Chapter 9
The news of the nursing home explosion trending on social media was not inevitable; it was the ambiguous handling of the situation by the prominent figure present that propelled the news to the top of the trending list.
The stroke of genius was the excellent on-site management; not a single photo of the important figure was leaked. Even the head of the nursing home didn't know the person's specific position, only that the person had invested a large sum of money and supplies in the nursing home.
Therefore, the identity of that important figure remains a mystery.
What fuels even more speculation is that the public overwhelmingly suspects the explosion was related to the man's arrival, but that there was a miscommunication in between, and the bomb was detonated only after the man left, leaving him unharmed.
Despite the shrouded mystery, the casualty figures are real: 10 elderly people died and 49 were injured, 3 nursing home staff died and 9 were injured, and 1 nursing home staff member from the affiliated hospital of Nuodun died and 4 were injured.
Early in the morning, the office of the second-year students at the Magic Fishing Academy was buzzing with discussion.
"If you ask me, the fact that they only started making noise after the important person left means they weren't really targeting him. It's just bad luck that they went to visit an elderly person out of good intentions and got such a huge accusation against them."
"You can't say that. The nursing home was fine as long as no important person went there, but it was bombed as soon as he went. He's definitely involved in this. Besides, those old folks are practically dead, why would they need to be bombed?"
Anna gently wiped her large gold bracelet as she spoke, "Why don't we ask Lily, Xia, and Xin later? They saw the explosion up close last night."
Cheng Yang and Anna sat at a long table, the golden light so bright it hurt his eyes. "Did you go on a blind date last night? Did your boyfriend give you this half-pound gold bracelet?"
Anna smiled and looked up, her thick, artificially extended eyelashes highlighting her cheerful almond-shaped eyes. "Of course, otherwise I would be very willing to go to the hospital to take care of Xiao Xin. After all, he is very good-looking. If I win the lottery, it's not impossible for me to take care of him."
Cheng Yang reached out his hand, "Come on, let a professional chemistry teacher help you determine if it's real or fake."
Anna smiled and handed it to Cheng Yang, and the others gathered around, "So generous, is it a done deal?"
"Yeah, giving someone such a huge gold bracelet inlaid with gemstones on the first meeting, what kind of person is that?"
Cheng Yang weighed them in his hand, checked their quality, and then shone a professional flashlight on the table to examine the gems. "I've made a profit! Real gold and real diamonds, each one starts at 100,000."
After Cheng Yang finished speaking, he handed the medal to Anna with both hands, saying, "Here, this is the badge of honor for those who have found a partner. Please wear it."
Anna chuckled and took it, which was then taken by the other two female teachers to admire. After reading it, they asked Anna curiously how her blind date went and whether it turned out well.
As she was speaking, Chi Xia walked in through the door, smiling and greeting her colleagues. Xin Ran, who was a couple of steps behind her, drove in in her wheelchair. Before she could finish greeting them, Lin Keli also strode in.
Anna watched the three of them file in and joked, "Did the three of you sleep together last night?"
Lin Keli put down her bag, opened the plastic bag, took a bite of the egg pancake, then sipped some hot soy milk through the straw. Hearing Anna's words, she laughed so hard that the soy milk almost spilled over the broken pancake. "Listen to what you're saying, are you even speaking human language?"
She pointed at Xin Ran, "Given his condition, should we sleep with him, or should Xia and I play together?"
"You didn't even call me when there was such a good thing? I could have helped." Cheng Yang smiled as he got up and moved the chair from Xin Ran's workstation. The cleaning lady had put it back in its original place after cleaning yesterday. Cheng Yang pushed the wheelchair and adjusted its position for him.
An older teacher laughed and scolded, "Listen to this, that's something an educator would say."
Another teacher chimed in, "Director Ma will be here soon and will make you write self-criticisms."
Lin Keli turned on her computer. "The director is on leave today."
Everyone looked at her. "Huh?"
Anna sensed something and swung her chair closer. Lin Keli had a single desk by the window, and their desks were separated by an aisle. "What's the reason for the director's leave?"
Lin Keli opened her work log. The approval had been granted. Her part-time job as a human resources specialist involved handling matters such as signage, onboarding/offboarding, and leave requests.
"She said there was something going on at home," she said while eating breakfast, following the instructions on the menu.
Anna frowned. "Could it be related to the nursing home explosion?"
Cheng Yang: "It might be a coincidence. I haven't heard of any of the director's relatives being in the nursing home."
Anna looked at Chi Xia and Xin Ran, who were quietly preparing their lessons in the last two rows next to the director's seat, and asked, "You two were there last night, do you have any firsthand information to share?"
Lin Keli had family matters to attend to and didn't go to the hospital. Anna found out about it last night when she was gossiping. Now, only Chi Xia and Xin Ran have any gossip to share.
Chi Xia and Xin Ran didn't look at each other, but they both shook their heads in tacit understanding.
Anna tilted her head, a half-smile on her face, "What's going on with you two? Such a sensational bombing, and you two, just two blocks away, didn't see any big news?"
Chi Xia pushed up her glasses. "The sound was quite loud. It startled me, and I didn't dare to look."
