Chapter 126: Don't Provoke Me, Part One

At noon, Jiang Xiwen received a notice from Fang Sixiang to go to the Dean’s office, as a colleague of his father’s had come to ask him some questions.

After Jiang Xiwen entered the office, Fang Sixiang politely closed the door and stepped out. The atmosphere felt strange to Jiang Xiwen; the only people left in the office were himself and a man in his thirties. The man had the distinct, self-important look of a government official, his face set in a grave, authoritative expression.

"Student Jiang Xiwen, I have a few questions for you. Could you describe in detail the reason why Teacher Zhu Wen was disciplined by the principal last time?" the man asked. Clearly, he did not feel the need to be careful in his tone with a middle school student; as long as he didn't leak the fact that Zhang Yong was under investigation, he felt there would be no issues.

The man’s tone made Jiang Xiwen uncomfortable, and his line of questioning led Jiang to conclude that he was definitely not a colleague of his father, Jiang Hong. The man’s appearance and way of speaking were typical of someone who had worked in government offices for a long time. Why would this man want to know about the Zhu Wen incident? Could it be related to the photos Zhang Yong had received?

These thoughts flashed through Jiang Xiwen’s mind in an instant. He decided to play dumb to test the waters: "Uncle, that was so long ago, why are you asking about it now? Why not go ask the principal? My dad knows the whole story too; since you’re his colleague, why haven't you asked him?"

"Uh, your father is away on a work inspection in the county. You see, someone filed an anonymous report claiming that your principal was being unfair, shielding students, and punishing Teacher Zhu Wen. I’m from the Municipal Education Bureau, and I’m here to look into the situation. Since Principal Li is the one being reported, I thought I’d talk to you, as you were directly involved. It’s no big deal, just a procedural matter. Even though your father and I aren't in the same department, we are good friends. It’s not convenient for Principal Li to know about this just yet, so I came to ask you."

"Then go ahead and investigate," Jiang Xiwen said, feigning an angry outburst. "Everyone in the school knows what kind of person 'Extinction Wen' is. This report letter must have been written by her. How incredibly boring. I’m leaving, Uncle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Xiwen stood up to leave. Sure enough, the man called him back: "Don't be in such a rush. I told you, it’s just a procedure. The letter is already in the hands of my superiors; I have to ask about the situation to give them an account."

The fact that he softened his stance so easily meant this wasn't just a simple procedure. The man clearly wanted specific information; otherwise, he wouldn't be speaking so gently to a child.

Jiang Xiwen became increasingly convinced that this was tied to the incident. He decided to be blunt: "Uncle, that teacher, 'Extinction Wen,' is truly despicable. You don't know this, but a few weeks ago, our principal received several photos of me and classmate Zhang Ya. It’s obvious she used forced perspective photography to make it look like we were dating. The principal didn't believe it, of course, and told me about it. I’m certain 'Extinction Wen' did it. Last semester, her husband—our Dean Fang—even dragged our parents in under the pretext of us 'puppy loving'!"

"Ah..." Before the man could reply, Jiang Xiwen let out a cry. Following this with a look of sudden realization, he stared at the man and said, "Dean Fang was the one who called me here just now. Could it be that he and his wife are up to something again? Are they trying to cause trouble for me?! Are you their accomplice?"

The man was momentarily stunned. Although Fang Sixiang had received a whistleblower letter and turned it over to the Education Bureau, hearing the boy describe his history with the couple made it seem plausible that Fang had written the letter himself, and had given the bureau a copy just to hide his own tracks.

He would definitely have to report this to his superiors. At least the trip wouldn't be for nothing.

Furthermore, if Li Changtian had received the photos long ago and handled them privately, it was highly likely that he and Zhang Yong had a special connection.

"Student Jiang Xiwen, you’ve misunderstood. I told you this is an assignment from my superiors. Rest assured, if what you say is true, I won't wrong your principal, and I will find out who wrote that anonymous letter. Alright, thank you. I’ve learned some things about Teacher Zhu Wen from you, and I will continue my inquiries. You can go back to class now," the man said, using polite formalities to quickly wrap up the conversation.

Jiang Xiwen remained furious: "Uncle, I know everything requires evidence, but I suggest you look into 'Extinction Wen' more. She is the only one who would do something as rotten as writing an anonymous letter!"

After saying this, Jiang Xiwen walked to the door and flung it open. Sure enough, he saw Fang Sixiang’s back as he was turning away, pretending to look out the corridor window at the playground. It was clear the man had been eavesdropping.

