ACMS 55

Chapter 55: The Contract Exposed

After Qiao Le said he was pregnant, everyone fell silent.

Qiao Le knew just how shocking the news was. When he’d first found out, his brain had practically shut down. Even now, his heart pounded as he said it aloud.

Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe thought they were hearing things. Their minds buzzed and their faces went blank.

After a moment, Wu Huilan finally spoke: “Lele, are you joking? Don’t worry, our family is very open-minded. We don’t place much importance on continuing the bloodline. You don’t have to—”

“It’s true,” Shen Hechuan said. “Lele really is pregnant. It’s been two months.”

Wu Huilan: “…”

Shen Zhenghe: “…”

The couple exchanged a look, then asked, “Really?”

“Really,” Qiao Le said. “You two sit for now. I’ll go get the reports from my room.”

As he went back to the room, Wu Huilan stepped forward and grabbed Shen Hechuan’s arm, exclaiming, “What’s going on? How could Lele be pregnant? You two didn’t keep something this big from me, did you?!”

“Of course not,” Shen Hechuan said. “I was just as surprised when I found out. We’ve had it checked at two different hospitals. There’s no mistake.”

“Two months…”

Wu Huilan thought it over, and her expression shifted from shock to joy. “Then when Lele didn’t have much of an appetite before, that was because of this?”

Shen Hechuan: “Mm.”

“And I call myself experienced—I didn’t even realize.” Wu Huilan turned and grabbed her husband’s hand. “Did you hear? Lele’s pregnant! We’re going to have a grandchild!”

“I heard, I heard.” Shen Zhenghe’s face was lit with a smile. “This is wonderful news.”

Wu Huilan then asked Shen Hechuan, “Which hospital did you go to before? We—”

She was cut off by a ringtone. It was Shen Hechuan’s phone ringing from where it had been set aside. He walked over and picked it up, seeing that it was Qiao Man’s kindergarten teacher calling.

“Ms. Liu,” Shen Hechuan answered.

“Mr. Shen?” Ms. Liu’s anxious voice came through the line. “Mr. Qiao isn’t picking up, so I had to call you. Could you come to the kindergarten? There’s been a situation with Qiao Man.”

Shen Hechuan immediately asked, “What happened to Xiao Man?”

Qiao Le, holding the reports, had just come out and overheard. “What happened to Xiao Man?”

“Oh no, I’m making you worry—it’s not Qiao Man,” Ms. Liu quickly explained. “It’s an elderly man. I heard Qiao Man call him ‘Great-grandpa.’ He got into a dispute with another parent, and things are getting a bit heated.”

“We’ll come right away!”

Shen Hechuan hung up and turned to the others. “Ms. Liu said Grandpa got into a conflict with another parent at the school. They want us there immediately.”

As soon as Qiao Le heard, he set the report aside. “Let’s go, then.”

Old Master Shen was elderly. If anything happened, it would be unthinkable.

Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe didn’t bother looking at the report either. Filled with worry, they rushed toward the door.

“Wait!” Shen Hechuan stopped Qiao Le. “Put on something warmer first.”

It was only a few degrees outside—not like the heated indoors. If Qiao Le went out in thin loungewear, he’d surely catch a cold.

Wu Huilan was already at the foyer, changing her shoes as she said, “Your father and I will go ahead. You two get dressed and come right after.”

“Alright.”

Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan quickly changed clothes and hurried to the school. On the way, Qiao Le called Ms. Liu to ask about the old man’s condition.

Ms. Liu reassured him, “Don’t worry, there wasn’t any physical contact. The situation is just a bit chaotic. Please come as soon as you can.”

Knowing there hadn’t been a fight helped ease Qiao Le’s nerves. But he still didn’t understand—Old Master Shen was such a kind person. How had he ended up in a conflict?

He asked Ms. Liu, and she hesitantly replied, “It’s about performance placement… Sigh, just come first, alright?”

Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe arrived at the kindergarten first, only to realize they didn’t have any contact info for the teachers. They were stopped at the school gate.

