We wracked our brains, but in the end, Mia had the best idea.
Mia suggested that David was a senior figure at the school, having been there even longer than our principal. As a result, David liked to use his seniority to abuse his power, often walking around the school with little opposition. Even the principal had to show him some respect. However, there was someone David feared, and that was his wife, Zhu Huifei.
It turned out that David had come from a poor rural background, and after marrying Zhu Huifei, who wasn't particularly beautiful but came from a powerful family, he was able to climb the ranks. David was very afraid of his wife.
In her youth, Zhu Huifei had been unattractive, but after years of living a life of luxury, she had become a middle-aged, overweight woman. She was notorious for being a tough and jealous woman, and Mia planned to use this to help Linda.
Mia's original idea was to get David's home phone number, then call Zhu Huifei anonymously to tell her that David was having an affair with one of the female teachers. He figured that Zhu Huifei would storm into the school to confront David, which would ruin David's plans.
I shook my head when I heard this. "That's not a good idea. You said Zhu Huifei is fierce and jealous—what if she takes out her anger on Linda? Also, if she catches David and Linda in his office, it would ruin Linda's reputation."
Mia looked confused. "Then what should we do?"
"Let's tweak your plan." I frowned for a moment and said, "It's almost time for self-study to end. You guys go get David's home phone number. He's the school director, so it should be easy to find. Then you call his house and tell Zhu Huifei that her son, John, got into a fight at school and is seriously injured, with his head bleeding. She'll definitely come to the school, and that will force David and John to leave the office, which will solve the problem with Linda."
Da Luo, Xiao Luo, and Mia all agreed that my plan seemed more reliable. So, they quickly went off to find David's home phone number, while I hurried out of the dormitory building and waited in a quiet corner of the sports field for the self-study session to end.
Before long, the bell rang, and students poured out of the classroom, laughing and chatting. I scanned the crowd at the stairwell and soon spotted Linda. Her expression was uncertain as she glanced at the administrative building, sighed, and then walked toward it.
I knew she was heading to David's office to discuss my punishment. I quietly followed her from a distance.
Linda seemed lost in thought and didn't notice me behind her. She entered the administrative building and went up to the fifth floor, to the farthest office at the end of the hall—David's private office. I had never thought much of David's office, but now, seeing its isolated location, it made me nervous. If David was in there at night, and if they weren't too loud, no one would hear what was going on.
I hid near the stairwell, watching as Linda knocked on the door. I heard David's excited voice from inside, "Teacher Zhang, come in!"
Linda entered, and I quietly moved closer to the door, pressing my ear against it to eavesdrop, in case anything went wrong. To my surprise, instead of talking, I only heard footsteps approaching the door.
I realized what was happening—David was checking to see if anyone was outside. I quickly hid around the corner, and just as I did, I saw David stealthily open the door to check if anyone was out there. After confirming the hallway was empty, he quickly pulled the door shut again and closed the curtains.
A chill ran down my spine. Could it be that Linda, in an attempt to save me from expulsion, had agreed to some inappropriate request from that old pervert?
I sneaked back to the door and listened again. I heard Linda speaking, "Director David, I'm here to talk about how to handle Andrew's case. Why are you closing the door and drawing the curtains?"
David's voice responded, "Heh heh, Teacher Zhang, we're all grown-ups here. You should know that the way Andrew is handled is up to me."
Linda replied, "Didn't you say you'd reconsider his punishment?"
David laughed. "Teacher Zhang, you seem to care a lot about this student, don't you?"
Linda answered, "He's my little relative, of course I care. So, what exactly do you want from me to keep him from being expelled?"
David dropped the pretense and said straightforwardly, "If I want to expel him, I just need to send a report to the principal. I'm sure the principal will follow my recommendation. But, Teacher Zhang, if you don't want him expelled, you just need to meet one small request from me."
Linda, realizing what was happening, asked cautiously, "What request?"
