Chapter Sixty-Two: The Protagonist’s Privilege

The teachers were all bewildered by Jiang Xiwen’s sudden appearance, unconsciously making way for him. Extinction Wen had long harbored a deep hatred for Jiang Xiwen; she could never forget his sly tone. The moment she heard his voice, she rushed out, howling, “Jiang Xiwen, you still dare to show up? All the teachers have already gone on strike! If you don’t leave this school, not a single student will be able to attend class!”

As soon as Zhu Wen said this, many teachers felt uncomfortable. They hadn’t intended for things to escalate to such a serious strike. More and more people began to regret their actions—everyone had always known Zhu Wen’s character; how could they have lost their heads just now, acting impulsively after hearing that a student had assaulted a teacher and the principal was currying favor?

But now, it was awkward to directly contradict Zhu Wen. She was their colleague, she was also the wife of the director of academics, and, just moments ago, everyone had voiced their support for her. To turn against her now would make them seem unprincipled.

A person may not be arrogant, but must have backbone. Most present lived by this adage; they would never bow before a student who had struck a teacher.

Yet, the arrival of another voice made them regret even more their efforts to save face.

“Ms. Zhu, if you want to go on strike, suit yourself. I won’t. I’m not as petty as you.” The speaker was Tan Yutou, still the picture of an old pedant, but now exuding an air of defiance against authority. It was he who had gone to notify Jiang Xiwen to come to the office building; Ma Weibian had summoned him as well. After grasping the gist of the situation, Tan Yutou quietly left for the classroom, called Jiang Xiwen out alone, and informed him of Zhu Wen’s disturbance. When Jiang Xiwen decided to come, Tan Yutou didn’t stop him. In his eyes, Jiang Xiwen’s decisions were never impulsive or careless.

Thus, old and young ascended the floor together.

Upon seeing Tan Yutou, among all the regretful teachers, Nine-mole Wu was the most frustrated. He had wanted to experience what it felt like to be a fighter against tyranny, but now it seemed he was the petty one, while the old stick-in-the-mud opposite him, who always foamed at the mouth, had become the true hero.

“Extinction Wen, do you hear that? That’s the voice of the people. The other teachers are simply too embarrassed to say it aloud,” said Jiang Xiwen as he entered the principal’s office, wearing that infuriating expression, “If you want to go on strike, go ahead. Why drag so many excellent teachers into it?

Taking your personal grudges out on students is truly shameless—only someone like you could do such a thing. So I hit you once, and you can’t accept it? Want to settle it one-on-one? Just like you hit Zhang Ya and I was upset with you, so I hit you. Now, I’ll give you a chance—be it with words or fists, you choose. Just stop scheming in the shadows like some old crone. Oh, right. You are an old crone.”

“Trash! Scoundrel... Li Changtian, Fang Sixiang, aren’t you going to do something?!” Extinction Wen finally lost all control and began making a scene in public.

“Shh...” Jiang Xiwen raised a finger to his lips. Extinction Wen had no idea what he was up to, glaring at him with a tear-streaked, bewildered face. Eighty percent of those present looked at Jiang Xiwen in much the same way.

Jiang Xiwen glanced around, picked up Li Changtian’s tempered glass thermos, and said solemnly, “Principal, may I borrow this for a moment?”

Li Changtian nodded.

Having witnessed Jiang Xiwen’s style before, Li Changtian was not surprised. The boy was no exaggeration to call a genius. If he wanted to handle Extinction Wen single-handedly, it would save him trouble. Furthermore, Li Changtian felt it was better for Jiang Xiwen to resolve this himself. Though Jiang Xiwen had brought honor to the school through computer competitions, his family background was weak compared to Fang Sixiang’s backer, Liu Dashan. Li Changtian knew Jiang Hong’s position was respectable but powerless—a courtesy, nothing more. It would not help the school, much less himself. Thus, he would not offend others on Jiang Xiwen’s behalf unless necessary.

If not for the fact that this matter implicated Zhang Ya’s reputation, he might well have chosen to abandon the provincial or even national computer competition honors and instead issue Jiang Xiwen a major demerit.

Jiang Xiwen strode to Fang Sixiang’s office wall and began rapping the thermos against it, shouting, “Director Fang, Fang Sixiang, your wife is about to throw a fit here. As the person in charge of moral education, why aren’t you coming out? When the people need you, you run faster than a rabbit; when there’s a title at stake, you’re fiercer than a tiger!”

This was exactly what many teachers felt. Most didn’t like Fang Sixiang, and now, having been incited by Zhu Wen into challenging the principal, their dislike for the couple only intensified. Some even burst out laughing.

Creak.

The door next door opened. Fang Sixiang could no longer sit still. He strode out, circled the corridor, and entered Li Changtian’s office, forcing a laugh. “What’s all this commotion? Why are you all gathered here? Get back to work, what does this look like?”

