On the third night of Yahan's hospitalization, Young Master Liu Wenli of the Liu Family reportedly took an excessive amount of low-quality aphrodisiacs while partying at some club. That night, he bedded several women in a row, going at it until blood sprayed from both ends and he fainted. From then on, he became a cripple. The incident became a legend in Jianghai City. Many years later, some young masters who had taken part in that night's events would recall Young Master Liu's heroic bearing with endless sighs. Even with drugs, they could never have been as fierce as he had been that night. And later investigations proved that the aphrodisiac had been low-quality.
When word reached Yahan, the beauty, still bedridden and weak all over, pressed her lips together and laughed until tears streamed down her face. Several doctors had been present. Seeing her laugh for three straight minutes, clutching her stomach as her whole body curled up, they feared she might laugh herself to death. Yet after that suppressed laughter, Yahan seemed to regain some strength, and her recovery accelerated afterward. Laughter that could cure illness was quite an amusing thing.
After she recovered, neither the Zhang Family nor the Liu Family mentioned the engagement again, so it was shelved indefinitely. Yahan returned to Noble Academy to continue teaching, but she began visiting the Ye Family Martial Arts School and the Liu Family villa even more frequently. What had once been three teenage friends now included a grown girl who still had a childlike heart and loved pretending to be mature in front of others. Their days became all the more colorful.
On Lunar New Year's Eve that year, the four of them sneaked out of their homes and listened to the bells in Peace Square downtown as they welcomed the dawn of 1997. When fireworks filled the sky, Yahan kissed Jiaming on the forehead and said, "Thank you." Jiaming gave a wry smile and wiped away the faint lipstick mark on his forehead. Then the two of them joined Lingjing and Shasha in setting off fireworks.
The first half of 1997 was peaceful enough for Jiaming and the other three. But throughout society, the continued reform of state-owned enterprises, the shadow of layoffs, and the difficulty of finding new work hung heavily over a great many people. By early June, with the high school entrance exams approaching, those issues indirectly affected Lingjing as well.
The cause of it all perhaps had to begin with Noble Academy. Since its establishment in Jianghai City, the school had always received consideration from every side. After all, the investors behind it had money and connections. Its teaching facilities and faculty were outstanding, and in terms of overall quality, it surpassed every other high school in the city. Naturally, its tuition fees were several times higher than those of any other school.
For great families like the Huang Family and the Zhang Family, a little money was no issue. Any children of suitable age were naturally sent to Noble Academy. But having money did not necessarily mean a student was smart, and even the finest teachers could not guarantee that every student would get into college. To ensure a certain advancement rate, the Education Bureau had issued nearly mandatory quotas. Every middle school in Jianghai City could receive several guaranteed-admission slots for Noble Academy, but the recommended students had to excel both academically and morally. They would then enter Noble Academy for free. If the recommended students truly performed well, Noble Academy would also provide certain benefits in return. It was both carrot and stick.
As a result, even integrated middle and high schools like Xinghui High School had to select top students each year to support Noble Academy, their competitor. Some people might have been unwilling, but those slots were extraordinarily coveted. On one hand, with layoff pressure weighing heavily on society, being able to send one's child to the best high school for free and have them cultivated as a promising candidate was every parent's dream. On the other hand, the slot itself represented honor and recognition.
Among this year's slots, Lingjing, as one of the best students, naturally took one immediately. But afterward, supposedly because someone else had pulled strings and given gifts, the school actually removed Lingjing from the list. Being removed would have been one thing. Though the economy had been sluggish these past two years, even affecting business at the Ye Family Martial Arts School, Lingjing's family was not truly short of money. What infuriated them was that, with the entrance exams so close, the bald dean of discipline who had made the decision summoned Lingjing, Shasha, and Jiaming to his office together. Only after giving his explanation did he announce the decision.
"Mm, I called the three of you here today mainly because the school has made a decision that we need to inform you about. For quite some time, we have received complaints from certain students saying that the three of you live together off campus on weekends, seriously damaging the school's discipline and morals. The school originally did not take this too seriously. After all, you three have been friends since childhood. Though you are older now, we considered boys and girls playing around together normal. We're not those old-fashioned fossils from television, after all."
