Xie Shiya didn't take Principal Shi Yongfu seriously at all, and she absolutely would not allow the school to expel Zhou Yang.
She said firmly, "Principal Shi, you must know why Zhou Yang beat up Li Qiang, right? This incident wasn't Zhou Yang's fault. The blame lies entirely with Li Qiang—he bullied others, relying on his family's influence, and ended up getting beaten. Who can he blame? Only himself for being too weak."
"Besides, Zhou Yang is a seventh-grade Qi Practitioner. How could you bear to expel such a talent? If he participates in the city's youth martial arts competition, he's sure to win the championship. That would bring great honor to the school, and you, Principal Shi, would also gain prestige."
Her understanding of Zhou Yang was limited—she still believed he was a seventh-grade Qi Practitioner and had no idea he was actually an eighth-grade one.
Shi Yongfu, being only a first-grade Qi Practitioner himself, was well aware of how formidable a seventh-grade Qi Practitioner was. Although he had heard rumors about Zhou Yang's strength, he didn't believe it was true. In his eyes, an eighteen-year-old simply couldn't reach such a level.
Moreover, if Zhou Yang really *was* a seventh-grade Qi Practitioner, he would rather offend the Li family than Zhou Yang.
He looked at Xie Shiya in surprise and asked, "Is Zhou Yang really a seventh-grade Qi Practitioner?"
Xie Shiya replied, "Principal Shi, I have no reason to lie to you. If you don't believe me, you can spar with him yourself and test the power of his Qi Barrier."
Shi Yongfu quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I believe you. There's no need for a spar. Besides, as a principal, fighting a student would just make me a laughingstock."
He had already heard that Zhou Yang had defeated several fourth-grade and third-grade Qi Practitioners from the Li family. As a mere first-grade Qi Practitioner, he had no courage to challenge Zhou Yang.
Xie Shiya said, "Since you believe me, then you won't expel Zhou Yang, right?"
Shi Yongfu hesitated before saying, "Not expelling him is fine, but this fight has caused a huge stir. He must at least receive a demerit."
This was the lightest punishment he could give, but it still pained him—after all, it would be hard to explain this to the Li family.
Xie Shiya frowned. "A demerit is too severe. How about just a warning?"
Shi Yongfu had no choice but to relent. "Fine, we'll do as you say."
He was furious but didn't dare vent his anger at Xie Shiya. After speaking, he stood up and walked toward the office door.
Just as he was about to leave, Xie Shiya added, "Principal Shi, there's one more thing. Since Li Qiang, the president of the Martial Arts Club, is injured and can't come to school for a while, why not let Zhou Yang take over as the new president?"
Shi Yongfu turned his head and said, "That's not my decision to make. The president of the Martial Arts Club is elected by its members. You should ask them."
He wanted no part in this matter—he had already offended the Li family enough and didn't want to provoke them further.
He couldn't help but feel like the most pathetic principal in the world, too afraid to stand up to a teacher and even scared of a student. Honestly, he wished his superiors would transfer him out of Chunjiang No. 1 High School.
---
**10:00 AM – Yong Sheng Company, General Manager's Office**
Lin Qinglu's father, Lin Yongsheng, stared at the bidding documents in front of him with a furrowed brow.
This was a major project worth 50 million yuan. Winning the bid would be a huge milestone for Yong Sheng Company, boosting its reputation and industry standing while significantly aiding its plans for going public.
The problem was, the project was being tendered by Chunlei Group—a massive conglomerate in Chunjiang City with two listed subsidiaries and assets exceeding 20 billion yuan.
The chairman of Chunlei Group was none other than Li Jinglei, the head of the Li family, one of the four major families in Chunjiang City.
Lin Yongsheng muttered to himself, "Qinglu just won't listen. If she had agreed to date Li Qiang, this project would have been ours already."
He knew all too well that among the three competing companies, Yong Sheng was the weakest, making their chances of winning the bid slim at best.
Today was the bidding day, and he had no confidence at all.
Just then, Su Qiong, the deputy general manager in charge of the project, walked into the office. She looked at Lin Yongsheng and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Mr. Lin, it's time for us to leave."
By "leave," she meant heading to Chunlei Group to submit their bid.
Su Qiong was a stunning thirty-year-old woman, standing 170 cm tall and dressed in a seductive black lace miniskirt. Her long, slender legs were clad in sheer flesh-colored stockings, making her look irresistibly alluring—like a ripe peach begging to be bitten.
This project was the largest and most important one she had ever handled. Over the past two weeks, she had put in tremendous effort, even successfully winning over a deputy manager in Chunlei Group's project department.
But even so, she still had no guarantee they would win the bid.
Lin Yongsheng looked at Su Qiong, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's hope we get it."
With that, he picked up his briefcase and left the office with Su Qiong, boarding a Mercedes S600 headed straight for Chunlei Group.
Throughout the ride, Lin Yongsheng kept his hand on Su Qiong's thigh—it helped him relax.
The reason Su Qiong had risen to deputy general manager was twofold: her strong business acumen and her long-standing intimate relationship with Lin Yongsheng. She was essentially his mistress.
She was used to it by now, allowing his hand to linger on her thigh while maintaining a charming smile.
Soon, they arrived at Chunlei Group. After registering, they entered a large conference room—the designated bidding venue.
Just then, a vice president of Chunlei Group walked in and said to Lin Yongsheng, "Mr. Lin, our chairman would like to see you. Please come with me."
Lin Yongsheng, who had been fretting over the bid, was both shocked and elated by the sudden summons. He felt incredibly honored.
He had no idea why the chairman of Chunlei Group wanted to meet him. After all, he was just the general manager of a small company with barely over 100 million yuan in assets. During previous visits to Chunlei Group for this bid, the highest-ranking executive he had ever met was a deputy manager in the project department—a mid-level employee, far below the chairman's status.
His heart pounded nervously, but he didn't dare ask why the chairman wanted to see him. He turned to Su Qiong and said, "Wait for me in the conference room."
Su Qiong was equally astonished. She, too, wanted to know why the chairman had summoned Lin Yongsheng at this critical moment. But now wasn't the time to ask, so she simply nodded.
Inside the conference room, the representatives from the other two competing companies stared at Lin Yongsheng in surprise, a sense of crisis brewing in their minds.
*What kind of relationship does Lin Yongsheng have with Chunlei Group's chairman?*
*What's really going on here?*