15
The commotion was too sudden. The office was right next to the main classroom. Just then, several children who had been using the bathroom walked by. They must have seen something, because they were terrified and immediately burst into tears.
Wu Jiao didn’t have time to figure out what was going on. She quickly scooped up the children and carried them into the classroom, frantically trying to comfort them.
“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Big sister is here. Big sister knows Sanda. Big sister will protect you.”
“Big sister, you go help over there. I’ve got this here.”
The little girl with the pigtails, acting like a small adult, took over the task of comforting the children.
“I’ll show you a magic trick,” the little girl said, leaning close to the crying little boy. She waved her hand in front of his face. “See? You stopped crying.”
The little boy really did stop crying, standing there dumbfounded. The girl with the pigtails raised her chin at him proudly.
“Feel better now?”
Wu Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She gave the girl a thumbs-up, handed the children over to her, and quickly went to check on the situation.
In the office, the floor was a mess.
Gao Tianchi was standing in the middle of the broken glass shards. His clothes were soaked through with water, clinging tightly to his body. He stared straight ahead, his face completely devoid of any emotion.
There was a thin line of blood on Gao Tianchi’s arm, with blood dripping down.
Uncle Chen was the one who had done it.
Uncle Chen shoved him and started yelling angrily: “Haven’t I been good to you?! I give you the space to use, I give you the students to teach, I pay you your salary, and you want to tell me how much I should charge people?! Let me tell you, you can’t be so heartless!”
Wu Jiao suddenly remembered what had happened in the original plot at this point.
The old Cultural Palace had long lost much of its clientele. On top of that, due to poor management, such a large space had just been sitting there empty, causing Chen Guanghua a great deal of worry. It was Gao Tianchi who had come to him to discuss a partnership and saved him.
The students were all long-time clients he had taught for a year, ranging from children to adults, and there were a good number of them.
Gao Tianchi negotiated the rent for the space. Chen Guanghua wept with joy and assured Gao Tianchi with a pat on his chest, “Xiao Gao, let’s work together. I won’t charge you for the space, and I’ll even take good care of the students for you.”
Gao Tianchi had too many things to do; this wasn’t his only job. So, he chose to trust Chen Guanghua, handed over the operational reins, and focused solely on teaching his classes properly.
Chen Guanghua pretended to be good in the beginning. After gaining Gao Tianchi’s trust, he secretly raised the tuition fees behind his back, while still splitting the money with Gao Tianchi based on their originally agreed-upon hourly rate. He had completely transformed into the image of a big boss.
In the original plot, Mo Li came to bring Gao Tianchi his homework. On the elevator, she overheard a parent complaining about the tuition increase and told him about it. This led to Gao Tianchi not only getting beaten and injured but also losing his job.
When Gao Tianchi was at his lowest, it was Mo Li who tended to his wounds and encouraged him. From that, feelings blossomed between them.
But this time, Mo Li hadn’t shown up.
Instead, the misunderstanding with Wu Jiao signing up for the wrong class had become the trigger.
Xiao E: [Triggered transformation task – “One roar on seeing injustice, be a courageous and upright student!” Please help Pei Jiamu deal with Chen Guanghua. Morality points +5.]
Wu Jiao felt a headache coming on.
How was she supposed to deal with a man who was unreasonable and only used his fists?
“The people paying don’t have a problem with it, and you’re still complaining that I’m charging them too much? What, are you rich? Did you finally get your mom’s brain fixed? I think your brain is just as sick as hers. You should go get it checked out soon!”
No matter how many awful things Chen Guanghua had said before, Gao Tianchi had remained unmoved, steadfast in his demand for a refund. But this time, he clenched his fists and a fierce gleam appeared in his eyes.
“What? You gonna eat me? You ungrateful bastard! You’re just like your abusive father—no good! When you start a family, you’ll definitely hit your wife too. Your whole family will never have peace! This space is mine, and the students are in my hands. I’m telling you now, you can get lost!”
The more Chen Guanghua thought about it, the angrier he got. He picked up an ashtray from within reach and hurled it at Gao Tianchi—
Gao Tianchi didn’t dodge at all. But something was faster than the ashtray: Wu Jiao.
Wu Jiao felt her blood pressure and adrenaline spike together.
[Your mouth is so foul! You take advantage of someone, then bite the hand that feeds you, and on top of that, you resort to personal attacks! You deadbeat old bastard!]
Wu Jiao yanked Gao Tianchi aside, stepped forward, and slapped Chen Guanghua across the face.
“You dared to scam my mom out of money?! You think our family just picks money up off the ground?!”
Chen Guanghua was stunned by the slap. He quickly put on a smiling face. “Xiao Wu, let’s talk nicely. I’ve known your mom for so many years…”
He reached out to close the office door, afraid of being seen.
