After Stealing a Kiss from My Sponsor Sister - Chapter 25
It was 5:30 PM in the capital, barely twenty minutes since the plane had landed.
After the long flight, Yu Shuang was utterly exhausted, dragging herself off the plane before being nudged along by her assistant to collect her luggage.
Just as the silver suitcase rotated into view, her assistant reached for it—and her phone rang.
Assuming it was work-related, Yu Shuang’s mind blanked for a moment when she saw the name “Teacher Chen” flash on the screen.
Hadn’t that university project fallen through?
After a few more rings, she gathered herself and stepped aside to answer.
The middle-aged man’s voice was unusually energetic, crackling with barely suppressed fury as he launched into a rapid-fire tirade.
Yu Shuang pressed a hand to her forehead. “Hold on a second.”
“Let me switch language systems.”
Those two sentences were still in English.
Yu Shuang: “Allo?”
…She’d switched to French.
Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Hello?”
Old Chen: “…”
Old Chen, helpless: “Hello, are you Jiang Ya’s parent?”
“Yes, I just got off the plane and I’m not at my best. Could you recap what happened?”
“Well, it’s like this…”
By the time he finished, Yu Shuang’s heart skipped a beat. “They killed someone?”
“…It’s not that serious!”
“Oh, oh. Is the situation bad? Did you call an ambulance? Do I need to go to the hospital?”
“…”
Old Chen cleared his throat again, thoroughly drained. “Jiang Ya’s parent, it’s not that level of severity either. Just some minor injuries.”
“Thank goodness, you scared me.” Yu Shuang patted her chest, exhaling in genuine relief.
Old Chen sighed on the other end.
The saying goes: One burst of energy, then decline, then exhaustion.
Now thoroughly deflated, Old Chen’s voice even sounded lighter. “Still, fighting is never acceptable behavior. Right now, all the students are in my office. Would you be able to come in? They’re high school seniors—it’s always good to keep a closer eye on them. What do you think?”
Yu Shuang agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up, Old Chen lit a cigarette.
Amid the curling smoke, he seriously pondered the question of his and Jiang Ya’s astrological compatibility—
Not that he was superstitious, but he was pretty sure Jiang Ya was bad luck for him.
–
If Old Chen was on the verge of collapse, the four students locked in his office weren’t faring much better.
The one who’d been beaten was, of course, still wincing in pain.
Mu Xiao and Shu Tianxin, both model students, had never been called in for something like fighting before. Their stomachs twisted as they watched Old Chen dial numbers through the window. Soon, their phones buzzed—one with a call, the other with a message—both bearing anxious inquiries from their parents.
After hanging up and reading the texts, the two well-behaved students shared identical expressions of sheepish dread.
All three of them were in low spirits.
Except Jiang Ya.
Jiang Ya… looked terrifying.
Mu Xiao couldn’t quite put it into words, but she was certain Jiang Ya wasn’t just scared. There was something darker lurking beneath her calm features, a faint but unmistakable edge of hostility.
When Old Chen had announced he was calling their parents, all three of them had protested, begging him not to.
After being sternly refused, Mu Xiao and Shu Tianxin had simply slumped in defeat.
But Jiang Ya was different. Mu Xiao had caught a glimpse of her expression then—her usually delicate, composed face eerily blank, her brows shadowing her eyes, lashes slightly lowered. It was as if a cloud of gloom had settled over her, the air around her turning oppressive.
After whispering a few words to Shu Tianxin, Mu Xiao nudged Jiang Ya with her elbow. “You okay?”
The response came in two listless words: “Not good.”
The voice seeped through clenched teeth, clearly displeased.
Mu Xiao’s hand froze mid-air before she silently withdrew it and turned to Shu Tianxin.
Shu Tianxin steeled himself and asked, “Has your guardian contacted you?”
“No…” Even as she said this, Jiang Ya unconsciously lit up her phone screen again. Seeing the blank page, her mood soured further. “She’s very busy.”
“So… your guardian isn’t coming? Isn’t that a good thing?”
If this had happened yesterday, that would indeed be the case.
But today, as far as Jiang Ya knew, Miss Yu’s flight back to the country was scheduled.
Her brows furrowed again in displeasure as she replied irritably, “Not necessarily.”
“Afraid of getting scolded?”
“Is your guardian very strict?”
Again, she only gave a short, impatient reply: “No.”
Old Chen pushed the door open.
Announcing: “Finished making the calls. They’ll be here soon to pick you up. Stay put and behave!”
Mu Xiao, Shu Tianxin, and even the one who got beaten up all groaned in unison.