"However, after our investigation, we discovered that this matter does seem to exist. Sigh, the two of you are girls and one is a boy... Teachers are deeply saddened by this. You are ruining your own lives. Although the entrance exams are close, as long as you are students here, the school must take responsibility for you. To prevent such things from happening again, the school has decided to give each of you a major demerit. Lingjing, your qualification for guaranteed admission to Sacred Heart Academy has also been revoked. We hope you can understand the teachers' good intentions..."
When the bald man solemnly handed a school document to Lingjing, she lowered her head without saying a word. Shasha's eyes nearly burst into flames on the spot, while Jiaming merely frowned at him. Lingjing did not need that slot. If some classmate's family had financial difficulties, she would have given it up if asked. But this bald man had gone far too far.
After several years as dean of discipline, his bad reputation was well known throughout the school and beyond. Accepting gifts, taking bribes, being lecherous and perverted—everyone knew. Earlier, rumors had already spread through the school that some people had bribed him over the slots and that he would remove someone from the list. But no one had expected that after removing Lingjing, he would use such a reason. Looking at that bald head, Jiaming immediately began considering how to make him utterly disgraced overnight. It would have been absurdly easy. But before he could think of the most satisfying method, Lingjing suddenly slammed the document onto the desk in front of her, then turned and left.
Lingjing had always been seen as a model student, an obedient good girl. But anyone who knew her for long would naturally understand that she had a rebellious, sharp side as well. Still, this was the first time she had expressed dissatisfaction so directly in front of a teacher.
Afterward, Shasha also left without a word. Jiaming shook his head, slipped both hands into his pockets, and followed behind.
The three of them were not in the same class. They had just been accused of the shocking act of living together, so Jiaming could not exactly go comfort Lingjing. He returned to his classroom and put his head down to sleep. Only a moment later, an alarming clamor suddenly erupted outside!
He ran out of the classroom. Several school guards were rushing nervously up from below the teaching building, while many students had already gathered at the entrance to the disciplinary office. Chaos reigned inside. Lingjing ran over from behind. "What happened? I heard Shasha went over to make trouble..."
"No way..." Jiaming opened his mouth, then squeezed into the crowd with Lingjing. Seeing the two of them arrive, the students consciously made a path. Inside the disciplinary office, Shasha was swinging a bat, relentlessly chasing the dean of discipline. Several teachers hid far away, while homework books and test papers flew through the air.
Shasha had entered school late and then repeated a year. She was already sixteen, with the figure of a mature young woman. Combined with her martial arts training, even one or two strong grown men could not easily get close to her. The bald dean of discipline was being chased around screaming miserably. Just as Lingjing and Jiaming were about to go in and stop her, the rushing school guards arrived. Several men stormed into the office, shielding the dean of discipline on one side while wielding stools and brooms at Shasha on the other.
Some of them were retired armed police, while others were local thugs. Two of them took several hits, but they still forced Shasha back step by step. Seeing that he was safe, the dean of discipline shouted from behind, "Catch her! She's gone crazy! Catch her!" While he was yelling, a figure suddenly rushed over, grabbed a stool, and smashed him to the floor. It was Jiaming, who had always seemed honest and introverted at school.
Seeing the conflict escalate, the students watching outside became even more excited. They pointed and talked, and the scene became increasingly lively.
Seeing that the dean of discipline had been beaten again, two guards from the rear charged forward to gang up on Jiaming. Another figure suddenly darted between them. With one hand, she blocked one man's punch, while a beautiful, textbook spinning kick sent the other guard flying. It was Lingjing, who had been holding back a bellyful of anger. Coordinating with Lingjing's movement, the guard she had blocked had not even had time to throw another punch before Jiaming seized his arm and lunged in. A hard punch struck his armpit, while sharp pain erupted from his vulnerable lower abdomen and shin. After a string of clean, crisp Jeet Kune Do attacks, the man collapsed to the floor and could not get back up.
In the blink of an eye, two guards had fallen. Jiaming patted his hands. "The school's security needs strengthening." Lingjing said nothing and walked toward Shasha, who was surrounded. The students outside had never seen such a real fight before. Remembering that all three had martial arts backgrounds, they began cheering one after another.
As for the characters' ages, I miscalculated when I set them earlier. What a disgrace... Just assume they started school a year later back then. The new book finally broke into the top five today. Thank you all for your support. Unfortunately, Banana skipped an update instead. Sorry about that. Anyway... after all this skipping and skipping, everyone must be used to it by now ^_^... Running away with a pot lid over my head...
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Before you continue