Backed by a School Board Member

Upon learning that students in her class had gotten into a fight, Li Jing hurried over to the disciplinary office.

She never expected that the newly arrived transfer student would stir up such a major incident on his very first day.

Upon entering the office, she found both the director of discipline and the director of academic affairs already gathered inside.

To one side stood Chen Dong and another student, both looking somewhat disheveled.

Chen Dong, in particular, was clutching his stomach with a look of intense discomfort on his face.

It was no wonder he wore such an expression, for Yang Fan certainly hadn't held back.

Though the force behind that kick wasn't enough to be fatal, it was at least painful enough to leave the victim smarting for several days before recovery.

"Teacher Li, you've arrived just in time. All three of these are students from your class, so please handle their discipline," the director of discipline said, shifting responsibility to her the moment he saw her enter.

Both the director of discipline and the director of academic affairs were well aware that Yang Fan had been admitted through Tang Tianrong, which implied that his background was far from ordinary.

Consequently, the two officials assumed Yang Fan possessed influential backing and could not be lightly offended.

A look of anger crossed Li Jing’s pretty face as she glared at the three students involved in the fight. "Explain. What on earth happened here? Why were you fighting?"

"Teacher Li, it was Yang Fan who threw the first punch at me and Sun Bin. Neither of us fought back," Chen Dong wailed, lodging a malicious complaint while glaring furiously at Yang Fan, though a trace of lingering fear flickered in his eyes.

Recalling the kick Yang Fan had delivered, Chen Dong still felt a shiver down his spine, and a deep psychological shadow had formed in his mind.

He vowed silently that he never wanted to be kicked like that a second time.

"That's right, Yang Fan started it. Chen Dong and I were just walking past him and accidentally brushed against him, and he just started hitting people," the student named Sun Bin hastily corroborated.

Since he and Chen Dong were thick as thieves, he naturally had to stick to the story that Yang Fan was the aggressor.

Yang Fan’s expression remained calm, leaving no clue as to what he was thinking.

Yet, the cold indifference in his eyes made Chen Dong's scalp tingle.

"Yang Fan, is that how it happened?" Li Jing asked, fixing her gaze on him with a hint of irritation in her voice.

For a new transfer student to get into a fight on his very first day led Li Jing to instantly categorize Yang Fan as a delinquent.

"No," Yang Fan replied bluntly.

"Then why did you strike them?" Li Jing pressed.

"Chen Dong demanded that I give up my seat to him. When I refused, he picked up a stool and tried to smash it over my head, so I defended myself," Yang Fan explained.

At these words, Li Jing turned her gaze back to Chen Dong.

Faced with her scrutiny, Chen Dong's eyes darted away nervously; since he had started the trouble, his conscience was heavy.

Moreover, Li Jing was well aware of certain rumors surrounding the students in her class.

Tang Xin was exceptionally attractive, making her the object of affection for many boys, several of whom had even openly confessed their feelings and pursued her.

Among those suitors was Chen Dong.

In the past, Chen Dong had gotten into fights with boys from other classes, and the root cause had always been Tang Xin.

Hearing Yang Fan's claim that Chen Dong demanded a seat change, Li Jing immediately sensed something fishy and was seventy percent certain that Chen Dong had initiated the confrontation.

Even so, because Yang Fan had physically assaulted others, the matter could not simply be overlooked.

"Teacher Li, he's lying! I didn't even hit him with anything," Chen Dong protested, putting on a grievance-stricken expression. "I'm still injured, there's even a footprint on my stomach. If you don't believe me, look."

As he spoke, Chen Dong lifted his shirt to reveal his abdomen.

Clearly visible on his stomach was a reddish, footprint-shaped bruise, with parts of the skin turning purplish-black.

Clearly, that kick had landed with considerable force.

"Teacher Li, the injury on my face was also caused by Yang Fan," Sun Bin added, quickly turning the side of his face toward Li Jing to back up Chen Dong.

Seeing the injuries on the students, Li Jing felt a jolt of shock.

"Yang Fan, your methods are far too heavy-handed. What if you had missed or caused severe damage? Could you bear the responsibility?" Li Jing demanded, her lovely face etched with anger as she stared at him.

Regardless of their behavior, Chen Dong and Sun Bin were still students, and the severity of their injuries was genuinely alarming.

Chen Dong's case, in particular, with that vivid red footprint stamped across his stomach, was a chilling sight.

"If others don't provoke me, I won't provoke them. Since the two of them chose to attack me, am I supposed to just stand frozen in place and let them beat me?" Yang Fan asked calmly. "If Chen Dong had smashed that stool into my skull, what do you suppose the consequences would have been?"

His demeanor remained entirely serene, his tone suggesting that his actions were completely justified.

The retort left Li Jing momentarily speechless.

She knew all too well that Chen Dong was a problem student and not someone easily crossed.

If things had truly unfolded the way Yang Fan described, the situation was indeed murky.

"I want to see your parents. I must speak with your parents about this," Li Jing said, collecting herself.

She decided that reasoning with Yang Fan was utterly pointless; dealing with his guardians was the only viable path.

"My parents are gone," Yang Fan said indifferently.

His mother had indeed passed away, and as for that father of his, Yang Fan regarded him as nonexistent since any ties between them had long been severed.

"Your parents are gone?" Li Jing paused, her voice softening considerably.

Yang Fan showed no intention of elaborating.

Seeing that he refused to say more, Li Jing chose not to press further.

"All three of you are in the wrong. Go back and write a self-criticism report for me," Li Jing concluded, finding this the only practical punishment she could mete out. Inflicting physical discipline herself was out of the question, given her position as a teacher.

"Teacher Li, why don't you take student Yang Fan and student Sun Bin back first? Student Chen Dong, please stay behind; there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you," the director of discipline chimed in with a genial smile.

Though slightly puzzled, Li Jing asked no further questions and led Yang Fan and Sun Bin out of the office.

"Wang Zhenfeng, you must expel him! I don't want to see his face in Mingzhu ever again!" Chen Dong blurted out loudly to Wang Zhenfeng the moment the door closed behind Li Jing.

Chen Dong held no respect for the director of discipline, addressing him directly by his full name.

As the son of a Mingzhu Academy board member, he considered himself untouchable.

Hearing Chen Dong use his full name so familiarly, Wang Zhenfeng's expression darkened, and he cursed inwardly: *Damn it! If your old man wasn't a member of the board, I'd slap the life out of you right now.*

Despite these thoughts, Wang Zhenfeng dared not fly off the handle and instead plastered on a fake smile. "Student Chen Dong, I can't just expel him. He was placed here by Board Member Tang; if we want to expel Yang Fan, we need approval from the higher-ups."

Learning that Yang Fan had the backing of Board Member Tang filled Chen Dong with bitter frustration.

With a board member shielding the newcomer, Chen Dong lacked the clout to force an expulsion.

Moreover, this made him even more convinced that Yang Fan shared some clandestine relationship with Tang Xin.

Since he couldn't get Yang Fan expelled right away, Chen Dong had no choice but to temporarily drop the matter.

However, letting it go entirely was out of the question; doing so would make him look like a coward who was afraid of Yang Fan.

*Hmph, as long as you're still here, I'll find ways to make your life a living hell,* Chen Dong plotted bitterly in his heart.

As the son of a board member, Chen Dong commanded a small army of lackeys and thugs within Mingzhu High School.

Even if he couldn't deal with Yang Fan inside the school grounds, he could easily enlist external street youths to handle the dirty work.

Chen Dong had always firmly believed that with enough money, one could do whatever they pleased.