by Dragon King
Quietly, he left the room and moved to the next room to visit his grandma.
“Are you done tutoring Zi?” lying in bed, Grandma was still awake as if she had been expecting Hao Ren.
“Yep. We didn’t finish going through everything, but we will do that over the next few days,” Hao Ren sat down on Grandma’s bed as he answered.
“Ren, I feel that your relationship with Zi’s family is not as simple as you have said. When I asked Hongyu about it, she kept telling me that you are only Zi’s tutor,” Grandma focused her attention on Hao Ren and said, “Is there something you are hiding from me?”
“Uh… no,” Hao Ren shook his head, “I just became really close to her family.”
“Alright. Anyway, I am greatly indebted to Hongyu and her family for saving my life, so you must do your best to tutor Zi,” Grandma gently put her hand on Hao Ren’s shoulder as she said.
In the few days she had spent at Zhao Hongyu’s home, Grandma felt that the Zhao’s were treating her as if she was a senior member of their own. The way they were so respectful and considerate towards her made her believe that the Zhao’s was indeed a family of great virtues.
For instance, Zi had been giving Grandma greetings every morning and night. In the morning, Zi would come to wake Grandma up for breakfast; and after Zi came home from school every night, she would check on Grandma and see how she was doing. Grandma had grown very fond of Zi as she felt Zi was attentive and understanding.
As a result, Grandma had decided that even after she recovered and returned to the cottage by the ocean, she would not cut ties with Zhao Hongyu and her family. Moreover, she was planning to introduce her son to the Zhao’s. No matter how busy life could get, they would try to maintain a good relationship with the Zhao’s, and she hoped that the friendship between the two families could last generations.
On the other hand, Grandma thought it was a pity that Zi was a few years too young and did not seem to have any romantic feelings for Hao Ren. Otherwise, the two teenagers could make a great couple… Slowly, as Grandma’s imagination was running wild, her old-fashioned idealism had also resurfaced again.
She kept thinking that since it was impossible for Zhao Hongyu to be her daughter-in-law, it would still be great if the two families could be relatives by marriage. If that happened, the ties between the families would be more cemented and complete.
“Unfortunately, Zi is too young to be Ren’s girlfriend,” Grandma thought disappointingly.
Hao Ren certainly had no idea about Grandma’s crazily wild imaginations that suited her traditional ways of thinking. He focused on telling her about his school life in their on-and-off conversation, just the way he had when they lived by the ocean.
Just like that, half an hour had gone by, and it was time for Hao Ren to leave for school.
Although Hao Ren was ready to return to school, Grandma was not willing to part with her darling grandson yet. “Hongyu said that you could stay here tonight. You can take my room or the studio in the attic.”
“That’s alright, Grandma. I should go back to school. It wouldn’t be very convenient if I stayed out too often,” Hao Ren tried to comfort her. Actually, he was still worried about Zhao Jiayi and wanted to go back to be with him.
“True. Staying out too often might negatively affect your school work. You should be on your way then,” Grandma had hoped Hao Ren could stay for the night, but she also did not want him to do poorly in school.
“Yep. You rest well, too, Grandma. I will come to see you again tomorrow,” while browsing his grandmother’s spotless room, Hao Ren got up from the bed and walked out.
From the corridor on the second floor, Hao Ren could see that the light was still on in the study room next to the living room on the first floor, he assumed Zhao Guang had not gone to bed yet. After he climbed down the stairs, as expected, he found the door of the study room wide open, and Zhao Guang who had a big shirt draped over his shoulders was reading over some files.
Hao Ren walked to the door and knocked.
Zhao Guang looked up. When he saw Hao Ren, he nodded faintly and said, “Come in.”
“Uncle, I would like your opinion on something,” as he entered the study room, Hao Ren looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost ten o’clock.
Hao Ren thought Zi’s father was always serious in both speech and manner. Nonetheless, Hao Ren could tell that Zhao Guang did indeed have an enormous amount of work to take care of. He secretly hoped that Zhao Guang would not get annoyed when asked to be involved in such a small school affair.
“Yes?” Zhao Guang put down the files in his hands and looked straight at Hao Ren.
