Chapter 13: Identifying the Cat on the Spot

The principal, held firmly by her hand, showed no trace of impatience. "The school will, of course, provide everyone with an explanation regarding today’s incident. Another student's parent is already on their way. Mrs. Wei, please have a seat and wait a moment."

Mrs. Wei smiled upon hearing the principal’s words, as if taking them as some kind of assurance. Yet, considering who the other party was, she felt uneasy about having to wait. When she saw Wei Chuan’s swollen face, a surge of anger flared within her.

“Wei Chuan, who did this to you?” she demanded.

“It was him!” Wei Chuan pointed at Huo Zhanyan, then at Wen Xiao and Song Jingbai. “They two were accomplices!”

He then shot a provocative smile at Wen Xiao and the others, as if already envisioning them groveling before the school authorities, begging for mercy in front of him.

Especially the parents—when they heard the Wei family name, their faces turned pale. Wei Chuan knew he had already won this battle.

Today would be no exception.

Mrs. Wei shifted her sharp gaze to Wen Xiao and the others, her tone biting.

“Principal, how can children so young learn to bully classmates? If they’re not properly disciplined now, won’t they become even more unruly when they grow up?”

She held the freshly brewed tea the principal had prepared, sniffed it, then set it down with a look of disdain. “So, Principal, you must punish them severely. That way, when Zhaoze asks, I’ll have an explanation.”

Wen Xiao stared at the woman in white. Hearing the name, he realized Wei Zhaoze was the father of Wei Chuan and Wei Nanxing.

It seemed Wei Chuan was always consciously or unconsciously invoking his father’s name, just as this Mrs. Wei had taught him.

This Wei family patriarch, overwhelmed by affairs and entangled with a dozen mistresses, was like a mere pawn—used wherever needed—and was a constant subject of conversation for Wei Chuan and his mother.

“Severe punishment? Punish who? If it’s my son Chen Ning’s child, you have to ask me first,” Chen Ning strode in confidently. She wore a black long dress and dark sunglasses.

Upon entering, she surveyed the room, then settled on the leather sofa and finally removed her sunglasses.

Wen Xiao stiffened. Mrs. Huo, who should have been sitting with Huo Zhanyan, was now beside him. When he glanced at her, she returned his gaze with an expression that seemed to appraise a rare creature, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.

Mrs. Wei, noticing the woman’s disregard, couldn’t help but ask, “Are you his parent?”

Chen Ning seemed to notice her only now and slowly turned her head. “Yes.”

Mrs. Wei was momentarily silenced by the answer, just as a teacher wearing glasses came over to explain the situation in detail.

“Your son hit our Wei Chuan. Shouldn’t he be punished?” Mrs. Wei said coldly.

“But our child was hit too,” Chen Ning replied.

“Your son started it!” Mrs. Wei gritted her teeth in fury. “Do you know whose son Wei Chuan is? If this isn’t handled properly today, next time it won’t be me coming!”

Chen Ning appeared indifferent. “I know. Wei Zhaoze, right?”

“You know, and yet...” Mrs. Wei frowned, sensing something ominous.

“Our Yuanzhi told me this morning to keep a closer eye on our only precious son, afraid he’d cause trouble at school. Sure enough, as soon as I got the call, I came here without even putting on makeup,” Chen Ning said.

With each word, Mrs. Wei’s expression darkened.

“Sometimes I really admire you, Mrs. Wei. After all, you have so many children, and your husband can’t manage them all, so you have to worry about them yourself. I’m exhausted just taking care of one child; ten or more must be unbearable...” Chen Ning finished, and although Mrs. Wei smiled, her face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Wen Xiao watched her stiff face and suspected her smile was frozen in place.

Mrs. Huo’s words deliberately emphasized “only child,” “too many children,” “ten or more,” striking at Mrs. Wei’s sorest spot.

Mrs. Wei’s greatest concern was that Wei Zhaoze’s mistresses and countless illegitimate children would one day compete for the family fortune with her son.

But Mrs. Wei was not yet overwhelmed; hearing the name Yuanzhi, she finally registered it.

“Huo family… Huo Yuanzhi?”

If the person who beat Wei Chuan was indeed Huo’s son, no matter how powerful the Wei family was, they couldn’t possibly have the only son of the Huo family expelled.

Moreover, Mrs. Huo rarely attended social events, so Mrs. Wei had never met her.

The two women exchanged glances; Chen Ning still wore the same expression as when she entered, but Mrs. Wei’s face grew increasingly grim.

Wei Chuan sensed something was wrong and tugged at his mother’s hand. “Mom, have the school expel him.”

“Be quiet!” Mrs. Wei’s head ached terribly.

Turning back to Chen Ning, Mrs. Wei said, “Since your son started it, shouldn’t you show some responsibility? Or is Huo Yuanzhi’s son allowed to hit others at will?”

Chen Ning looked incredulous. “Our Huo Zhanyan a bully? He’s a monster who tortured a kitten, isn’t he?”

“Are you calling our Wei Chuan a monster?”

