Chapter 39: You Actually Threatened Me p2
After Old Chen had driven Sun Mulan and Du Yong’an away, only Zhou Zhiru and Zhou Wanfeng were left.
Zhou Zhiru’s expression darkened, which was met with a sneer from Zhou Wanfeng.
“You said you would study hard. Is this what you mean by studying hard, getting into a fight and ending up at the police station?”
“Did I force them to come and hit me? Isn’t getting fourth in the entire grade in the exam considered studying hard?” Zhou Wanfeng found Zhou Zhiru’s two-faced behavior ridiculous.
Zhou Zhiru’s brow furrowed, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. He looked at Zhou Wanfeng’s face and said coldly, “I told you on the first day you came to Yunhai City not to cause trouble. You need to be clear. The reason you can stay in Yunhai City is not because you succeeded in your tantrums and threats. Whether you reported me for abandonment or publicized it in the newspapers, in the end, it couldn’t threaten me. It was my tacit approval that allowed you to stay in Yunhai City. If you have no value in staying in Yunhai City, then you can go back to Dongshan.”
A cold glint flashed in Zhou Wanfeng’s eyes.
“Do I need to remind you? You are a minor. The things you’ve done and said since you came to Yunhai City, and the trouble you’ve caused at school, I’ve been paying close attention. Everything you’ve done is beyond reason. As your guardian, I can help you apply for a mental or psychological evaluation.” Zhou Zhiru saw Zhou Wanfeng looking at him with a cold gaze.
He asked in return, “Zhou Wanfeng, do you think you’re normal? A child who is mentally or psychologically abnormal, are their words credible? Will anyone believe them?” Zhou Zhiru’s face was cold and grim, his voice hard. “You remember that you are a minor. It’s easy to control you. If you want to study, then study hard. Let me see the value of you staying.”
Zhou Wanfeng’s fists were clenched, her expression sharp. It was true. From the moment she had opened her eyes in this world, she had never thought of pretending to be a real twelve-year-old girl. She was another Zhou Wanfeng, who wanted to live openly and had never thought of hiding it.
“Are you threatening me?” Zhou Wanfeng’s words were sharp, and a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. “I’m not normal? Do you think you’re normal? Do you need me to analyze your psychology?”
Zhou Wanfeng stepped forward, her gaze cold, and stared into Zhou Zhiru’s eyes. “What were you thinking when you left Xuxu Village in Dongshan in such a sorry state? Grandma was stubborn, ignorant, and very bossy. She always used her life to threaten people to get her way. And you? You didn’t dare to resist, and you couldn’t resist. After all, she had raised you as a widow. If you disobeyed, you would be unfilial. You were so miserable, so depressed. But in reality, what made you miserable was your ambition for power that was not being fulfilled. Back home, you wanted to be the head of the family, to have the power of the family. You thought that if you got married and had children, things might be different, but in the end, it was still the same. Grandma would still cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang herself whenever things didn’t go her way.”
Zhou Zhiru’s expression was grim. “What are you trying to say?”
“You wanted to have the power of the family back in Dongshan, and you still want to have the power of the family in Yunhai City. You want to be the head of the family. Unfortunately, you relied on the Yun family to get started. You will always be a step lower in the Yun family. And it seems that Yang Yijun has some dirt on you, right? No matter how successful your appliance company is, no matter how glamorous you are outside, you are just as miserable at home. With Yun Haisheng and Yang Yijun around, you are nothing. So, when the Yun family’s Yuxiang Pavilion ran into trouble and lost money, you were probably secretly happy, right? If the Yun family falls, you will definitely stand by and do nothing. Do you think a person like you is psychologically normal? Mentally normal? Does the Yun family know about these thoughts of yours?”
Zhou Wanfeng sneered. “You used your wife’s family to get started, and then you want to see your in-laws fall. Yang Yijun called me a white-eyed wolf, repaying kindness with enmity. Compared to you, I’m far from it.”
Zhou Zhiru looked at Zhou Wanfeng coldly, the veins on his forehead bulging with his heavy breathing.
“I don’t like to be threatened. It seems you don’t either. Do you think anyone will believe a daughter who reports her father? Is it righteousness that kills one’s own family, or is it turning one’s back on one’s own family?” Zhou Wanfeng’s eyes were deep and cold, her expression blank. “Even if I have to go back to Dongshan, it will be because I want to. If I don’t want to, no one can make me.”
With that, Zhou Wanfeng turned and left.
That night, Zhou Wanfeng barely slept. After her run in the morning, she washed up, ate, read for a while, changed her clothes, and went out.
Seeing that she was going out, Yun Jingya wanted to go with her, but Zhou Wanfeng refused.
She went out with her backpack and her bike. She had thought about it all night, and combining the information she had, she was basically sure that the Yun family was in decline. Whether it was due to poor management or some other reason, she didn’t know.