Xin Ran glanced at his body. He was covered in a neck brace, a cast, and bandages, making him look like a seriously injured patient. It was a miracle that he could come to class despite his pain, but it was also expected by everyone. After all, no one was more hardworking than him. Only someone like him could withstand the number one scumbag of the Magic Fishing Academy.
He said, "I'm willing but unable."
They chatted for a few more minutes in the office before the class bell rang. Everyone went to their respective classes, and Chi Xia pushed Xin Ran's wheelchair, taking him up to the third floor through a special passage.
"Shall we go to the hospital to see Xiaodi after school?" Xin Ran asked in a low voice.
Chi Xia: "Hasn't Dr. Xun found his family yet?"
Xin Ran: "No."
"Okay, let's go together after school." Chi Xia first pushed him to the door of Class 4, took her textbook from his hand, and said, "Good luck today."
Xin Ran glanced at the closed door of Class 3 with a smile, "You too."
Chi Xia swiped his wristband to open the door and walked into Class 3. Today, the students weren't playing those strange games. They were sitting on messy desks, some watching videos, some playing games, and most discussing the nursing home explosion last night. However, the focus of his discussion was that important person.
"Li Yao, is this your dad? Your family donates hundreds of millions to charity every year. Is he visiting a nursing home this time?"
Li Yao looked displeased. "What nonsense are you talking about? My dad went on a business trip last week and hasn't come back yet. How can he go to a nursing home if he's not even in the New Territories? Besides, my family is in business. My dad is just a businessman at most. What big shot could possibly have to do with my dad? Your imagination is way too rich."
“What Li Yao said makes some sense. Could it be the Cheng Mo, Feng Xiao, and Ye Feng families? Those families are very large and powerful, with members involved in politics and business.”
Chi Xia closed the door and stood on the podium, but no one cared; they didn't even give her a glance.
Chi Xia wrote the lesson content on the blackboard stroke by stroke, listening to their chatter. After finishing writing, she turned around and looked under the teacher's desk. None of the people they had mentioned earlier were there today.
No wonder, with their leader gone, these guys are at a loss for what to do when they're causing trouble. Chi Xia looked around at the group of students who were not paying attention in class, "Does anyone know why Cheng Mo and the others didn't come to class today?"
A man turned to look at Chi Xia and said with a smile, "It's Teacher Braid who's here to give a lecture, everyone please give him some face."
Everyone else turned to look at the podium, but no one answered Chi Xia's question, so Chi Xia didn't ask any more questions.
"Today I'll talk about the weighting of the New Territories Graded Examinations: 30% for academic subjects, 30% for physical fitness, and 30% for aptitude—"
"Teacher, what you're talking about is something everyone knows. Could you tell us something we don't know?"
"Besides, what does talent have to do with us? You're not here to mock us on purpose, are you?"
With just a few words, the classroom was filled with tension, and everyone crossed their arms and glared at Chi Xia on the podium.
Chi Xia smiled faintly, "It's true that talent accounts for 40%, but I'm about to say something you don't know. Who interrupted me just now?"
People's first reaction when they have a problem is to look for the answer. More than half of the people looked at the boy in the middle, who had just spoken first and interrupted Chi Xia.
Chi Xia looked at him and said, "Please stand up and tell me what you know so I can see if I'm not qualified to teach you."
The boy stood up lazily, gave a dismissive sneer, and said, "Teacher, did I say something wrong? 40% talent and 30% academic score, which do you think is more desirable for us?"
Chi Xia glanced around. This boy's words represented the sentiments of the vast majority of her classmates, but she still asked, "Do all of you think this way?"
No one objected. Another boy who had led the group looked at Chi Xia defiantly, "Isn't that right, teacher? If we hadn't signed an agreement with our families to let you stay longer, do you think you'd still be standing on the podium unscathed?"
Chi Xia stepped down from the podium and walked to the student's desk. "Oh, that's because I want to thank you for sparing my life."
"Pfft!"
The student next to that student was amused.
"Gentlemen, it's not a pleasant feeling to be controlled, is it?" Chi Xia's tone was very calm. After speaking, she took off her glasses and took out a handkerchief to wipe them. "It's normal for you to ask your families for money when you're seventeen or eighteen. When you're twenty-seven or twenty-eight, or even thirty or forty, you'll still be asking your families for money, and then your families will use that money to continue to restrict you, forbidding this and that, requiring you to sign agreements, otherwise they'll deduct your allowance for the month. I originally thought you were all very rebellious, fighting against heaven and earth, but it seems you're nothing special. I'm just curious, what's the difference between this and being chained up...?"
"You bitch, who are you calling a bitch!"
"Screech!" The tables and chairs scraped against the floor, making a harsh sound.
A boy rushed out and took two steps forward, ready to attack. Chi Xia looked up, her sharp eyes like a poisoned steel nail. The boy threw a punch, which Chi Xia blocked with her hand, and then kicked him. The boy fell to the ground and couldn't get up.
From the very first day of registration, Chi Xia never intended to tolerate a bunch of idiots. She knew that these people would take advantage of her and wanted more, so it was better to break the ice and set rules from the start.
Several books came flying from all corners. Chi Xia grabbed the textbook of the nearest classmate and deflected them onto the ground. Then she put on her glasses, slowly walked back to the podium, and turned to face a group of angry students.
"It's angry, that's a good thing. It means it's not completely dead yet, there's still hope."
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