"Dean Fang, so you wrote the anonymous letter? Well done, I’m impressed." Jiang Xiwen continued to act out his anger, deliberately trying to intimidate Fang Sixiang to see his reaction.

As expected, a flicker of panic crossed Fang Sixiang’s eyes.

This matter couldn't be simple. The fact that it had alarmed the Education Bureau meant it wasn't just about Principal Li shielding a student; who knew what else was written in that anonymous letter?

"Student Xiwen, you shouldn't speak nonsense. I received that letter too, and before I submitted it, I showed it to Principal Li. He is a man of integrity and told me to submit it to the Education Bureau, which is why I did so," Fang Sixiang explained earnestly.

The more he explained, the more Jiang Xiwen felt he had something to hide. Given Fang Sixiang’s usual personality, he would typically respond to a middle schooler’s "slander" with a calm, dismissive attitude.

But his current anxiety suggested the content of the letter was highly significant. Even if he hadn't written it, he was deeply implicated.

"Alright, alright, Dean Fang, do whatever you like..." Before Jiang Xiwen could finish, he heard a familiar, shrill voice erupt behind him. He didn't need to look to know it was that woman, "Extinction Wen."

"Jiang Xiwen, how dare you be so arrogant! Do you think just because you have a good relationship with the Vice Mayor’s family, he..." "Extinction Wen" was cut off mid-sentence by Fang Sixiang: "Xiao Zhu, be polite to the student. You are a teacher, after all." He then turned a refined and kindly face toward Jiang Xiwen: "Xiwen, go back now. The leaders from the Education Bureau will get to the bottom of everything."

Jiang Xiwen glanced at Fang Sixiang and Zhu Wen and walked away with a look of fury. Of course, this expression was purely for their benefit. Zhu Wen’s unfinished sentence gave Jiang Xiwen even more reason to suspect that the whistleblower letter had implicated Zhang Yong as well. "Extinction Wen" was the type of petty person who couldn't keep her mouth shut, which was why Fang Sixiang had stopped her mid-sentence.

Back at his office, Jiang Xiwen dialed the principal’s office.

After a long time with no answer, Jiang Xiwen hung up and asked Qi Huanchang to help him call Fang Sixiang, using the excuse of filing resignation paperwork to ask where Principal Li had gone. The answer was that he was away on a business trip.

As soon as Qi Huanchang put down the phone, Jiang Xiwen said, "I'm going out for a moment," and left. He had thought of something that even he found hard to believe. In his previous life, a colleague of his father’s had been investigated for misconduct, and during the investigation, they had publicly claimed he was on a "business trip." When he heard the news about Li Changtian, a thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately rushed to the classroom.

It was recess. As soon as Jiang Xiwen appeared at the door, he became the center of attention. However, no one swarmed him for new chapters of his novel. Everyone was self-disciplined, keeping their promise to Tan Yutou: if their grades didn't improve, they couldn't expect to read *Piaomiao Zhuan*.

When Zhang Ya saw Jiang Xiwen, she wanted to stand up and greet him, but remembering the photos her father had shown her, she sat back down, hoping only that Jiang Xiwen had returned to class so that she could sit next to him and talk.

*Good for you, Jiang Xiwen, you skipped morning practice and now you’ve shown up on your own,* Ning Yan thought, feeling happy as she saw him. Just as she was about to approach, she noticed Jiang Xiwen’s anxious expression as he returned to his seat and began talking to Zhang Ya.

Seeing this, Ning Yan’s excitement vanished, and her heart went cold. She wanted to help Zhang Ya when she was bullied, but the moment Jiang Xiwen and Zhang Ya were together, she felt uncomfortable. Through their martial arts training, she had come to think of Jiang Xiwen as a buddy, but now, that same miserable feeling from last semester returned. She decided to leave the classroom; she didn't want to watch.

"Zhang Ya, is your father away on a business trip?" Jiang Xiwen asked as soon as he sat down.

Zhang Ya’s eyes brightened when she saw Jiang Xiwen walk toward her. Having promised her father she wouldn't see him for nearly a month, seeing him now brought a pang of bittersweet emotion.

But hearing the question, she paused before responding, "Yes, he’s on a business trip. How did you know?"

Jiang Xiwen smiled. He knew that for Zhang Yong and Li Changtian to both be on "business trips" at the same time was ten-to-one a sign they had been isolated for investigation. Such a confidential matter—and the half-sentence "Extinction Wen" had been cut off from saying—made it clear that the couple knew exactly what was going on. Therefore, the whistleblower letter was definitely related to them.