Chapter 32: But His Father Is the Richest Man

The rude, forceful shove of the door startled Principal Pei, the Vice Principal, and Director Lu.

*Do people who collect scrap on tricycles dress this well?*

The next second, the office was filled with the overbearing and condescending questioning of Yan Chang. "Who are you people? This is the Principal's office! Walking in without knocking—where are your manners?"

"Guests are to be treated with respect, Teacher Yan. Mind your tone," Director Lu chided, having received a sharp look from Principal Pei. Internally, he cursed Yan Chang for his lack of situational awareness. *Could he not see that these two were dressed in clothes that signaled wealth and status?*

"I presume you two are the parents of student Jiang?"

The smile plastered on Director Lu’s face nearly faltered.

"Yes. We heard our son was being bullied. Tell us, what is going on?" Jiang Zhengguo sat down, pulling Zhong Qing with him. There was no trace of the anxiety usually expected of parents summoned to school. Their air of authority made it seem as if they were the ones in charge.

After a brief, awkward silence, Principal Pei cleared his throat, and Director Lu hurried over to pour tea with a forced, beaming smile.

"Well, the situation is this..." Director Lu recounted the controversy surrounding the alleged cheating, though he was careful not to overstate his case. Having yet to gauge the true stance of Jiang’s parents, he kept his words measured to allow for maneuvering—a classic case of treating people differently based on perceived status. Had they truly been scrap collectors, his opening remarks would have been vastly different.

After listening to the sequence of events, Jiang Zhengguo leaned back into the sofa, draping an arm over the backrest. "So, what you’re saying is that without any concrete evidence, the school has slandered my son for cheating on an exam?"

"No, there is a misunderstanding. We are still investigating; it isn’t certain that student Jiang cheated." Director Lu broke into a cold sweat; a single sentence told him that Jiang’s father was not a man to be trifled with. "However, regardless of the truth of the cheating, student Jiang caused a scene in the auditorium during the school-wide assembly today, which has had a negative impact."

"Oh?" Jiang Zhengguo curled his lip, his smile cold. "Setting aside the cheating allegation, are we also ignoring how my son has been humiliated by teachers over the past few days?"

"Mr. Jiang, there is an order to things—"

Before Director Lu could finish, Zhong Qing interrupted. "Teacher, we are not unreasonable parents, but as you said, there is an order to things. Since everything stems from the question of whether he cheated, we must first determine if our son actually cheated. What does the school think?"

The couple played a game of good cop, bad cop. Even the gentle-toned Zhong Qing uttered words that Director Lu dared not easily brush off. If the matter hadn't blown up, they might have been able to gloss over it, but now that the entire staff and student body knew, if the Jiang family wasn't satisfied and kept pushing, would there ever be an end to it?

Thinking of this, Director Lu shot a look of desperate, resentful appeal toward Principal Pei. *The school has no evidence that Jiang Changyuan cheated—this was all stirred up by Yan Chang. Why am I the one stuck cleaning up the mess?*

Jiang Changyuan stood to the side with his hands behind his back, enjoying the spectacle of his parents standing firm.

"Students reported Jiang Changyuan for cheating. Could that be a lie?" Yan Chang, seeing Director Lu silenced, stepped forward with a sneer, determined to solidify the cheating narrative. He couldn't discern the value of the clothes the parents were wearing, so he assumed they couldn't be worth much. After all, if the Jiang family were truly wealthy, they wouldn't have gone so long without "showing their appreciation" to him for the sake of their child.

"So, baseless gossip is your evidence? I shall report you to the Board of Education for being unfit to be a teacher." Jiang Zhengguo’s smile vanished, and a heavy, oppressive aura typical of someone in a position of power radiated from him. "Should the Board of Education skip the investigation and just fire you from the teaching staff immediately?"

Zhong Qing took out her phone, her anger mounting. "Any remarks made by this teacher today will be reported to the Board of Education!"

"You!" Yan Chang’s rage boiled over. "You are just as shameless as your son!"

"Silence!" Principal Pei, who had been trying to minimize the conflict, felt his blood pressure spike at those words. Even though he tried to intervene, he couldn't stop Yan Chang’s loose tongue.

Jiang Zhengguo rose abruptly, with Zhong Qing following suit. "It seems the school's educational environment is indeed in need of an overhaul. Since you cannot provide a satisfactory explanation regarding my son, I trust the Board of Education will be able to grant us justice!"

With that, the two called for Jiang Changyuan and prepared to walk out. Principal Pei, no longer able to remain seated, rushed forward to grab Jiang Zhengguo’s arm.

"Please, calm down. Our school has always been fair and just; we would never wrongly accuse any student. Of course, we will certainly not tolerate issues with certain teachers." Principal Pei offered a fawning smile while cursing Yan Chang’s ancestors nineteen generations back. *He’s supposed to be a Chinese teacher! A homeroom teacher! Dammit, does he have no brain?*

"Student Jiang, please, talk to your parents. With a student like you, the school treasures you more than anything. Rest assured, if you have been wronged, we will see that justice is served today! We will vindicate you in front of the entire faculty and student body!"

Terrified that the family of three would actually go to the Board of Education, Principal Pei, the Vice Principal, and Director Lu offered repeated assurances, all the while internally cursing Yan Chang to high heaven. They had held the upper hand, and now, dammit, they were on the defensive!

Jiang Changyuan grinned, showing his white teeth. The feeling of being protected by his parents was incredible; his sense of security was overflowing. "Dad, Mom, I actually quite like this school. The Principal, Vice Principal, and Director Lu are decent people. Let’s not get angry over one piece of rat droppings—just pretend he’s barking like a dog."

Jiang Zhengguo’s expression softened, and he allowed himself to be persuaded back into his seat. The reality was that his son had been expelled from every other high school in Beining City; this school was his last option. Attending school out of town was out of the question—if his son was being bullied right under his nose, it would be even harder to settle scores if they were far away.

"Please, have some tea and calm yourselves. Let’s talk this through properly." The Vice Principal poured them tea, silently filtering out Jiang Changyuan’s comment about Yan Chang. *If it weren't for Yan Chang barking like a dog, would I be in this groveling position?*

"Yan Chang, is this how you treat students and their parents as a homeroom teacher?" the Principal demanded. "Apologize properly to student Jiang’s parents and ask for their forgiveness."

Listening to the Principal’s ruthless reprimand, Yan Chang was filled with indignation. "Why should I apologize? Jiang Changyuan has always been a cancer to this school; he only made it into the top ten this time by cheating. A student of such poor character—it’s clearly because his parents didn't raise him right. I will not apologize!"

Hearing this, Principal Pei’s face darkened instantly. Out of consideration for Yan Chang’s years of service, he had tried his best to protect his position. He hadn't expected Yan Chang to dig his own grave.

Just then, footsteps came thundering down the corridor. A second later, the door was shoved open, and a group of men in suits swarmed inside, scrambling to be the first to enter.