Chapter 90: Chapter 90

Zhang Linong had good instincts. Seeing Mr. Zhao suddenly return and hearing that their own fathers were back too, he knew something was up. He politely greeted Uncle Zhao and left with Wang Ping. Zhao Liangguo glanced at the three people’s bruised faces and then went into the house first.

Zhao Guodong became subdued upon seeing his father return. Mrs. Zhao tapped her grandson’s head, saying, "When you see others, you’re a dragon; when you see your dad, you’re a worm."

"Grandma, that’s because my dad is the dragon." How could he muster any defiance in front of his father?

"Dongzi, come in." Zhao Liangguo’s voice boomed confidently from the East Room.

Reluctantly, Zhao Guodong walked in and stood at the door, refusing to take one more step forward.

"Close the door." Zhao Liangguo massaged his temples.

When he received a call from his superiors at work, they all were sent home. The reason being that the kids had gotten into a fight, even alerting the higher-ups, who sent them home to deal with it. If Zhao Liangguo had any headaches, it was solely his son causing them.

Hearing the sound of the door closing, Zhao Liangguo opened his eyes. Seeing his son standing by the door, face either swollen or bruised, his brow furrowed ever deeper, tapping his fingers on the table, unsure where to start.

"Dad, is there something you need?" If not, he’d like to leave. This was intimidating.

Zhao Liangguo’s eyes widened. Usually, Zhao Guodong adopted this demeanor around him. "Is there something you need?"

"If not, I’ll go study," Zhao Guodong replied sheepishly.

"Study? I thought I’d only hear that in my dreams." Zhao Liangguo mocked his son, "You’re something else, causing such a commotion in the compound that so many people got involved and they sent me back to give you a lesson. Imagine how capable you must be. Zhao Guodong, let me tell you, if you don’t pass the entrance examination, you can get out and start from the bottom at the company. I give you good conditions, but you don’t want them, so you can crawl in from the dirt pile for all I care."

"I haven’t taken the test yet. How do you know I won’t pass?" Zhao Guodong grumbled dissatisfied.

Zhao Liangguo had sharp ears and coldly chuckled, "Oh, you’re confident, are you? Alright, let’s see if you can pass. Don’t brag here; let the results speak for themselves when the time comes."

Despite his son’s mischievousness causing him headaches, Zhao Guodong’s stubbornness indeed mirrored his own. Every time he saw his son, Zhao Liangguo saw his younger self, especially seeing the dissatisfaction when accused of not passing the test. It convinced him his son could do it; otherwise, why the dissatisfaction? This subtle probing relieved Zhao Liangguo considerably.

Maintaining a serious facade, he said, "Tell me, what was the reason this time?"

The matter had escalated to the higher-ups. The management’s kids and those from the logistics side were fighting. Without investigating the reason thoroughly, the higher-ups wouldn’t trouble their heads.

Zhao Liangguo also wanted to hear his son’s side. At the company, he heard the Ye Family girl was tutoring his son. Initially, he thought his son was fooling around and wouldn’t last three days, but surprisingly, it’s been two weeks and his son is still being tutored. How could this not please Zhao Liangguo? Seeing his son focus on studying would make any father happy.

"They were saying unpleasant things." Zhao Guodong couldn’t admit it was because they linked him with Ye Ling.

Zhao Liangguo’s eyes glared, "Someone says something unpleasant, and you resort to fighting? When you enter the company or society, there’ll be plenty of unpleasant talk. Are you going to fight them all? Do you think you’re some kind of god?"

"Dad, weren’t you the one who said fists can solve all problems?" Why was he being blamed now?

Hearing this, Zhao Liangguo felt a headache, blaming himself for setting a bad example for his son. "Enough. I won’t argue with you. The higher-ups have decided to confine you all. There’s a warehouse in the compound. Two days without coming out, and no food either, only water. Go sleep; it starts tomorrow morning."

Having said that, Zhao Liangguo waved his hand, dismissing him.

Zhao Guodong didn’t care, "Then I’ll go eat something first."

This one line made Zhao Liangguo’s eyes widen again, but he shook his head and smiled helplessly in the end.

It’s not just the Zhao Family. Even Liu Zhiyuan’s father, Liu Wujiang, a sharp man, returned and didn’t say much, just ordered them to write a self-reflection.

Liu Rui was crying beside them, "Dad, it’s all because of me, don’t blame brother."

Liu Wujiang comforted his daughter, "It’s just two days; they won’t starve. Stop crying and go to sleep."

Liu Rui nodded, gave her brother a guilty look, and returned to her room.

Without his daughter around, Liu Wujiang rarely had heart-to-heart talks with his son, "Zhiyuan, Dad has always placed great hopes on you. I hope this is the last time something happens. Don’t let a trivial matter stain your life."

"Dad, I understand." Liu Zhiyuan sincerely admitted his mistake.

Liu Wujiang patted his son’s shoulder proudly and went back to his room.

Liu Zhiyuan sat alone in the living room for a while before returning to his room. Memories of Ye Ling and Shen Bin kissing flashed through his mind, wondering how Ye Ling was doing. These thoughts lasted only a moment before he picked up his textbooks and began studying.

Early the next morning, those involved in the fight were locked in the warehouse. News of the incident spread through the compound, but since they were company families, it wasn’t a big deal. Those like Ye Ling carried on going to school, unaffected by it.

Song Mei, however, during breaks, kept making indirect remarks, occasionally whispering with others while glancing at Ye Ling, followed by bursts of laughter.

Since no one explicitly named her, Ye Ling didn’t care, focused on her material. After the fight, she had started bringing lunch, saving the walk home during noon. This day, as Song Mei lingered, seeing Ye Ling with a lunchbox, she sneered at her.

"You can still eat?" No sooner had Song Mei spoken than Liu Rui impatiently called her again from outside. Song Mei responded, then turned back to Ye Ling, "Zhao Guodong got into a fight with Sun Mingjie because of you, and you’re not worried?"

Ye Ling slammed her book onto the table, "If all you can do is spout nonsense, stay away from me. Acting like such a gossip, why don’t you give up studying and become a matchmaker?"

Other classmates who stayed for lunch turned their heads to look.

Song Mei’s face turned red with shame, she bit her lip, and on her way out, she retorted, "Country bumpkin."

Afraid of Ye Ling retorting further, she took a few quick steps and ran out of the room.

Ye Ling sneered. It’s good she ran fast; otherwise, she’d have gotten a tongue-lashing. Looking at the soup in her lunchbox and then at Song Mei’s seat cushion, Ye Ling flung a spoonful over as a small punishment.

Hopefully, she’ll remember not to provoke her again. (To be continued. If you work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)