Chapter 184: Solved!
Seeing Zhou Dahai approach, Xu Yuefei immediately ran over, wailing, "Principal! You have to look at Ke Yu! Ke Yu was… he was knocked unconscious!"
Lv Juan also rushed to Zhou Dahai's side, complaining through her tears.
Zhou Dahai's expression turned incredibly grim. Stepping into the crowd, he looked down at Zhou Keyu. In an instant, his eyes became bloodshot and his face contorted with towering rage. "Who… Which bastard hit my son?! I'm not done with him!"
Beside him, Shi Huqing stared at the miserably beaten Zhou Keyu and exclaimed in shock, "Who could be so vicious as to beat someone to this state?"
Zhou Dahai was practically trembling with fury. "Who was it?! Get out here! Stand up! Where's the riot squad?! We must bring this bastard to justice today!"
Just then, Xu Yuefei pointed a finger at Zhao Dong and shouted, "Principal Zhou, he's the one who hit Ke Yu!"
Zhou Dahai's gaze shot toward Zhao Dong, a look so cold it could devour a man. He gritted his teeth. "You bastard. You dare hit my son? You're looking for death!"
Completely consumed by rage, Zhou Dahai had abandoned all pretense of maintaining his image and started cursing openly.
Zhao Dong met his gaze and snorted coldly. "Your damn son deserved it. He had it coming!"
Zhou Dahai's vision went dark with fury. Pointing at the arriving riot squad, he roared, "Officers! Get him! Arrest this guy and take him to the detention center. We'll sort the rest out later!"
The riot squad immediately advanced and surrounded Zhao Dong. One of them stared at him coldly. "Hands on your head! Squat against the wall, now!"
"And what if I don't?" Zhao Dong's eyes were like ice.
"I'll count to three. If you don't put your hands on your head and squat, we will use force! Three! Two!"
Meanwhile, Shi Huqing, who was standing at the back of the crowd, couldn't see clearly who was in the middle. But why does that voice sound so familiar? Where have I heard it before?
Shi Huqing squeezed his way forward for a better look. The sight was a shock. He felt as if he'd been struck by lightning, his body freezing on the spot. Isn't that Zhao Dong?!
He blurted out in shock, "Mr.… Mr. Zhao? What are you doing here?"
At his words, a stunned silence fell over the crowd.
Zhou Dahai was also taken aback. "Mr. Shi, who are you calling Mr. Zhao?" he asked suspiciously.
Looking at Zhao Dong, Shi Huqing was too agitated to speak for a moment. The next second, he roared at Zhou Dahai and the riot squad, "Damn it, who dares touch Mr. Zhao?! All of you, get the hell out of here!"
Being reprimanded so harshly, Zhou Dahai shuddered and stared at Shi Huqing in complete confusion. "Mr. Shi, who in the world is Mr. Zhao?!"
He was still baffled. He hadn't heard anything about a leader with the surname Zhao visiting today.
Shi Huqing couldn't take it anymore and bellowed at him, "Can't you open your goddamn eyes and see? This is Mr. Zhao! Do you have a death wish, messing with him?"
Shi Huqing jabbed a finger toward Zhao Dong.
In an instant, everyone present was dumbfounded. Even Zhou Dahai trembled, staring at Zhao Dong in disbelief. "Mr.… Mr. Zhao?! How… How is this possible? Mr. Shi, you must be mistaken."
He was shocked beyond belief. How could this be? Who is Zhao Dong? I've never even heard of him. How could Shi Huqing possibly call him Mr. Zhao?
Shi Huqing yelled at Zhou Dahai, "Tell the riot squad to leave immediately, you hear me?!"
Zhou Dahai shivered. Being yelled at in front of so many people was humiliating, but he absolutely could not afford to offend Shi Huqing. He hurriedly waved his hands at the riot squad. "Go, go, go. You all leave first."
The squad leader asked, confused, "Principal Zhou, this…"
"Didn't you hear me? I told you to go!" Zhou Dahai snapped impatiently.
The squad leader's face stiffened. He glanced at Zhao Dong, clenched his jaw, and led his men away.
