The Tycoon Inheritance - Chapter 24: 24.

Chapter 24: 24.

The drive to the university was uneventful. This may be for some but for Chen Kai, he took the opportunity to observe the daily hamster wheel of society. He took great interest in the bustling pedestrians, taxi drivers making ends meet, the food stall vendors, and the numerous businesses opening for another money-making day. Through his wandering gaze, he can also tell how the hierarchy is. It’s the same in every era, every world.

The richer you are, the more power you hold.

With power, respect comes after even if it’s fearful or admirable.

He lived both sides of the unfortunate and the fortunate, he understood both clearly. That’s why he had a neutral stance in living and the way he handled things. An example of his neutrality is the hearing he’s about to have. He can honestly say that Lin Shen used his family name and some cash to have ‘evidence’ and probably bribe the relevant parties. The same way that he speculates this act, is the same thinking he has of there being someone who won’t stand for such actions.

There are always two sides to a coin.

It will be fun to watch things unfold. He simply had to tell the truth.

~~~~~~

It was nine in the morning and XXX University had its share of students shuffling from building to building or taking advantage of the warm morning sun. Most of the student body was lazing about the campus due to exams and minor classes. Most used the facilities or were busy with gossip.

“Oh, today is that hearing with Senior Chen and Senior Lin.”

“Mm. There was a little hype about it on the forum but it wasn’t worth a share. Senior Chen didn’t post a rebuttal or claim innocence, he simply chatted in the comments section then disappeared.”

“That was a top-tier move.”

“I know right? If you ask me, this whole accusation of sabotage and harassment is way beyond Senior Chen.”

“Another one who has him on a pedestal. That face of his won’t land him a good job or success. That’s all he has going for him.”

The group of friends looked at the person who made the last comment with indifferent and disbelieving gazes.

“…….. Are you going to stay with that comment?”

“It’s too early to be so bitter.”

“Oh, you can’t get that grain of sand out of your eye, huh?”

“I’m not jealous. He’s pretentious and everyone can’t see it. If he had money and a good background then his arrogance would be justified but he isn’t.”

On his last word, the heavens decided to play the irony game with this fellow. The low rumble of a car met their ears. As young men, their love for cars is either superficial or technical. Two out of the five were technical and recognized the sound of a luxury car engine.

The sound was like the low rumble of a sleek and dangerous panther.

They turned their heads to the open car park for senior students. From afar the glossy burnt orange of a beautifully designed SUV slowly made it into their view. The 22″ wheels moved smoothly along the asphalt and the impact of its beauty made both men’s and women’s blood boil at the sight of it.

“The Urus S. That’s the Lamborghini Urus S. I haven’t seen one in Nanjing since it has been available for sale. None of the dealers were able to get one. From the color and the windows, this must be a customized version.” one commented. He unconsciously moved towards the carpark and it was the same for all the car lovers and curious onlookers.

They wanted to see the car and also the driver. This was a Lamborghini and none of the rich young masters on campus drove one.

Their patience was rewarded after the driver carefully parked and left the confines of the SUV. At first sight, he was unrecognizable due to his head being buried in his phone but when he raised his head and calmly shut the door, the crowd was in an uproar.

Photos were taken and shared. Tongues began to wag. Gazes became either envious or hateful.

Chen Kai stood beside the luxury SUV with a look of wonder. The thoughts in his head were so silly that the system quietly checked its host’s mental state.

“Brother Chen? Is that you?” someone shouted in disbelief.

No one thought his question was stupid. They all have seen Chen Kai around campus for their entire college career and knew his financial background.

The Chen Kai in front of them was …. different.

