In the not-so-spacious office, the middle-aged woman’s voice was as deafening as a tiger’s roar, giving Su Mo no chance to speak at all.
To anyone watching, it really looked like they were the ones who had suffered some great injustice.
Yang Jie frowned and helplessly turned her head away.
Xia Qingqing and Huo Jingshuo were also fuming, their faces dark. If not for the woman’s special status, the two might have even beaten her up too.
Su Mo watched her tantrum quietly, offering no response, until she found her own performance pointless and had to stop.
“Finished?” Su Mo looked infuriatingly pleased.
“You…!” The woman gritted her teeth, just about to start another tirade, but Su Mo stopped her with a look.
Different from before, this time his eyes held a hint of anger, a flash of crimson vanishing as quickly as it appeared. Before the woman could even figure out what happened, she felt her own confidence waver and a touch of fear set in.
“Since you’re finished, it’s my turn now.” Su Mo crossed his legs, swept his long hair behind his back, and his aura instantly intensified.
“Let’s first clarify the sequence of events.” Su Mo turned his gaze to Ge Wen, who stood behind the woman, and stared directly into his eyes. “The cause of this was you spreading rumors everywhere, correct?”
The moment Ge Wen opened his mouth, Su Mo immediately added, “Don’t rush to deny it. Everyone who can be here is… not simple. I am, and so are they. If you don’t want this to escalate beyond control, please tell the truth, because Instructor Yang, at the very least, stands on the side of fairness.”
“Don’t be scared, son. Your mother has your back. Speak freely. If it comes to it, we’ll make a scene right at the North Star headquarters. With the merits your grandfather and your father earned, no one would dare touch us!”
Ge Wen, just about to speak, was interrupted by his mother’s words.
He glanced at his mother and was about to speak when he heard Su Mo say again, “What you say is your right. Just think it through carefully. Adults, after all, must be responsible for their words and actions.”
Su Mo remained utterly calm throughout, to the point where he exuded a faint, intimidating presence that sent chills down the spines of Ge Wen and the others.
Ge Wen wiped the injuries on his face, still feeling apprehensive.
He took a deep breath, and his tone gradually became firmer. “I did say those things. But I was just repeating what others said! And we were just joking around, there was no insult intended! It was those two who went crazy and attacked me so viciously!”
Xia Qingqing’s eyes widened, and she argued back angrily, “You’re lying!”
“Do you have any proof that I’m lying?”
“Do you have any proof that you aren’t lying?”
The two were on the verge of arguing again when Huo Jingshuo quickly pulled Xia Qingqing back.
On the other side, the woman prepared to re-enter the fray, but Su Mo seized the initiative: “How about this? Tell us your proposed solution first. It might just be acceptable.”
Seeing him soften, a flash of triumph appeared in the woman’s eyes. “First, expel those two, and punish them severely for the crime of insulting the family of a hero! Second, I want them to apologize to my son and compensate him for medical expenses and emotional distress—one million! Don’t think it’s expensive; he is a top-tier talent at North Star. Damaging him is a loss for the entire nation of Xia!”
Seemingly feeling it wasn’t enough, she added, “Also, my son must be granted direct admission into the Aces Camp.”
The corners of Yang Jie’s mouth, who had been silent all this while, twitched slightly. In her heart, she had already sentenced Ge Wen to a “severe punishment.”
Sigh, of all people to provoke, you had to pick my junior sister who never holds a grudge. Well, this should be entertaining.
Just as Yang Jie thought, Su Mo generally didn’t hold grudges, because he preferred to settle them on the spot.
He let out an intrigued “Oh,” and turned his gaze to Ge Wen. “No problem. We agree.”
Ge Wen’s eyes darted around, clearly guilty.
The woman, though acting high and mighty, was actually strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
Then, Su Mo’s tone shifted. “Your demands are settled. Now it’s our turn.”
He went over to Xia Qingqing and asked with concern, “Did his words hurt you? Was it severe?”
Xia Qingqing was stunned for a moment, then started rubbing her eyes. “It hurt, it hurt so much, boo hoo…”
He then looked at Huo Jingshuo. Huo Jingshuo tried her best to look sad and “sobbed,” “I’m hurt too…”
Su Mo then looked at Ye Qingyi. “And you?”
Ye Qingyi was dumbfounded for a second, then suddenly hung her head in wronged. “I… I don’t dare say…”
Su Mo snorted coldly. “Following your pricing, three people, three million. Permanent expulsion, counted three times. And these three individuals get direct admission into the Aces Camp.”
“Offsetting each other, you owe us two million. We’ll give you a fifty percent discount on the two permanent expulsions, so let’s call it one. And our side gets two direct admissions to the Aces Camp.”
“What do you two think?”
The woman raged, “This is nonsense! My son has his injuries as evidence! What about them? And… where did this big oaf come from? What does it have to do with him?”
Big oaf? Is she talking about me?
Ye Qingyi was extremely displeased.
“You might not understand, not being a superhuman. Let me give you an example. Have you seen those Jin Yong martial arts dramas? Not everyone who gets injured in those swells up like a pig’s head. Many have internal injuries. All three of them sustained internal injuries.”
The three nodded in unison.
The woman wanted to argue further, but Su Mo seized the initiative again. “Oh, and there were witnesses present at the time. But I wonder if they will stick to the script Ge Wen taught them. After all, no one wants to gamble their own future for a good-for-nothing.”
“You…!”
Su Mo ignored the woman’s pointed finger and instead stepped closer to Ge Wen, step by step.
“Better tell the truth. Don’t treat everyone at North Star as fools. Even though there were no surveillance cameras, I believe it won’t take them more than three minutes to find out the whole story. By then, forget the Aces Camp, it might be questionable whether you can even stay at North Star.”
After saying all this, he returned to his original spot and sat down, waiting in the same posture. “I’ll give you three seconds to consider. Three… Two…”
“Wait!” Ge Wen loudly interrupted Su Mo’s countdown. Gritting his teeth, he admitted, “I was the one who started spreading rumors about you. That’s why they hit me.”
The woman slapped her son. “You useless thing! Letting a bitch fluster you like this! We have the heroic spirits of your grandfather and your father watching over us, what is there to fear?”
Ge Wen endured it silently, saying nothing.
Su Mo then added sarcastically, “Well, they still shouldn’t have hit you. After all, it was just a joke, right?”
“I went too far. I kept provoking them repeatedly, and that’s when they struck.”
“So, you were the one in the wrong from the start, correct?”
“That’s right… It was me!” The words were forced through Ge Wen’s clenched teeth, his cheeks puffed out and his face ashen.
Su Mo clapped his hands together. “Good. The truth is out.”
The woman, still unwilling to give up, grabbed a nearby chair and made as if to throw it at Su Mo.
“Auntie, even if you hit me with that, I won’t have a scratch. But you’ll be guilty of assaulting North Star personnel,” Su Mo reminded her, not missing a beat.
“Ahhhhhh……!” The woman suddenly let out a crumble roar, glaring hatefully at Su Mo. “Let’s drop the matter for today. But I won’t let this rest!”
She then pointed sharply at her son’s head and yelled, “Let’s go!”
“Halt!” The moment they turned around, Su Mo’s cold voice drifted into their ears. “I didn’t say you could leave. Our accounts aren’t settled yet!”