Chapter 5

The school desks are those large, heavy ones made of solid materials, so naturally, when they fall, the noise is proportional to their size.

With a loud clang, the entire floor seemed to shake, and even the two neighboring classrooms fell silent for a moment due to the sound.

If it weren’t for the early class, the windows and doors would probably have been crowded with people from other classes, watching the commotion.

When the desk fell, it knocked into the desks of the first row, causing them to tip over as well, though fortunately, no one was hurt.

The students in the first row looked a little shaken. They glanced at the fallen desk, then stared blankly at Jiang Muti.

The whole classroom was silent for a while, and then the silence was broken, like the pause button being lifted.

Some whispered to each other, wondering if she had gone crazy, while others frowned, looking at the mess in front of the classroom, thinking she was causing trouble for no reason.

Finally, the class monitor stood up suddenly. He was a tall, bespectacled young man with a righteous look on his face.

He shouted, “Jiang Muti, what do you think you’re doing? Disrupting the class so early in the morning, get up and put the desk back!”

“Put it back? I wouldn’t even help if your grandma fell down,” Jiang Muti retorted.

“Pfft—” Someone in the class couldn’t hold back a laugh, and soon a burst of short, amused laughter spread through the room.

“You—” The class monitor’s face turned bright red with anger. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Do you believe I’ll make you write an apology in front of the whole school on Monday?”

“Hmm? Class monitor, you’re still concerned about me? Your three years of hard work are almost going to waste, aren’t you going to make one last-ditch effort to salvage it?” Jiang Muti replied.

“What do you mean?” The class monitor frowned.

Jiang Muti smiled. Although there were some people who got into this school through connections, most of the students had worked hard and earned their spot through their grades.

Every year, the school had a very high rate of successful graduates entering top universities, with some students even being recommended to the best universities in the country.

The class monitor, from an ordinary family, was an outstanding student and always seen as honest and responsible by the teachers. He had already been included in the list of recommended candidates.

Because he was determined to secure that recommendation, he often talked about it openly, and Jiang Muti immediately remembered it when she saw his face.

He was indeed an excellent student, but as for his character—

He didn’t notice his classmates’ desks were missing or the water bucket at the back of the classroom, yet when the podium tipped over, he was quick to shout and scold. This showed that his integrity was quite selective depending on the person or situation.

“I heard that University X has very strict requirements for their recommended candidates. Not only do grades need to be up to par, but they also care about the moral character of the candidates.”

“Oh, right. I think the interview is next week. What do you think will happen when the interviewers from University X receive a letter of complaint? It will say that XX, the class monitor, ignored the bullying happening on campus and instead reprimanded the bullied student for resisting.”

“To put it mildly, it’s being irresponsible by trying to avoid conflict. To put it more seriously, could it be seen as participating in collective bullying?”

“You, you—” The class monitor’s face turned pale instantly.

Although Jiang Muti tried to convince herself that the person was just stirring up trouble and spreading rumors, and setting aside whether or not there was any credible evidence, even the interviewers weren’t ordinary students, so how would they know such details?

But throughout her three years in high school, she had been skillfully maneuvering her way through teachers and influential seniors from wealthy families, using flattery and goodwill to earn high praise and good connections.

The recommendation spot she had fought so hard for was different from those rich kids who could bribe their way in, she truly needed this chance to change her life. Therefore, she couldn’t afford to make a single wrong step at this stage.

Just as she thought about this, the person at the podium continued, “What’s the principal’s phone number for X University? Tsk! Can’t remember. I guess I’ll have to go home and look it up in the phonebook.”

Ah, right. She vaguely heard that this chubby girl’s family was very rich, but her presence at school was too low-key for anyone to know the details.

The class monitor no longer dared to favor her. He stopped his grandiose stance and sat back down.

A round of sneers erupted from around the room: “What’s the big deal? How many dirty little coins does her family have?”

“Bullying? Paranoid much? Did she go crazy from being online?”

“Can’t even take a joke. The people who got drenched didn’t even hold a grudge like that.”

“Playing the victim role, huh? Drama queen. Who cares about a fat girl like you?”

Of course, throwing a desk or setting up a water bucket trap didn’t require too many people. It was likely that only one or two had actually done something, and most of the others were just malicious bystanders, conveniently staying clear of the blame.

But this kind of thing was always a collective act.

