Chapter 261 | Chapter 262 | Chapter 263
Chapter 261: Tier 1 Alert
On the day of Wei Xiao’s return to school, the capybaras of Class Two acted as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Compared to Wei Xiao, who had only been around for half a semester, the capybaras naturally felt a much deeper attachment to Su Lin, whom they had shared the classroom with for an entire semester.
Moreover, ever since Wei Xiao hurled that stainless steel water container at Su Lin, the capybaras didn’t dare associate with him anymore.
Being easygoing was one thing, and being detached from worldly struggles was fine, but a person still had to look out for their own personal safety!
When Wei Xiao entered the classroom, he keenly perceived his classmates’ aloofness toward him, but he didn’t care less.
Wei Yan had ultimately taken his words to heart and decided to track down his ex-wife’s daughter.
Back then, Lin Yueji had divorced Wei Yan before the child was even born. Wei Yan had never bothered to look into it afterward, so he naturally didn’t know her exact identity.
Wei Xiao had already gone to the detention center to speak with Zhu Yuanyuan, telling her to back off and stop causing trouble for Wei Yan.
At the time, Zhu Yuanyuan had merely stared at him with a bizarre look in her eyes for a moment before asking, “What are you planning to do next?”
She didn’t ask “What should we do?” but rather “What are you planning to do?” Evidently, Zhu Yuanyuan had already realized that Wei Xiao had his own schemes.
Wei Xiao didn’t answer, and Zhu Yuanyuan didn’t force an explanation either. She simply sneered, “Forget it. Once the divorce goes through, you and I will have nothing to do with each other. There’s no need for me to know.”
The divorce agreement was ultimately signed in accordance with its original terms. Zhu Yuanyuan had no intention of handing her money over to Wei Xiao for safekeeping.
After all, the leverage she originally held over Wei Xiao had already been discovered by Wei Yan, meaning she could no longer use it to blackmail him in the future.
Under these circumstances, she might as well divide it as originally planned, even though what remained after paying the compensation wouldn’t amount to much.
Of course, Zhu Yuanyuan had her own plans. The portion of assets she had funneled away was already being managed by a professional, who regularly wired the returns to her anonymous offshore account.
As long as she maintained her silence now, no one would ever know she still held a sum of money.
Once she served her time, she could completely rely on that wealth to live a comfortable life again.
Wei Xiao was entirely oblivious to this. Even though he knew the assets Zhu Yuanyuan took through the divorce settlement would be used for victim compensation, leaving her with very little, he didn’t feel a shred of sympathy.
The moment he learned he wasn’t Wei Yan’s biological son, what little mother-son affection they had completely vanished.
The mental stress of this past period, the blunt strikes Wei Yan had landed on him, and his bleak future—he blamed every single bit of it on Zhu Yuanyuan.
Naturally, his sentiments toward Wei Yan were exactly the same.
Why did his mother and father have to be these kinds of people? Why did he have to suffer this nightmare?
Even the suggestion he had proposed himself made him feel disgusted—it felt as though he had become a tool for breeding.
Every now and then, the thought would pop into his head that it would be better if all these people just died, but he still suppressed the restlessness in his heart.
As long as this ordeal was smoothly resolved, he would remain the son of the Wei family and continue to enjoy their immense wealth and prestige. He would still be… “Wei Xiao.”
In Class Three next door, a small discussion was currently taking place regarding Wei Xiao.
“That cockroach actually came back?” Jiang Chuchu’s face was completely written with disgust.
Yao Shali nodded. “I saw him walk into the classroom with my own eyes.”
“I saw him when I passed by the Class Two entrance as well,” Xu Xinghe raised his hand, swaying his head back and forth as he spoke. “The capybaras are all actively avoiding him. It looks hilarious.”
“What kind of attitude is he showing?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
“Indifferent, probably,” Xu Xinghe spread his hands. “Either way, no one in Class Two wants anything to do with him right now.”
Qin Yue slung an arm over Bao Qingsong’s shoulder. “Bao, old pal, tell me: what are the surveillance blind spots in this school?”
