Song Lingxi said solemnly, “Secretary Qian, Xie Qiao and Zong Fei are both successors of communism, inheriting the glorious tradition of revolutionary ancestors, loving the motherland and the people… They are equals in status, equals in rank, equals in personality. Do you have any objections?”

The Young Pioneers’ anthem… Such truth was so forceful that Secretary Qian was rendered speechless.

He had been transferred from the company’s secretarial office to serve as Mr. Zong’s personal secretary just a few months ago. He had only met Song Lingxi a few times and never imagined that someone with such an innocent character and humble background would use such words to confront him.

For a moment, Secretary Qian looked at Song Lingxi with a gaze full of disdain and the superiority of his class.

Everyone watching the confrontation held their breath, fearing Song Lingxi might pull off another extremely damaging move, like she had done with Director Zhao. When they realized she was actually being “reasonable,” they all exhaled in relief. Her words and actions were highly synchronized, achieving 100% comedic effect.

The secretaries of the families of the other three students were left dumbfounded.

But it was far too early for them to relax. Secretary Qian underestimated Song Lingxi’s combat effectiveness and, with extreme impatience, said, “Miss Song, please return to reality quickly, recognize the identities of yourself and your son, take the money quietly, and stop talking about dignity.”

Everyone, including Director Zhao, took a deep breath and looked at Secretary Qian with a hint of pity in their eyes, silently lighting a candle for him.

“Ah,” Song Lingxi chuckled.

Coming and going, everyone trembled, waiting for Song Lingxi to unleash herself.

“Secretary Qian, I think you’re the one who needs to recognize yourself, don’t you?” Song Lingxi said disdainfully.

Secretary Qian frowned and asked, confused, “What do you mean?”

Song Lingxi, wearing the same confused expression, replied, “Do you think that working for people you consider superior somehow makes you their equal?”

“Who do you think you are in their eyes?”

Secretary Qian was stunned, not expecting such a question from Song Lingxi.

But her words were sharp and cut straight to the heart, striking a chord that Secretary Qian was unwilling to face. He had indeed entered the world of the upper class, catching a glimpse of its luxury and splendor. It made him feel as if he, too, were a master. Yet no matter what illusions he clung to, the reality remained unchanged—he existed in that circle as nothing more than a servant.

He is fundamentally different from these people.

Secretary Qian’s face suddenly turned pale, and he opened his mouth to retort, but Song Lingxi didn’t want to give him any chance. She asked and answered her own question: “I think they see you as nothing more than a clown, Secretary Qian.”

His face grew paler and paler, and when he heard Song Lingxi refer to him as a clown, even his lips began to tremble. It was unclear whether he was more angry or ashamed.

But Song Lingxi wasn’t done yet. She started analyzing the situation seriously:

“Secretary Qian, I actually understand you. Throughout history, there have been many people with ideas similar to yours. Instead of standing tall, they would rather stoop low and hand themselves over to others. Foreigners treated them as second-class citizens, and they refused to straighten their backs and stay in their own countries. Guess how those foreigners viewed these second-class citizens? They treated them as clowns, too.”

“Of course, I don’t mean to scold you. I’m just using an inadequate example to help you fully understand my point.”

Secretary Qian: “…” If this doesn’t count as scolding…

Song Lingxi took a deep breath, and everyone else let out a sigh of relief.

Since Secretary Qian’s combat power was so weak, he turned pale after being asked a single question. Song Lingxi called him a clown, yet he didn’t get angry or respond. Everyone thought her deep breath signaled the end of the confrontation.

Unexpectedly, she still wasn’t done scolding him. After taking that breath, she launched into a long string of words without even stumbling:

“To digress, there’s a phrase called ‘Monkey Wearing a Crown.’ Have you heard of it? Literally, it means a monkey puts on a hat and thinks it’s a human. What about ‘The Dog That Borrows Power’? Literally, it’s about a dog that bites people because it thinks it has someone backing it. Oh, and surely you’ve heard of the term servile person, haven’t you? They were slaves in the feudal society who always thought their master was superior to everyone else and would go out of their way to flatter him.

Tsk, tsk, I really feel sorry for the parents of such people.”

Song Lingxi suddenly seemed to catch herself: “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by that. I just wanted to ask if Secretary Qian understands the meaning of these phrases. Really, no other meaning at all. Don’t overthink it.”

Secretary Qian: “…”

Others: “…” This is terrifying—I still underestimated her.

“So,” Song Lingxi said with a smile, “if you don’t want to be a clown, you should strive to be a reliable successor to our socialism. Don’t you agree, Secretary Qian?”

…” Well then. Goodness, she managed to circle back to the original theme. So this is what she was building up to all along.

Secretary Qian was already paralyzed. It wasn’t that he lacked eloquence or the ability to respond, but he had been caught off guard. She had exposed the very thing he wanted to hide most, the one truth he least wanted others to see. It was like being stripped bare and thrown into a crowd, left for everyone to gawk at his predicament.

In other words, Secretary Qian’s defenses had completely crumbled. The shame and panic that followed left his mind blank, rendering him incapable of forming any sort of rebuttal.

Once Song Lingxi finished her verbal barrage, even Secretary Qian let out a breath of relief. All he wanted now was to escape that excruciatingly embarrassing situation.

At that moment, Zong Fei, who had been watching the show unfold, finally spoke, saying slowly, “Classmate Xie Qiao, I apologize for the fight.”

Secretary Qian: !!? You’re apologizing, and yet I’m the one who got scolded here!?

Others were equally shocked. None of them expected the sole heir of the Zong family to apologize so easily.

