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

Upon hearing Huang Xu's words, the principal's face instantly turned extremely gloomy, as if a dark cloud had descended upon it.

His eyebrows were furrowed tightly together, like two tangled braids, and his eyes were wide open, filled with flames of anger.

He glared fiercely at Huang Xu, his eyes seeming to burn two holes in Huang Xu's body.

Immediately afterwards, the principal raised his voice, his tone full of reprimand and annoyance, and said loudly:

"You bastard, what nonsense are you spouting? And what are you guys doing? Standing here like statues, why aren't you moving?"

The principal shouted angrily while waving his hand impatiently and violently, as if he wanted to shoo them away as soon as possible, like annoying flies, and not want to look at them again.

"Get out of here! Stop wasting your breath, you hear me? Go as far away as possible and don't get in my way!"

The principal's voice sounded particularly jarring in this corner of the campus, his high-decibel reprimand carrying an undeniable air of expulsion.

Gao Jie, Huang Muran, and Huang Xu were taken aback by the principal's blunt words, and then exchanged glances.

As their eyes met, a somewhat amusing feeling arose in both of them.

They were thinking to themselves, "This campus is a place where everyone studies and lives together, not a private domain that the principal can decide for himself. We're just standing here to see what's going on, so why can't we do that?"

How can you be so unreasonable and forcibly drive people away?

Meanwhile, Hou Youcai stood to the side, his smug expression growing even more arrogant. His lips were turned up so high they almost reached his ears. He looked exactly like a bystander waiting to see a good show, his face full of schadenfreude.

The way he looked at it seemed to be saying something.

"Let's see what you can do to me. Even the principal listens to me now. You'd better wait and see what happens to you."

It's infuriating! That smug, petty face of someone who's gotten away with something is just infuriating.

This only fueled Gao Jie's suspicions. What was the meaning of this guy coming to the school and showing off on the court?

Logically speaking, if Hou Youcai really wanted to cause trouble for me, given his past behavior, he would have just taken action directly. Why would he be behaving in such an unpredictable way now?

Gao Jie considered all the possibilities in his mind, but in the end, he still couldn't figure out the specific situation no matter how hard he tried.

However, judging from the current situation, something is clearly not right, and Hou Youcai's smug look is enough to show that there must be something troublesome behind the scenes.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Jie reached out and tugged at Huang Muran and Huang Xu, whispering something to them.

"Let's go to the side first, don't just stand here."

As they spoke, they quickly walked to a bench not far away and plopped down on it.

Seeing that these guys had finally left, the principal secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His tense face relaxed instantly, and he returned to his usual smiling demeanor. He hurriedly bowed and scraped to Hou Youcai, speaking to him in a humble manner.

"Let's go for a walk over there. Also, I haven't told you about the area yet. If you get tired, just let me know, and we've arranged a place for you to rest. We definitely won't be able to see all of this big school today."

The principal continued speaking with a fawning smile and a sycophantic expression.

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem with this. I've already made all the arrangements. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us anytime."

Hou Youcai nodded slightly, still leisurely smoking his cigar, and then led his group of people to walk to the other side in a swaggering manner, as if the school were his own private property.

Watching them walk away, Gao Jie shook his head helplessly. Huang Muran, sitting next to him, frowned, his face full of worry, and muttered something under his breath.

"I feel like this situation is a bit outrageous. Do you think there might be some kind of collaboration between the principal and Hou Youcai?"

She tilted her head, looked at Gao Jie, and continued speaking.

"I have a feeling that, judging from the current situation, the two of them have started some kind of secret affair again. Gao Jie, I think you should try to leave here. This school might not be very friendly to you."

Huang Muran became more and more anxious as he spoke, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"If you stay here, they'll definitely find a chance to target you. What will you do then? At worst, you can take a leave of absence and come back to school later. Wouldn't that be better than anything else?"

Upon hearing these words, Gao Jie simply shook his head slowly, his face full of confusion.

He really couldn't understand it. Hou Youcai's situation should be very complicated. He had never seen him have any contact with the principal before. Why was he able to get along with the principal now?

He pondered this matter repeatedly in his mind until his head ached. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he shook his head, trying to shake off these jumbled thoughts.

Huang Xu, who was waiting impatiently, waited for a while and when he saw that Gao Jie was still lost in his thoughts, he gently patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Hey, Jay, stop thinking about it here. We need to figure out what to do next."

"I feel like I'm a giant third wheel in front of you two. I have no idea what you're talking about. Didn't you at least check if I was there?"

"Besides, I'm incredibly well-connected when it comes to getting information at this school. If you two don't come to me, who else do you think you can get information from?"

"Let me tell you, this matter is not simple. I have a general understanding of it. If you want to know more, come and ask me as soon as possible."

The two exchanged a glance and continued their conversation, completely ignoring the guy, but this was starting to get on their nerves.

Huang Xu is the kind of person who can't keep things to himself. Whenever something happens, he'll blurt it all out like a flood.