The intention behind this was far too obvious. Bao Qingsong’s mouth twitched. “Even if you sneak around to beat him up, you’ll be the very first person everyone suspects.”
After all, the person with an explicit, public feud with Wei Xiao right now was Qin Yue. The moment Wei Xiao got jumped, everyone’s immediate reaction would be that Qin Yue did it.
Qin Yue’s face fell. “Then am I just supposed to let this hit to my head slide for nothing?”
Jiang Chuchu turned her head. “Did that cockroach offer a proper apology to you?”
“Just hollow words with absolutely zero sincerity,” Qin Yue rolled his eyes. “My mom got so annoyed in the end that she said if he didn’t want to apologize, he shouldn’t bother.”
“She just let it go like that?” Jiang Chuchu was skeptical.
“She made the Wei family pay me a hefty sum of compensation.” Qin Yue patted his pocket. “My mom handed it all to me, telling me to keep it to buy some delicious food to nurse my health.”
“How many tens of thousands did they pay?” Song Yi asked curiously.
Qin Yue held up two fingers. “Two hundred thousand.”
Gu Qinghuan clutched her chest. Her perception of money desperately needed to be rescued!
Yao Shali thought for a moment. “It sounds like a lot, but why do I feel like it’s still not quite enough?”
Qin Yue pondered, and a brilliant idea suddenly popped into his head. “How about I go smash his head open too, and then give him this two hundred thousand back?”
Jiang Chuchu glared at him. “Don’t mess around. If you actually smash his head, then in the eyes of others, you’ll become just like that cockroach.”
Qin Yue could only sink back into his chair dejectedly, muttering, “I was just saying…”
Lin Zhulu sighed a bit as she listened. “Why is it that Wei Xiao can act completely recklessly, while we have to be so cautious and bound by rules?”
Gu Qinghuan patted her shoulder. “We have all sorts of reservations because we have things that are far more important to us. Wei Xiao is different; he actually has absolutely nothing left, which is why he can be this unhinged.”
His mother was a human trafficker, and his father had been cuckolded. As for himself, once stripped of the Wei family name, he was nothing.
Rather than saying Wei Xiao relied on wealth and power, it was more accurate to say he was dominated by those things—he was a slave to them.
Lin Zhulu thought about it and found it made sense, though she still felt a bit of regret. “What a pity. According to the latest update my Little Aunt dug up, Zhu Yuanyuan and Wei Yan seem to have reached an agreement, so Wei Yan probably won’t end up locked up.”
Now that the midterm exams were over, the students of Class Three had some downtime, so they had followed Lin Zhulu to feast on quite a few updates regarding the Wei family drama from Lin Aiji.
The marmots had roared with immense satisfaction: “We love watching this kind of dog-eat-dog mess, give us more!”
Bao Qingsong, however, was practically bursting with frustration. He had assisted his sister, Bao Rujian, by providing a mountain of data, and had learned the more specific progress from her.
But! He couldn’t say a word! There were strict confidentiality requirements!
As a result, he could only stealthily guide their discussions, ensuring everyone’s deductions aligned with the actual situation.
It had to be said that after consuming so much drama, everyone was fully capable of piecing together an incomplete story entirely on their own.
Gu Qinghuan, meanwhile, was pondering: [Speaking of which, since things have reached this stage, why hasn’t Wei Xiao transferred schools yet? The news about Zhu Yuanyuan being a human trafficker must be spreading bit by bit, right?]
The internal rumors within the school were actually being quietly leaked by Class Three, operating on the core principle of making Wei Xiao’s life a living hell.
The system looked at Lin Zhulu’s mission progress and gave a subtle reminder: [The mission completion rate is fluctuating wildly.]
Fluctuating wildly? Is she facing a critical divergence point in her fate? Gu Qinghuan instantly grew tense.
Unlike the previous missions for the others, Lin Zhulu’s most desperate fate was heavily intertwined with the Wei family. It was far too passive, making it truly impossible to rest easy.
