Chapter Thirty-One: A Tricycle Worth Several Million

[Page 1 of 3]

“What justice are you talking about? It was such a minor matter, yet you had to make a scene and let everyone know. What will people think of Shigao High School?”

“Get down here at once. I’m willing to let go of the dirty accusations you’ve hurled at me. Isn’t that enough?”

His tone sounded helpless and conciliatory, but in truth he was turning the blame back on Jiang Changyuan.

Pictures of himself being treated to meals were displayed on the large screen, while recordings of him belittling and mocking students played in full three-dimensional surround sound.

Yan Chang wanted these irrefutable pieces of evidence to become proof that Jiang Changyuan had slandered him!

“Whether it’s slander or the truth, you know that perfectly well!”

Jiang Changyuan withdrew his mocking gaze and turned toward Principal Pei, whose expression had darkened.

“Principal, I’m reporting Yan Chang for accepting bribes, as well as verbally humiliating and belittling students!”

The crowd erupted. Since the school had been founded, no student had ever openly reported a teacher—let alone his own homeroom teacher.

Photograph after photograph flashed across the screen, while the broadcast continued replaying Yan Chang’s vicious insults toward Gu Qing, Jiang Changyuan, and the others. It was impossible not to harbor doubts.

“You claim I accepted bribes based on a few photographs. Who knows whether you edited them yourself?”

“As your homeroom teacher, I admit I may have been somewhat strict with you, but how could you use such despicable means to frame me?”

Below the stage, Zhou Caiyi and Teacher Li exchanged a knowing glance before quickly looking away, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.

They had known Yan Chang for quite some time and considered themselves familiar with his character.

They would not yet draw a conclusion about the photographs and recordings, but could he really say those words without feeling guilty?

Even so, Jiang Changyuan could have approached the principal in private. That would have caused far less disruption than making a scene in the auditorium.

Regardless of whether the matter was true or false, disciplinary action was now unavoidable.

“Are you going to claim the recording was edited by me too?”

“Because you were certain that none of the students in Class One would testify for me.”

Under Jiang Changyuan’s mocking gaze, a strange unease rose in Yan Chang’s heart.

Had a look from that young brat actually made him panic?

How was that possible?

“The photographs may be fake. Why couldn’t the recording be fake as well?”

“Bullshit! You’ve been insulting Young Master Jiang all along. The others may not dare testify, but we do!”

The chubby boy burst out of the projection room backstage and began cursing Yan Chang furiously, pointing straight at his nose.

As though they had received a signal, dozens of his followers began shouting one after another.

“You’ve got plenty of filth on your own hands, yet you still dare accuse others? Who doesn’t know that you only fawn over students from wealthy families?”

“Do you enjoy being treated to meals by parents every day? As a teacher entrusted with educating the next generation, you’ve disgraced every teacher at Shigao High School!”

“President Gu is such an excellent student, yet you keep calling him an orphan. What, do you not have a father or mother yourself...?”

The followers piled on, each shouting over the others, and the atmosphere grew extraordinarily heated.

Thanks to Jiang Changyuan tutoring them, even their arguments were now eloquent and well reasoned.

Bang!

[Page 1 of 3]

[Page 2 of 3]

Principal Pei abruptly slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury.

“That’s enough!”

“What kind of disgraceful behavior is this?”

Yet no one paid him any attention. The boys continued arguing as loudly as before.

Only when Jiang Changyuan raised a hand and pressed it downward did dozens of people instantly fall silent.

Director Lu’s mouth twitched violently. Good heavens—an outsider might have thought Jiang Changyuan was the principal.

“Principal, we only wanted justice. As for these photographs, consider them a gift from me to the school.”

“A gift?”

Principal Pei nearly spat blood. So making a scene in the auditorium was actually doing the school a favor?

How had he never realized that this troublemaker was so skilled with words?

“Turn off the multimedia equipment first.”

The chubby boy curled his lip, took out his phone, and switched off the Bluetooth. The large screen went completely dark.