Before Gao Jie and Huang Muran could even say anything, he couldn't hold back any longer. He first let out a heavy sigh, his voice filled with helplessness and worry, then plopped down next to them and said seriously:

"To tell you the truth, the most powerful board member in our school right now is this Hou Youcai! And this guy is something else entirely. He's not just a figurehead; he gets involved in many important voting issues at school, and he's even started interfering in the school's administration."

Huang Xu's face was gloomy.

"In other words, from now on, this guy's influence in our school is very likely to be greater and more powerful than we imagined!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jie's brows furrowed instantly, his eyebrows twisting into a pretzel shape.

He really didn't expect that Hou Youcai could get along with the principal and even become a member of the school's board of directors. How deep must the water be behind this?

What exactly is going on here?

If things continue like this, this matter is bound to escalate further.

Most importantly, all of them had offended Hou Youcai to varying degrees before. It seems that this matter is really thorny, and if it is not handled properly, there may be endless troubles in the future.

Huang Muran sighed helplessly, his face full of worry, and said.

"Don't you understand yet? They were just deliberately trying to show off to us. I never expected things to turn out this way. But how could Hou Youcai become a school board member so easily..."

Her words were filled with deep doubt, and she knew in her heart that this matter was definitely not that simple, and there must be a complicated reason behind it.

This matter is actually a long story, involving many related issues.

The current situation is particularly chaotic, far more complicated than they had originally imagined.

It turns out that Hou Youcai's son got into trouble. This incident was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples and bringing a series of negative consequences.

Hou Youcai was seething with anger. He had been planning to turn his back on those involved and settle scores with them. However, he was also well aware that if he directly targeted the students, his reputation would be ruined, and people would definitely come after him. In that case, he would probably suffer more losses than gains.

However, Hou Youcai was no fool. He quickly came up with a plan to win over the principal and, through various means, successfully secured the position of school board member.

Now he has a legitimate place in the school administration and the right to handle school affairs openly. When the time comes, will he still have to worry about not finding an opportunity to deal with Gao Jie and his gang?

It has to be said, his methods were truly brilliant. He managed to make something that wasn't exactly aboveboard appear perfectly legitimate, leaving no room for criticism. It seems Gao Jie and his team have met their match this time.

Gao Jie frowned, his face solemn. He had no idea that there were so many complicated things hidden behind this.

At this moment, Huang Muran urged anxiously.

"Don't just stand there! Make a decision quickly. This is no joke. If we can't resolve this, we might all have to take a leave of absence from school. Otherwise, we'll be completely ruined by them."

Huang Muran has always been a shrewd person, with a clear mind, and he knows very well how much trouble this matter will cause if it is not handled properly.

After all, everyone comes here to study, and no one wants to make a big fuss, let alone drag their whole family into this bottomless pit because of their own problems.

Gao Jie was also filled with helplessness. He never expected the problem to escalate to this point. To be honest, this situation was really too troublesome.

But if you calm down and think about it, is this really as simple as it seems, that it can be solved by just admitting defeat or leaving quickly?

He wasn't sure what to do.

Looking at Gao Jie's conflicted expression, Huang Muran had only one thought in his mind: either he should simply admit defeat and apologize to Hou Youcai, and perhaps he could gain some peace for the time being.

Either leave this troublesome place as soon as possible, so as not to continue living in fear here. Dragging things out and hesitating any longer will not benefit anyone.

Seeing Gao Jie's hesitant and indecisive look, Huang Muran was extremely anxious. For a moment, he was speechless, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with helplessness and anxiety. He couldn't help but raise his voice and say.

"You've come this far, what are you waiting for? What are you still hesitating about?"

As she spoke, she paced anxiously back and forth.

"If all else fails, we could apply for some paperwork so we don't live on campus anymore. Otherwise, Hou Youcai will definitely find a reason to target us sooner or later. Don't you think so?"

Her gaze was fixed on Gao Jie, as if urging him to make a decision quickly.

Gao Jie sighed heavily after hearing Huang Muran's words, his face full of frustration and helplessness. He secretly blamed himself, never expecting things to develop into such a terrible state.

He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"In that case, let's find an apartment to live in, what do you think?"

There was a hint of expectation in his eyes, hoping that the proposal would be approved by everyone so that they could get out of their current predicament as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Huang Muran felt that this was indeed a feasible solution at the moment, and quickly nodded in agreement, saying...

"Give me a private room, and I don't care about anything else. I don't want to keep living in fear here, having to be on guard against Hou Youcai causing trouble every day."

As she spoke, she began to plan what to pack, her tone filled with urgency.

"Let's act quickly and split up to go back and pack our things. If we dawdle any longer, who knows what other unexpected things might happen."

As she spoke, she was already impatiently preparing to turn around and walk back.

Her decisive and efficient demeanor showed her determination to get out of this troublesome place as soon as possible.