She was just wondering if she should bring Song Yi along to act as bodyguards for Lin Zhulu over the next few days when she saw Lin Zhulu pull out her phone to glance at it.
“My Little Aunt sent me a message.” Lin Zhulu had initially assumed it was fresh gossip, looking at it with high spirits, but her expression gradually stiffened.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Xin, who was sitting closest to her, looked at her with a hint of worry.
Lin Zhulu clutched her phone in sheer panic, completely at a loss. “Wei Yan is investigating me… Little Aunt says he’s looking for me…”
The group looked at one another in stunned silence. Gu Qinghuan leaped straight onto the teacher’s podium. “Attention, everyone! Tier 1 Alert!”
Chapter 262: A Fortress of Iron and Bronze
Chen Zelin’s homeroom class meeting time today was hijacked by Gu Qinghuan.
This was the only downside of having an overly dominant class monitor—where was his dignity as the homeroom teacher?
With that thought, Chen Zelin handed the notices that needed to be explained during today’s meeting over to Gu Qinghuan, while he returned to the staff room to patch up his lesson plans.
Gu Qinghuan spent a few minutes distilling the key points of the notices, posted them to the class group chat, pinned it as a group announcement, and then began addressing this tier 1 alert.
Lin Zhulu had temporarily swapped seats with Ming Xiaolan, moving to the front row to make it easier for her to speak later. For a moment, she found the novelty of the seat change quite refreshing, which helped dissolve a bit of her initial nervousness and worry.
Gu Qinghuan spoke with a solemn expression, “Everyone basically has a grasp of the situation by now, right?”
The marmots nodded with equal solemnity.
They had thought that after generating so much drama, the Wei family would finally lay low. Who would have guessed they would actually harbor designs on Lin Zhulu?
Whether it was a breakup or a divorce, an ex should act like an ex. Clinging relentlessly to the past—do they just not have a future?
“Although it looks like Wei Yan is merely inquiring about Lin Zhulu’s existence at first glance, we absolutely cannot lower our guard. Making a move means he has a motive; we must heighten our vigilance!” Gu Qinghuan said.
“First of all, regarding Wei Yan’s reason for seeking Lin Zhulu, I suspect he wants to find his biological child.”
Xia He had already discovered that Wei Yan sent people to conduct a paternity test and had shared the results with Gu Qinghuan, so this piece of intelligence could now be “declassified” to everyone.
The students didn’t catch on immediately. Qin Yue scratched his cheek. “Isn’t he obsessed with having a male heir? Why would he look for Lin Zhulu?”
Yu Xin, however, keenly caught Gu Qinghuan’s phrasing: “You said biological child. Don’t tell me…”
Gu Qinghuan nodded slightly. “Exactly. That’s the case.”
The marmots had been following this drama for so long that their intuition was remarkably sharp. They rapidly reached a conclusion: Wei Xiao was not Wei Yan’s biological son!
What a massive piece of gossip. It stunned the marmots so much they didn’t even know what to say.
Jiang Chuchu was the first to regain her composure. Although she was curious as to why Wei Yan allowed Wei Xiao to remain in the Wei family despite knowing the truth, the priority right now had to be placed on Lin Zhulu.
She spoke up, “So he’s useless now? If he wants a biological descendant, he can only rely on Lin Zhulu?”
While the marmots were still digesting the gossip, Jiang Chuchu’s “explosive remark” choked everyone up again.
Even if it was highly likely to be the truth, wasn’t the Discipline Committee Member being a little too blunt?
Ai Ning raised a hand. “Even if he wants to find his biological child, I don’t think anything good will come from him seeking out Lin Zhulu.”
As a child of a scumbag father herself, Ai Ning felt that Wei Yan definitely harbored ill intentions.
If he truly valued his child, there was no way he would have been completely indifferent and absent for all these years. At the very least, he would have maintained regular contact to build a relationship, right?
Regardless of whether the child was a son or a daughter, he should have shouldered his responsibility as a father based on the fact that they were his “biological child.”
But Wei Yan hadn’t. That proved he simply didn’t care about his biological child—or rather, his biological daughter.