“We’re the child’s grandparents. The school contacted us,” Shen Zhenghe explained to the guard.

The guard handed them the visitor log. “All visitors must sign in.”

As they registered, Shen Hechuan and Qiao Le arrived. The four of them went in together.

Qiao Le called Ms. Liu again. When she heard they’d arrived, she hurried downstairs to meet them and was momentarily stunned to see all four of them.

Why did so many people come?

“Ms. Liu,” Qiao Le greeted. “Where are Grandpa and Xiao Man?”

“They’re upstairs. I’ll take you to them.”

As the four of them followed Ms. Liu upstairs, she gave a brief explanation of what had happened.

The person who’d clashed with the old man was the father of a classmate named Zhang Xiaoyu.

In tonight’s performance, Qiao Man had the center role—the most important one in the group. He had held this role since the start of rehearsals, and no one had objected.

It was Zhang Xiaoyu’s father, Zhang Zhigang’s first time attending rehearsal. When he saw his son wasn’t in a prominent spot, he wasn’t pleased. He approached Ms. Liu asking to switch roles.

But with the performance just hours away, a switch was impossible. Each child played a different animal role, with different dances and even a short speech. Zhang Xiaoyu couldn’t possibly replace Qiao Man.

Ms. Liu patiently explained this, but Zhang Zhigang dismissed her concerns. He said he contributed a lot to the school each year—how could his son not get the center role? It was an insult to him.

He then called the school director to “help resolve” the issue.

Ms. Liu soon got a call instructing her to handle the matter as Zhang Zhigang requested. She argued it would ruin the performance’s cohesion, but the official brushed it off: “It’s just a kids’ show. Don’t take it so seriously.”

Ms. Liu wanted to push back, but she was just a teacher and had no real say. In the end, she called Qiao Man and Zhang Xiaoyu to an empty classroom to swap costumes.

Qiao Man was pulled out mid-rehearsal, confused. “Why?”

Looking into his clear, innocent eyes, Ms. Liu couldn’t bring herself to explain the ugly truth, so she said, “The monkey costume is really nice too. You’re so cute—you’ll look good in anything.”

Qiao Man clutched the dinosaur costume’s paw sadly. “But I want to be the little dinosaur.”

Ms. Liu patted his head gently. “How about this—you switch with Zhang Xiaoyu now, and after the show, I’ll give you a dinosaur plushie. Sound good?”

Though he didn’t want to switch, Qiao Man was an obedient child. He nodded. “Okay.”

Zhang Xiaoyu had already taken off the monkey costume. Seeing Qiao Man still in his dinosaur outfit, he walked over and tried to yank it off. “The dinosaur is mine! Take it off!”

Caught off guard, Qiao Man stumbled forward. Ms. Liu quickly caught him and told Zhang Xiaoyu, “Let go of Qiao Man for now.”

“Make him give it to me!” Zhang Xiaoyu demanded. “My dad said the dinosaur is mine. He can’t wear it!”

Qiao Man, now irritated, backed away protectively. “You’re lying. The dinosaur is mine.”

“It’s mine!” Zhang Xiaoyu lunged again. Qiao Man turned and ran—straight into someone’s leg.

“Ow—!”

He fell on his butt, only to be picked up at once. When he looked up, he was surprised to see it was Great-grandpa Shen.

“Great-grandpa!” His eyes lit up. “Why are you here?!”

“Did you get hurt?” the old man asked. “I came to watch your show. Were you running out to greet me?”

Before Qiao Man could reply, Zhang Xiaoyu caught up, still yelling about the costume. Qiao Man hid behind Great-grandpa Shen. “No! I won’t give it!”

Ms. Liu also arrived. Seeing the unfamiliar old man and hearing Qiao Man call him ‘Great-grandpa,’ she hesitantly asked, “And you are…?”

“I’m Qiao Man’s great-grandfather,” the old man said warmly, holding Qiao Man’s hand. “You’re his teacher, I assume? What’s going on here?”

