Chapter 21: A Homeroom Teacher in Public, a Kitten in Private

Click.

Zhang Fan gently pulled the trigger.

Ye Long could almost envision his own gruesome death. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to even muster a cry. Those few seconds felt excruciatingly long for the richest man in Haishi.

But there was no pain, and he did not die.

When Ye Long opened his eyes, Zhang Fan looked slightly disappointed.

"Looks like it really was out of ammo. Huh? Why did you soil yourself?"

Ye Long instinctively looked down. Sure enough, the stench from his trousers was unbearable. In his daily life, he was the glamorous billionaire. Without saying a word, a single glance from him would have countless people scrambling to fawn over him. Yet, at this very moment, he had been scared into such a pathetic state in front of two people.

Ye Long dared not show anger; his face was a mask of desperate pleading.

"Zhang Fan, I swear, if you let me go, I will never tell anyone about this! I will have my son’s transfer papers processed immediately. I beg you!"

Zhang Fan raised an eyebrow slightly and patted Ye Long’s face with the pistol. "You hired people to kill me, and you want to leave? With your status, do you think I can let you walk away alive?"

Ye Long felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss. What could he do? This man was not easily fooled! Even though the pistol was out of bullets, killing him would be as easy as flicking a finger.

Zhang Fan did not kill Ye Long immediately. Instead, he picked up a rock from the ground and, without a word, shattered all of Ye Long’s limbs.

The pain was agonizing. The sensation of bone and flesh being crushed sent Ye Long to his knees, howling like a slaughtered pig. Seeing that his foe was now incapacitated, Zhang Fan turned to Teacher Li and gave a slight smile.

"Let’s go. Tell the parents to move their tents immediately; claim the weather forecast predicts flash floods."

Hearing this, Ye Long was terrified to the point of hysteria. He shrieked at the top of his lungs, "No! You can't leave! There isn't a soul for miles out here! You, come back! Zhang Fan, I’ll give you money—however much you want, I’ll give it to you!"

Zhang Fan ignored him. Money? The moment your son harassed my daughter, even if you offered a hundred trillion, I wouldn’t care. And today, you dared to bring hitmen to attempt an assassination. To hell with your money.

Seeing no response, Ye Long was truly paralyzed by fear. They were deep in an undeveloped forest, far from Haishi. No one ever passed through here. If they left, and with his limbs shattered, he would simply rot here and starve to death.

As Zhang Fan’s back receded into the distance, Ye Long roared, "Before I came to find you, I sent my son after your daughter! If you don't let me live, your daughter won't either! She must be disfigured by now, you bastard!"

Zhang Fan’s voice drifted back from afar. "Oh? I hired over a dozen bodyguards for my daughter. Is your son so impressive that he can take down a dozen adults at six years old?"

Ye Long stood frozen, his mind blank. Kneeling on the ground, immobile, he felt the depths of despair.

Soon, all the parents, under Teacher Li’s direction, packed their belongings in an orderly fashion and boarded the bus to relocate a dozen kilometers away.

No sooner had they left than Ye Long, who was struggling to unlock his phone with his teeth, heard a low, muffled growl behind him. He turned his head and saw a hungry bear, prowling for food. The bear had poor eyesight, but the scent of blood from the scene drew it closer, sniffing the air as it approached Ye Long.

No, no! Ye Long’s heart felt as though it were about to burst. He watched helplessly as the bear reached the dozen corpses. Then, the bear let out a roar. Clearly, it was a bear in mating season, and at its call, another bear sprinted toward them at high speed.

The second bear locked its eyes directly on Ye Long. It was clear that it preferred the living Ye Long over the corpses on the ground. Ye Long finally broke, sobbing inconsolably.

"Help! Save me! Someone, help!"

Within a few breaths, his cries for help grew faint, until they ceased altogether.

...

Outside the tent, Zhang Fan smiled at Teacher Li. "As long as you don't breathe a word about today, I’ll take care of all your bags and jewelry from now on."

However, Teacher Li didn't mention money. She gazed at Zhang Fan with eyes full of adoration. He was just too handsome! A normal person would have been groveling like a dog before the richest man in Haishi, but he hadn't! Mr. Zhang didn't care how much money Ye Long had; if you bullied people, Mr. Zhang would treat you with ruthless finality. And the fact that Mr. Zhang could actually produce a pistol... his background must be terrifying.