He couldn’t reconcile the quiet, pretty girl from just a moment ago with the Wu Jiao standing in front of him now. Her family was never short of money. Was this really necessary? He should have just closed the door earlier.
Gao Tianchi frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chen Guanghua’s movement. Afraid he might lay a hand on Wu Jiao, Gao Tianchi moved to protect her behind him.
But Wu Jiao was like a wildly flailing flea.
Just a moment ago, she had been as clumsy as an old woman learning the moves, but now she was full of quick-witted energy. Gao Tianchi couldn’t even get a hold of her.
In a way, Wu Jiao truly did have a certain kind of talent.
Wu Jiao thrashed about wildly, going after Chen Guanghua’s head. In no time, fingerprint marks covered his bald pate.
“You’re the shameless old fool! You really enjoy ripping off people you know, don’t you? What kind of good person are you?! I’m telling my mom about this. I’ll have her get everyone to judge you!”
Wu Jiao had figured it out: to deal with this awful old bastard, she had to be even more vicious.
[This deadbeat old bastard just dares to throw things and intimidate people. What kind of skill is that?! If it weren’t for the fact that Gao Tianchi doesn’t want to fight you, you’d have no idea where you’d be lying right now!]
Chen Guanghua fell back onto the floor, panting like an ox. “Xiao Wu, let’s talk this over nicely! I’ll refund you the difference! Just stop hitting me!”
“What good does refunding just me do?! You overcharged everyone else too! Refund all of it!”
“I will, I will, I will! I’ll refund it! Xiao Wu, please don’t tell your mom!”
“That depends on your behavior! And also, we all came here for Coach Xiao Gao. If you dare to kick him out, we’re all leaving!”
Chen Guanghua had never expected that just as he was about to make big money, Wu Jiao would show up as a stumbling block. All he could do was nod dejectedly.
[I can’t keep hitting him. If I go on any longer, this old bastard might be done for. I need to find a way to back out gracefully.]
Just as she was thinking this, a hand grabbed her.
“Wu Jiao, let’s go. Class is starting.”
Gao Tianchi led the way to class, the two of them walking one after the other.
[Oh my goodness. There’s so much blood on his arm. It looks so painful. Poor baby.]
Gao Tianchi, walking ahead, silently moved his arm in front of his body.
“Wait a second.”
Wu Jiao called out to him. “Teacher Xiao Gao, class hasn’t started yet. You should at least tend to your hand. I happen to have a medical kit with me.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine! What if you scare the children?”
Gao Tianchi stopped.
[I knew he’d only take care of it if I said it like that.]
“Wait for me outside. I’ll go get it. I’ll be quick.”
When it came to tending to someone’s wound, doing it once made the second time more familiar.
Xiao E said sourly on purpose: [Host, I haven’t even issued a task yet, and you’re already tending to his wound. What use am I, then!]
Wu Jiao felt proud. Isn’t it just that I’m used to being reformed? I can guess what the task is going to be.
Xiao E said, [But host, there really isn’t a task triggered this time. You won’t get morality points for tending to Gao Tianchi’s wound.]
Wu Jiao didn’t stop her movements. If I don’t get points, I don’t get points. A normal person would help someone who’s injured, wouldn’t they?
Actually, Wu Jiao was also a bit surprised, but she didn’t show it.
She just thought Gao Tianchi must be in pain. She felt sorry for him.
She didn’t overthink it and just went to help. But in Xiao E’s eyes…
Xiao E: [I remember that last time, with Si Xiuyuan’s bandaging, you wanted to pretend you didn’t see it.]
Wu Jiao played dumb. I thought those girls would take care of it for him. It wasn’t my turn.
Gao Tianchi watched Wu Jiao’s skilled movements in silence.
Why was she so familiar with tending wounds?
He carefully looked her over. There were no wounds on her exposed skin.
But that didn’t mean there weren’t any under her clothes.
A shadow flickered across his eyes.
Wu Jiao had no idea what Gao Tianchi was thinking, but with no one speaking, the atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
Wu Jiao took the initiative to speak. “I’m sorry about just now. I overheard your conversation. I was impulsive. I shouldn’t have hit him. If he gives you any trouble after this, tell him to come to me. I did this, and I’ll take responsibility.”
As soon as she said this, Gao Tianchi still didn’t respond. The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing.
Wu Jiao: “…”
Among the three male leads, she had known Gao Tianchi for the shortest amount of time. After becoming deskmates, they hadn’t exchanged a single word and knew nothing about each other.
Wu Jiao had originally felt most confident about handling Gao Tianchi—she could perfectly play the role of the most forgettable, ordinary classmate in his memory.
But now, her character had collapsed.
[He probably thinks I’m a meddler who just made things worse for him, right? I hit someone and acted fierce, so I must be a bad student. And on top of that, when faced with a problem, I just cried out for my mom. How embarrassing.]
“No,” Gao Tianchi spoke.
