Chapter 78: To Save People, You Must First Kill
The secretary was shocked by his leader’s abnormality.
The greedy gaze looked exactly like a hormonal teenager experiencing first love.
Iron tree blooming?
Old house on fire?
Old demon wants to eat people.
But…
He still went downstairs according to the leader’s request.
There was still some time before the anniversary performance. After touring the campus, the alumni gathered in this building.
On the first floor, there was a screening hall using the world’s largest screen to play the centuries-long history of Floriman Academy. Outside the hall, the Academy’s great achievements were displayed.
People went in and out of the main entrance, some wearing Floriman uniforms, some not, talking to each other.
At a certain moment, everyone’s eyes glanced in the same direction—pointed leather shoes stepped over the threshold, the floor reflecting a slender figure.
Dressed exactly like other students, without any extra decoration, yet he seemed like the only person on stage under a spotlight, motes of light lingering around him.
The secretary was knowledgeable. Neither world-famous pretty faces nor powerful figures in full aura at vanity fairs were as eye-catching as this one.
It was more of a temperament—clean, holy, and inexplicably intimate, making people unconsciously want to trust him.
He even began to suspect that taking such a beautiful student to meet his leader was too unconscionable.
Thinking of Wang Sichen, the secretary’s back instantly went cold, and he steeled himself to walk toward the student.
Maybe it’s the student’s good fortune. After all, my leader will be the next President.
Just as he got closer, almost touching the fragrance on the student, the student walked toward a taller figure.
The secretary recognized who it was at a glance and hesitated.
“I want to see Zhou Xie.”
“Why see him?”
The beautiful youth remained silent. The tall figure rubbed his gray short hair. “I’ll take you.”
“Wait a moment. If I ask you to do something, will you do it?”
“What do you want to do?”
The handsome brows twitched. “Haven’t thought it through yet, but it might be something very excessive.”
“…”
“Is that okay?”
“Fine.”
The tall figure said a word to the President of the Athletes’ Association next to him and led the boy upstairs.
The tall figure was the Eldest Young Master of the Shi family, Shi Ye.
The secretary thought with relief, If I go back and tell Wang Sichen that the Shi family’s Eldest Young Master took the boy away, I shouldn’t get scolded.
…
Fourth Floor Lounge
Zhou Wendong and the Principal went into the innermost room to talk privately. Zhou Xie stood by the window, ready to reply to messages in the Student Council group chat at any time.
They were all “man-made disasters.”
For example, the President of the Athletes’ Association suddenly had a whim to see Shi Ye, and Zhou Xie had to use his influence to beg Shi Ye to come over.
For example, the two people arranged to intercept Wen Rong just messaged saying they couldn’t find him.
Zhou Xie realized some time had passed and Zhang Jincheng hadn’t arrived yet, so he asked: [Where is Zhang Jincheng?]
[Didn’t answer the phone. Didn’t see him at the studio. I’m on my way to Room 100 now.]
Wang Sichen didn’t rush him?
This doesn’t fit Wang Sichen’s personality.
Zhou Xie: [Where is Councilman Wang Sichen?]
[Hasn’t come out of the lounge, but all his secretaries have come out.]
Zhou Xie keenly sensed something was wrong and messaged Li Ao privately: [Tell the security company to find Wang Sichen’s three secretaries with full force.]
[Also, find Zhang Jincheng and Wang Allen.]
Just as the message was sent, someone knocked and entered. “President, Shi Ye wants to see you.”
Zhou Xie raised an eyebrow, glanced at the closed door next to him—the Principal and his father should be chatting for a while longer—so he adjusted his cuffs and walked out.
No one else was allowed on the fourth floor. The corridor, nearly fifty meters long, was lined with bodyguards. If it weren’t Shi Ye, it would be hard to get up here.
Zhou Xie turned his head to look at Wen Rong himself, holding a computer next to Shi Ye.
This one was even less likely to be allowed up.