Zong Fei glanced at their expressions one by one, a hint of mockery flashing through his eyes.

When his gaze finally landed on Song Lingxi and her son, Zong Fei paused. Only the mother and son looked completely at ease, as if Zong Fei’s apology was the most natural thing in the world. Yet, to some, it seemed like a delusion.

Their calm made the reactions of “normal” people seem abnormal in comparison.

Xie Qiao responded even more naturally, “I accept your apology. Please stay away from me in the future.”

The reason Xie Qiao accepted Zong Fei’s apology was simple. He wasn’t as fragile as his mother thought.

Except for Zong Fei, Wang Yizhi was merely a gray-market dealer. At the start of the fight, he didn’t retaliate and deliberately let them punch his face.

After gathering evidence, he began fighting back, targeting unseen areas to strike ruthlessly. So, when it seemed like he had severe injuries, they were actually superficial. The real damage was inflicted on those three individuals. And it hurt.

As for Zong Fei, he didn’t intervene when the three gray-market dealers aggressively attacked Xie Qiao but continued to watch as Xie Qiao dealt with the trio.

When Xie Qiao took down all three and locked eyes with Zong Fei, Xie Qiao knew at that moment that this fight was unavoidable.

It had nothing to do with Wang Yizhi’s feud. It was because they had disliked each other for a long time and both had been itching for a chance to exchange blows.

After Zong Fei finished his apology, the remaining three followed suit and apologized. Without waiting any longer, he left with his secretary, filled with despair. He would probably get a beating when he returned home-especially Wang Yizhi. It was a complete offense. Zong Fei would undoubtedly face punishment from his father when he got back.

…

At the school gate, Song Lingxi asked Xie Qiao if his leg injury was okay.

Xie Qiao rolled his eyes and threw the bag in his hand to Song Lingxi. “Let’s go home.”

Casually slinging his backpack over one shoulder, Xie Qiao picked up Song Lingxi’s slightly cute, feminine bag and carried it on his back. The mother and son walked together to the subway station near the school to catch a train home.

Pedestrians on the road kept glancing back, their attention drawn by the pair’s striking looks. Adding to the scene, Xie Qiao wore the uniform of the prestigious Golden Wing High School nearby. As a handsome and skilled fighter, his image clashed hilariously with the cute, girly bag he carried. At first glance, it seemed as though he was carrying a bag for his “sister,” though his face bore the marks of a recent fight.

Some passersby quietly pulled out their phones to record the scene.

As they approached the subway station entrance, Song Lingxi was suddenly stopped by Secretary Qian, who appeared out of nowhere.

“Miss Song, Mr. Zong has returned. He’s at your apartment now. Let me take you back.”

Song Lingxi was initially surprised by Secretary Qian’s sudden change in attitude. She paused when she heard that Mr. Zong had returned and nodded. “Okay.”

Xie Qiao didn’t say anything, lowering his head as he silently followed Song Lingxi.

Secretary Qian led them to the car. When he opened the door, they discovered that Zong Fei was already inside.

Zong Fei stared straight ahead, showing his handsome yet slightly immature profile to Song Lingxi and Xie Qiao as they got in. He seemed to have no intention of speaking.

Seeing this, Xie Qiao stepped into the car before Song Lingxi and sat down beside Zong Fei. The two teenagers exchanged a glance before simultaneously turning their heads away in mutual disdain.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Xie Qiao and Zong Fei had just fought and apologized to each other, and now they were sitting together in the same car. What made it even more awkward was the complicated relationship between the three of them.

Song Lingxi is Zong Fei’s father’s lover, Zong Fei and Xie Qiao are classmates, and Song Lingxi is Xie Qiao’s mother.

Secretary Qian felt secondhand embarrassment for the three of them as he watched this scene. Although he himself had been scolded by Song Lingxi earlier, he wiped the sweat from his brow and explained to Zong Fei, “Mr. Zong has requested that the young master accompany them to the apartment.”

After saying this, Secretary Qian expected the three people in the back seat to feel awkward and thought about saying something to ease the tension. But, to his surprise, the three of them appeared far calmer than anyone else. The real clown turned out to be him.

Secretary Qian silently shut his mouth, regretting for the 101st time the foolish words he had said in the office earlier. Not only had he offended the boss’s bed companion, but he had also failed to earn the favor of the boss’s son.

Glancing at Song Lingxi with a complicated expression, Secretary Qian sighed inwardly. Miss Song was right about one thing: the words he said today were truly embarrassing for his parents.

His father had taught him since childhood: no matter what he became in the future, he must always remember that he belonged to the yellow soil and was the son of a farmer. He must never forget his roots. Secretary Qian once held pride in these words.

When he was young, he kept his father’s teachings close to his heart. But somewhere along the way, he had forgotten them and had become the very person he despised most. It was Miss Song who woke him up.

Song Lingxi didn’t notice Secretary Qian’s gaze. She was lost in her own thoughts. In the past, Zong Xuecheng had never brought Zong Fei to her home, and of course, she was never allowed to visit the Zong family’s house.

In Zong Xuecheng’s eyes, her status was unworthy. A mistress kept outside the family was not qualified to interact with his son, Zong Fei, let alone step into the Zong family. For so many years, she and Zong Fei had barely crossed paths.

If Xie Qiao and Zong Fei hadn’t ended up at the same school and drawn their parents into conflicts, she might never have had any interaction with Zong Fei in her lifetime.

In fact, in the original book, even though Xie Qiao and Zong Fei attended the same school, the original author never allowed them to meet until her death. So why is it different this time?