Chapter Twenty-Two: Showboating
The homeroom teacher watched as the two started arguing again at the drop of a hat and couldn't help but rub his forehead.
What terrible things did she do to deserve this?
She can't afford to offend either side, and even if she tries to be invisible, she'll still be constantly criticized.
However, she could also see clearly from the side that the school board member was no match for Mrs. Si. Even if ten more people like her came, they might not be able to make Mrs. Si suffer.
After a while, Cheng Xi looked at the school gate, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he waved to the person coming: "Dad!"
A man around forty years old walked towards me. Perhaps because he had been socializing a lot, his beer belly was still visible even in his suit.
Cheng Xi's mother also showed a delighted expression and gave Jiang Ran a very provocative look.
Jiang Ran shook her head helplessly; she practically had "You're finished" written all over her face.
The man saw the injuries on Cheng Xi's face from afar and quickly walked a few steps toward them.
He hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Cheng Xi pointed at Si Zuochen, her voice trembling with tears, "It was them who beat me up like this!"
"What?" The man frowned and looked at Si Zuochen.
He wanted to see who dared to beat his son like this!
Jiang Ran watched as he turned his head, stepped aside, and stood in front of Si Zuochen, looking him in the eye.
Upon seeing Jiang Ran, the man froze, exclaiming in surprise, "Mrs. Si...?"
Jiang Ran smiled slightly: "Oh? Finally, someone recognizes me?"
A fawning look flashed across the man's face as he quickly replied, "You're joking. Who wouldn't recognize you? What brings you to the school?"
As he spoke, a question arose in his mind: This member of the Si family never showed his face, so why was he here now?
Jiang Ran sneered as she listened: "If I hadn't come, I'm afraid my child would have been bullied to death."
Bullying...bullying?
The man looked behind her; the beautifully made-up twins were clean and their faces were free of any injuries.
Looking back at her own child, she saw that he had a bruised and swollen face, was covered in dirt, and had lost two buttons on his shirt, looking quite pitiful.
By comparing the two sides, it's obvious who suffered the loss without even asking.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi's mother immediately flew into a rage: "Nonsense! It seems like our child has been bullied!"
"Oh," Jiang Ran responded casually, then continued, "Does bullying only involve physical harm? I'm referring to the psychological harm your child caused to my child."
Psychological harm?
That's just psychological trauma over there. Glancing at the child whose head was beaten into a pig's head, he sighed inwardly. This must be a psychological trauma.
"And another thing," Jiang Ran paused, "your child got beaten up purely because he brought it on himself. Who told him to be so foul-mouthed and not even have the guts to fight back?"
Upon hearing this, the man's expression changed; no one wants their child to be insulted like that.
He frowned and looked at Jiang Ran: "Mrs. Si, she's just a child after all. There's no need to say such harsh things, is there?"
Hearing his words, Jiang Ran suddenly chuckled: "Is that bad? Why don't you ask him what he said that angered my child?"
Although she didn't know the reason, based on her understanding of Si Zuochen, she knew that he wouldn't resort to violence unless the situation was extremely serious.
The man turned to look at Cheng Xi, wanting to question him sternly, but seeing the injury on his face, he felt a pang of heartache.
"Mrs. Si, this is ultimately a matter for the children. Why don't we let them handle it themselves?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Cheng Xi's mother rushed forward, grabbed his sleeve, and questioned him sharply.
"What are you saying? What do you mean, 'the kids should solve it themselves'? I'll make them pay the price!"
"Shut up!" The man stopped her, his face displeased. "I have my own plans!"
He must have had his reasons for doing this. Although Jiang Ran's reputation wasn't great, the Si family was there to vouch for her.
At this point, it would be a loss to antagonize her over such a trivial matter and make her hold a grudge.
“No way.” Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow and spoke up at the right moment: “Your wife and I share the same opinion: this matter absolutely cannot be resolved peacefully.”
Then, rubbing his hands together, he said leisurely, "You're just going to let this matter of bullying my child go like this? That won't do..."
As he spoke, his tone rose, and the man felt a strange sense of fear welling up inside him as he looked at the woman in front of him.
He always seemed indifferent and nonchalant, yet his words carried a sharp and aggressive tone.
"Mrs. Si, these are just unintentional words from a child," the man said, trying to smooth things over.
With that, he grabbed Cheng Xi and said sternly, "Apologize!"
Jiang Ran looked at the scene before her and let out a cold laugh.
“This doesn’t sound like something said unintentionally. It was originally just an apology, but before I came, not only the children, but even your wife was pointing fingers at my children.”
"They even threatened to expel my child. Although we don't care about this lousy school, if word gets out that this would be a huge embarrassment to the Si family."
"The Si family can't stand this kind of humiliation, do you understand what I mean?"
The man was startled by Jiang Ran's few words.
Her words were clearly no longer childish tantrums; she was bringing up the Si family's reputation.
Yes, he was so focused on not offending the lady of the Si family that he forgot that the other two were the true bloodline of the Si family.
Cheng Xi's mother was short-sighted and naturally failed to understand Jiang Ran's implied meaning.
She reached out and pulled Cheng Xi over, angrily scolding the man: "Apologize! What are you apologizing for? Is this how you handle things when I call you over?"
"They already said this can't be resolved peacefully, didn't you hear? If you ask me, why waste any more words with her here? Just fire her, she's an eyesore!"
The man frowned, seemingly lost in thought, and did not respond for a moment.
Seeing that the farce had almost come to an end, Si Zuochen took a few steps forward and walked to Jiang Ran's side.
He lowered his voice and said, "Your showtime is over. We don't need your help."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran felt that she had indeed gone to great lengths.
He replied in an unfriendly tone, "Do you think I want to get involved?"
Good intentions are wasted; no one appreciates a kind heart!
Hearing their whispers, Si Youlin stepped forward, reached out and pulled Si Zuochen, then shook his head at him.
Since someone's taking the lead anyway, why not just watch the show?
Jiang Ran's mood instantly soured, perhaps because of what Si Zuochen had just said.
She felt like she was wasting her time and looked at the person in front of her with disgust.
"A child with a sharp tongue, a brainless wife, and an incompetent husband—what a family!"
Jiang Ran offered her unsparing critiques of them. She had originally intended to be tactful, but now she just wanted to finish the matter quickly.
"Mrs. Si, what you're saying is a bit too much!" The man was embarrassed by being criticized in public.
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