Chapter 26: The Detestable Department Head

“Qin Ruo, I didn’t expect you to handle this troublesome group of students so impressively. Now that they’re behaving, I feel so much more relaxed!” Dai Keni said with a smile from beside him.

Qin Ruo stood with his arms crossed, watching the students of Class Three running wildly, sweating and brimming with youthful energy. He smiled and nodded but didn’t respond.

Time ticked by slowly, and soon it was late afternoon. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a curtain of dusk. The day’s sweltering and grueling military training was finally coming to an end.

“Qin Ruo, little brother, let me treat you to dinner!” Dai Keni said from beside him.

“Sure, I’ve been waiting all day for you to say that,” Qin Ruo replied.

“Pfft, let’s go then,” Dai Keni said with a laugh.

Shortly after, the two arrived at the cafeteria of Binhai University. Qin Ruo wiped the sweat from his forehead and grumbled, “Teacher Dai, you’re not seriously just treating me to cafeteria food, are you?”

Dai Keni looked puzzled and said, “What’s wrong, Qin Ruo, little brother? Haha, don’t tell me you think I’m not sincere enough. The food here at school is actually pretty tasty, and it’s not expensive either!”

Qin Ruo nodded and said, “Alright then, let’s go.”

The two made their way to the third-floor faculty cafeteria, where hundreds of Binhai University teachers were already seated. They were gathered in small groups of three or five, getting their meals. Many male teachers’ eyes shifted when they saw Dai Keni, followed by hushed whispers.

“Teacher Dai is so young!”

“Yeah, if only she could be my woman.”

“Dream on! If she were your daughter-in-law, you’d be grinning from ear to ear.”

Around them, many teachers, mostly in their forties, were quietly joking among themselves. Compared to Dai Keni, who was in her early twenties, the age gap was quite significant.

“Huh, how come there’s a man next to Teacher Dai? He doesn’t look like a teacher from our school,” one teacher asked curiously.

“I’ve worked at Binhai University for over ten years, and I’ve never seen this guy. Who is he?”

Qin Ruo and Dai Keni hadn’t expected to attract so much attention just by coming to the cafeteria, but they didn’t care. After getting their food, they were ready to dig in. The price was indeed reasonable—three dishes and a soup for only twenty yuan. Dai Keni got a smaller portion for just ten yuan.

The two sat across from each other. Qin Ruo savored the twenty-yuan dinner Dai Keni treated him to, eating with relish. Dai Keni, sitting opposite him, couldn’t help but laugh as she watched.

Just then, an arrogant voice rang out from not far away, “Get me some food!”

His voice was loud, seemingly intentional. All the teachers turned their attention to him. The man was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, dressed in a suit with polished leather shoes. His face bore a stern, humorless expression.

“Xu Wei, this guy only got to be department head through connections. Now he doesn’t even respect anyone. Hmph, the higher you climb, the harder you fall.”

“Sigh, the world’s morals are declining.”

Many ordinary teachers whispered among themselves, keeping their voices low to avoid being overheard by this man, who was a favorite of the principal.

Xu Wei took his food and turned to find a table. When he noticed Dai Keni right beside him, his eyes lit up, and his heart raced with excitement. He had long wanted to strike up a conversation with her but never had the chance.

Now that the opportunity had finally arrived, how could this sleazy department head let such a perfect moment slip by? He had been obsessing over this woman, the embodiment of beauty and intellect, day and night. The more he looked at his frumpy wife at home, the more disgusted he felt.

“Heh, Teacher Dai, you’re eating here too,” Xu Wei said as he sat down beside Dai Keni, casually placing his tray on the table.

Dai Keni’s exquisite, beautiful face showed a slight frown. She seemed displeased by this, while Qin Ruo kept his head down, eating his food and ignoring the scene.

“Hello, Director Xu,” Dai Keni said reluctantly, forcing a greeting.

“Little Dai, you’re new to teaching at Binhai University. Have you encountered any difficult tasks in your daily work? If you have any issues, feel free to ask me,” Xu Wei said with a nauseating air of a senior mentoring a junior.

“Director Xu, I’m doing fine. I have a good impression of Binhai University,” Dai Keni replied.

“Mm, at Binhai University, whether it’s the teachers or the students, the quality is top-notch, and the work is relatively easy. Teacher Dai, it looks like you’re not married yet, right?” Xu Wei didn’t pick up on the displeasure in Dai Keni’s earlier words and instead asked an even more personal question.

Dai Keni shook her head and said, “Heh, Director Xu, I’ve been studying abroad until this year when I returned to the country.”

“I didn’t expect Teacher Dai to be so accomplished, a returnee from overseas no less,” Xu Wei said, seemingly praising her. In reality, he had already secretly gathered quite a bit of information about Dai Keni. This female teacher was only twenty-six years old and held dual master’s degrees in economics and Chinese studies—a rare achievement.

What was even rarer was her stunning beauty. No one would guess she was a teacher; she looked more like the campus belle.

As Xu Wei’s heart secretly thrummed with excitement, his gaze inevitably fell on Qin Ruo, who was eating across from her. With a curious tone, he asked, “Teacher Dai, is this gentleman also a teacher at our school? I don’t seem to recall seeing him.”

Dai Keni replied, “No, Director, he’s a friend of mine.”

“Oh, a friend?” Xu Wei showed no outward reaction, but inwardly, he sneered with disdain. Judging by the unrefined way this guy ate, he surely couldn’t be some young master from a prominent family.

“Teacher Dai, I’m not trying to criticize you, but while Binhai University is open to outsiders, bringing friends here isn’t quite appropriate. Remember that for next time,” Xu Wei said.

Dai Keni nodded, though her inner disgust intensified. Qin Ruo continued eating, paying no attention to the exchange.

