Chapter 84

Chapter 84

When they heard Old Man Zhang's name, a bunch of school leaders felt their hearts skip a beat. Although Professor Zhang looked all gentle and kind, he was renowned in the physics community at Peking University and even across the entire Flower Kingdom, and he was pretty famous internationally too.

He had studied abroad in his early years, but when war broke out in the country, he came back to serve his country, using his knowledge to make significant contributions. On ordinary days, he seemed like just an old man, but when it came down to it, none of the leaders in that room dared to challenge the Old Gentleman.

This young girl said Professor Zhang had taught her for a few days; she looked no more than fourteen or fifteen. Could she be a younger relative of Old Mr. Zhang?

The youngest leader wiped his forehead and hurriedly got up to summon Professor Zhang. Jiang Lei's mother remained seated, with a real attitude, while Jiang Lei stood beside her, looking pretty embarrassed. Qian Qian and her bestie were huddled in a corner, eyes all red, listening to Jiang's mother spewing vulgarities, their hearts burning with indignation.

Feng Xia, however, sat there sprawled out opposite Jiang's mother. Everyone in the office felt a weird awe—how could this little girl have such a powerful presence, even more terrifying than some leaders, and astonishing.

What they didn't know was that Feng Xia was holding back. After two years of research, it seemed everyone had forgotten that this same girl had once single-handedly, with a single blade, slain over a hundred Cherry Blossom Country dwarfs.

Professor Chen Yue was the first to arrive. She took one look and got the gist. The little old lady straightened her back, her spirit unbroken despite two years of political turmoil. Time had tempered her, making her even more radiant.

Jiang's mother, seeing the elegant and dignified old lady, twitched her lips but said nothing. Professor Chen Yue nodded at her, then turned to the school leaders and asked, "What's going on here? Has my kid done something wrong?"

The school leaders knew the old lady as well—her family background was extraordinary, her children were accomplished, and her husband was a powerful figure at the 101 Institute. Not daring to offend her, they recounted the matter in full.

In summary: Jiang Lei had been playing basketball, lost control of the ball, nearly hit Qian Qian, Feng Xia blocked it, Jiang Lei's apology was insincere, Feng Xia threw the ball back at him, and then Jiang Lei's mother came to the school to make trouble.

Professor Chen Yue nodded, her expression still gentle, the crow's feet from all those years. She reached out and stroked Feng Xia's dark hair. "It was indeed wrong of this kid of mine to throw the ball at Jiang Lei," she said. "But it's also true that Jiang Lei's apology was insincere. How about this: both sides apologize again and bury the hatchet?"

Jiang's mother, seeing how nice the old lady was, suddenly became aggressive again. She stood up, pointing at Feng Xia. "That little brat doesn't deserve my son's apology! Do you think she's worthy? Are you teachers supposed to bully us like this? If you don't pay me 200 dollars for my son today, don't even think about leaving!"

She cussed and went on a rant, a string of profanities—"vixen," "little slut," and other obscenities involving body parts. Even the school leaders' expressions darkened. Even a doormat has its limits—who would have thought Jiang Lei's mother could be such a piece of work?

At this point, Chen Yue's face also darkened. Her voice lost all its warmth and got real low and firm as she cut off Jiang Lei's mother's tirade. "Comrade, what I just suggested about mutual apologies refers to settling the matter between your son and my kid. That does not mean I will stand by and watch you insult my kid at will. You said I won't leave this office without paying money? Then let me be clear: you're not leaving this office until you apologize to my kid."

The old lady's gentle and kind demeanor vanished entirely. Her innate nobility, combined with the powerful aura cultivated by deep cultural knowledge, crushed Jiang's mother, who gasped for breath. When she was young, Jiang's mother had seen high-born ladies of wealthy families—a single glance from them could make her feel ashamed of her own lowliness. Now, she felt the same way. She hunched her shoulders, her arrogance fading.

Before she could react, two more people entered the office. One was Professor Liao Wen from Huaqing University, the other was Old Zhang from Peking University. The young leader who had gone to fetch them hadn't explained the situation clearly, leaving both old professors terrified that something had happened to Feng Xia.

After all, Feng Xia had cracked the Navier-Stokes equation and was still writing up the paper—it hadn't been published yet. If she were to get hurt before the paper was finished, they would be devastated.

Once inside, Old Zhang and Liao Wen first looked Feng Xia over from head to toe, making sure she was unharmed before finally relaxing. Then they asked, "What's going on here? A kangaroo court? Has the little girl been raising hell?"

The school leaders recounted the matter again, this time adding, "Mrs. Jiang has been insulting Feng Xia, which has greatly displeased Professor Chen. She demands that Mrs. Jiang offer an apology."

After hearing the explanation, Old Zhang's first reaction was to exclaim, "What? Did the ball almost hit you?! It almost hit your head?! Did it actually hit you? Tell me quickly!" He was frantic, and Liao Wen was equally anxious. After all, the head is precious—if it got damaged, what would happen? This was the brain of a future star in physics!

Feng Xia was speechless. She hadn't expected both old men to be so concerned about her head. She shook her head. "It didn't hit me. It almost hit that sister over there. He threw that ball with serious force—if it had actually hit her, she might have lost an eye. So I blocked it." As she spoke, Qian Qian timidly raised her hand and said in a faint voice, "Yes, this little sister helped me block it. It almost hit me. Jiang Lei hasn't even apologized to me yet, and his mother is yelling at me. Teacher, is this my fault too?"

Her eyes got all red again, like she was about to cry.

The school leaders were at their wits' end—before they could mediate this mess, another person was about to shed tears. What a headache.

Old Zhang and Liao Wen, now certain Feng Xia was unharmed, breathed a deep sigh of relief and found seats. Jiang's mother noticed how deferential the school leaders were to these two, realizing they were no ordinary people. She, who only dared to bully the weak, fell silent.

As for Jiang Lei, he recognized Professor Zhang, knowing his pivotal position at Peking University. When Old Zhang entered, Jiang Lei's pupils contracted. His mother's usual tactics of making scenes had gotten them benefits in the past, but this time, they had truly kicked a steel plate.

Now that everyone had arrived, it was time to settle the matter. But just as the school leaders were about to speak, an unexpected person appeared at the door.

"What's all this about?"