Chapter 405 - 418: Counterattack
The scar on Jiang Xia’s abdomen made Hua Cheng shoot to his feet. Seething with an anger he didn’t know where to direct, he kicked a nearby stone.
"Fuck! I’m so—"
Hua Cheng had countless curses for Jiang Dongcheng swirling in his mind, but since they all involved ancestors, he couldn’t quite get them out.
He felt like he was about to explode from bottling it all up!
"He’s worse than an animal! Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs, but he tried to kill you! All to pave the way for that useless son of his!"
An Ning’s gaze remained fixed on Jiang Xia’s abdomen. The scar was large, and by tracing its subtle trajectory, she could easily tell the attack had been aimed at his chest.
"Hua Cheng is right. Jiang Dongcheng really is worse than an animal."
An Ning withdrew her gaze and looked at Jiang Xia with a dead serious expression. "How do you want him to die?"
An Ning’s attitude gave off the distinct impression that whatever he said, she could make it happen.
"Death... is too good for him. I told you, I want to see his reputation destroyed. I want him to be betrayed by everyone around him, to be left utterly alone with no one to help him. I want everything he’s ever wanted to become nothing more than a pipe dream."
Jiang Xia’s hatred was so palpable it was almost a physical thing. If he’d had any reservations about Jiang Dongcheng before, they were all gone now.
That gunshot... he had been aiming for Jiang Xia’s heart.
"What’s your plan?"
An Ning didn’t just act on her own. When it came to revenge, the only true vengeance was one that brought satisfaction to the victim.
Besides, just as Jiang Xia said, death would be letting Jiang Dongcheng off too easy.
Death was only a moment of pain. But psychological torture, stripping away everything he had piece by piece, forcing him to watch as everyone around him left... that would be a very satisfying, cathartic process. An Ning believed Jiang Xia needed that.
Jiang Xia held nothing back from the two of them. In fact, he had been planning to contact them himself, but was waiting until he had recovered a little more.
"Here’s what we’ll do..."
The three of them put their heads together, whispering for a long time. When they finally broke apart, Hua Cheng was the first to leave.
Only An Ning and Jiang Xia remained amidst the ruins.
"Jiang Xia, did you anticipate any of this?"
"I did. It’s just a little worse than I imagined. I didn’t think he hated me that much."
Jiang Xia spoke casually, his voice devoid of hatred or any emotion at all.
"The day I left Beijing, I started planning for the moment I would return. I’ve waited a long, long time for this moment. It seems Jiang Dongcheng has been waiting a long, long time, too."
An Ning placed a hand on Jiang Xia’s shoulder, her tone firm.
"Don’t worry. You’ve got me on your side. We’ll win."
"I know."
A strange sense of rapport grew between them. With An Ning’s help, Jiang Xia left the ruins and went to a house rented by an unrelated third party.
This was the second escape route Jiang Xia had prepared for himself, but An Ning had found him before he’d had a chance to move.
When the two of them arrived easily at the small courtyard, Jiang Xia remarked with a sigh, "Are all you half-assed Feng Shui Masters this amazing?"
"Of course. Don’t you know who I am?"
An Ning explained to Jiang Xia that she had used Feng Shui techniques to conceal him from being discovered. And indeed, no one had noticed him on their way there.
As for what specific methods she used, no one but she herself would ever truly know.
After settling Jiang Xia in, An Ning didn’t stay long. She returned to the university to prepare for her part in his plan.
Back at the university, An Ning first contacted Yu the Elder and, with his help, arranged to see the principal.
The principal, the very same one who had personally driven to Shili Gou, was surprised that An Ning had come to see him.
「The Principal’s Office.」
Mahogany desk and chairs, a wall-to-wall bookshelf. The principal, who wore gold-rimmed glasses, took them off and stood up to greet Yu the Elder as he entered.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in. What gives you the time to come visit, you old coot?"
"What, am I not allowed to?"
The familiar tone between them made their close relationship obvious.
As Yu the Elder walked in, An Ning, who had been behind him, was revealed. The principal, who had been about to let his casual demeanor show, instantly composed himself.
"And this is?"
"This is the student you drove through the night to recruit."
Yu the Elder took a step to the side, and An Ning stepped forward, bowing slightly to the principal. "Hello, sir. I’m An Ning."
"Oh—An Ning! Welcome, welcome! Are you settling in all right? How are the dorms? Don’t you have class today?"
The principal came out from behind his desk and warmly invited them to sit down.
"Everything at school is fine, sir. I do have class today, but I got permission from my professor to come."
An Ning sat down, and after her brief explanation, got straight to the point. "I came today because I’d like to see Jiang Xia’s enrollment documents."
"Jiang Xia? The one who placed third, right? Your Shili Gou really is a breeding ground for talent. All top three students came from there."
"I’m genuinely curious how you all study."
The principal didn’t refuse An Ning’s request. He didn’t even ask for a reason before picking up the phone to make a call.
Just as the principal was about to continue the conversation, his phone rang. He gave them an apologetic nod and answered it.
"What?"
"How could that happen?"
"All right, all right. That’s all for now."
The principal hung up, his brow furrowed. He turned back to them, looking a bit sheepish. "There was a leak in the records office. Some of the files were soaked, and they’re being restored now."
A sarcastic smile touched An Ning’s lips. ’They really are stopping at nothing. And I have to admit, it’s effective.’
An Ning didn’t say anything else. She simply stood up, expressed her thanks, and left, leaving behind a bewildered principal and a semi-informed Yu the Elder.
"Wait, she’s just leaving? Why do I get the feeling I’m completely unimportant here?"
"Not that I have to be important, but this is the first time I’ve felt *this* unimportant. It’s a little strange."
The principal was amazed by An Ning’s attitude and curious about why she wanted the files.
Unfortunately, Yu the Elder didn’t utter a single word, claiming he was only there to show her the way.
After Yu the Elder left, the principal finally had a thought and muttered to himself, "Wait a minute... why did old Yu bring her here? He doesn’t teach freshmen."
"Could it be... she learned math from Yu the Elder?"
The principal felt he had grasped the truth and now had some insight into the source of An Ning’s academic achievements.
’After all,’ he thought, ’a great teacher produces a brilliant student.’
The "great teacher" and "brilliant student" who had just left the principal’s office went their separate ways. One went to class, while the other headed for the academic building where Jiang Xia’s classes were held.
An Ning walked to the finance department’s building and, using the class schedule Yin Xuemei had given her, found the right classroom.
RIIING—
A long bell rang. The professor at the front of the class gathered their books, stepped down from the platform, and left the room.
An Ning stood by the back door, a playful smile spreading across her face as she watched the students inside gathering their things.
"Jiang Xia!"
"Jiang Xia!"
The two calls of his name made a young man with his back to the door turn around. He had black glasses, a buzz cut, and was about five-foot-eleven.
The moment An Ning saw the fake Jiang Xia, only one thought crossed her mind: ’What a fucking joke!’