Chapter 22: Expressing Gratitude

Chapter 22

When Eldest Uncle offered to drive Fu Huixing home, he declined.

After Shi Li expressed her gratitude repeatedly, they parted ways at the entrance of the police station.

Once in the car with just family members, Eldest Aunt finally asked her, "Shi Li, you weren't hurt, were you?"

Shi Li shook her head, "I'm fine, thanks to Fu Huixing arriving in time." Otherwise, she might have been caught up to quickly.

Eldest Aunt sighed, "You're a young girl, how could you go out alone so late at night? You were lucky this time to run into Fu Huixing. There aren't many good Samaritans willing to help these days. What if it happens again next time?"

Shi Li weakly defended herself, "I probably won't be that unlucky again."

"Don't rely on luck, you never know with these things. Even if nothing really happens, it's still unsettling."

Eldest Aunt continued her endless chatter, "We pay so much in tuition to Qianpu School every year, how can they not even manage the security around the school? How can they ensure students' safety going to and from school every day?"

Eldest Aunt then turned to her husband in the passenger seat, "You should talk to the Principal of Qianpu tomorrow. If they can't handle even this small matter, we should find someone more capable to do the job. I'm sure many people would be willing to take it on."

The Shi family held a significant number of shares in Qianpu School, making them a major shareholder.

Shi Li felt the Principal was being unfairly blamed, so she explained, "What happened today wasn't just bad luck."

She then recounted the whole story that she hadn't had time to explain on the phone.

It turned out it wasn't just an unfortunate encounter with two thugs. Eldest Aunt became even more upset, "It's normal for girls to have disagreements, but this is going too far."

"Who is this Liang Rongrong? I've never heard that name before."

Shi Li replied, "She's the adopted daughter Uncle Feng brought home a few days ago."

With this explanation, Eldest Aunt understood, "Oh, you mean old Feng's illegitimate daughter."

That's what everyone in their social circle was saying. Feng's Father had brought home a girl without his wife's consent, and Feng's Mother, believing her to be her husband's illegitimate child, was so upset she ended up in the hospital.

Feng's Father didn't dare say she was his former flame's daughter, fearing his wife's anger.

But his secretive attitude seemed like a poorly disguised attempt at concealment, further confirming everyone's suspicions.

Eldest Aunt let out a contemptuous snort, "Children raised by mistresses are never fit for polite society."

As they neared Shi Li's villa, Eldest Uncle, who had been silent for most of the journey, finally spoke, "Tomorrow, your aunt and I will go to the school to discuss this matter with the Principal. In the evening, we'll visit the Feng family to inquire about this adopted daughter. Is she involved in this incident?"

Eldest Aunt had a poor impression of Liang Rongrong, "Even if she is involved, she wouldn't admit it."

"Oh, by the way, if you're coming to school tomorrow, could you help me with something?" Shi Li asked.

"What do you need us to do?"

After Shi Li explained her request, her usually unflappable Eldest Uncle was visibly stunned.

Even Eldest Aunt, sitting next to Shi Li, temporarily lost her ability to speak.

"If... that's what makes you happy," Eldest Uncle said, which was as good as agreeing.

"Thank you, Eldest Uncle and Aunt," Shi Li replied gratefully.

The next day, after Eldest Uncle and Aunt dropped Shi Li off at school, they went to speak with the Principal while Shi Li headed to her classroom.

Upon entering, Shi Li noticed two bags of books piled on her desk.

Opening the bags, she found they contained the books she had discarded yesterday.

[You're so dirty-minded. Shi Li just entered the classroom, clearly she just arrived at school. How could she and Fu Huixing have been doing anything this early in the morning?]

[Why not? They're probably just pretending not to be involved in front of us classmates]

[I don't care, I'm sure there's something between them]

[It's not that Feng's stock isn't affordable, it's just that our Huixing-Li pair has better value for money]

Shi Li's Eldest Uncle and Aunt talked with the Principal for a long time. When the mid-morning break came, the Principal's Secretary came to the classroom and asked Shi Li and Fu Huixing to go to the Principal's office together.

As Shi Li had orchestrated this, she naturally wasn't confused about the situation.

Fu Huixing guessed it might be related to last night's incident, assuming there was an issue with yesterday's statement and that the police required additional recording.

The other classmates were puzzled.

After the two left, the classroom erupted into chatter.

"Do you think the teacher discovered they're dating and wants to give them a moral lecture, or call their parents?"

"Here's 50 million yuan, stay away from my son."

"Is it the Shi family throwing around checks, or the Fu family?"

"Who knows, maybe they're both throwing checks at each other."

Fu Huixing and Shi Li, who had already left, were unaware of their mischievous classmates' wild speculations.

The two knocked and entered the principal's office. Upon seeing Shi Li, the principal immediately stood up.

"I sincerely apologize, Shi Li. It was the school's negligence that put you in danger. I'm here to offer my deepest regrets and assure you that such incidents will never..."

"Regarding the case, the school will follow up in real-time. Qianpu School has always treated its students as our own children. We will absolutely not let our children suffer any grievances."

Shi Li's Eldest Uncle didn't necessarily want to have the principal replaced. Hearing his apology and stance, his anger subsided, and the matter was considered settled.

Last night's incident was an accident, beyond the principal's control, and certainly not something he would have wanted to happen.

They weren't the type of overbearing family, and such situations were understandable.

After concluding the matter of holding the school accountable, Shi Li's Eldest Uncle turned to Fu Huixing with a smile, "Fu Huixing, thank you for saving our Shi Li yesterday. She insisted on expressing her gratitude to you personally."

Fu Huixing suddenly had a very bad feeling.

The secretary of Shi Li's Eldest Uncle had been holding a small wooden box, which he now handed to Shi Li.

Under everyone's intense gaze, Shi Li slowly opened the box and pulled out a... gleaming golden banner.

The banner, when unfolded, displayed two lines of text: "A hero in times of peril, brave and righteous in action."

The dedication read "To my lifesaver, Fu Huixing," with "Presented by Shi Li" as the signature.

The principal and secretary: ......

Fu Huixing: ....... He knew she would pull something, but he never expected this.

As for the Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt, they were already numb to it, having been shocked once before when sending Shi Li home last night.

Now, facing these shocked expressions, Shi Li even felt that they were truly inexperienced.

How provincial.