Chapter 119: Zhuge or Pig-head

"Zi Qing helped me a great deal when she taught me English. It is only right that I help you all in return. Besides, you can pay me back slowly once you have the money; there is no need to be so melodramatic, as if we were in ancient times."

Mentioning the repayment was merely to alleviate Yu Fugui’s guilt. As for whether or not it would actually be repaid, Jiang Xiwen did not care in the slightest. Given the current state of Yu Ziqing’s family, it would be almost impossible for them to clear the debt within several years, unless a miracle occurred.

"Xiwen, you really are a good child." Yu Fugui’s tears began to subside. He looked at Jiang Xiwen with a strange, lingering gaze, scanning him up and down. This made Jiang Xiwen quite uncomfortable, so he quickly said, "Uncle Yu, if there is nothing else, I should get going. I only took leave for one class period this morning, and I need to rush back to school."

"Right, right, right!" Yu Fugui nodded repeatedly. "Go on, go on. If you are free this Sunday, come to Ward 2 at the First Hospital to see Zixin. You are her savior, after all; it would be good for her to meet you. She is two years younger than you and very well-behaved..."

Jiang Xiwen let out a dry laugh and, not waiting for Yu Fugui to finish, pulled the door open and bolted. Yu Fugui’s final words sounded off no matter how he interpreted them. Knowing that this middle-aged man had a history of marrying off his daughter for money, Jiang Xiwen felt a chill run down his spine and decided to make a quick escape.

Upon arriving at school, while passing the faculty residential area, he happened to run into Tan Yutou walking out. The moment the old man saw Jiang Xiwen, he walked over with a beaming smile—a habitual expression he had adopted whenever he saw Jiang Xiwen recently.

Jiang Xiwen knew exactly what he was going to say. Before the other could speak, he said, "If you want the new chapters, come to my place in a bit to pick them up. I wrote ten extra chapters, but I’ll have to slow down from now on; I’ve been particularly busy lately."

"Oh!" Tan Yutou looked disappointed, clearly unsatisfied with only ten chapters of *The Legend of the Ethereal*.

"Old Tan, just be content with that. Ten chapters is a hundred thousand words. I’m not a professional writer, you know. The guys in our class are already bursting with anticipation; they only get one chapter a week. Besides, this is enough to motivate them to study harder. Who knows? Our class might end up with many students getting into key high schools. When we win the award for the best class, it will only add to your prestige as a homeroom teacher!"

Tan Yutou chuckled, looking impatient. "I’m heading to your office now. I don’t have any classes this morning, so it’s the perfect time to finish reading your update. That Teacher Qi is certainly lucky, having the advantage of proximity; he always gets to see it first."

"Old Tan, you’re mistaken there. Fatty Qi has been busy with games lately and hasn’t had time to read novels. Let’s go."

"Right, let’s go." Tan Yutou continued to beam, stepping forward to hook his arm around Jiang Xiwen’s shoulders, drawing side-eyes from passing students and teachers.

Jiang Xiwen felt another chill. He had fallen into a trap of middle-aged men today; having just escaped Uncle Yu, he had now fallen into Uncle Tan’s territory.

*Beep beep...* A car horn sounded from behind, urging Tan Yutou and Jiang Xiwen to move aside, as they were clearly trying to turn into the faculty complex.

Tan Yutou instinctively turned his head, only to see the driver poke his head out and shout, "What are you blocking the road for? Move aside—"

Before Tan Yutou could react, the man immediately retracted his head. Someone in the back seat scolded him, telling him not to cause trouble and to just wait.

Jiang Xiwen recognized that voice. He leaned over to get a look, but he couldn't see clearly into the car, let alone identify the person.

Tan Yutou didn’t seem offended; he shook his head and quipped, "People in this world are all different. Even if they are in the same car, their characters are not the same..."

This remark clearly annoyed the driver, who wanted to poke his head out to curse again but was stopped by the person in the car: "Can you just focus on driving and stop babbling?"

As soon as those words were spoken, Jiang Xiwen realized who this "high-character" person was. It was none other than the young master Gao Jie, the one who had tried to take advantage of the situation the night before.

Upon identifying Gao Jie, Jiang Xiwen immediately noticed that Gao Jie seemed to be intentionally avoiding him, leaning his head as far back as possible to avoid being seen.

The more Gao Jie did this, the more Jiang Xiwen intentionally walked to the side to tease him. Sure enough, the guy shrank back further.

Jiang Xiwen laughed to himself. Gao Jie was probably afraid of him, so there was no need to hold a grudge. He patted Tan Yutou on the shoulder and said, "Old Tan, let’s go. We have a good book to enjoy in a moment; why get angry here?"

Tan Yutou laughed, "Let’s go, let’s go, Xiwen." He strode away.