Zhou Xie now had an instinctive reaction of accelerated heartbeat whenever he saw Wen Rong, because Wen Rong’s appearance meant trouble was about to happen.
“What is it?” Zhou Xie asked, enduring the discomfort.
“I want to meet the Principal alone to offer some suggestions. It will take about fifteen minutes.”
“What?”
“Before that, I want to trouble you to look at my speech draft and help me make some improvements.”
Zhou Xie couldn’t help laughing.
When people are speechless, they really do want to laugh.
“What makes you think I—”
Wen Rong looked at Shi Ye. “Shi Ye, can you help me hold him down?”
Zhou Xie froze abruptly.
Shi Ye obviously hadn’t expected Wen Rong’s words either and froze for a moment, showing some resistance.
But he quickly dropped his resistance, raising a sharp eyebrow helplessly. “It’s rare for you to ask for my help… How do you want him held down? On the floor or against the wall?”
Wen Rong answered sincerely, “I don’t know.”
“Pfft.” Zhou Xie was speechless again. “I’m very busy today. If you have nothing to do, get out and play. Shi Ye, you too—”
Wen Rong interrupted him. “Just do whatever he’s afraid of. You hold him down, and I’ll go in to see the Principal.”
Shi Ye and Zhou Xie froze again.
In a flash of lightning, Zhou Xie thought of that day in the women’s restroom when Leon had taken Shi Ye to force him just like this.
An ominous premonition rose in his heart. Zhou Xie refused to admit that Wen Rong had learned how to manipulate him from Leon.
“Fine.” Zhou Xie decided to endure.
Rather than letting Wen Rong go in and harass his father and the Principal, it was better to see what exactly Wen Rong wanted to say first.
The three moved from the corridor to the small room on the left of the lounge.
In the twenty-square-meter space, there was only a table and two sofas. Wen Rong placed the computer on the table and opened the lid.
Zhou Xie had sharp eyes and immediately saw the two words “Zhou Xie” on the desktop.
Looking closer, the full title was: Application Regarding the Replacement of Student Council President Zhou Xie.
A massive stimulation stabbed Zhou Xie’s brain, and his pupils constricted sharply behind his black-rimmed glasses.
He clenched his back teeth, the muscles on both sides of his jaw twitching.
Just as he couldn’t help asking if Wen Rong wanted to die, the mouse clicked below this file, and a window popped up, occupying the screen.
[Current Systems Cannot Satisfy Student Development and Creation Issues]
Because he saw Wen Rong writing about replacing him, Zhou Xie didn’t want to hear a word about development and creation. He stood up, ready to grab his phone and call bodyguards to throw these two out, when suddenly a powerful hand pressed on his shoulder.
Before he could react, his knees buckled, and he sat back on the sofa.
The sofa was soft; Zhou Xie’s body bounced up and down, and his brain buzzed.
Shi—Ye—
His dark eyeballs glanced up, glaring at Shi Ye.
Both had faces that shouldn’t be trifled with. When angry at the same time, neither gave way.
But memories from childhood stopped Zhou Xie from fighting.
Wen Rong had successfully seized his weakness. Shi Ye had no leverage in his hands, and he really couldn’t beat him. In this moment, he was indeed suppressed firmly by Shi Ye.
Finally, Zhou Xie ground his molars audibly and messaged Li Ao with trembling hands to come in.
He didn’t believe that together with Li Ao, they couldn’t control Shi Ye.
Li Ao was in the adjacent room and came over almost immediately upon receiving the message, taking no more than ten seconds.
Click—
“Cousin, what is it?”
The moment he entered, Wen Rong cleared his throat and spoke: “After arguing with you at the hotel that day, I went back and thought about it carefully. What you said made a lot of sense. If we were to make Floriman Academy’s science software, we would indeed encounter many problems.”
“The source of all this is unfairness.”
“I can’t deal with unfairness in society, but the unfairness in the school needs to be eliminated.”
