Chapter 23: Extortion!

Chapter 23: Extortion!

“I want to be a person like him.”

Even after Tang Zhong had left, Jiao Yuheng still found himself recalling the expression on his face when he uttered those words.

“He must love his father very much,” Jiao Yuheng mused to himself. “A truly filial child.”

A filial child is rarely one who turns out bad.

The door to the lounge was pushed open, and Jiao Nanxin emerged, wearing a simple tank top and munching on a freshly washed, bright red apple. “Grandpa, was that Tang Zhong?” she asked.

“That’s right. What do you think of him?” Jiao Yuheng replied with a smile. In front of his granddaughter, he was a completely different person from the stern figure he presented to outsiders. With others, he always wore a grave expression, walked briskly and forcefully, giving off an air of severity and dominance. But whenever he saw his precious granddaughter, the corners of his eyes and brows were all filled with affection and laughter.

“Not bad. He’s quite interesting,” Jiao Nanxin commented.

“Oh my, I rarely hear our Nanxin praise anyone. For you to use both ‘not bad’ and ‘quite interesting’ to describe someone, that’s truly rare,” Jiao Yuheng teased.

Jiao Nanxin showed no trace of embarrassment, grinning mischievously. “He just became your student today and already came to ask for a favor. I’ve never seen a student like that before.”

“Not just you—it’s a first for me too,” Jiao Yuheng sighed. “All the students I’ve accepted in the past have been so proper and respectful. They only knew how to please me; none ever had the nerve to ask me for help.”

“He knew full well this might annoy you, yet he still came. And it wasn’t even for his own sake—that makes it all the more interesting,” Jiao Nanxin remarked with a laugh. “Grandpa, I heard him myself—he wasn’t exactly thrilled about becoming your student. Doesn’t that make you angry or hurt?”

“Well, a little, yes,” Jiao Yuheng admitted. “That boy… Ah, never mind. For the sake of our teacher-student bond, I’ll help him this once.”

“What’s this? Wasn’t Grandpa planning to expel him from your tutelage?” Jiao Nanxin joked.

“You cheeky girl,” Jiao Yuheng scolded with a laugh. “Go on, hurry back and see your grandmother. If she finds out you’ve been here all this time without seeing her, she’ll skin you alive.”

“Alright, I’m going,” Jiao Nanxin replied. She quickly finished off her apple and tossed the core into the trash can from a distance. Then she dashed back into the lounge, put on her plaid shirt, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed out. “Grandpa, I won’t tell Grandma I saw women’s underwear in your lounge.”

“You little rascal—” Jiao Yuheng nearly jumped in exasperation. This girl had always been irreverent since she was young, daring to joke about anything.

Yet, he couldn’t help but love her for it.

Even half an hour after Jiao Nanxin had left, Jiao Yuheng was still sitting in his office, grinning to himself.

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When Tang Zhong rushed back to the hospital, chaos had already erupted in the corridor.

“What kind of student are you? Who behaves like this? It’s the first day of school and you’re already fighting, injuring a teacher—you’re nothing but a thug!”

“I’m telling you, if anything happens to my husband, you’ll answer for it. Don’t think you’ll stay at Southern University; you can just get cozy at the police station—”

“How can I not be angry? Li Qiang, if someone broke your head, wouldn’t your wife be furious?”

“Look at him, acting all arrogant—still smoking, too—”

A gaudily dressed woman was shouting furiously in the hallway, occasionally lunging at Hua Wuqie, evidently itching to teach him a lesson. Fortunately, Li Qiang managed to stand between them, repeatedly trying to calm her and holding her back each time.

From her words, it was easy to deduce that she was a family member of the teacher—Zhang—who had been accidentally injured by Hua Wuqie.

Hua Wuqie stood by the window, a cigarette between his fingers, his expression both calm and grim, lost in his own thoughts.

Liang Tao and Li Yu flanked him on either side, watching the woman warily, ready to intervene should she break through. If Teacher Li Qiang couldn’t hold her back, they’d be the second line of defense.

The university’s security department had also arrived. While the woman raged and caused a scene, the security officers stood awkwardly to the side, not daring to intervene.

They all knew exactly who this woman was—no one dared advise her to calm down.

“Who is Zhang Haiyang’s family?” a doctor called out as he emerged from the examination room.

