With Qi Chenglin’s support, Qi Youxuan had enough backing.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask my classmates. Everyone saw it when he came and poured all the bugs into my food,” Qi Youxuan remarked crisply.
“When I poured the bugs on his head, his classmates were in class too. If you ask them what time it was, you’ll know who was the one who caused trouble first.” Qi Youxuan glanced at the still-crying Chang Jianan. Qi Youxuan felt embarrassed that such an immature person was causing him trouble.
“Humph! Everyone knows this school is owned by the Qi family. All those kids are afraid of you, so of course they’ll side with you!” Grandmother Chang said unhesitatingly. “They’re all helping you to bully my grandson.”
All the teachers in the office began frowning. Since both kids’ elders were there, it would be best to let the adults settle it amongst themselves. Even if they ended up disliking one another, it would still be between them. Grandmother Chang, however, insisted on dragging Qi Youxuan into it. She was a perfect example of how not to be an elder.
“Since that’s the case, why not transfer Chang Jianan to another school? Then you won’t need to worry about him being bullied,” Qi Chenglin suggested. He nonchalantly began rolling up his sleeves.
Grandmother Chang and Liu Xiangwen were both stunned. They did not expect him to say such a thing. It was far too uncouth to be saying that, surely?
Qi Chenglin placed the cup on the table and leaned back casually on the sofa. His attitude seemed indifferent and he looked like he had on a smirk. Even though Grandmother Chang and Liu Xiangwen were standing up and gazing down at him, they did not feel as though they wielded any influence.
Qi Chenglin’s lips twitched mockingly. His rich and sonorous voice induced goosebumps in Liu Xiangwen’s skin. “This is the Qi family’s turf to begin with. You’re the ones crying to be enrolled in our school. We’re not begging you to do so.”
Liu Xiangwen’s face began paling. Many people wanted their kids to get into Jixia, but not all succeeded. The Chang family had to go through layers and layers of connections to be able to enroll their boy into the school. Their sole reason was because all the rich kids were there. Getting into Jixia was a shortcut to expand one’s contacts. Another plus was the reverence accorded to a family once it was made known that the family’s children attended Jixia Elementary.
“A spot in Jixia has been reserved for my son. Without even considering the fact that your child started it, you’re powerless to do anything even if my son bullied your son. My son has the Qi surname. What can you do about it if the entire school, including the principal, teachers, and students, side with my son? If they want to continue staying in Jixia, they know that they should build a good relationship with my son. Unlike your grandson, who not only chose not to build that relationship but even tried to kick up a storm whenever he likes. I wonder how your family teaches their children. You rattle off about how our family teaches our children badly, but from Chang Jianan’s attitude, it seems to me like it’s a clear indication of how stupid your entire family is.
“Bullying him? If my son wants to bully your grandson whenever they see each other, you can’t do anything about it,” Qi Chenglin remarked lazily. He put on an attitude that clearly displayed his disinclination for tolerance.
Qi Chenglin’s unreasonableness could even make the unreasonable Grandmother Chang concede defeat.
She was shivering and trembling, unable to say a single word to refute him. Qi Chenglin’s words truly made her speechless.
“If Chang Jianan can’t take it anymore, then spare him the suffering. Transfer him to another school.” Qi Chenglin then turned to the two class teachers, and said, “If something like this happens next time, there’s no need to call us. My son behaves well and never starts any trouble. If there’s a ruckus, it’s definitely the other parties’ fault. You should know how to handle it.”
The teachers were silent.
Other than Grandmother Chang, Liu Xiangwen had never seen anyone else as fiercely protective of their children as Qi Chenglin. Grandmother Chang’s protection was not enough because there were still plenty of people that she could not afford to offend. Qi Chenglin, on the other hand, had the luxury of not worrying about that.
His words were like a statement saying, ‘This is my turf. If you feel offended, you might as well suck it up. If you can’t suck it up, then scram.’
“Qi Chenglin! Can you be reasonable!” Grandmother Chang berated.
Chang Jianan’s crying had stopped, but once he heard that he would be forced to transfer, he began wailing, “WAAAAAAAA!”
“Hehe.” Qi Chenglin shot her a glance. “Nope.”
Grandmother Chang nearly choked herself to death. She never expected him to admit it so shamelessly!
It was shameless individuals that struck the most fear in unreasonable people.
Unfortunately for Grandmother Chang, Qi Chenglin was a blend of shamelessness and unreasonableness.
“Alright then. It’s settled. We’ll be going now.” Qi Chenglin stood up and was about to take his wife and son away.