David chuckled lecherously, "I've liked you for a long time, Teacher Zhang. If you could... give me a chance, I'll forget about Andrew's fight. I'm sure we can forget all about it."
Linda was furious and shouted, "You shameless bastard! I'll report your behavior to the principal!"
David sneered, "Heh, you think the principal will believe you just because you say something? I've been here for over twenty years. Without evidence, the principal won't take your word."
David, emboldened by his position, added, "So, Teacher Zhang, what will it be? Agree to my request, or watch Andrew get expelled? The choice is yours."
Linda's voice shook with anger. "I've seen shameless people before, but you take the cake. Let go of me! I'm leaving!"
From outside, I heard Linda stand her ground and refuse to give in to David's threats. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. But just as Linda turned to leave, I heard David, likely not expecting her to walk away, shout, "You're not leaving!"
It seemed like he grabbed Linda's arm, as I heard her gasp, "What are you doing? Let go of me!"
David sneered, "Heh, stop pretending. I've seen the way you dress. You're just like a green tea bitch. Today, I'm going to take what I want from you."
Linda, furious and humiliated, said, "Let go! If you don't, I'll scream!"
David taunted her, "Scream all you want. You're not afraid of embarrassing yourself, are you?"
At this point, I was desperate. David had clearly lost control and was about to force himself on Linda, and Zhu Huifei hadn't arrived yet. I quickly pulled out my phone. I had a few teacher phone numbers from our class, and last week, when our biology teacher was absent, David had substituted for two days, so I also had his number.
I stepped back and called David's phone, using a panicked voice, "Old David, big trouble! I saw your wife, Zhu Huifei, storming towards the school to find you..."
"What?!"
David immediately panicked, screaming into the phone, "What is she doing here? And who the hell are you?"
I casually mentioned one of David's friends' names, saying, "It's Xu Aiping, Old David. Your wife sounds really angry. Are you up to something shady at school?"
David was so flustered that he didn't even notice the voice difference or realize I wasn't Xu Aiping. He kept asking where Zhu Huifei was.
By now, Linda had stormed out of the office in a huff. When she reached the turn of the stairwell, she saw me talking on the phone. She froze in confusion and looked at me.
Before she could ask what I was doing, I quickly put a finger to my lips to signal for silence and continued talking into the phone, "Old David, your wife is almost here at the school. I'll hang up now."
After hanging up, I grabbed Linda and quickly pulled her away.
We made our way to the third floor, where the teachers' offices were. It had only been a short while since self-study ended, so many teachers were still in their offices, preparing lessons or grading papers. Some students were cleaning up, and more people were walking through the halls.
Linda, sensing an opportunity, pulled her hand away from mine and lowered her voice, "Andrew, what were you doing just now?"
I scratched my head, unsure how to explain, but Linda let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I know, don't bother trying to lie. The phone call from the office was from you, right? You were the one who tricked David into thinking his wife was coming, weren't you?"
Just then, a plump middle-aged woman came up the stairs, asking for David. I discreetly nodded towards her and said with a smirk, "I didn't lie. She really is here."
Linda looked at me, stunned. "Did you do all this? Why?"
I lowered my head and said quietly, "I was afraid David would hurt you."
Linda's eyes flickered with surprise, but the look quickly vanished. She rolled her eyes and scolded me, "You idiot. If David finds out you're behind all this, you'll be in trouble."
I hesitated for a moment and said, "He shouldn't be able to figure it out."
What I didn't know was that at that very moment, David had already realized the phone number I called wasn't his old friend Xu Aiping's. He also remembered that the voice on the phone didn't match Xu Aiping's. He stared at his phone screen, frowning, and after a moment of thought, he immediately dialed a friend's number. "Zhang Yang, can you help me look up this phone number? Find out who it's registered to."
A short while later, his friend gave him the information, and David's face darkened. "Andrew, huh? Alright, I know what's going on now."