Chapter 30: School Tyrant 30 (End)

Zai Ye stared at the photo sent by the teacher on his phone, remaining silent for a long time.

The photo was of his daughter’s composition.

The title was “My Dad.”

The beginning was fine, but towards the end, there was a paragraph that read: “Although my dad is handsome, he has never had a girlfriend or a wife. Uncle said he would introduce someone to him, but Dad said no. I know he can’t find anyone because of me. It’s hard for him to find someone because I’m here. His friends laugh at him, but that’s wrong. We shouldn’t laugh at people just because they don’t have friends, and we shouldn’t laugh at someone just because they don’t have a wife.”

“Grandma said that if you don’t have a spouse, you’ll be lonely when you’re old, and I don’t want my dad to be lonely. So, I decided to find him a wife… Teacher, you’re so pretty, I like you. Could you marry my dad?”

…This composition had spread around the school, and when her teacher sent a voice message, though they tried to stay serious, it was clear they were struggling not to laugh.

Zai Ye was speechless, clenching his fist. It had been years since he stopped being the school tyrant, and it had been a long time since he had the urge to hit someone.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to scold his daughter for writing such nonsense in her composition or call his friends to yell at them for their careless words, or maybe contact his mom and tell her not to instill such nonsense in the child.

He looked at the child’s earnest yet annoying words again. With a dark face, Zai Ye stood up and went to find the child, who was playing games in her room.

He walked over, seeing his daughter lying by the bed, playing very seriously, her little hands constantly poking and tapping on her tablet.

Zai Ye quietly approached and saw that she had opened the game’s chat channel and was talking to someone in the world chat.

The chat was full of comments like “Hahahaha!”

“How old is your little sister?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen a kid trying to find a wife for her dad, does your dad know?”

Zai Ye instantly understood what this little rascal was talking about. Looking closer, he saw that she had one more message in the input box that hadn’t been sent: “The little elf said, if you want to find a wife, do it quickly, it’s urgent…”

Before she could send it, Zai Ye expressionlessly picked her up.

The child was immediately punished with a spanking.

Yu Qian had hardly ever been spanked over the years, and this was the first time she had encountered such a sad event. She cried loudly and angrily shouted, “I don’t want you to be my dad anymore! You’re not my dad!”

Zai Ye was so angry that he almost laughed, then slapped her on the bottom twice.

“So, you had another fight with Xiao Qian and didn’t even bring her to play with you?” Li Xiu almost died from laughing, choking on a sip of wine and taking a long time to recover.

“It’s because she refused to come with me.” Zai Ye held a cup of lemon tea, still sipping it like it was wine.

“You both should watch what you say in front of Xiao Qian. Don’t talk like that in front of her. Children take things seriously.”

“I was just joking.”

“Children can’t tell the difference between jokes. Don’t say those things.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say it again.” Li Xiu promised.

“But seriously, Zai Ye, are you really planning to not find someone because of Xiao Qian? When she grows up and understands, she’ll definitely think she wasted your youth.”

“Tch, what wasted youth, who needs that youth?” Zai Ye chuckled.

After leaving the bar, while driving along the road near Xinqiao Police Station, Zai Ye suddenly remembered the scene from years ago when he had taken the child from there.

It seemed like it wasn’t even that long ago, but now he could barely remember how he had lived his life back then.

Looking back occasionally, he felt that the person he was before the age of twenty was pretentious and foolish, but at that time, he had been immersed in a dark, depressive mood.

Before the child had inexplicably appeared by his side, he never thought about living a good life.

Whether it was eating or sleeping, it was all on a whim. He ate when hungry, slept when tired, and his desire for anything was very low.

Let alone studying, he had no interest in it, and he didn’t seem to have any plans for his future life.

His classmates around him studied seriously, hoping for a good future, and when asked carefully, most of them said they wanted to find a good job and make a lot of money.

But he didn’t lack money. His parents’ divorce had left him with money as the only compensation.

His second-generation friends were either busy enjoying life or were working hard to take over their parents’ businesses.

But he didn’t want his father’s company, nor did he want to inherit his mother’s business. They each had children they were more inclined to.

A friend who used to race cars with him, Ning Zeyi, once told him after a race, always lighting a cigarette to advise him not to drive so recklessly, not to joke with his life.

Because he had no reverence for it, and no love for racing, what he enjoyed was the rush of speed, the feeling of impending death, and only in those moments did he feel a sense of relief, even a strange satisfaction.