Jiang Muti understood this, but of course, she wouldn’t waste time arguing with such foolish people. The point wasn’t in any of that.

She kicked the podium again, the loud noise making the entire classroom fall silent.

“To be honest, I know some people can’t wait to run out and wag their tails at certain others. That’s fine, I like the sycophantic dogs too, even if they don’t throw bones, they know exactly where to go and what to do. They’re so convenient.”

As soon as she said that, a few people in the class turned dark-faced.

But Jiang Muti didn’t pay them any mind and continued, “I remember this teaching building was completed just at the beginning of this year. The entire senior class moved in less than half a semester ago, right?”

Everyone was puzzled as to why the topic shifted to this and were confused by her seemingly unrelated statement.

She went on, “Hmm! My family donated it.”

Her words dropped like a stone in water, stirring up murmurs of surprise. People were disdainful of her showing off her wealth but were also shocked by this new information.

After all, nowadays, donations to schools or sponsorships for students were often just for show, with people eager to drum up publicity and announce it to the world. But no one had heard anything about this donation, and the students all thought the school had simply funded the building.

“So, you’re enjoying the spacious and bright classrooms and advanced teaching facilities in a building donated by someone else, and yet you turn around and target the child of the very family that donated it?”

“How shameless can you get? How could you not be ashamed?”

Everyone looked up at the chubby girl, who usually had no presence in the class. Now, her eyes were gleaming with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, and there was no trace of the quiet, hunched-over figure they had been used to seeing.

Those with a slightly thinner skin felt a sting on their faces, realizing that this situation was no mere bullying of a small, insignificant student. This was likely the prelude to something much bigger, like a battle between titans.

They immediately made a silent decision to stay out of the mess and focus on their studies.

But not everyone was willing to back down. Before anyone could argue, the teacher’s voice came from the door.

Of course, with such a loud crash when the podium fell, the whole floor had shaken. If the teacher hadn’t heard it, that would be unnatural.

It was the class teacher, a stern woman in her forties, who arrived to find the classroom in mess.

She shouted angrily, “It’s early study time, and you’re tearing up the classroom? How did the podium fall?”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Jiang Muti, and only then did the teacher notice the person standing at the podium.

Her anger flared immediately. “Did you knock it over?”

Jiang Muti shrugged. “No, I accidentally knocked it over while walking by.”

The teacher wasn’t stupid enough to believe that. The podium was heavy, and you had to use some force to move it—there was no way it could just fall over from someone walking by.

Then, she noticed the wet trail near the back door, the fallen water bucket, and the missing desk set from the back row.

She had been teaching for decades, and she knew exactly what had happened.

“Alright, alright,” she said, “Someone help lift the podium back up. Jiang Muti, go back to your seat. Before the first class ends, restore the classroom to its original state.”

Obviously, the teacher was trying to smooth things over and resolve the issue quickly.

It made sense—since the exams were approaching, the class had strong overall competition. Any disruption now could negatively impact the grading.

Of course, there were teachers with integrity, but it was clear that the class teacher was the type who saw teaching as a profession, not a responsibility.

However, Jiang Muti wasn’t someone who would let anyone use her to boost their performance. She directly refused, “No, teacher. My desk and chair have disappeared for no reason, and I need an explanation. I’m not attending class until I get one.”

The class supervisor knew that Jiang Muti came from a wealthy family, but this student was usually soft-spoken and easy to talk to, so the teacher had momentarily forgotten about her background and instinctively ignored her position.

Seeing that Jiang Muti was making a fuss, the teacher’s face darkened. “Fine, you don’t want to attend class? Then get out. I’ll have your parents bring you back when you’re begging to come in.”

Jiang Muti smiled nonchalantly and walked toward the door.

Just as she reached the door, she seemed to remember something. “Oh, by the way! I saw news about some idle people sneaking into the school building to harass students.”

“It seems like there are unpredictable dangers in every corner of the campus. As a member of the school, I’m deeply concerned and feel that I have a responsibility to do something within my capacity.”

“Therefore, I’ve decided to speak with the principal later and donate a batch of surveillance equipment to ensure the safety of students in every corner of the campus. No need to thank me!”

Thank you for nothing!!!

If the teacher hadn’t been there, some people might have wanted to flip the table. Truly, being rich and heartless, right?

Having money really makes people feel they can do whatever they want. Even before starting to pick a fight, she got slapped back hard, and every potential move was strangled at its root.