“Floriman Academy’s motto is to lead the era and change the world. The school shouldn’t tilt all resources to a scattered few, because the students entering here are the world’s most outstanding young people, each full of potential. Just like the science software Senior Lin Qizheng made was praised by netizens for its user experience, and Senior Zhang Jincheng gained appreciation from many people… Others in the school also need an opportunity to show themselves.”
“In short, Floriman Academy should be a place where stars shine together.”
“I hope the Principal can provide everyone with a fair chance to obtain resources.”
Finally, Wen Rong asked, “Is it okay if I speak to the Principal like this?”
Of course not.
These words were suitable for a speech; the foolish masses loved them most.
But the Principal wasn’t the foolish masses.
“Saying this is meaningless. The unfairness in the school is all to cater to the unfairness outside. The internal interest relationships are complex beyond your imagination.”
“This problem is very simple. If you don’t reject—”
Zhou Xie’s voice rose. “It wasn’t me.”
The powerful hand rested on Zhou Xie’s shoulder again. Shi Ye reminded him, “Don’t be so loud.”
“Will speaking loudly scare him to death?” Zhou Xie moved his shoulder to push Shi Ye away. “He doesn’t understand at all.”
“I’m sorry, I misspoke just now. I apologize.” Wen Rong continued with a calm expression, “Your consideration is the same as my statement. I prepared this just to persuade the Principal to help everyone create a fair environment.”
Zhou Xie: “…”
Zhou Xie stood up, reaching into his pants to find a cigarette. The empty pocket made him even more irritable.
He hadn’t been this annoyed in a long time.
He turned around and took a deep breath. “So you think the Principal alone can create a fair environment?”
“I specifically chose today to find the Principal because the President is here too, and Justice Ernst. I saw him on the anniversary flyer.”
After a moment of silence, Zhou Xie said, “Who gave you the courage to go to these people and say these nutritious-less things? Who do you think you are? You don’t think anyone will be grateful to you for saying this, do you? Aren’t you too naive?”
“I just want the seniors to stop receiving unfair treatment. From the silk to the science software, the root cause of these things is unfair resource allocation.”
“There is no fairness in this world to begin with.”
“Then create fairness.”
“You…”
Zhou Xie had portrayed the perfect President’s son in front of cameras since he was twelve, rarely losing his composure. But Wen Rong truly ignited all his anger, especially since Wen Rong still looked calm, which was maddening.
He couldn’t help reaching out to pinch Wen Rong’s cheek, pulling it hard toward himself. “People like you are just the first batch of cannon fodder to die in history books.”
Shi Ye’s hand clamped onto his wrist the next second, the immense force forcing him to let go of Wen Rong.
“Don’t get physical.”
“Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants to die!”
Wen Rong remained motionless, still calm. “I know what you mean. I’ve studied history, and the history I studied is a hundred times more impressive than what you studied.”
Zhou Xie laughed speechlessly again, unable to speak.
What history did you fucking study that’s a hundred times better than mine? Are there different versions of Federal history books?!
“I’ll take the first step. If I fail, I can become a lesson for the next person. With experiences accumulating one by one, eventually, a successful person will appear. That is the meaning of what I’m doing now.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m cannon fodder. It’s just death; I’m not afraid of dying.”
The lounge fell into silence. Wen Rong stood against the light, outlining a gray shadow in front of the window.
He remained very calm, or rather, determined. It was as if he had to do this, and nothing could stop him.
Zhou Xie was shaken.
It was the first time he had seen a fool like Wen Rong who feared neither failure nor death.
How can such a person exist?!
Just then, the phone rang, pulling Zhou Xie back from his shock and speechlessness.
He opened his phone, his brows knitting slightly when he saw the received picture.
“Cousin, I support him.” Li Ao closed the door behind him, stating his view in the silence.
After a brief annoyance, Zhou Xie smiled unexpectedly. The left corner of his lip was higher than the right, carrying malice, and he gave Wen Rong a strange look.