Only Jiang Ya lifted her eyelids, her pitch-black pupils fixed intently on Old Chen from her pale face as she asked, “Did my guardian agree to come too?”
“Come? Of course they’re coming! Don’t think you can get away with anything.”
Unnerved by Jiang Ya’s stare, Old Chen involuntarily raised his voice.
Yet the girl showed no trace of guilt. Her unwavering gaze silently bore into Old Chen, making him inexplicably uneasy.
“Fine.”
Jiang Ya turned her face away. “Has the footage been pulled up yet?”
Teacher Tang, who had just entered, caught this question. “What footage?”
Jiang Ya replied coldly, “The surveillance video of the fight.”
“What do you need that for?”
Jiang Ya glanced at Teacher Tang. Mu Xiao recognized that look—it was the way the girl regarded fools.
Whenever Mu Xiao asked questions, she’d often be on the receiving end of that gaze.
Before Old Chen could interject—
Jiang Ya said, “Oh, so Teacher Chen and Teacher Tang just stood by and watched us fight, is that it?”
Old Chen: “…”
Teacher Tang: “…”
Old Chen took a deep breath. Maybe he should find time to get his fortune told.
–
To retrieve someone from school, Yu Shuang split from her team. Before leaving, she remembered something and turned back, pulling along the lawyer who had flown with her.
For some reason, whenever it involved Jiang Ya, Yu Shuang’s temples would throb.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that anything serious enough to land on her radar probably skirted the edges of illegality.
Hopefully, it was just her bias.
“Miss Yu, I’m a contract lawyer!”
Yu Shuang remained unmoved. “Didn’t you study civil and criminal law for your certification?”
“…” That was obviously a given.
“It’s just a precaution. We might not even need you.”
That was true in principle, but the kid Yu Shuang sponsored was the type to call her lawyer at midnight for criminal legal support. Lawyer Bai didn’t dare underestimate this!
Clearing her throat, Lawyer Bai said, “Let me clarify—I specialize in contracts. If it gets too deep into civil or criminal law, I’ll have to call in reinforcements.”
“Understood. Same as last time.” Yu Shuang gestured as the private car pulled up smoothly. She opened the door and nudged Lawyer Bai into the back seat. “Enough chatter. I’ll make do—get in.”
“.” Well, now the young mistress was put out.
Considering the legal fees the Yu family and Yu Shuang paid her annually, Lawyer Bai decided she could tolerate a bit more of this attitude.
After a brief nap, they arrived.
Yu Shuang washed her face on campus, clearing her mind before heading to the teachers’ office.
Tap, tap, tap.
The half-open door swung aside, and Yu Shuang first saw Old Chen’s face.
Her gaze lifted—four kids. The one who got beaten stood out, while the other three huddled together, clearly aligned with Jiang Ya.
Her eyes skimmed over Jiang Ya’s face. The girl fidgeted, lowering her head and twisting her fingers together.
With Yu Shuang’s arrival, all the students’ parents were now present.
Three teachers were there: Old Chen, the homeroom teacher of the beaten student, Teacher Tang, and the grade-level director.
Yu Shuang greeted each of them with a nod, but it was Old Chen who began speaking.
The account of the incident matched what had been described over the phone and what the surveillance footage showed.
The grade-level director took over, “Fighting is a serious offense in school. If everyone starts throwing punches over disagreements, what kind of chaos would that bring to our school?”
The director turned first to reprimand the boy who started the trouble. Both his parents were present, which struck Yu Shuang as odd. She glanced at Jiang Ya, giving her a once-over. The girl didn’t seem injured, but she kept avoiding Yu Shuang’s gaze.
Guilty conscience?
Tsk. Never realized she was this scared of me before.
The director then turned to scold the three who had fought. Yu Shuang raised her hand in confusion. The director asked, “Parent of Jiang Ya, do you have a question?”
Yu Shuang pointed at Mu Xiao in the middle, puzzled, “Isn’t this one the complete victim here? Why is she being scolded too?”
Jiang Ya: “…”
Annoyed, she picked at the seams of her uniform and shot Mu Xiao a sidelong glance.
Mu Xiao: “?”
The grade-level director faltered, “But these three were together.”
Yu Shuang nodded, “Alright then. The law is merely the lowest bar of morality. Legal systems don’t practice collective punishment, but I suppose education does.”
Shu Tianxin burst out laughing.
The grade-level director: “…”
Old Chen closed his eyes briefly.
Yu Shuang: “Please, continue.”
