When Qiao Lanshu woke up in the morning, her entire lower back ached.
She hadn't felt this way in a long time.
Ever since the children had grown older, and Qin Yuanzheng was no longer young, and because both of them were busy with work, he had exercised a lot more restraint and wasn’t as rough with her as he had been in their younger days.
But last night, something must have gotten into Qin Yuanzheng. He’d set his mind on making her recognize his abilities.
As if she didn’t already know exactly what he was capable of!
She’d begged for mercy for half the night, but it was useless. He’d tossed and turned her around and “taught her a lesson” three or four times.
At the start, they’d agreed that a gentleman uses words, not fists, but he couldn’t keep that promise at all. Before the battle had even officially begun, he was already laying into her with a thorough thrashing.
Qiao Lanshu didn’t dare say another word about it, afraid that the more she complained, the more worked up he would get.
Even now, she still felt sore. She didn’t dare sit down. She quickly stood up, her face grimacing. Looks like she’d be spending the whole day on her feet. The pain had mostly faded, but it was still deeply uncomfortable.
And the more she thought about it, the more she hated that Wang Lanying.
This was all her fault!
If it hadn’t been for her writing that completely baseless letter of accusation, claiming Qiao Lanshu had improper relationships with men, she wouldn’t have been punished and tormented like this by Qin Yuanzheng.
Qiao Lanshu changed her clothes, pinning up her glossy black hair with a hairpin. Today, she was going to find Wang Lanying and settle the score properly!
Qin Yuanzheng had already finished breakfast with the children, and they were all dressed and ready.
When Qiao Lanshu came out, Xiaxia said, “Mommy, you’re late getting up today. Hurry up and eat breakfast, or we’ll be late.”
Qiao Lanshu gave Qin Yuanzheng a resentful glance. He was standing to the side in his military uniform, a sly smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Qiao Lanshu glared at him, walked over to sit next to Xiaxia, and lowered herself down with extreme caution.
There was still a dull, numbing ache, both front and back.
Xiaxia and An’an were both very considerate children. The siblings kept piling food onto her plate, urging her to eat quickly so they could leave.
Qiao Lanshu grabbed Xiaxia’s left hand to take a look. The swelling and redness had completely faded. Now it looked rosy and fair, and her hand had already healed.
Xiaxia smiled and said, “Mommy, my hand hasn’t hurt for a long time.”
Qiao Lanshu nodded. “That’s good.”
She had come home late last night, and Xiaxia’s hand was nearly better. She knew that teachers sometimes hit students’ palms with a ruler. She’d had it done to her when she was a child, too.
So she wasn’t particularly angry that Xiaxia had been punished that way. What bothered her was something else. She thought Teacher Qian’s punishment was unfair. The one who deserved to be hit should have been Li Taohua, not Xiaxia.
But that business with Li Taohua was already resolved, so there was no need to bring it up again. As for Teacher Qian hitting the children, Qiao Lanshu was thinking about whether she should talk to her, at the very least to make sure she never laid a hand on Xiaxia again.
Either way, she still needed to quickly arrange for Xiaxia to skip a grade.
Qiao Lanshu ate a few bites. Qin Yuanzheng swiftly cleared the dishes and then led them out the door, saying, “Let’s go. We’ll take you to school today.”
Xiaxia and An’an were usually dropped off by Qiao Lanshu, or by the guard if she was too busy.
Qin Yuanzheng rarely took them, so today the siblings were both delighted.
In the car, Qiao Lanshu told Qin Yuanzheng about the plan to let Xiaxia skip a grade. He nodded and said, “Xiaxia loves to study, and her grades are good. Skipping a grade shouldn’t be a problem. But Xiaxia, what do you think?”
Before Xiaxia could speak, An’an cut in. “This is a good thing, Xiaxia! Then you’ll be in my class, and I’d like to see who still dares to bully you!”
Xiaxia thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think so too. I don’t like Teacher Qian, and I don’t like Li Taohua.”
She had no idea whether Li Taohua would be moved to a different class, but she was pretty sure Teacher Qian wouldn’t be transferred. Teacher Qian was the homeroom teacher and Chinese teacher for the first graders. No matter which class Xiaxia switched to, she wouldn’t be able to avoid her.
But Teacher Qian didn't teach any third-grade classes. So if she skipped a grade, she wouldn’t have to take Teacher Qian’s lessons anymore. Just thinking about it made Xiaxia happy.
She turned to Qin Yuanzheng and said, “Daddy, I want to do what Mommy says. I want to skip a grade.”
Qin Yuanzheng nodded as he drove. “Alright then. Daddy will arrange it.”
He first dropped the two younger children off at their elementary school and then drove Qiao Lanshu to the high school across the street.