Wen Rong hesitated for two seconds. “Looking at your attitude, I think the success rate of this approach might not be high. I’ll think of other ways.”
“What earth-shattering method are you going to come up with now?”
“I don’t know yet. I have to go back and think about it to be clear.”
“…”
This is the person Leon chose. A naive, foolish, yet persistent person. Not afraid of being cannon fodder, not afraid of death. Suitable…
Suitable…
For people with ulterior motives to sit back and enjoy the fruits.
Zhou Xie had planned this, but he didn’t know why he felt terrible.
Soon, he quickly thought of a reason.
Because with Wen Rong’s death-seeking appearance, it would be hard for him to live long enough for Zhou Xie to enjoy the fruits, so he was unhappy.
So he sent a video request to the chat partner on his phone.
“I’ll show you now the consequences brought by your death-seeking.”
Wen Rong nodded obediently. “Mm.”
The other party answered. The phone screen instantly showed white. Zhou Xie held the phone up towards Wen Rong.
The other party’s voice came through the microphone: “President, what are your orders?”
Zhou Xie: “I want to see Zhang Jincheng’s current situation.”
“Okay.”
The camera flipped. The smell of disinfectant from the infirmary seemed to rush out through the screen. Three or four nurses ran hurriedly past the lens. In the center of the image, the only patch of black in the ward appeared.
Wen Rong was confused for half a second—only half a second—before his eyes widened abruptly, his light pupils constricting inward.
The camera zoomed in, focusing on the hand in the black uniform.
The sleeve was soaked, but not with water. The cuff revealed a bloody hand, looking as if it had just been skinned, blood staining the white sheets red.
The thin figure began to sway. Shi Ye strode forward to support him, inadvertently glancing at the phone screen, and froze as well.
The voice from the phone continued: “President, fortunately, the security company arrived in time. The doctor said Zhang Jincheng’s hand only suffered superficial injuries and can still be used in the future.”
Click—
Zhou Xie hung up the video, a light flickering in his dark eyes. “See that? This is how unfairness is manufactured. Do you think those people are all as kind, elegant, and wonderful as written in the news? What weird filter do you have for them? Let me tell you, the more power one holds, the more barbaric their actions. Council members are assassinated every few days. Shooting incidents at election sites are more frequent than your daily meals. Why would the Principal provoke these people for you?”
Wen Rong shuddered abruptly. A strange pallor appeared at the corners of his lips.
As if completely losing function, he tried hard to bite his lip. His Adam’s apple rolled, and it took several seconds before he could difficultly spit out the word: “Who—”
“Does it matter who? What can a powerless Special Recruit like you do?”
Wen Rong suddenly grabbed Shi Ye’s arms with both hands. He felt like he was about to collapse; only by doing this could he steady himself.
Swallowing hard again, he barely managed to voice out: “I can do anything.”
His consistently calm face changed color suddenly. In the blink of an eyelid, the whites of his eyes turned a terrifying red.
Zhou Xie sneered. “Can you kill?”
“Zhou Xie,” Shi Ye warned.
“You’re not playing some hero role-playing game right now. To protect people, you must first kill the enemy. Do you dare to kill?”
Wen Rong opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
“Anyway, Shi Ye doesn’t dare. He didn’t dare, so his mother died. Do you dare?”
The air fell into silence. The sound of Li Ao quietly sighing was particularly obvious.
Triggering two minefields in a row, the atmosphere entered a terrifying pre-war state. Undercurrents surged, murderous intent rose; everyone was waiting for the first gunshot.
It should be Shi Ye.
Mentioning Shi Ye’s mother again—this was taboo.
Because of his mother’s death, Shi Ye brought all his belongings and servants to school on the day he entered Floriman, completely cutting ties with Shi Changyuan.
He was practically saying with his actions: I don’t want this heir status anymore!
“Kill who?”
Unexpectedly, it was Wen Rong who spoke first.
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