He seems to have a ‘glow’ around him. His looks were more dazzling. His body was an envious sight for men and drool-worthy for women. They couldn’t find the right words to describe the school’s Male God but his presence amongst them was more prominent. He had the looks and temperaments of a noble prince and had riches in his hands.

“It is me,” Chen Kai calmly answered. He tucked his keys into his pockets and made his way through the crowd.

“No Way!” Disbelieving grumbles filled the air, and one by one tried to speculate about this change. The more they thought about it, the more envious they became. This was a classic poor guy turned nouveau richer. They hated it. To voice their displeasure, they began to say what was on their tongues.

“Did you get a rich auntie after Sister Zhang ditched you?”

“Did you dress up to get her back?”

“Is that Lambo really yours or is it a rental?”

“I bet he took out a loan to impress everyone before he graduates.”

“Does he even have a job to repay that loan? Hahahaha!”

“Chen Kai is the Lamborghini yours?”

The main character of their inquiries didn’t reply, he kept a steady pace and made his way to the faculty building. The questions became louder as he walked but amidst the crowd, a few had their phones out with their fingers flying across the screen as they created ‘news’ on the school forum.

One view turned to ten, the view count climbed at an alarming pace. From driving a secondhand Jetta to a Lamborghini, this will attract attention. Photos and posts were shared in many friend circles and WeChat messages. This new piece of gossip as expected reached Zhang Rui’s ears. Her dormmates who started a cold war after she ended the relationship with Chen Kai sent the photos plus the links with a taunting message.

(Photo) (Photo) (Photo) A diamond in the rough will always be better than common gold.

Zhang Rui was incensed by the message and angrily opened the attached photos. Her sharp intake of breath gained the attention of her two companions. She ignored their questions and focused on the man in the photo. He was now fairer than the last time she saw him. He was handsome as ever but the clothes he wore caught her attention. She browsed many luxury stores and went shopping with Lin Shen – it would be easy to recognize the Gucci shoes on Chen Kai’s feet and the Gucci t-shirt he was casually wore.

She was trying to calculate how he earned so much money for an outfit nearing 30,000 Yuan. She tried to sum up his part-time jobs as a taxi driver and a delivery guy when she opened the other photo.

“WHAT?! HOW?!”

This time her companions were seriously curious. Lin Shen who was by her side looked over shoulder and caught sight of the Lamborghini Urus S then red the caption.

“Is this some type of hoax he cooked up?” he asked while grabbing the phone from Zhang Rui’s hand.

“They said he drove this to campus and looked at his clothes. Where do you think he got all of that money? He’s stingy with a few hundred Yuan, there’s no way he will buy such things much less afford them.” Zhang Rui’s words were filled with contempt and ridicule but underneath she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret. Did Chen Kai become rich over night? If she didn’t break up with him, maybe she would be sharing that wealth.

“That’s a rental! He sure knows how to put on a show. Where will he get two million Yuan for a car? Didn’t you tell me his folks runs a simple factory? Plus didn’t they ditch him when he entered college? You said all of this and was easily fooled by this?” Lin Shen eyed Zhang Rui with a hint of challenge in his voice. Though she wasn’t a heart stopping beauty, she was pretty enough to have at his side.

“You’re right. I guess everyone’s words got to me. Let’s get this thing over with. I got the records from the dorm leader,” she said resuming her prideful posture.

Lin Shen gave her a nod of approval. He couldn’t help but frown at the photos of Chen Kai. Looking at him made Lin Shen uneasy. Every time he was in the presence of that overachieving pauper, he always felt oppressed, the gap between them seem to always grow. That’s why he wanted to knock Chen kai off the pedestal everyone placed him on.

His unspoken inferior complex flared once more when he read the flattering comments under the photo links.

Gritting his teeth, he returned the phone to Zhang Rui and reclaimed his calm. Li Feng was abnormally quiet; he was avidly scrolling through his phone reading the gossip posts on the forum. N0vel_Biin hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Lin Shen elbowed him sharply. “Do you remember what you have to say? If you can’t, just follow my lead.”