“It’s just a small misunderstanding,” she replied, then turned to coax Qiao Man. “Xiao Man, let’s change clothes now, okay?”

“No!” Qiao Man shook his head and gripped his great-grandfather’s hand tightly. “Great-grandpa, I don’t want to change. I want to be the dinosaur.”

He had shown off his dinosaur costume to everyone at home. Everyone knew he was going to be the dinosaur. Now they wanted him to change, and Great-grandpa Shen was just as puzzled. “Change? Change into what? And why?”

His three rapid questions left Ms. Liu scrambling for a reply. What could she say—that another parent had connections to the school director? Unless she wanted to lose her job tomorrow, she couldn’t.

“It’s just… a small adjustment to the roles—”

“My dad said to change, so we’re changing!” Zhang Xiaoyu interrupted, hands on hips and chin lifted. “My dad decides! Are you deaf or what?!”

Now that was quite something.

Old Master Shen had held high positions for many years. Even in retirement, few dared speak to him that way.

But since the child was small, he didn’t take offense. He calmly asked, “Young man, who is your father?”

Right then, Zhang Zhigang returned from chatting with the school director. Seeing the kids still in their original costumes, he frowned. “Ms. Liu, didn’t we agree Xiao Yu would take the center role? Why isn’t this sorted yet?”

Ms. Liu’s head throbbed. Afraid he’d pressure her again, she hurried to say, “Right away, Mr. Zhang. Right away.”

She turned to Old Master Shen. “Sir, the costume change is for the sake of stage performance. I’ll explain more in a moment. Let’s just get the kids changed first.”

But Old Master Shen, who had weathered decades in the business world, could already see the full picture from just a few lines of dialogue. He tapped his cane toward Zhang Zhigang and said coldly, “This isn’t about stage effects—it’s about appeasing this gentleman’s demands, isn’t it?”

That hit right on the mark. Teacher Liu looked embarrassed and forced a smile as she said, “That’s not true, don’t overthink it. The children will go on stage no matter what they wear. It’s just a difference in their positions, that’s all.”

“Why are you even bothering to explain to him?” Zhang Zhigang said impatiently. “Just deal with it quickly. I’ve got things to do and need to leave soon.”

Teacher Liu didn’t dare offend him, so she turned to Old Master Shen with difficulty and said, “What do you think—?”

Old Master Shen’s face darkened. “He’s not changing.”

Teacher Liu: “……”

As soon as Zhang Xiaoyu heard that, he plopped down on the ground and started throwing a tantrum. “I want the little dinosaur! I want the little dinosaur! Daddy! I want the little dinosaur!!”

“Don’t cry, baby. Daddy will make them take it off for you right now.”

Seeing his precious son in tears, Zhang Zhigang’s face twisted with rage. He turned to the old man and barked, “The school director already approved this. Who the hell do you think you are? Give me that costume right now, you old bastard!”

Old Master Shen: “……”

Me? Old bastard?!

Old Master Shen usually doted on Qiao Man the most. The little one immediately got angry when he heard Zhang Zhigang insult him. He rushed out from behind the old man and shoved Zhang Zhigang. “You’re the old bastard! Don’t you dare insult my great-grandpa!”

Zhang Zhigang didn’t expect a little kid to have so much strength and stumbled back two steps. Enraged and humiliated, he pushed Qiao Man to the ground. “You little brat! Are you asking for a beating?!”

Just as he raised his hand to punish Qiao Man, Old Master Shen stepped forward and whacked his outstretched arm with his cane. “Try laying a finger on him!”

Teacher Liu, afraid they’d start a fight, rushed over to stand between them. “Let’s talk this out! Please, don’t resort to violence!”

Both men were fuming and showed no signs of stopping. Fortunately, other teachers arrived just in time to break it up.

During the explanation, Teacher Liu left out the part where the school director pressured her. She sighed and told Qiao Le’s group, “Luckily no one got seriously hurt. I hope everyone can sit down later and talk it through calmly. If it can be resolved peacefully, that would be ideal.”

Shen Hechuan said coldly, “Peacefully? Not happening.”

