Chapter Sixty-Five: Practical Benefits

Over the past days, Su Ruoran had come to understand Zhang Wenhao’s character quite well. In his dictionary, the words “yield” and “compromise” appeared rarely, especially when it came to people he disliked—there was simply no hope of persuading him to back down. Recalling the resoluteness with which he left Class Three, Su Ruoran knew that if Zhang Wenhao discovered Ma Qianrong was the mastermind behind these events, he would never return to Class Three, even if it meant never attending school again.

Thinking of this, Su Ruoran gave him a helpless glance and asked, “How do you plan to find evidence? Surely you can’t expect to uncover everything in a single night. So what will you do tomorrow? Will you go back or not?”

Zhang Wenhao replied coolly, “The only reason I’d return to Class Three has nothing to do with the school’s orders—it’s because you’re there.” Then, he added, “For your sake, putting up with Ma Qianrong for a few months is a small price to pay. But if it turns out he really orchestrated all this, I won’t return to Class Three no matter what, just to stop him from getting what he wants.”

A warm feeling welled up in Su Ruoran’s heart, and she gazed at Zhang Wenhao with gentle affection. To her, this answer was more than enough; just those words alone satisfied her.

“Oh, by the way,” Su Ruoran spoke up suddenly, “My mother wants to invite you to dinner at our home. She said she hasn’t had the chance to properly thank you for what happened Saturday night.”

Zhang Wenhao looked a bit embarrassed. “Invite me to your home for dinner? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Su Ruoran replied. “Mom thinks eating out would seem insincere, so she’d rather host you at home.” She noticed what was on Zhang Wenhao’s mind and reassured him, “Don’t worry, it’s just my mom and me here in Jiangcheng, so there’s no need for you to feel awkward.”

“All right then,” Zhang Wenhao agreed after a brief hesitation. “When?”

“Friday,” Su Ruoran said with delight. “Come straight to my house after school on Friday.”

“Okay.”

In Zhang Wenhao’s heart, he already regarded Su Ruoran as his girlfriend. He was well aware of his feelings for her, and he could sense that her affection for him was reciprocated. After all they had been through together—and even sharing the same bed—their relationship was clear, even if left unspoken.

Yet now that Su Ruoran’s mother had invited him for dinner, Zhang Wenhao couldn’t help but feel nervous.

He didn’t really know what kind of family Su Ruoran came from, nor did he understand her background. Still, from certain details, it was evident that her family was far from ordinary. He knew that the Lei family in Beijing was already powerful and influential, yet that night in the hospital, Lei Zhanjun’s respect for Su Ruoran’s mother clearly suggested that the Su family’s status surpassed even the Lei family.

With that in mind, Zhang Wenhao had no idea how the Su family might view him. His nervousness came not from their wealth or background, but from the fear that this would lead them to place obstacles between him and Su Ruoran.

But worrying was pointless; all would be revealed once he met her mother. Given her life experience, she had probably already seen through the feelings between him and Su Ruoran. Whatever her attitude might be, Friday would bring the answer.

When Zhang Wenhao returned home, he told his parents about the school’s decision to abolish class divisions. Neither considered this good news. The memory of Ma Qianrong’s attitude in the office was still fresh for them, and they disliked him as much as their son did. They were even less willing for Zhang Wenhao to return to a class led by such a person.

Zhang Xingping sighed regretfully. “Actually, your Teacher Song is a good person. She really does care about you. When you were in trouble, she was just as anxious as we were.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded. “Teacher Song seems quite down. With Class Twenty-One being dissolved, she’ll go back to her old role as a substitute intern.”

Song Huafang could not help but sigh. “I had hoped you’d score top marks in the college entrance exam, making your father and me proud and giving Teacher Song confidence at school. I didn’t expect all this trouble—what a pity.”

Zhang Wenhao said helplessly, “The principal made the decision himself. Teacher Song can’t do anything about it.” Then he explained his suspicion that Ma Qianrong might be behind everything, and to his surprise, both parents agreed with his reasoning.

“I’d say there’s no doubt Ma Qianrong is behind this,” Zhang Xingping said. “To notify so many parents over a single weekend—it couldn’t have been orchestrated by someone from another school. Outsiders wouldn’t have the contact information for so many parents, but the teachers at your school would.”

Zhang Wenhao’s eyes lit up. “You’re right, Dad. At first, I thought it might have been another school or maybe a few parents, but now that you mention it, neither is possible. Our Class Twenty-One was made up of underperforming students from five liberal arts classes, and Class Twenty-Two was even more complicated, with students from fifteen science classes. Most parents might know a few others from their own class, but there’s no way they’d know so many from different classes. It really could be Ma Qianrong.”