“Sure,” Li Feng answered.

The trio were seated in the waiting area of Meeting Room B. This meeting room was used for disciplinary hearings and situated on the second floor of the Faculty Building. The three decided to come early to show their ‘anxiety’ of today’s meeting. The doctored evidence was in Zhang Rui’s hands, the condemning speech was created by Lin Shen and Li Feng’s role is to give certain worded evidence when prompted by Lin Shen.

The leader behind it all was confident with the hearing. He used everything within his minuscule power so that he can win against Chen Kai.

“What’s with you?” Zhang Rui asked Li Feng. She didn’t hide her scrutiny of him. They all planned this. If he backed out now, Lin Shen and she won’t hesitate to shift the blame on him. They all had their own contempt against Chen Kai and this was the right time to kick him down.

“I’m good. Waking early was a challenge,” Li Feng joked.

“Hmph!”

The three lapsed into silence and continued with their act.

A teacher entered the room and swept a gaze over them a few minutes later then beckoned them to follow him. They didn’t speak and kept their anxious and worried looks.

Entering the large meeting room, the cool AC brushed against their skin like a warning knife. The trio shivered slightly and made their way deeper into the room. Their steps faltered when they saw Chen Kai speaking with the Vice-President of the university in a very serious manner. Three other members of faculty were by their sides listening intently. This sight may confuse the freshmen and juniors but for the seniors this was a normal occurrence for the past four years. The entire faculty loved the top student even if he wasn’t in any of their classes. This made most students envy him.

To gain a teacher’s support is a direct path to earning their trust.

“Everyone’s here,” the escorting teacher said aloud.

The Vice-President gave Chen Kai’s shoulder a light squeeze and sent him to the ‘defendant’s’ side and waved the others to the ‘plaintiff’s’ side. Amongst the three who were listening to Chen Kai, was Disciplinary Department Head Teacher Dai. He sat in the officiating seat and the others were judges. Vice-President Ji was playing the role of overseer. Seeing this, the trio was dumbstruck. The Student Body usually handles such matters between students with the supervision of a teacher but today’s hearing was different.

“This case has been taken over by myself due to the nature of the topics the plaintiffs raised against the defendant. To make sure this proceeding stays unbiased, Vice – President Ji was called to oversee. Is this okay with both sides?” Teacher Dai asked firmly. His voice was steady as he spoke and clear that he wished for no interjections.

“Yes, sir.” They answered in unison.

“Very well. We have Student Lin Shen, Student Zhang Rui and Student Li Feng accusing Student Chen Kai of malicious acts of ‘terrorism against them. In addition, sexual harassment of Student Zhang Rui. Did I get it all?” Teacher Dai stated.

“Yes, sir,” Lin Shen said jumping to his feet with a solemn look on his face.

Chen Kai on the other hand was looking back and forth between the plaintiff and the official with amusement filled eyes. He placed his head on his propped up closed fist and quietly looked on. It was all novel for him.

“Student Chen, what do you have to say on these accusations?”

“I have no knowledge of doing such things or any reason to do those malicious acts. One person has severed ties with me and the other two – we had a ‘convenient’ relationship as room mates.” Chen Kai spoke unhurriedly and corrected his posture as he looked at Teacher Dai.

“Due to the severity of these claims, we must dig deeper into it. Student Lin Shen and Student Zhang Rui claimed to have evidence of the claims of harassment. Please present them.”

Zhang Rui shivered like a leaf and pushed a folder toward Lin Shen, the boy had a look of sympathy on his face as he took it.

Chen Kai’s eyes widen at this level of acting. ‘Ah, they can be C-Lists stars. They should give up on this Finance degree,’ he thought inwardly.

[C-List is a kind appraisal.]

‘Oh, system, you watching the show too? It’s fun, right? They’re so amusing. These kids. Ah~’

[…. Yes, dear host.]

Lin Shen opened the folder and read aloud the dates Chen Kai forced his way in to Zhang Rui’s dorm and accounts on when he ‘forced’ himself upon her.