Zhang Fan had already tucked the pistol away. It was a small reward from the system, which could be stored in the system space at any time. The bullets he had fired would vanish shortly. One could say that there was no evidence of him holding a gun, and even if they traced the gunshot wounds on the corpses, there would be no complete chain of evidence. After all, Zhang Fan’s purchase history and financial records showed no trace of such an item.

Teacher Li nodded eagerly, stars in her eyes. "Of course. You saved my life today, too. My lips are sealed, don't you worry. Mr. Zhang... would you like to sleep in my tent?" Teacher Li struck an alluring pose, twisting her body before him.

Zhang Fan laughed and pinched her cheek. "We’ll talk tomorrow. I need to rest."

Teacher Li felt a tinge of disappointment, but she didn't dare disturb him, silently returning to her own tent. She lay on her bed, her hand slowly moving downward... Mr. Zhang is so impressive. Mr. Zhang... *Sigh*, when will I finally be with him? How annoying! What am I thinking? Ever since I met Zhang Fan, I’ve become so lecherous.

Teacher Li drifted off to sleep, lost in her fantasies.

By then, all the parents and children were asleep. Zhang Qingyun was also fast asleep. Only Ye Xiu was unable to rest. He had been hogtied by the bodyguards who were secretly protecting Zhang Qingyun.

A fit and stunning female bodyguard approached Zhang Fan and asked in a low voice, "Boss, what should we do with this child? He’s so young, yet he carried a dagger, attempting to break into your daughter's tent to kill her. If he grows up like this, he’ll be a menace."

Zhang Fan glanced coldly at the shivering Ye Xiu. "Send this little brat to someone in the Ye family who is at odds with Ye Long. Remember, don't return him to his mother. When Ye Long dies, it will have nothing to do with me; there are plenty of people willing to take the credit for that."

The Ye family held tens of billions in assets. The power struggles within were unfathomable. If Ye Long died today, those with ambition in the Ye family would surely be overjoyed.

The female bodyguard nodded seriously. "Understood! We will handle it perfectly."

Zhang Fan, naturally, would not mistreat these bodyguards; he immediately transferred one hundred thousand yuan to each of them. These were people who lived life on the edge of a blade, and seeing the money arrive, they were ecstatic. This Boss Zhang was far too generous! They had been mercenaries overseas, fighting wars or protecting local officials, and would only earn two or three hundred thousand a month. Who would have thought that Zhang Fan would hand out a hundred thousand each with a wave of his hand? Suddenly, their loyalty to Zhang Fan increased significantly.

The next day, many parents were chatting. "Where did Mr. Ye Long go?"

"Who knows? A busy man like him wouldn't stay with us all day, right?"

"That's true, he must have gone off to handle business."

Zhang Fan turned a deaf ear to it all, spending the day playing with his daughter. Along the way, Zhang Qingyun made several new friends.

By evening, the father and daughter returned to their car to head home. Teacher Li, who hadn't had a chance to get close to Zhang Fan all day, caught him in a corner and threw her arms around him. "Brother, I want you. You only care about playing with your daughter and won't play with me, hmph!"

Zhang Fan laughed and patted Teacher Li’s backside, his expression playful. "I really should have recorded you just now and posted it to the class group. A moment ago, you were acting like a virtuous teacher, guiding students and parents to the bus, and now you're acting like a cat in heat in front of me."

Teacher Li blushed. "Brother, you're so mean! It's only because I like you, hehe!"

Zhang Fan pushed the clingy Teacher Li away; he didn't view her as his woman. A woman like her was fine for a bit of fun, but marriage or a serious relationship was out of the question. "We'll talk when I have time."

The father and daughter got into the car and drove off. Teacher Li stomped her foot in frustration. So annoying! I only made those dumplings for the field trip because of him. Who knew Ye Long would interrupt, and now, on a Sunday, he still won't give me the time of day. No, I have to find a way!

Teacher Li’s possessiveness grew stronger.

Monday morning. As the people of Haishi woke up, a trending news story sent the entire city into a frenzy!

"Holy crap, no way?"

"That is damn ridiculous!"

"A conspiracy—there is definitely a conspiracy behind this!"