But Zhou Wanfeng knew very well that the Yun family could not fall now.
So on Saturday, Zhou Wanfeng went to all the branches of the Yun family’s Yuxiang Pavilion, and even went in to order some dishes.
Only then did she find out that Yuxiang Pavilion’s business was very bad. Even if the Yun family’s assets were quite thick, they wouldn’t be able to last for a few years.
After she went back, Zhou Wanfeng hid in the attic and recorded the trends in the restaurant industry from her past life. She had been very busy in her past life and hadn’t paid much attention to the business model of the restaurant industry.
But thinking of the more popular shops in the future, she could probably figure something out.
On Sunday, Zhou Wanfeng went out again for the morning. She went to a few of the more popular restaurants and sat there, taking note of the menu, the prices, the service—everything she saw.
On Monday, when school started, Zhou Wanfeng was still thinking about the future trends in the restaurant industry. At the morning assembly, the school held a meeting about what had happened at the school gate on Friday.
It was particularly emphasized that if students were bullied by others outside, whether it was people from the school or socialites from outside, they could tell the school, tell the teacher, and the teacher would contact all parties to handle it.
“You are still young. Your understanding of society is limited, and your ability to handle things is insufficient. So you need to rely on the power of the school and others. Don’t be timid, and don’t be afraid of them…”
Zhou Wanfeng’s reputation had completely spread throughout Shuangshu Model Middle School.
Some parents from Shuangshu Model Middle School had even written letters of praise to the Education Bureau, praising Zhou Wanfeng’s courage and sense of justice.
The Yunhai City Education Bureau organized an inspection team to come to the school to inspect and inquire. They praised Shuangshu Model Middle School for taking the lead in cracking down on evil forces on campus and for protecting the personal safety of the students.
Not long after, the entire city was notified of the praise for the teachers and students of Shuangshu Model Middle School for jointly fighting against evil forces outside the school, especially praising Teacher Du Yong’an and classmate Zhou Wanfeng.
Suddenly, Zhou Wanfeng’s name had spread throughout all the major middle schools. Everyone knew that there was a first-year girl at Shuangshu Model Middle School who was particularly formidable, particularly good at fighting, and ruthless.
After being praised and rewarded, Zhou Wanfeng was very stable. She studied and did her homework as usual, and was active in class, asking the teacher questions. If she didn’t know, she would ask, not at all feeling that she was delaying the whole class. For a climate problem in geography, she had grabbed the geography teacher’s arm and held him in the classroom for ten minutes. The bell for class had rung before the geography teacher could get away to go to Class Eight to teach.
Jiang Yi was going to participate in a math competition. Song Zhang had signed him up. In the past, he had studied without a clear direction. Now, he was aiming for the math competition, and he had more things to study. Of course, he still had to study the other subjects at other times.
After a week, Zhou Wanfeng had almost finished writing about the future trends in the restaurant industry. She was planning to find an opportunity to talk to Yun Haisheng.
But she had some concerns.
The Yun family’s Yuxiang Pavilion was losing money, but Yang Yijun didn’t seem to be in a hurry at all. She could understand why Zhou Zhiru wasn’t in a hurry. But she couldn’t figure out Yang Yijun.
Before she had figured out the details, Zhou Wanfeng didn’t want to expose herself.
After thinking about it, she came up with a compromise.
Yun Lang hadn’t expected Zhou Wanfeng to call him and ask him to meet.
He was flattered.
It was Saturday morning again. The two of them met at a fitness park.
Zhou Wanfeng handed him two pieces of paper. “Memorize this now.”
“What is it?” Yun Lang glanced around. Was there anything special about this park? The scenery wasn’t even that good.
He opened it and read in a small voice, “…The major cuisines of the country are infiltrating and integrating with each other. Chain development and branding… product innovation and diversification… service upgrades, exploring classic product combinations, and popular single products to drive the brand. A more common and popular route, targeting the sinking market…”
Yun Lang’s eyes were wide as he held the paper. “What is this? You’re just telling me to memorize it.”
“You have half an hour. Memorize it all. When you go home, tell your dad and your brother that you thought of it.”
Yun Lang looked at Zhou Wanfeng’s calm gaze. It didn’t look like she was joking. He scratched his head in frustration. “Are you serious? I can’t memorize it in half an hour. And is this thing even useful? I can tell my dad, but no one will believe me.”
Yun Lang looked at the two pages filled with writing. Half an hour? He couldn’t even memorize it in a whole morning.
“You insist that you thought of it. Memorize this and tell them. If you don’t do it, then you can just watch your family go bankrupt in a few years,” Zhou Wanfeng said, starting to exercise on a piece of fitness equipment nearby. She was going to watch Yun Lang memorize the content.
