Chapter 10: The IQ of the Trouble-Making Sartre 2
If there are people in this world whom I truly admire - of course, I am referring to people on Earth - then our great president of Avery College, Mr. Ai Zeyang, must definitely be one of them.
Because, I believe that, apart from him, no one else would be able to remain calm when suddenly finding a group of people appearing out of nowhere in his office without any warning while working, and would even look around at us with interest and greet us gracefully.
"Hi! Hello, kids!"
What kind of magical phenomenon is this?
I stumbled, and I couldn't imagine that I would end up in front of the principal in such a strange way. I had only seen the principal from a distance at the opening ceremony when I entered the school, and I was filled with awe. For a moment, I was so nervous that I didn't know where to put my hands and feet.
However, it seemed that the others were familiar with the place, especially Tian Yifeng. As soon as he stood firm, he demonstrated his outstanding leadership skills and responded to the principal's kindness on behalf of all of us.
"Dear Principal, please accept the greetings from all members of the study group!"
"Huh? Why are there only six people? There are two missing!"
Principal Ai Zeyang walked out from behind the large desk.
Unlike what I imagined, Principal Ai Zeyang was a very gentle and elegant middle-aged man. He wore a simple yet solemn light grey suit, with a faint smile on his bookish face. His deep brown eyes, which seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, emitted a wise light. It made people feel that as long as they stood in front of him, all they could do was be infinitely honest.
However, I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but why do I always feel that the facial features of this face look so familiar, as if I have seen it somewhere.
Moreover, when the principal looked around at all of us, his eyes seemed to fluctuate a little when he looked at me. Although it was only a fleeting moment, I was still able to catch this slight difference as I was extremely nervous at the time.
It shouldn't be like this!
I blinked in confusion. I had only looked up at the principal on the stage once from the audience, and I was in such a bad mood that day that I didn't even get a clear look at what the principal looked like!
"I'm sorry, Mr. Principal. Hua Qianye and Yu Manluo went to other cities, so they can't come to say hello to you. I apologize to you on their behalf."
The one who started explaining was still the leader of the study group, Tian Yifeng. I found that as soon as he left Liuguang Castle, he would immediately adopt a polite yet obviously distant attitude. Even the smile on his face looked so unreal.
If you think about it carefully, it seems that the image of each member of the study group is slightly different inside Liuguang Castle and outside!
However, now is not the time to analyze them, because Principal Aizeyang has already walked up to us.
I felt like my breathing was about to stop. If Norn hadn't been holding my hand tightly beside me, I think I would have fainted from the nervousness.
After hearing Tian Yifeng's answer, Principal Ai Zeyang did not continue asking, but just nodded casually.
"So, what do you want to talk about today? You even used Prince Norn's superpowers. Don't tell me what trouble you've gotten yourself into again."
The meaningful words made each of us bow our heads and answer in unison: "I'm sorry, it's not only troublesome, but also a huge trouble."
"Tell me! What's the matter?"
Seeing our reaction, there seemed to be a hint of smile in Principal Ai Zeyang's tone, giving people the feeling that he was looking at a naughty and troublesome child with a helpless and doting look.
That familiar feeling came back to me. Where had I seen it before?
"It's like this, Mr. Principal." While I was in a trance, Norn had already taken a step forward. He explained everything that had happened before in the shortest words, and finally bowed his head deeply. "I'm sorry, due to my negligence, the secrets of the study group were leaked, which caused a bad influence on the entire college. But I can guarantee that everyone in our Liuguang Castle has no ill will towards anyone, so I hope that Mr. Principal can lend a helping hand and help us through this crisis. No matter what punishment comes after that, I will bear it alone!"
The low voice echoed throughout the office. I looked at Norn standing in front of me in surprise. I never expected that he would take all the responsibility on himself.
No! This can't happen!
A sour feeling surged in my heart, and when I realized it, I found myself standing shoulder to shoulder with Norn.
"Mr. Principal, this whole thing was caused by me. Yao Shanshan from the Student Union targeted me from the beginning. It was me who caused trouble for the study group. If you want to punish me, punish me!"
