Yu Xiaxing sank deep into the massage chair and adjusted her position slightly.
“It’s about the first installment of the special operating funds that the assessment committee will distribute next week. I don’t know whether the money will be awarded to me, my eldest brother, or my fourth sister. I can’t figure out what to do next until I have the funds.”
She paused, then laughed with a hint of disdain. “In any case, it definitely won’t be Fifth Young Master Yu. He’s so stupid. What era are we living in? He actually used the tactic of cutting off the power to force residents to pay their property fees.”
Lu Yanzhao’s fingers tightened slightly around the tablet, but his face remained expressionless as he continued listening quietly.
Yu Xiaxing went on complaining about her hopeless brother. “Doesn’t he ever use his brain? What kind of people live in that old residential complex?”
“There are so many elderly residents with high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Some of them may even rely on oxygen concentrators or ventilators to get through the day.”
“If he cuts off the power and something happens to an elderly person, is he going to pay with his life?”
“Once the media reports it, he can forget about competing. He’ll be kicked out immediately and may even end up in prison.”
She shook her head and sighed. “Yu Zheng is hopelessly stupid.”
Lu Yanzhao’s eyes flickered. “As a resident, I’d also stand with the residents and criticize the property management company if something happened. But some neighbors really are shameless. They’re nothing but deadbeats.”
“They still enjoy the maintenance of the elevators and common areas. Why shouldn’t they pay their property fees?”
“Fifth Young Master must have had no other choice when he used this method to collect the fees.”
“I heard that Fifth Young Master Yu is also young and capable, just like you. He must have investigated the community in advance and confirmed that there were no vulnerable residents before using this method to collect the fees.”
Yu Xiaxing rolled her eyes inwardly.
There, you’re not even trying to hide it anymore, are you?
You’re defending your true master, aren’t you?
She said, “Investigated? Who did he send to investigate? How many people genuinely obey leaders like us when we’ve been parachuted in from outside? Everyone is trying to deceive us from above and below so they can get rid of us. I would never trust the original management team.”
She smiled mysteriously. “That is the difference between me and that stupid mutt, Yu Zheng.”
She had practically spelled it out for him. Hopefully, Yu Zheng would truly be able to change the old man’s fate, turn public opinion around, and win that reward.
Whatever happened, she absolutely could not let the money fall into her hands!
She had gone to so much trouble to replace people and hand out bonuses just to get rid of a little money. If another sum came her way, things would be even worse!
When Lu Yanzhao heard her call Yu Zheng a stupid mutt, displeasure flashed briefly in his eyes.
Nevertheless, he remained deferential. “Understood, Board Director Yu. I’ve certainly learned a lot.”
Yu Xiaxing said, “All right, you can go. Familiarize yourself with the school first. I don’t have any work for you at the moment.”
Lu Yanzhao left.
As soon as he stepped outside, he sent a recording of his conversation with Yu Xiaxing to Yu Zheng.
Actually, he thought Yu Xiaxing’s criticism was entirely justified.
In modern life, electricity was not merely a basic necessity. A power outage could easily put people’s lives at risk.
Using a power cut to force residents to pay their property fees was simply asking for trouble.
-
Yu Xiaxing usually slipped home the moment the clock struck six in the afternoon.
Today, however, she had stayed in her office until after nine just to follow the gossip about her Fifth Brother’s residential complex.
When she left campus, she planned to see whether there was anywhere she could cause trouble.
If she found nothing, she would simply come back next week and continue.
The campus was quiet at that hour. When she left the academic affairs building, she assumed all the students had already gone home.
But then she took a closer look.
What the heck? Every classroom was packed!
Yu Xiaxing stopped and pointed at one of the classrooms. She asked Lu Yanzhao, “What’s going on? Why haven’t they gone home yet? And even if they’re still here, shouldn’t they just be studying on their own? Why is someone teaching over there?”
Lu Yanzhao reported, “The students’ regular schedule runs from Monday through Saturday, with only half a day off on Sunday. Morning study begins at six-thirty, and evening self-study normally ends at ten.”
He pointed toward the classrooms. “That row is for the advanced classes. They finish at eleven-thirty at night. Principal Wang transferred all the students with a chance of getting into a four-year university into these advanced classes. They have a strong academic foundation and a good chance of getting into a top-tier university.”