“Well, here’s what happened. A classmate of mine fought with the school’s basketball team today…”
Hao Ren told Zhao Guang the entire incident, including its causes and potential effects. Sitting in his chair and facing Hao Ren, Zhao Guang listened quietly and collectedly, not giving away any thoughts he might have.
“Is that all? You participated in the fight as well?” after Hao Ren finished talking, Zhao Guang finally opened his mouth.
Hao Ren nodded in response. It was awkward for him to ask Zhao Guang to get involved and help him out as Zhao Guang was not his father after all.
On top of that, Hao Ren had already troubled them once with Grandma’s incident, and Grandma was now staying in their home. Hao Ren had always been thin-skinned and was now afraid that asking for Zhao Guang’s help again would make him seem hopelessly shameless.
“You don’t have to come to me for matters like these,” Zhao Guang looked at Hao Ren and stated coldly.
Hao Ren’s heart sank. He felt that he had upset Zhao Guang, just as he had anticipated.
“Go talk to Lu Qing tomorrow,” Zhao Guang added.
Hao Ren’s face was flaming red due to embarrassment. As he was ready to bid his goodbye, Zhao Guang spoke again, “I will give the principal a call about this shortly. Your classmate’s name is Zhao Jiayi, correct?”
A sliver of hope rose in Hao Ren. Gazing at Zhao Guang who was aloof looking but was always willing to help, Hao Ren expressed his gratitude heartfully, “Yes, thank you, Uncle!”
“It’s alright. According to your account of the incident, you guys were not at any serious fault. I also hope the school can handle these matters more impartially. At any rate, be careful in the future,” Zhao Guang looked up at the clock and continued, “You are staying here tonight, right?”
“No, I should get back to school now,” Hao Ren responded.
“I still have a lot of work to process here, is it okay for you to go back on your own?” Zhao Guang asked.
“I will be fine! Thanks again, Uncle!” Hao Ren turned and gleefully walked out of the study room.
When he went back to the second floor and tried to retrieve his teaching materials from Zhao Yanzi’s room, he found that Zhao Yanzi had fallen asleep on her desk.
Hao Ren tiptoed to the desk and quietly observed her face and hands that were turning red from being pressed against the desk. “She definitely seems to be trying her best to study for these midterms,” Hao Ren thought; he had never seen her work so seriously before.
Watching her sleeping so sweetly, Hao Ren did not want to wake her up. However, he was also concerned that she might catch a cold or wake up with a sore back. Therefore, after a moment of consideration, Hao Ren bent down, placed one hand underneath her knees and the other on her back, gently lifting her up.
Zhao Yanzi seemed to be in a deep sleep as Hao Ren’s action did not wake her at all. Her eyes had remained closed, and her breathing stayed calm.
Carrying Zhao Yanzi who was soft like a plushie, Hao Ren was immersed in her sweet scent. Promptly, he placed her carefully on her bed and tucked her in with the quilt. Then, he picked up his materials and tiptoed to the door again. Before he walked out and closed the door, he turned off the big lights and left a small one on.
As the door closed, Zhao Yanzi who was “deeply asleep”,
slowly opened her eyes as a blush of red instantly covered her face.
“That jerk…” she whispered quietly in her heart.
65 Big News
Zhao Guang’s words were incredibly reassuring to Hao Ren. As the entrance of the dorm had not yet closed, he hurriedly took a taxi back to school.
At this time, more than a dozen people had gathered in Room 302. They were all male students from neighboring dorm rooms.
Seated sparsely on the beds, chairs, and desks, they were trying to come up with a way to deal with this situation.
“How come you’re so late?” Yu Rong questioned Hao Ren as he saw Hao Ren walk in.
“I had some tutoring to do tonight,” Hao Ren answered.
“Zhao Jiayi is about to get expelled, and you are still in the mood to go tutor someone?” Yu Rong seemed a little irritated.
“Who said Zhao Jiayi is getting expelled?” Hao Ren asked sincerely as he placed his tutoring materials on his desk and turned to Yu Rong.