The surrounding teachers and students who had been watching the spectacle were utterly dumbfounded. How could someone like Zhao Dong possibly command such respect from Shi Huqing? Are we dreaming? How is this possible?
Zhao Qirou also stared blankly at her brother, her face a mask of astonishment. "Brother, what on earth is going on?"
Zhao Dong patted her head, his cold gaze shifting to Zhou Dahai, then to Lv Juan and Xu Yuefei standing behind him.
The two women's faces turned deathly pale in unison, and their bodies began to tremble. Zhao Dong can make Shi Huqing call him 'Mr. Zhao'? What kind of terrifying background does he have?
At that moment, Zhou Dahai couldn't hold back any longer. "Mr. Shi, what is going on here? You have to give me an explanation. My son has been beaten to a pulp!"
Shi Huqing barked coldly, "What explanation do you need? I'm telling you, your son deserved to be beaten today! It's a blessing he wasn't beaten to death! Opposing Mr. Zhao is the same as opposing me!"
Zhou Dahai's face flushed red and pale by turns. "Mr. Shi, this…"
"Principal Zhou," Shi Huqing said coldly, "out of respect for our many years of acquaintance, I'll give you a piece of advice. Apologize properly to Mr. Zhao right now. Otherwise, if you anger him, ten of you wouldn't be enough to handle the consequences."
Zhou Dahai's mind was reeling. He glanced at Zhao Dong, clenched his jaw, and said, "Mr. Zhao, I… I have failed in raising my son. Please don't hold it against me."
He practically had to squeeze the words out of his throat. Who the hell is this Zhao Dong? He's barely in his twenties and looks like an ordinary person. Why should I have to apologize to him? But for Shi Huqing's sake, he had no other choice.
Zhao Dong cast a cold glance at Zhou Dahai. "I don't hold it against you, but that vile son of yours needs to be taught a proper lesson. Do you have any objections?"
Zhou Dahai's body trembled as he forced the word out through clenched teeth. "No…"
"Good." Zhao Dong snorted, his gaze falling on Xu Yuefei and Lv Juan behind him.
The two were scared out of their wits. With a shriek, they turned to flee. They already realized Zhao Dong wasn't someone to mess with. Staying here would be suicide, wouldn't it?
However, before they could get away, Shi Huqing kicked out, striking both of them behind the knees. The two women fell flat on their faces.
"You're looking for death," Shi Huqing scolded. "Speak! What did you do to offend Mr. Zhao?"
Both of them burst into terrified tears, a mess of snot and slobber. In that moment, they were utterly defeated. Zhao Dong's background… it's simply beyond our imagination!
Xu Yuefei scrambled onto her knees and began kowtowing frantically to Zhao Dong. "Zhao Dong, I was wrong! Please let me go!" she cried, her voice choked with tears. "Give me a chance to change… I'll never dare bully your sister again. I truly know I was wrong."
Lv Juan was also sobbing uncontrollably. "Zhao Dong, I know I was wrong too! I… I'm not fit to be a teacher! I truly know I was wrong, please spare me."
Zhao Dong shook his head, his voice detached. "An apology is enough? You don't know you were wrong. You're just scared." With that, he squinted and said to Shi Huqing, "Uncle Shi, could you ask Principal Zhou if he can have Lv Juan fired from her position, and Xu Yuefei expelled from East Sea University?"
Shi Huqing turned to Zhou Dahai. "Principal Zhou, I think Mr. Zhao's proposal is reasonable. Do you have any objections?"
The corner of Zhou Dahai's mouth twitched. "This…"
Shi Huqing snorted. "Over the years, I've invested more than fifty million yuan in your East Sea University. I also have another role here—I'm an honorary director. Do my words carry no weight?"
Zhou Dahai shuddered and immediately began nodding and bowing. "Director Shi, please, don't say that! Of course your words carry weight! I'll have them dealt with right now!" With that, he immediately called the Academic Affairs Office and had Lv Juan fired and Xu Yuefei expelled.
The two women let out a wretched scream. "Zhao Dong, please let us go!" Lv Juan cried desperately. "I can't lose this job!"