On the way, with the children out of earshot, Qin Yuanzheng asked, “Still sore?”
As he spoke, he reached over and pressed down on Qiao Lanshu’s lower back.
Without any hesitation, Qiao Lanshu smacked his arm and said, “You can’t hit me anymore. I still have to teach.”
Qin Yuanzheng was unflappable. “Fine. I’ll just wait until summer or winter break to punish you, then.”
Qiao Lanshu: “...”
Furious, Qiao Lanshu smacked him again.
Ever since they’d had children, Qin Yuanzheng hadn’t gotten to flirt and fool around with his wife like this in a long time.
Last night had been very satisfying for him, which was why he was in such a good mood today.
He pulled the car over in front of the high school gates, leaned over, grabbed Qiao Lanshu by the waist, and planted a firm kiss on her cheek, whispering, “Why are you so angry? Weren’t you enjoying it quite a bit last night?”
Qiao Lanshu blushed and pushed him away. “We’re at the school gate. Mind your image.”
Qin Yuanzheng withdrew his hand. “Yes, ma’am, Teacher Qiao.”
Qiao Lanshu: “...”
Just as Qiao Lanshu was about to get out of the car, Qin Yuanzheng added, “Don’t you worry about Xiaxia. I’ve already sent the guard to the school to talk to the teacher. You don’t need to go over there yourself. And as for the accusation letter, I’m heading to the Education Bureau right now to sort it out for you. You just go and focus on your job.”
Qin Yuanzheng felt that his wife was still too gentle and kind-hearted. She was far too easygoing.
Talking to those teachers wouldn’t do any good. They weren’t afraid of her.
These kinds of matters required him to step in.
Qiao Lanshu nodded when she heard him speak this way. She gave him a playfully cross glance. “Yes, sir, Chief Qin.”
This man, when he was being serious, was truly reliable.
It was just that when he was fooling around, he was impossible to handle.
...
The Principal's Office.
Teacher Qian knocked and entered, and immediately saw several people sitting in the inner office.
The principal and all the department heads were present. There was also a guard.
Teacher Qian was a bit confused. She walked in and asked, “Principal, you wanted to see me?”
The principal nodded. “Xiao Qian, come in. It’s nothing very serious today. A student’s parent has come to school to ask you a few questions about their child.”
Teacher Qian scanned the office. Aside from the school leaders, there was only one stranger.
That guard, who was wearing a police-style uniform.
But this guard looked very young, even younger than she was. Was he supposed to be a parent?
Hesitantly, Teacher Qian stepped inside and nodded. “Alright. Which student’s parent? What do you want to ask about?”
The guard stood up, greeted Teacher Qian politely, and then said, “Teacher Qian, I am the bodyguard assigned to Chief Qin. The Chief is very busy and couldn’t get away, so he asked me to come in his stead.”
The word “Chief” made Teacher Qian’s heart tighten. A military officer of that high a rank actually had a child in her class?
How had she never known this before?
Teacher Qian was extremely stunned. Before she could even ask, the guard spoke again, quite politely:
"Our chief’s child, named Qin Qiaoxia, has apparently been behaving poorly these past few days and even had her palm struck during class. Our chief just wanted to ask—has the child been inattentive in class? Or has she had a conflict with other students? Once we clarify the situation, we can better cooperate with the teacher in educating the child back home."
Teacher Qian: "..."
Teacher Qian’s face changed color. She stared at the guard in shock and asked, "What did you say? Who are you talking about?"
...
The guard had been sent by Qin Yuanzheng. Though he claimed it was merely to inquire about the child’s performance at school, only Teacher Qian knew the truth: the chief was giving her a veiled warning.
She realized that he must have seen the marks on his daughter’s palm and was displeased, but he couldn’t come to the school himself to question her.
That’s why he deliberately sent a guard instead.
Thinking this over, Teacher Qian finally understood why Teacher Qiao Lanshu could be so arrogant, not even fearing the Education Bureau.
With a husband who was a commander in the military district, what did Qiao Lanshu have to be afraid of?
After the guard left, the principal and the dean kept Teacher Qian for a while, offering some gentle advice. The principal said, "Teacher Qian, in the future, try to avoid striking the children. As educators, we should be patient with them."
The dean added, "Yes, look at this situation—it’s gotten to the point where the chief sent someone to ask questions. Though he didn’t say it outright, he’s clearly unhappy, or he wouldn’t have dispatched his personal guard. After you go back, reflect on this. Don’t be too harsh on the children."
Though the leaders spoke tactfully, without directly criticizing her, Teacher Qian knew they were already dissatisfied with her.
After all, having a guard come to the school to question a teacher was unheard of, and the principal was far from pleased.
