Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

Gao Jie's back, which had been as straight as a javelin, suddenly bent limply as if its bones had been removed, and his chest heaved violently, as if he were carrying a wildly jumping little rabbit.

He gasped for breath, and after a while, he slowly exhaled a long breath. The tense muscles on his face relaxed a little, and he said with a sigh of relief:

"I thought something terrible had happened to you, and I was so worried that my heart was in my throat. I never expected it to be like this."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and hastily wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The beads of sweat gathered into a small string, shimmering faintly in the dim moonlight, like tiny stars.

Immediately afterward, Gao Jie didn't dare to delay at all. He cleared his throat and quickly explained the situation in detail.

As he spoke animatedly, he waved his hands in the air, his arms tracing irregular arcs, his eyes wide open as if trying to rip the scene from his memory and recreate it for the principal:

"Principal, just now, Huang Xu and I saw Guo Lan'er and Kang Hao together. Their expressions had a creepy, eerie quality that sent chills down our spines. Their eyes were darting around, and they were whispering to each other every now and then. They didn't seem like ordinary people."

The atmosphere was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, but around them, there was an unsettling, mysterious air, as if shrouded in a thick fog. It gave me a sudden chill; I knew it couldn't be anything good.

Principal David's face instantly darkened, becoming as gloomy as the sky before a storm, with thick, dark clouds piled up, so black they seemed to drip water.

His brows were tightly furrowed, deep wrinkles forming between them, and his cheeks bulged slightly from the strain of his jaw muscles, like a bull poised to pounce, his face filled with disbelief.

"I never imagined those two would actually get together! This is outrageous!"

The principal was so angry that he spun around on the spot, the ground beneath his feet trembling slightly and making a very soft "thump-thump" sound, as if accompanying his anger.

"Doesn't that mean the whole competition has become meaningless? Those two bastards!"

He abruptly stopped, raised his arm high, and slammed his clenched fist, brimming with rage, against the wall beside him with a dull thud, shaking off some plaster dust.

"I went through so much trouble, pulling strings and building connections everywhere, practically wearing myself out, to finally secure this opportunity to compete. I was really looking forward to making the school proud, but I never expected them to treat the competition so casually and trample on all my hard work. It's such a waste of all my efforts!"

The principal was so angry that his lips trembled slightly, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

Seeing the principal so angry, Gao Jie quickly stepped forward, gently placed his hand on the principal's back, and patted it rhythmically, saying:

"Principal, please calm down. It's not worth getting sick from getting angry. There's no point in getting angry now. It's like throwing a punch at a wall – a waste of energy. We need to figure out how to deal with this next."

Gao Jie tilted his head slightly, his eyes revealing genuine worry, and looked earnestly at the principal.

"Since they've already made a plan, I'm afraid they might attack us at any time. Shouldn't we prepare in advance? Even if it's just a small change, we should be on guard. It's like playing chess; you have to plan ahead a few moves. Otherwise, you'll definitely suffer a lot later. Actually, we've wanted to tell you for a long time, but we were too busy and it was too late today, so we waited until now."

Upon hearing this, Principal Davida gradually stopped venting his anger, slowly crossed his arms, his fingers unconsciously tapping his arm. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke:

"I know what you mean, but no matter what changes we make, they must have already anticipated it. Maybe this whole plan is a trap tailor-made for us, just waiting for us to foolishly walk into it, and then we'll end up losing more than we gain."

Gao Jie scratched the back of his head, a few strands of hair sticking up as he did so. A hint of disdain crossed his face as he muttered under his breath:

"Principal, I don't think so. Even if they've set a trap, so what? We can't just be intimidated. We can just deal with whatever comes our way!"

As he spoke, he puffed out his chest, as if to visualize his indomitable spirit, and a burning fighting spirit instantly ignited in his eyes.

"Besides, I don't believe the other side is so capable of calculating everything perfectly! Nothing in this world is absolute. Man can conquer nature. Compared to that, I'm more inclined to believe that things are up to us, and the outcome is still uncertain."

Principal David looked Gao Jie up and down, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes, and his expression softened slightly:

"Then tell me your plan in detail. My mind is a complete mess right now, and I don't have any ideas. If your plan is feasible, I might consider it."

Just as we were speaking, a soft chuckle suddenly came from not far away in the quiet night, like a breeze ruffling the peaceful atmosphere.

The two instantly became alert. Principal David reacted extremely quickly, rushing to the wall in one stride, his movements as agile as a cheetah hunting its prey.