Until suddenly, there was a child.

He no longer thought about the meaning of life, but through taking care of her, watching her grow, he found the meaning of living in the moment and understood his responsibilities.

This responsibility guided him back to the right track, preventing him from spiraling into self-destruction during his most confused years.

Though his father’s words were annoying, there was one thing he said that Zai Ye had truly taken to heart.

He had said, “What will you be able to give your children in the future?”

What can I give this child? Zai Ye thought about this question. He not only wanted to give her a stable and prosperous life, but also a happy childhood like other children. He also wanted to be the kind of dad who would make her proud. At the very least, not like his own father.

Now, Zai Ye still didn’t know where the child came from, but he no longer cared. No matter where she came from, he was grateful that she had appeared.

Gratitude aside, if this little rascal dared to go around matchmaking him in her compositions or games again, he would spank her again.

“Are you still mad at me? You’ve been angry for two days now,” Zai Ye said while steering the wheel.

Yu Qian crossed her arms, her face cold. “Don’t talk to me. You’re not my dad.”

“This is your fault, so I should be angry.”

Yu Qian was shocked. “What did I do wrong?”

Zai Ye: “You tried to set me up with someone without asking my opinion.”

Yu Qian: “I did ask!”

Zai Ye: “When?”

Yu Qian: “That morning, I asked you ‘Dad, do you want a wife or not?’ and you said ‘Whatever.'”

Zai Ye: “…Don’t ask me when I’m half asleep. What I say in that state doesn’t count, do you know?”

The child kicked her legs furiously. “You’re cheating, you’re cheating, you’re cheating! Ahhh!”

She yelled angrily.

Zai Ye: “Sit still, stop messing around. We’ll talk about who’s right when we get home.”

That said, looking at the child, who was so angry she was steaming, Zai Ye felt like laughing.

That smile still lingered on his face when suddenly, his expression changed, and his hands slammed the steering wheel.

But everything happened so suddenly. The truck beside them lost control and crashed into them. They couldn’t avoid the large vehicle’s shadow. In the final moment, Zai Ye had only one thought.

No matter what happens, please let my daughter live.

“Qian!!!”

Yu Qian didn’t realize what had happened at first. One moment she was furious at her dad’s unreasonable behavior, and the next, the car was spinning, and something was falling in front of her. Her dad suddenly turned and hugged her tightly.

She heard him calling her name, but at the same time, another voice spoke in her ear.

It was the strange little elf that followed her every day.

Yu Qian felt everything around her slow down, almost to a standstill. She saw dust floating in the car, and the blue light dot flickering before her eyes.

[Host, your task is complete. Now, you can choose to inherit the protagonist’s luck and live the rest of your life in this world.]

Yu Qian looked at it in confusion. “Daddy?”

[As the protagonist, hardships are a part of life. This is his destined tribulation. He will die here, but his luck can be transferred to you through the task value. If you choose to continue living in this world, you can replace him as the protagonist!]

[Congratulations, Host! I thought it would be hard for you to complete this task, but it turned out to be so easy. You’re amazing, Host!]

It took Yu Qian a long time to barely grasp the meaning of the little spirit’s words. Her large eyes, similar to Zai Ye’s, widened as big tears rolled down.

She screamed and cried, clutching Zai Ye’s clothes tightly. “I don’t want to! I don’t want Daddy to die! I don’t want it!”

Her gasping sobs left System 65 feeling helpless. It could only try to coax her as it had done in the past. [He volunteered. Your dad wants you to live. Shouldn’t you listen to him?]

“No! I don’t want to! I won’t listen!” This little troublemaker was never obedient.

System 65 was at a loss. Having a child as a host was even harder to manage than an adult. It could only watch time pass in stasis, and finally, it made one last effort. [If you choose to give up, the protagonist may survive, but you won’t be able to stay in this world anymore. Without his luck, your future worlds will be difficult, and you’ll only get basic points for this task. At this rate, you’ll never accumulate enough points…]

The child ignored everything it said, terrified and continuously screaming her refusal. She clung to Zai Ye, calling for him and trying to hide in his arms.

“Ding—”

The countdown ended, and System 65 regretfully announced: [Host has completed the basic task. Additional luck: 0. Preparing to leave this world—]

Zai Ye felt something was amiss.