Xu Yuefei also sobbed, "Zhao Dong, I was wrong… Have mercy on me, please! It took me so much effort to get into this university, you can't expel me!" She then turned and began kowtowing relentlessly to Zhao Qirou. "Zhao Qirou, I'm begging you, please give me a chance! I had to repeat my exams for three years to get in here! I truly know I was wrong. I'll be a better person, just give me this one chance!"
She kowtowed over and over, her forehead already starting to bleed.
Zhao Qirou looked on with a complicated expression. The crowd of students and teachers outside stared at Zhao Dong, completely stunned. With just a few words, he had gotten a teacher fired and a student expelled. This Zhao Dong's background… it's just too terrifying!
Zhao Qirou suddenly bit her lip. "Brother," she said softly, "maybe… we could give them a chance to change? If it happens again, it won't be too late to expel them then."
Zhao Dong looked at his sister and sighed. He knew she had a kind, soft heart. He didn't really care either way, but if he really had them expelled, Qirou probably wouldn't be happy about it. After all, he had already gotten revenge for her.
Thinking this, Zhao Dong squinted at the two women. "Fine. For my sister's sake, I'll let you two off. Now scram."
The pair were instantly moved to tears of gratitude. They gave Zhao Dong a thankful glance before scrambling away in disgrace.
The farce quickly subsided. Shi Huqing said something to Zhou Dahai, who glanced at Zhao Dong, sighed, and sullenly helped the unconscious Zhou Keyu away.
Everything settled down. The group of students now looked at Zhao Dong and Zhao Qirou in a completely new light.
Zhao Dong swept his gaze across them, his voice indifferent. "I don't want anyone bullying my sister ever again. Anyone who does will be expelled from East Sea University. No room for negotiation."
Instantly, several girls in the class looked uncomfortable, lowering their heads and refusing to meet his eyes. They had also helped Xu Yuefei bully Zhao Qirou in the past.
Zhao Dong then turned back to Shi Huqing and smiled. "Uncle Shi, thanks. And by the way, you don't have to call me Mr. Zhao anymore. Just call me Xiao Dong."
Shi Huqing chuckled. "Got it, Xiao Dong. And don't thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I'll help in any way I can."
Zhao Dong nodded, giving Shi Huqing a friendly smile.
"Alright, I have to go. Let's chat another time!" With that, Shi Huqing left.
Zhao Dong looked at Zhao Qirou and patted her head with a smile. "Let's go. Weren't we heading to the gymnasium?"
Zhao Qirou pursed her lips, studying her brother deeply before exclaiming with genuine feeling, "Brother… you've changed so much after being away for these few years! You know all these important people now!"
Zhao Dong smiled. "Who cares if they're important or not? As long as you're not getting bullied, that's all that matters."
"Brother, it's so good to have you!" Zhao Qirou said, moved, as she took his hand.
The two of them walked down the stairs under the astonished gazes of the other students.
Once downstairs, Zhao Qirou gasped in surprise. "Brother, whose car is that? It looks so expensive."
Zhao Dong smiled and pressed the key fob. The car's lights flashed and the doors unlocked.
Zhao Qirou's mouth fell open in utter shock. "Brother… this is your car?"
Smiling without a word, Zhao Dong led her to the car.
As Zhao Qirou settled into the seat, she was still in a daze. She could hardly believe it. How could Zhao Dong… own a million-yuan luxury car?
She gave him a deep look, knowing he would explain when he was ready. Though her heart was pounding with shock, she didn't press him for answers.
Soon, they drove up to the entrance of East Sea University's gymnasium. The place was packed with a sea of students, and Zhao Dong's car naturally attracted countless looks of astonishment.
Just then, Zhao Qirou said with a sly smile, "Brother, look over there by the road! Those are our university's four great campus beauties!"
Zhao Dong glanced toward several graceful figures by the roadside and was instantly taken aback.
*PS: Apologies, everyone. I was held up by some matters these past few days and was incredibly busy. Starting tomorrow, updates will be stable! Thank you all for your continuous company and support! The author bows to you all!*