Yao Shali analyzed the situation for a moment and raised her hand. “Based on the currently known facts, Wei Xiao is not Wei Yan’s biological son, and Wei Yan is searching for Lin Zhulu. Judging by his actions, Wei Yan has an ulterior motive.”
She held up a finger. “Therefore, I offer a few deductions. First, Wei Yan doesn’t want to grow old with no one to rely on, so he wants a child to see him off to his grave.”
Lin Zhulu furrowed her brows. Backed by everyone’s support, she had plenty of confidence as she said forcefully, “Sending him a coffin sounds more like it.”
“No, no, no. Cremation is mandatory now, burial isn’t allowed. Better send a funeral wreath; it’s much cheaper than a coffin,” Bao Qingsong added considerately.
Everyone was driven to laughter, and they even began pondering what kind of funeral wreath they should send.
“Second,” Yao Shali continued, “he discovered that his lineage is about to end, so he wants to use Lin Zhulu’s existence to seek comfort.”
“If he’s thinking that way, he’ll definitely want Lin Zhulu to ‘return to the ancestral line’ and acknowledge his ancestors, right?” Ouyang Wushuang spoke up cautiously. “Will he demand she change her surname?”
Beside her, Murong Tianjiao shuddered and strongly protested, “Who cares about a scumbag’s ancestors!”
“We can set this point aside for now and see what Wei Yan does next,” Jiang Chuchu said, her brows tightly knit. “But I don’t believe he’s only after that.”
Yao Shali slowly held up a third finger. “Third, this is a thought that occurred to me when I linked it to the phrase ‘end of his lineage.’ Could his target not be a ‘child,’ but a ‘grandchild’?”
Silence fell over Class Three; it was dead quiet.
Xie Xiangxue said dryly, “No… No way? Lin Zhulu might choose not to get married in the future, or she might get married and not have children. Even if she does have a child, she doesn’t even want a scumbag father around, so how could she possibly let her child acknowledge a scumbag father as an elder?”
“Besides, given Wei Yan’s obsession with male heirs, if Lin Zhulu’s child turns out to be a daughter, wouldn’t his lineage still be ended in his eyes?” Ai Ning added.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he froze, a belated realization striking him.
In fact, most of the students in Class Three were thinking the exact same thing at this moment.
Gu Qinghuan was expressionless. “Sitting right next door is someone who can ensure Lin Zhulu’s child continues to bear the surname Wei, and who can force her to keep giving birth after marriage until she produces a boy.”
Shen Jianwei, who was sitting beside Lin Zhulu, immediately lunged forward and hugged her tightly. The few girls sitting closest also sprinted over, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
The boys felt they ought to comfort Lin Zhulu as well, but since they couldn’t just throw their arms around her like the girls did, they all chimed in to hurl insults instead.
They cursed Wei Yan and they cursed Wei Xiao, calling them both beasts, garbage, and massive cockroaches!
The system chimed in with a few curses of its own, though it didn’t let Gu Qinghuan hear them.
The truth was that the Wei family’s scheme was actually far more sickening than what everyone had deduced. They neither wanted to expose Wei Xiao’s true identity, nor did Wei Yan want to lose a biological grandson.
Marriage? They had absolutely no intention of following such a “law-abiding” procedure.
Surprisingly, Lin Zhulu didn’t feel afraid. Perhaps everyone’s embrace was too warm, and the curses ringing in her ears sounded incredibly satisfying.
She felt as though a fortress of iron and bronze had been erected around her, protecting her completely. As long as she wished, she could remain within it forever, where no one could harm her.
However, she didn’t want to always be the one being protected. This was her battle, and she wanted to fight too.
Class Three was always like this; everyone refused to shrink back or flee. When faced with difficulties, they put their heads together, putting every effort into challenging and resolving the issue.
Lin Zhulu held onto Shen Jianwei’s arm, turned her head to look at Gu Qinghuan, and said earnestly, “Class monitor, I don’t want them to get their way, and I don’t want to see them live a good life either.”
