Chapter 6: I Didn't See Anything

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and before long, a flood of students poured out of the teaching building. The basketball courts were quickly occupied, and the two goals on the soccer field were claimed by the first group to arrive. Those who couldn’t find a spot set up makeshift goals with bricks and started playing in open spaces on the field. With only ten minutes, most wouldn’t bother climbing the hill behind the school, and it seemed no one had noticed him sitting by the pavilion.

A few boys from his own class hadn’t joined the games but instead gathered by the horizontal bar, deep in conversation. It was too far away and the noise of the crowd was overwhelming, so he couldn’t hear a thing. Yet Wen Xiaocheng had excellent eyesight, and by watching their lips and expressions, he could vaguely guess that they must be talking about him.

According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the ten minutes of break always seemed much shorter than ten minutes of class. Another warning bell sounded, and students rushed back inside. Some classes had PE and lined up neatly in the shade in front of the teaching building, waiting for the PE teacher to arrive—these were the seventh graders, whose teachers weren’t so heartless as to take away their gym class.

At that moment, a white BMW X5 drove into the campus. It was the top-of-the-line model, said to be worth more than two million, and the only one in this modest town.

In Wen Xiaocheng’s mind, the long-haired, sharp-tongued Wen Xiaodao appeared again, winking at him, “We guessed right!”

Wen Xiaocheng turned to look, startled. At this moment, Wen Xiaodao had truly taken on the appearance of Yang Liushan, but her outfit was wild and daring—black stockings and high heels, unmistakably the style Ding Sina wore!

“Hot enough? You little rascal, your mind is filthy! You turned me into this—were you hoping to have some fun with me?” Even her voice had changed.

Wen Xiaocheng sighed helplessly. “Damn it! I’d rather turn you into a bowl of braised pork! No more changing forms—just thinking about a grown man dressed like that makes me sick!”

Receiving the command, Wen Xiaodao reverted again to her original form, outwardly the grown-up Wen Xiaocheng, though her personality retained a mischievous edge. As she changed back, she nudged her host with her shoulder, raising an eyebrow, “Shall we come up with a plan to win over Yang Liushan? Or Ding Sina, maybe?”

“Let’s focus on the present. Zhang Peiyue’s parent is here.”

...

The principal’s office door was tightly shut, but the furious voice inside could still be heard. Unlike usual, it wasn’t the principal slamming the table this time—it was easy to tell, because the shrill voice belonged to a woman.

“Is this a school or a bandit’s den? We entrusted our children to you because we trust you! Look at how you let my Peiyue get beaten! He was just sitting quietly in class, sleeping, and still ended up like this. Do you have any sense of law and order? Wen Xiaocheng—is he a good person? Doesn’t your school know his father is a murderer? People like that should be expelled! How can you let our kids go to school with a murderer’s son? If something happens, can your school take responsibility?”

The woman fired her words like a machine gun, spittle flying, while the chubby principal could only mumble responses. But when it came to the topic of expulsion, he dared not make any promises.

“Just because someone’s father is a murderer doesn’t mean the son will be one too! That ‘a hero’s son is a hero’ nonsense is outdated—it’s just a schoolyard fight between kids, there’s no need to get so worked up. Your son only has a few scrapes; the school will handle this.” The rotund principal’s surname was Niu—Niu Dalong by name, though his body was so bloated he resembled an earthworm and could be used as bait. When he smiled, his eyes disappeared, and his whole body quivered with every movement.

“Just a few scrapes? Today it’s a scrape, tomorrow it’ll be broken bones! Does someone have to die before the school does something? Principal Niu, think carefully—you have to answer for your words! A murderer’s son, with no parents, running wild in the streets, no upbringing at all, hitting people at the slightest provocation! What more do you want? Are you going to wait until he pulls a knife before you intervene?”

This woman was completely unreasonable, like a shrew. Principal Niu frowned. “Mrs. Duan, I won’t say more. We’re a middle school, part of the nine-year compulsory education system. The most we can do is advise a student to leave—we can’t expel them! The education authority has clear policies—this is specified in the Education Law and the Law on the Protection of Minors. I understand how you feel, but the school must also follow its own rules. We can’t break the law!”

At this, the woman grew more anxious, grabbing the principal’s sleeve. “What do you mean, break the law? Isn’t keeping the son of a murderer in your school, endangering other students, breaking the law? Don’t try to use the education authority against me—weren’t you appointed by them? I know more people at the education office than you do!”

At this, Principal Niu’s confidence faltered. As he hesitated, the office door creaked open, drawing both their attention.

It was Wen Xiaocheng who entered.

Though he hadn’t knocked, he was very polite once inside, giving a deep bow. “Good afternoon, Principal.”

Principal Niu frowned. This woman was already hard enough to deal with—if she hadn’t seen the person involved, he might have been able to pacify her with a few words. Now that she’d seen the boy who hit her son, if she made a scene here, things would get lively indeed.

“Auntie, are you Zhang Peiyue’s mother?” Wen Xiaocheng asked.

Duan Xiaoe was taken aback. She had seen Wen Xiaocheng before, but kids change fast at this age and she didn’t recognize him at first. She only saw a polite student before her, and couldn’t bring herself to make a scene. She unconsciously let go of the principal’s sleeve.

Wen Xiaocheng covered his eyes. “Principal, Auntie, I’m sorry! I didn’t see anything!”

That single sentence turned both adults bright red. “It’s not what you think…” They’d only tugged at each other’s clothes, nothing more, but alone together in a room, who knew what the child might imagine?

“Principal! Please don’t expel me—I didn’t see a thing, and you and Zhang Peiyue’s mother are innocent!” Wen Xiaocheng looked terrified, as if he truly feared being expelled.

The scene grew awkward. Principal Niu’s chubby face quivered—what was this about? It had only been a tug at the sleeve; how did this kid interpret it? Relationships between adults aren’t as simple as ‘I like you, you like me’ at your age! What’s most infuriating is, you can’t even deny what he said—they really were innocent, after all.

Duan Xiaoe’s attention was successfully diverted. She had come to stand up for her son, but now found herself clarifying her relationship with the principal. Not exactly a woman of great sophistication, she stammered, “I just pulled on Principal Niu’s sleeve, that’s all. There’s nothing between us…”

Wen Xiaocheng still looked flustered. “Principal, maybe I should just leave and let you two continue.”

Continue? Continue, my foot! Principal Niu nearly cursed out loud. This kid really knows how to read the room! If he leaves now, and the two of them are left alone, who knows what gossip he might start? The town’s richest man is that woman’s husband, and even his own wife wouldn’t let him off if rumors started!

Without further ado, Wen Xiaocheng backed out of the principal’s office, and as he closed the door, he called out, “I didn’t see anything, nothing at all.”

The two inside exchanged a look. “Do you still insist on expelling him?” Principal Niu asked, then added, “I don’t know about his other subjects, but I hear he writes a fine essay.”

“Forget it…” Even someone as uneducated as Duan Xiaoe knew better than to offend someone who could write.

——————

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