Yu Xiaxing merely glanced at him, let out a soft snort through her nose, and walked straight past him.
The smile on Principal Wang’s face instantly froze. He stood awkwardly where he was, watching Yu Xiaxing’s tall, aloof back disappear around the stairwell. A surge of fury suddenly flared inside him.
“How dare she! She has absolutely no manners!”
“Even if you have some ability, even if you’ve suffered a little grievance, does that give you the right to look down on everyone?!”
“I’m the principal! I’m your elder! What poor upbringing! How could the Yu family have raised someone like—”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Whatever sympathy he had felt on Friday vanished without a trace!
As expected, a leopard never changes its spots!
Yu Xiaxing was still that willful, reckless little demon who didn’t understand hierarchy or respect!
—
Yu Xiaxing reached the floor where her office was located. A senior-year homeroom teacher quietly approached her and said nervously, “Director Yu, I need to report something to you…”
Yu Xiaxing looked at her. “What is it?”
The teacher said, “That Zheng Wenhao—the one who was smoking cigars—came over first thing this morning. He seemed extremely unstable and was saying some strange things in class. I happened to overhear him while passing by.”
Yu Xiaxing asked, “What strange things?”
The teacher replied, “He said that handing in his self-criticism on Friday was only because he was forced to, and that the matter wasn’t over yet. He also said that you, Director Yu, had set him up and that sooner or later he’d make you pay. He seemed very unwilling to accept what happened. He might even cause trouble.”
A glimmer of interest flashed through Yu Xiaxing’s eyes.
What a good boy!
She warmly welcomed the idea of a good boy like this coming to cause trouble!
Yu Xiaxing nodded. “All right, I understand. Don’t take it too much to heart.”
Yu Xiaxing entered her office.
The homeroom teacher watched her with admiration. There was a calmness radiating from Yu Xiaxing from the inside out, as if everything was under her control. She possessed the irresistible presence of a woman in a position of power.
She was certain Director Yu would have a way to deal with this!
—
After closing the door, Yu Xiaxing immediately gave Lu Yanzhao an assignment.
“Are all those cigarettes collected last week still here?”
Lu Yanzhao replied, “Yes. They’re all sealed and stored in the Student Affairs Office.”
Yu Xiaxing said, “After the flag-raising ceremony this morning, we’ll hold a cigarette-destruction ceremony. When the time comes, choose a few student representatives…”
Yu Xiaxing gave him a list of names.
—
Before long, the flag-raising ceremony began on schedule.
All the teachers and students stood in formation across the broad sports field as the flag slowly rose in the morning breeze.
After the ceremony ended, the director walked to the front of the rostrum and took the microphone.
“Students, last week our school carried out a serious campaign to eliminate smoking on campus. The results were remarkable!”
“The vast majority of students have recognized the dangers of smoking, reflected deeply on their actions, and submitted sincere letters of self-criticism.”
“Even the law gives you a chance to reform. How could the school deny you the same opportunity?”
“As long as you change your ways, the school will not expel you!”
Below the stage, many of the students who had written self-criticisms the previous week lowered their heads, their expressions varied.
Some looked ashamed, some indignant, some numb, while others appeared both servile and defiant.
Zheng Wenhao stood at the very back of his class’s formation, his head hanging low.
He felt as though everyone’s gaze were needles stabbing into his back—especially the boys who used to hang around with him but were now as quiet as frightened chickens.
How humiliating! This was way too humiliating!
They were definitely laughing at him behind his back.
“Yo, yo, yo, you talked such a big game, but didn’t you still end up surrendering?”
A vicious fire burned in his chest.
When he heard the director’s speech, he couldn’t help bumping the boy beside him with his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he whispered, “I was forced into it! I don’t give a damn whether they expel me or not! Today I’m going straight to the board director and slapping her across the face. I’ll tell her I’m done with this school!”
The boy clicked his tongue and mocked him. “You’re all talk.”
“You don’t believe me? Just wait and see!”
Yesterday, his cheap excuse for a mother had told him to make a scene—to make as big a scene as possible!
She had even said that it didn’t matter if he got expelled from school.
Director Su would immediately take him into the entertainment industry. He wouldn’t need to attend school anymore!
Zheng Wenhao was now single-mindedly dreaming of becoming a major celebrity. He had already decided to drop out voluntarily.
The director finished reading the prepared speech, then suddenly changed tack.
“Now, the ‘Shengde Cigarette-Destroying’ ceremony will officially begin! I’ll call out the names of the students who will serve as representatives. Please come up onstage!”
The confiscated cigarettes had been placed in front of the director, with several basins of clear water beside them. In a moment, the students would personally submerge the cigarettes in the water to demonstrate their determination.
The director began calling out names.
They were all students whose repentance had seemed especially sincere.
Normally, Zheng Wenhao would never have had a chance. Yu Xiaxing had specifically instructed them to include him.
When Zheng Wenhao heard his name, he abruptly raised his head. His face flushed crimson, his eyes filled with disbelief and fury.
They wanted him to go onstage? To destroy the cigarettes in front of everyone?
They were trying to nail him to a pillar of shame and whip him over and over again!
Sure enough, the boys around him were all laughing!
Someone even shoved his shoulder and whispered, “Get up there, Brother Hao. Go wag your tail at the board director and beg for mercy! What’s wrong? You’re not satisfied? Weren’t you really planning to slap the board director and drop out?”
Zheng Wenhao felt all the blood in his body rush to his head. His ears buzzed loudly.
Humiliation and rage drowned out the last remnants of his reason.
Fine! Fine! None of you believe that I’ll slap the board director and quit, do you?
Then I’ll go slap her right now!
With the intention of dropping out, Zheng Wenhao charged off while shouting, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The director shook his head helplessly and selected someone else to go onstage.
—
Zheng Wenhao sprinted all the way from the sports field to the board director’s office.
Just as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw two people coming out of the office.
One was an exceptionally beautiful young woman. Her features were exquisite, and she looked no older than twenty. She wore a simple white shirt with jeans. Though her long hair was loose, a pearl hair clip kept it neat and gave her a fresh, clean appearance.
Beside her stood a man with pale, cool-toned skin. He was very tall and wore gold-rimmed glasses. His entire bearing was refined and composed, with a hint of aloofness.
The man was slightly bent over as he spoke to the young woman.
Zheng Wenhao instinctively felt hostile toward him. He had always hated men who were pale, tall, and thin. Behind their backs, he would spread rumors that men like that were gay—and the submissive kind, at that.
Yu Xiaxing and Lu Yanzhao had been planning to go downstairs to watch the “virtue-gate cigarette destruction” ceremony. The moment they stepped out, they sensed someone approaching.
Lu Yanzhao’s gaze darkened. His body shifted slightly, and he instinctively moved in front of Yu Xiaxing.
Yu Xiaxing remained calm, watching Zheng Wenhao with keen interest.
Zheng Wenhao had never seen Board Director Yu before, and he couldn’t find any pictures of her online.
In his imagination, the board director was sure to be either an ugly, sharp-tongued woman with a severe expression or an arrogant, foolish heiress with her nose in the air.
She could never have been the refined and beautiful young woman standing before him.
Lu Yanzhao had casually closed the door to the board director’s office.
Zheng Wenhao came back to his senses and rushed over, pounding on the door.
“Where’s the board director? Board Director Yu, you despicable coward! You actually set a trap for me! And to think I praised you before for being unconventional…”
“Get your ass out here and face your death!”