"Jenny, you..."
Norn looked anxious and wanted to stop me, but I avoided his gaze and looked at Principal Aizeyang bravely.
At this moment, my heart was suddenly filled with infinite courage. I wanted to stand with Norn and protect my friends with my own strength!
Perhaps sensing my determination, Norn finally gave in this time. He didn't say anything else, but just held my hand tightly and stood shoulder to shoulder with me.
Then, Qian Qian, Tian Yifeng, Su Enxue, and Lucifer, they all took a step forward silently, holding hands and standing in a row, like an indestructible barrier.
“Thump, thump…”
Six young hearts beat in the chest, the echoes intertwined together, and finally merged into the most beautiful music in the world.
Then, I heard four voices speaking at the same time: "Principal, we are all in this together! If you want to punish someone, punish everyone!"
them……
I looked over with tears in my eyes. They all held their chests high and looked at the principal with firm eyes, as if no matter what kind of storm it was, it couldn't make them retreat a single step.
How lucky I am to be friends with such a group of people.
With Norn and the others around, what would be so scary even if the punishment was the greatest?
I curled the corners of my mouth and finally became strong.
"When did I say I was going to punish you?"
Just when I was moved to the peak, Principal Ai Zeyang, who had been looking at us with a smile, tilted his head and asked back a question.
"Ah?" Our momentum collapsed all of a sudden, as if a full balloon had been popped. We all stared at the principal stupidly, hardly able to believe our ears.
Does he mean that he is not going to punish us?
But before we could breathe a sigh of relief, the principal added as if to play a prank: "But I can't agree to your request."
“Boom——”
The hope that had just arisen was shattered in an instant. We looked at the principal in disbelief, not knowing what he was up to. Why did he say he would not punish us one moment and then say he would not help us the next?
"Mr. Principal, please..."
The first to react was Norn. His voice was full of helplessness, and he seemed to want to beg again.
However, the principal waved his hand before he finished speaking, indicating that we should listen to him.
We barely suppressed the doubts in our hearts and waited for the principal to give us an answer.
"Although you are also responsible for this matter, you are also innocent." After we all calmed down, Principal Aizeyang spoke slowly. His wise eyes showed a tolerance that understood everything, and his voice was as elegant and beautiful as a cello. "I know why you came to me today. According to the contract between Avery College and you, I do have the responsibility to protect you and Liuguang Castle, but-"
He seemed to remember something, sighed slightly, and turned his eyes to the window not far away with a helpless expression.
"It's not the best to provide meticulous protection. I believe that this is not what you need. Therefore, the only thing I can promise you is that, without causing harm to others, you can use your abilities to try your best to eliminate the impact of the entire incident in the academy. Do you understand what I mean?"
His gaze is so distant, as if it contains infinite meaning, but I... don’t quite understand!
I was about to open my mouth again to confirm what the principal meant, but was stopped by a sudden voice.
"Yes, we understand, Mr. Principal!" Tian Yifeng smiled, "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Principal, we will go back now."
Ah? Just leaving?
I followed everyone in confusion, my mind full of questions, and I was eager to return to Liuguang Castle so that Tian Yifeng could give me an explanation.
However, just as we were about to reach the door, Principal Ai Zeyang suddenly stopped me and said, "Student Bai Jie Ni, could you please stay for a while? I want to talk to you."
"Ah?" I was startled and turned around reflexively, just in time to meet Principal Ai Zeyang's pleading eyes.
My heart suddenly jumped up to my chest. Why did the principal want to keep me here? Hadn't everything been explained clearly? Could it be...
A bad guess suddenly came to my mind. Could it be that although the principal forgave us, he still felt that all the troubles were caused by me, so he planned to teach me a lesson?
"Oh... OK, OK!"
I lowered my head and answered depressedly, trying to let go of Norn's hand that was holding me.
But the next moment, Norn stood in front of me and said, "Principal, can I stay with you? Jenny..."
