A Calculated Confrontation

“You wouldn’t dare!”

The stepmother shrieked, her bravado crumbling the moment her eldest son was involved. She could no longer feign composure.

It was said that no one knew a son better than his mother. Wang Chunmei was acutely aware of her son’s true capabilities and habits; just by observing his expensive clothes and accessories, she knew he spent a considerable sum.

His monthly salary of three thousand as a civil servant was completely insufficient to support such expenditures. Even if the family secretly supplemented his income, she wouldn’t dare give him too much openly.

This strongly suggested that Jiang Zhe’s accusation of embezzlement was indeed true. However, at this critical juncture, she absolutely could not admit it, or that brat Jiang Zhe would have them cornered.

Yet, Jiang Zhe, upon hearing the shouts from the other end, showed no anger. Instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

“You can try. It’s not like I’m the one who’ll suffer, anyway.”

His clear, melodious voice was pleasant, but to Wang Chunmei’s ears, it sounded utterly grating.

Before he entered high school, even if Jiang Zhe was disobedient, she had him firmly clutched in her palm, unable to escape. She had long planned for him to contribute to the family once he was older.

After all, Jiang Zhe’s striking looks were quite popular among wealthy older women. This was precisely why Wang Chunmei was willing to raise him.

Otherwise, she would have long ago convinced Jiang Jianguo to send Jiang Zhe to the countryside, where his life or death would be no concern of hers. However, now her plans were ruined; Jiang Zhe actually dared to threaten her!

Wang Chunmei felt this stepson was becoming uncontrollable. Even so, she still had a trump card yet to play.

“Jiang Zhe, you may be heartless towards me and your elder brother, but you must consider your father! He’s old and his health isn’t good.

If your elder brother Jiang Chengcai commits a crime and gets arrested, how will the neighbors view our family? Your father will also be subjected to gossip and ridicule at his workplace!”

Having lived together for so many years, Wang Chunmei had long since understood Jiang Zhe’s temperament. Although Jiang Jianguo neglected his son, Jiang Zhe was exceedingly filial towards him.

Every time she mentioned Jiang Jianguo’s poor health, Jiang Zhe would guarantee to cease his arguments. Even if his eyes turned red with anger, it wouldn’t cause her any actual loss, so Wang Chunmei remained unconcerned.

As long as she could keep this brat in line, that was all that mattered! However, the Jiang Zhe of today listened to Wang Chunmei’s veiled threats with an unchanging smile.

He leaned casually against a tree trunk, shifting into a more comfortable position, utterly unfazed by her petty tricks. In the known original game plot, this family of ‘peak characters’ was far from good.

Jiang Chengcai, the elder brother who had adopted the Jiang surname despite having a different father and mother, did not keep his embezzlement and corruption hidden for long. After he was taken away by the police, Wang Chunmei, in a desperate bid to save him, actually threatened Jiang Zhe with Jiang Jianguo’s well-being, demanding he sacrifice himself.

Jiang Jianguo, the original protagonist’s father, remained silent. Though he said nothing, it was no different from tacit approval. Thus, in the game, Jiang Zhe, the protagonist, actually agreed to this idiotic act of ‘burning himself to illuminate others’.

However, it was, after all, a romance game, not a realistic novel, so it naturally didn’t succeed in the end. Jiang Zhe was eventually rescued by Su Lianlian, who had accidentally learned of his plight and went to great lengths to save him.

This further deepened Jiang Zhe’s feelings for Su Lianlian, laying the groundwork for him to take the blame for her later. The thought of the game’s female lead and the plot gave Jiang Zhe a headache.

‘Now, I can’t stay away from the female lead and the plot, but I can certainly stay away from these ‘peak characters’. From now on, I won’t go home during school holidays; I’ll consider myself estranged from the Jiang family.’

“He never cared for me before, and now it’s my turn not to care for him. Furthermore, don’t try to twist the facts; Jiang Chengcai’s arrest for his crimes is his own doing.

Even if there are rumors, the person who infuriates Jiang Jianguo to death won’t be me, it’ll be Jiang Chengcai.” Jiang Zhe remained calm in his reply, showing no anger towards his ‘peak’ family.