“Can’t you just say it directly?” Yun Lang said, his head aching as he looked at the two pieces of paper.
Zhou Wanfeng refused directly. “No. You insist that you thought of it yourself. Hurry up and memorize it. I have to go home and do my problems,” she said, scolding him with a frown, her face filled with impatience.
Yun Lang was so scared that he sat on the ground and started to look at the paper over and over again. He knew that his family’s business was not doing well, and that his dad and his older brother were very worried. But was it an exaggeration to say that his family would go bankrupt in a few years? His family had been passed down since the Qing Dynasty. Would it go bankrupt so easily?
Yun Lang was half-convinced, but since Zhou Wanfeng had told him to memorize it, he really did start to memorize it seriously. As he was reciting it, he felt that what was written was quite reasonable.
Zhou Wanfeng took a deep breath. This was all she could do. If Yun Haisheng and Yun Lusheng still couldn’t turn the tide with this, then there was really no way to keep Zhou Zhiru in check.
Yun Lang really did memorize it in a whole morning. After checking, Zhou Wanfeng took out a lighter and burned the paper, leaving no trace.
After doing all this, Zhou Wanfeng was completely immersed in her studies. She had told the grade director that she wanted to get first in the entire grade.
After the school had expelled Peng Zhen, Liang Shuai, and the others, it had been a great deterrent to the other students at the school. Although there were still some minor scuffles, the whole school knew one thing: don’t mess with Zhou Wanfeng from First Grade, Class Nine.
The students on the small guardhouse had all seen the scene of her hitting Liang Shuai at the school gate. She was too crazy, not to be provoked. She had broken Liang Shuai’s finger. The sound of Liang Shuai’s piercing screams could still be heard in their nightmares sometimes.
The various junior high schools in Yunhai City were about to start their mid-term exams, a unified exam for each district. The teachers all had to pause their progress and start the review phase.
Zhou Wanfeng was so serious about her studies that no one could disturb her. The homeroom teacher, Sun Mulan, was practically sitting next to Zhou Wanfeng, giving her one-on-one lectures. But during the self-study period and the evening self-study, it was indeed one-on-one review.
In her spare time, Sun Mulan had even bought a few English books for Zhou Wanfeng to read, and taught her grammar, how to write English compositions, and situational dialogues.
The whole class could see Sun Mulan’s favoritism towards Zhou Wanfeng.
Zhou Wanfeng studied seriously and could finish all her homework on time. Every day after evening self-study, she would go home and study with Yun Jingya until midnight.
They would quiz each other, and often exchange and look at each other’s class notes. The experimental middle school’s teaching and research group would also give Zhou Wanfeng a set of test papers.
Zhou Wanfeng also gave Yun Jingya the English workbooks that Sun Mulan had given her.
On the eve of the mid-term exam, on her way to school for morning self-study, Zhou Wanfeng saw Peng Zhen.
It was early in the morning, and the sky was gray. There was no one on the road.
Jiang Yi was riding his bike behind Zhou Wanfeng, yawning with his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, Zhou Wanfeng’s bike stopped.
He almost crashed into her. He turned the handlebars and put his foot down to steady himself. “What’s wrong?” He looked to the side and saw that someone was blocking the road in front of Zhou Wanfeng’s bike.
Jiang Yi only saw that the person blocking the road was wearing a tracksuit and a baseball cap. He hadn’t seen his face clearly.
Zhou Wanfeng looked at Peng Zhen, who had a short haircut and was wearing a baseball cap, with a cold gaze, her brow furrowed as if to say, What do you want?
Peng Zhen lowered his head. He didn’t dare to look at Zhou Wanfeng’s eyes. He just raised his hand and took off his baseball cap, then looked up.
“Peng Zhen?” Jiang Yi called out, covering his mouth.
“I’ve broken up with Zhang Hao and the others. The one with the seven or eight earrings and the tattoo behind his ear. You might not believe it, but I asked a lot of people at the construction sites about what you said before. You were right. I was following their old path,” Peng Zhen said, glancing at Zhou Wanfeng and then quickly looking away, as if a little embarrassed. He put his baseball cap back on, the brim so low that it almost covered his eyes.
“I… a relative of my family helped me enroll in a junior high in the countryside. I’m in the second year. I just wanted to ask you… I…”
“What are you trying to say?” Zhou Wanfeng said, putting her foot on the pedal, preparing to turn the handlebars and leave.
Peng Zhen mustered his courage and looked up, asking directly, “I wanted to ask you, which high school are you going to apply for in the high school entrance exam?”
“No. 1 High School,” Zhou Wanfeng said simply, then turned her bike and rode away.
Jiang Yi followed, glancing at Peng Zhen. He rode a step faster to catch up with Zhou Wanfeng, then looked back and said in a small voice, “…He’s not thinking of going to No. 1 High School too, is he?”