Chapter 4

Liu Jingtong, under the pen name Gu Yongsheng, submitted "The Dragon and Tiger Struggle in the Capital," the meaning of which was self-evident. It was to introduce, under the name of the disciples of Jin, Gu, and Liang, the grand and stirring masterpieces to the people of this world.

Liu Jingtong was very curious about how people would react to these stories. However, there was one thing he could be certain of: when these novels appeared, the literary world would inevitably be shaken by a storm. As for what kind of shock they would bring to readers and what kind of frenzy they would ultimately cause, Liu Jingtong could only look forward to it.

In fact, in his previous life, Liu Jingtong had consulted relevant materials and understood the significance of those novels. He had enough confidence, and this time, he would consciously adjust the order in which the novels were released, gradually impacting people's eyes and stirring their hearts layer by layer.

Just as Liu Jingtong was ambitiously planning his scheme to "use novels to captivate the masses," Director Wang of the Cobra Snake called him again.

"Could it be that 'Mangmang and Titi' has already been released?" Liu Jingtong muttered to himself, walking into the office neither humbly nor arrogantly. As soon as he entered, he was startled to see the principal, the vice-principal, and his homeroom teacher all present, their faces uniformly stern.

"Hello, Principal, hello, Teacher Zheng, hello, Director Wang," Liu Jingtong greeted them symbolically. As someone with the mind and thinking of a college student, he could not bear the routine of being called to the office for tea.

"I hear that the book you compiled has been sold to other towns. I must congratulate you, Mr. Liu," the principal said sarcastically.

"It's all thanks to the support of my friends," Liu Jingtong joked, unable to resist in the face of the serious and solemn "triple review."

The "triple" faces turned even more gloomy. Homeroom Teacher Zheng pointed at Liu Jingtong and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking? Is this a place for jokes?"

Liu Jingtong said with a particularly aggrieved tone, "I, I wasn't joking."

The principal snorted and asked, "Why are you making excuses when Director Wang asked you to call your parents?"

"My parents are both working; they are very busy," Liu Jingtong answered sincerely.

"What the hell kind of attitude is that?" The hot-tempered Director Wang slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Liu Jingtong, shouting.

Liu Jingtong looked at the young man in front of him and suddenly felt an indescribable disgust. A grown man, after just a few words, scolded a "child" as if they had a mortal enemy. It was really ridiculous.

"Principal, I report that Director Wang is using foul language," Liu Jingtong said with a pair of innocent eyes, pointing at Director Wang with one hand.

The principal, furious, laughed and said, "Liu Jingtong, do you think that because of your good grades, we can't do anything to you? Haha, listen carefully now. If you don't bring your parents to school tomorrow, I will expel you."

Liu Jingtong nodded sincerely and said politely, "Goodbye, Principal, goodbye, Teacher Zheng." He turned and left the office. Director Wang, who had been so blatantly ignored, was furious and shouted, "Who told you to leave? Stop! Who told you to leave?"

Liu Jingtong ignored him and walked away.

"Rebellion, rebellion, who does he think he is? Who does he think he is?"

"Director Wang, don't be angry. We can't touch him, but we can let his parents do it for us," Teacher Zheng said coldly.

"Hmph, even if his parents come to the school, I will make him suffer," the principal said even more coldly.

Two hours after these "educators" made their decision to punish him, an unexpected event completely disrupted their plan. Liu Jingtong took the initiative and submitted his withdrawal application.

The principal and his colleagues were stunned. They couldn't believe that a student with excellent grades and a bright future, who was about to face the high school entrance exam, would dare to be so bold. According to logic, they should be the ones to be bold.

The principal held the withdrawal application and looked at Teacher Zheng, who was equally puzzled.

"What does this mean?" The principal was deflated. According to the original plan, the next part of the story should have been that he would show off in front of Liu Jingtong's parents, put on a grand air, and then see the parents meekly scold their son, while Liu Jingtong would cry and repent.

However, Liu Jingtong's sudden application for withdrawal caught him off guard, cruelly depriving him of a series of satisfactions.

After submitting the withdrawal application, Liu Jingtong returned to the classroom to pack his books. Curious classmates gathered around, asking all sorts of questions. Mei Chuan and Zhang Youlong helped him pack and said, "We will drop out with you, and then we will sell books."

"Get lost, if you really consider me your brother, you should study well. You can disobey the teachers, but you must study well," Liu Jingtong's unconventional farewell speech left the surrounding classmates looking at each other in surprise.

