Just Getting Started

Just as this sentence was finished, the phone on Shen Zhongping's desk suddenly rang.

Shen Zhongping picked up the phone, heard the voice, and greeted somewhat respectfully: "Teacher, is there something the matter?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

"I understand, I understand, I understand!"

"No problem, no problem!"

After a round of polite formulas, Shen Zhongping hung up the phone.

At this moment, his expression was shifting unpredictably. He never expected that in just a few minutes, everything had changed.

Shen Zhongping looked up at Chen Xiaoya.

Chen Xiaoya was a bit puzzled, but didn't know what to say.

At this moment, a storm was brewing in Shen Zhongping's heart.

The caller was indeed his teacher.

However, his teacher had said, "Handle certain matters exactly as they should be handled. You don't need to give face to those two families; just do things strictly according to the rules."

So Shen Zhongping understood in an instant.

Someone had made a move against those two families.

And it was someone of a much higher level.

Therefore, Shen Zhongping gave a soft snort and rephrased his question: "By the way, Teacher Chen, you said that the accusatory email received by all the teachers in the school was forged by the student Ye Minghui, right?"

Asking this question again made Chen Xiaoya pause in surprise.

But she still nodded.

"Yes, based on the students' feedback, it can be confirmed that the rumor was fabricated by Ye Minghui."

Shen Zhongping then looked at Li Yan.

"Director Li, spreading rumors about a fellow student and causing a negative impact, what should be the maximum penalty?"

These words were full of a certain implication.

Li Yan was also a shrewd person; he said expressionlessly, "For a situation like this, according to the school's rules and regulations, it should be handled with expulsion."

This was very impartial.

The problem was that Li Yan's words made Ye Minghui's expression change.

And Zhou Nianqian also seemed to sense that something was wrong.

Then Li Yan continued to speak: "There's also the matter of coercing and bribing his classmates. Although this isn't explicitly stipulated in the school rules, its impact is even greater than the email rumor. So I think it should be handled with a school-wide notice of expulsion."

Hearing this, Zhou Nianqian couldn't help but stand up, staring fixedly at Li Yan, and then looking at Shen Zhongping.

"What are you trying to do! Expel us?! Believe it or not, with just one phone call I can..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Nianqian froze.

Because he saw a trace of disdain in Shen Zhongping's eyes.

It was an expression he rarely saw.

But today, he kept feeling it, making him very sensitive to such a look.

Just as he wanted to say something else.

Ye Minghui's phone rang. Pulling it out to look, the words "Big Sis" were bouncing on the screen.

It was Ye Qiaolin calling.

He answered impatiently, not even pressing the phone close to his ear, his posture still holding the arrogance of a second-generation rich kid.

"What is it, sis? I'm very busy."

"Busy my ass! Ye Minghui, listen to me. Now, immediately, roll back home right this second! I'll have someone handle the withdrawal procedures at Guangba! Stop spouting nonsense and get moving!"

Ye Qiaolin's voice was sharp enough to pierce the receiver, her roar exploding in the quiet principal's office, so loud that even Chen Xiaoya standing farther away heard it clearly.

Beep... beep... beep.

The call disconnected.

Ye Minghui stood frozen holding his phone, his mind buzzing.

Withdrawal? Go home? Weren't they just talking about his expulsion? This twist came too abruptly, giving him a massive headache.

He suddenly felt as if some giant wheel was rolling over to crush him.

As for Zhou Nianqian, he couldn't help but frown; he also heard the voice coming from Ye Minghui's phone.

Ye Qiaolin's words made him slightly vigilant.

However, he wasn't too worried. The Zhou family was bigger than the Ye family, with an even more complex network of connections.

The Zhou family absolutely wouldn't have any problems.

Just as he was thinking this, the phone in Zhou Nianqian's pocket also rang.

Opening it to look, it was his father.

In that instant, Zhou Nianqian's eyelids twitched violently. The sense of superiority from earlier inexplicably dissipated by more than half, and a chill crept up his spine.

He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

From the receiver came a suffocating dead silence.

After a full five seconds, a suppressed, extremely low growl came through.

"Roll back here."

Just three words.

No explanation, no roaring, yet it was more terrifying than Ye Qiaolin's screaming.

Zhou Nianqian's Adam's apple bobbed. His usual arrogance was instantly drained dry, leaving only a hoarse:

"I understand."

Hanging up the phone, the two looked at each other, both seeing the terror in the other's eyes.

This wasn't just some family matter; the sky was falling.

The two no longer had their earlier arrogant swagger. They slunk toward the door dejectedly, not even daring to turn their heads, looking exactly like two spineless mangy dogs.

Watching their pathetic retreating figures, Shen Zhongping showed no pity, turning to look at the dean.

"Director Li, go to the broadcasting room and announce the expulsion of Ye Minghui and Zhou Nianqian to the whole school. Write the reasons truthfully: spreading rumors and causing trouble, picking quarrels and provoking trouble. Let this serve as a warning. Go now."

Li Yan nodded in agreement. As he turned to leave the room, from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but glance at Chen Xiaoya, who had remained silent all along.

He felt that all these changes seemed to have appeared only after Lin Mo's phone call disconnected.

From that call being hung up to the departure of these two impossibly arrogant second-generation kids, barely ten minutes had passed.

But he had seen Lin Mo's file; he shouldn't have this kind of power.

So what exactly had happened?

Chen Xiaoya also noticed this crucial point, but she didn't know what to say. Anyway, the result of this matter was already out.

These things seemed to suddenly have nothing to do with her.

So she also left the principal's office.

Meanwhile, in the teaching building's corridor.

Ye Minghui and Zhou Nianqian walked side by side, their footsteps unsteady.

"Old Zhou, what exactly went wrong?" Ye Minghui's voice was trembling.

"Shut up." Zhou Nianqian's face was ashen, the ominous premonition in his heart growing stronger, as if he were being targeted by some fierce beast.

Just as they reached the first-floor lobby, Zhou Nianqian felt something and turned his head, only to see a group of people following behind them.

Jiang Yunlu stood at the front, flanked by Wang Qin, Fang Jun, Cai Junhuang, and their crowd.

There was no cursing, no conflict.

Jiang Yunlu just crossed her arms, her face hanging with undisguised disgust, while Fang Jun very straightforwardly gave them the middle finger.

Among the other Class Eight students around, some whistled, some covered their mouths to snicker, their eyes looking at them like they were two piles of garbage being swept out the door.

Zhou Nianqian gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead.

"Childish!"

He squeezed out the word through his teeth and quickened his pace out of the school gates.

In his view, this was just a humiliating withdrawal. As long as he returned to the Zhou family, he was still that Young Master Zhou who could get whatever he wanted.

He thought everything would just end like this.

As for this person Jiang Yunlu, he could only give up on her.

After all, with things having reached this point, only a fool wouldn't let go.

However, everything was only just beginning.