I Really Didn't Want the Long Aotian to Be My Wife [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 12

At six o’clock in the morning, the sky was still cloaked in darkness, the black curtain still hiding the horizon. In this still sleeping world, the intrusive ringing of the alarm echoed through the dormitory building of Jinyang No. 1 High School.

Wei Zhenge rose from his bed, got dressed, and pulled back the curtains. The ringing continued, and he heard Chen Ji lying on the bed muttering a few curse phrases, “This damn school, this damn ringing, it’s going to give me a heart attack one of these days.”

The wake-up alarm of Jinyang No. 1 High School never failed to provoke students’ complaints. It was very effective in jolting everyone awake, but anyone being abruptly awakened from their sleep would definitely have a rude jolt, no matter how many times they’ve experienced it before.

The alarm rang for five minutes and then switched to an English song whose name Wei Zhenge couldn’t recall.

By this point, he was already at the sports field reciting English vocabulary words. Other students trickled into the field, and the towering lights illuminated this small area. A melodious English song filled with hope was played on a loop from the loudspeakers. By 6:30, the song would change to rousing exercise music.

The lights on the field were extremely bright, making the still-childish students chase after their unseen sun under the artificial glow.

After morning exercises were over, it was time for breakfast, then morning self-study, then morning lectures, then it was onto the crowded stream of students making their way to the cafeteria for lunch. Following that were a brief nap and afternoon classes.

As the afternoon’s final bell rang, Wei Zhenge closed his textbook. Instead of rushing to the cafeteria along with the main crowd, he grabbed his water cup and headed to the drinking fountain in the back corner of the classroom to fill it up.

The switch of the drinking fountain was mistakenly turned off by someone, and so Wei Zhenge stood in front of it as he waited for the water to be heated up.

While clutching the water cup, wearing his white uniform, standing there with his eyes cast down, his posture was upright, his face exquisite. His female classmates who passed by couldn’t help but take a second look at him, whispering among themselves as they walked away.

When Wei Zhenge finished filling his cup and returned to his desk, his deskmate, Chen Ji, cheerfully said, “I’m going to play basketball.”

After walking away a few steps, Chen Ji turned around as if he had remembered something, “By the way, put that thing on the table in my locker.”

Jinyang No. 1 High School was well-off, each classroom in the back was equipped with both a water machine and a row of lockers. The lockers, used to store the students’ personal possessions, each had a number that corresponded to the specific student’s ID number.

Chen Ji nonchalantly walked away, showing no worries that Wei Zhenge might refuse his request. Or perhaps he hadn’t given him the opportunity to refuse at all. His back towards Wei Zhenge, he quickly exited the classroom.

On the surface, it seemed like Chen Ji was eager to play basketball. But in reality, his face was filled with tension. His heart was beating faster than his steps, thundering loudly inside his chest.

Wei Zhenge looked at the box that Chen Ji had placed on his book. Without giving it much thought, he got up and placed it in Chen Ji’s cabinet.

The cabinet had a lock on it, but it wa]sn’t locked. This was a common habit among many students. Locking and unlocking every time was a pain and without any valuable items, no one would bother to lock their cabinets.

Wei Zhenge returned to his seat, took out a textbook, and started doing some exercises. He continued doing so until some classmates gradually returned from their meal break. Taking this as a break time, he put down his pen and walked out of the classroom to get his meal.

This was a habit he picked up, he avoided the rush hour for meals to avoid unnecessary queuing and crowding. Even though meals at this time in the cafeteria would usually be a bit cold and his eating time seemed sketchy, Wei Zhenge did not find these to be much of an issue.

After supper, the teacher usually doesn’t do much lecturing during self-study hours. The classroom was calm, except for mute sounds of pens sliding across the paper and occasional whispers.

Some peace was expected until the end of the class when the bell rang. But today, things took a turn when the tranquil silence was rudely interrupted by an intrusion.

“Sir, this is Wei Zhenge’s class.” A man’s voice sounded from the doorway. A group of students barged into the quiet classroom, “Yes, I can see, this pen is what he took.”

“I initially thought that was his own backpack, but stealing, huh?” His last few words were intentionally dragged long and loud. Every student present in the class heard it.

The headmaster led the group, followed by the homeroom teacher of Class 5 of the third year, two security guards, an unfamiliar male student, and Fu Pengyi.

The teacher for tonight’s self-study class hurriedly stepped up, lowering her voice to ask about the situation. Her voice was low, but Fu Pengyi announced loudly, “My pen is missing, we have searched the cabinets and desks in our class, my classmates claimed that they saw Wei Zhenge tampering with my bag this morning before the morning exercise. Hence, we are here to investigate him.”

