Chapter 42

Regardless of whether Vice Principal Li was actually injured internally or what he was thinking, Xia Hou Zhong Ying did not know. However, there was one thing he was certain about: his shameless actions had thoroughly made Vice Principal Li hate him. If he didn't find a way to ease the tension, he would have a hard time at school in the future.

After the meeting last night, Xia Hou Zhong Ying specifically asked Li Lixiu about Vice Principal Li's hobbies and learned that he enjoyed a bit of alcohol, especially Chinese liquor. He was immediately delighted, as this was indeed good news.

Before coming to school in the morning, Xia Hou Zhong Ying took a bottle of high-end Maotai from his father's wine cabinet and put it in a large backpack he had brought specially, planning to use the break to bribe Vice Principal Li and ease his anger.

When he arrived at school, Li Lixiu immediately turned to Xia Hou Zhong Ying with a happy skip, boasting that she had secured the school's sponsorship fee, which amounted to 20 million Korean won. Xia Hou Zhong Ying was overjoyed, as this was a timely and welcome piece of news. Now he wouldn't have to worry too much about the budget.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying wanted to hug Li Lixiu and kiss her, praising her profusely for her great ability, which made her so happy that she was practically bubbling with joy.

During the break, Xia Hou Zhong Ying sneaked to Vice Principal Li's office with a high-end gift box containing the Maotai.

As soon as Vice Principal Li saw Xia Hou Zhong Ying, he immediately felt a surge of anger, his lips trembling. He had been badly deceived by Xia Hou Zhong Ying the day before.

Although his daughter didn't notice his expression, his wife, who had lived with him for decades, immediately sensed that something was amiss.

After secretly asking Vice Principal Li about the incident, Li Lixiu's mother, although also disapproving of Xia Hou Zhong Ying's shamelessness, was even more unwilling to see her daughter upset. She joined her daughter in pressuring him to agree to the sponsorship, leaving Vice Principal Li with no choice but to agree to provide 20 million won for the project. However, he was still seething with anger and had been thinking all night about how to get back at Xia Hou Zhong Ying. He didn't expect Xia Hou Zhong Ying to come to him first.

"What do you want, you shameless brat?" Vice Principal Li's heart was pounding. He was most afraid of Xia Hou Zhong Ying's proactive approach, worried that he would make more demands. Even if he refused, Xia Hou Zhong Ying could use his daughter to get what he wanted.

Thinking about this, Vice Principal Li felt extremely frustrated. He, a respected principal, was being forced to avoid a student, which would be a great embarrassment if anyone found out.

"Good news, good news, Principal, it's good news," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said with a cautious smile. He didn't dare to anger Vice Principal Li again, knowing that if he had a knife, he might throw it.

"Bullshit, ever since I met you, I've only had bad luck. What good news?" Vice Principal Li said angrily.

"Principal, this time it really is good news," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said with an awkward smile. "I heard you enjoy a bit of alcohol, especially Chinese liquor, so I brought a bottle of high-end Maotai from home to show my respect."

As he spoke, Xia Hou Zhong Ying handed over the gift box.

Vice Principal Li was taken aback for a moment, then burst into anger, shouting, "Brat, are you trying to bribe me? Do you think a bottle of liquor can get rid of me? Tell me, what do you really want?"

Xia Hou Zhong Ying, who didn't expect to be scolded for bringing a gift, was startled and quickly explained, "No, absolutely not. I just heard you enjoy a bit of alcohol, so I brought this to show my respect and thank you for letting us use the school facilities."

"Really?" Vice Principal Li asked suspiciously. "You have no other intentions?"

"Absolutely not," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said, raising his voice and thumping his chest. He then lowered his voice and looked at the bottle of liquor, saying, "Principal, should I put this down for you?"

"Hmph, from your country?" Vice Principal Li sneered. "It's not fake, is it? Did you steal it from a roadside store?"

"Absolutely genuine, 20-year pure Maotai," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said firmly.

"Let me see. If it's fake, we'll settle all old and new accounts together." Hearing it was 20-year pure Maotai, Vice Principal Li couldn't help but swallow. He had a particular fondness for this, and 20-year pure Maotai was hard to find even in China, let alone in Korea.

After examining the packaging, Vice Principal Li knew it was genuine. The packaging alone was worth a lot, and there was an anti-counterfeiting label that could be verified online. He glanced at Xia Hou Zhong Ying, who was trying to look honest, and felt somewhat satisfied. This kid, though a bit unscrupulous, was still on the right track.

"You must have gotten this information from my daughter," Vice Principal Li said, knowing his preferences had been revealed, likely through his daughter.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying chuckled, not knowing how to respond.