“I didn’t say that—you said it yourself.”

“You!” Mrs. Wei took a deep breath, thinking that this Mrs. Huo was nothing more than a shrew and a rogue. How did someone like her marry into the Huo family?

“Fine, it’s just a stray cat. If it died, it died. Making a fuss over nothing. He was probably just provoked,” Mrs. Wei turned her accusation toward Wen Xiao and Song Jingbai.

Wen Xiao, shot a glare her way, felt utterly baffled but quickly understood Mrs. Wei’s scheme.

Since they couldn’t touch Huo Zhanyan and couldn’t let Wei Chuan take a beating for nothing, the fight had already spread like wildfire throughout the school. If no one was punished, it would be a blow to the Wei family’s face, leaving Wei Chuan humiliated.

So, Mrs. Wei wanted to drag Wen Xiao and Song Jingbai down as scapegoats.

Wen Xiao’s expression grew colder. He noticed Song Jingbai’s face had been oddly expressionless since the beginning—his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Mrs. Wei and Wei Chuan.

Noticing Wen Xiao looking at him, Song Jingbai smiled faintly, but Wen Xiao felt certain something was wrong.

Whether Song Jingbai had issues or not was none of his concern.

Huo Zhanyan shouted loudly, “I just wanted to hit him! None of the others are involved!”

Song Jingbai remained silent. The principal smiled and asked Mrs. Wei, “Mrs. Wei, would you also like to speak with Song’s parent?”

“Song...?” Mrs. Wei stammered, eyes wide. “Impossible! I’ve never heard of Song family having a child…”

The principal sipped his tea leisurely. “The children are still young, so some information is protected.”

Mrs. Wei gritted her teeth. If Mrs. Huo was a willful shrew, then the Song family’s lady was someone she had met, and whom she envied to madness.

Her tone no longer carried the confidence of before. With a bitter bite of her teeth, she swallowed her loss silently.

“Principal, let’s just let today’s matter go. It’s just childish squabbling…”

Chen Ning frowned. “Let it go? There must be a written reflection for fighting. And what about Wei Chuan abusing a stray cat? Doesn’t the school need to issue a reprimand?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Why all this fuss over a stray cat?” Mrs. Wei snapped.

Wen Xiao knew that, given the current outcome, it was already the best possible result.

To everyone else, the life of a stray kitten was worth less than the Wei family heir. A reprimand was the harshest punishment they could expect.

Suddenly, a blond boy stepped out from beside the principal. His right arm was in a cast, but he moved unaffected, standing tall and straight.

Leng Shucheng’s face was expressionless, but his words struck like thunder, stirring ripples on an otherwise calm surface.

“That’s not a stray cat. It’s my cat.”

Wen Xiao stared in disbelief at Leng Shucheng.

“My father forbids me from keeping pets at home. I planned to negotiate with him in a few days, and once he agreed, I would bring the kitten home. So, I temporarily left it at school,” Leng Shucheng said softly, each word clear though measured.

“Although my father hasn’t agreed yet, since I’m taking care of it, it’s my cat. If it’s mine, it belongs to the Leng family.”

* * *

“Leng Shucheng, why did you suddenly claim the kitten as yours?” Huo Zhanyan asked, recalling Wei Chuan and his mother’s dark faces when they left, wanting to celebrate with fireworks.

Leng Shucheng’s face remained blank. Seeing the bloody handprints on Huo Zhanyan, he moved slightly away, unwilling to be too close.

“Killing a stray cat won’t be punished, but if you kill someone else’s pet thinking it’s stray, you must bear civil liability,” Leng Shucheng explained, lowering his head, unwilling to say more.

He carried an aura that seemed to isolate him from everyone else. Wen Xiao knew this aloofness would only intensify as he grew older.

That was why he was so surprised to see Leng Shucheng stand up.

Leng Shucheng was the only one among them whose status made Mrs. Wei wary, even after all the others had been involved.

In fact, when the dead cat was found in the classroom, Leng Shucheng wasn’t even at school and had no reason to be involved.

Wen Xiao recalled how Mrs. Wei’s expression changed instantly when Leng Shucheng claimed the kitten.

Dealing with people like Mrs. Wei, who had no love for animals, it was more effective to talk about compensation than to lecture them on respecting stray cats.

The amount didn’t matter; the humiliation was the point. The reprimand would be issued today, and Huo Zhanyan’s reflection and guarantee letter would be unavoidable.

Wen Xiao watched the young foursome walking together against the backdrop of Slant Noble Boys’ School, then suddenly stopped.

He stood silently, staring at them, flashes of images crossing his mind, as if seeing these boys grow before him, their once youthful faces turning exquisitely handsome.

The F4 were all strikingly good-looking.

The flamboyant ones became even more flamboyant, uncaring; the arrogant grew more disdainful, looking down on all; and the inscrutable became even deeper and more unfathomable.

Only then did Wen Xiao realize—he hadn’t seen Song Jingbai.

Looking up, he spotted a solitary figure standing beneath the phoenix trees in the distance.