It was just a minor interruption. Thankfully, Jiang Ya’s parent remained cooperative afterward—or so the grade-level director consoled himself.
But judging by the number of deep breaths Yu Shuang took, which Old Chen occasionally observed, he suspected she was merely holding back.
His eyes flicked over the grade-level director, Teacher Tang, and the boy’s parents. Old Chen had a feeling that whatever schemes the director and Teacher Tang had in mind today wouldn’t go as smoothly as they hoped.
Old Chen was right.
After discussing the fight, each student was assigned to write a self-criticism, and the matter was dropped.
Once the teachers finished their lecture, Yu Shuang finally asked her question, “What exactly did this student want with our Jiang Ya?”
Teacher Tang coughed, “That’s actually why we called the parents here today.” He exchanged glances with Shu Tianxin and Mu Xiao’s parents. Taking the hint, the grade-level director dismissed the two students and their families with a few parting words.
Yu Shuang’s eyebrow twitched. She turned to Jiang Ya, who slowly shuffled over to stand behind her, head bowed in silence.
Yu Shuang had a bad feeling.
Old Chen escorted the two students and their parents out. When he returned to the office, his hand barely touched the doorknob before a woman’s voice rose sharply, “What?!”
Stepping inside, he found the real drama just beginning.
The grade-level director insisted, “Zhao Long has already recognized his mistake!”
Teacher Tang added hastily, “He’s written his self-criticism and apology. He’s still a minor—it was just a momentary lapse in judgment.”
The student’s parent also chimed in, “Apologies and self-criticism can be written, compensation can be discussed, but considering how young the child is, could we avoid taking this to court…”
“Wait.” Yu Shuang raised her hand, silencing everyone.
She turned to look at Jiang Ya.
Jiang Ya had already crumpled the hem of her school uniform into something resembling pickled vegetables. She lifted her head slightly, but the moment her eyes met Yu Shuang’s, she guiltily averted her gaze, tucking her head down like a quail.
For a brief moment, Yu Shuang felt the urge to pinch her own philtrum.
But she held it together.
“Is everything your teacher said true?” Yu Shuang asked.
Jiang Ya resumed fiddling with her uniform hem.
“Speak.”
Jiang Ya: “…”
Jiang Ya looked up again, but this time at the principal and Teacher Tang, saying resentfully, “Calling my guardian won’t help! I won’t agree, no matter what! I’m not dropping the lawsuit!”
She was in a foul mood.
The moment they called for her guardian, Jiang Ya had guessed their intentions.
Now that it had come to this, aside from the awkwardness of facing Ms. Yu, she felt mostly anger.
Since they couldn’t persuade her, they were trying to pressure her through her guardian!
She wouldn’t give in.
But her anger lasted less than two seconds before her cheeks grew warm—a pair of hands cupped her face and forcefully turned it.
Ms. Yu’s gaze was scorching, her voice laced with suppressed fury. “I’m the one asking you a question.”
Each word was cold and tightly controlled.
Jiang Ya froze, then nodded, quickly adding, “I didn’t want to cause trouble.”
Yu Shuang pinched the bridge of her nose, her mind buzzing from over a dozen hours on a plane.
She found a chair, pulled it out, and sat down, her chest heaving.
Jiang Ya grew a little scared and called softly, “Ms. Yu…”
“Don’t call me.”
Jiang Ya’s eyes instantly welled up.
Grade-level Principal: “Jiang Ya’s guardian…”
Yu Shuang snapped, “You shut up too!”
“.”
After sitting in silence for a moment, Yu Shuang picked up her phone and made a call. “Come upstairs. I need you to look at something.”
Her tone was grave.
The grade-level principal kept shooting glances at Old Chen.
Old Chen reluctantly spoke up, “Is… another guardian coming for Jiang Ya?”
Yu Shuang shot Old Chen a cold look. “No.”
“It’s my lawyer.”
Old Chen: “…”
Teacher Tang: “…”
Grade-level Principal: “…”
The two student parents: “…”
Yu Shuang stood up, finally regaining her composure, and forced a smile. “I’m still unclear about the details of this matter. Let me get a full understanding first, then we can discuss it together.”
Grade-level Principal: “Huh?”
Teacher Tang was stunned.
Old Chen… was somewhat resigned to the situation.
Yu Shuang tilted her head slightly, her expression stern. “Come with me!”
“Oh.”
Jiang Ya shuffled obediently behind Yu Shuang as they left the room.
The grade-level principal looked around, bewildered. “What do we do now?”
Old Chen: “…Let it cool off.”
He had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.