“Do I really still have a chance to change?” Qi Shanshan asked softly.
“Of course, you do,” Zhan Jinzhi replied.
“I… I…”
Just as Qi Shanshan was wavering, Madam Qi rushed over.
“Shanshan, what have you done? How could you do such a thing?” Madam Qi’s face was filled with anger. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve brought upon our Qi family with this?”
Hearing this, Qi Shanshan lowered her head. It was always the same words from her mother.
She was her own daughter, yet when problems arose, her mother never considered standing by her side.
“I hate you, Mom!” Qi Shanshan shouted at Madam Qi.
Madam Qi merely looked at Qi Shanshan angrily. “What nonsense are you spouting? I am your mother. Without me, how could you even exist? Do you even look at who raised you? I sent you to school not for you to cause trouble for the Qi family!”
Qi Shanshan bit her lower lip, looking as though she was about to cry.
However, Madam Qi’s scolding was not over. “Since you’re so disobedient and have caused such a mess, I can only teach you a good lesson.”
Saying this, she raised her arm, intending to discipline Qi Shanshan in front of everyone.
“It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, making you so disrespectful!”
But at this moment, Wei Yumeng quickly grabbed her raised arm.
“What business is it of yours if I discipline my own child?”
Zhan Jinzhi and Zhan Shiqing walked out together, shielding Qi Shanshan.
Zhan Jinzhi asked, “Then, Madam, for what purpose did you send Qi Shanshan to school in the first place?”
“Auntie, I truly dislike you. You constantly mention the Qi family, but do you know that Qi Shanshan is your child? No matter the circumstances, can’t you think of her?” Zhan Shiqing truly couldn’t stand it anymore.
How could Madam Qi tolerate being lectured by two children? However, with Zhan Mohan and Wei Yumeng present, she couldn’t say anything.
Wei Yumeng also said, “Madam Qi, I understand you are very angry about this matter, but have you ever considered that the source of everything is your problematic parenting style? Think carefully, how many times have you truly acted for your child?”
Wei Yumeng also realized that even when she fabricated evidence for Qi Shanshan before, it wasn’t to help Qi Shanshan, but rather to prevent the Qi family from being implicated.
Therefore, after they discovered the truth, they shifted all the blame to Qi Shanshan.
The situation Qi Shanshan faced at home could be imagined. Perhaps her arrogance was a result of being spoiled.
However, her understanding of right and wrong had also deviated significantly because of it.
Zhan Mohan thought for a moment and said, “If I remember correctly, the Qi family’s current status is partly due to their involvement in a project with the Zhan Corporation. Given the current situation, the Qi family can’t even handle their own family matters, let alone their company’s affairs.”
Madam Qi’s face instantly turned pale. “Mr. Zhan, I know I was wrong. Please don’t act against the Qi family. I promise to reflect on my mistakes.”
Zhan Mohan and Wei Yumeng exchanged glances. They had no intention of educating other people’s parents here.
However, Zhan Jinzhi was a victim in this matter. Although Qi Shanshan was the one who acted, the root cause stemmed from Madam Qi’s parenting style. They had to seek justice for Zhan Jinzhi.
Zhan Mohan ignored Madam Qi further. He would not change his decision.
Meanwhile, Qi Shanshan stepped forward and took Zhan Jinzhi’s sleeve.
“I… I already know I was wrong. I am willing to change, but I don’t know how. Can you teach me?”
Zhan Jinzhi turned around, took her hand, and said, “Okay.”
Finally, the three children showed smiles.
Afterward, the teacher asked Wei Yumeng, “Mrs. Zhan, are you really not going to pursue Qi Shanshan’s responsibility?”
Wei Yumeng shook her head. “Her mother has already paid the price. That is enough.”
The teacher said no more, as she knew the impact of canceling the cooperation between Zhan Corporation and the Qi family would be considerable on their school.
However, in this matter, she couldn’t possibly side with the Qi family. She only wanted to stand with the children; such a mother indeed deserved punishment.
After everything concluded, Wei Yumeng’s family prepared to leave the school.
But as they reached the school gate, they encountered Qiu Shaoyi.
Zhan Jinzhi naturally knew Qiu Shaoyi was looking for him. “What do you want?”
Qiu Shaoyi thought for a moment and then said, “Zhan Jinzhi, I need you to do me a favor.”
As he spoke, his expression was not good, completely different from his spirited demeanor during the competition.
Even at the end of the competition, Qiu Shaoyi hadn’t shown such an expression.
What could have happened in less than an hour?
Qiu Shaoyi seemed to be wary of the presence of the two adults, Wei Yumeng and Zhan Mohan.
Wei Yumeng and Zhan Mohan exchanged a look, then Wei Yumeng said, “Jin Zhi, we’ll go ahead. You can catch up later.”
With that, they left with Zhan Shiqing.
Only then did Qiu Shaoyi speak to Zhan Jinzhi. “Can you do me a favor? Help me win a game of chess.”
As he spoke, his voice trembled. “Actually, I made a bet with some people outside the school about this match. They used our win or loss as stakes. They bet on me to win, but I lost the match, causing them to lose a lot of money. So… so they… they captured my sister, saying she would be the price for my lost match.”
Hearing this explanation, Zhan Jinzhi understood the seriousness of the situation.
“They said they would only return my sister if I could win the next match.”
“You are very skilled. You should believe in yourself,” Zhan Jinzhi thought Qiu Shaoyi still had the ability to fight for it.
But Qiu Shaoyi shook his head. “I can’t. The moment I think about my sister being the stake, I can’t calm down. And… and I just lost to you today. The opponents in that match are all adults!”
“I understand. I’ll try,” Zhan Jinzhi replied.
Qiu Shaoyi immediately hugged Zhan Jinzhi. “Thank you so much!”
Upon returning, Zhan Jinzhi naturally told Zhan Mohan and Wei Yumeng about the matter, as this was not something that children could truly handle on their own.
“Interesting. It seems this might be an underground gambling ring,” Zhan Mohan said. “You go ahead and do what you need to do. We’ll handle the rest.”