“I heard from a few friends of mine who are a part of the Student Council. They said that the school is taking the incident very seriously and will be strict in handling it,” Yu Rong explained.
Yu Rong was the best source for information in the Dorm Building No.7, and no one would ever question his sources.
“You know what they mean by strictly handling; ordinary students with no powerful connections will be the ones suffering the consequences,” Yu Rong added.
“Exactly. There was a similar incident before; a student and the basketball team fought over the use of a court, and it wasn’t even as bad as this one. Yet, that student got a disciplinary warning,” Gu Jiadong interrupted.
“I was in the fight, too. They’d better penalize me as well,” Hao Ren said.
“You will be fine!” Yu Rong stated, “My friends in the Student Council told me that the nature of fight would be examined. The one who started the fight would be the most at fault. Your initial intention was to mediate the fight but accidentally got caught in the fight and had injured others, so it was not that bad. When both sides are at fault, the side who threw the first punch will receive harsher penalties. Besides, we all know the school has always been partial to the basketball team.”
His words made everyone’s face somber. Zhao Jiayi was sitting by his bed, not knowing what to say.
Zhao Jiayi was quite popular among the residents in Dorm Building No.7. He was frank and straightforward, an overall passionate and friendly person. Therefore, knowing that he could face severe consequences, everyone was upset and worried.
If Zhao Jiayi were to be expelled from the school for something like this…
“Guys, guys, there’s no use talking about this. Everyone, go back to your room and get some rest now,” Hao Ren waved at the crowd as he asserted.
“That’s right. Go, don’t worry about me!” Zhao Jiayi got up and started driving the crowd out as well.
Knowing that they could not be of much help by staying and might only upset Zhao Jiayi even more, everyone began walking out of Room 302.
When the four were left in the room alone, silence had instantaneously taken over. One by one, they each went back to their own beds. After, Hao Ren said to Zhao Jiayi who was resting below him, “Zhao Jiayi, don’t worry, everything should be fine.”
“Haha,” Zhao Jiayi responded with bitter laughter. He seemed to think that there was no way of escaping his doom.
“Do your parents know about this yet?” Zhou Liren was concerned.
“I didn’t tell them!” Zhao Jiayi responded.
“Or we can start a petition against the basketball team to reveal their detestable behaviors!” Cao Ronghua who slept on the berth below Zhou Liren shouted out.
“Don’t be naive. It is obvious that the school would do anything to protect the basketball team,” fiddling with the coin in his hands, Zhao Jiayi said calmly.
“Ay, let’s go to sleep! We will deal with this tomorrow!” Zhao Jiayi turned off the light with a smack.
With heavy hearts, no one spoke again that night.
The next day, Zhao Jiayi went to class as usual with Hao Ren and the others. However, the more he casually joked and laughed with Zhou Liren and the others, the more his classmates could tell that he was laden with anxiety.
After all, all he could do now was wait for the school’s official statement.
After they finished their morning classes, Hao Ren excused himself from having lunch with the others and stealthily got into the Administrative Building. He was heading to the 6th floor for Lu Qing, the vice principal.
This time, he brought along Lu Qing’s business card. This way, if Lu Qing was not in his office, he could reach him directly by phone.
Knock, knock… Just as Hao Ren started gently knocking on the door, Lu Qing’s voice came through, “Please come in.”
Hao Ren opened the door and walked in. He saw Lu Qing seated at his desk, looking up some information.
“Hello, El… Principal,” Hao Ren greeted. The moment he opened his mouth, he suddenly became unsure whether he should address him as Elder Lu or Principal Lu.
“Gongzi Hao, come in and have a seat,” pointing at the chair across from his, Lu Qing said politely.
Hao Ren closed the door and sat down across from him uneasily. “You can just call me by my name,” he said.
This was his first interaction with Lu Qing as his vice principal. Moreover, it was taking place in the vice principal’s office at the university. Hao Ren had never imagined he would one day be talking directly with any high-rank personnel from the school management team.
“Hehe, alright.” Lu Qing nodded with a smile.
