TAO | Chapter 94

Wei Minzhen gently handed the tissue to Wei Xiaochi. “I know Jiang Zhan’s family situation is a little… special. But don’t be afraid—his parents aren’t like that.”

The tissue in Wei Xiaochi’s palm was already damp from his sweat. He stared blankly at Wei Minzhen, lips trembling under a heavy cloud of despair.

He hadn’t expected Wei Dongjia to show up at school—let alone that this whole mess would end up dragging in Jiang Zhan’s parents.

Seeing how terrified and pale Wei Xiaochi looked, Wei Minzhen tried to reassure him. “If there really was any coercion, you have to be honest. The school will give you justice.”

Wei Xiaochi clutched the tissue tightly and murmured, barely audible, “There was no coercion.”

“What?” Wei Minzhen didn’t catch that.

Wei Xiaochi looked up at him, throat tight but voice firm. “He didn’t force me. I left home on my own.”

Wei Minzhen’s brows furrowed slightly.

—

Wei Dongjia had shown up at school earlier that morning. The principal was out today, so Wei Minzhen had taken charge of dealing with him.

According to Wei Dongjia, Jiang Zhan had incited Wei Xiaochi to rebel against his family, and the two had even moved out to live together.

That wasn’t a small thing. Wei Minzhen had immediately called the principal, and they decided to skip over Jiang Tang entirely and go straight to contacting Jiang Zhan’s mother.

If it had been something minor, they wouldn’t have gone that far. But Wei Minzhen had known for years how protective Jiang Tang was over her younger brother—best not to give her a reason to explode.

Jiang Zhan’s mother wasn’t in C City at the time. The moment she got the call, she booked the earliest flight back—estimated to arrive late afternoon, around 4 or 5.

After talking with Wei Minzhen and the principal, Wei Dongjia had calmed down a bit. But when he saw Wei Xiaochi at the door of the office, all that fury reignited in an instant.

Wei Xiaochi stood stiff at the entrance of the principal’s office, frozen under the weight of his father’s icy, terrifying stare. His shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

“Xiaochi’s here?” The principal finally broke the suffocating silence. “Come in, don’t just stand there.”

Wei Minzhen leaned in and said quietly to him, “Have a proper talk with your dad. With us here, he won’t lay a hand on you.”

After hours of conversation with Wei Dongjia, Wei Minzhen had a good read on the man’s personality—textbook old-school authoritarian. He’d seen plenty of parents like this over the years.

The principal tried to ease the tension. “Mr. Wei, please calm down. Whatever the issue is, let’s talk things through.”

Wei Dongjia took a few deep breaths. He didn’t lash out in front of the others, but his temper still simmered just under the surface.

“Talk things through? I’ve raised him all these years, and he just runs off without a word?” His voice grew sharper. “Even if I fed a stray dog all this time, it’d still bring me my slippers when I got home. And I end up with a thankless brat like him?”

Wei Xiaochi’s fingers twisted the seam of his pants tightly. He bit his lip and didn’t say a word.

Despite his usual strict demeanor, Wei Minzhen was protective of his students.

“You can’t talk like that. That kind of language cuts deep. Kids his age have pride too. Communication takes tact.”

That only made Wei Dongjia angrier. “Tact? Have you seen what he’s done?”

“He’s just eighteen, still in his second year. And he’s already shacked up with some delinquent. Shameless!”

“And don’t even get me started on the kind of person he’s with—marching into my house all high and mighty.” Wei Dongjia’s anger surged. “I want to see what kind of parents could raise someone like that.”

“He’s not a delinquent,” Wei Xiaochi said softly, head down, his fists clenched. “And Jiang Zhan and I… we haven’t done anything.”

Before Wei Dongjia could snap again, the principal quickly intervened. “Let’s not shout. Let’s listen to what the student has to say.”

Wei Minzhen added, “We’re trying to solve this peacefully. The reason we called Xiaochi here was so the two of you could talk first.”

He pulled out a chair and gestured for Wei Xiaochi to sit. “Come, don’t stand.”

His tone was unusually gentle—if any other student heard it, they’d be stunned.

Wei Xiaochi’s brain stalled for a few seconds before the words registered. He walked over slowly, shoulders hunched in, and sat stiffly, a ball of tension and fear.

But every time his father insulted Jiang Zhan, Wei Xiaochi would speak up for him.

Wei Dongjia might have been domineering at home, but outside, his reputation was solid. He’d started working in his teens, had suffered a lot, and knew how to handle people.

He’d come to the school boiling with rage, but both the principal and Wei Minzhen had taken the matter seriously and treated him with respect. In front of them, Wei Dongjia spoke more reasonably—he didn’t want to make a scene.

