Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Unfortunately, this time, there was no escaping.

At the stairwell, Jin Ran stood, pen in one hand, the other resting on the banister, her slender frame partially blocking their escape route.

Opposite her stood Jiang Xuli and Chen Xunliang, caught red-handed skipping class. Their faces flushed with embarrassment, eyes darting left and right, anywhere but at her.

Jin Ran raised an eyebrow. "Playing innocent now, are we?"

Just last weekend, during the hike, Jiang Xuli had been so brazen as to deliberately refuse her playing cards, joining others in relishing her public embarrassment.

"Alright, out with it. Where were you off to, skipping class?"

Jiang Xuli pursed his lips, mumbling vaguely, "Ahem, just… some business."

"What business?"

Jiang Xuli fell silent. Chen Xunliang, standing beside him, opened his mouth to explain, but a glance at "Brother Li's" unyielding expression made him close it again.

He would never betray his brother!

To Jin Ran, this reaction was entirely expected.

If Jiang Xuli were truly obedient, he wouldn't be the problem student who gave all the teachers such headaches.

With that thought, she pulled out her discipline book and swiftly jotted something down, announcing with a smile, "Attempted truancy. One point deducted from each of you."

Hearing this, Chen Xunliang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't skipped much this month, still having ten points left, so losing one point was no big deal. He turned to leave, only to be stopped by Jin Ran again.

"Who said you could leave?"

She smiled, though her eyes held a hint of mischief, sweeping over the two boys before she waved a hand with an air of undeniable authority. "Come with me."

Faced with her gentle yet firm demeanor, Jiang Xuli and Chen Xunliang exchanged a bewildered look. They were led into the vast, empty auditorium, where a mop was thrust into each of their hands.

"Work hard, no slacking off."

Jin Ran patted their shoulders with a cheerful smile, showing no hint of guilt about exploiting child labor—this was, after all, "rehabilitating minors through labor." "I'll check after morning self-study. If it's not spotless, you'll run an extra lap."

Jiang Xuli: "..."

Chen Xunliang: "..."

After Jin Ran left, Chen Xunliang gazed at the enormous auditorium, his face falling.

"No way! How are we supposed to clean this whole place? When will we ever finish?"

Jiang Xuli ignored his complaints. Relieved that Jin Ran hadn't pressed for more details, he lazily picked up his mop and began cleaning. A moment later, Chen Xunliang approached him. "Brother Li, why didn't you just tell her we were getting a gift for your dad?"

That's right. The reason they skipped class so early was that an item they had pre-ordered had arrived. Fearing it might be sold to someone else, they had to sneak out during morning self-study to pick it up.

Jiang Xuli shot him a sidelong glance. "Why would I tell her?"

"Then maybe she would have let us off."

Jiang Xuli looked at him as if he were an idiot. "She'd probably just call my dad."

Chen Xunliang: "..."

Damn it! Stuck between a rock and a hard place. Can't a guy catch a break?!

No choice but to pick up the mop and resignedly contribute to the school.

Unbeknownst to them, while they were hard at work, the Wencheng High School forum had, yet again, exploded because of them.

[Breaking News—JXL and his sidekick are back in the principal's office! That new female teacher is seriously tough!]

[Little Jiang used to be such a strong-willed boy, but he doesn't need to be strong anymore, because your 'strong' has arrived (sunglasses, flower in mouth emoji).]

[Found out the details: the female teacher is the math teacher for Class 3, and the partner learning method was her idea.]

[No wonder Class 3 has been so enthusiastic about studying lately. I heard their games are really fun, but our homeroom teacher only half-learned it—not only made the games incredibly boring but also forced us into evening self-study.]

[Honestly, I'm disappointed in JXL. I always thought he was a fearless, unyielding tough guy, but now he's easily intimidated by a teacher—so cowardly he can't even utter a peep. Absolutely disgraceful! From today, I officially announce—JXL is kicked out of the 'Wencheng Seven Tyrants'! He doesn't deserve to be called our brother! If anyone mentions him being one of us again, don't blame me for turning hostile!]

[Who's the lunatic upstairs?]

[You're being abstract, bro. I advise you not to be so abstract easily in the future; no one understands you.]

[Logging off, logging off. Teacher's coming.]

/

Although Jin Ran intended for them to reflect, she didn't push them for too long. Before morning self-study ended, she came to call them off.

Then she handed them two leave slips: "I’ve already arranged for you to be excused for the forty-five minutes of third period. But you must return on time."

Jiang Xuli was visibly stunned.

Meanwhile, Chen Xunliang had already darted forward to snatch the leave slips. "Teacher Jin, you're truly my savior! From today on, my life is yours—if you say left, I'll never go right. But why third period? Can we switch to first?"

He pushed his luck, trying to negotiate.

Jin Ran rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Wishful thinking."

The reason she approved third period was, of course, because it was PE—a relaxed class anyway. It wouldn't interfere with core subjects and allowed them to take care of their errands, killing two birds with one stone.

She was basking in her own cleverness when she suddenly heard a cool, clear voice beside her: "Thank you."

Jin Ran looked up, meeting a pair of bright, clear eyes. The boy gazed at her unblinkingly, his peach-blossom eyes shimmering with a mix of awkwardness and sincerity.

"Thank you for this leave slip."

As he spoke, the tips of Jiang Xuli's ears grew faintly warm.

He was genuinely grateful to Jin Ran—from her patient listening during the hike, to personally arranging a tutor for him, to now signing their leave slips without even questioning them. Unconsciously, he no longer felt the initial aversion towards this woman. Sometimes, he even forgot the "stranger principle" he had once so adamantly declared.

She was actually... quite good.