“I am here to talk to you about the fight that took place yesterday,” Hao Ren went straight to the point, “I believe you have heard that I also participated in the fight. It seems that the school is planning to deal with the student who initiated the dispute harshly. You see, that student is a good friend of mine…”
“About this,” Lu Qing stopped Hao Ren and said “It had already been discussed at the school affair meeting today. From the school’s perspective, such incidents could influence the entire school’s spirit and discipline. Hence, we must handle it seriously.”
“Yes?” Hao Ren’s heart began to sink at Lu Qing’s words. He wondered if Zhao Guang’s phone call exerted any impact.
“How do you think this incident should be dealt with?” Lu Qing suddenly turned his focus on Hao Ren.
Hao Ren hesitated for half a second then stated, “To me, I think the basketball team initiated the provocation, and Zhao Jiayi had no choice but to fight back. The basketball team was the most at fault. Not to mention, most of the students have been upset about the basketball team overtaking the outdoor basketball courts when they have their own training facility…”
Lu Qing looked to Hao Ren with his smiley eyes and interrupted, “You don’t have to give me your reasoning. Just tell me how you’d handle this.”
“Zhao Jiayi was not the most at fault and was also injured by their joint attacks. At most, he needs some advice and disciplining from the Guidance Counsellor. As for those on the basketball team, it should be in the rules that they are not allowed to occupy the outdoor basketball courts which are intended for the use of regular students. Also, they jointly assaulted a student, and they should at least receive disciplinary measures for their actions,” Hao Ren proposed.
Observing Hao Ren, Lu Qing was silent for a few seconds. Then abruptly, he nodded his head and said, “Good, let’s do as you said.”
Hao Ren looked at Lu Qing, shocked by his response. He only intended to raise some suggestions and hoped to clarify his attitude. He did not expect Lu Qing to make the decision based on what he had said.
“Actually, the principal did mean to be stricter about this,” Lu Qing seemed to be able to read Hao Ren’s thoughts. He leaned forward and asked, “You asked Zi’s father to make a phone call, didn’t you?”
Hao Ren nodded lightly.
“The boss is very busy, try not to bother him with such small things in the future. I knew immediately that the boss had quietly exerted his influence when the principal clearly stated his stance to be partial to the regular students at today’s meeting,” Lu Qing said with a chuckle.
Hao Ren tried to explain, “I was just so worried…”
“Haha,” Lu Qing looked to Hao Ren in a kind and friendly way, “You broke through the second level already?” he asked.
“Yes, that was a few days ago.”
“Good job,” Lu Qing seemed gratified. “I’d never imagined that Su Han would be willing to help anyone cultivate in person. She is the second best master I know of. Learning from her, you will progress rapidly for sure.”
Hao Ren supposed the No.1 master would be Zhao Yanzi’s Third Uncle - Zhao Kuo. Nevertheless, he had had a taste of Zhao Kuo’s violent temper and did not expect to receive any guidance or pointers from him.
“I still have classes in the afternoon. I should go now,” Hao Ren said as he got up. It was making him uncomfortable to stay in the vice principal’s office for too long.
“Go…” Lu Qing waved at him casually. .
After getting out of the Administrative Building, he went for lunch in the cafeteria. He planned to meet up with Zhao Jiayi and the others in the afternoon and continue going to class.
After forcing himself to smile and act normal for the whole morning, Zhao Jiayi had become enervated by the afternoon. He cushioned his arms with his books underneath and decided to take a nap.
“Breaking news! Breaking news!”
A few minutes before the class was about to start, Yu Rong rushed into the classroom, waving both of his arms in the air as he shouted, “The notice of disciplinary measures is out!”
“Oh?” everyone in the class including Xie Yujia looked up curiously and anxiously.
Expectantly, Zhao Jiayi’s head also immediately bounced up from the desk.
“The notice is posted in the display window on the first floor of the Administrative Building. The students on the basketball team who were involved in the fight: four are receiving disciplinary measures, two are given verbal warnings, and they are all temporarily expelled from the basketball team! Moreover, they are to pay for Zhao Jiayi’s medical expenses! The most important thing is, Zhao Jiayi is exempted, and so is Hao Ren!” Yu Rong screamed exhilaratingly.