Chapter 20: Higher Rank Crushes the Lower (Second Update)

The words from the school leadership only served to confirm the lead teacher’s previous suspicion: Yun Ran was indeed being bullied.

"The school called. They said your family has applied to cancel your study tour and requested that the school send you back immediately."

Yun Ran picked up a steamed bun, took a vicious bite, and only after swallowing did she ask, "Did the school agree?"

The lead teacher felt increasingly guilty. As merely the person in charge of the tour, he had no power to secure justice for Yun Ran. "Yes."

This was the disadvantage of having one's guardianship held by others; they could make decisions about her life without her consent.

"Give me the principal’s phone number and a photo of him."

She was not the original owner of this body, and she certainly wouldn’t be led around by the nose by the plot. Since the Yun family knew how to go over her head to the school leadership to cancel her spot, she would find an even higher authority to crush them.

The lead teacher, who had been feeling uneasy, felt his eyes light up at her words. How could he have forgotten? Yun Ran was a master; she would never be helpless.

"I’ll give it to you right now!" If it were anyone else asking for the principal's private number, they would be dreaming. But because it was Yun Ran, he was eager to spill every piece of gossip he had ever heard about the principal.

Yun Ran examined the most recent photo of the principal. Looking at his bald head, she thought it a pity that such a refined face was wasted. The principal’s children palace indicated he had two sons, yet everyone at school knew he only had one daughter. This was interesting.

Yun Ran smiled and dialed the number for the principal’s office.

Principal Du Cheng had just finished a meeting and was rubbing his temples in exhaustion; every time he reported to the board of directors, he felt as though he lost several pounds. When the phone rang, he assumed it was more work and immediately braced himself before answering.

"This is Du Cheng."

"Hello, Principal. I am Yun Ran from the Grade 10 International Class. I have a small matter I’d like to ask for your help with."

Du Cheng was momentarily speechless. If he helped every student who asked, when would he get any actual work done? However, the International Class was filled with children from the wealthiest families in Haicheng, so he could not afford to be dismissive.

"Student Yun Ran, the school has assigned life counselors for you. If you have any issues, you can go directly to them to help you solve—"

Before Du Cheng could finish, Yun Ran interrupted him: "If you help me, I can help you find your two sons."

The words hit him like a blunt club to the head, tearing open memories that had been sealed for a long time.

Over a decade ago, when he was just a minor administrator, he had been eager to climb the ladder, actively seeking any opportunity for business trips. That year, he had just married, and he received an offer for a one-year assignment abroad. Though he was ambitious, he was also deeply responsible toward his family. It was his wife who urged him to go, saying it was a great opportunity that would lead to a promotion to department head upon his return.

He went, but he regretted that decision for the rest of his life. He had not realized his wife was pregnant at the time. He entrusted her care to his parents, but when he returned, his wife had given birth to a daughter and fallen into a severe postpartum depression. His wife had insisted she had given birth to boys—twins—but he had doubted her, especially since their daughter resembled him so strongly. His mother had chimed in, claiming his wife was biased against girls and had hallucinated that her sons were stolen.

He felt heartbroken and guilty, trying his best to provide security for his wife. He loved his daughter, but when she turned one, his wife committed suicide with sleeping pills. He was devastated, but for the sake of his young daughter and aging parents, he had to carry on. Very few people knew about this.

Now, a high school freshman was suddenly saying this, and his heart began to race. Recalling his wife’s dying words about their two sons, the principal asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Don't be nervous, Principal. I won't ask you to do anything that violates your professional ethics. I am currently away on a study tour. However, I have some conflicts with my family, and they went directly to the school leadership to forcibly cancel my spot. I would like you to give a warning to certain school leaders; they shouldn't be so servile and should instead uphold the spirit of their contracts."

The principal was stunned. He had been prepared for a scandal, only for this? He took a deep breath, suppressing his bewilderment, and said, "Very well, leave this matter to me."

He had been a principal for many years; if he couldn't handle such a petty issue, he would have been torn apart by the board of directors long ago. They say that a superior’s authority is absolute; with one phone call, he berated the leader who had arbitrarily canceled the student’s spot—especially for a public-welfare-oriented tour—until he was speechless. He didn't even show such fear before the board of directors; he hit hard against his insubordinate subordinates.

Less than ten minutes later, the lead teacher received a call: Yun Ran could stay.

The principal's efficiency satisfied Yun Ran. She didn't play games; after obtaining the principal’s birth data, she gave him two addresses. She added a final piece of advice: "It would be best to bring more bodyguards. Also, from now on, be more guarded, even with those closest to you."

The lead teacher, who had been listening the entire time, was full of gossip: "Student Yun Ran, the principal’s daughter looks so much like him. Is she his illegitimate child?"

The trope of mistresses swapping children was enough to spark endless imagination, even among these so-called high-level intellectuals.

"You're overthinking it. The principal, while slick and sometimes annoying, is actually a man loyal to his family."

The lead teacher had limited influence, but Yun Ran still had a few years of school left; it was necessary to cultivate an ally. Besides, the truth about the principal’s family would eventually come out anyway.

"The principal's family carries the gene for twins. His daughter, strictly speaking, is actually his biological niece, which is why she resembles him so much. Unfortunately, the principal didn't know he had an identical twin brother. His parents saw his success and high income, and because the daughter they were raising was a girl, they grew biased. They swapped their other son's children with his, which indirectly drove their own daughter-in-law to her death. Ah, what a tragedy."