It was lunchtime again. Tang Xiaonan and Amanda Chapman went to the cafeteria to get their food. Jim Thorne brought a tall boy over to eat with them. The boy, Armstrong Huxley, was twelve years old and Phoebe Huxley’s biological nephew. He and Jim were in the same fourth-grade class.

Armstrong Huxley and Jim Thorne were remarkably similar in appearance and height, so much so that they looked like brothers. However, Armstrong was mild-tempered, unlike the impatient and impulsive Jim.

"Cousin," Tang Xiaonan called out sweetly.

Armstrong Huxley patted her gently on the head. Grinning, he said, "Why don’t you come eat at my place?"

He went home for lunch, which was just a short walk away. It was much more comfortable eating a hot, freshly cooked meal than their packed lunches.

Tang Xiaonan shook her head vigorously. ’Once or twice is fine,’ she thought, ’but my aunt would definitely start to mind if I went over every day.’ Besides, the school had a place to steam their lunches, so the food was hot, even if it didn’t taste as good as a freshly cooked meal.

"Cousin, who is Storm Xavier?" Tang Xiaonan asked. She had to confirm whether this was Clayton Xavier’s father.

Armstrong Huxley tilted his head, thinking for a moment before shaking it. "Don’t know him. What’s he do?"

He knew everyone in the village by sight, but not necessarily by name.

Tang Xiaonan felt a little disappointed. ’This Storm Xavier is so mysterious. Even my cousin, who lives right here in the village, doesn’t know who he is.’ Jim Thorne blurted out, "He’s that whore Phoenix’s lover. My mom said everyone in your village knows. How could you not know, Cousin?"

Armstrong Huxley suddenly slapped his thigh. "Oh, now I know who you mean! The landlord! He’s the one having an affair with that whore Phoenix."

He might not have known the name, but he was well-versed in this sort of scandalous gossip. The affair between Storm Xavier and Phoenix Golding was the talk of Xavier Village, a common topic of conversation after dinner, and Armstrong Huxley had overheard it many times.

The moment Tang Xiaonan heard the word "landlord," she understood. There was only one landlord family in Xavier Village: Clayton Xavier’s.

So, Storm Xavier really was Clayton Xavier’s father.

’Clayton Xavier must not know about Phoenix Golding and Storm Xavier’s affair,’ she mused. ’Otherwise, how could he marry Jacqueline Spann with a clear conscience?’

"Why are you guys asking about this?" Armstrong Huxley asked, his curiosity piqued.

Tang Xiaonan lifted Amanda Chapman’s shirt, revealing a dark bruise on her side. "This morning, that wretched woman tried to punish me and my cousin by making us stand outside again," she said angrily. "And she pushed my cousin into a desk."

Furious, Jim Thorne shot to his feet, ready to slam down his lunchbox and go start a fight, but Armstrong Huxley grabbed him. "Let’s think this through," Armstrong said. "She’s a teacher, and you’re a student. You can’t just go fight her. You wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. We need a better plan."

The precocious Armstrong Huxley spoke in a refined manner that starkly contrasted with his rugged appearance. He loved listening to the village elders recount tales of the Three Kingdoms. Even though their stories were often fragmented and incomplete, they had sharpened his mind, giving his speech a naturally formal air. He much preferred solving problems with his wits over using his fists.

This was despite his fighting prowess being quite high—he was Phoebe Huxley’s nephew, after all.

Tang Xiaonan was quite surprised by Armstrong’s behavior. She had assumed her cousin was just as impulsive and hot-tempered as Jim Thorne, but he was actually someone with ideas. ’He even sounds quite clever when he speaks!’ she thought.

"Then what should we do?" Jim Thorne asked irritably.

Armstrong Huxley stroked his chin as an idea took shape. "All we have to do," he said slowly, "is catch Phoenix Golding and Storm Xavier in the act. You block the door, and I’ll go get the villagers to come and see. With her questionable morals exposed, the school will have no choice but to fire her."

Tang Xiaonan was overjoyed. ’Finally, an ally who can use his brain!’ she thought. Armstrong Huxley was on the exact same page as her.