“When you look at him, he might be the culprit too,” Fu Pengyi paused after each word, making his implications clear.

The headmaster surveyed the whole classroom, then spoke in a serious tone, “Is Wei Zhenge around? Please step forward.”

Wei Zhenge stood up but before he could utter a word; the female teacher, sounding hesitant, said, “Sir, Wei Zhenge is my student, and he has always performed well academically. I trust he wouldn’t steal.”

The headmaster shook his head, “Academic performance isn’t a standard to determine someone’s morality. The school ethos of Jinyang No.1 High School is strict, we strictly prohibit such happenings.”

Instantly hearing those words, the class fell into noisy discussions. Despite the low murmurs, the collective whispers sounded loud.

“What? He really stole something?”

“Looking at Wei Zhenge, it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Someone did witness it, could there be any doubtful points?”

“Tsk, the one who witnessed may well be an accomplice of Fu Pengyi.”

“What’s going on here?”

With an air of arrogance, Fu Pengyi looked at Wei Zhenge. He raised his voice deliberately: “Well, I must find my pen today. That pen, tailored by a master, costs two hundred thousand each!”

He glared at Wei Zhenge grimly: “If you are the one who stole it, enjoy being expelled. You dare to steal anything, huh?”

Wei Zhenge calmly looked at him, “I didn’t steal your pen.”

“Whether you stole it or not, your claim doesn’t count. We need evidence.” Fu Pengyi chuckled. He turned to the headmaster and said, “Headmaster, this pen is a gift from my father. There would be no way to justify it if I lost it.”

The headmaster nodded. Two security guards behind him immediately stepped forward. One began to search Wei Zhenge’s desk and bag, while the other started to inspect his cabinet.

Soon, a security guard walked over with a box in his hand, “We found this in Wei Zhenge’s cabinet.”

The box was then opened to reveal a pen.

The female teacher was flustered, “Headmaster, there must be some misunderstanding. Wei Zhenge wouldn’t steal.”

She knew that Fu Pengyi had been targeting Wei Zhenge. All teachers knew about this, but they were adults, with livelihoods and families to support, so they didn’t dare to intervene.

However, this time was different. Theft, especially a two hundred thousand pen. This could potentially lead to imprisonment. “Wei Zhenge has always been an outstanding student. Since he entered our school, he has secured the first position every year. He would never do anything that could possibly jeopardize his future.”

Fu Pengyi rudely interrupted the female teacher, “People testified and even the stolen item is here. What misunderstanding are you talking about?”

“This school also has a share of my father’s investment. As his son, I don’t want to alert the police and make this a big issue that might affect the school’s reputation. However, Wei Zhenge, if you still refuse to confess, we have no choice but to inform the police.”

He continued arrogantly, “So, expulsion, or imprisonment, make your choice.”

Wei Zhenge had understood everything by now. He slightly turned his head and met the eye with Chen Ji, who was avoiding his gaze. In utter silence, he moved his lips and said, “Good performance.”

Since Fu Pengyi dared to confidently mention calling the police, it’s likely there would be no fingerprints of Chen Ji on that box.

At this point, Tong LeRong suddenly stood up, “Fu Pengyi, you have gone too far. How could Wei Zhenge like or even steal your crappy pen?”

Fu Pengyi smirked ingratiatingly: “LeRong, this is not just a crappy pen. This pen is worth two hundred thousand. It’s no surprise that the penniless Wei Zhenge took a liking to it.”

The female teacher suddenly recalled something and said to the Director of Studies, “Director, Wei Zhenge’s family circumstances are notably excellent. He would have no reason to steal a mere pen. There must be a misunderstanding somewhere. Would it be appropriate for us to call Wei’s parents and let them know of the situation? This isn’t a small matter after all.”

Wei Zhenge began to interject, “There’s no need to call them…” But before he could complete his sentence, the teacher abruptly cut him off and insisted, “Let me make the call, I have your parents’ number.”

As the flustered teacher reached for her phone, she fumbled a few times trying to unbutton her bag. Any other day, she could ignore the minor teasing and tricks the students were up to. But today was different. She too had a family to raise and couldn’t afford to lose her job.

Even so, at that moment, she couldn’t stand idly by as her student was being implicated. A student with a promising future, who was on the cusp of breaking free from the turmoil, couldn’t be expelled from school at her watch.

It took a while before the call was answered. She tried to summarize the incident briefly over the phone and emphasized, “If this matter isn’t handled properly, your son might be expelled.”

The call was on speaker, as per the Director of Studies’ request, allowing everyone present to hear. The phone resonated with a powerful male voice saying, “If this little bastard Wei Zhenge learnt to steal, let the school handle it the way they deem fit. If expulsion is the consequence, so be it. He deserves it.”

