I Still Like Seeing You So Defiant

Jino still remembered the education course taught by the tutor his father had hired when he was young.

One lesson had been about society.

Jino remembered several questions the teacher had raised.

What was the essence of how society operated?

In Jino's view,

it was the plundering, exploitation, and slaughter over social resources.

And the amount of social resources one possessed gave rise to corresponding power.

Those with abundant resources possessed greater privilege.

So what was power?

It was a brutal beast that could neither be seen nor touched, one that hid in darkness and beneath the sea, killing invisibly.

Having lived two lives, Jino knew that his family's influence allowed him to swagger through free America.

He did not like using power to oppress others, but that did not mean he would not wield his own power, especially against a brainless brute like Watt.

A verbal offense was not enough to make Jino break Watt's arm, but Watt had to be punished.

And how would he make Watt pay the price?

One phone call was all it would take to make Watt pay for what he had done.

This was the power of power.

Outside the school at that moment, everyone was deeply shaken by Jino's move.

Whitney swallowed nervously, while the arm in his cast throbbed faintly.

What had he just heard? LexCorp donated five hundred thousand dollars to the school every year?!

That meant much of the faculty's salaries came from LexCorp's funding. If LexCorp truly stopped supporting the high school division, the faculty's pay might be slashed by a huge amount.

Quite a few students had the same thought, and many turned their eyes toward Coach Watt, whose face had gone livid.

Coach Watt clenched his fists. He swore that if they were somewhere without witnesses, he would beat the hell out of this damn brat.

As he thought this, Coach Watt glared venomously with his bull-like eyes at Jino's calm, unruffled face.

He had assumed the brat would pull some student stunt like calling his parents. He had not expected him to flip the entire table instead!

Would the school really give up five hundred thousand dollars in annual funding for him?

Coach Watt shook his head inwardly and tried to deceive himself.

"No, I led this town to four football championships. The school won't fire me!"

Jino had no idea how conflicted and anxious Watt was at that moment, but even if he had known, he would not have cared.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the call connected, and Jino smiled as he pressed the speakerphone button with his thumb.

"Hello?" Lex's voice came through the phone. "Get to the point. I'm in a meeting at the company."

Lex was as concise and efficient as ever. Besides being a scientist, Lex was also a qualified member of the Ziben Family.

"Lex, a teacher just threatened to make me wash the school football team's stinking socks for a week." Jino spoke leisurely as he stared at Coach Watt, his eyes full of mockery. "I think we should stop our annual financial support for the school."

"Wash socks?" Lex was sitting at the head of an empty conference room, his bald head resting lightly against his executive chair as he let out a cold laugh.

Someone had actually threatened to make his brother wash socks?! His brother had never even washed socks for him.

Lex's first instinct was to pressure the school into firing that sports teacher who did not know his place.

But after giving it some thought, he figured Jino had his own plans. After a brief silence, Lex said, "I'll have my secretary notify the principal."

With that, Lex hung up and looked at the secretary waiting tensely beside him. "Notify Smallville High School. Starting today, LexCorp will stop funding the school."

The secretary froze for a moment, then instinctively reminded him, "Boss, but donations to the school can offset our tax payments."

"Based on our profits, if we stop funding the school, our local businesses may have to pay as much as one million dollars in taxes every year."

"That doesn't matter!" Lex cut him off harshly, his eyes fixed darkly on the secretary. "All I know is that those people humiliated my brother. They have to show the proper attitude!"

Meeting Lex's cold gaze, the secretary's heart trembled. He quickly lowered his head obediently. "I'll contact them immediately."

Back at the school, Jino hung up and curled his lips into a provoking, punchable smirk. "Coach Watt."

Jino snapped his fingers. "Want to guess how long it'll take Principal Guan and the others to get here?"

As he spoke, Jino casually lowered his head to glance at his watch. "I don't think it'll take more than a minute."

Hearing Jino's words, Coach Watt's expression darkened even further. He wanted to say something conciliatory, but the bustling crowd around them left him with his mouth open and no words coming out.

By now, the anger in his heart had long since faded. Coach Watt discovered in horror that he was beginning to feel regret.

His long, comfortable life had made him forget the first rule of surviving in America: never provoke the Ziben Family.

And now, it was time for him to pay for his actions.

"Make way! Make way!"

Shouts came from the distance.

The onlookers were roughly pushed aside as Principal Guan, dressed in a suit, barged in with six or seven grim-faced school administrators. They had rushed over so quickly that even their ties were crooked.

Without bothering to straighten themselves up,

"Mr. Jino Luthor!" The moment he saw Jino, Principal Guan's face broke into an enthusiastic smile. Like a concerned elder, he gripped Jino's arm and asked after him warmly. "I heard someone spoke disrespectfully to you?"

As he spoke, Principal Guan cast a disgusted glance at Coach Watt, who stood there dumbfounded.

The faculty behind him also stared at Watt with looks of disgust. The meaning in their eyes filled Coach Watt with fear: they intended to fire him!

The students stared in shock at the suddenly appearing school officials. Chloe elbowed Little Black Pete and Clark, who were engrossed in the spectacle, then lowered her voice with her head bowed. "It only took forty seconds."

"Yeah. Because I skipped class yesterday, Coach Watt ordered me to wash the school football team's socks for a week." Jino stared at Watt's pale-green face with a half-smile. Watt's former arrogance had vanished completely. He now looked like an unemployed middle-aged office drone, his eyes full of confusion.

But Jino would not pity him. If he had merely been an ordinary student, then being humiliated by washing socks for a week would have been a fate he could not escape.

So when it came to evil people, Jino was stingy with his mercy and kindness.

Being kind to evil people was cruelty to good people.

"So that's what happened." Principal Guan frowned, inwardly cursing Watt for apparently drinking himself stupid after work every day.

Making a rich second-generation heir wash socks for your football players? Who the hell did you think you were?

As he thought this, Principal Guan gave the other administrators a look. No matter what, it had already happened. They had to find a way to soothe the Luthor Family's anger and keep that indispensable five hundred thousand dollars.

"Coach Watt!" The administrator in charge of student conduct stepped forward and said righteously, "According to the school's student conduct regulations, a student who skips class only needs to write a one-thousand-word self-criticism. Your actions are a serious violation of school rules!"

"And treating a student this way can cause enormous harm to his physical and mental well-being!"