"Alright, I'll take the liquor. You can go now. Don't do such unscrupulous things in the future. If you have any issues, come to me directly," Vice Principal Li said, waving him away.

"If I could come to you directly, would I have to do such unscrupulous things?" Xia Hou Zhong Ying thought to himself but didn't leave immediately. He still had something to discuss with Vice Principal Li.

"What? You're not leaving?" Vice Principal Li frowned, getting angry again.

"Principal, there's one more small matter," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said with a smile.

"What else?" Hearing Xia Hou Zhong Ying had more to say, Vice Principal Li felt a chill and his face darkened. He was genuinely scared of what Xia Hou Zhong Ying might say.

"It's good news, it's good news," Xia Hou Zhong Ying quickly explained.

"Speak," Vice Principal Li said, knowing it was never good when this kid came to him. He had just accepted the gift and couldn't immediately turn him away, but the gift felt like a hot potato in his hands, making him uncomfortable.

"Didn't we say yesterday that we would have a report meeting today at noon? So, I'd like to invite you, Principal, to attend personally. It would be great to have your support," Xia Hou Zhong Ying said with a smile.

"Is that all?" Vice Principal Li felt relieved that Xia Hou Zhong Ying hadn't made any outrageous demands. The school needed a leader to attend the report meeting, which was important for both the agreement with Xia Hou Zhong Ying and to calm the students. The principal, who rarely appeared, was also at the school today. During the morning meeting, the principal supported Xia Hou Zhong Ying's actions, seeing it as a good opportunity for the school to gain publicity. He instructed Vice Principal Li to attend the report meeting.

Vice Principal Li mentioned the sponsorship fee during the meeting, and the principal agreed. Once the sponsorship fee was publicized, it would benefit the school's image, showing that it values student development. It was a small investment for a big return. Even if the media didn't notice, the school would find a way to make it known.

Even without Xia Hou Zhong Ying's request, Vice Principal Li had to attend the report meeting at noon. However, to prevent Xia Hou Zhong Ying from becoming too overconfident, he didn't immediately agree and didn't reveal any information from the meeting, saying, "I know about it. We'll see how it goes. You can go now."

Vice Principal Li's ambiguous response left Xia Hou Zhong Ying feeling helpless, but he didn't dare to insist and returned to the classroom.

After school, Xia Hou Zhong Ying met up with Jin Tae Yeon, Lin Yun Er, and others, and took them to the school cafeteria for lunch. After a few bites, everyone said they were full, too excited to eat.

Xia Hou Zhong Ying was speechless. Was it really necessary to be so nervous? It was just a report meeting. Reluctantly, he finished a few more bites and put down his bowl, gathering the crew to start setting up the venue. The students of Class 5, Grade 1 also came to help enthusiastically.

"Brother Zhong Ying, I'm so nervous," Lin Yun Er, who was usually carefree and fearless, said softly, tugging on Xia Hou Zhong Ying's sleeve.

"Me too," Jin Tae Yeon said softly, hearing Lin Yun Er's voice.

"You guys..." Xia Hou Zhong Ying looked at the girls, seeing that they were all nervous, even Zheng Xiu Yan, and couldn't help but laugh. "Is it really necessary? It's just a regular movie report meeting. You weren't nervous when you danced during the field trip."

"Last time there were fewer people," Lin Yun Er said softly, looking at the students streaming into the playground. "Today, there are so many people. Most of the students from your school are here, over a thousand."

"Yes, Brother Zhong Ying, teachers from our company are also here," Xu Zhu Xian said softly.

"Teachers from your company?" Xia Hou Zhong Ying asked, puzzled.

"When we asked for leave today, we had to state our reasons, so the company knew about it," Jin Tae Yeon explained. "The company heard about it and sent people to watch."

Initially, S.M. Entertainment didn't pay much attention to the girls' leave request, but once they started to investigate, they were surprised by the impact of the event. Many of the company's trainees were discussing the news about students from Kent making their own movie.

S.M. Entertainment's executives quickly took notice. After inquiring with the trainees, they learned that most students in Seoul were aware of the event, which they had heard from their schools.

Realizing the situation was beyond their control, the executives reported it to Lee Soo Man.

S.M. Entertainment had been trying to enter the film industry but with little success. Lee Soo Man, upon hearing the situation, saw an opportunity. The event had a wide impact, affecting almost all schools in Seoul. It might be a chance to promote the company's seven girls into the entertainment and music industries as dual artists. Even if it didn't succeed, there would be no loss.

Lee Soo Man, who had built S.M. Entertainment into Korea's top agency in less than 10 years, was not an ordinary person in terms of both ability and vision. After considering the opportunity, he immediately gave instructions to his subordinates to secretly promote the report meeting, expand its influence, and spread the news to media outlets friendly with the company.