Chapter 16: Are You Playing Tricks on Me?

After bidding farewell to Zhang Xiaoling, Li Sicheng made his way alone to the teachers’ office building. Exiting the elevator on the eighth floor, he walked a few steps to the left and soon spotted a room with a sign reading “Principal’s Office.”

The principal’s office was divided into two sections: the outer room where the secretary worked, and the inner sanctum reserved for the principal himself. At this moment, however, though the door was open, the office was utterly deserted; neither principal nor secretary was in sight.

Li Sicheng waited at the doorway for a short while, but when no one appeared, he strolled over to the adjacent Vice Principal’s Office.

The vice principal was not entitled to a secretary; her office was merely a single room, with no division between inner and outer spaces.

Inside, a woman in her forties sat absorbed before a computer screen, her attention wholly devoted to whatever was displayed there. She was so engrossed she failed to notice the presence of someone at her door.

Li Sicheng raised his hand and knocked gently on the open door.

The sound drew the vice principal’s attention. She adjusted the black-framed glasses perched on her nose and, somewhat displeased, said, “Which class are you in? What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy with school business?”

“Shopping websites count as school business?” Li Sicheng asked, puzzled.

From the reflection on her glasses, he could clearly see that the screen showed a shopping website. Moreover, she wasn’t browsing ordinary goods, but rather a selection of provocative lingerie.

He hadn’t expected the seemingly conservative vice principal to have such a secret penchant.

“What? Wh—what shopping website? Don’t talk nonsense!” The vice principal hurriedly reached to switch off her computer screen, fumbling nervously several times before it finally went dark.

After coughing and steadying herself, she frowned and interrogated, “What class are you in? Why aren’t you in the classroom waiting for lessons, instead wandering into the office building?”

Li Sicheng had little interest in whether she was actually working. He simply replied, “I’m the new transfer student. I came to find Principal Zhao to complete my enrollment, but he wasn’t here. So I thought I’d ask you: do you know where Principal Zhao has gone, and when he might return?”

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The vice principal asked, “New transfer student? Are you Li Sicheng?”

After he confirmed, she pulled several documents from her desk and said, “Principal Zhao has gone to a citywide education meeting and won’t be back until afternoon. He instructed me to handle your enrollment. Here, fill out these forms. By the way, which school did you attend previously? How were your grades? Did you bring a transcript?”

It seemed Principal Zhao had told her only that a transfer student would arrive today, not the student’s background, or she wouldn’t have adopted such a bureaucratic tone.

Li Sicheng filled out the forms, answering without looking up, “I didn’t bring a transcript, but my grades have always been good, especially in mathematics, physics, and geography—I’m quite proficient. As for schools I’ve attended, there have been quite a few. Cambridge, Stanford, Munich University…”

The vice principal paused in astonishment and interrupted, “Wait, what did you say?”

Li Sicheng replied, “I said I’ve attended quite a few schools.”

She waved her hand, “No, the latter part—what schools did you say?”

“Cambridge, Stanford, Munich University, and others… Why?”

Li Sicheng looked up, bewildered.

“Are you joking with me?” The vice principal’s expression darkened.

“No, I’m not.” Li Sicheng spread his hands in innocence. “I’m busy filling out these forms. Why would I joke?”

“You dare say you’re not lying? Cambridge, Stanford… Really? You think I don’t know those schools? They’re world-renowned universities! How old are you, claiming to have attended them? Even if you were a genius, why would you be back in secondary school? Shouldn’t you be off inventing things in a research institute?”

Already displeased by Li Sicheng catching her on a shopping site, the vice principal now saw him as a braggart and troublemaker.

Li Sicheng seemed oblivious to her sarcasm, replying earnestly, “Research institutes are dull, and their feng shui isn’t good for people. This school is better—nestled among mountains and rivers, with thick yin energy.”

“Ha! You don’t know when to quit, do you?” The vice principal slapped the desk, on the verge of losing her temper.

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At that moment, hurried and chaotic footsteps echoed in the hallway. Moments later, a figure burst into the vice principal’s office, shouting, “Sis, today your brother lost all his dignity…”

He stopped mid-sentence upon seeing Li Sicheng, his face twisting in shock. “Why are you here?”

The newcomer was none other than Director Ma Kang, who had earlier been knocked out by a ball at the school gate.

“You two know each other?” The vice principal glanced between Ma Kang and Li Sicheng, confusion in her eyes.

“Sis, stay away from him! Don’t get close!” Ma Kang, now alert, quickly retreated a few steps, putting distance between himself and Li Sicheng.

Clearly, Li Sicheng’s earlier display as a “harbinger of disaster” had left a deep impression on him.

“Ma Kang, what’s going on?” The vice principal’s confusion deepened. She knew her brother well: students always feared him, but she’d never seen him display such terror towards a student.

“Sis, I was inspecting students’ hairstyles and uniforms at the gate, and this kid came up to make trouble. Not only was he rude and disrespectful, but he caused me to get hit by a ball, bloodied my nose, and made me faint in front of staff and students…”

Ma Kang recounted the events with embellishments, painting Li Sicheng as an unruly, disrespectful troublemaker, and himself as a dedicated, hardworking teacher.

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