Chapter 70: Fang Sixiang’s Schemes

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Fan Qiang could never have imagined that Liu Dashan, the big shot he had been so eager to cozy up to, was just as troubled as he was at this very moment. For days now, Liu Dashan had been relentlessly investigating whether Deputy Mayor Zhang Yong had any ties to criminal gangs. Yet, despite mobilizing all his contacts, he had not unearthed the slightest clue.

Liu Dashan had always been supremely confident. Within the underworld circles of Yangjiang, there was no secret he could not uncover. But this time, Zhang Yong had left him utterly stumped.

All his recent misfortunes seemed to have stemmed from this private school. Was it truly a mistake to have built it?

Damn it, no way. When has Liu Dashan ever admitted defeat? Old Tian Weidong is coming at the end of the year. If I can’t get through Zhang Yong, I have other ways. If I affiliate myself with Tianxing School, won’t that solve everything?

Tian Weidong was a renowned entrepreneur from Yangjiang, now also hailed as an educationist. His Tianxing School had long since been accredited to run private schools. After Liu Dashan failed to secure the qualification independently, he thought of Tian Weidong, which prompted Tian to consider a trip to Yangjiang to assess Liu’s ability to run a school and also to review a few software candidates for Tianxing’s computer lab management system.

Liu Dashan picked up the phone and dialed his driver’s landline. “Old Ning, I suspect we have a mole. Go find out.”

“Ninth Master, understood,” came the driver’s characteristically terse reply.

“Hmm.” Liu Dashan set down the phone, a meaningful smile on his lips. He then dialed another number. “Qizi, look into Old Ning. I want to know what he’s been up to since leaving the army.”

“Old Ning?” The voice on the other end hesitated. “Ninth Master, Old Ning couldn’t possibly be a problem.”

“What, Qizi? Not taking my word anymore?”

“Ninth Master, please, don’t joke with me. I’ll get right on it…”

Only after hanging up did Liu Dashan let out a long sigh, feeling a little more at ease. If Zhang Yong truly had no underworld support, if none of the kidnappings were orchestrated by him, and if, after the threats and even after his own daughter was abducted, he still paid no heed to her safety, then there was only one explanation: there had to be a traitor inside Liu Dashan’s own ranks, someone who could always guarantee the safety of Zhang Yong’s daughter. With Liu’s shrewd caution, he could not—and would not—let his guard down.

Compared to the anxious Fan Qiang and Liu Dashan, Fang Sixiang could only be described as positively elated. He had just received a call from Gao Jie, the son of the Provincial Education Committee Director.

Gao Jie was infamous as a rich and reckless playboy, possessing impressive cunning only when it came to seducing women; in all other matters, he spoke without thinking. This spared Fang Sixiang the trouble of reading between the lines. Young Master Gao explicitly asked about Jiang Xiwen, bluntly stating that this student’s character was abominable and demanding the school take serious action.

Jiang Xiwen, oh Jiang Xiwen. That boy really had some nerve, offending the likes of Gao Jie. Of all the people he could have crossed, he picked Gao Jie—quite a feat, really. No ordinary junior high student, no matter how much trouble they stirred, would ever get entangled with someone like Gao Jie, whether for better or worse.

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Fang Sixiang simply couldn’t fathom what stroke of misfortune had led Jiang Xiwen to cross paths with Gao Jie. Still, he had no need to ponder it—inside, he was overjoyed.

Outwardly, however, he maintained his usual calm. He didn’t want his wife, Zhu Wen, to know. With her temperament, if she found out now, there was no telling what kind of trouble she’d stir up.

Even without Gao Jie’s call, Fang Sixiang had already been looking for ways to fault Jiang Xiwen. Finding fault was easy; making sure the principal didn’t suspect him of personal retaliation was the tricky part. But Gao Jie’s intervention had solved his dilemma. With Gao Jie as his backing, he wouldn’t even have to wait until the end of the term to dig up something on Jiang Xiwen, perhaps even forcing him to transfer.

It was almost laughable: the dignified Director of Studies racking his brains to outmaneuver a ninth grader. In the past, Fang Sixiang would have considered such behavior beneath him—pathetic! Yet here he was, doing it in earnest, whether to please his wife or to save face before Li Changtian.

This matter had already cost him favor with Li Changtian. If he failed to transfer to the City Education Committee in the future, he’d likely never get another break under Li again.