Song Huafang scoffed. “Then what a despicable person Ma Qianrong must be. Two-faced—he was the one who came up with the bad idea of splitting the classes in the first place!”

As they were discussing this, someone knocked at their door. Zhang Wenhao got up to answer it and found, standing outside, the police officer who had accompanied Su Ruoran’s mother at the hospital.

“Hello, Zhang Wenhao,” the visitor greeted him with a smile. It was Director Han from the Provincial Department. “I’ve come to your home to discuss a few matters with you and your family.”

Zhang Wenhao hurriedly invited him in, still unaware that this was the chief of the Jiangnan Provincial Public Security Bureau. As soon as he entered, Zhang Xingping looked at him in surprise. After a moment, he stood up and asked, “Are you Director Han? I’ve seen you on television.”

“That’s right,” Director Han nodded, shaking hands with both Zhang Xingping and Song Huafang. “The main reason I’m here is to discuss two matters with you in person.”

“Please, have a seat.” Zhang Xingping thought this visit must be related to Saturday night’s events and invited Director Han to the sofa while his wife went to make tea. Director Han tried politely to decline, but Song Huafang was a warm host and insisted—the idea of not even offering a guest water was unthinkably rude.

“To get straight to the point,” Director Han began, “the fact that we were able to capture Li Chunping and his gang on Saturday was entirely thanks to Zhang Wenhao. However, since he didn’t want the truth publicized, we reported to our superiors that Li Chunping was quietly discovered by the city’s police upon entering Jiangcheng and was then apprehended through a covert operation.”

At this, Director Han glanced awkwardly at Zhang Xingping and Zhang Wenhao, worried they might object to the blatant taking of credit. But Zhang Xingping said, “I saw the news, and I think you handled it well. Our son is about to take the college entrance exam, so we don’t want any extra trouble.”

Director Han breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he had come in person was because Zhang Wenhao’s connections were extraordinary: not only Commander Lei from the military district, but even Madam Su from the capital had visited in person. Such an array of figures was enough to shock even a bureau chief. Mishandling this could bring him unimaginable trouble.

“In that case, I can rest easy,” Director Han said, then produced a thin brown envelope from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table. With an apologetic expression, he said, “The total bounty on Li Chunyang from various regions added up to 2.75 million, but since we reported this as an internal police case, the rewards from other regions can’t be claimed. Inside this envelope is a check for two million yuan—a reward from our bureau for Zhang Wenhao. It’s a bit less, but given the irregularities in the process, this is the most we can offer.”

Zhang Xingping was startled by the amount, and Song Huafang, who had just set tea before Director Han, was left speechless in shock.

“That’s so much money—how can we possibly accept it?” Zhang Xingping exclaimed.

“Please, you must accept it,” Director Han said quickly. “It’s what Zhang Wenhao deserves. If this had followed normal procedures, aside from the regional bounties, both the city and provincial foundations for bravery would have awarded substantial sums, and the municipal and provincial governments would have recognized him as well. In fact, two million is already less than he’s due, but since it comes from our bureau’s own funds, our resources are limited. I hope you understand.”

Lei Zhanjun had already explained the relationship between credit and reward to Zhang Wenhao’s family: if you give up the credit, you must receive the benefit. That reward was rightfully theirs. So, seeing his parents hesitate, Zhang Wenhao spoke up, “Thank you very much, Director Han!”

“Not at all,” Director Han replied. “If anything, you’ve suffered a loss helping us with such a big case. It’s us who should be grateful.”

This case could easily have become a disaster. Li Chunyang had slipped into Jiangcheng unnoticed, the local police completely oblivious, and his target was none other than the precious daughter of the Su family in Beijing. Had Li Chunyang succeeded, the entire leadership of Jiangnan Province would have faced severe consequences and their careers destroyed. In truth, Zhang Wenhao had not only saved Su Ruoran; he had saved the officials of Jiangnan Province.

It was precisely Zhang Wenhao’s actions that turned disaster into fortune. Thanks to him, the Jiangcheng police had become famous across the country—discovering Li Chunyang’s movements ahead of time, arranging a flawless ambush, and earning widespread media attention. The reputations of the Jiangcheng police and the provincial bureau soared, and the achievement was a significant boost for Director Han’s career.

Knowing, too, that Zhang Wenhao was connected to both the Lei and Su families, Director Han hoped to build a positive relationship with his family. That was why he had brought the two-million check in person, as a gesture of goodwill.