Blame your son for not being the real Chen Zhu

The moment Song Shiwei's father called out that name, Wang Changhua suddenly understood what it meant to suffer a double blow to both body and mind.

Getting beaten up was bad enough. Now his feelings had been toyed with, too.

Still, he sniffled and pointed at a boy in school uniform not far away, saying aggrievedly, "Uncle Song, I'm not Chen Zhu. He is."

"Huh?"

Song Shiwei's father looked at the completely unscathed "real Chen Zhu" and froze for a moment.

He had rushed to the school as soon as his daughter called. After hearing her and a particularly talkative girl with two little pointed canines recap what had happened, he had a rough idea of the situation:

Apparently, Weiwei had been repeatedly harassed at school by a poorly performing student named Li Jianming.

Then a boy in her class named Chen Zhu had finally had enough and stepped forward to chase Li Jianming away, earning his resentment.

Tonight, Li Jianming had sent someone to lure Chen Zhu outside and beat him up. He had heard that Chen Zhu was injured, too.

His daughter, who never liked showing off her family's status, had actually come to him for help. That showed how angry she really was.

So when Song Shiwei's father walked in and saw Wang Changhua's battered face, he mistook him for Chen Zhu and immediately showered him with thanks.

"What on earth is going on...?"

Even with his quick wits, Song Shiwei's father couldn't make sense of it right away. He turned to his daughter for guidance.

Song Shiwei hadn't mistaken anyone. She had spotted Chen Zhu as soon as she entered, but seeing him so full of life instantly filled her clear eyes with confusion, too.

In the end, Chen Peisong stepped forward and broke the peculiar silence. "Director Song..."

"You know him?"

Mao Xiaoqin asked curiously.

"Song Zuomin, executive director at CITIC Securities. He's in the papers all the time."

Chen Peisong quietly explained to his wife.

So it's him.

Chen Zhu was surprised, too. He hadn't expected the school beauty's father to be Song Zuomin.

The man seemed quite well-known in Eastern Guangdong's financial industry, but his heyday had completely missed Chen Zhu's own time in that world.

Chen Zhu hadn't started trading stocks until he was working, more than a decade later. By then, Song Zuomin had already stepped back from the front line. Aside from attending high-level national and provincial economic conferences, he rarely appeared in public.

On the rare occasions he appeared on camera then, he looked like a gray-haired veteran expert, nothing like the vigorous, confident man before him now.

With Chen Peisong offering him a way out of the awkward situation, Song Zuomin walked over to shake his hand. "Is Chen Zhu your son?"

"Yes, my son..."

After a few modest words, Chen Peisong explained what had really happened as they exchanged pleasantries.

Song Zuomin was taken aback. The cause of the incident was exactly as he had heard, but who could have expected a slight deviation along the way to produce this mix-up?

"Regardless, I owe your son my thanks!"

Although Song Zuomin appeared to be speaking to Chen Peisong, his gaze was on Chen Zhu, studying him carefully.

Chen Zhu responded with a smile. With his father there, he, as a high school student, didn't need to say much.

Song Zuomin took this as a sign that Chen Zhu wasn't one to boast, which only improved his first impression of the boy.

Mao Xiaoqin hadn't been idle either. Her row had three seats, with Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan beside her.

But when Empress Dowager Mao noticed that Song Shiwei was still standing, she patted the two boys on their shoulders. "Go sit in the back."

"Okay."

Without another word, Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan obediently gave up their seats.

Mao Xiaoqin shifted over and gently tugged Song Shiwei's hand, smiling warmly. "Your name's Weiwei, right? Aren't you tired of standing? Come sit here with me."

Given Song Shiwei's personality, she wasn't really accustomed to a stranger suddenly acting so familiar.

But Empress Dowager Mao's smile was sincere and welcoming. Even the crow's-feet at the corners of her eyes held the particular kindness of a middle-aged woman. Song Shiwei seemed to sense that goodwill, too. After a moment's hesitation, she finally sat beside Mao Xiaoqin.

Looking at the bright-eyed, lovely girl beside her, Empress Dowager Mao seemed entirely oblivious to her cool, distant air. She asked with a smile, "So Weiwei is your nickname. What's your full name?"

Song Shiwei's lips moved slightly as she answered quietly, "Song Shiwei."

"That's a lovely name. Very ladylike. Who gave it to you?"

After praising her name, Mao Xiaoqin naturally continued with another question.

"My grandfather."

Song Shiwei was clearly unaccustomed to this style of conversation. Her face remained expressionless, but her hand quietly tightened around a corner of her school uniform.

"The older generation really did know how to choose names. Our Chen Zhu was named by his grandfather, too. He wanted him to grow up steady and composed, both in how he acted and how he treated people..."

