LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 43 - I
Zhang Kaiwei knew that the aide mentioned his stepmother to put pressure on him, implying that if he failed to do anything good, his place in the government school would be gone. However, if his father, Zhang Mingwen, truly wanted to leave the spot to him, why bother saying more and not just write his name on it?
It would be over once and for all, and his stepmother wouldn’t be so worried.
But Zhang Kaiwei had no choice. Death was like a light going out, and his mother passed away early. How could he still expect his father to keep thinking about past love?
Additionally, the Zhang family had become stronger in recent years, and the help that Grandpa’s family could provide was even less.
Zhang Mingwen was a second-grade governor, yet Zhang Kaiwei stayed in a small place like Huanshui County, hiding from all the plots in the government. He only had one father, but that man had countless sons. Zhang Kaiwei thought and smiled bitterly.
.
Two days later, in the evening, Jing Xingzhi came down from the back mountain and met Wu Mingrui, who was waiting for him. Wu Mingrui looked at Jing Xingzhi and patted his shoulder, saying, “Xingzhi, you who go out early and come back late, have you forgotten about me as your roommate?”
It seemed that Jing Xingzhi had forgotten about Wu Mingrui, addicted to studying and surrounded by the old chief. But he couldn’t say it openly, fearing a beating.
Jing Xingzhi sighed, “I was forced to read by the teacher. I spent the whole day in a mountain of books and felt like I could never finish reading,” as he held his forehead and shook his head, appearing genuinely distressed.
Wu Mingrui was frightened by him, realizing his roommate’s deep love for reading. “Why don’t you tell the chief to let you read slowly,” Wu Mingrui suggested carefully.
Then, turning serious, he added, “You, a talented person, read all day long, but I still have time to watch the fun and talk. It’s inappropriate for me to talk about it to you!”
Jing Xingzhi asked curiously, “What’s the excitement? Come and tell me. It’s just for me to relieve my fatigue. I’ll invite you to my house for dinner tonight!”
Having recently bought a house, Jing Xingzhi had been busy with furniture and settling matters.
Wu Mingrui, not minding the details, promised to study more in the future. He shared some news, “Zhang Kaiwei came back to class again. Someone mentioned Deputy Chief Zhang and Zhang Mingyu in front of that student, he actually called Zhang Mingyu crazy!”
“Tsk, tsk, Zhang Mingyu used to be very good to him. Although the man spoke a few words to Zhang Kaiwei, anyone with a discerning eye knew he treated him as his own son. But now, Zhang Kaiwei publicly accuse Zhang Mingyu like this, which is truly chilling,” Wu Mingrui sighed.
After hearing this, Jing Xingzhi felt that Zhang Kaiwei was full of selfishness, and his actions depended on his character!
What kind of person was Zhang Kaiwei in the past? He assassinated the little scholar and later deceived his friend Zhu Da. He was a cold-hearted individual.
A cold-hearted person who, regardless of the tricks he employed, now acted as if he wanted to kill his relatives for the sake of justice. It was strange that he could deceive intelligent people.
However, Jing Xingzhi thought Zhang Kaiwei would leave the academy. After all, Zhang Mingyu’s incident was exposed, and Zhang Kaiwei’s continued presence would inevitably attract attention, and attention would mean trouble.
Wu Mingrui was not deceived. He found it strange that anyone could believe Zhang Kaiwei, given his dark history.
“Okay, you said many people believed it. Aren’t you a bit naive? Zhang Kaiwei tried to deceive Zhu Da. How close were he and Zhu Da before?” Jing Xingzhi smiled as he asked.
Wu Mingrui responded, “Quite a few people believed it, maybe around 30%.”
Jing Xingzhi analyzed, “Then at least 20% are acting. I understand. Zhang Kaiwei comes from the Zhang family, connected to the Right Prime Minister, even if it’s a branch. If you think about it carefully, some people echoing Zhang Kaiwei’s words, combined with their expressions, seem strange and unnatural.”
“Yes, yes. Yes!” Wu Mingrui agreed at first, “They weren’t deceived.”
Then he frowned and said discontentedly, “But they want to curry favor with the Zhang family, even if Zhang Mingyu kills someone, they don’t care. This is…”
Jing Xingzhi interrupted him: “Many people may not mean to flatter. It might be a way to leave an exit or avoid offending Zhang Kaiwei.”
There were about ten people who followed Zhu Da and Zhang Kaiwei in the early stages. These ten or so people were different from those who studiously pursued knowledge, and also different from Wu Mingrui, who had been raised by Madam Wu with a pure mind. They were educated by their elders and knew exactly what to do.
Jing Xingzhi muttered to himself; they were all social beings.
Zhang Kaiwei was also a social person. Although this trick might be useless, it could certainly eliminate Zhang Mingyu’s influence on him in the future.
Even those with high moral standards would struggle to find flaws. He couldn’t expect people to prioritize helping relatives to the extent of sacrificing innocent lives, right?
It didn’t make logical sense.