CHAPTER 306: CHAPTER 306: RESOLVED A MAJOR CONCERN

"Let them jump around if they want. I just love the way they can’t stand me but still can’t take me down," Sang Ning said absentmindedly while fiddling with something in the living room, casually responding to Sang Chuan.

"Sis, you’ve already been taken down, okay?" Sang Chuan rolled his eyes with utter exasperation.

Right now, whenever Sang Ning’s name came up online, it was accompanied by a flood of insults. Not just Sang Ning, the entire Sang Family was being labeled as society’s scum.

Chu Tian and Li Sulan, those two sanctimonious pretenders, were always acting all righteous online, backstabbing people with passive-aggressive jabs.

The Sang Family had gained infamy—getting cursed out on the internet and berated in real life too. Wherever they went, fingers were pointed at them.

Thanks to Sang Ning losing her temper last time, nobody dared lay a hand on them anymore, but that didn’t stop people from running their mouths!

"As long as they didn’t kill me, it’s not called ’taking me down’!" Sang Ning stepped in front of Sang Chuan and corrected him seriously. After saying her piece, she grabbed a tripod and walked off.

Sang Chuan noticed the item in her hand and called out to her, "Sis, what’s that thing you’re holding?"

"Can’t you tell what it is?" Sang Ning gave the tripod a little toss in her hand. "I’m going to start live streaming—it’s to hold my phone."

Sang Chuan clutched his head in despair, looking as if he might break down. "Do you even know what time it is? And you’re in the mood for streaming? Your brother here is already a dropout, and you don’t care about me—you’d rather go live?"

"What’s the rush? You’ll be back in school soon. Someone’s coming to pick you up," Sang Ning said with a raised eyebrow.

"??? How did you convince Old Gao? They actually agreed to let me go back to school? Aren’t they afraid I’ll drag them down?" Sang Chuan was astonished.

Honestly, he’d already resigned himself to the idea of dropping out and finding a job.

His sister was blacklisted in the entertainment industry, and he was effectively banished from the school system. The Sang Family wasn’t wealthy or influential enough to get his education back on track.

The only connection they had was his sister’s seemingly rich boyfriend, but that guy didn’t seem all that reliable either.

These past few days, his "brother-in-law" had done nothing but deliver food to their house—treating them like penned-up pigs.

Sang Chuan was genuinely starting to suspect that Li Juezhou’s real identity was that of a pig farmer.

"It’s not Shuixi First Middle School. Anyway, this school’s study environment is way more intense, and its management is more like a prison. You won’t be allowed home even on weekends. You’ll regain your freedom only after the college entrance exams are over," Sang Ning explained.

But Sang Chuan had a sinking feeling in his gut. Why did it sound like Sang Ning was sending him to an actual prison?

The adolescent with an overactive imagination began to speculate: Could it be that Sang Ning had pinned the blame for the Qingyue incident on him, and was using this as a way to send him to jail in her place?

Sang Chuan started fake-crying, feeling like the beleaguered, abandoned victim of his sister’s schemes.

And if it really came to that, he’d accept his fate.

At least prison, he thought, had a structured routine, food, and shelter—far more stable than wandering aimlessly in society.

Seeing Sang Chuan’s expression, Sang Ning could guess the bizarre scenarios running through his mind. She didn’t hold back and smacked him lightly on the head.

"Get out! Stop overthinking! It’s just a normal school. Hurry and pack your stuff so it’s easier to leave later. You don’t need to bother about anything here—just focus on studying!"

Even though Sang Ning said all this, Sang Chuan’s quirky thought process refused to believe her. He remained convinced that the vehicle coming to pick him up would undoubtedly be a police car.

Sang Ning answered a call, hung up, and then hurriedly urged Sang Chuan to pack his things and head downstairs.

Sang Chuan didn’t have much to pack—his luggage was minimalist enough to leave at a moment’s notice.

Before they left, Sang Ning asked, "Dad and Mom are upstairs growing vegetables on the rooftop. Aren’t you going to say goodbye to them?"

"Nope!" Sang Chuan shook his head.

If he was going to prison, it wasn’t exactly a proud occasion that warranted a farewell.

It wasn’t until they got downstairs that the oppressive cloud hanging over Sang Chuan’s head finally dissipated.

The vehicle picking him up wasn’t a police car! Although, what showed up might have been even more shocking than a police car.

The person who arrived was none other than Old Tang!

"Xiao Sang, all packed? If you’re ready, let’s go. I’ve got a ton of things to deal with today!" Tang Yuanmao stepped out of the car and briskly walked up to Sang Chuan, grabbing his luggage and heading for the trunk.

In Sang Chuan’s eyes, Tang Yuanmao was just an elderly, feeble man. He couldn’t allow someone like that to do the heavy lifting, so he immediately grabbed his luggage back. "Old Tang, no need, no need, I got it!"

After putting his luggage into the trunk, Sang Chuan slowly turned to look at Sang Ning, his eyes reddening, as if he was on the verge of tears. "Sis, if you’re going to send me to a psychiatric hospital, I’d rather you just send me to prison!"

To Sang Chuan, Tang Yuanmao seemed like an eccentric, mentally unstable old man.

Sang Ning hurried forward and gave Sang Chuan a swift kick. "You little brat! Watch your mouth! Mr. Tang is the dean of Zijin Research Institute. He’s the one who helped arrange your schooling! Instead of thanking him, you’re spouting nonsense!"

Like a robot, Sang Chuan slowly, stiffly turned his head again, his eyes wide with confusion as he stared at Tang Yuanmao.

Did he have memory loss, or did Sang Ning get it wrong? Old Tang was actually a dean? Was this some kind of joke?

"Ahem—" Tang Yuanmao cleared his throat instinctively. At the moment he opened his mouth, he seemed to realize something, and quickly swallowed back the words "my mentor."

"Sang Ning, it’s fine. Kids, you know, they say whatever pops into their minds," Tang Yuanmao said with a smile, smoothing over the situation for Sang Chuan.

Ever since parting ways with Sang Ning last time, Tang Yuanmao had been exceptionally busy, leaving him little time to follow entertainment industry news.

When Sang Ning called him out of the blue to explain the situation and ask for help arranging a school for Sang Chuan, he finally went online to check out what had been happening.

Though the internet was drowning in scorn for Sang Ning, Tang Yuanmao firmly believed his mentor was innocent.

Without hesitation, he reached out to secure a school for Sang Chuan.

"Thank you, Dean Tang!" Sang Ning expressed her gratitude earnestly before shoving Sang Chuan into the car.

It was clear that Tang Yuanmao was incredibly busy. As soon as Sang Chuan got in the car, Tang Yuanmao followed suit. He barely had time for small talk with Sang Ning and left after exchanging only a couple of brief goodbyes.

Sang Ning stood in place, watching the car drive off into the distance, feeling deeply grateful to Tang Yuanmao.

When asking for his help, she had made it clear that by aiding her, he would essentially be pitting himself against the Chu Group and Hai Chuan Entertainment. She urged him to consider carefully before deciding.

But Tang Yuanmao had almost no hesitation and agreed immediately. "Mentor, don’t worry. I don’t even take Hai Chuan Group seriously—what’s a minor company under them or the Chu Group to me?"

Though Sang Ning couldn’t help but feel uneasy, she chose to believe in Tang Yuanmao. After all, he wasn’t someone who spoke without weighing his words.

If Tang Yuanmao ended up in any trouble because of this, Sang Ning was determined to take responsibility and ensure he was completely in the clear.

In any case, the issue of Sang Chuan’s schooling was resolved. Now, she needed to accelerate her pace to tackle the problems at hand.