Chapter 45: Courtesy Before Force

He spoke eloquently, specifically creating a way out for Shang Ying to step down, like a compassionate teacher forgiving a student's mistake, appearing immensely thoughtful.

Naturally, someone who could reach the position of principal was far better at speaking than that bald grade dean, though speaking well and speaking the truth were two completely different matters.

Shang Ying knew the principal was merely playing dumb to fool her. Throwing the baseball bat directly onto the office desk, she put on an unbothered posture: either he spoke the truth now, or he'd get beaten into submission.

The principal's lips twitched slightly, unperturbed by her threat. Deep down, he didn't believe a student would actually dare to do such a thing, assuming the grade dean had exaggerated the situation earlier to cover his own incompetence.

Thus, he believed the baseball bat was merely a tool Shang Ying used to intimidate people, one that wouldn't cause any real harm.

The decision to expel Shang Ying had been instructed by a school board member. Supposedly, this student had offended the miss of the Lu family, a prominent family in the Capital, and they didn't dare be careless, making sure to handle the minor task of expelling a student properly.

Furthermore, he had specifically retrieved Shang Ying's file, which listed her as coming from an ordinary family. Since someone happened to report her for puppy love at this time, it made things extremely convenient to use as a pretext for expulsion.

According to his original plan, an ordinary student without a background like Shang Ying would accept reality in tears after being expelled, or at most make a small fuss before giving in, resulting in the same final outcome: transferring and leaving.

Making a fuss right in front of him was indeed unexpected, yet not difficult to resolve. No matter how brave a kid of this age was, they couldn't outmatch an adult with societal experience like him.

He let out a breath, his voice slightly raspy.

"Student, this matter is already very clear. You did engage in puppy love."

Glancing at Shang Yi behind her, the principal continued, "Continuing to make a fuss will only do you harm. If I decide to expel you directly right now, very few schools in the Capital will be willing to accept you."

For students, threats were the most effective method. At their age, what could be more terrifying than being unable to study?

Well, he had guessed entirely wrong. There was no one who hated going to school more than Shang Ying.

Shang Ying stared at him, her face devoid of any expression.

"You're unwilling to speak, aren't you?"

The principal joined his hands together.

"There is indeed nothing to say."

‘Fine. This Capital No. 1 High School truly was a great school. From top to bottom, not a single good person. Courtesy before force. Now that courtesy was done, it was time for force.’

Shang Ying grabbed the baseball bat and smashed it fiercely onto the office desk. In an instant, the sleek, silver laptop was split right down the middle, issuing a loud crash inside the room.

Shattered glass fragments flew through the air. The principal retreated hastily, looking incredulous.

"You... you actually dare to strike?!"

"Not only do I dare to use my hands, I dare to use my feet too!"

As her words fell, she kicked the office chair directly. With tremendous force, she sent the principal and the chair crashing to the floor. The principal gasped in agonizing pain, before pointing at Shang Ying in fury once he reacted.

"What kind of madness are you pulling?! Eating bear heart and leopard gall?! Do you know who I am to dare do this?!"

"Pointing fingers at me, want that finger chopped off?! Who are you? You're a piece of trash pulling shady, underhanded tricks! Don't think I don't know your sneaky moves behind the scenes. Aren't you just trying to find a reason to expel me?"

Shang Ying swatted the principal's hand away, turned her wrist, held back her force, and struck his buttocks with the baseball bat. The principal let out a loud, painful wail on the spot, his dignity and decorum instantly turning into pathetic groans.

"Before throwing dirty water, you didn't even bother checking properly! Shang Yi is my brother, and I am his sister! The two of us came out of the exact same stomach, yet you actually believed the nonsense that we're dating!"

The principal froze visibly upon hearing this. When he received the report letter, he saw the main subject was Shang Ying and simply went along with it, leaving the rest to his subordinates.

‘They were actually siblings?! Was there really such a coincidence?! Impossible! She had to be making things up to deceive him!’

"Don't try to make excuses! I'll call the police in a moment and send you to the precinct. A student like you belongs in a juvenile detention center to be reformed properly!"

He was answered by the cold baseball bat.

"Refusing to speak, are you? Then you'd better call an ambulance first. I'm afraid you won't last until the police arrive."

Just as Shang Ying raised the bat, a hand reached out to hold her back. Turning her head to look, it was Shang Yi.

Seeing Shang Yi step forward, the principal, whose face had gone pale from fright, showed a flash of joy.

"Good! As expected of a star student! Shang Yi, hurry and take this lunatic away. The school will surely commend you later!"

Unexpectedly, before his joy could last two seconds, Shang Yi's cold, emotionless voice sounded.

"You're tired. Let me."

He had been watching from the side, noticing that Shang Ying's hand holding the bat was gradually straining, which was why he stepped in to take over.

"Sure, you do it." Shang Ying offered him a bright smile. "As expected of my good brother. Knowing how to care for your sister."

Principal: ‘Don't come over!’

Unlike Shang Ying holding back her strength, Shang Yi struck with full force. Combined with the fact that he was a teenage boy with far greater physical strength than ordinary girls, a single strike of the bat made the principal let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered.

Panicked and terrified, the principal crawled on the ground to dodge, yet Shang Yi followed him closely like a relentless ghost, calm and steady, yet striking with full force as if to beat him to death.

Before long, the principal couldn't take it anymore. If Shang Yi kept hitting him, he would genuinely die!

Finally, he caved.

"It was the Lu family! The Lu family told me to expel you!"

‘The Lu family?’

Shang Yi's dark eyes flickered as he asked, "Lu Yan?"

The principal responded hastily, "Yes, yes, yes! It's her, that Lu family!"

Hearing the answer, Shang Ying let out a laugh. Leaning back against the sofa, her voice turned icy cold.

"Call everyone here."

She used the word "everyone," meaning to summon all involved parties to settle the score together.

The thoroughly beaten principal didn't dare refuse, knowing when to choose life over pride.

He nodded repeatedly, holding his aching rear as he scrambled over to the shattered desk to find his phone, immediately ordering someone to bring Lu Yan over.

Shang Ying tilted her head toward Shang Yi, patting the seat beside her.

"Come sit. Standing is tiring."

When Shang Yi obediently sat down, she pulled out her phone to fiddle with it.

Playing on her phone right in front of the principal, Shang Ying was easily the first person at Capital No. 1 High School to do so. Not that it mattered, since she had already beaten him up, so why fear a mere phone?

Opening WeChat, she scrolled down the messages and tapped into a 4-person group chat named "I Am the Gambling King".

That's right. This group was made up of four prominent villains from the novel: Shang Ying, Xie Tuo, Cui Heyuan, and Wei Yansi.

Commonly known as the villain lair.