‘Look, a tear! She’s crying,’ Chen Kai exclaimed.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this Miss Zhang. Though this is an unofficial setting I would like to ask — Why didn’t you report this matter to the campus security or confided to your counselor when it took place, even a close friend? Things like these are of a delicate nature,” A female teacher spoke up when the accounts were all heard.

“I – I was embarrassed. He even said no one would believe me,” Zhang Rui replied.

“Why would no one believe you?” the teacher pressed.

“Because he’s the school idol.”

The teachers frowned at the this statement but said nothing.

“Do you wish to have the authorities step in? Talk to your counsellor?” The female teacher once again pressed. It was logical from all fronts that she would find someone to confide in or form some sort of distance from her forceful boyfriend. Did he scare her that much?

Zhang Rui’s eyes widen at the mention of authorities. Lin Shen’s body became so tense that with a flick of a finger he will fall woodenly to the ground. The reactions were questionable to everyone who witnessed it but for Chen Kai it was pleasing. ‘Are they thinking of the attempt to kill me? It was extreme to try it,’ he mused quietly. ‘What was their plan after killing me? Tsk! Tsk! So messy!’

“Uh… Its been too long. We’ve already broken up.”

Her answer confused the teachers but they gave an understanding smile and collected the evidence from Lin Shen.

“What is the reason you think Student Chen came to when he supposedly tampered with your laptops?” Teacher Dai asked.

“Brother Chen has always been jealous of Brother Lin. It has been this way since we first met. He’s just jealous.” This time Li Feng answered. His voice carried far in the large room and the sneer was heard.

“Why was he jealous?” A male teacher asked this. If one looked carefully you can see the mocking smile he hidden behind the glass of water he sipped on.

“Because of Brother Lin’s family and status!”

“Pfft!” The laugh came out unexpectedly. Everyone’s eyes turned to him in unison. Lin Shen sneered at him like he was trying to prove a point that it is true. Chen Kai sobered himself from the laugh and gave the him and his companions a mocking smile.

“May I ask a question, Teacher Dai? I’m at a lost with these claims,” he asked politely.

“Go ahead.” The teachers gave him the green light to speak.

“We have been dorm mates for four years. Three-quarter of that time, dear Brother Lin have been living off campus. We only have one class together. Our paths never crossed in a common way. When it did, it will be in the space of five seconds to an hour at most. We don’t have any common interests. I’m content with my life. Why would I be jealous of your family and status? If it is so, then I should be jealous of 10% of the student body and I will be causing the harm. Right?”

The panel looked at Li Feng and Lin Shen, awaiting their answers.

“You’re jealous that your girlfriend ran into my arms!” Lin Shen shouted.

“Tch! Don’t flatter yourself.” Chen Kai propped his chin on his palm and lazily looked over at the jumping fool. “Its embarrassing for me to say this but I’ve been wearing a green hat for a while until she took it off. Maybe you will wear it next.”

“CHEN KAI!” Zhang Rui yelled at him, her face red with humiliation.

“Miss Zhang, compose yourself,” Teacher Dai reprimanded.

The male teacher was trying his best to not be affected by Chen Kai’s provoking words and the female teacher’s face was now red with secondhand embarrassment for Zhang Rui.

“Let’s get back to this hearing. Minute by minute it’s becoming a fish market. Do you have proof that Student Chen stole your laptops, tampered with them then returned each one respectively?” Teacher Dai asked. He was getting tired of the ruse the teachers and himself were keeping up. They wanted to see how far these three would go.

“Yes. We were able to acquire video footage from our dorm building….”

“Did you receive permission to access this? Isn’t this under the Security Department?”

“They heard about our plight and wish to help us as best as they can, sir. Please don’t punish them for our lack of understanding of protocols.” Lin Shen took the path of gratefulness to cover his bribery that may come up.

From the steady gaze of Vice President Ji to the female teacher, they were all focused on Lin Shen.

Teacher Dai spoke the next few words in a firm tone.

“Did you know I can collect evidence also?”