Chapter 77: An Unexpected Solution

The Head of Grade still found it hard to believe. In all his years of experience, he had seen parents and students who acted like bitter foes, but never a pair like Shi Xi and Sister Hua.

They didn’t look like parent and child at all.

Rather, they seemed more like… sisters? Or perhaps… lovers?

“Shi Xi, you’re sixteen this year, right?”

The Head of Grade hesitantly pulled out the student file he had prepared, glanced at Xiao Xi’s date of birth, then looked up, confused, at the two of them.

“Yes, yes!”

Before Xiao Xi could speak, Sister Hua excitedly answered for him.

What… now she was stealing his lines!

No way, Xiao Xi was starting to get scared. Sister Hua didn’t actually know him that well. What if she accidentally let something slip? He had to take back control!

“Then… Mrs. Shi, how old are you this year?” the Head of Grade pressed on.

Oh! My turn! I know this one!

“Twenty-eight!”

Xiao Xi raised his hand and blurted out.

“Ah…”

“Uh…”

The Head of Grade and Sister Hua both blinked at Xiao Xi.

Let’s see…

Child sixteen, mother twenty-eight…

Question: How many years did the father get?

The room fell silent. Xiao Xi, having done the elementary math, broke out in a cold sweat. Help… help! He had accidentally revealed the truth.

“Ah, no—I mean, I misspoke. Thirty-eight. Thirty-eight.”

Xiao Xi quickly waved his hands in denial. At least that was a bit more reasonable—Xiao Xi’s father wouldn’t have to go to jail now. The Head of Grade nodded, but it still felt off. Did Sister Hua really look like a thirty-eight-year-old woman?

Sister Hua, on the other hand, couldn’t help but smile. What was Xiao Xi even thinking? So silly.

“Alright, Head of Grade, I assume you didn’t call me all the way here just to ask about my age? Could we please get to the point?”

Sister Hua shifted her gaze to the Head of Grade, her tone laced with impatience. Why keep dwelling on age? What if they slipped up?

“Haha… just curious. Fine, let’s talk business.”

The Head of Grade, a bit embarrassed by the prolonged questioning, stood up and turned his back to them, looking out the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass into the room. He reached out, pulled the curtain, and began,

“Did you know that Shi Xi was involved in the student council’s rumor-mongering incident?”

“Mm… I’ve heard about it,” Sister Hua replied with a nod. What she’d heard came from Sister Yuan; Xiao Xi had briefly discussed it when he got home. So Sister Hua had a general idea of Xiao Xi’s unfortunate ordeal—how he was an innocent scapegoat.

If what Xiao Xi said was true, he wasn’t even an accomplice. He was just forced onto a stolen car and then arrested. What crime could that be? It didn’t make sense.

But then again, everyone tends to put themselves in a favorable light, so Sister Hua couldn’t be sure Xiao Xi was telling the whole truth. What if he was trying to shift the blame? It was hard to say.

Still, even if Xiao Xi had made a mistake, so what? He was the darling of Sister Yuan’s household. Even if he were the mastermind, she’d still clean up his mess!

“From what Xiao Xi tells me… he was completely innocent?” Sister Hua attempted to defend him.

The Head of Grade gave a cold laugh. “Innocent? He sat on the stage with the student council and held that big assembly. How can you call that innocent? What do you say, Shi Xi?”

“I—I was kidnapped and brought up there!” Xiao Xi was on the verge of tears. It was all Chick-chan’s fault! She’d turned him from an innocent bystander into part of the mastermind group…

“Are they crazy? They just kidnapped you for no reason and dragged you to the stage?”

The Head of Grade was getting angry. He’d originally thought Xiao Xi was timid and didn’t want to scold him too harshly, but this kid was stubborn.

“I don’t know. Maybe… maybe because I’m close to Mia? She told Nan Feng, and then Nan Feng told Chick-chan to tie me up and bring me to the stage. I didn’t do anything… At most, maybe I didn’t make myself clear to Mia, and she misunderstood what I said…”

Xiao Xi lowered his head, dejected, trying hard to defend himself. But how could the Head of Grade follow all that? Mia, Nan Feng, Chick-chan—what was all this about misunderstandings?

It sounded confusing, and the Head of Grade didn’t want to bother with the details. He waved his hand, cutting straight to the point, and demanded sternly,

“Are you saying that the source of these rumors is you?”

“No—no!” Xiao Xi hurriedly waved his hands. The Head of Grade’s tone grew even harsher, with a hint of menace. “Fine, so the source of this huge mess is you! No wonder the rumors were so ridiculous! And wearing women’s clothes to school! Corrupting discipline!”

“No, please listen to me, I—” Xiao Xi was stammering, his heart pounding, his body trembling in fear.

Just then, Sister Hua suddenly reached out, pulled Xiao Xi into a hug, and gently patted his head.

“Alright, stop. Let Mommy say a few words.”

Sister Hua flashed a confident smile, then pulled a check out of her purse and handed it to the Head of Grade.

What… what was this?

The Head of Grade took the check in confusion, and saw the amount written on it: five million.

“This…” The Head of Grade suddenly calmed down.

Sister Hua shook her head with a smile. “I heard the school library project is having some funding issues. Consider this a donation from our group to your school. It’s also a small contribution from Xiao Xi to the school.”

“Ah—you… you’re from the Shi family?”

The Head of Grade stared at the seal on the check, dumbfounded. Then a wave of unexpected joy washed over him. Finally, after being troubled by this problem for so long, with the construction side pushing him daily, it was finally solved!

“This… Mrs. Shi, thank you so much! I…” The Head of Grade adopted a humble attitude, repeatedly bowing to Sister Hua.

“It’s nothing. There might even be some left over for you to allocate freely. As for this incident, Xiao Xi…”

“Oh, Shi Xi was really innocent!” the Head of Grade quickly chimed in with a flattering smile. “No punishment! He’ll receive a school-wide commendation for his efforts in stopping Nan Feng!”

Huh? Xiao Xi was dumbstruck. When had he ever stopped Nan Feng?

Could it be… because he said the word ‘grass’?

“Alright, then we’ll take our leave now. Oh, and Xiao Xi, I forgot to mention—you’re not allowed to wear women’s clothes at school anymore. If you want to wear them, do it at home! Oh, and also, Head of Grade, how are Xiao Xi’s grades?”

…

Leaving the Head of Grade’s office, Xiao Xi looked at Sister Hua, who was examining his report card with great interest, and sensed a hint of danger.

Uh oh…

She wasn’t going to tell Sister Yuan about his grades, was she? Woe…

As Xiao Xi was lost in thought, two figures approached. He looked up and met Mia’s dejected gaze.

Mia…

Xiao Xi raised his hand to greet her, but she seemed not to see him. She silently walked past with a woman who appeared to be her mother.

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