"Your grades are so good, are you really going to drop out?" The study committee member, with two braids, looked at Liu Jingtong with a hint of anger.

Liu Jingtong looked at her as if she were a little sister and smiled, "I'm leaving, so you can be first."

"I don't want that kind of first place. I want to defeat you fairly and squarely!" The stubborn girl declared proudly.

"Alright, since I'm dropping out of this school, I'll go to another school. We'll meet again in the high school entrance exam, and we'll see who is better—oh, we don't need to see, we'll just compete."

The classmates burst into laughter. Just as they were laughing, a cold voice said, "Do you think any school will accept you?"

"The principal is here!" The classmates scattered, pretending to read books.

The principal came with a stern face, followed by Teacher Zheng. Liu Jingtong glanced at them indifferently, slung his blue backpack over his shoulder, and walked past the principal.

Such blatant disregard made the principal feel unprecedented humiliation. He turned and pointed at Liu Jingtong's back, shouting, "You will never have a student record again, and you will never enter a school!"

Liu Jingtong didn't look back and walked away.

The classmates, who were pretending to read but actually watching the drama, cheered for Liu Jingtong in their hearts while secretly rejoicing that their student records were safe. Only the study committee member was silent, sulking alone.

Liu Jingtong felt very satisfied after humiliating the principal in front of the whole class, but there were still some issues to resolve. He wasn't afraid of the school revoking his student record because he had applied to withdraw, not been expelled. The problem was how to explain it to his parents.

He thought of several explanations but rejected them one by one. Should he tell them he wanted to be a writer? No, they wouldn't believe him, and he would still have to go to the principal.

Pretend to be sick? No, that was inauspicious and clearly a lie, and it would make them worry for no reason.

Liu Jingtong, with his backpack on his back and his hands in his pockets, walked quietly on the rural path. For him, studying was just a formality. He had already planned his future path, and other trivial matters seemed insignificant. However, as a normal person, there were some things that were inevitable, and some roles that needed to be played.

"Life is truly full of helplessness," Liu Jingtong sighed, and then he saw his father riding a white electric scooter toward him. "So fast," Liu Jingtong took a deep breath and walked forward.

The electric scooter stopped in front of Liu Jingtong, and his father looked at him sternly, asking, "The principal just called me and said you applied to withdraw?"

"Yes, Dad, the vice-principal cursed me."

Liu's father was taken aback and his tone softened, "Why did he curse you?"

"Didn't I compile a guidebook and sell it to my classmates at a low price? The vice-principal thought I was taking his business, so he caused trouble for me and cursed me today."

Liu's father knew about the guidebook and was proud of it. He had boasted about it to his colleagues and neighbors. Hearing his son's story, he hesitated.

Liu Jingtong, reading his father's expression, seized the opportunity, "But don't worry, Dad. I'm not really dropping out. My book has already spread throughout the city, and other middle schools will come to me if I'm forced to withdraw."

Liu's father's face remained stern, but he couldn't find any flaws. Liu Jingtong continued, "Today, the principal, the homeroom teacher, and that Wang forced me to call you and Mom to the school. They just wanted to use your hands to beat me and insult you. It's a common tactic."

Liu's father looked at his son, a glint of something unusual in his eyes. Liu Jingtong's heart skipped a beat. Was his father noticing something odd about his maturity?

"It's no big deal for me and your mother to suffer a bit, but you must be careful about your future."

"Yes, Dad, you're right. How about this: I'll stay at home for a week and study every day. If no school comes to me after a week, you can take me to the school to apologize, and I'll accept any punishment."

Liu's father, always proud of his excellent son, found no reason to refuse after hearing this and seeing his determined expression. He agreed, "I'll call the principal and say I'm putting you in isolation for a week to reflect."

"Dad, you're smart!" Liu Jingtong's college-level humor kicked in again.

His father looked at him and said, "Go home by yourself, I have to go back to work."

Liu Jingtong agreed and watched his father leave. It wasn't as difficult as he had imagined. This might be the difference between maturity and naivety. A real middle school student, no matter how rebellious, would still show fear, hesitation, and timidity in front of his father. Liu Jingtong's calm and composed demeanor gave his words great persuasiveness.

In fact, Liu Jingtong didn't stay at home for a week. Three days later, his fairy tale novel "Mangmang and Titi" was published in "Children's Literature," and Liu Jingtong became an overnight sensation in primary and secondary schools across the country. Along with him, the "Cobra Snake" also became a hot topic.