“Huh? No what?” Wu Jiao was confused.
The girl in front of him tilted her head back to look at him.
Her eyes were beautiful, like those of some expensive, prized pet cat. They were hard to look away from.
In those eyes, so beautiful they seemed unreal, he could see his own reflection. Through her eyes, he didn’t look ferocious or disheveled at all. He just looked like an ordinary student who had been wronged and needed help.
Anyone, probably, couldn’t help but want to fall into those eyes.
“Nothing. You don’t need to apologize,” Gao Tianchi lowered his gaze. “If you encounter something like this in the future, don’t use your fists. Stay as far away as possible.”
He didn’t want her to get hurt.
“…Okay.”
Wu Jiao felt a bit dejected.
So, he really did end up hating her!
…
After Wu Jiao got home, she immediately called Wu Zihui and told her about what had happened.
“Mom, I just couldn’t stand watching that old bastard bully someone. I borrowed your name and used it.”
After hearing the whole story, Wu Zihui was very pleased. “My daughter is so smart! That’s exactly what you should have done! Chen Guanghua is truly an ungrateful person. Leave this to mommy. You just focus on studying, sweetie! Oh, and about that handsome young coach… if his family is having difficulties, we’ll help him! He’s such a good kid. What a shame. Before I had you, I wanted to give you an older brother to protect you. If only he could be our godson—”
“Okay, Mom! Don’t tell anyone about this. I need to go study. Talk later.”
To make sure Wu Zihui was on her side, Wu Jiao also told her some information she had learned from the original plot.
She knew why Gao Tianchi was always absent from school, but she didn’t want anyone else to know.
Wu Zihui was a shrewd and capable woman. With a few phone calls, the matter was resolved.
The portion of tuition that Chen Guanghua had overcharged was all refunded. Not only that, but his other business dealings were also investigated, revealing that he had been skimming a lot of money off the top.
Several of his other ventures fell through, but Gao Tianchi, in a twist of fate, had seen his true colors because of the incident.
Many people came to bring Gao Tianchi food and fruit, thanking him in person.
“I was just saying, I’ve been with Teacher Xiao Gao for two years, so why the sudden huge price increase? I was planning to quit after this. So that’s what was going on!”
“If Sister Wu hadn’t told me, I would have been kept in the dark. Teacher Xiao Gao, don’t refund the extra tuition. Why don’t you move to Cultural Plaza? Our kid really likes you and even wants to bring friends to learn from you.”
…
Wu Jiao’s busy life now had Sanda training added to it. When she got home at night, if she was tired from studying, she would practice the basic skills and moves.
Two weeks quickly passed. The senior year monthly exams ended, and the results came out.
At No. 1 High School, the overall score ranking list was posted first, followed by the individual subject scores.
Quite a few students were crowded around the ranking list posted on the teaching building wall.
“Si Xiuyuan is first in grade again. He’s a true all-around warrior!”
“Whoa, second in grade is Mo Li! Both she and Si Xiuyuan are in Class 7!”
“Funny. Class 7 produces both the top students and the bottom of the barrel.”
Wu Jiao stood to the side, listening. Her heart was pounding with anxiety, and she hesitated to go forward and look at her results.
The bottom of the barrel in Class 7… that was probably referring to her.
She had finished the entire exam this time, but there were a few options in the English cloze test she didn’t understand, so she guessed randomly. She didn’t know if her Chinese composition essay had strayed off-topic. Math she felt somewhat confident about, but she was always very careless. If she did poorly, she would really be letting Si Xiuyuan down…
The more Wu Jiao thought about it, the more she felt doomed.
She was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice a person standing on the second floor across the way, holding a full-English social science book. But his attention wasn’t on the book; it was fixed intently on her.
Hearing her anxious inner thoughts, the person silently curled the corners of his lips.
A tall figure walked over and stood at the back of the crowd.
Others had to stand on tiptoe or push and shove to see, but he only needed to lift his head slightly.
Some girls noticed Pei Jiamu and said, blushing, “The international division’s results are over there. You’re in the wrong place.”
“I’m just looking around. You don’t need to give me your spot. If you can’t see, do you want me to help?”
Pei Jiamu smiled casually at the girls, and the girl who spoke started stammering.
He looked at the bottom of the overall ranking list and scanned the names column by column.
Pei Jiamu found Wu Jiao’s name near the middle-bottom of the list.
An inexplicable wave of joy rose in his chest. He couldn’t help but think, if Wu Jiao were here, her face would probably be splitting from smiling so much.
The thought of her proud, smug grin made Pei Jiamu smile involuntarily.
The next moment, Wu Jiao appeared in his field of vision.
Just by standing there, Pei Jiamu could feel how happy she was.
His heart stirred. He took large strides toward her, then stopped halfway.
He raised an eyebrow. She was smiling at the boy next to her.
What could be so funny?
He wanted to hear this.
**