“I am, I am!” The woman hurried over. “I’m Zhang Haiyang’s wife.”

“The test results are in. As you requested, we conducted a brain scan—there’s no internal trauma, only some superficial wounds,” the doctor reported, handing her a stack of results.

“Thank you, doctor,” she said gratefully. “But you only checked his head? What about other parts of his body?”

“He was only hurt on the head,” the doctor replied, puzzled.

“Well, you never know. The injury may look like it’s only on his head, but what if there are other issues?” the woman insisted. “Doctor, please arrange a full-body examination for my husband. Check everything, and use only the best medication—don’t try to save on costs.”

“If that’s your request…” The doctor grinned. “We’ll do our best to accommodate you.”

They liked having such ‘understanding’ family members—so supportive of the hospital’s work.

Tang Zhong instantly realized the woman was bent on extorting Hua Ming.

This was a classic example of how things are handled in China: if you accidentally scrape someone’s leg with your bicycle, their family will insist on a full-body check-up.

“Chief Zheng,” the woman called out.

“Yes, Director Huang?” The head of the security department, Zheng Chengfeng, hurried over. “Director Huang, what are your instructions?”

The woman’s name was Huang Jie, deputy director of the President’s Office at Southern University. No wonder Chief Zheng was so deferential—after all, everyone knew Zhang Haiyang’s uncle was Vice President Zhang of the university.

“Take them back to the school for questioning. Until Mr. Zhang’s condition is fully known, do not let them go,” Huang Jie ordered.

“Director Huang,” Li Qiang stepped forward to reason with her. “Isn’t that too much? They’re still students, and they have military training tomorrow—would detaining them really be appropriate?”

“Li Qiang, have you lost your mind?” Huang Jie snapped, jabbing her finger at his face. “It’s perfectly acceptable for a student to smash a teacher’s head with a beer bottle, but not for the security department to take them in for questioning? Tell me, what kind of twisted logic is that? Li Qiang, are they your students and I’m not your superior, not your colleague? Are you not being a little too biased?”

Being scolded in front of so many people was a bitter pill for Li Qiang to swallow, but as Hua Ming’s counselor, he had to take responsibility.

Forcing a smile, he tried to placate her: “Director Huang, that’s not what I meant. I just think the student should wait here until we know Mr. Zhang’s test results and hear his wishes. Let’s handle everything today, so you don’t have to worry about it any longer. Isn’t that best for everyone?”

Only then did Huang Jie’s expression soften. She shot a venomous glare at Hua Ming. “Even if the test results are out, Mr. Zhang will need a couple of days in the hospital to rest—who knows if there will be any aftereffects? Are you suggesting they wait here for two days? Do as I said—take them to the security department and keep them there. We’ll talk about anything else once Mr. Zhang is discharged. And anyway, how were students like this even admitted? My recommendation is to expel such troublemakers from Southern University. One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.”

“Director Huang—” Li Qiang tried again.

“Li Qiang, unless you want to pack your bags and leave, keep your mouth shut!” Huang Jie snapped.

With her so overbearing, Li Qiang could only fall silent. Any further argument might really cost him his job.

Tang Zhong had originally intended to explain things to Mr. Zhang’s relatives and perhaps offer an apology, but seeing Huang Jie’s attitude, he knew it would be pointless and would only earn him a scolding in return.

So, he walked straight to Hua Ming, took the cigarette from his hand and stubbed it out. “No matter how wronged you feel, this isn’t the way to cope,” he said quietly.

“Damn it, this is just too much,” Hua Ming gritted his teeth. “Fine, I’ll go with them to the security office and see what they can do to me. But once I’m inside, getting out won’t be so easy.”

“Don’t lose your temper,” Tang Zhong comforted him. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“Did you go to someone for help?” Hua Ming’s eyes brightened.

“Yes, I went to see Dean Jiao. We’re all students of the School of Psychology—he should be informed if something like this happens.”

“You—” Hua Ming grew anxious. “Idiot! Don’t you realize that going to him for a favor so soon will leave a bad impression? Don’t you understand how to handle people?”

“It’s alright,” Tang Zhong replied with a smile. “Dean Jiao… is a good man.”

(P.S. I’ve said before, I don’t care about insults from people who don’t matter to me—I only care whether those who do matter are supporting me. Haters, keep trying. Supporters, crush them beneath your feet.)