Everyone else’s expressions were equally grim. Teacher Liu fell silent—clearly, this wasn’t going to end quietly.

When they reached the office, they could already hear Zhang Zhigang yelling, demanding the school give him an explanation. Director Sun from academic affairs was trying to calm him down with kind words. Hearing this, Old Master Shen snorted heavily, prompting Director Sun to go over and try to soothe him as well.

Teacher Liu knocked on the door and brought in Qiao Le’s group. “Director Sun, Qiao Man’s older brother is here.”

“Good, good,” said Director Sun quickly. “So… which one is it?”

Four people entered the room, leaving him stunned.

Qiao Man spotted Qiao Le and immediately jumped off his stool to run over. “Big Brother!”

Qiao Le checked him over to make sure he wasn’t hurt, then looked at the old man. “Grandpa, are you okay?”

Shen Hechuan and the others had already gone over to Old Master Shen. Seeing their worried faces, the old man waved a hand. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Why are you all here?”

“We heard you were in a conflict and got really worried,” Wu Huilan said. “It’s a relief you’re okay.”

Zhang Zhigang saw they’d come in numbers and sneered, “What, you think bringing all these people will scare someone? Director Sun, where’s your Vice Principal Huang?”

“He’ll be here any minute,” Director Sun said, smiling obsequiously. He glanced at Qiao Le’s group and, seeing they looked quite distinguished, decided to play it safe. “You all can have a seat too. Our leadership will arrive soon. This really isn’t a big deal—no need to make a fuss.”

“Not a big deal?” Wu Huilan glanced at him. “Then why don’t you explain the reason for the sudden change in lineup?”

Though usually gentle, her sharp tone made Director Sun break out in cold sweat. “It was for the sake of the stage effect. Teacher Liu should’ve already told you.”

He shot a look at Teacher Liu, who stepped up. “Yes, that’s right.”

Old Master Shen snorted. “More like for someone’s face. Turning a lovely performance into a mess.”

Director Sun: “……”

Teacher Liu: “……”

Shen Hechuan glanced at the still-arrogant Zhang Zhigang, then asked, “You mentioned earlier—who exactly is the school leader who’s coming?”

“Vice Principal Huang Jiangcheng,” Director Sun replied.

“I see.”

Just as they finished speaking, Vice Principal Huang arrived. Upon seeing him, Zhang Zhigang’s face brightened and he immediately went over to greet him with a smile.

After a brief exchange with Zhang, Vice Principal Huang turned to Qiao Le’s group. “The change in position was the school’s decision. I hope you all can understand and not make things difficult for the school. After all, the children still have to attend here—it’s important to get along with their classmates.”

That was barely disguised as a threat.

Wu Huilan was about to speak up in anger, but Shen Hechuan stopped her and said, “You’re Vice Principal Huang, correct?”

“I am,” said Huang, eyeing her and uncertain of her identity. But given that their child was enrolled here, he softened his tone. “It’s just a performance. I promise next time Qiao Man will be in the center. Let’s all get along, yes? No need to focus on trivial things.”

Selling false promises?

Shen Hechuan chuckled. “So it’s Vice Principal Huang running Yuying Kindergarten now?”

Huang’s expression darkened. “What are you implying?”

Instead of answering, Shen Hechuan turned to Zhang Zhigang. “Since you brought someone, we’ll return the courtesy. Let’s wait for Principal Zhou to handle this.”

Vice Principal Huang narrowed his eyes. “You know our principal?”

Just then, Director Sun’s phone rang, the loud ringtone startling everyone.

“It’s the principal!” Director Sun announced. He answered the call, and Zhou’s voice rang out: “I’ll be there soon. Treat Mr. Shen and his family well! Don’t mess this up for me!”

“Mr. Shen?”

Director Sun looked around and his eyes settled on Shen Hechuan, then flicked to Zhang Zhigang. He asked hesitantly, “And what about Mr. Zhang?”

Principal Zhou snapped, “Zhang Zhigang? Who cares about him? He’s not even qualified to carry Mr. Shen’s shoes!”

