### Chapter 174: Face
The class bell rang. As usual, this lesson was supposed to be taught by He Gongxing, but since Xia Yu’s issue hadn’t been resolved yet, he couldn’t just go back to teaching. Thus, he could only sit there nervously waiting for Jiang Kekai.
Not long after, Jiang Kekai and the principal both arrived at He Gongxing’s office simultaneously.
Glancing around the room at the other teachers, the principal felt that discussing Xia Yu’s situation here was not ideal. He suggested,
“Why don’t we discuss this in the conference room next door?”
Jiang Kekai noticed this as well. She was worried that if they talked about Xia Yu’s issues in front of so many people, Xia Yu might overthink things, so she agreed: “Sure.”
So, the principal led a group including Xia Yu and Jiang Kekai to the nearby conference room. There was no one else there, providing the perfect setting to talk about Xia Yu. They shut the door, found a table, and sat down. The principal and He Gongxing took one side, while Jiang Kekai, Jiang Hanhang, Xia Yu, and Xia Ling took the other.
After some brief small talk, they continued from where they had left off earlier, which they hadn’t finished due to rushing over.
“The boy should use the boy’s bathroom. Going to the girl’s bathroom would ruin everything; it’d be detrimental to our school’s reputation,” the principal insisted.
Indeed, he stuck to his stance. If such a precedent were set and spread, how could parents send their daughters to school anymore? So in the principal’s view, maintaining the school’s interest was paramount. After all, he didn’t know about Xia Yu’s condition.
Seeing him so adamant, Jiang Kekai didn’t back down but doubled down: “Fine, then I’ll build a special bathroom for Xia Yu. How much does your land cost per square meter? I’ll buy it.”
Wow, those words were indeed impressive. It scared both Xia Yu and Xia Ling, plus it left He Gongxing and the principal speechless and a bit disoriented.
Only Jiang Kekai’s younger sister, Jiang Hanhang, remained calm, seemingly used to her sister’s intimidating demeanor.
The principal nervously wiped the sweat from his forehead and awkwardly replied, “Our school is public, so we can’t sell anything.”
“If nothing can be done, then I’ll have to transfer Xia Yu and Xia Ling along with my sister. Get the procedures set up.” Hearing Jiang Kekai, the principal panicked, and Xia Yu got up nervously to say something.
But Jiang Kekai grabbed her wrist firmly, signaling her to stay calm. Xia Yu had no choice but to take a deep breath and watch what her Little Ning would do next.
Jiang Kekai’s firm words hit the principal like a bolt out of the blue. He had just promoted Jiang Kekai as a top student, and now if she left, it would be a significant loss for the school.
He looked at Xia Yu, then glanced at the determined Jiang Kekai, gritted his teeth, and said, “Hold on, let’s not rush. Maybe we can rethink this.”
“What’s there to reconsider? If Xia Yu keeps going through this, her psychological issues will just get worse. Are you prepared to deal with that?”
Although Jiang Kekai was aggressive, the principal couldn’t counter her. She had the upper hand. If she wanted to move elsewhere, who would refuse her?
After pondering for a moment, the principal seemingly made a decision and compromised: “Fine, I can agree to let Xia Yu use the girls’ bathroom. But I have one condition.”
“What is it?”
“You must have someone with Xia Yu every time, just in case…her condition might worsen inside.”
While saying this, everyone knew the principal was hinting at something. Yet, it made perfect sense, so he had no objections. “No problem.”
Jiang Kekai smiled confidently.
Indeed, Jiang Kekai easily won this negotiation. And she wasn’t wrong—she could always transfer everyone to another school.
The principal turned to He Gongxing, looking somewhat discouraged, and said, “We still have spare brown dresses for elementary school girls. You can find a few for Xia Yu, so she can wear them to school. This should help reduce the impact.”
It was clear that the principal had made significant concessions already. Why should Xia Yu change clothes? It wouldn’t harm anyone, right?
