Mrs. Hayaki: If you're going to punish anyone, punish me!

Hayaki Mako: "???"

She was completely dumbfounded. She never expected him to suddenly drop that bombshell at a moment like this.

Besides, she was a beautiful girl herself, and she believed she was every bit as attractive as the young lady from Me Corp.

Yet when he threatened her, he showed no interest in her at all. Instead, he wanted them to apologize to that young lady?!

At that moment, Hayaki Mako felt utterly humiliated. She immediately shouted:

"No way! I'll do anything you ask, but I will never bow my head to that arrogant young lady!"

"You're unwilling?" Su Moqian frowned.

Since they had done something so outrageous to Mei, they ought to ask Mei for forgiveness. He shouldn't use this evidence to benefit himself.

With that in mind, Su Moqian spoke coldly:

"If this video gets out, losing your reputation will be the least of your worries. You might even get expelled from Senba Academy, don't you think?"

"Y-you bastard..."

Seeing him threaten her like this, Hayaki Mako clenched her teeth. Then she sprang to her feet and rushed toward the window beside Su Moqian.

Clearly, she was trying to snatch his phone and destroy the evidence.

But how could Su Moqian let her have her way?

He set the gift box with the flowers on a desk in the classroom, then picked up the phone by the window and held it behind his back.

At the same time, he glanced at Hayaki Mako, the delinquent girl charging toward him, and easily blocked her with his right hand. A simple Tai Chi Push Hands technique sent her tumbling to the floor.

Furious, Hayaki Mako tried several times to get up, but Su Moqian pushed her back down with ease each time.

Finally, the enraged delinquent girl snapped at her companions:

"What are you waiting for? If we don't grab his phone, our lives are over!"

"Ah, o-okay!"

The other two girls weren't willing, but after hearing her, they obediently got up and lunged at Su Moqian, trying to take the phone.

All three girls were very attractive, but their actions made them seem utterly vile.

Su Moqian couldn't admire people like that, no matter how beautiful they were.

Thinking back on what they had just done, Su Moqian glared at them and shouted:

"You're worried your lives will be ruined? Then why didn't you think about how your actions might ruin someone else's life?!"

Su Moqian had trained in martial arts, and his voice was powerful.

At his shout, the two girls went deathly pale. Terrified, they fled through the door without looking back.

Watching them abandon her without hesitation, Hayaki Mako's face darkened with anger.

"Those two useless idiots..."

"Calling them useless? I'd say you're pretty useless yourself," Su Moqian mocked without mercy.

"When someone else is doing well, you don't dare say a word. You only know how to kick them when they're down. What good are people like you?"

As she listened to Su Moqian, Hayaki Mako's expression grew darker and darker.

Eventually, as if she had thought of something, she reached for the buttons on her school uniform and began unfastening them one by one.

Seeing what Mako was doing, Su Moqian looked puzzled.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Sensing that something was wrong, Su Moqian spoke as he tapped the phone screen.

Hayaki Mako's brazen voice rang out. "Su Moqian, don't you like recording things? How about I give you all the footage you want?"

Now down to her underwear, Hayaki Mako continued:

"Su Moqian, I'll give you two choices. Either delete the recording, and I'll let you have your fun with me tonight. You can do whatever you want, any way you like."

"After all, you're so handsome. I wouldn't mind letting you do whatever you wanted with me."

"Of course, if you refuse, I'll just accuse you of something and make sure we both go down. Neither of us will get off easy!"

As she said this, Hayaki Mako wore a supremely confident smile.

She was certain Su Moqian would choose the first option.

If he chose to make them both go down, the future of this handsome young man would be ruined too.

The first choice, on the other hand, would have no real consequences for him, and he could do whatever he wanted with her.

Why would anyone turn down an offer like that?

Besides, Hayaki Mako was very confident in her looks.

She had the classic long, straight black hair, a delicate face, and a curvy figure. She was sure anyone would be captivated by her.

"Hurry up and choose. If you pick the first option, I'll even be your pet tonight, if that's what you want~"

Hayaki Mako's voice was full of seductive promise as she waited for him to take the bait.

Once Su Moqian deleted the video and made a move on her, she could turn around and accuse him, keeping him firmly in her grasp.

"I've got him!"

Imagining a future in which the handsome young man gave in to her, Hayaki Mako couldn't help smiling with delight.

But the next moment, the smile on her face suddenly froze.

"W-what's going on?"

Su Moqian was pointing his phone at her. The screen showed that he was in the middle of a call.

The contact name was: Mrs. Hayaki.

The moment she saw the name, Hayaki Mako's pupils trembled.