"Prince Norn!" The principal seemed to find our nervousness very funny. He looked at the nervous Norn, smiled and shook his head, and said in a gentle tone, "I just want to discuss some personal matters with Bai Jie Ni alone. I won't criticize her. Can you rest assured?"
Facing the principal's smiling gaze, I suddenly felt my face getting hot, as if he saw through everything.
Norn, who was always thick-skinned, scratched his head for the first time and bowed to the principal in embarrassment: "I misunderstood, Mr. Principal."
Then he turned around and whispered to me, "I'll wait for you outside."
After saying that, he and others walked out of the principal's office one after another.
And because of his last words, the little bit of uneasiness I had left gradually disappeared.
But what private matter would the principal want to discuss with me? I have never met him before!
Thinking of this, I became a little nervous again.
Only after everyone had left did I take a difficult step, almost walking hand and foot to the principal and bowing deeply.
"Hello, Mr. Principal!"
“Haha!” Seeing my embarrassment, Principal Ai Zeyang couldn’t help but smile amiably, then reached out and patted my shoulder, “Little girl, don’t be nervous, I just want to talk to you.”
"What...what shall we talk about?"
Oh, sorry, I just couldn't control my pounding heart, so I stuttered.
Woohoo! How embarrassing! The principal must be laughing at me in his heart, right? He must be, right?
I raised my head slightly, trying to peek at the principal's expression, but before I could see it, I was shocked by his next words.
"Let's talk about my son, Ai Keqi."
Those few short words were like thunder from the sky, instantly blowing away all my nervousness. The next second, I heard myself screaming in surprise.
"What? Ai Keqi is your son?"
No way? That boy who was always so careless, the guy who wrapped himself in indifference, only when you got closer did you realize that he was actually a very loyal friend, just like——
I remember today when I was besieged, Ai Keqi suddenly rushed out to defend me. Although he usually looks sharp-tongued and cold, he made people feel so warm at the critical moment.
He was actually the principal's son? Why had I never heard him mention it? The students around him seemed to be unaware of it, otherwise they wouldn't have always targeted him.
I almost thought I was hallucinating. I couldn't connect the principal in front of me with Ai Keqi, except for -
Huh? I was wondering why I always thought the principal looked familiar. It turned out that Ai Keqi and the principal looked very similar, especially when they smiled.
But, since he has been hiding it from everyone, why did the principal tell me today?
I opened my mouth and wanted to ask my questions, but felt it was impolite, so I stood there with a conflicted expression for a while.
At this time, Principal Ai Zeyang had already walked to the row of sofas on the right, turned around and waved at me cordially: "Come on! Little girl, sit down and chat."
My mind was full of questions, so I didn't bother to be polite and quickly walked over and sat down.
"You must be wondering why no one in the college knows about our relationship?" Perhaps seeing my confusion, the principal asked directly.
"Yeah!" I nodded, thought for a moment and added, "Don't you allow him to reveal his identity?"
Isn't it often seen on TV that many rich kids or people with good backgrounds hide their true identities, so it's not strange for Ai Keqi to do this, right?
However, when he heard me say this, Principal Ai Zeyang's eyes suddenly became sentimental and sad, and his tone also became very sad.
"Actually..." His eyes flickered, and then he let out a long sigh, "I didn't ask him to do that. On the contrary, I have been trying to ease the relationship between him and me, but before today, it was completely useless."
"Ah? Why?" I asked subconsciously.
From what the principal said, he and Ai Keqi don't have a good relationship. But the Ai Keqi I know is a very warm person, except that he is a little eccentric sometimes! How can such a person have a bad relationship with his father? And the principal is such a good person.
"Actually..." Principal Ai Zeyang smiled bitterly, with a guilty look on his face, "Ai Keqi lost his mother when he was very young. I raised him by myself. He was a very lively and lovely child when he was young. He had great enthusiasm for everything in this world, but later, everything changed."
My heart was lifted as Principal Ai Zeyang described it. I had never thought that Ai Kaiqi had such a life experience. Did he become like this because his mother left him?
The principal did not pause for too long. He quickly sorted out his emotions, but his voice was still full of frustration and sadness, and there was even a layer of tears in his eyes.
