"Don't call me Principal. You're my father."
"Principal, what brings you here?"
"If I hadn't come in, it would've been too late."
"Too late for what..."
The principal took a deep breath. "Is this how I usually teach you? Didn't I tell you to be united and friendly in the dormitory?"
"Principal, did you get sand in your eyes?"
"..."
At that moment, Yang De spotted the dejected instructor behind him and enthusiastically went over.
"Instructor, you should've told me you were coming. About my subsidy this year..."
Uncle Yu's eyes suddenly turned sharp. "Heh-heh~ You're a child from a family with two employees in the system. You still need a subsidy?"
"Of course. Don't I need money to court a pretty girl? Don't I need money for a new phone?"
The instructor was already sweating profusely. "Student Yang De, subsidies are for students who are genuinely in difficulty. Don't claim one recklessly. You don't qualify."
"But you gave me one for the past three years."
"Shut up! I didn't know the situation before and was kept in the dark. You live comfortably and still took the subsidy. That isn't taking it—that's stealing."
"Instructor, you..."
"No way! Forget about it!"
Yang De's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly reacted and said with a smile, "I understand, I understand. This is how things work in the system."
"What do you understand?" The instructor was somewhat dumbfounded.
Yang De then pulled out a paper bag and began filling it with Kangshifu green tea and toothpaste.
"I prepared everything long ago... Instructor, please accept this tea and Chinese liquor. It's nothing much. About my subsidy..."
"..."
"Get lost! Take your stuff and get out!"
Yang De wiped the saliva from his face, looking utterly bewildered.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong!
It hadn't been like this before. Could it be...?
He looked at Xu Yi and Yu Shu, who was standing to the side.
Could it be... that the gifts weren't good enough?
--I'm dying of laughter. I wonder if this guy is sincere or deliberately acting like a total weirdo.
--Director, about my joining the department this year... (two bottles of Six Nuclear Bomb Milk.jpg)
--There's a case. Go take the fall for it.
Yu Shu swept him a cold glance before looking toward the assistant outside the door. "Record this. He accepted gifts in private."
"Wait, wait..."
"Student Yang is joking. What normal person would give someone toothpaste and drinks?"
"Right, right."
The principal hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Instructor Li gets along very well with the students, so he likes to joke around."
Seeing Yu Shu's expression ease somewhat, the two of them immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yi revealed a mischievous smile. Now that I've let you explain yourself, how am I supposed to earn Emotion Points?
He then looked at Yang De. "Student Yang, your gift can't be this pathetic, can it?"
"Heh-heh~ Country bumpkin! Of course not. There's a hidden trick inside."
Instructor Li: "???"
Principal: "???"
Don't make things worse!
Tension Points +100
Yang De smugly twisted open the bottle cap, revealing a QR code printed on it.
"Instructor, scan it."
"Go on, scan it."
The instructor looked pitifully at Yu Shu.
"Hmph. Yang De told you to scan it, so scan it. Why are you looking at me?"
"Do I have to scan it?"
"Scan it! I want to see what kind of trick this is."
"Beep. Eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan has been deposited into your account."
Anger Points +100 Tension Points +100
"I'm doomed~"
Two streams of tears ran down the instructor's face. He was so angry that he trembled.
He had still had a chance to clear his name, but now he had truly been blackened into charcoal.
Yang De gave a smug smile. "See that, country bumpkin? The instructor was moved to tears."
"Very good. Very good."
Yu Shu applauded, thoroughly amused despite his anger.
"So this is how the rules of the system can be played? I've learned something new... What about the toothpaste?"
Yang De proudly twisted open the toothpaste cap and squeezed out some thick, transparent liquid. "This is bird's nest."
Breakdown Points +200
"Huh? Instructor, why are you lying on the floor? Wang Liang just spat a wad of phlegm on you."
The principal's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. "You don't need to call him instructor anymore. I've fired him."
Yang De said nothing. He silently took the bag, pulled out a payment QR code, and said, "Give me my money back."
"Xiao Li, don't come to our dormitory so often in the future."
"Sure thing~ You've already been fired, yet you still came to our dormitory to collect gifts. Anyone would think you were the director."
Li Yi looked at the three of them in disbelief. You're really kicking someone when he's down? Haven't I treated you well enough usually?
"Sure thing~ You even brought up what I said before."
"That's enough!"
Uncle Yu let out a furious roar and glared at everyone. "I'm here to investigate Xu Yi's daily life, not watch you play at office politics."
"Sure thing..."
The principal looked as if he were facing a great enemy. He clamped a hand over Liu Yu's mouth. Stop saying 'sure thing,' for fuck's sake.
I'm doomed~
"Who let you in? Get outside and stand there. If I hadn't come to take a look today, I wouldn't have discovered so many problems. This is simply outrageous."
"Sure thing. One relative with such a loud voice—I'd have thought you were the principal."
"My living ancestor, please stop talking." The principal was sweating profusely.
Yu Shu was embarrassed too. After being a leader for so many years, everyone who saw him had always treated him with the utmost respect.
This was the first time a student had mocked him sarcastically—and it had even been broadcast live.
Yang De failed to notice anything wrong. Instead, he adopted the bearing of a leader.
"All right, don't mock him. He isn't part of the system, so naturally he doesn't understand how office politics work."
"Heh-heh~ I'm not part of the system?" Yu Shu gave a cold laugh.
"Since you're Xu Yi's uncle and want Xu Yi not to be bullied at school, I can handle this. It's just one phone call from my parents."
"Oh? Really?" Yu Shu raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. But I need a little tea to show my filial respect to my parents."
"You can also scan this code directly." Yang De held out the payment QR code.
Xu Yi watched with an intrigued expression. Good grief, he's asking the director for a gift.
You're really asking for it!
Yu Shu was amused despite his anger. His tone was gentle as he said, "Actually, I'm from the Education Bureau too. What are your parents' names?"
"You're from the Education Bureau too? Then next year, we'll be colleagues. We're all part of the same circle."
"Since we're in the same circle, there's no need to give gifts. I'll look after Xu Yi."
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Yu Shu."
"Yu Shu? Why haven't I heard of you? I know nearly all the uncles and aunties in the Education Bureau. Why don't I remember you?"
Yu Shu patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't you call your father? He should know me."
"Sure."
Yang De immediately pulled out his phone and called his biological father.
"Hello, Dad."
"What trouble have you gotten into this time, you little brat?"
"Just now, a student's parent asked me to look after his child more, but he was stingy and refused to give a gift."
"What the hell? He wants the benefits without paying anything? Why should he get all the good things?"
"Exactly. That's what I thought too. But he said he was also from the Education Bureau."
"Don't listen to his bullshit. Haven't I treated everyone in the Education Bureau to a meal? If something were really going on, he would've called me long ago."
Yang De gave a cold laugh. "I understand, Dad. These unscrupulous people really have no manners. With such narrow horizons, no wonder they're poor."
"You can say that to me, but don't say it to his face. You're still classmates, after all. You'll have to see each other every day."
"By the way, what's that person's name? I'll look into him. I really haven't treated anyone who mops the floors at the Education Bureau to a meal."
"He said his name was Yu Shu."
Before you continue