Punishment, Tang Wulin's Gratitude

Eastsea Academy, Dean's Office.

Inside the office, Long Hengxu was slamming his desk in a fit of rage.

He pointed at the row of troublemakers standing before him, his voice booming.

"Look at you all! What is this supposed to look like? It's the first day of school, the very first day, and you've already turned the place into a chaotic mess!"

"Do you think you came here to study? You're practically here to tear the school down. You're all problem students; not a single one of you is worth the headache!"

He caught his breath, his gaze sweeping over Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Zhou Changxi, who looked miserable with his injuries freshly treated at the infirmary.

"You three! Since you were the ones fighting, none of you are getting away with this. You're all being sent to Class Five!"

"And you!" He shifted his finger to point at Yun Xiao, who had been silent the entire time. "Yun Xiao! You're the same! Off to Class Five with you!"

Yun Xiao was stunned, quickly crying out in protest: "Director Long, this... this has nothing to do with me! I was just standing by watching, I didn't say a word, let alone throw a punch! Why should I have to go to Class Five?"

Long Hengxu glared at him, ready with a lecture for every occasion.

"Didn't throw a punch? Just watched?"

"At such a young age, you see your classmates fighting and all you know how to do is watch the show? You have zero sense of justice! Your mindset is crooked! This attitude is even more dangerous, and you need to be properly educated and reformed in Class Five!"

Having arranged the fate of the four, Long Hengxu finally turned his gaze toward Yao Chuan, who had been standing to the side without a word.

When it came to Yao Chuan, Long Hengxu's head began to ache.

Logically speaking, Yao Chuan had been involved in the incident as well, and according to the rules, he should be severely punished.

But the problem was... this young master's background was simply too hot to handle!

He, Long Hengxu, was merely a Dean's Office Director at Eastsea Academy, a small-time official.

And the person standing before him?

A genius young author! Soul Breaking the Firmament was a massive hit across the entire country! He had countless fans! Everywhere he went, he was the center of attention!

That alone would be enough, but the real kicker was that he had the backing of Mu Chen, the Eight-Star Saint Craftsman whose mere foot-stomp could make Eastsea City tremble!

He couldn't afford to offend either of them!

Furthermore, his own strength was terrifying.

In his eyes, the boy was fully capable of heading straight to Shrek Academy.

If he punished him too harshly... he feared offending the wrong people.

If he punished him lightly or not at all... it wouldn't be justifiable.

After all, the other students were watching.

Thinking this, Long Hengxu found himself stuck.

His brows were furrowed like a bitter melon, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do.

Yao Chuan was sharp; the moment he saw Long Hengxu's constipated expression, he understood immediately.

He smiled slightly and took the initiative to speak, offering Long Hengxu a way out.

"Director Long, how about this? I had a part in this matter as well. Since they are all going to Class Five for 'advanced studies,' I might as well go with them. We'll share the joys and sorrows together."

In any case, he hadn't come to Eastsea Academy expecting them to teach him anything.

His main goal was to brainwash Tang Wulin and poach talent.

Everyone else thought Class Five was trash.

But he knew exactly which promising seeds would end up in Class Five.

Therefore, he was actually quite happy to head there.

He was willing to go to Class Five?

When Long Hengxu heard this, his eyes lit up, and the heavy stone in his heart dropped with a loud thud.

It gave him a "justification" for Yao Chuan, made it look like he was treating everyone equally, and avoided offending anyone.

Long Hengxu nodded quickly, fearing the boy might change his mind.

"Yes, yes, yes! Student Yao Chuan has a very high level of awareness. Then it's settled, you're going to Class Five too!"

Having dealt with the most difficult case, Long Hengxu put on a stern face again and brought up another troublesome matter—paying for damages.

"Fighting is fun for a moment, but paying for it is a funeral! You little brats broke three bed frames, not to mention the window glass. Adding it all up, that's a total of thirty-four thousand Federal Credits!"

"Think about how you're going to pay for this!"

"Thirty-four thousand?!"

Tang Wulin nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

He wasn't wealthy to begin with, and this amount was an astronomical figure to him!

A few broken bed frames and windows—were they made of gold?