Teacher Qian’s expression was awkward. She nodded and said, "I understand, Principal."
Once she stepped out of the office, her face was grim.
She had already offended Qiao Lanshu, and Qin Qiaoxia didn’t like her either. Even if she tried to be kind to Qin Qiaoxia now, what good would it do?
Moreover, because of this incident, the principal and the dean had taken issue with her.
From now on, she could forget about any evaluation-related honors. She might not even be fit to remain a homeroom teacher.
...
Meanwhile, over at the Education Bureau, the atmosphere was even more awkward.
Qin Yuanzheng had come in person to testify on behalf of his wife, to clear her name of the accusations.
And as it happened, Han Wenlin, the director of the Public Security Bureau, had also arrived early.
So, while the Education Bureau’s director and section chiefs were cordially meeting with Han Wenlin, a report came in less than ten minutes later that Qin Yuanzheng, the commander of the military sub-district, had also arrived.
Upon hearing this, the municipal Education Bureau director, Wu, jumped to his feet and asked his secretary, "Why is a military district chief here? Has a spy infiltrated our bureau?"
Han Wenlin, hearing that Qin Yuanzheng had arrived, immediately understood the situation.
He chuckled and said, "Chief Qin is here for the same reason I am—regarding the accusations against Teacher Qiao. This whole mess has nearly doomed me; I’ve been wrongly labeled a third party, meddling in our Chief Qin’s marriage. I suspect Chief Qin will haul me back to the troops for an interrogation."
These words stunned everyone in the room.
Director Wu exclaimed in shock, "What? Are you saying the female teacher accused this time is Chief Qin’s family member?"
Han Wenlin nodded. "Exactly. Even I’m scared enough to come here and vouch for her. What do you think?"
He was exaggerating a bit. He hadn’t come because he was afraid of Qin Yuanzheng.
Rather, he simply didn’t want a good comrade like Qiao Lanshu to be slandered and have her reputation ruined.
Besides, his own filial son had given him an earful all night, berating him for being useless as a bureau director, lacking authority, and being manipulated by others.
It had made his head buzz, keeping him awake all night.
He was utterly exhausted.
The Education Bureau’s directors, deputy directors, and section chiefs all turned their gazes toward one person.
Director Wu, his face dark, stared at that person and said coldly, "Deputy Section Chief Li, you submitted the accusation letter, and you arranged the investigation. Think about how you’re going to explain yourself."
By then, Deputy Section Chief Li had turned pale and was at a loss for words.
The accusation letter had been brought in by his wife, Wang Lanying.
At the time, Wang Lanying had sworn the matter was true and urged him to dispatch investigators immediately.
He had always obeyed his wife without question. Besides, she had filed accusations against others before. Even if the accusations were baseless, as long as the Education Bureau’s investigators delayed the results, the accused party would remain under suspicion, delaying or canceling their evaluations or selections.
But this time, he had stepped on a landmine.
This Qiao Lanshu turned out to be someone with serious backing—not just the provincial bureau director Han Wenlin, who came to vouch for her, but even the military district commander showing up in person.
Now, he was in deep trouble.
Deputy Section Chief Li’s face was ashen. Before he could figure out what to do, Qin Yuanzheng, accompanied by a few guards, followed the Education Bureau’s secretary into the room.
Qin Yuanzheng was quite easygoing. He said, "Why is everyone standing? Let’s all sit down and talk."
They carefully seated themselves, and a few people began discussing the matter, revolving around the accusation letter.
Of course, by this point, everyone knew Teacher Qiao was clearly innocent. This was undoubtedly a planned and malicious defamation.
The Education Bureau officials were deeply embarrassed. Since they hadn’t verified the facts before deciding on the matter and sending investigators, it was a lapse in their work.
So Director Wu apologized to both Qin Yuanzheng and Han Wenlin.
Qin Yuanzheng didn’t respond directly. Instead, he suddenly asked, "Director Wu, in this case of malicious defamation, have you found the accuser? Have you properly investigated their motives?"
Director Wu: "Uh, well, not yet..."
Qin Yuanzheng frowned and said, "A malicious accusation slandering a military family member—my family member—while also dragging in the Public Security Bureau director. I have good reason to suspect that the accuser might have some hidden, ill intentions."
Everyone’s heart skipped a beat. Director Wu said nervously, "This... could there really be a spy in our bureau?"
Everyone: "..."
Deputy Section Chief Li was terrified. If he were labeled a spy, his entire family would be finished.
He suddenly stood up and explained, "No, no, Director, this was my mistake. I received the accusation letter and didn’t verify it carefully. It was an oversight on my part. I’m willing to accept punishment."
