"Brother Wu, it’s not April Fools’ Day. What kind of joke is this?"
Hearing the voice on the phone, Chen Xi’s tone imdiately soured. ’What kind of joke is this? I’ve already spent fifty or sixty thousand, and now you’re just telling it’s a no-go?’
Wu, on the other end of the line, was annoyed by Chen Xi’s tone, but there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to patiently explain.
"Uh, President Chen, I’m really not joking. Your sister-in-law really can’t get in this ti. It’s not that I won’t handle it for you, but things are a little complicated right now. Even if you went to the Vice Chairman, it would be useless."
At that exact mont, Bai ngjie, who had stepped out to wash her hands, happened to push open the door to the private room. And as luck would have it, she heard every single word.
Hearing that she couldn’t get into the school she had dread of, tears imdiately began to well up in her large eyes.
Hearing the commotion, Chen Xi glanced back at his sister-in-law, grabbed the phone off the table, and turned off the speaker. He then stord out of the private room to finish the call.
Seeing her younger sister crying, Bai nghan rushed forward and pulled her into a comforting hug.
No one else at the table had the heart to eat anymore. All eyes were fixed on the doorway, waiting for the outco of Chen Xi’s call.
Fang Chenyi, sitting beside Bai nghan’s grandmother, opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing. ’I don’t know the full situation yet,’ he thought. ’Better not to speak out of turn. It won’t be too late to say sothing after Chen Xi cos back.’
Just like that, the atmosphere in the private room grew tense.
After about five minutes, Chen Xi shoved the door open and stord back in, his face a mask of fury.
Noticing that all eyes in the room were on him, Chen Xi heaved a helpless sigh as he sat back down.
Seeing this, Second Uncle imdiately asked with concern,
"What on earth is going on, Chen Xi? Is ngjie not getting in? But didn’t you already spend fifty or sixty thousand? Whether she gets in or not isn’t the biggest problem—the main thing is, did we just throw all that money away for nothing?"
Bai ngyao nodded in agreent. "That’s right, dear. We spent fifty or sixty thousand. If my sister can’t get in, we have to get that money back!"
Chen Xi was already simring with frustration. He couldn’t talk back to his father-in-law, but with his wife chiming in as well, he snapped at Bai ngyao,
"Get it back? Of course I want it back! But do you think that old son of a bitch is just going to hand it over?"
After his outburst, Chen Xi seed to recall he was surrounded by his in-laws. Catching his father-in-law’s furrowed brow from the corner of his eye, he sighed and tried to smooth things over.
"Look, honey, I wasn’t angry at you. It’s just... that old bastard is a real piece of work."
Bai ngyao, however, didn’t seem to take it to heart and continued asking, "So, dear, do you think maybe we didn’t give him enough money? That the old guy wants more?"
Chen Xi shook his head helplessly.
"That’s not it. I subtly brought that up, but from the way he put it, there’s nothing he could do this ti even if I gave him a million."
He paused, a look of resentnt creeping onto his face as he continued,
"He said there was a major shake-up on their board of directors. They got a new chairman, and no one knows if he’s going to reorganize the leadership team, so now everyone is just trying to keep their heads down. I an, this new chairman is a real bastard. Of all the tis to show up, why now? It’s like a toad hopping onto your foot. It might not bite you, but it’s disgusting..."
Fang Chenyi, who had been quietly sipping his tea, couldn’t listen to another word of this. He had just taken over Qinhuang Sunshine, which ant he was the "no-good chairman" Chen Xi was talking about.
"Ahem... Brother-in-law, I don’t think this really has anything to do with the new chairman."
Chen Xi was surprised that Fang Chenyi, who had been silent all this ti, had actually spoken up—and to contradict him, no less. He opened his mouth, but he didn’t dare snap at Fang Chenyi the way he had at his wife. Still, he had to say sothing.
"Tch, I know the guy is just an innocent bystander in all this. But his arrival really did affect ngjie’s enrollnt. If he hadn’t shown up so suddenly, ngjie would be in by now."
Perhaps because the issue hit so close to ho, as soon as Chen Xi finished speaking, Second Uncle took a long, hard drag from his expensive cigarette and grumbled,
"Chen Xi is right. Even if the new chairman doesn’t know about this, he can’t be a saint. Think about it—if the place has a director like that Wu fellow, how good can the guy in charge be?"
As soon as Second Uncle finished, even Bai nghan’s father—Chen Xi’s own father-in-law—spoke up.
"Chenyi, I know you’re a kind-hearted young man, but your second uncle has a point. If it weren’t for that new chairman, ngjie wouldn’t be stuck like this, right?"
Fang Chenyi was left speechless with exasperation. He opened his mouth but had no idea what to say. anwhile, Bai nghan, who was comforting ngjie, saw the look on her husband’s face, and sothing seed to click.
She gave ngjie a gentle pat on the back, handing her over to Second Aunt, then stood and walked to Fang Chenyi’s side. Everyone else was too busy fuming to notice what Bai nghan was doing.
Reaching Fang Chenyi’s side and seeing his look of utter exasperation, Bai nghan whispered softly in his ear,
"Chenyi, do you know the new chairman of this school? Or perhaps..."
Fang Chenyi froze. It was obvious she had already guessed the unspoken part of her question. He gave Bai nghan a thumbs-up, a wry smile on his face.
Bai nghan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "It can’t be true, can it?" she blurted out.
Her voice was a little too loud. The chatter at the table died down as all eyes turned toward the two of them.
"What’s wrong, nghan?" Father Bai asked when he saw his daughter’s stunned expression. "What is or isn’t true?"
Fang Chenyi shot her a look, signaling her not to say anything, then turned to the rest of the table with a chuckle.
"Um, about that... ngjie getting into Qinhuang Sunshine is not a problem. Second Uncle, Second Aunt, you don’t have to worry."
His words left everyone stunned. No one could understand why Fang Chenyi would say such a thing. After all, Director Wu had just stated in no uncertain terms that it was impossible.
So where on earth was Fang Chenyi’s confidence coming from?
"I’m just going to make a quick call."
[To be continued...]
ps: Two Chapters have been released together to make for a more satisfying read.
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