’re here today because of Xiao An and Yaozu.”
Mentioning it seemed only to make Liu Yi angrier.
Reluctantly, Liu Yaozu apologized.
“Is that it?” Zhong Qing raised an eyebrow. “I can barely hear it. Say it again.”