Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty-Three: A Small Blunder is Better Than Utter Humiliation

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“You’ll have to pay tuition if you want to know!”

When they heard his statement, the guys around Chen Tianming rushed to hand over their money. Most of the students in this major were rich, so they didn’t mind spending this tiny bit of money.

Jiang Bei’s face twisted when he saw Chen Tianming’s growing stack of bills, and his eyes blazed with anger.

Although he came from wealth, he was nothing compared to Chen Tianming.

Usually, he would have a blast in his outings with Chen Tianming around. Without Chen Tianming, he would have to bite the bullet and pay the expenses for them himself.

And that money came from those suckers. Now that the fools turned to Chen Tianming, what would he do in the future? Where would he get the money to fund his activities?

At this thought, Jiang Bei angrily kicked the empty table beside him. The table leg broke and crashed to the ground with a loud bang. There was a pit on the floor caused by the impact.

Jiang Bei knew he was in big trouble with the homeroom teacher as he looked at the scene before him.

Their homeroom teacher was a different breed from the others. The other teachers treated students born with a silver spoon deferentially.

However, that wasn’t the case with their homeroom teacher. She ran her class in an unbiased and strict manner; anyone who made a mistake in class would be lectured and asked to apologize and reflect on themselves, no matter their status or wealth.

It was the same unavoidable three-step process: lecture, apology, and reflection.

Jiang Bei’s eyebrows knitted together in dismay.

It seemed that fate was against him; the bell rang just after the table fell.

The noisy classroom instantly quieted down, and the familiar click-clacking sound of high heels could be heard from the hallway outside.

At the sound of approaching heels, everyone sat properly in their seats like good students.

Chen Tianming was also attentively awaiting their teacher’s arrival. After all, their homeroom teacher, Bai Ling, was a well-known figure in the financial world.

Many successful bigwigs would fight for a chance to attend Bai Ling’s lecture; Cheng Tianming was lucky to have her as his teacher. Now that he was reborn, he wouldn’t waste this opportunity to learn from the best!

Jiang Bei wanted to leave before his homeroom teacher spotted his little ‘accident’ but he was too late. A cold and stern voice asked, “Why is the table lying on the floor?”

As Bai Ling spoke, an emotionless voice rang out in Chen Tianming’s mind.

“Option 1: Accept Jiang Bei’s incriminations and admit that you caused the table incident. The system will award you the honorary title of ‘Scapegoat.'”

“Option 2: Deny Jiang Bei’s accusations, but act indifferent and ignore the truth of the matter like it has nothing to do with you. Reward: Buff ‘halo of aloofness.'”

“Option 3: Deny Jiang Bei’s accusations and make Jiang Bei voluntarily admit his mistake. Reward: Bai Ling’s little secret.”

The three options appeared in Chen Tianming’s mind.

Chen Tianming pondered for a long time and chose the third option; he didn’t need the aloof buff.

Jiang Bei shuddered when he heard Bai Ling’s voice, and quickly racked his brain. He didn’t want to get in trouble with the teacher; he had to shift the blame off himself.

Suddenly, a very suitable person appeared in his mind.

Chen Tianming!

Chen Tianming didn’t like classes; he would sleep through his lessons, no matter the subject or teacher. He was probably asleep right now, so Jiang Bei could easily shift the blame to him.

Chen Tianming didn’t care about such things anyway.

With this thought in mind, Jiang Bei blurted out, “Ms. Bai, Chen Tianming didn’t do it on purpose; he was just in a bad mood. Look, he’s lying on the table in grief!”

Jiang Bei looked at Chen Tianming as he said that, but his expression froze when he saw Chen Tianming’s current state.

Chen Tianming wasn’t sleeping on the table like he usually does. Instead, he was looking at Jiangbei with a faint smile.

Jiang Bei’s heart skipped a beat at his expression. However, he thought he still had a fighting chance. He hoped Tianming would be kind enough to save him by taking the blame.

Jiang Bei had forgotten entirely about Chen Tianming’s recent behavior. He still thought Chen Tianming was the same airhead he used to be, so Jiang Bei winked at Chen Tianming.

Bai Ling stared at Chen Tianming and asked coldly, “Is that so?”

Chen Tianming ignored Jiang Bei’s gaze and quizzically asked, “What do you mean, Ms. Bai? What’s the matter?”

Bai Ling studied Chen Tianming and couldn’t find any trace of lying on his face. On the other hand, Jiang Bei looked nervous, and even his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Even a fool could see the guilty look on his face.

Bai Ling was about to say something when Chen Tianming said, “I remember we have a school rule that states that anyone who destroys public property and doesn’t admit to it must reflect on their actions in front of the entire school! Our school doesn’t have a million students, but it surely has a few hundred thousand. It would be quite a humiliating punishment!”

Chen Tianming glanced at Jiang Bei and continued, “It’s better to tell the truth earlier! After all, you would only be embarrassed in front of the class now. If this matter had to be brought before so many people, tsk!”

Chen Tianming didn’t finish the rest of his sentence; he didn’t need to. He had known Jiang Bei for a lifetime, so he knew he was a man who valued his reputation. Therefore, Jiang Bei would admit to his actions when he heard those words.

As expected, Jiang Bei’s expression changed. His face turned purple and then red. He hesitated for a while before weakly apologizing with a regretful expression, “Ms. Bai, I’m sorry! I was the one who broke the table!”

Fearing Bai Ling’s impression of him would worsen and make things difficult, Jiang Bei added, “Chen Tianming is a good friend. He wanted me to admit my mistakes for my own good! No matter what, I want to thank him!”

Chen Tianming sneered at Jiang Bei’s words. His little act might fool the others, but it was useless against Bai Ling.

She was an influential figure in the financial industry for a long time and met people from all walks of life. How could she have been a role model in the financial industry if she couldn’t even see through Jiang Bei’s little trick?

Bai Ling had indeed seen through Jiang Bei’s little show, but she didn’t say anything.

After Bai Ling’s three-step process of lecturing Jiang Bei and instructing him to apologize and reflect on himself, the matter was put to rest.

However, Jiang Bei had to pay for the table he broke!

After all, the tables and chairs in their class were custom-made.

Jiang Bei thought a set of tables and chairs would be relatively inexpensive, so he agreed. “Don’t worry, Ms. Bai. I’ll definitely buy a set of identical tables and chairs.”