With final exams approaching, the year’s end was drawing near. Everyone was busy chasing their own hopes. For Jiang Xiwen, these days were peaceful and warm. The pretty Zhang Ya was always encouraging him to study—not that he needed the help, but it was a pleasant diversion. The beautiful Yu Ziqing was also a regular presence. With one teaching and the other learning, Jiang Xiwen not only improved his English but also cultivated an appreciation for beauty.

Only Ning Yan’s attitude toward him was growing ever colder. Jiang Xiwen, however, didn’t care. As before, their paths had crossed only once or twice, so there was little contact to be lost.

Three days before the final exams, Jiang Hong received a call from Fang Sixiang; at the same time, Zhang Ya’s mother, Qin Shu, was also contacted and asked to come to school on Saturday to discuss their children.

Zhang Ya had listed her mother as her school contact. Although Fang Sixiang knew her father was Zhang Yong, it was clear Zhang Yong didn’t want his daughter to attract too much attention, and Fang Sixiang had no intention of needlessly troubling the Deputy Mayor.

The reason for inviting both parents to the school was to discuss the rumored romance between Jiang Xiwen and Zhang Ya.

For more than a week now, Zhu Wen had been deliberately creating the appearance of a romance between Jiang Xiwen and Zhang Ya in front of the ninth grade teachers. Though she was on leave, she spent even more time in Class Four than she had while teaching, under the pretext of learning from other teachers. In reality, she used the breaks to draw the teachers’ attention to Jiang Xiwen.

The words she uttered most often that week were, “Ah, today’s students are nothing like we were. So young, yet already laughing and joking with classmates of the opposite sex. Look at Zhang Ya, such a good girl, and yet she’s being led astray.”

By the end, Zhu Wen could say it so smoothly and in so many variations that listeners barely noticed the implication, yet the message was clear.

This was, of course, not her own idea. She and Fang Sixiang had agreed that Jiang Xiwen needed to be given at least a major demerit, which meant forcing him into a serious mistake.

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There were no quantitative standards—one teacher’s word could be enough to define a major mistake. The simplest charge was, of course, a romantic relationship.

And who better to be implicated than Zhang Ya? Naturally, they would claim Jiang Xiwen had corrupted Zhang Ya and shift all the blame onto him. If Li Changtian was so wary of offending the Deputy Mayor, then they would drive a wedge between Zhang Ya and Jiang Xiwen. With just a middle schooler like Jiang Xiwen, what resistance could he muster?

A scandal like this was alarming in China at the time. If it were up to Zhu Wen, she would have called both Jiang Xiwen’s and Zhang Ya’s parents in a heartbeat. But Fang Sixiang would never allow it.

His plan, should all else fail, was to spread the news that the Deputy Mayor’s daughter was in a romance. Within two weeks, the entire education system would know. With Gao Jie’s backing, such a rumor could deal a heavy blow to someone about to be promoted to Executive Deputy Mayor.

Of course, mere rumors were easily refuted. That’s why Zhu Wen was instructed to create a convincing appearance of a romance every day between Jiang Xiwen and Zhang Ya. Since romance was a matter of emotion, even if the two children denied it, numerous teachers could testify otherwise.

Such a closely woven trap was beyond Zhu Wen’s imagination.

Fang Sixiang would never stoop to sparring with children, but when it came to scheming, he was ruthless. Back when he was promoted to Director of Studies, his rival had been brought down by Fang’s allegations of misconduct and had long since left the profession.

These tricks were second nature to him.

Fang Sixiang hadn’t mentioned any specifics on the phone, leaving both parents puzzled but each reacting differently.

Jiang Hong had once been called to school when Jiang Xiwen was in seventh grade. Back then, Jiang Xiwen had been recognized as a model of good discipline, and the teacher, Tan Yutou, had specifically invited Jiang Hong to discuss his son. At the time, the issue was that Jiang Xiwen was clever but too introverted, and his father was encouraged to motivate him more.

This time, however, the Director of Studies himself had called, and asked that Jiang Xiwen accompany his father to school on Saturday. Jiang Hong was caught off guard and summoned his son, who was “studying” in his room, to tell him about it.

Jiang Xiwen was equally surprised. But he guessed that if Fang Sixiang was calling him at this time, it must be to find fault. It appeared that Fang Sixiang and Zhu Wen were indeed a match—both unforgiving and vengeful.

“Dad, I honestly don’t know what this is about, but I doubt it’s anything good. Still, I can promise you this: no matter what Director Fang says, I’ll finish in the top ten of my class in the final exams.” Jiang Xiwen was unafraid of any tricks Fang Sixiang might play, but he knew to warn his father in advance to prevent that wretched couple from sowing discord between them.