The moment Jiang Ran stepped through the door, she was met with an unexpected sight.

Si Zuochen and Si Youlin were standing neatly by the telephone, well-behaved and proper.

“Yes, please don’t worry. We’re doing fine over here,” Si Zuochen said softly into the phone.
“Grandfather, you should also take good care of your health.”

Hearing the gentle tone in his voice, Jiang Ran suddenly let out a cold laugh.

At the sound, both boys turned around, a trace of panic flashing across their faces.

Seeing this, Si Zuochen immediately ended the conversation with Old Master Si. After hanging up, he looked at Jiang Ran coldly.

It wasn’t that he feared Jiang Ran picking a fight—since he dared to do it, he was prepared to bear the consequences.

It was just that some things didn’t need to reach his grandfather’s ears. Disturbing the old man’s recovery would be more harm than good.

“So young, yet already so good at putting on a show,” Jiang Ran sneered.
“I really didn’t expect you two to have such two-faced personalities.”

“I just wonder—if the old master were to find out what you’ve been doing back home, would he still be able to rest and recover peacefully?”

She wasn’t really trying to threaten them. It was just that thinking of what they had done yesterday made her anger flare up again.

Old Master Si was one of the few people they genuinely cared about. No matter what, she needed to make them feel uneasy too.

“You—!”

Sure enough, the moment she said that, both of their expressions changed.

“You despicable woman,” Si Zuochen said coldly, staring straight at her.

Si Youlin frowned and tugged at Si Zuochen’s sleeve, signaling him not to act rashly.

He had already braced himself for what usually came next—Jiang Ran exploding into insults about how ill-mannered they were, grabbing something nearby and hurling it at them.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Ran merely curled her lips coldly.

“Same to you.”

“If you don’t want the old master worrying about you even while he’s abroad, then stop pulling these pointless stunts.”

She gave a mocking snort.
“A kidnapping? You really have quite the imagination.”

Suspicion crept into Si Youlin’s eyes. He took a step forward and had just opened his mouth.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Si Zuochen abruptly cut him off, shaking his head subtly at him.

“Me?” Jiang Ran toyed with the ring on her finger and countered calmly.
“Shouldn’t that be my question to you?”

Si Zuochen was about to say something, but Jiang Ran waved her hand dismissively, cutting him off.

“Forget it. I don’t care what you’re plotting. Just remember one thing.”

She straightened and looked directly at Si Zuochen.

“I’ll let yesterday’s incident slide. But if there’s a next time—just you try.”

Her words were heavy with warning.

Si Zuochen frowned deeply.

She wasn’t holding them accountable?

What was going on?

This didn’t match her usual behavior at all.

Impossible. She must be trying to lower their guard so she could stab them in the back later.

With that thought, the disgust in Si Zuochen’s eyes deepened. She had gone back on her word more times than he could count.

“I advise you not to do anything reckless,” he said evenly, though his words carried clear intimidation.
“Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to drag you down with us.”

Mutual destruction?

Hearing this, Jiang Ran nearly laughed.

So young, yet speaking and acting like an old hand.

What exactly did he have to fight her with? Ruining her reputation by spreading rumors?

Ridiculous.

With that, Si Zuochen grabbed Si Youlin and left the villa without another word.

The threat had been delivered. Whether she listened or not was her problem.

Si Youlin followed closely behind, unable to suppress his doubts.

“Brother, don’t you think that woman is acting strangely all of a sudden?”

Si Zuochen frowned as well.
“No idea. Who knows what she’s scheming this time?”

“From now on, never face her alone. Understand?”

“Mm.” Si Youlin nodded obediently.

Now that Jiang Ran had returned to the villa, there was no way they would stay under her watchful eye.

Left with no choice, they headed back to school. But the moment they stepped onto campus, they were caught red-handed.

“Do you know what skipping class means? It goes on your record as a demerit—and this isn’t your first offense!”

“This time, it will be dealt with seriously!”

Si Zuochen and Si Youlin stood in the office receiving a lecture. The homeroom teacher only grew more animated as she spoke.

She glanced at them sideways.

“I see two parent contact numbers listed in your files. From what I know, your mother doesn’t pay much attention to your studies. So I’ll call the other one.”

“Skipping class and fighting at this age—if this isn’t corrected now, who knows how much worse it’ll get later!”

As she spoke, the teacher began flipping through their student files.

“No!” Si Zuochen suddenly spoke up.

The teacher looked at him, a hint of understanding flashing through her eyes.

So even these fearless troublemakers were afraid of having parents called.

From the moment they entered, the two of them had stayed silent—no excuses, no apologies, just standing there listening to her scolding.

And now he was stopping her?

“What—do I need your permission to call your guardian now?” she snapped.

Being interrupted by a student made her lose face. She kept flipping the pages as she continued berating them.

“You skip class, but don’t have the courage to take responsibility?”

Hearing this, Si Youlin took two steps forward.
“You—”

Si Zuochen reached out and pulled him back. His expression hardened as he looked at the teacher.

“My grandfather is currently abroad recovering from illness,” he said coldly.
“If one phone call from you makes him worry and causes his condition to relapse—do you think you can bear that responsibility?”

The teacher’s movements halted. She turned to look at him.

Clearly just a child—yet she felt an oppressive, authoritative presence radiating from him.

The thought flashed through her mind. When she realized she had been intimidated by a student, discomfort flickered across her face.

“But this incident is extremely serious,” she said stiffly.
“It violates school rules and absolutely cannot be let go.”

Hearing this, Si Zuochen frowned. He knew this wouldn’t end easily.

He lowered his gaze, pressed his lips together, then looked up again, his expression dark.

“Then there’s still one left. Call her.”

Si Youlin, seeing his brother make that decision, also looked at the teacher with unconcealed disdain.

When she should intervene, she didn’t. When she shouldn’t, she made a big deal out of it.

They’d all seen how many gifts she accepted—turning a blind eye to others. But when it came to them, she suddenly pulled out the school regulations.

How unlucky.

At Si Zuochen’s words, hesitation flashed across the teacher’s face.

After all, she had just spoken with Jiang Ran and knew her attitude.

Combined with rumors she’d heard before, she also knew Jiang Ran wasn’t easy to deal with.

A flicker of regret crossed her mind for how aggressive she’d been earlier.

But the words had already been said.

If she backed down now, wouldn’t the students think she was just someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong?