Chapter 119: You Little Rascal, You Little Rascal

"Let's go, let's head home." Qin Tian beckoned to Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing.

"What's going on?" Shen Xiaoqing asked, puzzled. She had just seen Tang Bo walking out of Kangkang Bar looking utterly devastated; he hadn't even acknowledged her when she greeted him.

"It's complicated. I'll explain on the way." Qin Tian sighed. This must have been a massive blow to Tang Bo.

After being adopted and growing up in that kind of environment, Tang Bo’s inner self must have been extremely insecure. Finally finding a girlfriend had been a way to mend his wounded soul. But who could have guessed that instead of healing, it was just like twisting the knife even deeper into his heart?

Qin Tian gave the two women a brief summary of what had happened and then fell silent. Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing exchanged glances—this was pure melodrama! That woman was truly trash! If she didn't like Tang Bo, why lead him on? And then to despise him for having no money after getting involved with him—what kind of logic was that?

It was true that love couldn't exist without bread, but two people could work for it together. As long as you had hands and feet and weren't afraid of hard work, you wouldn't starve, would you?

Over the next few days, Tang Bo did not attend classes. He remained depressed, lying at home all day, either staring blankly at the ceiling or sitting by the door, swaying his head in a daze.

"Is he going to lose his mind?" Jiang Yingying asked, worried.

"He’s just been struck hard and can't process it yet. If he can walk out of this on his own, his life ahead will be much smoother," Qin Tian said. People who have experienced great ups and downs often become more steady when facing future challenges. Once someone has seen both heaven and hell, what else is there that they cannot face?

Qin Tian sighed again and decided to go to the school to find the Dean, Jia Ren, to ask for a week’s leave for Tang Bo. There was no other way; if things continued like this, Tang Bo would likely be expelled. One simply couldn't skip school for several days in a row without any explanation.

However, Qin Tian was a bit concerned. Asking for a week’s leave without a valid reason might not be easy, and it was said that this Jia Ren was notoriously difficult to deal with. Qin Tian felt his pocket; if all else failed, he would have to use his backup plan.

Standing outside the office door, Qin Tian was about to knock when he heard strange noises from inside. He narrowed his eyes and listened closely. When he realized what the sounds were, his expression became rather intrigued. It seemed the item he had prepared wouldn't be needed after all.

Qin Tian leaned against the wall outside the door and waited quietly for things to finish. About half an hour later, the commotion ceased. Qin Tian was slightly surprised; he hadn't realized Jia Ren was quite so capable.

"You're annoying!" A young woman with a hint of sweat in her hair walked out, giving a playful push with her right hand and calling out with a shy expression.

"Next time, I'll let you try something even more impressive!" Jia Ren chuckled, puffing out his chest.

"Hmph!" The young woman gave a coquettish snort.

Suddenly, the woman caught sight of Qin Tian leaning against the wall and was startled. Qin Tian smiled at her without saying a word. The woman felt awkward and, after hesitating for a moment, turned and ran off.

"You..." Jia Ren’s eyes widened in shock.

"What did you hear?" Jia Ren demanded.

"Nothing. I didn't hear a thing. I didn't hear anyone calling you 'little rascal,'" Qin Tian said coolly.

Jia Ren’s face changed instantly. He looked left and right, and upon confirming there was no one else around, he pulled Qin Tian into the office.

"What do you want?" Jia Ren asked.

"Oh, I'm here to get a leave request approved," Qin Tian said, producing a form. However, he hesitated, not handing it over immediately. Instead, he walked over to Jia Ren’s desk and picked up a pen from the holder. His eyes lit up—it was quite an expensive pen. He had seen the advertisement for it and hadn't expected Jia Ren to own one.

After fiddling with it for a moment, Qin Tian crossed out the "one week" on the leave form and replaced it with "one month." Watching Qin Tian change the duration right in front of him, Jia Ren’s face couldn't help but twitch. Qin Tian started to put the pen back, but paused, pulled his hand back, and tucked the pen into his own pocket.

"You!" Jia Ren was furious.

"Little rascal, oh, little rascal," Qin Tian muttered, mimicking the posture of puffing out one's chest.

Jia Ren took a deep breath. *Endure!*

"Dean Jia, please sign this." Qin Tian handed him the form and helped him pull another pen from the holder.

"Are you Tang Bo?" Jia Ren asked, looking at him.

"No, that’s my friend. I’m here on his behalf. My name is Qin Tian," Qin Tian smiled. It seemed Jia Ren was planning to cause trouble for him.

Jia Ren squinted. He had indeed contemplated it; having a weakness held by someone else was unpleasant, like a bone stuck in his throat.

"Dean Jia, if I do well, you do well," Qin Tian reminded him with a smile.

"Are you threatening me?" Jia Ren frowned, surprised that his intention to mess with Qin Tian had been seen through.

"How am I threatening you? Did I make any threats?" Qin Tian shrugged.

Jia Ren’s face turned livid, but he sneered, "You’d better not spout nonsense. Do you think anyone would believe you?" Since no one else had caught him with the woman, even if Qin Tian spoke out, no one would likely believe him. By then, he, the Dean, could turn the tables and accuse Qin Tian of slandering a teacher, which would certainly earn him a disciplinary record.

"I'm sorry, but I have a habit of carrying a voice recorder when I go out," Qin Tian said, pulling the device from his pocket.

"You bastard!" Jia Ren couldn't help but curse.

"I'm a good student who loves to learn. I’m terrified of missing any of the teachers' brilliant lectures, so I record them every time to review later." Qin Tian grinned. This recorder was actually something he used to record lectures, though it was at the insistence of Jiang Yingying and Shen Xiaoqing. Qin Tian didn't have the patience to review class material; it was the girls who wanted to listen.

"Dean Jia, I might have some special circumstances in the future that keep me from class. When that happens, I’ll have to trouble you to cover for me. How about that?" Qin Tian asked in a tone of negotiation.

"Don't push your luck!" Jia Ren had already signed the form and shoved it back into Qin Tian’s hand.

"Little rascal, oh, little rascal," Qin Tian repeated, once again mimicking the physical gesture.

Jia Ren closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, eventually forcing a smile. "Fine. But don't go too far. After all, I’m only the Dean, not the Principal." He took a deep breath.

"Then let’s have a pleasant cooperation. This is a gift for you." Qin Tian thought for a moment and decided to give Jia Ren the item he had prepared before coming over.

Jia Ren took it suspiciously and was instantly stunned—it was a signed photo of Mi Xue! His face lit up with joy. He was a huge fan of Mi Xue and loved collecting her signed photos!

"Good, good, good! Pleasant cooperation, but do keep a sense of proportion," Jia Ren beamed.

Qin Tian was speechless. This Jia Ren was just like Shen Xiaoqing—a fanatic celebrity chaser. To be doing this at his age was indescribable; he could only call it persistent.

"I’m off, little rascal," Qin Tian said as he walked out the door, waving his hand behind him.

Upon hearing the words "little rascal," Jia Ren stumbled, swearing to himself that he would never engage in such romantic shenanigans again.