*An old urchin,* Jiang Xiwen thought, watching Tan Yutou’s retreating back before following him.

As soon as they left, Gao Jie let out a long sigh of relief and cursed, "Damn it, I run into this bastard everywhere..."

"Who is it, Young Master Gao? That old man? Why be afraid of him? Just say the word, and I’ll get someone to beat him up," the driver offered.

"Mind your own business!" Gao Jie snapped. He didn’t want to admit he was hiding from Jiang Xiwen—partly to save face in front of his friend, and partly because the purpose of his trip was related to Jiang Xiwen.

"Liu Qiangwei, park the car over there and wait a while!" As soon as they entered the complex, Gao Jie told the driver to pull over. Liu Qiangwei was one of Gao Jie’s sycophants; his father was a leader at the Children’s Palace, making him part of the education system, so he spent his time trailing Gao Jie. The car was his father’s official vehicle, which he had "borrowed" from the Children’s Palace driver.

"Young Master Gao, why are you being so mysterious today? What’s the good news?" Liu Qiangwei asked with a grin.

Gao Jie glanced at him smugly. "Don’t worry about it. It’s about picking up girls. Didn’t you say I couldn’t get Yu Ziqing? Just watch; I’ll have that girl within two months."

"Young Master Gao, you really are a romantic. No wonder we brothers admire you so much; you’re just like Duan Yu from the novels." Of course, Liu Qiangwei wouldn't compare Gao Jie’s philandering to the likes of Tian Boguang; calling him a "Duan Yu" made him sound like a devoted, chivalrous lover.

"How are you talking? Do you know who Chu Liuxiang is? Can that blockhead Duan Yu even be considered a player in the romance scene?" Gao Jie grumbled, dissatisfied.

Just then, a figure walked out of one of the buildings in the complex. Gao Jie’s eyes were immediately drawn to her. He watched her until she left the complex before saying, "Qiangwei, wait in the car. I’m going up for a moment."

Liu Qiangwei’s eyes widened in disbelief. He recognized the person who had walked out of the complex: Fang Sixiang, the Dean of Students at the No. 2 Middle School.

Fang Sixiang’s wife often played mahjong at their house. Though only in her thirties, she was already famously known as the "Extinction Master." Was it possible that after being rejected by Yu Ziqing so many times, Gao Jie’s tastes had shifted, and he had taken a liking to a woman like the "Extinction Master," sneaking upstairs to have an affair?

If Gao Jie knew what Liu Qiangwei was thinking, he would likely be enraged. But right now, he was filled with pride—pride for the plan he was about to execute.

He felt that he was just like his father, capable of thinking deeply about problems. To him, this plan was flawless.

Originally, he just wanted to mess with Jiang Xiwen, but as he thought about it, he had concocted a grand scheme—at least, in Gao Jie’s mind, it was grand. Jiang Xiwen was merely a pawn in this plan; his real target was the Deputy Mayor of Yangjiang, Zhang Yong. He believed that this way, not only would Jiang Xiwen lose his backing, but his father, Gao Feng, would no longer keep calling him useless.

Gao Jie quickly went upstairs and knocked on Fang Sixiang’s door.

"Xiaojie, you’re here! Please, come in. Our Old Fang just left for work." Upon seeing Gao Jie, Zhu Wen smiled, though she looked a bit mysterious, glancing out the door.

"Sister Wen, don't say that; it sounds like we’re up to something illicit," Gao Jie replied. "I’m just here to visit you!"

"Yes, yes..." Zhu Wen forced a smile, realizing she was so nervous that even if she weren't doing anything wrong, it would be easy to be misunderstood.

Gao Jie wasn't stupid; he had simply been preoccupied with chasing girls. Once he put his mind to other matters, he was far more capable than someone like Zhu Wen.

It was just that the motive for his focus this time was still sparked by a woman.

After entering the inner room, Zhu Wen poured Gao Jie a glass of water and asked, "Xiaojie, why hasn't there been any response to the photos we mailed to Li Changtian, Zhou Xianrong, and Director Gao last time?"

"I don't think they'll pay any attention to them," Gao Jie said, revealing a smile of total control. He felt like Zhuge Liang or Sima Yi.

"Xiaojie, stop teasing me. Old Fang can tolerate that brat’s insolence, but I can’t. Old Fang is truly muddled. How could a child have such ability and gall? It must be that Li Changtian wants to make Old Fang look bad, and Li Changtian’s backer is Zhang Yong, so..."

Gao Jie waved his hand dismissively. "Sister Wen, don’t you worry. If we don’t get Zhang Yong ousted this time, then I, Gao Jie, am a complete failure. Of course, this matter still requires your Old Fang’s cooperation."