She would use sharp teeth and claws to bite into their flesh and slash their throats, letting them know pain and fear so they would never dare covet her again.
Gu Qinghuan flashed a big thumbs-up. “Excellent! In that case, the theme for this month’s class building event—let’s formulate the most potent insecticide for these cockroaches!”
Chapter 263: Provoking Trouble
Granted, for a group of students, the idea of formulating a strategy to deal with Wei Yan and Wei Xiao sounded a bit absurd.
But for the students of Class Three, who possessed rich experience in stirring up trouble—cough, experiencing resistance—it wasn’t actually that difficult!
Everyone fundamentally agreed that Yao Shali’s third deduction was the most probable.
After all, those two were cockroaches; they would definitely choose whichever path was most disgusting to others. Since that was the case, the class directed their primary focus toward countering that third scenario.
Xu Xinghe said thoughtfully, “Our absolute baseline strategy should be tightening security, right? Lin Zhulu will obviously ignore them, so if they want to achieve their goals, it’s highly likely they’ll resort to illegal means.”
“True. And if that happens, physical reality will serve as evidence. The moment we file a lawsuit, we’ll have a way to put them away,” Ming Xiaolan agreed, nodding.
“But just as Xu Xinghe said, that’s our ultimate safety net. If possible, I hope we never have to use it,” Gu Qinghuan sighed.
Until one was truly driven into a corner, one shouldn’t combat an enemy by placing oneself in jeopardy, because there was absolutely no guaranteeing just how unhinged the enemy could get.
“Let’s prepare some gadgets first, like tracking devices,” Jiang Chuchu said. “I can provide them if needed.”
Lin Zhulu nodded. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
Jiang Chuchu waved her hand dismissively. “It’s no trouble at all. Just putting assets to good use.”
“As for a medium-tier strategy,” Yu Xin said upon reflection, “following the logic of securing our safety while simultaneously achieving results… what about gathering evidence of their illegal activities?”
“If that’s the angle, I think we can use Zhu Yuanyuan as our breakthrough point,” Ji Tianxiao interjected immediately. “Didn’t she just get locked in a dog-eat-dog feud with Wei Yan? She must hold hard evidence in her hands.”
He had a deep impression of Zhu Yuanyuan. For a human trafficker to put on an act beside Wei Yan for so many years meant she was exceptionally capable.
“But a person like that won’t cooperate with us so easily, will she?” Lian Fenghe said conflictually. “What benefit does she get from helping us? She was a human trafficker, after all; it’s not like she has a shred of empathy.”
The class fell into a brief silence, reluctantly admitting that Lian Fenghe was right. Of course, the primary underlying reason was—who on earth wanted to help a human trafficker? No one wanted her to have a single moment of comfort!
Gu Qinghuan, however, looked thoughtful. “No, I don’t think we should look at this from the angle of offering her benefits to buy her cooperation.”
This time, Shen Jianwei was the first to catch on. After all, a similar concept existed in diplomacy: “She might not gain any benefits from helping us, but she will definitely suffer consequences if she doesn’t?”
“Exactly!” Gu Qinghuan nodded. “And when it involves assets that should inherently belong to her, her sense of crisis will only be magnified.”
Zhu Yuanyuan was incredibly decisive; the moment she wanted a divorce, she immediately began execution.
She was currently heading to prison. Unless she could overturn her conviction, tangible benefits held very little meaning to her since she couldn’t use them anyway. But what if it was a consequence that actively jeopardized her current interests? Zhu Yuanyuan would undoubtedly rack her brains to protect herself.
Yu Xin earnestly jotted down this line of thought with her pen. “This is viable. I’ll think about how to execute it.”
“And finally, the top-tier strategy—completely crushing the Wei family.” Jiang Chuchu spread her hands. “Just like the Yan family before; once they collapse, nothing is left.”
Cold sweat broke out across the class. The Discipline Committee Member made it sound incredibly easy, but their success with the Yan family last time was because they had official state machinery backing them up, combined with the fact that the Yan family’s criminal offenses were too numerous to count.