“Teacher Dai, what does your friend do for a living?” Xu Wei asked. If this kid’s job was unimpressive, he planned to thoroughly humiliate him in front of Dai Keni, making him leave in disgrace and thereby winning her favor.

“Oh, he’s the owner of a restaurant,” Dai Keni said tentatively, glancing at Qin Ruo. “I’m not wrong, am I, Qin Ruo?”

“Nope,” Qin Ruo replied without even looking up, continuing to eat.

“Heh, no wonder his eating manners are so ungentlemanly. Teacher Dai, in the future, you should spend more time with cultured people like us. After all, you’re a cultured person yourself,” Xu Wei said.

Hearing Xu Wei’s words, Dai Keni’s expression darkened with anger. “Director Xu, what do you mean by that? Are you saying my friend has no culture?”

Qin Ruo slowly lifted his head, rice still on his lips. He crudely wiped his mouth with his hand and then said to Xu Wei, “Hey, Director, come a little closer.”

Xu Wei stood up curiously. Qin Ruo then wiped his rice-covered fingers on Xu Wei’s suit, rubbing vigorously a few times before saying, “There, all done.”

Seeing this, Dai Keni covered her mouth and laughed. Xu Wei, however, was furious, shouting, “You uncivilized brat, you dare use me as a rag!”

Qin Ruo gave Xu Wei a sidelong glance and said, “If you’re not a rag, then what are you? You’ve been spewing nonsense this whole time, making it hard for me to even eat my food.”

Qin Ruo’s sharp tongue was no joke. Back in the day, he had once left foreigners dumbfounded with his fluent English insults.

“Kid, you’re asking for trouble. Do you know this is a university, and I’m the department head?” Xu Wei said coldly.

“Department head? What’s that supposed to mean? You think you’re hot stuff? If you want to hit on Dai Keni, I’ve got no issue with that, but don’t use me as your punching bag. You can’t afford to mess with me, and you’re not worthy. You’re just a beast in a teacher’s clothing!” Qin Ruo retorted.

“You, you’re infuriating me!” Xu Wei roared, his anger boiling over as he threw a punch at Qin Ruo.

Qin Ruo had been waiting for Xu Wei to make a move. With a cold smirk, he delivered a swift kick to Xu Wei’s abdomen. Xu Wei was sent flying, crashing into the corner of the wall.

Letting out a pained scream, Xu Wei collapsed to the ground, wailing in agony.

Seeing this, all the teachers in the room gasped in shock. Someone had actually dared to assault a department head at Binhai University—this was utterly insane.

Qin Ruo walked over and stomped on Xu Wei’s face several times, cursing as he did, “Trash like you has been an eyesore to me for a long time. From now on, every time I see you, I’ll beat you up!”

Dai Keni hurried over and grabbed Qin Ruo’s arm, saying, “Enough, Qin Ruo. Stop hitting him, or things will get out of hand.”

Dai Keni had seen Qin Ruo’s combat prowess before. Let alone a teacher, even soldiers from the military wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

“For Dai Keni’s sake, I’ll let you off,” Qin Ruo said with a cold snort.

At this moment, Xu Wei’s face was bruised and swollen, his eyes filled with deep resentment. He had only recently become department head and had hoped to assert his authority in the cafeteria today, only to be utterly humiliated by this man. His feelings toward Qin Ruo had shifted from mere dislike to intense hatred.

“You dare assault a department head of Binhai University in public? Kid, I’m going to sue you. I’ll make sure you lose everything and end up in jail!” Xu Wei said coldly.

Hearing Xu Wei’s words, Qin Ruo let out a cold laugh. Though he had initially planned to leave, he now changed his mind. Sitting back down, he said, “Fine, I’ll wait for you to sue me. Let’s see just how capable you are!”

“Hmph, just wait!” Xu Wei struggled to his feet and pulled out his phone to call the police.

“Hello, is this Binhai City Public Security Bureau? I’m Xu Wei, department head at Binhai University. I’ve just been assaulted in the school cafeteria. The person is extremely arrogant. Please come immediately!” Xu Wei said with a cold, serious expression.

“Alright, we’ll be there right away!” came the response from the other end of the line.

“Kid, I’ve already called the police. You can run now if you want,” Xu Wei said with a cold smirk.

Qin Ruo smiled and said, “Why would I run? If I did, wouldn’t that play right into your hands? Oh, and before the police get here, I think I’ll beat you up one more time!”

With that, Qin Ruo walked over to Xu Wei.

Fear flashed in Xu Wei’s eyes. Moments later, piercing screams and wails echoed through the third floor. Surprisingly, though more and more teachers gathered around, not a single one stepped forward to help.

Meanwhile, at Binhai City Public Security Bureau...

“The department head of Binhai University has been assaulted. This is a serious matter. Who’s going to handle it?” the deputy bureau chief asked.

“I’ll go!” Lin Yan’er was the first to raise her hand.

“Alright, Yan’er, take a few people with you to check it out,” the deputy bureau chief said, confident in Lin Yan’er’s abilities.

Lin Yan’er nodded and soon led seven or eight male officers in a car headed for Binhai University.

Ten minutes later, Lin Yan’er, looking valiant and spirited, arrived at the cafeteria. She immediately flashed her badge and announced, “Police business. Unrelated personnel, clear out!”

At that moment, Qin Ruo was lazily smoking a cigarette, glancing at the department head lying on the ground, still groaning in pain, with a hint of disdain in his eyes. Lin Yan’er looked up, her gaze landing directly on Qin Ruo and Dai Keni, who were just a few meters away. She froze for a moment.

“Qin Ruo, Cousin!”

Her shout left the group of officers behind her dumbfounded. One of them asked in shock, “No way, they actually know Officer Lin Yan’er?”