Chapter 42 - 41: Shattered Worldview, Double-Standard Young Master
Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Shattered Worldview, Double-Standard Young Master
"..." Silence suddenly descended.
Lu Mi and Song Qingmu stared at her blankly, their worldviews severely shattered in this moment.
Shaoyuan raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised. He said unhurriedly, "School Rule 45: Fighting is prohibited on school grounds."
"I wasn’t fighting." Shi Changying completely refused to acknowledge her one-sided punch as a fight. "I just raised my hand and he fell. He’s very weak."
Lu Mi’s mouth formed an O shape. "A-As expected of Yingying, snatching the title of school boss with just one punch!"
Shi Changying had already achieved her first goal. Now, all that was left was claiming the top spot in their grade. She handed the test papers she finished yesterday to Shaoyuan.
"Not bad. You deserve some praise." Shaoyuan tapped the test paper. His smile was charming, laced with a hint of laziness. "The day you usurp my position will surely arrive sooner than expected."
Hearing the phrase "usurp my position" still struck fear into the hearts of Song Qingmu and Lu Mi. But a second later, they heard him ask, "What kind of reward do you want today?"
Shi Changying thought back and said, "I want to eat the cake you brought me the day before yesterday. I couldn’t find the exact same one to buy."
Something flickered swiftly in Shaoyuan’s eyes. "Well, it was made by a chef I know. He doesn’t run a restaurant because he rarely has the time."
Shi Changying was very persistent when it came to food. "Do you have his contact info?"
Shaoyuan raised an eyebrow high. "But what if it’s a pig-butchering scam and he’s trying to swindle our young miss out of her money? What then?"
Lu Mi felt deeply distressed. She had never realized before that their young master could hold such grudges. He probably had a little black book in his mind just for her. One day, his resentment might just explode and she’d be silenced for good. She absolutely had to make Yingying protect her!
Shi Changying showed off her illustrious WhatsApp balance: a stark zero. Even if someone wanted to scam her, she didn’t have any money to take.
Despite what he said, Shaoyuan still sent the contact info to her. For the sake of delicious food, Shi Changying took the initiative to add a friend for the very first time.
After the request was sent, three messages immediately popped up on Shaoyuan’s phone.
[God of Delicious Cake]: ?
[God of Delicious Cake]: What does this mean? Did you sell my account info to a restaurant?
[God of Delicious Cake]: I’ve told you countless times, I’m not a chef! I am the number one expert in cutting-edge equipment technology!
Shaoyuan leisurely typed a three-word reply.
[Now you are.]
[God of Delicious Cake]: ...
[God of Delicious Cake]: Seeing as the other party praised my cakes as the most delicious in the world, I won’t hold this against you.
[God of Delicious Cake]: You are too picky and have terrible taste anyway. From now on, you’re banned from eating my cakes.
Shaoyuan glanced over at Shi Changying, who was now highly motivated to do her test papers after successfully securing the cake source, and replied again.
[Sure, leave them all for her.]
[God of Delicious Cake]: Wait? ’Her’?
Shaoyuan didn’t reply anymore, quietly gazing at the scenery outside the window.
The news of Meng Qi’an being knocked unconscious by a single punch quickly spread throughout Jianghuai High School. He himself had no idea that the rumors had already escalated to the point of claiming his physique was so frail that he couldn’t even withstand one blow.
Because he had been transferred from the school infirmary to Jianghuai First Hospital, he had only just woken up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a nightmarish figure standing by his bed.
Meng Qi’an shuddered and immediately widened his eyes. "M-Mom? What are you doing here?"
"Meng Qi’an, the moment you return to school, you manage to land yourself in the hospital." Meng Jingzhu crossed her arms, looking down at him condescendingly. "If you don’t want to study, then march yourself straight to a factory and start tightening screws."
"I..." Meng Qi’an couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had lost to a girl in a fight—the very thing he was best at. So, steeling his heart, he lied, "I lost a game of Flying Chess and passed out from sheer anger. I didn’t end up in the hospital on purpose."
"Passed out from anger?" Meng Jingzhu sneered. "Why didn’t you just die from anger? Then I could go back to being single."
Meng Qi’an asked tentatively, "Maybe it’s because the walls of my heart are unusually thick?"
Meng Jingzhu clapped her hands. "Touch your face. The skin there is even thicker. You could peel it off and stick it on your heart for extra protection. That way, you won’t pass out from anger next time."
Meng Qi’an was speechless. His mother’s tongue was as sharp as ever.
"Since you’re awake, get your ass back to school this afternoon. No excuses," Meng Jingzhu said coldly. "If you can’t get into a good college in the entrance exams, you’d better believe your mother won’t even give you the opportunity to tighten screws in a factory."
"Then what will I do?" Meng Qi’an asked.
"Set up a street stall on a footbridge and apply phone screen protectors," Meng Jingzhu replied.
Meng Qi’an fell silent once again.
Meng Jingzhu answered a phone call and left the hospital room. Relieved, Meng Qi’an drifted back to a peaceful sleep.
Outside the hospital, Xu Zhao Yu got out of her car, carrying several boxes of nutritional supplements. Seeing Meng Jingzhu walk out, she smiled and said, "Jingzhu, I heard Xiao An is sick, so I came over to see him."
Meng Jingzhu nodded. "That’s very thoughtful of you, Zhao Yu, but the kid isn’t sick. He just passed out from anger. There’s no need to see him."
"Passed out from anger?" Xu Zhao Yu was incredibly surprised. "Who would dare make Xiao An so mad? Besides, Xiao An has always been quite broad-minded."
Meng Jingzhu shrugged. "His position as the school boss was snatched away, and this was the result."
Long before coming to the hospital, she had already learned the truth of the matter from Meng Qi’an’s gang of hooligan friends. He really had passed out from sheer indignation, but it certainly wasn’t because of a game of Flying Chess.
Xu Zhao Yu was even more astonished. "There aren’t many kids his age who can beat Xiao An in a fight, are there?"
Meng Jingzhu didn’t elaborate. Instead, she said, "Zhao Yu, I heard from Bai Zhou that you just got discharged from the hospital too. The weather has been getting colder lately, so you should go home and get some good rest."
"Thank you for your concern, Jingzhu, but I’m fine." Xu Zhao Yu lowered her eyelashes. "Changying’s temper is a bit bad, but I’ll just have to be more accommodating in the future. After all, she is my brother’s daughter, and I owe her a great deal."
With that said, she handed over the gift bags in her hands and smiled again. "I carefully selected all of these. Please don’t decline, Jingzhu."
Meng Jingzhu narrowed her eyes. She accepted the bags, watched Xu Zhao Yu get into her car, and only then turned back to return to the hospital room.
At 2:00 PM, inside the Xuan’an Archaeological Research Center.
Having discovered the Jiuyin Zither—an imperially bestowed artifact of both cultural and historical significance—all the archaeologists were thrilled.
"This zither was unearthed in Xuan’an, so naturally, it should be placed in the Xuan’an Museum," a middle-aged man sighed in admiration. "Chengli’s sudden whim to inspect the inner cavity of the zither saved us a lot of time."
"Director." A staff member hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear. "An esteemed guest wishes to see you."
The middle-aged man’s expression turned serious. "I’ll be right there."
Since it was an esteemed guest, they absolutely could not be neglected. Guided by the staff member, he made his way to the reception room.
Xie Qingshi took off his mask and hat one by one, offering a faint smile. "Hello. I am Xie Lin."
From the Linsu Xie Family, hence the name Xie Lin.