That reasonableness, though, didn’t extend to Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Dongjia was the very definition of a traditional, patriarchal father—“I’m your father. You do what I say.”

Wei Xiaochi defending Jiang Zhan repeatedly? That was pure defiance. And it fanned the flames until they almost exploded. If they weren’t in front of people, he’d have raised his hand by now.

“You've been brainwashed by him? I raised you for over ten years, and some punk says a few sweet words and that’s it?”

Wei Minzhen glanced between the furious Wei Dongjia and the pale, trembling Wei Xiaochi. He finally grasped how this father and son dynamic worked.

“Mr. Wei, please calm down. I completely understand where you’re coming from, but… can you give your son a chance to speak?”

Wei Dongjia laughed angrily. “Fine. Let him speak.”

Ten seconds passed.

Wei Xiaochi sat curled up, head bowed, looking like a whipped puppy.

BANG! Wei Dongjia slammed the desk so hard it shook.

“See that? Give him the chance, and he still says nothing!”

“What’s the use of good grades? When I was his age, I was already out supporting myself!”

“Which part of him is like my son? If he had the guts to look me in the eye and say I’m not fit to be his dad—I’d actually be proud he had a spine!”

Suddenly, the office door burst open—

“You’re right. You’re not fit to be his dad.”

Jiang Zhan stood in the doorway, his whole figure lit with a cold white glow. His gaze was deep, and his expression like frost.

One hand rested on the doorframe. His broad shoulders and strong back drew sharp lines through his uniform—like a fierce beast spreading its wings in defense, fangs bared, standing between its mate and the world.

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes burned.

He didn’t even catch what Jiang Zhan said. His mind was spinning. But just Jiang Zhan’s appearance alone gave him enough strength and safety to breathe again.

—

The moment Wei Minzhen saw this walking disaster appear, his head started pounding.

The situation was already bad enough. Jiang Zhan showing up now? Total chaos.

He stood up, voice sharp. “What are you doing here?! Who told you to come?!”

Jiang Zhan didn’t flinch. “If there’s a problem, take it up with me. He has nothing to do with this. Let him go back to class.”

Wei Minzhen was furious. “You think you’re some kind of hero? What do you mean ‘take it up with me’? This is a school, not a triad movie set!”

He clutched his temples in frustration. “What, been watching too many gangster dramas lately?”

Wei Dongjia was already fuming, and now Jiang Zhan was mouthing off again? Wei Minzhen thought he might pass out from sheer rage.

Unsurprisingly, Wei Dongjia exploded. “You see?! He acts like a thug in my house too!”

“If it weren’t for him corrupting my son, you think he’d have the balls to run away from home?! If that’s not grooming, then what is?!”

Wei Xiaochi finally spoke. “He didn’t groom me.”

His voice grew steadier, louder. “He’s not a thug. He… treats me really well. I left home because I wanted to.”

Jiang Zhan stared at him. At those last words, he interjected coldly, “You didn’t want to leave home. You were thrown out.”

Wei Dongjia shouted, “Bullshit!”

Jiang Zhan turned to him, voice like ice. “He said he wanted to talk to you that day. You didn’t listen. You told him to get out—with me.”

“What’s there to talk about? There’s no way in hell I’ll let him be with someone like you. I’m his father. If I curse my own son, that’s my right. I told him to leave, and he really left?”

“When I was his age, my old man cursed me just the same!”

He looked at Wei Xiaochi, eyes red with fury. “When you become a father one day, you’ll understand who was really looking out for you.”

Jiang Zhan sneered. “Looking out for him? You know he’s been working weekends in a mascot suit in thirty-plus degree heat just to earn money?”

Wei Dongjia blinked, clearly unaware.

Jiang Zhan continued, “You know he has hypoglycemia? That he was bullied for three years in middle school? That he’s been saving for college on his own because he thought you wouldn’t pay for it? He’s saved over twenty thousand.”

“You know nothing. He only has one father. You. But you have three kids—and he’s the one you like the least.”

His voice turned icy. “You ignore him most of the time. But now you want to play the ‘responsible parent’? Please.”

Wei Dongjia glared at Jiang Zhan, chest heaving, but couldn’t say a word.

Even Wei Minzhen was stunned. He hadn’t expected this kind of thing to come out of Jiang Zhan’s mouth—he always thought those two were just messing around.

In his daze, Wei Minzhen suddenly noticed two women standing behind Jiang Zhan.

He jolted. “Y-You’re here?”

Jiang Zhan sensed something, turned around—and his gaze landed on them with a flicker of emotion.

“…Mom. Sis.”