Secretary Lu was so shocked that he stood there, stunned for a full minute.
His right hand remained frozen on the doorknob, unable to move, while the business card of Nalan Ye-Jue in his left hand nearly slipped to the floor!
The parents inside were even more unsettled.
The video evidence was irrefutable, and the humiliation stung too much to argue against.
Getting Lan Qingxin expelled was impossible. They'd be lucky if Lan Qingxin didn't demand that their own kids be expelled.
But the problem was...
Everyone stole glances at Lan Qingxin's expression. She looked so cold and arrogant that she didn't seem like someone who would forgive them easily.
They exchanged looks, then plastered on smiles, each wearing an expression more dramatic than the last:
"Little Qingxin, actually... um... this was all a misunderstanding!"
"Our child was just being foolish. He lied. I'll go home and beat him to a pulp!"
"Exactly, exactly. Those brats fell over by themselves. It had nothing to do with you. Sorry to bother you!"
"That's right! Little Qingxin looks like such an upright, disciplined student. How could she possibly get into a fight?"
With the exception of Mrs. Yao, whose face remained livid as she said nothing, all the other parents hurried to change their stories and beg for forgiveness.
Qin Xin's gaze swept coolly over the room.
Their hearts jumped with every pass of her eyes, as if they were riding a roller coaster at top speed.
No one could figure out what the girl was thinking.
The old director, who had barely made his presence felt, suddenly cleared his throat. "You've admitted your mistakes, but don't you think you should apologize too?"
The parents caught on and hurried to show some manners. One after another, they bent at the waist and bowed to the slender little girl whose presence was so intimidating:
"I'm sorry, Little Qingxin!"
"I'm sorry!"
"I'm sorry!"
The spectacular sight of them lining up to apologize nearly made Secretary Lu and Xiangxiang, standing outside the door, drop their jaws!
After apologizing, one parent nervously held out their phone with a payment QR code and asked earnestly and politely, "Little Qingxin, my brat accidentally hurt you. Would fifty thousand yuan be enough for your medical expenses?"
Qin Xin glanced at it indifferently. "Go."
She turned down several parents in a row.
The parents grew even more anxious.
If she wouldn't take the money, was she planning to force their kids to leave the school?
Fortunately, the old director waved them off. "Little Qingxin told you to go. Why are you still standing around, waiting to be scolded?"
The parents finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without even noticing, they'd sweated through the backs of their collars.
Then it was Mrs. Yao's turn.
Seething with resentment, she muttered three sarcastic syllables: "...Sorry."
She was deeply dissatisfied.
Was one lousy video really enough to dismiss them?
But everyone else had backed down, and she couldn't keep making a scene on her own. Since even the director had let it go, and she didn't have to pay compensation or withdraw her child, she'd graciously go through the motions and apologize to that Ugly Freak.
Qin Xin raised an eyebrow slightly.
Everyone thought she was about to forgive Mrs. Yao and say "Go" again.
Instead, she said in an even tone, "Four hundred thousand in medical expenses."
Mrs. Yao blurted out, "Why should I pay that?"
The others didn't have to pay a cent. Why was she being charged four hundred thousand?
Qin Xin didn't rush to answer. She slowly brushed the hair away from her temple.
Her slender fingers tapped the thick gauze on her forehead.
Everyone suddenly understood. "Tsk..."
The wound looked pretty awful.
Besides, injuries to the head were difficult to heal. Who knew if her nerves had been damaged? Four hundred thousand for treatment was expensive, but not entirely unreasonable.
Mrs. Yao panicked. "Even so, I shouldn't have to pay it all by myself. Everyone should split the cost!"
Her son, Yao Dazhuang, wasn't the only one who'd been in the fight.
Qin Xin replied with justified confidence, "The other kids' snowballs didn't hit me. And they apologized sincerely."
The other parents nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, exactly!"
Their nervous looks toward Qin Xin now held a little more respect.
Mrs. Yao's face turned a bruised purple. "..."
Only Xiangxiang, standing outside the door, looked utterly baffled. Wait, wasn't Little Miss's serious forehead injury from the car accident earlier? It wasn't caused by a snowball...
Before you continue