His merciless words almost directly declared that he no longer recognized Jiang Jianguo as his father, which left Wang Chunmei in disbelief. After a moment, Wang Chunmei still refused to believe Jiang Zhe would truly abandon Jiang Jianguo, thinking he was merely putting on a brave front.

‘So many years of filial piety couldn’t possibly change so drastically in such a short time!’ Jiang Zhe, seeing Wang Chunmei hadn’t immediately spoken, guessed her thoughts.

He chuckled again, then proactively spoke, “I know you don’t believe me. Just wait for the police to knock on your door!” Having said his piece, Jiang Zhe immediately hung up the phone and switched it off.

In a rather good mood, he lifted his feet and headed towards the school dormitory. Drawing a clear line with the ‘peak characters’ of the Jiang family was no easy task.

After all, Wang Chunmei treated the original host like a commodity every day and would certainly not let go easily without gaining benefits. Therefore, Jiang Zhe did not believe a single phone call would resolve things so simply.

Direct, face-to-face problem-solving was still required. Given Wang Chunmei’s intense affection for her eldest son, Jiang Chengcai, she would most likely seek him out for negotiations by tonight at the latest.

Thus, Jiang Zhe was not anxious at all. Instead, he secretly mused about securing some advantages from this negotiation. Merely retaining his subsidy was insufficient.

Of the fifty thousand in subsidies for his entire first year of high school, Wang Chunmei would have to cough up at least half. Unlike the original host in the game, who merely drifted through school, Jiang Zhe was not content with the status quo.

Even with Fenghua High School’s subsidy, what could such a small sum accomplish? It wasn’t even enough for a decent meal at a good restaurant, significantly lowering his living standards. Jiang Zhe needed to earn money.

As someone who had once achieved financial freedom, Jiang Zhe naturally wouldn’t be easily satisfied like ordinary people. Moreover, unlike others who needed to start from scratch and accumulate experience, Jiang Zhe already possessed ample experience.

He merely lacked initial capital. The money he would eventually get from Wang Chunmei, though not a large sum, could still be managed well to earn a considerable amount.

Once he had more money in hand, more avenues for earning would open up. Silently pondering these thoughts, Jiang Zhe followed the other students back to the dormitory.

The dormitory key he found in his pocket had a crystal tag attached, engraved with the specific floor and room number. As an affluent and willful private aristocratic academy, Fenghua High School’s dormitories were also lavish.

Each single room was thirty square meters, with initial white European-style decor and matching furniture featuring intricate patterns and European flair. If students were dissatisfied, they could renovate it themselves; as long as they didn’t burn down the dormitory building, anything was permissible.

Regarding dormitory hygiene, each building had a dedicated administrator. If students were uneasy, they could clean it themselves or hire cleaning staff, though specific proof would be required for them to enter the dormitory building.

Although accommodation wasn’t mandatory, many students still moved in. The exceedingly friendly living conditions catered to rich second-generation students, allowing even special admissions to enjoy the benefits for free.

However, Fenghua High School had a limited number of special admission slots, so it wouldn’t incur losses due to these hundred or so students. On the contrary, it could attract substantial sponsorships and a good reputation.

In short, Fenghua High School was not a charity and would not offer unconditional benevolence. Jiang Zhe wasn’t particularly concerned with these details.

After unlocking the door with his key, he found the neat room empty, devoid of any superfluous items. Even the desk held only a few books.

Jiang Zhe casually picked one up and flipped through it. ‘Hmm, excellent, a blank slate.’ As he turned the pages, a monthly exam report card caught his eye.

When Jiang Zhe lowered his head and saw that all his subject scores were single digits, he couldn’t help but press his temples to alleviate a headache. ‘Did the original host in the game take the test with their feet?’

‘Even guessing the multiple-choice questions couldn’t result in such abysmal scores!’ Having always graduated with high marks since childhood, Jiang Zhe found such pitiful scores utterly displeasing. He decided that improving his grades must also be added to his plan.

However, there were quite a few accumulated problems at the moment, and they needed to be dealt with one by one. ‘Today, I’ll resolve the harassment from my ‘peak’ family. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the club to sort out my survival issues…’