Two cars sped towards No. 9 Middle School on the city streets.
Wade Qi drove the Range Rover, following leisurely behind.
Grant Gong had his foot pressed firmly on the accelerator!
The whole school was out, except for his daughter's class, which supposedly had a special lab session!
While Grant didn't truly believe anyone in this day and age would dare attempt something like kidnapping, that didn't mean it was absolutely impossible!
Especially when the person in question, Ethan Chen, was only eighteen!
Grant had seen plenty of eighteen-year-olds at the martial arts school. While legally adults, most were far from mature mentally. They were impulsive, didn't consider consequences, and couldn't control their emotions.
To put it bluntly, when cornered, they were capable of anything!
The people most likely to commit brazen street violence were often those with underdeveloped judgment.
And Ethan now held a sliver of power. Grant was terrified of such an unforeseen disaster!
He screeched to a halt at the school gate, jumped out of his car, and rushed towards the entrance.
A security guard immediately moved to stop him.
"I'm a parent, here to pick up my child!"
Grant brushed past him. The guard hurried after him.
It was past 6 PM, the sky growing dark. Only a few classrooms still had their lights on. Grant charged into the quiet teaching building, ran up the empty hallway, and saw the sign for Class 3, Grade 8 on the second floor.
Just as he was about to push the classroom door open—
BOOM!
A loud explosion sounded from inside the room. Grant's heart leaped into his throat. A chill ran down his spine, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
Without a moment's hesitation, he kicked the classroom door open.
However, the scene inside wasn't the horrific one he had imagined. The classroom was packed with people, including over a dozen teachers.
The students were crowded three or four to a desk.
On the lecture platform, a science experiment was in progress. The explosion had been part of the demonstration.
Grant saw his daughter sitting at the desk right in front of the platform.
As the door crashed open, all eyes turned towards Grant, including the person at the front.
"Ethan!" Grant recognized the figure on the platform.
The moment their eyes met, Ethan smiled at him. Then, Ethan turned back to face the students. "Alright, that concludes our experiment for today. What you just witnessed is the wonder of chemistry. Study hard, and you too can unravel its mysteries."
As Ethan finished, the classroom erupted in enthusiastic applause.
"Students, let's thank Senior Ethan Chen for this vivid chemistry lesson! Senior Chen is ranked first at City Prep No. 3 and is a top contender for next year's provincial top exam score! Let's also thank the leadership from the Board of Education for arranging this special session!"
As the applause died down, students began packing their bags. Some headed home, while others rushed to the platform to ask Ethan questions.
Grant's daughter packed her bag and walked to the classroom door, looking at her father with reproach. "Dad, what are you doing here? Why did you kick the door?"
Grant took a deep breath. "Your mom said you weren't home. I came to check."
"Seriously, I told Mom! We had a special lab today. Dad, let me tell you, Senior Chen is amazing! Ranked first in his whole school! And his teaching is way more fun than the teachers'. He's coming back in a few days to do another experiment. He said even flour can explode! I'm really looking forward to it now. Chemistry is so interesting!"
Grant only registered one word from his daughter's excited chatter: "Explode." It made his heart tremble.
"Mr. Gong. Not busy at the school today?"
Ethan's voice sounded suddenly. Grant looked up to see Ethan standing before him, a smile on his face.
Thinking of his daughter's mention of an explosion, and the loud bang from the classroom, Grant felt his heart quiver.
Seeing his daughter run off to find her friends, Grant spoke, his voice low. "Ethan, what are you trying to do?"
Ethan spread his hands innocently. "Just teaching a class at a middle school, with the Board of Education's permission. What else could I be doing? You don't think I'd intentionally cause some 'explosion' to hurt your daughter, do you?"
Grant remained silent.
"Mr. Gong, it's almost seven. You know I have other business to attend to. I need to get going, otherwise The Boss will be angry. A small fry like me can't afford that. Who knows what the consequences would be!"
After giving Grant one last smile, Ethan turned and strode away.
Watching Ethan's retreating back, Grant took a deep breath.
"Dad, let's go. It's Friday, take me out for a nice dinner!" His daughter came up beside him.
Grant gently touched his daughter's hair, conflict raging in his eyes. Of course, his struggle wasn't about whether to take her for a nice meal.
He had witnessed Ethan's methods. And for him, they were impossible to guard against. How could he? Ethan, as the top student from the city's best high school, arranged through the Board of Education, came to teach a class and perform science experiments. The experiments included an 'explosion' segment. If an 'accident' happened during that segment, injuring his daughter... what would happen to Ethan?
At most, it would be a lab accident. Ethan would face no repercussions!
But what about him? What about his daughter? Even a minor burn could leave a scar for life!
On the street outside the school, Ethan walked up to the parked Range Rover. The rear door was opened for him by Wade Qi.
Once Ethan was inside, the vehicle headed straight for The Summit Lakeside Resort.
Wade glanced at Ethan through the rearview mirror. "Mr. Chen, do you think Grant will pay up now?"
Ethan looked exasperated. "Seven, could you not call me 'Mr. Chen'? It feels really weird."
"No," Wade shook his head. "Even if it feels weird, you need to get used to it. I'm just calling you 'Mr. Chen.' Later, when your influence grows, people will call you 'Boss Chen.' Won't that feel even stranger?"
"Fine," Ethan shrugged. "Back to your question. It's highly likely Grant will return the money."
"Not certain?" Wade sounded surprised.
"Nothing in this world is absolutely certain," Ethan smiled. "Besides, Grant didn't even take the ten million he borrowed. He intentionally lost it all back at the casino."
"Let's be clear, Grant isn't in it for the money. He's just helping his sister, Gwendolyn, save face."
"Gwendolyn wants to vent her anger."
"The Boss is using this to test me."
"The Boss certainly doesn't actually want that ten million from Grant. He just wants to see how I handle the situation."
"For those three, this matter isn't very important. If I fail the test, The Boss replaces me, and the Gong Family gets to gloat."
"But for me, it's very important. You've already shown Grant our capability in terms of force. And he just saw my... methods. As for the consequences, I made it very clear to him. If he were truly willing to go to war with me just on principle, he wouldn't have left the ten million in the casino; he'd have taken it with him."
"So, I say it's highly probable he'll pay. After all, The Boss won't actually take the money, so Grant loses nothing. There's no need for him to risk his daughter's safety."
"As for the small probability... even the wisest person can have a momentary lapse in judgment. Who can guarantee Grant won't? If he throws all caution to the wind, even going so far as to pull his daughter out of school, move his wife and child out of the city, just to help Gwendolyn vent her spleen... well, then I'll tip my hat to him."