The key is, this isn’t even about finding trouble anymore. In any decent school, isn’t the kind of youth that’s full of flavor the one where students sneak off to corners to smoke a couple of cigarettes behind the teacher’s back, stirring up some trouble?

But now, to be monitored all day, every corner? How can anyone live like that?

And yet, that fatty wasn’t satisfied, and before leaving, dropped a hint: “My family’s legal team is quite capable.”

Seeing the confused looks from everyone, she smiled and added, “Nothing, just showing off a bit of talent. You’re welcome to experience it yourself.”

Alright, alright, no one in the class dared to mess with that fatty anymore, even though the rest of the classes hadn’t heard anything yet.

Jiang Muti left the classroom, her mood unchanged. This level of drama wasn’t even a warm-up—it didn’t feel satisfying at all.

For now, it didn’t matter if she went to class or not.

In her previous life, she wasn’t a useless rich second-generation vase. She earned her way into a top-tier university and died before graduating. She hadn’t forgotten all her high school knowledge.

Picking things back up was simple, and she didn’t feel burdened by her studies.

Wandering downstairs, she ran into the few girls who had dragged her out yesterday when passing through the lobby.

By now, the early class had already been in session for some time, but they were still loitering around, obviously not interested in going to class.

When they saw Jiang Muti, they were surprised, then they smiled maliciously and surrounded her.

Yesterday, she had been rendered speechless by that fatty’s few sharp words, and was lucky enough to escape thanks to Li Xi’s meddling.

But in just one night, the tide had turned. This person even dared to offend Zhou Lu, so there probably wouldn’t be another Li Xi to save her.

Jiang Muti had just dealt with one wave of troublemakers, and now another wave was coming, making her a bit impatient.

She didn’t mind standing up to people, but dealing with endless minor characters was boring. There was no thrill of a fair victory, and it made her seem like she was picking on the wrong people instead of confronting those who truly had conflicts with her.

So before any of the girls could speak, Jiang Muti spoke first: “Has the head teacher talked to you yet? Tsk, a bit slow with the efficiency, but I’m sure it won’t be later than this week. Just wait for it.”

“What do you mean? Complaining? Do you think we’re afraid of you?” one of the girls sneered.

“Well, after all, you did spend quite a bit on sponsorship, no wonder you have so much confidence in the school,” Jiang Muti smiled.

She then glanced at the few girls, who were different from the usual “friends” the original owner hung out with. These girls were genuinely glamorous on the outside.

With meticulously manicured nails and stylish hair, even though the school had strict dress codes, they still went all out on accessories and small embellishments.

Jiang Muti could guess almost exactly—

“Loitering outside during class time, spending all your energy on following around the campus prince and maintaining your looks, while also forming cliques. With such a packed schedule, I really can’t imagine how your grades are.”

The few girls sneered, “Oh? This is the game you’re playing? Who do you think you are, constantly blabbing on?”

“No, actually, it’s none of my business if you guys rot, so I hope you don’t get any ideas.”

“But, even though you’re all useless trash, your parents are probably holding on to a faint hope and desperately pouring resources into you, right? With your intelligence, it probably wasn’t easy to get into this school.”

“The school has it tough too. To keep things running, they have to tolerate people like you who are bad apples. But if you’re expelled because of bullying with solid evidence…”

“All the resources they’ve put into you, the energy they’ve invested, all to end up with nothing but a pretty resume? It would be such a shame for them. Parents would be really angry, wouldn’t they?”

“Really, really angry!”

Her voice carried a kind of stirring power that was impossible to ignore.

The few girls’ hearts skipped a beat. Parents who could force their poor children into a top school must have some degree of vanity and urgency.

The money spent and the daily nagging that bored them to tears—if they really got expelled, their parents would be the first to not let them off the hook.

Although this was just an empty threat, the fatty’s confident gaze and indifferent attitude made it seem like this situation was already set in stone.

When she mentioned the head teacher was coming for them, the girls immediately fell into a panic, wondering if the information was true, and they didn’t have time to deal with her anymore.

Jiang Muti casually swiped her hand, pushing the girl blocking her out of the way and calmly headed toward the exit of the teaching building.

Unexpectedly, she ran into Qiao Yuqi, who was coming in from outside.

She had no idea how much of the conversation he had overheard.