Vice Chairman Tao

"It's Tao Yaoyao."

"Is there something you need?"

The middle-aged man surnamed Xie wore a broad smile, one that even carried a hint of flattery. It was a stark contrast to the attitude he had shown toward Lin Yu earlier!

"A classmate reported that there was a fight this morning in Campus B. As the vice president of the student council, I’m here to assist in handling it," Tao Yaoyao said softly, her tone calm and composed.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xie and Zeng Qiang, who wore an expensive watch, exchanged a glance.

Mr. Xie quickly averted his eyes, picked up a teacup from the table, and took a sip, his demeanor noticeably subdued. Clearly, with Tao Yaoyao here, he wasn’t willing to get involved in this mess anymore.

After hesitating for a moment, Zeng Qiang forced a reluctant smile and said to Tao Yaoyao, "Vice President Tao, this is a minor issue we can handle ourselves. There’s no need to trouble the student council."

Throughout, Tao Yaoyao never once looked at Zeng Qiang. Instead, she turned toward Lin Yu, tilting her head slightly and softly asking, "Is that so?"

When Lin Yu first saw Tao Yaoyao walk in, his initial feeling was embarrassment.

That arrogant remark he made earlier about not associating with her made him blush just thinking about it.

But when he realized Tao Yaoyao was not on their side, his spirits lifted immediately. Forgetting his embarrassment, he quickly retorted, "Of course not."

"You should be the one to handle this."

"That Xie! The teacher seems to have some spinal issues; his waist looks crooked."

"Since he’s got health problems, let’s not bother him."

Lin Yu emphasized the name “Xie” heavily, and his words were practically an open insult.

No, scratch that!

It was an outright public insult!

Mr. Xie’s face darkened, and he shot Lin Yu a venomous glare.

But to Lin Yu’s surprise, he said nothing more and chose to swallow the bitter pill in silence.

Tao Yaoyao maintained her gentle smile, the corners of her lips curling faintly. Her warmth was tinged with a subtle aloofness, giving off an impression that was both approachable and yet only to be admired from afar.

"Alright."

"What happened exactly?"

"Which one of you wants to start?"

Tao Yaoyao looked at the two men and asked.

This time, Zeng Qiang was silent, no longer eager to speak.

Lin Yu glanced at him sideways and replied calmly, "I’ll go first."

"This morning, he brought four people to block me, telling me to stay away from so-and-so."

"I don’t remember exactly who he mentioned, not someone I know well."

As Lin Yu spoke, Zeng Qiang’s face visibly darkened by the second.

The girl he had been obsessing over was making a move on him, and all he got in return was ‘not familiar’?

Me!

Damn it!

Zeng Qiang’s face twisted with anger, his fist clenched tightly inside his sleeve, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

"Then he tried to lay a hand on me, but even with four people, they couldn’t beat me."

"After that, I went to eat, then had class."

"In the afternoon, this crooked-waist teacher called me out of the classroom, and then here we are."

After calmly stating the facts, Lin Yu didn’t even glance at Xie’s balding, thunderous face. Instead, he turned to Tao Yaoyao and said seriously, "Vice President, to be honest, I seriously suspect he’s on drugs."

“I have two pieces of evidence.”

“First, he just told that biased teacher that he came to find me all by himself, and after a friendly chat, I lost my temper and hit him.”

“That’s completely not how it happened.”

“I also believe he’s not the kind of liar who casually slanders others. He’s probably just high on drugs and his brain’s fried.”

“Second.”

“None of those four people even laid a hand on me.”

“That’s so weak.”

“His body must be drained by the drugs.”

“Both his mind and body are messed up—exactly the stereotype people have about addicts!”

Lin Yu shrugged, spreading his hands, shutting down their arguments while cursing them repeatedly under his breath.

Tao Yaoyao’s lips curled into a slight smile, clearly amused by Lin Yu’s “well-reasoned” words.

She didn’t comment on Lin Yu’s remarks but turned to Zeng Qiang and asked,

“Do you have anything to say?”

“I didn’t hit him!” Zeng Qiang tried to argue, but Lin Yu suddenly let out a loud snicker, looking as if he’d expected this, mocking,

“See?”

“I told you his brain’s fried.”

“He can’t even remember what happened this morning.”

“You—!”

Zeng Qiang glared fiercely, looking like he wanted to tear Lin Yu apart.

Lin Yu suddenly took a step forward, raising his palm high.

The shadow of the last time Lin Yu had roughed him up was still deeply etched in Zeng Qiang’s mind. Seeing Lin Yu about to strike, he instinctively shrank back, raising his hands to protect his head.

But Lin Yu just pulled his arm back, bent it, and scratched the back of his neck, then lowered his arm and whistled casually, acting like nothing had happened.

Realizing he’d been played, Zeng Qiang grew even angrier, his whole body trembling with rage.

Lin Yu chuckled and said cheekily,

“Drug cravings kicking in.”

“You!!!”

“All right, all right.”

Tao Yaoyao, who had been quietly covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, composed herself and finally got serious.

“If you two can’t agree on what happened, let’s just check the surveillance footage.”

She then turned to Zeng Qiang with a stern look.

“Zeng Qiang, if I find from the footage that you started the fight, then I’ll have to handle this as a brawl.”

Zeng Qiang’s face tightened, and he fell silent.

“Well?”

“Want to check the footage?”

Tao Yaoyao asked again.

Zeng Qiang took a deep breath, shook his head, and forced a stiff smile.

“No need.”

“Besides, his hits don’t even hurt.”

“I’m not going to make a fuss over it.”

“Pfft!”

A loud snicker echoed in the office. Lin Yu covered his mouth, and when Tao Yaoyao looked at him questioningly, he held back his laughter and waved his hand.

“It’s nothing.”

“If it doesn’t hurt him, then I have no right to complain about pain either.”

“I won’t make a fuss either.”

“Let’s call it even.”

In the end, the matter was settled with a truce.

Being labeled as fighting wouldn’t benefit either of them, so Zeng Qiang had to grit his teeth and endure it.

Lin Yu, on the other hand, was much happier.

Getting hit without facing any punishment—this is truly a blessing!

After leaving the Security Department, Lin Yu planned to head back and continue attending classes.

He wasn’t sure where Tao Yaoyao was going, but she kept walking behind him at a steady, unhurried pace.

After walking like this for a while, Lin Yu started to feel a bit awkward. At the same time, there were some things he wanted to ask her.

After all, she had just helped him.

Even though she was only acting as a neutral mediator in a pretty ordinary way.