He felt the world go black before his eyes.

Yao Chuan, however, remained calm, as if he had just heard someone mention a trivial sum of three or four coins.

He looked directly at Zhou Changxi, who was cowering in the corner with shifty eyes.

"Director Long, the cause and effect of this matter are quite clear. It was Zhou Changxi who started the trouble and smashed Tang Wulin's belongings, which triggered the subsequent chain of events. Therefore, in terms of both reason and fairness, the compensation should be borne by Zhou Changxi alone. Don't you agree?"

After speaking, he looked at Zhou Changxi with a calm gaze, his voice neither high nor low.

"Zhou Changxi, tell me yourself, does what I said make sense?"

Swept by Yao Chuan's gaze, Zhou Changxi shuddered as if he had been branded by a hot iron.

His fear of Yao Chuan was now carved into his very bones; he didn't dare to make eye contact at all.

Hearing the question, he didn't even dare to lift his head, nodding frantically like a chick pecking at rice.

"Yes, yes, yes! It makes sense! It's all my... it's my fault! I'll pay! I'll pay for everything!"

Watching Zhou Changxi's cowardly display, Long Hengxu couldn't help but twitch his eyelids again.

He was puzzled as to why Zhou Changxi acted like a mouse meeting a cat whenever he saw Yao Chuan.

However, since the party involved had admitted it himself, he naturally wouldn't say anything more.

The goal of punishing Zhou Changxi had been achieved.

Long Hengxu nodded.

"Fine, since Zhou Changxi has admitted it himself, he will be solely responsible for the compensation. You all heard that, right?"

With a wave of his hand, he effectively put the matter of compensation to rest.

"Alright, the matter is settled. Now get out of here! Remember this lesson! If there is a next time, I will punish you without mercy!"

The group felt as if they had been granted amnesty and quickly slipped out of the Dean's Office.

Just as they stepped out of the building, Tang Wulin walked up to Yao Chuan, his face full of gratitude.

"Classmate Yao Chuan, just now... thank you so much!"

His tone was very sincere. "Thank you for standing up for me, and even more for speaking up just now to save me from that compensation..."

Thirty-four thousand!

If that amount had fallen on his shoulders, he would have had to tighten his belt for the next few years.

Yao Chuan had done him a huge favor!

Yao Chuan waved his hand dismissively.

"It was just a small effort, don't mention it."

Xie Xie, standing to the side, laughed out loud and threw an arm around Tang Wulin's shoulder, acting very familiar.

"Aiya, this is nothing! Once you're by Big Brother's side, you'll know how loyal he is! This little thing is just a drizzle!"

He patted his own chest.

"Brother, I'm Xie Xie! Remember that! From now on, we're brothers in the same dormitory!"

Tang Wulin was a bit dazed by the embrace and replied subconsciously:

"Ah? Oh, oh, no need to thank me, no need to thank me..."

Xie Xie's face turned black instantly.

"Who said anything about thanking you?!" He let go of Tang Wulin and pointed at his own nose. "I told you to remember my name! My name is Xie Xie! Xie—Xie!"

Tang Wulin finally realized he had made a blunder; his face turned bright red, and he apologized repeatedly in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Classmate Xie Xie, I got it wrong! I just meant to say..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud "gurgle" suddenly erupted from his stomach.

The sound was exceptionally clear, appearing particularly abrupt in the quiet corridor.

Whoosh!

Tang Wulin's face turned completely red, like a boiled shrimp.

The gazes of both Xie Xie and Yao Chuan fell subconsciously onto his stomach.

Tang Wulin wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

To ease the awkwardness, he spoke up quickly, his voice stuttering slightly.

"That... that... Classmate Yao Chuan, Classmate Xie Xie, I've really troubled you both today. To show my gratitude, I... I'll treat you to lunch! My treat at the cafeteria!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of Xie Xie and Yao Chuan turned extremely strange.

ps: I forgot to update today, my apologies to everyone. It's almost the New Year, and there are many trivial matters at home. Of course, this is the author's personal business and shouldn't affect the regular update schedule. Things should return to normal in the next two days. Thank you all for your support.