277: I don't think I have violated school rules!

I don't think I have violated school rules!

"We tend to assign more homework and more difficult homework. Many students don't like this and don't want to do their work."1

The principal continued, "However, completing their assigned work by building self-discipline is necessary for the students to learn. Xi Xiaobao noted the homework that was assigned by each teacher in every class every day. Then, he recruited students from each of these classes and referred to their completed homework. He would use this to provide the answers to the other students who did not want to complete their homework—at a price. As for the students he recruited, he would give them a cut of the earnings."

"Madam, look at all these students standing here. They were all recruited by your Xi Xiaobao's business."

When Qin Yan heard this, she could not help but smirk. She looked at the little guy and saw that he was still as calm as ever. This made things difficult for her.

She did not think of this situation as a big deal, however, Xi Xiaobao was still so young. He should have a normal outlook on life. Should she say something now?

For the first time, Qin Yan, who always had an infinite number of things to say, was stumped—by her own darling!

"Principal, my mother has never handled such an issue before. So, I hope Principal can resolve it with me directly. After all, I am the main person involved."

As Qin Yan was still trying to find the words to express her stance, the little guy spoke in a rather responsible tone. His words were extremely domineering. He was indeed worthy of being a child of the Xi family.

However, Qin Yan was stunned on hearing the little guy addressing her as mother. This was the first time her darling had done that. She didn't know why but she felt a surge of emotions in her heart being called a mother.

On the other hand, the principal choked on Xi Xiaobao's words. He felt a headache coming on in the face of this devilish child with a high IQ and noble background.

"Alright, since you don't want to resolve it through your guardian, I'll discuss this matter with you."

The principal asked, "Xi Xiaobao, you heard what I said just now. Do you have anything to say in defense of your actions violating the school rules?"

"Yes, I want to defend myself," the little bun answered very seriously.

"Okay. Then tell me, why did you want to set up your homework contracting business on campus?"

The little bun asked seriously instead of answering, "Principal, is there a clear rule of the school specifying that setting up a homework contracting business on campus is not permitted?"

"Although there is no clear rule, it is each student's duty to do their homework. If you help someone else with their homework, they won't be learning anything."

"This so-called duty is just to complete the tasks they have been assigned. Just like an adult at work, as long as they complete their designated tasks, it will be sufficient. Just like in school, as long as the students don't encounter any harm, it will be enough. As for my actions, I was merely helping everyone carry out their own individual duties. I do not feel that I violated any rules."

"Since it was someone else's duty, shouldn't you helping them be considered as interference?"

"But they still handed in the work themselves! It's just like how it isn't a teacher's duty to stop bullying beyond school grounds. If there is a conflict in school, the teachers must try to resolve it. However, many students may choose to hold back while in school to avoid being punished—but may end up murdering each other outside school grounds. If something as such were to happen, the school cannot be expected to have stopped it. Similarly, although the students are expected to have done the homework they hand in themselves, as long they hand in the completed work, they should be considered as having completed their duties. Why am I in the wrong?"

"School and society have different divisions of responsibilities. The school gate is the dividing line… Within the school, the students are the responsibility of the management, while outside the school, the children are the responsibility of society. If students fight on school grounds, it is the responsibility of teachers to handle it. If they fight beyond school grounds, it is the responsibility of the police. Fighting and helping people do homework are two very different things. You cannot compare them."

"Then, my homework business only operates outside school grounds. My people accept and complete orders beyond school grounds, after all. My customers weren't given a choice at first about whether they wanted to use the service or not, but now they do have that choice. If the customer is willing to pay, then the worker is responsible for providing them good service. I operate in good faith and maintain a pristine reputation. May I ask, Principal, what exactly did I do wrong? If I don't help them with their homework, does Principal really think they wouldn't find someone else to help them instead? If it's going to be done regardless of moral responsibility, why does it matter who does it?"

Qin Yan felt that the little guy had certainly inherited Xi Ting's talent for sophistry. He had made the principal very upset, but the latter had no way to refute Xi Xiaobao.

After thinking for a long time, the principal finally found a loophole in what Xi Xiaobao said and responded—

"You said that your business didn't give students a choice at first, but now they can choose to use your services or not. That means that some students were willing to work hard and learn well in the beginning, but you have deprived them of that opportunity. Isn't that wrong?"

"Principal, I think you may have misunderstood something. The reason why I compared fighting outside school with the business was that initially, I didn't know that what I was doing was setting up a business. Yuan Mingbo from my class didn't want to do his homework, so he always asked me to do it for him. I wasn't willing, so he waited for me to leave the school grounds and tried to get someone to beat me up to force me to help him out. I thought that if I didn't help him, I would surely get beaten up, but even if I helped him, I wouldn't get anything out of it. Thus, I decided to tell him that if he wanted me to help him, I would, but for 500 yuan a time. If he needed me to help him with his homework every day, I could give him a discount—3,000 yuan a semester. I didn't want to get beaten up, but I also didn't want to help him with his homework for no personal gain, so I took the money. Principal, I think my charges are still very low, and my homework business operates beyond school grounds. So, I don't think I violated the school rules."

The principal's mouth twitched when he heard that. He could not help but ask, "Even if you took Yuan Mingbo's money and helped him with his homework to prevent violence outside the school, why did you go on to establish a business to help other students with their homework?"

"Yuan Mingbo was very popular. He looks down on classmates who are poorer than him—especially me, the poorest 'prodigy' in the school. So, he spread the rumor that I would help people with their homework in exchange for some money. Hearing that, rich kids from all around the school came to me. They all threatened me, saying that if I didn't help them with their homework, I would be beaten up. So, I thought that if I were to help them, I would be doing labor. With labor comes income, right? Thus, I set up this 'business' and gathered a few seniors who were willing to help in exchange for some extra money. Not only would they help me complete the homework, but they could protect me if anyone dared to bully me. Soon, other students found out about the arrangement and approached me. Hence, my business gradually grew."

Besides the principal's mouth twitching, Qin Yan, who was also a businesswoman, could not help but laugh.

Her little darling was simply incredible.

"Principal, my family is not actually short of money. Although I would like more pocket money, I could find other ways to make it or open other businesses. Of course, if you would like me to shut down my current business, you would have to control your students and ensure that they don't harass me within or outside of school. If you can give your word on doing this well, I can immediately alter my line of business. However, if you can't, I will have to continue my current business to avoid getting beaten up."

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