During the break between classes, the door to the Grade 11 faculty office was slightly ajar. Ye Qingyang knocked, pushed it open, and walked in, only to see his homeroom teacher talking to Ye Hong.
He stepped forward. Just as he reached Cheng Yan, he heard Ye Hong say, “Teacher, there’s no need to say anything more. I’ve already made up my mind. That’s it.”
Cheng Yan sighed helplessly. Seeing Ye Qingyang arrive, she quickly said, “Withdrawing from school is a major decision. Now that Ye Qingyang is here, why don’t we hear what the student himself thinks?”
“What’s there to hear?” Ye Hong didn’t even look at Ye Qingyang. “Children don’t understand anything. Of course, parents make the decisions. His parents are gone, and I’m his guardian, so naturally I have the final say.”
Hearing that, Ye Qingyang let out a silent scoff. What, still dreaming? Still fantasizing about being his guardian?
He ignored Ye Hong and asked Cheng Yan, “Teacher, you wanted to see me?”
Cheng Yan nodded. “Your aunt suddenly came to school and said she wants to withdraw you.”
Ye Qingyang had already guessed as much, so he wasn’t surprised—just found it ridiculous.
Lu Jingcheng, standing beside him, exclaimed in shock, “Withdraw?!”
“On what grounds?!”
Cheng Yan glanced at him. “Why are you here? I only asked Ye Qingyang to come, not you.”
Lu Jingcheng replied confidently, “I’m his friend. And anyway, just because you didn’t call me doesn’t mean I can’t come if I have something to talk to you about.”
Concerned about Ye Qingyang’s feelings and not wanting his family situation exposed, Cheng Yan gently urged, “If you have something, come back this afternoon. I need to deal with Ye Qingyang’s matter right now. I don’t have time for you—please go back first.”
“Then I’ll wait for him. When he’s done, we’ll go back together.”
Cheng Yan: …
Ye Qingyang had no choice but to say, “It’s fine, Teacher. He won’t affect me.”
Cheng Yan looked at him with pity, thinking he was being too considerate.
Turning to Ye Hong, she tried to reason with her, “Ye Qingyang’s grades have improved significantly recently, and all the teachers like him. Besides, his tuition has always been waived. Under these circumstances, I don’t think there’s any need for him to withdraw.”
“That’s true, tuition is waived. But what about living expenses? And the school is always charging this fee and that fee. All of that costs money. My husband and I have to support three kids—we really can’t afford it anymore. So let’s just forget it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lu Jingcheng snapped. “Aren’t your two kids already adults with jobs—and even families? What, are they oversized babies still depending on you?”
Ye Hong instantly turned and glared at him. “This is our family’s business. Who are you to speak here?!”
“Who’s ‘our family’?” Lu Jingcheng shot back. “Wake up. You’re his aunt, not his mother. Two separate families—never one. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you even qualify?”
Furious, Ye Hong snapped, “Get out! Ye Qingyang, this is the kind of friend you make? Fooling around with people like him at school—no wonder you’ve gone bad, lying all the time and even scamming money from your family!”
Ye Qingyang opened his mouth to speak, but Lu Jingcheng shoved him behind him.
“Are you sick? I told you already—you’re not family, can’t you understand that? And scamming money? Didn’t you just say you’re too broke to support him? Where would he even get money to scam? Thief crying thief, huh?”
Ye Hong was shaking with anger.
Seeing the situation escalating, Cheng Yan quickly said, “Lu Jingcheng, go outside first. You’re only making things worse.”
“Teacher, you can’t reason with some people,” he replied. “The best solution is to ignore them.”
As he spoke, he grabbed Ye Hong’s arm and started dragging her out.
“What are you doing?” Ye Hong struggled.
“Lu Jingcheng, stop that!” Cheng Yan rushed to intervene, but she couldn’t overpower him.
He dragged Ye Hong to the door and shoved her out. Dusting off his hands, he said calmly, “Get lost. This isn’t a place for you. Leave on your own, or I’ll have security throw you out.”
“You—you…” Ye Hong pointed at him angrily. “No manners at all! I wonder how your parents raised you. Are you insane?!”
“Say that again,” Lu Jingcheng said coldly.
Ye Hong spat, then turned to Ye Qingyang. “Look at the kind of people you hang out with—no wonder you’re no good.”
Looking at the surrounding students and teachers, she suddenly went all out, shouting, “A nephew bullying his own aunt! Stealing money and framing his elders! How shameless can you be? What sin did I commit to end up with a nephew like you? If your parents hadn’t died so early, they—”
She didn’t finish.