Grandmother Chang would never be satisfied with that. She came to settle scores with Qi Youxuan, but Qi Chenglin’s appearance foiled her plan.
“You’re not allowed to leave! Qi Youxuan has to apologize to my Nannan today! You can’t be so unreasonable!” Grandmother Chang placed both hands on her waist and rushed to block the office door with her body.
Most teachers in the office were reveling in Grandmother Chang’s battering. Eighty percent of teachers there have suffered badly in the hands of the wicked old lady.
The reality was that every teacher favored some students and disliked others. A mischief-maker like Chang Jianan, would not be looked upon too fondly by any of the teachers.
Chang Jianan’s class teacher was the one who suffered the most under Grandmother Chang, and on that day, the class teacher felt as though justice was finally served.
Qi Chenglin turned to Qi Youxuan’s class teacher and said, “Call the headmaster.”
Grandmother Chang was the last person anyone wanted to offend, but evidently, Qi Chenglin’s words were gospel there. The class teacher phoned the headmaster immediately.
The position was originally reserved for Qi Chengji, but no one expected him to remain with his troops after entering the army.
Not long after, the headmaster arrived and was gasping for air. The weather was delightfully cool, but he managed to drench himself in sweat while coming over.
“Young Master Lin!” the headmaster greeted immediately. “Madam.”
Ruan Danchen smiled and nodded. Qi Chenglin then said, “This student doesn’t like my son and doesn’t want to stay in Jixia Elementary anymore. Get all the school-transfer paperwork done by tomorrow.”
The headmaster was shocked. Liu Xiangwen then interrupted after having enough of all that. “We don’t want to transfer!”
“We won’t transfer him. Are you still going to force us to do so?” Grandmother Chang added.
Chang Jianan was scared witless by the move to transfer him. He hid in Grandmother Chang’s bosom and cried incessantly.
Qi Chenglin nodded, prompting Liu Xiangwen to wonder what he was going to do. She then saw Qi Chenglin turn to the nervous headmaster and say, “If they don’t want to transfer, I’ll kindly ask you to step down. And if you don’t want to, I’ll fire you.”
Grandmother Chang was stunned silly. Dread was plastered all over her face as she did not expect the situation to escalate to such a stage.
If word got out, the Chang family’s reputation would go down the drain.
“You…. Are you going to be reasonable or not!” Grandmother Chang said earnestly.
“I’ve already told you I’m unreasonable. We didn’t hold anything against you in the past, but you thought you were so high and mighty when you scolded my wife. If I don’t show you what I’m capable of, I’m afraid you’ll continue to think highly of yourself and continue to be a nuisance in front of us. I wouldn’t consider my actions today unreasonable—it’s nothing more than a small little punishment to prevent larger problems in the future. You should grow some brains and learn from your mistakes,” Qi Chenglin said before holding Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan’s hand.
He turned to the headmaster and said, “I meant what I said today. Get this done by tomorrow, or I’ll have someone else replace you.”
Qi Chenglin led Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan to the door and saw the old lady still blocking their way. Her state of mind was no longer as tough as before and she was in a state of stupor.
Liu Xiangwen dragged the old lady to one side so Qi Chenglin could pass.
Both of Qi Chenglin’s eyes were haughtily radiant and looked coldly at the old lady. He remarked ambiguously, “I hope you don’t regret it in the future.”
After saying that, he left with Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan.
The two of them sent Qi Youxuan to his class, and once they reached the entrance, Qi Chenglin cocked a brow and flicked Qi Youxuan’s head, saying, “Whatever I told Grandmother Chang just now, don’t take them seriously. You’re not allowed to be arrogant in school.”
Qi Youxuan touched his head, which was not hurting that much actually, and pouted. “Come on, Dad. You know I’m the most sensible person out there.”
Qi Chenglin snickered. “Oh, are you, now? More like the most preposterous person.”
The boy looked around him in haste. Seeing that no one was beside him, he grumbled to Qi Chenglin, “Really, Dad! Can’t you consider my feelings! I’m the lushest grass in my year. Very famous.”
“What do you mean lushest grass in your year?” Ruan Danchen asked puzzlingly. Was that some new slang? Was she really behind on the times?
“That means the most handsome person at my age,” Qi Youxuan said boastfully while cocking his chin.
“…” Ruan Danchen’s mouth twitched. Her son was so thick-faced that he could make such a remark.
“Why are you acting so proud for? You take after me. Your appearance is based on me.” Qi Chenglin glanced at the boy before stiffening up his own shirt collar.
Ruan Danchen, “…”
Qi Youxuan looked askance at Qi Chenglin, after which he said goodbye to his parents and walked into class.
The couple subsequently left, though they did not need to walk far because the car was parked at the gate to the classroom building.
Once in the car, Qi Chenglin’s expression was beautiful as he clipped on his seatbelt.
Ruan Danchen felt a sudden impulse and leaned forward to give him a brief kiss on the lips. “Hubby, you’re so handsome today!”
She had never called him that even though they had already gotten their marriage certificate long ago. Although calling him Chenglin was intimate enough, calling him ‘hubby’ was a different feeling altogether. Qi Chenglin felt like his bones were turning into jelly.
He stopped putting on his seatbelt, and with his hands free, he pressed her down on the seat and gave her a strong kiss.
When she was gasping for air, Qi Chenglin seized the moment and huskily suggested, “How about I do you one time in the office when we get back later.”
“…” Ruan Danchen’s face reddened and she pushed him back. He was given an inch, yet he wanted a mile. “Stop it! Go back and do your work properly.”
Seeing his frozen state prompted her to scold him in embarrassment and anger, “Start driving!”
Qi Chenglin smiled. He drove the car as instructed and stopped teasing her.
After some time, Ruan Danchen spoke uncomfortably and said, “Chang Jianan is just a kid and the issues between us adults have nothing to do with him. Forcing him to transfer is a bit too drastic, isn’t it?”
Qi Chenglin was silent for a while, but he then said, “I’ve actually thought about this on the way to the school. Grandmother Chang herself doesn’t have any principles, and for Chang Jianan to become like this, it’s certainly because their family imparted negative behavior in their upbringing of him. I don’t want Youxuan to constantly be on guard against someone’s plot. Even if it’s a small matter, it will still be a burden on him.”
Ruan Danchen was silent after Qi Youxuan’s name was brought up.
“That Grandmother Chang is unprincipled, and she doesn’t understand anything no matter what we tell her in the past. This time, we’ll use Chang Jianan’s issue to teach her a lesson. The whole thing started with Chang Jianan, and if Grandmother Chang was a sensible person who can offer their apologies and accept ours, I wouldn’t resort to this. Still, she carries on with that bad attitude. Her daughter-in-law’s no better because she didn’t stop him. Chang Zhiyuan and Chang Zhixing have fully-functioning minds, so if they go back and hear all this, they’ll know that it was Grandmother Chang who brought it upon herself and placed this burden on Chang Jianan. I hope this is an opportunity for Grandmother Chang to learn from her mistakes and reflect on her own character.”
The car stopped at a red light and Qi Chenglin instinctively reached for his cigarettes. He took it out halfway, but the thought of Ruan Danchen popped up in his mind. He looked at her, and although she did not show any signs of unhappiness or repulsion, he still placed the cigarette back.
Out of the blue, he asked, “Do you want me to quit smoking?”
He was reminded of how Qi Chengzhi quit completely just for Song Yu, and since Qi Chenglin himself wanted another kid with Ruan Danchen, it would be nice to quit smoking too.
The conversation was focused on Chang Jianan but the topic shifted suddenly to quitting smoking, which puzzled Ruan Danchen. She was stunned for a moment, but then said, “I don’t hate the smoke smell and I know you smoke one or two on occasion because you’re frustrated. I don’t like it because of what it does to your health, not because I myself don’t like it. Smoking when you’re frustrated makes it even worse. I’d definitely be happy if you can quit. But if you want to smoke one when you’re really feeling irritated, I can still understand.”
Qi Chenglin smiled. Ruan Danchen then saw him hand over his pack, saying in his rich voice, “If that’s the case, I won’t smoke.”
Ruan Danchen could not help but smile softly. She took the pack and held his hand while she was at it.
Qi Chenglin remained unconvinced, but he allowed her to hold him as his lips curled up in a smile.
When the light turned green, he released his foot on the brake and stepped on the accelerator. Ruan Danchen said, “I don’t want something to happen to your health. I want your body to stay healthy and live till we’re both a hundred. I want the time we spend together to be as long as possible.”
Feeling her grip tighten, Qi Chenglin returned the favor. His voice was husky when he replied slowly, “Okay.”
Ruan Danchen wrapped his hand within both her palms, but because his hand was much larger, she was unable to cover it completely even though she used both her hands. His skin was fair and merely darker than hers by a single shade, but a casual observation would not reveal that.
There were a number of occasions where she rejoiced at being fair herself. Otherwise, they would not make for a beautiful couple if her skin was darker than it was then. As she caressed and felt the bones and veins on his hand, she lost track of time and was surprised to see the car parked at the roadside.
He held her hands and pulled her over—assailing her lips was a kiss. His body leaned forward and pressed against her, tightly wrapping around his waist. Ruan Danchen could feel as though he might snap her waist like that.
It took a great effort to release herself from his grip. She gasped for air, and with his hands tightly wrapped around her waist, her breathing became even more erratic.
“What came over you all of a sudden?” Ruan Danchen’s lips were swollen from all the kissing. His tight grip prevented her from moving much, so she braved through the pain and allowed herself to be hugged.
“Who told you to say all those things when I was driving? I can’t hug you if I’m still driving.” Qi Chenglin pinched her waist and laid his chin on her shoulder. He turned to her neck and sucked forcefully, causing a red blotch to form.
“I swear I’ll take good care of my body. And yours too, so we can have many more years ahead of us,” Qi Chenglin assured warmly.
Ruan Danchen hugged him back and buried her face in his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the scent on his body and said, “Mm.”
After some time, Qi Chenglin finally let go of her, but he gave her a couple of kisses on her cheek before driving off.
A period of time passed before Qi Chenglin suddenly remarked, “The point is, don’t feel guilty about Chang Jianan. Don’t think that I bullied a kid. You must remember that an ill-intentioned kid will always be beside Qi Youxuan. What if the kid is manipulated by someone else to do bad things?”
Ruan Danchen admired Qi Chenglin’s side profile. He looked stern, and his brows furrowed together.
She was surprised that Qi Chenglin picked up from where he left off from the earlier topic.
“Chang Jianan’s not a smart kid. Manipulating him would be easy. I’ve never shown Youxuan to the public before. All the outsiders know that I have a son named Qi Youxuan, but no one knows how he looks like. Youxuan’s never appeared on the media, and if reporters managed to get a picture of him, I’ll be the first to approach them and prevent them from publishing the photo. It’s not because of my background as a single father—I don’t feel ashamed of my son’s background, but my only concern is that others might do harm to my son,” Qi Chenglin said.
Ruan Danchen understood. There were too many cases of child kidnapping amongst the upper-class circle, so the families were extra cautious with their children. Be that as it may, the Qi family raised Qi Youxuan as though he was any ordinary kid, which was something Ruan Danchen forgot.
“Chang Jianan has his family to keep indulging him, and because he’s still young, he would grow up on the wrong path if his family kept on doing this. It’d be better to throw him out since it’s just transferring schools anyway. Nothing too harsh.” Qi Chenglin turned the steering wheel and drove past a bend.
Ruan Danchen nodded and said nothing further.
…
…
Back at the school office, Grandmother Chang finally snapped back after the Qi family left. She looked at the headmaster fiercely, “How can Qi Chenglin be so irrational. I’m telling you! I won’t let Nannan be transferred!”
Under Qi Chenglin’s order, the headmaster did not have to worry about Grandmother Chang at all. He came over with a smile and said to the old lady, “I’m sorry, if your family doesn’t want to do it, then I have no choice but to expel him. Of course, expelling him will have a negative influence if Chang Jianan were to enroll in another school. But, if you transfer him to another school, they’ll give you plenty of respect if they know that he’s from Jixia. Expulsion or transfer, it’s your choice. How about you go back home and think it over. If you’re not here tomorrow to deal with the transfer, I’ll have no choice but to expel.”
“I’m not going. I’ll stay here until I’m satisfied with how this is concluded!” Grandmother Chang roared and sat at the floor just in front of the door. She sat crossed-legged there, making the headmaster feel as though the old lady would cry to the heavens at any moment.
Liu Xiangwen was toiling in despair as she needed to console Chang Jianan too.
Although she felt that the old lady was throwing her dignity by doing that, there was no other way. If being stubborn would result in Chang Jianan remaining at the school, then Liu Xiangwen was prepared to do the same with Grandmother Chang.
As she thought of that, she carried up Chang Jianan and sat beside the old lady. “Mom, I’ll sit with you.”
The headmaster was fuming with laughter. The Chang family was a respected family, and yet here they were, doing such a shameless thing.
He called security immediately. “Send more men here and carry out Mrs. Chang as well as Grandmother Chang.”
It was a drastic measure to escort those two women.
Not long later, eight security guards came. It was a really serious matter to have eight men come and face the two women.
They dragged and pulled Grandmother Chang and Liu Xiangwen up.
Chang Jianan cried yet again because he was frightened. He shouted for his grandma and for his mother.