Zhang Zhigang: “……”

After the call, the room’s atmosphere shifted.

“I remember Yuying is under the Wusehua Group, right?” said Shen Zhenghe suddenly.

Wu Huilan replied, “I believe so.”

“It is,” Qiao Le added. When they had picked the kindergarten, the documents clearly stated it.

Shen Zhenghe took out his phone and made a call. “Old Wang, I’m at your company’s Yuying Kindergarten. Come over and help us handle something. Dad’s here too—the whole family is. Hurry.”

From Principal Zhou’s call on, Vice Principal Huang had already turned pale. Now, after Shen Zhenghe’s call, he could barely stand.

The CEO of their parent company, Wusehua Group, was surnamed Wang.

And Shen Zhenghe had just called him so casually—it was clear they were close.

He’d backed the wrong side.

That suspicion was confirmed moments later. Principal Zhou rushed in and immediately greeted Shen Hechuan with deference, then checked if Old Master Shen was okay.

Once she understood the situation, she turned to Vice Principal Huang with a cold face. “This is how you handle things? You’ve really done a stellar job as vice principal.”

“No, Principal—” Huang tried to explain, but it was futile. He yanked the still-confused Zhang Zhigang over. “He told me to do it. Since our school and his company have ties, I just wanted to be accommodating. I didn’t think it’d blow up like this.”

“Blow up like what?”

Another person entered the room.

When Huang turned and saw the CEO of Wusehua Group walk in, his knees almost gave out.

As for Zhang Zhigang, he stood there dumbfounded, staring at how easily these two high-level people had been summoned by Shen Hechuan’s group. “Who… who are you people?”

President Wang of Wusehua scoffed. “I was wondering who it was. You don’t even recognize old Mr. Shen and Mr. Shen of Hualang Group?”

Hualang Group!

Zhang Zhigang’s face turned deathly pale. He couldn’t speak.

The matter was quickly resolved. When Qiao Man heard that the little dinosaur was still his, he was overjoyed. “Yay!”

The performance wouldn’t begin until evening. By then it was already noon, so they didn’t stay long at the kindergarten.

Wu Huilan and Shen Zhenghe were eager to go back and see Qiao Le’s medical report. As soon as things were settled, they urged everyone to head home. Upon arriving, Wu Huilan asked, “Where’s the report? Where did you put it?”

“I’ll go get it,” said Qiao Le.

Old Master Shen still didn’t know about the pregnancy. Seeing her looking so anxious, he asked, “What report?”

Shen Zhenghe grinned. “Dad, our family’s about to grow by one.”

Shen Hechuan corrected him, “By two.”

“Huh?”

“Lele is pregnant with twins.”

As he said this, Shen Hechuan couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, successfully stunning his parents again.

Old Master Shen was totally confused. “What kids? What twins?”

Wu Huilan saw Qiao Le walking over with the report and instinctively looked at his belly. But at two months, there was nothing to see, especially under loose clothes.

Qiao Le handed the medical report to Wu Huilan.

She reached out to take it but, too excited, didn’t grip it firmly. The stack of papers slipped and scattered on the floor. As Qiao Le bent down to pick them up, she quickly said, “Don’t move, I’ll do it!”

Qiao Le: “……”

Wu Huilan knelt to gather the papers. As she picked one up, her hand paused.

“Marriage contract?”

Qiao Le also saw it. He’d forgotten he’d stored the contract with the medical report.

He immediately tried to stop her. “Auntie, that’s not—!”

But it was too late. Wu Huilan had already opened it and immediately saw the bold statement on the first page—

“To resolve Mr. Shen Hechuan’s family’s constant pressure to marry, the two parties hereby agree to the following terms.”

And the clearly written service fee.

She flipped further and saw the signatures and fingerprints of both Qiao Le and Shen Hechuan.

Holding the document, she looked up at the two of them in disbelief. “You… got into a fake marriage?”

Qiao Le: “……”

How could someone mess up this badly at such a crucial moment?