Chapter 45: The Decision of the Courtyard

"Boss, don’t worry. With me around, taking down a few little Sun Nation brats is no big deal," Zhou Xiaoyu said casually.

"Yeah, I believe you. Thanks, man," Qin Xuan nodded.

Dongfang Qingwan spoke up, "Qin Xuan, I’ll go with you. As long as you explain the situation, I doubt the school will make things difficult for you. After all, they started it."

"Alright, thank you," Qin Xuan nodded as well.

"Little Qin Xuan, I’ll go with you too. If he dares pull anything, I’ll help you teach him a lesson!" Liu Qianqian declared, clenching her small fists.

"No, that’s really not a good idea…" Qin Xuan was startled and quickly shook his head. He’d just gotten into a fight with the Sun Nation exchange students—if he ended up beating that Mediterranean guy too, the school would have no choice but to expel him. Qin Xuan wasn’t that foolish.

Liu Qianqian puffed out her cheeks, "How come when they help you, you say thanks, but when I want to help, you say no?"

"Listen, little one," Qin Xuan said, "in the secular world, violence often makes things worse, not better…"

"Alright," Liu Qianqian nodded, though it was anyone’s guess if she really took it to heart.

When Qin Xuan followed Director Yang Yanan, the Mediterranean, to the office, Zhou Xiaoyu and a large crowd trailed behind to show their support. Yang Yanan glanced at them, unfazed, and opened the door for Qin Xuan to enter.

"Teacher, may I be a witness? I’d like to go in as well," Dongfang Qingwan said quickly.

Yang Yanan gave her an appraising look, his lecherous gaze nearly stripping her bare, before he finally said, "You must be Dongfang Qingwan? I will get to the bottom of this, and the final disciplinary decision will come from higher up. Don’t worry, everything will be handled fairly."

His gaze made Dongfang Qingwan frown, but she nodded slightly.

"Hey, let me warn you," Zhou Xiaoyu reminded him. "If you dare try anything underhanded, you might just lose your job. We expect a fair outcome—give us all an explanation."

Yang Yanan shot him a cold look and slammed the door. He had no idea who Zhou Xiaoyu was; otherwise, he would never have been so arrogant.

Zhou Xiaoyu didn’t care; what mattered most to him was how this would be resolved.

The fight between Qin Xuan and the Sun Nation exchange students was already causing an uproar on the forums, and the school was under a lot of pressure. Public opinion was entirely in Qin Xuan’s favor, but no one could say for sure how the school would handle it.

...

"Why did you hit them?" Yang Yanan asked.

"They started it," Qin Xuan replied. The entire incident was clearly recorded in the video post on the forum; he didn’t believe Yang Yanan wasn’t aware.

"They started it? Don’t lie to my face!" Yang Yanan slapped the desk, glaring. "You’re standing here just fine, and those two ended up in the hospital! And you want me to believe they started it?"

"That’s the truth. They got hurt because they overestimated themselves," Qin Xuan replied coldly.

He could see it now—this Mediterranean guy was just looking to make an example out of him. As a swordsman, Qin Xuan would always admit to what he did, but he would never accept being wrongly accused.

"Overestimated themselves? Let me tell you, it’s you who’s overestimating yourself by going up against the school," Yang Yanan sneered.

"The outcome has already been decided: you’ll pay them twenty-five thousand yuan for medical expenses, and the school will expel you. Anything you want to say?"

Qin Xuan laughed instead. "What a joke. Compensation? Expulsion? Tell me, is this a school for the Sun Nation, or for our own people? If I hadn’t fought back today, another student from our country could have been the one injured. Would you have made the Sun Nation exchange students pay and expelled them?"

Clearly, the answer was no.

This kind of handling obviously favored the Sun Nation students, which Qin Xuan found hard to accept.

"Don’t give me your lofty principles. This is the faculty’s decision—you and I can’t change it," Yang Yanan said blandly.

In truth, the faculty’s initial decision was "compensate and recommend expulsion," but under Yang Yanan’s strong insistence, the word "recommend" was dropped altogether. As a senior director, his opinion carried weight, and he wanted the matter settled as quickly as possible—a phone call on the way over sealed the deal.

"The faculty? Who made that decision?" Qin Xuan asked. Su Muqing was only a class advisor; she had no say in such matters. Regardless, Qin Xuan wanted to see who was so eager to curry favor with outsiders.

"That’s not your concern. The official notice will come soon. Go prepare yourself," Yang Yanan said, effectively dismissing him.

Qin Xuan narrowed his eyes, said nothing more, and turned to leave. But at the door, he suddenly paused. "By the way, I’d like to request a leave of absence for Dongfang Qingwan. She’s unwell and can’t participate in military training."

"Everyone is required to take part in military training. No exceptions," Yang Yanan sneered.

"Suit yourself. If you don’t approve the leave and something happens, you’ll be responsible," Qin Xuan said without looking back and left.

Yang Yanan grinned smugly as Qin Xuan walked out.

"It’s just a student—what can he do to me? I can finally report back to Young Master Li. Qin Xuan, it’s nothing personal, but you shouldn’t have crossed Young Master Li."

Yang Yanan sent a text message to "Young Master Li."

...

Qin Xuan stood just outside the door, not leaving. He clearly heard Yang Yanan’s muttered words—Yang Yanan could never have imagined that Qin Xuan’s hearing was this sharp.

"So it’s Li Shihao again. That guy really is everywhere," Qin Xuan smirked.

"Boss, how’d it go?" Zhou Xiaoyu hurried over, with Dongfang Qingwan looking on worriedly.

"Pay twenty-five thousand in medical expenses and expulsion," Qin Xuan said with a shrug.

"What? That’s outrageous! I’ll smash his office—" Zhou Xiaoyu roared and made to kick open the door, but Qin Xuan stopped him.

"Don’t worry, I know who’s behind this. The Mediterranean guy is just a messenger—not worth your energy."

"So what do we do? This is just asking for trouble! Boss, I’ll call my dad right now—"

"No need. I have my own way," Qin Xuan’s eyes narrowed. Since Li Shihao wanted to play these games, he might as well turn the tables and let Li Shihao know he wasn’t someone to mess with.

"Bad news, Xiaoyu, Brother Qin!" Suddenly, a panicked voice rang out. Gao Tie came running over, phone in hand.

"What are you panicking for? Stay calm! Look at our boss—about to be expelled and still so composed. Learn from him," Zhou Xiaoyu scolded.

But the moment he took the phone, he was stunned as well.

[Due to recent work changes, updates have been unstable. I’m behind on the promised three chapters a day—please forgive me. I currently owe four chapters (not counting today’s). Once things settle down, I’ll make up for them all at once.]