Lu Jingcheng rushed over and punched her, then kicked her to the ground.
Gasps erupted all around. Students froze in shock.
Cheng Yan hurried forward to stop him, but Ye Qingyang was the one who pulled him back.
Staring down at Ye Hong, Lu Jingcheng said in a low voice, “Ye Qingyang has a good temper. You think everyone does? Next time I see you, I’ll beat you again.”
“Wow, so cool…” a girl whispered.
“Yeah, but doesn’t Lu Jingcheng never hit girls?”
“Well, she must’ve been bullying Ye Qingyang using her seniority. Otherwise he wouldn’t say that.”
“True…”
Lying on the ground, Ye Hong looked at him in fear, then suddenly shouted, “You dare hit me? Fine—I’m calling the police right now!”
“Go ahead!” Lu Jingcheng said without hesitation.
Cheng Yan quickly tried to calm her. “Ms. Ye, he’s still a minor. There’s no need to call the police.”
“I’ve been beaten like this! Look at him—does he look remorseful at all? This is practically attempted—”
“Call them,” Ye Qingyang suddenly interrupted.
He looked at her coldly. “Teacher, don’t worry about it. Let her call. Once the police come, we can properly sort out everything that’s happened over the years.”
“Actually, why bother with random officers? They’d have to investigate from scratch. I still have Officer Yang’s number—the one who came to our house on Friday. She told me to call her if anything happened again.”
Ye Hong fell silent instantly.
Walking up to her, Ye Qingyang said, “You want me to withdraw? In what capacity? Our legal guardianship ended when I turned eighteen. At most, we’re just relatives now. What right do you have to decide whether I stay in school?”
“Come home with me,” Ye Hong demanded.
“I’m not going,” Ye Qingyang smiled faintly. “I still have class.”
“Open the door!”
“I said, I still have class.”
Turning to Cheng Yan, he added, “Teacher, you don’t need to listen to her. If she keeps causing trouble, just have security remove her. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
Then he turned to Lu Jingcheng. “Let’s go. Back to class.”
Lu Jingcheng nodded. Before leaving, he shot Ye Hong a disdainful look. “Chen Wei, go get security and have her thrown out. How is just anyone allowed into the school now? What if something happens to the students? If I see her here again, whoever’s on duty can find a new job.”
“…Okay,” Chen Wei replied, heading off.
Hearing the surrounding laughter, Ye Hong felt humiliated. Furious, she suddenly swung her bag at Lu Jingcheng as he passed.
He reacted quickly, but Ye Qingyang was faster. He shoved Lu Jingcheng back, grabbed the bag, and kicked her down again.
Clutching her stomach, Ye Hong looked up—only to meet Ye Qingyang’s cold, furious gaze.
He stepped forward and slapped her.
Then backhanded her again.
Everyone gasped.
“Ye Qingyang, that’s enough,” Cheng Yan said quickly.
“This is family business. She can treat me however she wants,” Ye Qingyang said calmly. “But she shouldn’t drag others into it. If Lu Jingcheng got hurt today, who do you think would feel most guilty, Teacher?”
Cheng Yan froze. She knew the answer immediately.
It would be Ye Qingyang.
Lu Jingcheng finally snapped out of it, still stunned.
When did this guy get such fast reflexes?
He even pushed him out of the way just now?
Was this some kind of life-or-death instinct?
He really cares about me that much?!
That’s true love!
He coughed, suppressing his excitement, and walked over. “What guilt? Like she could even hurt me. Stop overthinking.”
He slung an arm over Ye Qingyang’s shoulders. “Let’s go. Security will deal with her.”
“Okay.”
“Teacher, we’re heading back.”
Cheng Yan nodded quickly, afraid they might cause more trouble.
Meanwhile, Ye Hong was still in pain.
“Ms. Ye, there’s something you should understand,” Cheng Yan said gently, crouching beside her. “No matter how badly you treat Ye Qingyang, there’s still a layer of family ties to cover it up. But Lu Jingcheng is not your relative. If you hurt him, his parents can sue you.”
“You know who his parents are, right? After all, half the properties around here belong to their family.”
Only then did Ye Hong seem to wake up, staring at her in shock.
Cheng Yan smiled. “So, let’s drop the withdrawal issue. As long as Ye Qingyang doesn’t want to leave—and Lu Jingcheng won’t allow it—you could argue in front of the principal all day, and it still wouldn’t happen. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Right then, security arrived.
The bell rang for class.
Cheng Yan had to go teach, so after a few final words, she returned to get her materials.
“Let’s go,” the guard said to Ye Hong. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. If I have to drag you out, it won’t look good for anyone.”