Perhaps middle-aged women all possessed this ability: they could effortlessly break through someone else's social defenses with a little casual conversation.

As they chatted, Song Shiwei suddenly turned to glance at Chen Zhu.

To his surprise, Chen Zhu detected a plea for help in that look.

He returned a look that said, Sorry, I can't help you, indicating that she would have to leave on her own if she didn't want to chat. He wasn't getting involved.

"Your mom's pretty impressive, too."

Huang Bohan chuckled beside him. "I bet the school beauty hasn't made this much small talk in an entire week."

"Aren't all middle-aged moms like that?"

Chen Zhu curled his lip. "The first time I went to your place to hang out, your mom asked how old I was and where I lived..."

Before he could finish, they heard Mao Xiaoqin ask kindly, "Weiwei, what month were you born in...?"

Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan exchanged a look, suddenly feeling as though she had made their entire point for them.

Just then, He Yong, the principal of Zhizhong High School, came over to greet Song Zuomin politely.

Song Zuomin's expression hardened. He gave the principal no courtesy in return and cut straight to the point. "Principal He, I have just one question. How do you intend to handle this? What are you going to do about that student, Li Jianming?"

"Well..."

He Yong was in a difficult position. It wasn't that he wanted to shield Li Jianming, but actually expelling him would require a report to the education bureau. No matter how they framed it, this would leave a stain on Zhizhong High School's record.

Still, he understood Song Zuomin's anger as a father.

His daughter had been pestered by a boy at school for so long, and neither the school nor her teachers had noticed?

He Yong felt wronged, too. Don't you know how beautiful your own daughter is?

Every break, two or three boys would run over to the classroom of Class 11 in the senior year just to catch a glimpse of his daughter, then return to brag about it to their classmates.

The senior-year teachers actually knew that Li Jianming was pursuing Song Shiwei, and they had warned him many times.

But Li Jianming had never dared cross the line. At most, he harassed her verbally each day, and he would leave after being reprimanded. Surely they couldn't expel him for that alone...

Of course, none of this could be said aloud, or Song Zuomin would become even angrier.

In fact, Song Zuomin had already made arrangements when he first heard the news. After taking a few more calls, he told He Yong, "I've already spoken to Qi at the municipal bureau. I'm sure he'll be contacting you soon."

He Yong felt a headache coming on. "Qi" was the executive deputy director of the municipal education bureau, responsible for all the high schools in Yuecheng.

If even he knew about this, there was no point hesitating any longer.

Being a middle or high school teacher really wasn't easy. Some students' parents had powerful connections and could bypass the school to push things forward.

While some in this group chatted and others negotiated, Wang Changhua's family sat alone off to one side.

"Changhua."

Wang Changhua's mother couldn't make sense of it. "You're the one who got hurt, so why is everyone gathered around Chen Zhu? Don't you have any classmates who would come visit you?"

"Of course I do!"

Wang Changhua stubbornly shot back, "My friends just don't know about it. Otherwise, they'd all be here. This tiny police station wouldn't even have room for them."

"Hmph."

His mother probably knew his habit of boasting. With a cold snort, she said:

"I'm not asking for that many. If you could bring even one girl like the one who just came in, I'd consider your three years of high school well spent."

She had initially thought Song Shiwei had come to visit her son. Finding out it was a misunderstanding had left her feeling rather embarrassed.

"Song Shiwei isn't even that pretty, okay?"

Wang Changhua scrambled to save face. "There's another girl at our school named Yu Xian. Mom, let me tell you, she looks..."

His mother waited a while, but Wang Changhua had fallen silent. Unable to help herself, she asked, "What does she look like?"

Wang Changhua swallowed and pointed toward the entrance of the service hall. "She looks like that."

His mother looked over and saw two more girls in high school uniforms standing at the police station's entrance.

One was especially beautiful and stood over 170 centimeters tall. She seemed to have run there in a hurry and was holding the doorframe as she tried to catch her breath.

Her long hair, streaked burgundy, was slightly disheveled with sweat, a few strands clinging to her temples. She casually brushed them aside, revealing a delicately sculpted, oval face. Her flushed, perspiring cheeks had a healthy glow that also added a touch of soft, alluring charm.

"Here to see you?"

Wang Changhua's mother sounded doubtful.

"Uh... yeah..."

Wang Changhua had only ever stolen glances at Yu Xian. They had never spoken, so now he could only make something up in response.

His father finally couldn't take it anymore. Nudging his wife, he said, "She's gone over to Chen Zhu, too. If you want to blame anything, blame your son for not being the real Chen Zhu."

(This storyline wraps up in one more chapter. This isn't really a romantic showdown; everyone is just making a brief appearance. Graduation is coming soon, after all~)

(End of chapter)