“Director Fang, it’s not that they don’t want to work. Ms. Zhu here has rallied all the teachers to strike. I mean, look...” Jiang Xiwen’s tone was laced with mockery, which made the teachers marvel at his cleverness and rebelliousness.

“Oh...” Tan Yutou shook his head, interjecting, “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m not on strike. Director Fang, I’ll head back to my office to prep lessons!” With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode downstairs.

Among the teachers, Tan Yutou’s reputation was summed up in one word: eccentric. Now, seeing him harmonize so perfectly with this young student, three-quarters of them mentally added another descriptor: oddball.

Zhu Wen stood dazed for several seconds, blinked, and finally reacted. She let out her signature shrill screech, “Well, Tan Yutou! Of course it’s you—just look at the kind of student you’ve taught! What sort of homeroom teacher breeds what sort of student!”

“Enough!” Fang Sixiang’s angry voice cut off his wife before anyone else could speak.

Jiang Xiwen’s expression turned icy, shedding all previous levity. “Extinction Wen, you’re right. Thank you for the compliment. Teacher Tan is ten thousand times better than you, which is why he could nurture such an outstanding student as me.”

This shift in demeanor left a deep impression on everyone present. Such a child was truly formidable.

Indeed, a treasure. Such a student can only be dealt with by special means—perhaps one day, he will become another notable name from Yangjiang No.2 High School. Li Changtian, as principal, had keen vision. He finally understood why Qi Huanchang spoke so highly of Jiang Xiwen.

To Li Changtian, Qi Huanchang was already a maverick; otherwise, he would not have trusted him so much, approving Jiang Xiwen’s absence from class for over a month on his word alone.

Extinction Wen tried to speak again, but Fang Sixiang raised a hand and stopped her with a stern look. “Ms. Zhu, that’s enough. I’ve already discussed your previous mistake with the principal. I didn’t expect you to escalate things today. From now on, you are temporarily suspended. Other teachers will cover your classes. Go home and reflect.”

This was the best option Fang Sixiang had. Extinction Wen was at a loss for words. She had repeatedly brought trouble to Jiang Xiwen, only to end up battered and bloodied each time—this was surely the most nightmarish experience of her teaching career.

For all her ferocity, Zhu Wen was still a woman. This time, her tears were genuine, swirling in her eyes with no trace of performance.

Fang Sixiang’s words were a public admission that his wife had been lying all along, and that the truth was exactly as Li Changtian had described.

The teachers exchanged awkward glances, at a loss for words.

Xu Hui cursed Zhu Wen inwardly. He was no fool; he knew Fang Sixiang would have given his wife some leeway even if she was unreasonable. But now, the director’s actions and words made one thing clear: Jiang Xiwen or Zhang Ya’s family must be influential. He cursed Li Changtian for not telling him sooner—had he known, he wouldn’t have incited the teachers to block the principal’s office.

Failures always blame everything around them at the moment of failure, forgetting to reflect on themselves. When confronted, most people’s first instinct is to argue—this is human nature. If you realize this and learn to examine yourself first in such situations, you are already a step closer to success.

This was a lesson Jiang Xiwen had summarized in his SSUN days. It helped him rise from lead programmer to project manager.

“Both sides are at fault here. I suggest that Jiang Xiwen and Ms. Zhu apologize to each other and forgive one another. Nevertheless, as a teacher, Ms. Zhu should be held to higher standards, so Director Fang’s punishment stands.” Li Changtian spoke up at the right moment, offering Zhu Wen a chance—a way to admit her mistake and step down gracefully. After all, for Fang Sixiang to punish his own wife so publicly, Li Changtian had to give him some face.

Fang Sixiang had spent years mastering the art of navigating hierarchies. He understood Li Changtian’s intentions and kept signaling to his wife. Unfortunately, Extinction Wen acted as if blind, unable to read her husband’s hints or grasp Li Changtian’s meaning.

Her husband’s public reprimand had already left her humiliated; now, to apologize in front of all her colleagues was too much.

Xu Hui seized the chance, “Ms. Zhu, just apologize. Xiwen, you too—it’s all teacher and student, no need for lasting grudges.”

Jiang Xiwen smiled calmly. “Ms. Zhu, you don’t need to apologize to me. You didn’t hit me. To resolve this perfectly, I believe Ms. Zhu should apologize to Zhang Ya, the class monitor, in front of all the students. If the principal held a school-wide assembly, that would be even better—set a strict example for teacher conduct. In the past, schools only enforced student discipline, neglecting the cultivation of teachers’ character. Clearly, it’s a necessity now.”

His words were not only reasonable but mature beyond his years. Several older teachers couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Only after nodding did they realize that it was a fifteen-year-old boy making such a suggestion—the very boy they had just been condemning as a troublemaker.

