Jino still remembered the lessons from the tutor his father hired when he was a child.
One of those lessons was about society.
Jino recalled a few questions the teacher had posed.
What is the essence of how society operates?
In Jino's view, It's about the plunder, exploitation, and struggle for social resources.
And based on the amount of social resources one possesses, equivalent power emerges.
Those with abundant resources will have more privileges.
So, what is power?
It's an invisible, intangible, yet brutal beast, hidden in the darkness, killing unseen beneath the surface.
As a person reborn, Jino was well aware that his family's power allowed him to walk freely and unchallenged in America.
He didn't like to oppress others with power, but that didn't mean he wouldn't use his own power, especially against a brainless brute like Watt.
A verbal offense wouldn't cause Jino to break Watt's arm, but punishing Watt was essential.
And how to make Watt pay?
He just needed one phone call to make Watt pay for his actions.
This was the power of influence.
Outside the campus at this moment, everyone was stunned by Jino's actions.
Whitney nervously swallowed, his casted arm throbbing faintly.
What did he just hear? LuthorCorp actually donated half a million dollars to the school every year?!
This meant that many of the faculty and staff's salaries came from LuthorCorp's funding. If LuthorCorp truly stopped funding the high school, the faculty and staff's salaries might be cut significantly.
Many students shared this thought, and quite a few turned their gaze to Coach Watt, whose face was ashen.
At this moment, Coach Watt clenched his fists. He swore that if they were in a deserted corner, he would definitely beat the hell out of this damned brat.
As he thought, Coach Watt's eyes, wide like an ox's, glared venomously at Jino's calm face.
He had expected this brat to resort to childish tricks like telling his parents, but he never thought he'd just flip the table!
Would the school sacrifice half a million dollars in annual funding for him?
Coach Watt shook his head inwardly, deluding himself:
"No, I've led the town's football team to four championships. The school won't fire me!"
Jino was unaware of Watt's conflicted and anxious feelings at the moment, but even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
Under everyone's gaze, the call connected, and Jino even smiled as he pressed the speaker button on his phone with his thumb.
"Hello?" Lex's voice came through the phone. "State your business, I'm in a meeting at the company."
Lex's style was as concise and efficient as ever. Besides being a scientist, Lex was also a qualified capitalist.
"Lex, I was just threatened by a teacher to wash the campus football team's stinky socks for a week," Jino said unhurriedly, staring at Coach Watt, his eyes full of mockery. "I think we should stop our annual financial contributions to the school."
"Wash socks?" On the other end of the phone, Lex was sitting in a spacious conference room, his bald head resting lightly against the executive chair, and he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
Someone dared to threaten his brother into washing socks?! His own brother hadn't even washed socks for him.
Lex's first reaction was to pressure the school to fire this ignorant sports teacher.
But on second thought, Jino probably had his own plans, so Lex remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'll have my secretary notify the school principal."
After speaking, Lex hung up the phone and looked at his secretary, who was standing by, ready for anything. "Go inform Smallville High School that, starting today, LuthorCorp will cease its funding to the school."
The secretary paused slightly, then instinctively reminded him, "Boss, but the school funding helps offset our taxes."
"From a profit perspective, if we stop funding the campus, our local businesses might have to pay up to a million dollars in taxes annually."
"That's not important!" Lex roughly interrupted the secretary, his eyes gazing deeply at her. "All I know is those guys humiliated my brother, and they need to show some attitude!"
Meeting Lex's chilling gaze, the secretary's heart trembled, and she quickly lowered her head respectfully. "I'll contact them immediately."
At the school, Jino hung up the phone and gave a provocative, smug grin. "Coach Watt."
Jino snapped his fingers. "Want to bet how long it'll take Principal Guan and them to get here?"
As he spoke, Jino glanced down at his watch. "I'm sure it won't be more than a minute."
Hearing Jino's words, Coach Watt's expression grew even colder. He wanted to say something to soften the situation, but the bustling crowd around him made him open his mouth without being able to utter a sound.
At this moment, the anger in his heart had long dissipated, and Coach Watt was terrified to find that he actually felt a few pangs of regret.
His long period of comfortable living had made him forget the first rule of survival in America: do not provoke big capitalists.
And now, it was time for him to pay for his actions.
"Clear the way, clear the way!"
A shout came from a distance.
The crowd of onlookers was roughly pushed aside as Principal Guan, dressed in a suit, burst in with six or seven serious-faced school administrators. They were practically jogging, their ties askew.
Without bothering to straighten his appearance, Principal Guan immediately beamed at Jino. "Mr. Jino Luthor!" he exclaimed, gripping Jino's arm like a concerned elder and asking, "I heard someone spoke disrespectfully to you?"
As he spoke, Principal Guan shot a disgusted glance at Coach Watt, who was standing frozen in place.
The faculty members behind him also stared at Watt with revulsion, the meaning in their eyes filling Coach Watt with fear: They're going to fire me!
The students watched in shock as the school administrators suddenly appeared. Chloe elbowed Pete and Clark, who were engrossed in the gossip, and whispered, head down, "Only forty seconds."
"Yeah, because I skipped class yesterday, Coach Watt demanded I wash the school football team's socks for a week." Jino stared at Watt's pale face with a half-smile. The coach's arrogant demeanor had completely vanished; he now looked like a jobless middle-aged drone, his eyes filled with confusion.
But Jino wouldn't pity this guy. If he were just an ordinary student, then accepting the humiliation of washing socks for a week would have been his inescapable fate.
So, when it came to villains, Jino was stingy with his mercy and kindness.
Being kind to the wicked was cruelty to the good.
"So that's how it is." Principal Guan frowned, cursing inwardly about whether Watt had drunk himself stupid after work every day.
Making a rich kid wash the socks of your football players, who the hell do you think you are?
Thinking this, Principal Guan gave the other administrators a look. No matter what, the incident had happened, and they had to find a way to appease the Luthor Family's anger and secure that indispensable half-million dollars.
"Coach Watt!" The administrator in charge of student regulations stepped forward, saying righteously, "According to the school's student conduct regulations, a student who skips class only needs to write a 1,000-word self-reflection. Your actions severely violate school rules!"
"Furthermore, treating a student in this manner can cause immense harm to their physical and mental well-being!"
End of Chapter