“Principal Wang also changed their evening self-study period into regular lessons, so after leaving school at eleven-thirty, the students can go home and continue studying on their own.”
Yu Xiaxing raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with Old Wang? Why does he keep creating this kind of unequal treatment? And why is he making the teachers work overtime for free?”
Lu Yanzhao said, “The teachers volunteered. They’re very eager to help the students improve.”
“...” Damn it. What a bunch of obsessive overachievers. She would transfer them to some idle position later.
Yu Xiaxing said, “Go and tell them to dismiss the students immediately. From now on, no one is allowed to keep students after class like this or privately use their self-study time for lessons. Students are welcome to submit anonymous complaints. Any verified complaint will receive a reward!”
“Oh, right. The youth health and physiology class is allowed to use evening self-study time. Nothing else is.”
The youth health and physiology course was very short. The entire subject could be covered in just a few lessons, and it was not tested, so there was no need to occupy the students’ self-study time over the long term.
Yu Xiaxing suddenly realized that she really was a genius.
When the time came, she could set the rewards for reporting unauthorized extra lessons at the highest level approved by the assessment committee.
If she accepted student complaints every day, she could give away quite a lot of money!
She was also deeply dissatisfied with the overly long school day.
Next week, she would focus on figuring out how to start by canceling evening self-study and switching to a two-day weekend. That would infuriate the parents and all those obsessive teachers.
Lu Yanzhao glanced at her, concealing the flicker of emotion that passed through his eyes.
He nodded. “Understood.”
He headed toward the classroom building to carry out the order.
Yu Xiaxing left first, planning to go out and have a good time that evening.
In her previous life, she had worked so much overtime that she had worn herself out and died.
Now that she had been reborn, besides getting her money and escaping as quickly as possible, she had another priority: rewarding herself properly!
-
Inside an advanced class.
It was supposed to be a self-study period, but the principal had ordered the mathematics teacher to use the evening session to go over problems. By the time the students returned home, it would already be past midnight, and they would still have homework to complete.
The math teacher’s voice had already grown tired, but he continued doing his best to explain everything clearly.
Some of the students below were forcing themselves to stay awake and listen. Others had vacant looks in their eyes, their attention completely gone.
There was a soft knock at the classroom door, and then it opened.
Lu Yanzhao got straight to the point. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m Lu Yanzhao, Board Director Yu’s executive assistant.”
The math teacher recognized the new board director’s assistant and stopped writing on the blackboard. “Assistant Lu? Is something wrong?”
Lu Yanzhao walked into the classroom and stood beside the podium, speaking in a strictly official tone. “Board Director Yu wants the students dismissed immediately.”
“From now on, aside from the physiology class, no grade or class is allowed to hold lessons or extend class time during evening self-study.”
“If anything like this happens, students may submit anonymous reports directly to me. Once the school verifies the complaint, those responsible will be dealt with seriously, and the student who reported it will receive a reward.”
Lu Yanzhao looked over the students, making sure they remembered his face so they would not report the wrong person later.
The classroom fell completely silent. One could have heard a pin drop.
A few seconds later, someone let out a small “Wow.”
The sound was followed by a commotion that spread through the room like ripples.
The exhausted faces of the students suddenly lit up like stars.
A flash of relief also crossed the math teacher’s face, but it was quickly replaced by embarrassment.
Actually, the teachers didn’t want this either. They were already barely getting enough sleep, and their minds were constantly foggy.
It was Principal Wang’s order.
What’s more, Principal Wang had stressed that every teacher had to insist they were voluntarily staying after school to tutor the children during evening study hall. They were forbidden from saying they had been forced into it.
Principal Wang even berated them, saying that teachers these days had lost the spirit of true educators. They were nothing like teachers in his day. A teacher was supposed to be like a silkworm that spun silk until the very end, devoting their life to the profession. Even after classes ended, they were expected to stay at school until midnight, waiting for students to come ask questions.
The math teacher didn’t dare resist, but he had already cursed Principal Wang countless times in his heart.
At that moment, the teacher suppressed his delight and forced himself to look worried. “How could we possibly go against Principal Wang’s principles of dedication...?”