For the first time, Fang Sixiang took Jiang Xiwen seriously. Until now, he’d seen the boy as just a teenager and thought his wife’s vendetta was petty. Now, seeing things escalate, he realized half the trouble was self-inflicted.

But at this moment, Fang Sixiang’s opinion changed. After hearing Jiang Xiwen’s remarks, he realized that this youth was truly remarkable. Not just Zhu Wen—even he himself might have been left speechless by Jiang Xiwen’s arguments.

Even when tears brimmed in her eyes, Zhu Wen couldn’t bear the provocation. Her anger washed away any sadness, and she exploded again. “Jiang Xiwen, don’t push your luck! A school-wide assembly? Who do you think you are?”

Jiang Xiwen had only mentioned the assembly in passing—he didn’t care whether it happened or not, nor did he care if Zhu Wen apologized to Zhang Ya. He’d already returned the slap Zhang Ya received, and he had no mind to dwell on it.

The matter was already resolved. If not for Tan Yutou telling him that Zhu Wen had again led teachers to cause trouble in the principal’s office, he wouldn’t have bothered to come at all.

“Ms. Zhu, mind your words and actions!” Fang Sixiang, seeing his wife losing her temper again, tried his best to restrain her. Having such a wife, working in a school was already the safest option; anywhere else would be disastrous. But coming up against a student like Jiang Xiwen, all Fang Sixiang could do was accept reality.

Li Changtian was at a loss for how to assess Jiang Xiwen. If he hadn’t seen the boy with his own eyes, he would have thought Jiang Xiwen was a shrewd, seasoned adult.

“Xiwen, why don’t you apologize first—set an example,” Li Changtian said, nearly reversing the roles of Zhu Wen and Jiang Xiwen.

By rights, he should have continued persuading Zhu Wen; after all, she was the teacher and should have been the more reasonable, forgiving party. But in reality, this elderly woman could be driven mad at any moment.

After today, Li Changtian finally understood why the students called Zhu Wen “Extinction Wen.” The nickname was all too fitting.

“Who says Xiwen should apologize? I say Extinction Wen, the old nun, should make a public self-criticism to the whole school!”

The voice came from the stairwell, infuriating Extinction Wen to the point of hysteria and causing Fang Sixiang to frown.

Damn, someone else again. Just like a novel—whenever the protagonist is in trouble, more and more characters keep appearing. Jiang Xiwen didn’t need to look back to know it was Qi Huanchang. With all the commotion in the office building, there was no way the fat man could have missed it.

If Tan Yutou dared defy Fang Sixiang for Jiang Xiwen, it was partly out of his rebellious nature and partly thanks to his senior status as a special-grade teacher. But Qi Huanchang was just a junior computer science teacher, only two years into the job...

Jiang Xiwen felt a rush of gratitude. With himself as a reborn man here, even if Qi Huanchang got fired, so what?

“Little Qi, say no more. Things are chaotic enough as it is...” a teacher kindly advised.

“Little Qi, what brings you here?” Li Changtian’s head began to ache at the sight of Qi Huanchang—yet another person he couldn’t afford to offend.

Qi Huanchang hadn’t graduated from a normal university. Though he had the skills to teach computer science at a middle school, he couldn’t have landed a job at Yangjiang No.2 High through normal channels. All this was thanks to Li Changtian’s help, not out of recognition of Qi Huanchang’s talent, but because Qi Huanchang’s uncle was Li Changtian’s best friend.

“Principal, I just wanted to see how so many teachers could gang up on a single student.” Qi Huanchang grinned, nodding at the teacher who’d tried to warn him as a gesture of thanks. “I hear Ms. Zhu rarely holds back when belittling students in class, so why should I hold back now? Besides, it’s not just me—teachers, look out the window...”

Qi Huanchang pointed to the corridor window.

The teachers crowded over, and were stunned by what they saw. More than fifty students stood in front of the office building, all looking up at the floor above. When they spotted the teachers peering out, they shouted in unison, “We demand Extinction Wen apologize! If you expel Jiang Xiwen, you’ll have to expel us all!”

At the front stood class monitor Zhang Ya, with Jiang Xiwen’s friend Gong Xiang beside her. Gong Xiang, whose seat was right by the window, had overheard every word between Tan Yutou and Jiang Xiwen. As soon as the bell rang, he dashed to the computer classroom to tell Qi Huanchang everything. With Qi Huanchang and Zhang Ya leading the charge, the entire third-year, class four, forcefully assembled beneath the office building, brimming with righteous fury.

As Jiang Xiwen walked to the window, countless words tumbled through his mind, none quite right for the moment. Perhaps it was because his eyes were once more “filled with sand” that his novelist’s mind went momentarily blank, unable to find the perfect phrase.