This realization swirled, simmered, and intensified within him, finally shattering the boy's ridiculous stubbornness. In that moment, he finally made up his mind, speaking his gratitude with utmost sincerity, word by word.

Jin Ran was silent for a moment.

She then took two steps back, eyeing him warily. "Whatever spirit you are, get out of Xiao Li's body right now!"

Jiang Xuli: "..."

He turned and walked away without another word.

A moment later, the woman's amused voice drifted from behind him: "Forty-five minutes. If you're late, it'll be treated as an unexcused absence, and three points will be deducted!"

/

At Mingji Technology, while reviewing the day's schedule, Special Assistant Wang suddenly remembered it was the boss's birthday.

In previous years, with company affairs bustling and no other family around, President Jiang's birthdays were often perfunctory, sometimes even just a quick meal in the conference room. But now, Mingji Technology was running smoothly, all operations progressing steadily. In his personal life, President Jiang was a newlywed with a doting wife, and his relationship with his son had visibly improved. Naturally, things were different from before.

As the most capable assistant by the CEO's side, Special Assistant Wang couldn't ignore it. After finishing his work report, he specifically ordered an exquisite cake and personally carried it into the CEO's office. "President Jiang, today is your birthday. On behalf of all staff, I wish you a happy birthday."

Jiang Mingsuo nodded slightly. "That's very thoughtful."

"It's my pleasure, sir."

Wang replied with a smile, glancing at the empty desk and seizing the opportunity to suggest, "Since there are no important appointments today and Vice President Li is holding down the fort at the company, why don't you leave early to celebrate with your family?"

The words slipped out easily, but after speaking, he realized he might have overstepped. Just as he was about to backtrack, he noticed President Jiang, sitting there, showed a rare look of hesitation.

This reaction piqued Wang's curiosity. Instead of backtracking, he continued to persuade, "You're busy with work all year round. It's perfectly reasonable to leave early on your birthday. Besides, your wife must be looking forward to your return—she might even have prepared a surprise and a candlelit dinner."

Jiang Mingsuo cast a light glance at him.

How had he never noticed before that Special Assistant Wang was such a smooth talker?

But the idea of her preparing a surprise and a candlelit dinner was impossible. She probably didn't even know today was his birthday. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "How do you usually celebrate your birthday?"

Wang thought to himself, what could he do? Usually, work kept him so busy he barely had time to catch his breath. On his birthday, being able to get off work on time was already an achievement. He and his girlfriend would typically go to a restaurant they usually couldn't afford, enjoy a nice meal, buy a cake to take home, turn off the lights, and make a wish as they blow out the candles.

But this kind of ordinary life was clearly not suitable for sharing with the CEO.

His mind racing, Wang recalled scenes from TV dramas and the lifestyles of the wealthy as he carefully replied, "As you know, President Jiang, I'm not married yet, but I have a girlfriend. So we usually go out for a meal, watch a movie, attend a concert, or get away for the weekend. If there's something we particularly enjoy, we might do it on our birthdays."

He cautiously added, "If you need, I can book restaurant reservations or have the secretariat prepare a few options."

Jiang Mingsuo replied calmly, "Just arrange the restaurant."

After all, Jin Ran had to work, and Jiang Xuli was still in high school. The only time the three of them could gather was mornings or evenings.

The other activities Wang suggested were indeed impractical.

Due to the principal's assignment, after finishing her classes, Jin Ran immersed herself in planning.

But she got stuck at the first step. With no experience, she wasn't sure what aspects needed consideration for an event. Fortunately, the school had records of previous large-scale activities. She pulled the records from the past two years and, using them as reference, drafted a preliminary flowchart for the "Parent Visit Day."

Additionally, the principal required students to perform talents to showcase their lively, positive spirit to the visiting parents.

Honestly, this was another headache for Jin Ran. With finals week fast approaching, although Wencheng High School emphasized holistic student development, academic performance couldn't be ignored. Asking students to set aside their studies to prepare talent performances felt a little unfair.

As she pondered how to resolve this issue, her phone received a message from Jiang Mingsuo about going out for dinner that evening.

Jin Ran looked up the address he sent and found it was a highly-rated French restaurant. Just the pictures in the reviews were enough to make one's mouth water.

But hadn't they been eating out quite frequently lately?

Was today some special occasion?

Thinking this, she opened her phone's calendar. June 15—nothing particularly special. She assumed Jiang Mingsuo was in the mood to eat out and agreed without much thought.

When evening came and school ended, Jin Ran finished tidying up her lesson plans and prepared to leave the office. She happened to run into Xu Zhen, who had been busy all day. Xu, who had been communicating with parents via WeChat, immediately approached her upon seeing her. Her eyes caught the patch on the woman’s neck and the faint redness peeking out from beneath it, and she instantly understood.

Tsk tsk tsk. Leaving a mark in such a conspicuous spot—was this some kind of claiming his territory?

So domineering! Such a man! So perfectly matched!

Xu Zhen felt not a hint of sadness for her cousin; instead, she almost squealed with excitement at the scenario her imagination conjured.

Unfortunately, even between close friends, some things were better left unsaid. She smirked teasingly and slipped a previously mentioned novel into Jin Ran’s bag: "Here’s the thing. Friendly advice—wait until you get home to look at it."

Jin Ran was speechless. What's the big deal? It was just a novel. Was it really that exaggerated?

Xu Zhen gave a look that said "you just don't get it." "Don't worry. After reading it, you'll be begging to take me out to eat!"

"..." Jin Ran thought it sounded like some magic scroll from a fantasy world. She didn't understand why Xu Zhen was being so mysterious, but she heeded the advice anyway. When Xiao Sun drove over, she and Jiang Xuli got into the car, and she casually placed her bag on the seat beside her.