The teacher panicked, “But his innocence hasn’t been established yet…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the call was abruptly disconnected.

As she stood there staring at her phone, her mind raced swiftly. Gaining her composure back, she suggested, “Can’t we check the surveillance footage?”

The director explained, “Most of our camera systems are dated, with numerous equipment and hard disk issues. As a result, someone regularly clears the recorded surveillance footage. The person already left for the day, having deleted all old videos, including those from today.”

The teacher took a moment and gathered her breath. Then, she pledged to the director, “Director, I have been teaching for ten years, and I can guarantee that Wei Zhenge couldn’t have stolen anything. We can’t jump to conclusions hastily. This needs thorough consideration and investigation.”

Tong LeRong stood up and asserted, “Teacher, I believe in Wei Zhenge. He wouldn’t steal. Someone must be framing him.”

Another voice followed, and then another, “Teacher, I too believe Wei Zhenge couldn’t have stolen anything.”

“So do I. Wei Zhenge isn’t the type to steal from others.”

“Why would he steal from Fu Pengyi of all people?”

“Teacher, I’m certain Wei Zhenge didn’t steal anything.”

One after another, people stood up in defense of Wei Zhenge. They all knew the grudge Fu Pengyi held against Wei Zhenge. However, they had remained silent about it as they feared getting tangled up with Fu Pengyi. Wei Zhenge being an introverted individual also contributed to the fact that no one really got to interact with him.

Although they were all students, from the bottom of their hearts, they acknowledged those who excelled in academics. Although Wei Zhenge was cold and distant, he would still help others when they asked for it. The majority of them didn’t believe he would steal, especially not from Fu Pengyi.

As more than half the class stood up in his defense, Fu Pengyi’s displeasure only grew. He sneered, “Whether you believe him or not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the truth. You can’t judge someone by their appearance alone. Why not report it to the police? Isn’t the truth clear once they investigate the fingerprints?”

The female teacher once again looked at her phone, which had been hung up. She shook her head repeatedly, saying, “We can’t call the police. Let me try calling Wei Zhenge’s parents again.”

At the moment, all evidence pointed to Wei Zhenge. If the accusation was substantiated, he might even be imprisoned.

She wasn’t foolish. If Fu Pengyi had orchestrated this, he must have intentionally chosen today, the day when the surveillance cameras would be cleaned, and the only fingerprints that would remain on the box: Wei Zhenge’s.

Wei Zhenge looked at the anxious female teacher, who seemed on the verge of tears, and suddenly, Jian Yuanbai’s name came to his mind. “Jian Yuanbai is my current guardian,” he announced.

Desperate for a lifeline, the female teacher called the number provided by Wei Zhenge. As the call connected, a loud, slurred voice greeted her end, “What? Hello?”

It was clearly the voice of a young, intoxicated man.

Her heart sank, but still, the teacher explained the situation without much hope. To her surprise, the response from the other end was an outburst of anger.

“I’m here discussing a multi-million dollar deal, do you think my little Zhenge would stoop so low to steal a 200,000-yuan pen? Even if it were a million, I could buy it for him!”

Fu Pengyi coldly retorted, “You can’t buy a million-yuan pen. That kind of pen is a limited edition and isn’t available for purchase. You shouldn’t brag about facets you clearly know nothing about.”

“Fine! I’ll buy him a pen and attach diamonds to it. I’ll cover it up entirely! I don’t look down on anyone. I’m coming right now.”

The sound of a chair crashing to the ground and a cacophony of voices calling for “Jianzong” came through the phone, followed by the abrupt sound of the line getting disconnected. The female teacher glanced at the screen, and for some unknown reason, she felt a sense of calm.

Translator’s Footnotes:

“尖銳的鈴聲” (Jianrui de lingsheng): Literally translates to “The piercing bell sound”. This is used to describe a loud, intrusive alarm sound.

“我朋友給我的東西” (Wo pengyou gei wo de dongxi): Literally translates to “Things my friend gave me” refers to personal belongings entrusted to a friend for safekeeping.

“晉陽一中” (Jinyang Yizhong): Refers to Jinyang No. 1 High School. It’s common in China for schools to be named after the city or district they’re in, followed by an order that denotes prestige.

態度倨傲 (Taidu Jiaoao): Arrogant attitude; it emphasizes on the action of looking down upon others or acting superior.

教導主任 (jiaodao zhuren): Typically refers to the position of disciplinary head or director of students’ studies in a school.

針對 (Zhengdui): A Chinese word used to refer to someone or something being targeted or singled out for criticism or other treatment. In this context, it refers to Fu Pengyi’s ongoing targeting of Wei Zhenge.