She looked at the phone number again in disbelief, but there was no doubt: it was her mother's number.

In other words, her mother had heard every bold and explicit word Hayaki Mako had just said.

Hayaki Mako.exe has stopped responding.

Seeing the sheer terror in Hayaki Mako's eyes, Su Moqian tilted his head and smiled.

Then he put the phone back to his ear and spoke to the young woman on the other end:

"Mrs. Hayaki, you wouldn't want what your daughter just said to get out, would you?"

Chapter 17: Mrs. Hayaki: If you're going to punish anyone, punish me!

After hearing Su Moqian's voice, the other end of the call fell silent for a moment.

It seemed she was having trouble accepting what had happened.

But soon, Mrs. Hayaki replied over the phone:

"Please don't do this. My daughter's life has only just begun..."

"I'll do anything in return."

Hearing Mrs. Hayaki's timid voice, Su Moqian glanced at the utterly dejected Hayaki Mako and let the corners of his mouth curl up.

Now that's what you call turning the tables on someone.

That little brat had just tried to set him up? She thought she could play those tricks on him?

How about he just called her parents?

Su Moqian considered himself an upstanding gentleman. He didn't want to have anything to do with delinquent girls like these, so he had simply chosen this approach to settle things once and for all.

After hearing something as outrageous as what Hayaki Mako had just said, her mother was sure to fly into a rage and discipline her severely.

She might even bring her father along and give her a good old-fashioned beating from both parents.

With that thought, Su Moqian replied to the call:

"Mrs. Hayaki, you said you'd do anything, right?"

On the other end, Mrs. Hayaki bit her lower lip and nodded, her face flushed.

"Yes, that's right..."

"Good." Su Moqian nodded and said earnestly:

"Then I'll have to trouble you to make sure Hayaki Mako learns her lesson."

"Make sure she learns her lesson?"

At that, Mrs. Hayaki seemed to imagine something outrageous. Her voice grew hurried, and she blurted out:

"No! Please spare my daughter! Let me take her punishment instead!"

"Huh?" Su Moqian was stunned.

He couldn't understand why Mrs. Hayaki had answered like that.

Her daughter had joined other girls in bullying Raiden Mei at school and had even tried to frame him with underhanded tricks, turning around and accusing him instead.

With a daughter that wicked, her mother ought to discipline her properly.

So why had Mrs. Hayaki said she would take her daughter's punishment in her place?

Just as Su Moqian was completely baffled, the system's prompt suddenly sounded:

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the achievement mission: "Mrs. Hayaki, you wouldn't want..." Reward: 160 Wish Power!]

[Incredible! The Host managed this great feat without any guidance from this system. You're truly amazing! Just as expected of the man who will become the Blondie King!]

"...Just shut up already!"

After the system's reminder, Su Moqian immediately understood why Mrs. Hayaki had said that.

Why did it turn out like this? Was what I said really that easy to misunderstand? Su Moqian furrowed his brow and pondered.

But after replaying his words in his mind, he suddenly realized they really were easy to misunderstand.

"Damn it! They say you become like those you spend time with. The ancients really weren't wrong!"

Su Moqian was sure he had been influenced by that so-called Blondie Simulator!

It had nothing to do with him, an upstanding gentleman. Nope, nothing at all!

With that thought, Su Moqian hurriedly explained to Mrs. Hayaki:

"Um, ma'am, could you just pretend you didn't hear any of that?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Hayaki grew even more nervous. She thought Su Moqian intended to act on his own, and her voice broke into a sob.

"Please don't! If you're going to do anything, do it to me. Just don't hurt my daughter..."

Su Moqian's mouth twitched. He realized Mrs. Hayaki had already settled on that interpretation, and no matter what he said, she would twist his words.

So he gave up trying to explain. "Don't worry, ma'am. I won't do anything to your daughter."

With that, Su Moqian hung up.

As long as he let Hayaki Mako leave safely, Mrs. Hayaki would realize she had misunderstood.

After all that, Su Moqian no longer felt like disciplining Hayaki Mako. He said coldly:

"Get out! Remember to apologize to Raiden Mei in private tomorrow. Assuming you're willing to, of course..."

"I'm willing, I'm willing, I'm willing!" the terrified Hayaki Mako blurted out, then scrambled out of the classroom.

She hadn't expected her little plan to nearly drag her own mother into it.

That left her terrified of Su Moqian. She wouldn't dare say no to him now.

Watching her flee, Su Moqian shook his head helplessly.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the door:

"Su Moqian? What just happened?"

Hearing the voice, Su Moqian looked toward the doorway and saw a white-haired girl walking this way with a puzzled expression.

It was Kiana.