Chapter 7: The Rebar Revelation and a Sudden Alliance

Qiao Xia felt an intense urge to punch Zhou Li. He couldn’t help but wonder how he’d ended up with such a troublesome friend.

Had Zhou Li arrived earlier, Li Lin Guan might have been saved.

Now, with everything settled and Qiao Xia on the verge of making amends with Li Lin Guan, Zhou Li had stormed in, bringing the Disciplinary Dean along. Their sudden arrival caught Qiao Xia completely off guard.

“What are you all standing around for, gawking like idiots? Get over here, every single one of you!”

Seeing his words had no immediate effect, the Disciplinary Dean snapped the bamboo rod in his hand through the air. The crisp crackle of the bamboo sent shivers down the spines of the students gathered around Qiao Xia and Li Lin Guan, eliciting groans of dismay.

They had only come to watch the commotion, never expecting to be caught.

And the one who had caught them was none other than the Disciplinary Dean, a figure notorious for his strictness!

As for the chubby boy standing beside the Disciplinary Dean—they made a mental note of him. Once this ordeal was over, they vowed to settle the score.

As the crowd trudged dejectedly towards the Disciplinary Dean, Qiao Xia and Li Lin Guan were naturally not spared. They, too, lifted their feet and blended into the moving throng.

“Do you even know what time it is?” the Disciplinary Dean boomed. “Morning self-study is over, and the first period has already begun! Instead of diligently studying in your classrooms, you’re all gathered here. Are you trying to stage a rebellion?”

“And this rebar!” he continued, gesturing wildly. “It’s one thing to gather for a fight, but what are you doing stealing construction rebar for no reason? What, do you fancy yourselves the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, wielding a golden cudgel? It seems this school isn’t big enough for you anymore; you all want to ascend to the heavens!”

By the time all the students stood before him, the Disciplinary Dean’s mouth was a ceaseless torrent of words.

Those closest to him suffered the most, their faces splattered with spittle. Yet, they dared not raise a hand to wipe it away, forced to stand there awkwardly enduring the tirade.

However, the accusation of stealing the rebar immediately sparked indignation among the students.

The Disciplinary Dean could scold them for fighting and being bad students, but he couldn’t accuse them of theft. That was the construction team’s fault, and they weren’t going to take the blame!

“Dean,” one student interjected, “this rebar wasn’t stolen by us. It fell from the sky!”

“Exactly!” another chimed in. “It nearly scared me to death! It was incredibly dangerous just now!”

“The construction team the school hired is completely unreliable,” a third student added. “How can rebar just fall like that? If Qiao Xia hadn’t reacted in time, someone might have been killed!”

As the students continued to speak, one after another, the Disciplinary Dean found himself utterly bewildered.

He had come because he’d heard reports of campus bullying, disrupting the school’s peaceful and harmonious learning environment.

Upon hearing such news, he couldn’t sit idly by.

Especially since the information came from Zhou Li, a wealthy second-generation student, it couldn’t be ignored, lest the school lose out on future sponsorships. Yet, who could have known that the alleged campus bullying would now turn into a unanimous condemnation of the construction team?

The tide had shifted far too quickly!

“Stop!” the Disciplinary Dean commanded, rubbing his temples. “You, tell me exactly what happened. This rebar wasn’t taken by you?”

The more he listened to the clamor around him, the worse his headache became. He swiftly raised a hand to silence the crowd, then randomly pointed to a student, asking them to explain the situation.

As fate would have it, the person the Disciplinary Dean pointed to was none other than the flamboyantly styled Li Lin Guan.

“Dean, we truly didn’t take this rebar,” Li Lin Guan explained, his voice still tinged with residual fear. “It suddenly fell from the sky and nearly impaled me! If Qiao Xia hadn’t intervened, I would have been dead by now.”

As he recounted the harrowing experience, Li Lin Guan instinctively patted his chest, a shiver of dread running through him. To die so young, he thought, would have been an utter waste!

More than pursuing love, he yearned to achieve great things.

But without life itself, all those ambitions would be for naught.

With this realization, Li Lin Guan cast a gaze of profound gratitude towards Qiao Xia. In his heart, he decided that Qiao Xia would forever be his brother!

Anyone who dared to bully Qiao Xia would be going against Li Lin Guan himself!

As for Duan Yulan…

Though she was the first woman he had ever truly liked, in the presence of his savior, a strategic retreat was the wisest course of action.

Moreover, Duan Yulan and Qiao Xia were clearly meant for each other. His antagonism towards Qiao Xia had stemmed from nothing but envy, jealousy, and resentment.

True lovers were destined to be together.

No matter how reluctant he felt, he had to wish Qiao Xia and Duan Yulan a lifetime of happiness.

Li Lin Guan’s imagination was truly boundless. Picturing these future scenes, a tear welled up in the corner of his eye, a silent elegy for his lost youth.

[A tear falls, symbolizing lost love…]

“I received reports of campus bullying,” the Disciplinary Dean stated, regaining his composure. “Your gathering here was inappropriate to begin with. Now, all of you, return to your classes obediently. Li Lin Guan and Qiao Xia, you two stay. You’re coming with me to the office.”

Listening to Li Lin Guan’s account, the Disciplinary Dean quickly understood the full story. He frowned deeply, surprised by the construction team’s sheer carelessness.

Rebar just falling? That was incredibly irresponsible!

If a serious accident occurred, how could the school possibly continue operating?

For now, he decided it was best to disperse the onlookers and try to keep the matter under wraps. Afterwards, he would mention it to the principal, urging him to communicate with the construction team.

Upon hearing the Disciplinary Dean call out their names, Li Lin Guan immediately stepped forward, puffing out his chest. “Dean,” he declared, “this whole incident is entirely my fault. It has absolutely nothing to do with Qiao Xia. It was all because of my jealousy towards him. So, I’ll go to the office alone; please let Qiao Xia return to class!”

The Disciplinary Dean being able to call Li Lin Guan by name suggested he had a considerable understanding of the student’s character.

It was precisely for this reason that both the Disciplinary Dean and Zhou Li were stunned by Li Lin Guan’s words.

Zhou Li, who had been the one to report them, was particularly bewildered by the current turn of events.

‘Wasn’t that Li Lin Guan acting so arrogant by the classroom door?’ Zhou Li wondered. ‘Why is he as docile as a lamb now? What happened while I was fetching the Dean? Could Qiao Xia really have saved him, turning their animosity into friendship?’

‘If so, did I inadvertently complicate things with my good intentions?’

Lost in thought, Zhou Li covertly glanced towards Qiao Xia, only to quickly retract his gaze after being met with a fierce glare.

“Since you’ve admitted it, then come with me,” the Disciplinary Dean said to Li Lin Guan. “Qiao Xia, you can return to class for now. Don’t worry about this; the school will certainly give you a proper explanation.”

After processing the situation, the Disciplinary Dean turned to Qiao Xia, spoke these words, and then promptly led Li Lin Guan away.

This signaled the end of the incident, allowing Qiao Xia to finally breathe a sigh of relief. He was free from the series of encounters and now had time to ponder what exactly his ‘golden finger’ was!

Thinking it over carefully, the strange voice had mentioned a ‘bracelet’ or something similar. Could it be related to the bracelet Duan Yulan had given him?