Chapter 47: Three Incense Sticks a Day

Before Xie Tuo could even move, Shang Ying beside him kicked up a desk ornament from the floor with the tip of her foot. Catching it deftly in midair, she hurled it fiercely at Lu Yan.

Xie Tuo watched this fluid, seamless movement, his pupils dilating slightly as he glanced at Shang Ying.

‘This little girl's physical skills were actually quite impressive.’

A miserable scream rang out as the ornament smashed straight into Lu Yan's hand. Had she not instinctively raised her hand to block it, it would have slammed right into her face. A bloody scratch was sliced across her fair back-of-hand, and tiny beads of blood oozed out quickly, looking somewhat gruesome.

The people standing around her dispersed instinctively, fearing they might provoke Shang Ying's wrath. Xia Zhi, in particular, with most of her face hidden beneath her bangs, even felt a secret joy, thinking a bitch like Lu Yan deserved to be put in her place.

"Are you insane, Shang Ying?! You bitch, how dare you throw things at me! Do you know who I am?! Believe it or not, I'll have my dad come here and deal with you, and kick you out of the Capital!"

The principal,who had previously asked 'Do you know who I am?'*\ only to be beaten into submission, gazed deeply at her.

‘Tsk, unless her dad was the Supreme Emperor, Shang Ying wouldn't be afraid at all.’

Annoyed by her noise, Shang Ying said coldly, "Where's your dad? Did he not feel comfortable after getting hit by a car?"

Almost the second the words left her mouth, Lu Yan's crying ceased abruptly as panic surged through her limbs, sending a sharp shiver down her spine.

She turned her head in disbelief, staring fixedly at Shang Ying's face.

"It... was you?" Her voice trembled so much the end of her sentence faded into nothingness.

After that car accident, Lu Yan had suspected many people, but had never once considered Shang Ying. How could an ordinary student possess such means?

After the accident, the hit-and-run driver had fled arrogantly. When her family went to retrieve surveillance footage later, they discovered that the traffic cameras along that entire stretch of road had broken down right before the crash. How could such a coincidence exist?!

Therefore, Lu Yan felt that the mastermind behind this incident had to be someone of immense background. She hadn't dared to go anywhere over the past few days and kept a low profile at school, fearing retaliation.

Yet now, Shang Ying actually claimed she did it. How was that possible?!

Panic-stricken, she remembered an even more crucial detail.

"You sent those photos too?!"

"Oh, those weren't me."

Lu Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Shang Ying continued, "Those were sent by Shang Yi."

Lu Yan: ?!

Shang Yi, ever a man of few words, tapped his phone screen lightly with his finger and said coldly, "They've already been sent out now."

"Are you crazy?!" Lu Yan trembled uncontrollably all over. "I liked you so much, yet you treat me like this for a bitch! I'm calling my dad... and my mom to come!"

She no longer dared mentioning her father. If her father saw those photos and found out what she had done, he would beat her to death!

Xia Zhi, who had kept her head lowered to minimize her presence, couldn't help raising her head to look coldly at Lu Yan's fragile back. ‘What was the point of liking him? He didn't like her back anyway, yet she kept clinging to him like skin cream.’

After listening for a while, Xie Tuo finally understood what was going on. Leaning in close to Shang Ying's ear, he whispered, "Is this your younger brother's romantic debt?"

"Smart." Shang Ying raised an eyebrow. As expected of the main villain. His IQ in this area was truly beyond question.

Before long, the person Xie Tuo had called arrived. Looking at the completely trashed office, his heart sank involuntarily. ‘Crap, had someone offended the Xie family's prominent figure?!’

Who was so tired of living that they dragged him into this?! He had gained a daughter late in life, and she was only in high school. He wanted to live for a few more decades!

The principal's eyes widened the moment he saw Director Li. What kind of prominent figure was this man to bring the school board director here?! Wasn't he completely finished now?!

Regret surged wildly in his chest, and he wished he could go back in time to slap himself twice!

Director Li's gaze quickly found Xie Tuo, a respectful smile wiping away the serious look on his face as he walked over deferentially.

"Mr. Xie, what an honor to have you visit. Has something happened?"

‘Please, whatever you do, don't let anything happen to this great Buddha!’

Xie Tuo raised his eyes. His facial features were exceptionally handsome, and his sharp, well-tailored suit couldn't hide his innate nobility.

"I..."

He paused suddenly, seemingly considering how to frame his relationship with Shang Ying. Then, seeing Shang Ying watching the drama play out, the corners of his lips curled upward slightly.

"My sister was slandered at school for having a puppy love relationship with her biological brother. Director Li, how do you think this should be handled?"

‘Huh?!’

Hearing the word "sister," Shang Ying tilted her head slightly toward him, looking at Xie Tuo with a complex expression.

Although she was used to Cui Heyuan and his group calling her "little sister," this was the first time Xie Tuo had addressed her this way, giving her a strange, subtle sensation.

Hearing the word "sister," Director Li's heart trembled, and hearing "slandered," his heart practically died.

‘Finished, finished, finished! The good news was they hadn't offended this great Buddha directly; the bad news was they had offended his sister!’

He apologized profusely while cursing the perpetrators in his heart.

"We must definitely restore Miss Shang's innocence!"

Then, turning his head toward the disheveled principal, his face transformed instantly as he barked out.

"What is going on?! She was studying properly. How could you slander her for having a puppy love relationship with her brother?! What utter nonsense!"

He had glanced at Shang Ying and Shang Yi earlier. The siblings clearly shared similar eyes and brows, so how could anyone claim they were lovers? Talk about looking for trouble!

Scolded till his head was covered in sweat, the principal felt wronged deep down. Wasn't he merely following the instructions of another board member? Who could have known that Shang Ying held such a background?!

Had he known Shang Ying possessed this backing, he wouldn't have dared offend her. He would have offered three sticks of incense daily to worship her like a deity!

"It was the Lu family who demanded Shang Ying's expulsion! I was forced into doing this by them too!" He immediately shifted the blame.

Lu Yan opened her mouth in disbelief, clearly not expecting the principal to sell her family out so directly.

"You actually dare bring that up?! If my dad finds out what you did to me, you're finished!"

The principal let out a cold snort upon hearing her words. Sure, the Lu family was powerful, but now even Director Li, who was far more influential than the Lu family, was backing Shang Ying, so why should he care about the Lu family anymore?

Regardless, he was finished anyway. Being ruined alone was worse than dragging everyone down together!

Before her words could settle, two more people entered the bustling grade office. The very parents Lu Yan had been calling for.

Seeing her family arrive, Lu Yan burst into tears and threw herself into Mother Lu's arms.

"Mom, they're bullying me!"

Before Mother Lu could comfort her daughter, Lu Xingdong, with a dark face, pulled Lu Yan out of her embrace and slapped her across the face without a shred of mercy.

"Look at what you've done! Instigating your mother to help you expel a classmate, bullying students at school, and fooling around outside! Is this how I raised you, Lu Yan?!"

Saying that, he delivered another backhanded slap across her face with immense force, the crisp crack echoing through the spacious, tense office like a bolt of thunder.