He found himself sitting on his sofa at home but couldn’t remember how he got there. His last memory was driving to pick up his daughter from school and arguing with her in the car.

“Daddy.”

The child ran over and obediently sat in front of him.

Zai Ye hugged her, rubbing his head against hers, feeling an inexplicable pang in his chest.

He asked, “Weren’t you just arguing with me? Why are you suddenly being so nice? Do you know you were wrong?”

The child looked up at him, unusually well-behaved. “I’m sorry.”

Zai Ye said, “Fine. If you apologize, I’ll forgive you.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy. Can you live well on your own even if I’m not here with you?”

Zai Ye fell silent and held the small child tightly. “No, I need to wait until you grow up.”

“I’m already grown up.”

“No, not until you’re as tall as me.”

Zai Ye saw his tears fall onto the child’s cheek. She blinked, seemingly lost in thought, and suddenly said, “Daddy, I’ll tell you a secret.”

She always had strange little secrets.

Zai Ye leaned closer and heard her say, “I’m actually from the future. The child you’ll have with the person you love most—that’s me.”

Zai Ye didn’t respond.

The soft, warm body in his arms gradually grew cold, and his home fell silent once again.

He woke from the dream, and his daughter would never call him “Daddy” again.

“Zai Ye, don’t be so sad. If Xiao Qian were still here, she wouldn’t want to see you like this.” Li Xiu tried to comfort him but couldn’t stop crying himself. Even his wife couldn’t hold him back.

Everyone in their circle who had watched the child grow up was inconsolable. The young ladies who often gave her gifts and dresses cried so much they couldn’t stand, collapsing on the sofa to cry some more.

Amid the grieving crowd, the one who had truly lost his daughter, Zai Ye, only had reddened eyes.

His cousin, Wen Cheng, thought his behavior was unusual and worriedly patted his shoulder. “Zai Ye, are you okay? What are you thinking?”

Zai Ye said, “I’m thinking…was that little brat lying to me?”

If she wasn’t lying, then who was he supposed to marry to have her? He couldn’t even imagine having a child who looked so much like him.

So, was she really in the future?

Zai Ye didn’t know. All he knew was that if he didn’t believe it, he might not be able to accept what had happened.

—

Five years later

At the Cloud Restaurant, the game giant boss, Zai Ye, now a 30-year-old eligible bachelor, had just finished a blind date.

The woman had chosen to leave early due to his cold demeanor, leaving him alone in the upscale restaurant, suited up and gazing at the bustling city below.

Li Xiu called to ask about the blind date’s outcome.

“No result.”

“Seriously? How many have you gone through, and you still don’t like anyone?”

“I don’t like them.”

“Zai Ye…are you even serious about finding someone?”

Li Xiu couldn’t understand him. If he wasn’t interested, why meet the people they introduced? But if he was, why hadn’t he liked anyone in all these years?

Zai Ye brushed him off and hung up, sipping his wine.

He sat there for a long time, undisturbed, as no one dared approach the famously temperamental boss.

As he enjoyed this rare moment of peace, lost in thought about trivial memories, a bottle of yogurt was suddenly placed on the table, bumping his elbow.

Startled, Zai Ye looked down and saw a little girl clinging to the edge of the table. She was so short she had to stand on tiptoe to show half her face.

The child was exceptionally beautiful. She pushed the yogurt toward him again. “For you.”

Zai Ye looked at her.

Even though this pretty child looked nothing like him, he inexplicably felt…

“Qian, what are you doing here?” A man approached.

“Qian?” Zai Ye looked at the man. He seemed familiar. Though Zai Ye wasn’t into the entertainment industry, he vaguely recognized him as an actor.

The actor greeted him politely. “Mr. Zai, sorry to bother you. This is my daughter.”

They weren’t well acquainted, so the man quickly left with the child.

Zai Ye watched them leave, noticing the child sneak a guilty glance back at him.

She had the same guilty look as when she used his shaving cream, shaved a patch of his leg while he slept, or accidentally turned on his computer’s conference function and chatted with his employees—before getting caught.

On impulse, Zai Ye followed them and overheard their conversation.

“Qian, do you know Mr. Zai? Why did you bother him?”

“I know him. He’s my…” The child thought for a moment and said, “Tyrant Dad!”

Zai Ye: “…”

That familiar feeling of being betrayed by his little troublemaker.

—

The School Tyrant Story Ends (For Now)