Later, Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu earned considerable respect from the principal. Xia Yu was already a girl, anyway, wearing a girl’s uniform wasn’t an issue. And thus, the discussion concluded.
However, as the women, led by Jiang Kekai, were about to leave, the principal couldn’t help but ask a question out of curiosity:
“Can you tell me the relationship between you, Xia Yu, and Xia Ling? Why are you taking such good care of them?”
Indeed, as the principal, he had the right to review Xia Yu and Xia Ling’s records, even from elementary school.
Yet, regardless of how much he checked, their files indicated they came from a small village called Bagui, and how did Jiang Kekai know them? And why was this young lady so attentive to them?
Hearing his question, Jiang Kekai hugged Xia Yu’s neck and faced the principal with a confident smile: “Xia Yu is my secretary. That’s all.”
With that, Jiang Kekai dismissed the principal and led her sister and Xia Yu, Xia Ling out of the room.
Amidst walking in the hallway, Jiang Kekai suddenly recalled something and said enthusiastically to her sister and Xia Yu, Xia Ling, “Why don’t we go eat outside at lunch? I’ll treat. There are plenty of snacks around here I haven’t tried.”
Immediately, Jiang Hanhang had a helpless expression: “Sis, don’t you remember how you got caught before? How can you forget so quickly?” “We’re fine now, and outside the school there are tons of Jiang Family guardians. It’s all good.”
“But… won’t we get scolded?”
Jiang Hanhang was hesitant, not because she didn’t want to, but because she was afraid of getting lectured once they returned.
“Do you ever stop getting scolded? Last chance—going or not? If not, I’ll take Xia Yu and Xia Ling without you.” “Going, why not? Staying here is boring. Definitely going.”
“Good. Let’s meet at the school gate during lunchtime.”
With that, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help but pinch Xia Yu’s cheek, savoring how soft it was.
Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and Jiang Hanhang headed back to class, while Jiang Kekai went back to her junior high classroom. After all, classes were still ongoing.
As expected, upon their arrival at the classroom, all eyes fell on them, some with a tinge of schadenfreude.
Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang brought Xia Yu to the girls’ bathroom openly, making it hard for others to understand why they had returned late. Of course, rumors had it that they were called for a chat with the teacher.
Ignoring these stares and whispers, Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang silently noted who was gossiping, vowing to avoid them in the future.
When Xia Yu returned to her seat, she seemed unfazed, immune to the attention.
Given how many similar incidents occurred throughout the year, if Xia Yu still couldn’t adapt, she’d probably endure more hardships.
“Hey, heard you went to the girls’ bathroom again? Isn’t that true? You’re really something,” Xia Yu’s optimistic classmate asked.
Typical timing. Xia Yu sat down only to hear these questions. She was at a loss with her classmate’s enthusiasm over boys entering the girls’ toilet.
But, seeing her genuine curiosity, Xia Yu sighed and answered, “Yes.”
“Six six six! So, what’s it like inside the ladies’ room? What were your reactions? Also, did your homeroom teacher call you in? What did he say?”
Xia Yu “.…”
“You’ll know tomorrow,” Xia Yu finally replied.
In the end, He Gongxing never showed up for class either, leaving everyone to wonder why, perhaps the principal had detained him for a chat. Regardless, when the bell rang, class was over and recess began.
Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang rushed to Xia Yu’s desk, urging her to hurry up. Especially Jiang Hanhang, the second young lady of the Jiang family, who seemed reluctant when Jiang Kekai proposed the idea moments ago.
Under a tree at the school gate, Xia Yu, Xia Ling, and Jiang Hanhang started waiting, hoping Jiang Kekai would arrive soon. Instead, they were greeted by Pengcheng Four, Xia Le, and their entourage…
Seeing Xia Yu without Jiang Kekai, Lin Jie became intrigued. With a grandiose gesture, his team approached the girls.
