Ruan Ruan smiled happily, pulling on An An's sleeve, "Okay, Brother An An."
The dean of students was furious when he saw that Zhou Yang not only refused to accept punishment but also called his parents to evade it. He snatched the phone away.
"Mr. Zhou Yang's father, I've already clarified this matter. It was Zhou Yang who made a mistake; he wasn't kind to his classmates. I was only asking him to clean the work area," the dean of students explained into the phone, but Zhou Yang's father seemed unwilling to listen.
For a long time after, the dean of students opened his mouth but couldn't get a word in.
Finally getting a chance to speak, the dean of students earnestly pleaded into the phone, "Mr. Zhou Yang's father, don't you want your child to succeed? If you don't cooperate with us teachers, it won't be good for Zhou Yang if he goes astray later, don't you agree?"
"Hello? Hello, Mr. Zhou Yang's father?" The dean of students' brow furrowed so tightly it could have trapped a fly. He looked at the hung-up phone with some helplessness.
"What kind of parent is this!" It sounded like Zhou Yang's father was very protective of Zhou Yang.
However, the dean of students had no intention of letting it go. If parents didn't set a good example, he, as a teacher, couldn't let it slide easily.
His eyebrows shot up, "Zhou Yang, come to the office with me!"
Zhou Yang hadn't expected his father to fail to persuade the dean of students. He plopped onto the ground and continued to wail.
Soon, the principal arrived.
"Director Ma," the principal said with a kind smile, hurrying over from a distance.
"Principal Su, I'm currently dealing with a problematic student. Could you please contact his parents to come over? His father's educational philosophy is quite flawed!" The dean of students' eyes lit up when he saw the principal, and he began to complain.
Little did he know, the principal wasn't there to discuss educational issues.
The principal pulled the crying Zhou Yang up from the ground, "Good boy, don't cry, okay? If you apologize to them, this matter can be dropped. I'll tell Director Ma not to punish you, alright?"
Zhou Yang's neck stiffened, and he was about to protest. The principal gently patted his head, "Child, if you don't apologize to them, then you'll have to sweep the floor."
"Your father just called me. I've already spoken with him about this. You apologize to the other party, and that will be the end of it. If you refuse, then we'll decide how to punish you." It was clear the principal had received Zhou Yang's father's call before arriving.
When Zhou Yang heard that his father had said so, he decided to apologize.
He nodded, a look of resentment on his face, but followed the principal to apologize.
As the principal approached An An, he noticed the people behind him. The woman looked gentle and petite, likely easy to handle.
The man, however…
This was troublesome. That was Qin Ningyi.
The principal, with a smile, bypassed An An and approached Qin Ningyi. "Mr. Qin, I've long heard of your reputation. Why didn't you inform us in advance of your visit to our school? I would have arranged for someone to welcome you."
Qin Ningyi nodded coldly, "I'm accompanying my child to a discussion event, so I won't disturb you, Principal."
Child…
The principal glanced at An An, whose features resembled Qin Ningyi's, and suddenly felt his head ache considerably.
Neither of them was easy to offend, and Qin Ningyi was perhaps even more so. However, a significant portion of the school's funding came from Zhou Yang's father.
He couldn't afford to offend either, yet their children had gotten into a dispute.
"Is this Mr. Qin's child? What's his name?" The principal asked with a very cordial smile, looking at An An as if he adored him.
"An An."
The principal crouched down to meet An An's gaze. "Hello, An An. I'm the principal here at City First Elementary. Our student had a conflict with you. I apologize on his behalf. Can you forgive my student, please? It's his first time making such a mistake, and I will discipline him severely."
Seeing An An was very young, the principal's comforting words flowed effortlessly.
An An looked at the principal with complete confusion. "It was Brother Zhou Yang who hit people, Principal. Why are you apologizing on his behalf?"
"And he doesn't seem to be bullying classmates for the first time. That older sister just now was pushed to the ground by him, and her face turned red. Shouldn't he apologize to her?"
Ever since encountering Zhou Yang at the school, he had been acting in a self-important manner. His domineering demeanor clearly wasn't cultivated overnight.
Furthermore, the surrounding students, both older and younger, were afraid of him, indicating that Zhou Yang wasn't as the principal described.
The principal hadn't expected An An, though small in appearance, to speak so directly.
Qin Ningyi simply stood behind him, watching coldly. It seemed this matter wouldn't be resolved this way.
The principal turned to Zhou Yang. "Zhou Yang, come and apologize."
He winked at Zhou Yang from an angle where Qin Ningyi and An An couldn't see.
Zhou Yang reluctantly walked over and mumbled, "Sorry."
"Alright, he's apologized. This matter is settled."
Ruan Ruan couldn't stand it anymore. "He's clearly a bad kid. Why aren't you punishing him?"
She had always understood one principle since childhood: wrongdoings must be punished.
The principal looked at Ruan Ruan, then at Qin Ningyi and Huo Rou. Since she didn't resemble them, he breathed a sigh of relief and adopted a stern demeanor.
"Which class are you in? I'm dealing with a student issue, why are you interrupting? Come to my office, and I'll see who the real bad child is."
"Then I'd like to see what our student has done wrong!" Wang Qian approached with a stern, solemn expression.
In comparison, the principal was at a disadvantage in terms of presence.
The principal had met with the main responsible individuals from Ren De School during the event's planning. He certainly recognized this person.
"What has brought Vice Principal Wang here?" He walked forward with a smile, reaching out to shake Wang Qian's hand.
Wang Qian ignored him and walked to Huo Rou and Qin Ningyi. "My apologies."
After thanking them, he looked down at Ruan Ruan. "Ruan Ruan, tell me what's going on."
Ruan Ruan recounted the events to Wang Qian, word for word, without embellishment.
After listening, Wang Qian turned to the awkward principal and asked with a stern face, "It seems neither of them did anything wrong. Children have their own thoughts, and it's understandable they didn't want to share food with a stranger."
Cold sweat beaded on the principal's forehead. He couldn't afford to offend any of them. Seeing Wang Qian's deference and familiarity towards the little girl, there must be some connection.
"Yes, you are right," the principal nodded obsequiously.
"Since it's Zhou Yang's problem," Wang Qian looked at Zhou Yang. "A sapling needs to be straightened from the start; it's difficult to do so when it's older."
"Yes, yes, yes," the principal continued to nod. How could he refute an education expert?
"Then please, punish him," Wang Qian said calmly.