As for the Wei family… they had only recently returned to the country, and their local network was still expanding. They probably couldn’t just summon the authorities to clean them up, could they?
“It sounds lovely, but it completely exceeds our current capabilities!” Bao Qingsong couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Let’s just hope Chuchu can pull off something like that in the future,” Gu Qinghuan said, offering a mock prayer, only to have her cheek pinched by Jiang Chuchu.
Using the brief banter to alleviate the slight dejection caused by the far-fetched top-tier strategy, Gu Qinghuan rubbed her cheek and continued, “Do we have any other top-tier options?”
“I have an idea,” Song Yi raised his hand. “As anyone who fights regularly knows…”
The class: “Cough, cough!”
Song Yi corrected himself: “I just mean, there’s a technique called redirecting the opponent’s force.”
The class fell into contemplation. The phrase wasn’t difficult to understand; it meant using the force of others, or the enemy’s own momentum, to strike back at them—essentially making them reap what they sowed. The problem was, how could they engineer that?
Seeing that the bell for the end of recess was about to ring, Gu Qinghuan noted down the summarized points. “In any case, Lin Zhulu will focus on self-preservation and gathering evidence first. Xin-bao, refine the medium-tier strategy a bit more.”
“Everyone should stick close to Lin Zhulu over the next few days. Don’t let her run into Wei Xiao alone.”
“If they do cross paths, protect Lin Zhulu at all costs. You can casually observe or probe Wei Xiao’s intentions and movements along the way, but don’t force it.”
The students readily agreed, immediately turning to discuss how to structure a roster for shifts. The sight left Lin Zhulu not knowing whether to laugh or cry, though her heart swelled with warmth.
“By the way,” Gu Qinghuan tapped Lin Zhulu’s shoulder. “When you get home, remember to tell your mother and aunt about this.”
“Huh?” Lin Zhulu froze. “But if it makes them worry…”
“A mother worries far more when her child keeps everything hidden,” Gu Qinghuan shook her head. “Not to mention this situation carries real danger.”
“This isn’t some top-secret covert operation. Keep your family informed. We’re minors; being protected is our right.”
“Besides, your aunt already knows Wei Yan is investigating you, so she must be wondering what’s going on anyway. Telling her directly just saves her the trouble of digging!”
Gu Qinghuan delivered that last part with absolute, unwavering righteousness.
Lin Zhulu was driven to laughter and nodded solemnly. “Alright, I’ll tell my mom and my aunt.”
The moment they finished speaking, the bell rang. Having spent the entire homeroom period in intense discussion, everyone was feeling a bit parched, if not mentally exhausted.
Gu Qinghuan had forgotten to bring her water bottle today, so she ran over to the pantry to grab a cup of water.
As luck would have it, the exact moment she stepped out of the pantry, she saw Wei Xiao walking out of the boys’ restroom.
Gu Qinghuan: Spotted a piece of filth.
This was the exact downside of having both classrooms on the same floor; the probability of running into Wei Xiao was remarkably high.
Wei Xiao obviously spotted her too. His footsteps paused for a fraction of a second before resuming their normal pace as he walked past her.
However, as he drew level with Gu Qinghuan, he halted and lowered his voice. “Don’t think you’ve won just because you saved a Yu Wenxiu.”
Gu Qinghuan’s mind filled with question marks, and she spoke up loudly without a shred of courtesy, “Wow, the barking of a defeated stray sounds incredibly pathetic!”
In an instant, the students lingering in the corridor shifted their gazes over.
Everyone knew Gu Qinghuan, and since Wei Xiao had recently been suspended for hitting someone, a fair number of people recognized him as well.
Stung in what little remained of his pride by the phrase “defeated stray,” Wei Xiao flared with humiliated rage. “Are you looking to die?”
“Provoking trouble? Threatening me? I’m calling the police!” Gu Qinghuan pulled out her phone and turned to the surrounding students. “Remember to testify for me!”
The students: Uh, the Class Three monitor really should have gone into law.
