CHAPTER 263: CHAPTER 260: CINDERELLA’S COMEBACK (PART 5)

Gu is really something else. Not only is he great at studying, but his emotional intelligence is sky-high as well. He knows just how to flatter you until you feel light as a feather, as if you weigh no more than two taels.

Anning laughed all the way, showering Principal Lan with compliments like they were free.

By the time they reached the principal’s office, Principal Lan almost regarded Anning as a confidant.

"My dad went to Shengzhe to handle my withdrawal procedure, but I’m... not sure what needs to be done to transfer to First Middle School. As you know, my parents aren’t very knowledgeable. Could I trouble a teacher from First Middle School, or you, to help me with the process?"

Anning had actually planned these words in advance.

She knew someone at Shengzhe was intentionally targeting her and feared that if she dealt with the transfer procedure herself, that person would find out and intentionally give her a hard time, pressuring Shengzhe’s principal not to proceed with it.

But it would be different if Principal Lan from First Middle School handled it.

As the principal of the best middle school in City, not to mention Shengzhe’s principal, even the board members of Shengzhe and the entrepreneurs of City had to show him some respect.

When Principal Lan was young, he taught at First Middle School; most of his students went to top universities, with each class having some admitted to China’s top universities. Back then, he devoted himself to teaching and cared for his students deeply. Many students still remembered him fondly, often coming back to visit.

Over the years, Principal Lan’s students had spread far and wide, with many now prominent figures. If he said he needed something done, who would dare make things difficult for him?

Principal Lan was set to retire in a couple of years, and he had been fiercely focusing on improving the teaching quality at First Middle School, aiming to attract exceptional students to surpass the up-and-coming Sixth Middle School.

Anning’s academic performance had always been excellent. Even after transferring to Shengzhe, she hadn’t fallen behind, scoring second place in the citywide joint exam last time.

The only reason she scored second was because she was being bullied during that period. Otherwise, she would have absolutely been first.

With a student as outstanding as Anning, Principal Lan wished he could hold her in the palm of his hand. When she said she wanted to ask for his help with the transfer, he immediately agreed with a smile: "No problem, that’s easily done. I’ll call Shengzhe right away. Have your dad wait a bit, then bring your paperwork straight over."

Anning thanked him with a smile.

Principal Lan wasted no time, picking up the phone to call Shengzhe’s principal.

The principal at Shengzhe was already having a headache.

There Mr. Gu had come upon him, implying through his words that Anning would no longer study at Shengzhe, as she was transferring schools.

Shengzhe’s principal had initially wanted to leverage the one hundred thousand yuan to pressure Anning to stay at Shengzhe.

But Mr. Gu slammed his bank card on the table then and there, even insisting that Shengzhe’s principal check the balance.

What else could Shengzhe’s principal do but speak kindly to Mr. Gu, promising many benefits, just to keep Anning.

If Anning hadn’t told Mr. Gu about being bullied, he might have had second thoughts.

But now, he couldn’t wait to transfer Anning to First Middle School. He couldn’t stand the thought of Anning spending another moment at that hellish Shengzhe place and wouldn’t listen to the principal.

"Principal, when you came to our home to recruit my girl, you spoke so nicely, promising to look after Anning and ensure her safety. But Anning has been bullied more than once at your school, and just the other day, she was locked in the bathroom, drenched with cold water after school. If someone hadn’t passed by and let her out, I might not have seen my daughter today."

Thinking about Anning’s ordeal, Mr. Gu was particularly angry and displayed a harsh attitude towards Shengzhe’s principal, venting about Anning’s suffering: "A student has to constantly be on edge at school, trembling in fear of being bullied. How could she possibly focus on studying? Your Shengzhe boasts beautiful campus grounds and top-notch facilities in the city, claiming to be a prestigious school. But you can’t even ensure the safety of a student. How can we, as parents, have confidence in you? The foundation of education is for students to be able to learn safely and healthily. If you can’t even manage that, and you still want my daughter to stay here and study, there’s no way."

Mr. Gu was utterly resolute in rebuffing Shengzhe’s principal.

Shengzhe’s principal broke into a sweat.

"I truly had no idea."

He hurriedly waved his hands, trying to lessen his responsibility: "Gu never mentioned it, and the teachers haven’t told me... "

Mr. Gu wasn’t buying his excuses.

He seriously said, "In any case, my daughter is set on transferring. Please expedite the paperwork for us. If it’s settled today, we can act as if nothing happened, and we can talk things over. But if you drag your feet and don’t handle it, we’ll do whatever it takes for our child’s future. We might not have much else, but we’re willing to risk our lives to smear the reputation of your school."

Upon hearing this, Shengzhe’s principal also started to lose his temper.

He wasn’t afraid of threats and thought about delaying just to see what Mr. Gu could do about it.

Just then, as he was devising ways to suppress Mr. Gu’s assertiveness, the phone in his office rang.

He picked up the call, and as soon as he heard Principal Lan’s voice on the other end, he knew trouble was brewing.

"Principal Wu, your student Gu Anning came to us at First Middle School early this morning, crying and insisting on transferring to our school. I thought we shouldn’t delay the child’s education, so here I am calling you. Handle the paperwork, and let Gu bring it over, please."

Principal Lan didn’t have a small grievance with Principal Wu.

In the past two years, the two schools had had a dispute, and lately, Shengzhe Middle School, with its wealth, had poached quite a few good students from First Middle School. Now that Anning wanted to transfer, Principal Lan could use this to give Principal Wu a hard time.

When Principal Wu heard this, he almost fainted from anger.

But he really couldn’t afford to offend Principal Lan.

After all, many of Principal Lan’s former students were now influential figures. If he upset Principal Lan enough for him to shed a few tears to his students in Capital, no one would be getting off easy.

"I understand, I understand."

Principal Wu said while wiping away sweat, "I’ll have the paperwork ready shortly."