He quickly put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, and said in a low, urgent, and tense voice, "Quick, hide!"

Gao Jie followed closely behind, imitating the principal by crouching low and moving as lightly as a feather, stealthily hiding behind the bushes.

As soon as they hid themselves, they saw who it was: the head teacher and her boyfriend!

Gao Jie's eyes widened instantly, and he almost cried out in surprise. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, leaving only his eyes open, staring at the newcomer with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Principal David looked helpless and embarrassed. His lips twitched, and he could only lie down in the grass, barely daring to breathe. He tried to press his body down as much as possible, wishing he could become one with the grass.

The two people walked closer and closer, completely unaware that someone was beside them.

The head of the teaching department affectionately linked arms with her boyfriend, resting her head gently on his shoulder. Every now and then, she would tilt her head up and say a few sweet, coquettish words in a soft, gentle voice.

Her boyfriend lowered his head slightly, his eyes full of doting affection, and whispered sweet words, occasionally reciting a few elegant lines of poetry.

The two not only talked about love, but they also became more and more enthusiastic as they chatted, from poetry and songs to life ideals, from romance to daily necessities. It was as if they wanted to fill the long night with their sweet words, and everything outside was irrelevant to them.

Principal David was so frustrated in the bushes that his face turned red, his teeth were clenched, and his fists were tightly knit. Several times he almost couldn't resist rushing out.

Seeing this, Gao Jie quickly reached out and gently pressed down on the principal's arm, whispering a word of advice:

"Principal, hold it in! Going out now would be incredibly embarrassing. Just bear with it a little longer."

They endured it for over two hours, still full of enthusiasm and somewhat reluctant to stop.

Principal David was trembling with rage. He lowered his voice and said menacingly, "This isn't over yet! If this continues, I'm really going to storm out!"

Gao Jie quickly advised again, "Principal, you've endured this for so long, what's a little longer? Don't act impulsively."

Finally, around midnight, the two of them left, chatting and laughing.

As soon as Principal Davidra straightened up, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. He rubbed his legs and complained:

"Oh my god, I have to find out what's going on tomorrow! How could our relationship have gotten this far? What time is it already?"

Gao Jie quickly stepped forward to support the principal and advised him:

"Principal, let's just forget about it. Everyone's still angry right now. Let's calm down and go back quickly. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Principal David snorted angrily, his legs still weak from squatting for so long, and he walked with a limp, but he still forced himself to move to the side more quickly.

Gao Jie dared not slacken his pace and jogged close behind. He hadn't gone far when suddenly, as if pulled by an invisible force, his steps faltered, and a look of frustration instantly appeared on his face. Then, he slapped his thigh, making a crisp "smack" sound.

"Oh dear! Principal, I have something I want to tell you." The voice carried a hint of urgency and helplessness.

Principal David turned his head, full of doubt. His already furrowed brows tightened even more. He thought Gao Jie had suddenly come up with some brilliant strategy to turn the tide of the situation. A hint of anticipation instantly ignited in his eyes, and he urged impatiently:

"Speak quickly, don't dawdle, time is of the essence!"

Gao Jie, with a pained expression, weakly pointed his index finger towards the dormitory, his brows furrowed into a deep "川" shape, his eyes slightly red, and he said in a voice trembling with tears:

"Principal, when we came out it was still light out, and it wasn't time to turn off the lights yet. But look at us now, it's long past the lights-out time! I... can't get back to the dormitory."

As he spoke, he looked up at the principal with a pitiful expression, his eyes full of helplessness and pleading, just like a little dog that had been soaked by the rain.

Upon hearing this, the glimmer of expectation that had just flickered in Principal Davida's eyes was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water, vanishing completely.

His face flushed crimson with rage, like a ripe tomato, his cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish inflated with air. He glared fiercely at Gao Jie, his eyes seeming to shoot tangible knives. Then, he suddenly raised his foot, as if to kick him hard, cursing incessantly:

"Oh, so this is the annoying thing. I thought you'd come up with some brilliant solution. Stop yelling nonsense and wasting my precious time!"

After saying that, without waiting for Gao Jie's response, he turned around and strode away, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Gao Jie stood there like a statue, completely bewildered. He slowly scratched his face, his pent-up grievances overflowing like a burst dam.

"I can't help it, why did she get angry so suddenly? It's so late at night, where am I going to stay tonight?"

He watched the principal's retreating figure, his feet seemingly glued to the ground. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, feeling awkward and helpless, completely lost and unsure of what to do.