"I neglected him!" he continued. "When he was seven or eight years old, I changed my job and became very busy. I had little time to take care of him, so I had to let him live in the school. Such a young child lost the attention of his parents... I didn't know when his personality became weird. He didn't like to talk, didn't communicate with his peers, and didn't want to communicate with me. He looked completely careless."
When he said this, his eyes were filled with pain.
"Later, in order to make up for him, I reduced my workload and took him back home. But before our relationship improved, I took over the position of principal of Ailey College, and the situation went back to square one, or even worse, which led to him being unwilling to integrate into Ailey College even though he was admitted."
So that's how it is!
I suddenly remembered that every time I saw Ai Keqi, he always seemed to be alone. All his classmates disliked him and he always lived in his own world.
Just like I would always be alone before I met Norn and the study group.
"As a failed father, I thought our relationship would remain like this forever. But, fortunately, I have you, Bai Jie Ni. Thank you for changing him!"
Suddenly, Principal Ai Zeyang stood up from the sofa and bowed deeply to me.
"Ah!" I was shocked and quickly stood up and rushed over to help the principal up. "Don't... don't do this! I didn't do anything!"
"No!" Principal Ai Zeyang stood up, his eyes showing gratitude. "You know what? Before you showed up here, I had actually met Ai Keqi. This is the first time he has come to my office in so many years, but he came to ask me to help you. Do you know what this means?"
"Aikeqi..."
I couldn't say any more. The worried look of Ai Keqi appeared in my mind. It turned out that without my knowledge, he had come to ask the principal for help on my behalf.
Beneath his unruly appearance, he actually has such a soft heart.
"So, you deserve my thanks!" Principal Ai Zeyang showed a gratified smile, "Thank you for being Ai Keqi's friend, and thank you for helping Ai Keqi learn how to communicate and take responsibility. So, I left you alone, just to solemnly ask you as a father, hoping that you can communicate with him more in the future. I believe that with your help, he will definitely get better and better!"
"Yes! I will!"
I nodded heavily.
"This is a secret between us!"
When I was saying goodbye to Principal Ai Zeyang, he suddenly winked at me mischievously.
My heart warmed up, and I suddenly felt that Ai Keqi was lucky to have such an open-minded and wise father. No matter how many detours we have taken and how many misunderstandings we have had, as long as we have each other, the clouds will clear one day.
Just like me and my study group!
"Yes!" I gave the principal a sweet smile, then hesitated for a moment before asking nervously, "Principal, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course!" He looked at me encouragingly.
"I want to know, do extraordinary people have to go through a lot of doubts and hurts before they can grow? This is true for Ai Keqi, the study group, and the people in the study group. Why can't everyone live a simple and happy life like other ordinary people?"
I looked at the wise principal, expecting him to answer my questions.
"In this world, there is no happiness that can be obtained without hard work." Principal Ai Zeyang stood there, his eyes gentle and peaceful, just like his voice, "If you want to gain sincerity, you must exchange it with sincerity. Because their sincerity is more precious, the road to happiness will have more twists and turns, but who says this is not another kind of gain?"
The principal's words floated in the air, and I couldn't help but recall every little detail of my acquaintance with Norn. From disliking each other at the beginning to liking each other later, and then facing difficulties side by side, our feelings gradually deepened as time passed, and finally beautiful flowers bloomed in the hearts of both of us.
What could be more precious than the sincerity he offers? What could be more precious than the love between each other?
"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Principal!" I suddenly felt that the fog that had been bothering me was gradually dissipating. My whole heart was like soaking in a hot spring. The depression caused by the crisis before also disappeared. What was left was full of courage for the future. "I will work harder!"
Walking out of the principal's office with brisk steps, I saw someone standing quietly in the corridor not far away waiting. The moment he saw me, his calm eyes suddenly blossomed with dazzling brilliance, and his joyful and focused gaze instantly made my face hot.
"Norn!"
I ran towards him quickly.
Thank you for appearing in front of me the moment I made up my mind.
Thank you too for always waiting here.