Principal Pei took several deep breaths before managing not to lose his temper on the spot.

“I will investigate this matter thoroughly, but you should not have caused such a disturbance in the auditorium.”

“You, Yan Chang—you’re coming with me to the office.”

With an angry sweep of his sleeve, Principal Pei shot Director Lu a look and left with a grim expression.

Director Lu let out a sigh.

“You’ve made a much bigger mess than usual this time. Call your parents. No matter what, you must have them come to the school.”

“We’re going with Young Master Jiang.”

At that, Director Lu glared irritably at the chubby boy.

“You brats, settle down. It’s not even certain whether Jiang Changyuan will be allowed to remain at school. Do you really want to be expelled along with him?”

“Being expelled is fine, but that old dog Yan must apologize to the entire school!”

The Jiang family had already reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with the Lu family. The chubby boy was now Jiang Changyuan’s number-one follower, going wherever he went and refusing to leave him under any circumstances.

“You... Ah, we’ll deal with that after this matter is over.”

“Call your parents immediately. You can’t handle this on your own today.”

Director Lu gave him one last warning before hurrying toward the principal’s office.

“What should we do, Young Master Jiang? Should I call my father and pretend to be your parent?”

“I’m not being expelled. Why would I be afraid of having my parents called this time?”

Jiang Changyuan rolled his eyes and dialed Jiang Zhengguo.

If he had merely caused trouble, he would certainly have called Zhong Qing. But since he was here to restore his reputation, his real father was the right choice.

At Jiang Industrial, Jiang Zhengguo took a sip of the tea his wife had brewed for him. He was smiling as he prepared to praise it when the telephone suddenly rang.

“That’s our son calling.”

[Page 2 of 3]

[Page 3 of 3]

“Answer it quickly and ask what he wants.”

Zhong Qing urged him on, her beautiful eyes filled with amusement.

Jiang Zhengguo answered the call with a delighted smile. His son had helped the company tremendously without even realizing it, and these days, everything about the boy seemed precious to him.

“You little rascal, are you calling at this hour to ask Dad to pick you up after school?”

“Dad, I’ve been bullied.”

“What?!”

Jiang Zhengguo pulled the phone away and examined it carefully. There was no mistake—it really was his son calling.

“You’re saying you’ve been bullied?”

Jiang Zhengguo was astonished, finding the idea absurd.

His son had always been the one bullying others. Hearing him say that he had been bullied was a novelty indeed.

“My homeroom teacher says I cheated on an exam and wants to expel me. Now the principal wants me to call my parents.”

“Son, you...”

Jiang Zhengguo’s expression became troubled with concern. He wanted to ask whether his son had cheated, but he was afraid of hurting the boy’s feelings.

“I didn’t cheat.”

“Good! Wait for me. Dad’s coming to stand up for you!”

Those few words made the flame in Jiang Zhengguo’s heart flare higher and higher.

Although his son had said only two brief sentences, the experienced businessman immediately read much more into them.

The exam had taken place two days ago, yet the homeroom teacher was still making an issue of the alleged cheating. Didn’t that mean he had been deliberately giving his son trouble all this time?

“How dare anyone bully my son! They must have a death wish!”

“Dear, calm down. There may be some misunderstanding...”

“What misunderstanding? Our son is being mistreated at school. As his parents, are we supposed to stand by and let him suffer?”

Zhong Qing rubbed her forehead helplessly. People always said that a doting mother spoiled her son, but at least she still had some sense.

Her husband was the one blindly indulging the boy.

The couple arrived outside the principal’s office just as they heard a sarcastic voice from within.

“Why hasn’t your parent arrived yet? Did you fail to notify him, or is he stuck in traffic on a three-wheeled cart?”

At those words, the calm Jiang Zhengguo had finally regained burst into flames again. Zhong Qing’s expression likewise turned icy.

Crash!

The door was forcefully shoved open. Jiang Zhengguo stormed inside, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.

“Who said I came on a three-wheeled cart? Would you like to take a ride in my several-million-yuan tricycle?”