Just as he was looking bewildered and at a loss, Davira suddenly turned around again. The principal, still slightly frowning, said irritably:

"I'll go call someone for you, otherwise you'll be homeless tonight. That won't do!"

Although the tone was harsh, it did point Gao Jie in a way out.

Thanks to David's intervention, Gao Jie would probably have been freezing and starving outside tonight, given his situation, if it weren't for the principal's help.

Facing the principal, the dormitory supervisor didn't ask any questions and tactfully let the two of them in.

As the night passed and dawn broke, Gao Jie was still nestled in his warm bed, having a sweet dream, when suddenly, the blanket was violently shaken by a great force.

He opened his eyes sleepily, a wave of displeasure washing over him, and muttered:

"What are you doing all of a sudden? Can't you see I'm still half asleep? Are you crazy?"

Gao Jie complained as he turned over, pulled the blanket up over his head, and continued to grumble in a muffled voice.

"Let me tell you, I stayed up really late last night, I'm exhausted, please don't disturb me, let me sleep a little longer, otherwise I'm going to break down."

Huang Xu ignored him, reached out and grabbed his blanket tightly, tearing off a large section of it.

"Hey bro, can you tell me what happened? I heard you went for a walk with the principal last night. Why did you choose to go for a walk with the principal? That's really strange. Tell me about it."

Gao Jie was startled by these words and instantly sobered up a bit. He sat up abruptly, his eyes wide like saucers, his face full of disbelief, and he looked at Huang Xu with a puzzled expression:

"What nonsense are you spouting? What do you mean? That's not true at all! Don't make things up."

Seeing that he didn't believe him, Huang Xu hurriedly told him everything he had heard, gesturing wildly as he spoke:

"Everyone's spreading the word. They said they saw you and the principal strolling around outside last night, and they're making it sound so real. Lots of people know about it!"

After hearing this, Gao Jie felt his head buzz, the world spin, and he almost fainted. He was so angry his face turned blue, veins bulging on his forehead, and he roared through gritted teeth:

"Who is this bastard? Talking nonsense like this!"

Gao Jie clenched his fists, raised them high, and slammed them hard on the bed with a dull thud.

"I only discussed the competition with the principal in a proper and respectful manner. We didn't talk about anything we shouldn't have. How could they make up stories about me like this? Who started this rumor?"

Seeing that Gao Jie was truly angry, Huang Xu's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively scratched his face and cautiously moved to the side, trying to create some distance, his eyes filled with guilt. Unexpectedly, Gao Jie darted forward, grabbed Huang Xu's collar like an eagle's claw, and pulled him close.

"Something's not right with you, kid. Tell me right now, is this related to you? What exactly happened? Explain yourself! If you don't, this isn't over!"

Huang Xu grinned awkwardly and scratched his face. Under Gao Jie's repeated questioning, he finally stammered out the reason.

It turned out that after Gao Jie went out with the principal that night, Huang Xu woke up shortly after. When he opened his eyes, he found that Gao Jie was not in the room at all. His curiosity was instantly piqued, and he couldn't resist sneaking out to take a look.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that Gao Jie had actually gone out with David. At the time, he didn't think much of it; he was simply surprised and couldn't help but reveal the news. Little did he expect it would turn out like this.

Enraged, Gao Jie gripped his neck tightly with both hands, gritting his teeth and cursing:

"I might as well just kill you. How dare you spread such rumors? Do you know what the consequences will be if this gets out of hand?"

Gao Jie tightened his grip, and Huang Xu's face turned red from being pinched, his tongue almost sticking out.

"It's fine if you joke with me like this, but the problem is you can't joke like this with David. That woman really could kill you if she gets angry, okay?"

Huang Xu was now completely tense. He hadn't thought much of a rumor, but after hearing Gao Jie's words, his heart raced, he panicked, and his legs trembled slightly.

"So what do we do now? I've already told you, you're not really going to kill me, are you?"

Gao Jie frowned, glared at him fiercely, and scolded him with exasperation.

"You're really being presumptuous, aren't you?"

After saying that, Gao Jie released his grip, and Huang Xu collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily.

Gao Jie angrily changed his clothes quickly, not even bothering to wash up, his hair disheveled, and rushed to the principal's office.

Davidra seemed to be in a good mood, sitting at his desk flipping through documents with a faint smile on his lips. He was probably completely unaware of Huang Xu's actions.

Seeing Gao Jie arrive in such a flurry, he greeted him cheerfully, "You've come up with a plan? If so, let's talk about it."