Nobody said that teachers at elite academies have to be heartthrobs.

Other leaders also realized what was happening and hurriedly echoed their sentiments. The scene was chaotic, and everyone's attention shifted completely from Yu Fuli, who only had minor scratches, to the two heavy-duty injured people who were quickly rushed to the operating room and VIP ward.

Yu Fuli looked at the group of school leaders who were usually dignified and composed, but now looked as frightened as stray dogs. She glanced at the stretcher that disappeared at the end of the corridor and rubbed her temples wearily.

"Teacher Yu! What exactly happened?!"

Dean Wang shoved aside the ordinary teachers surrounding Yu Fuli, who were asking about the situation, and angrily pushed his way to the front. His finger almost touched Yu Fuli's nose, and his voice was shrill and sharp with agitation and fear of taking responsibility.

"You went to observe a horse riding lesson! Two students went with you, and one died... no, one was seriously injured and the other is in a coma! How are you going to take responsibility?! How are you going to explain this to the academy and to the families of those two students?!"

He roared, spitting as he spoke, and the surroundings fell silent instantly, leaving only the cold echoes of the hospital corridor.

He had just finished instructing the dean and turned around when he saw this scene. He choked on his breath and almost couldn't catch his breath. His face turned ashen.

"Director Wang! What are you doing?!" the dean hissed, his voice filled with suppressed anger and fear.

Reprimanded by the dean in public, Director Wang was initially stunned, but then, as if grasping at a lifeline, he quickly moved closer to the dean, lowered his voice, and offered a rapidly speaking suggestion: "Dean! Think about it, what are the status of the Xiao and Yun families? With their two heirs injured like this in our academy, do you think they'll let it go? Someone has to bear the brunt of their anger! Yu Fuli was there at the time; if we shift the blame onto him, wouldn't the pressure on our academy be much less? This...this is for the greater good!"

He spoke as if he were completely in the right, his eyes gleaming with self-righteousness.

Upon hearing this, the dean felt a chill run down his spine, mixed with absurd rage that shot straight to the top of his head.

He was able to reach this position not only because of his family background, but also because of his keen sense of timing and ability to assess situations.

That idiot Director Wang only saw that he couldn't afford to offend the Xiao and Yun families, so he was in a hurry to find a scapegoat to take the fall.

Hilarious! They can't afford to offend the Xiao and Yun families, but do they think they can afford to offend Yu Fuli and his family?!

Originally, the dean thought Yu Fuli was just an ordinary teacher. It wasn't until the night Yu Fuli took office that he received a phone call from a powerful and influential person. Only then did he realize that Yu Fuli was someone important and not someone to be trifled with.

Director Wang doesn't seem to realize that Yu Fuli, an ordinary teacher with no connections, could easily get a teaching position at Saint Laurent. Even with the school board chairman's son's case, the Xiao family's name was brought up, yet Yu Fuli not only wasn't intimidated, but actually forced the school board chairman to apologize in public! During this equestrian class, before Yun Bai was seriously injured and unconscious, whose clothes was she clutching? When Xiao Chi was carried off the stage, whose silent gaze fell upon him?

This Yu Fuli is acting strangely from head to toe! The situation is very complex!

Trying to shift the blame to him? He'd be asking for trouble if he didn't want to die sooner!

"You insolent wretch!" The dean abruptly flung his sleeve, his voice low and menacing, each word seemingly squeezed out between clenched teeth, carrying a warning, "Director Wang, have you lost your mind, or did your brain get caught in a door?! This accident happened on academy grounds; the academy will handle it according to regulations! Teacher Yu is also a victim, and a hero who immediately rescued the students! Instead of caring about the students' injuries and cooperating with the hospital and security investigation, you're here groundlessly blaming your colleague and shirking responsibility? I think you're sitting too comfortably in your position as dean of students!"

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping across Director Wang's instantly pale face, and said coldly, with a pointed implication, "Think things through before you speak. Understand people before you act. Don't bring trouble upon yourself and drag the entire hospital down with you!"

Director Wang trembled as he was scolded, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Only then did he belatedly realize that he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

The school leaders and other teachers around them all avoided eye contact, some pretending to be busy, others keeping their eyes down, but they all knew perfectly well that the dean's attitude clearly indicated that he wanted to protect Yu Fuli.

It seems that this Teacher Yu's background is probably more complicated than they imagined.

The dean's words were forceful and controlled the situation.

However, his next sentence stunned everyone, including Yu Fuli himself.

"Furthermore," the dean straightened his back, his gaze sweeping over the various expressions on the faces around him, his tone shifting to a businesslike seriousness, "Professor Yu's trip to the equestrian class was at the formal invitation of Qiao Qi, the head of the student council's publicity department, to cooperate with the college's upcoming new season of image promotional filming! This is a legitimate matter with proper procedures and records!"

These words immediately created a strange atmosphere.

For...college publicity??

Saint Laurent Royal Academy, as the empire's top aristocratic institution, a place where countless children of the powerful and wealthy would fight tooth and nail to get in, has a reputation that has resounded throughout high society for centuries. When did it ever need to rely on a teacher to film a promotional video for equestrianism to boost its fame?

This reason sounds like a makeshift excuse, a mere fig leaf pulled out to fool people.

The school leaders looked at each other, their lips twitching. They wanted to refute but dared not speak because of the dean's authority.

Dean Wang's face turned pale and then red. Of course he knew this was an excuse, but the dean's words were tantamount to defining the nature of the matter: Yu Fuli's trip to the horse farm was official business, not a private invitation or dereliction of duty.

It would be even more difficult to pin the entire responsibility for the accident on him.

Yu Fuli herself also raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at the dean.

He was indeed dragged there by Qiao Qi through persistent pleading. As for the publicity shoot, that was probably a embellished version of events she gave during the reporting process to ensure he would agree to the arrangement. Unexpectedly, the dean is now using it as a shield.

The dean sensed the subtle gazes around him, but remained expressionless, though he knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind.

He knew, of course, that the reason was untenable, but the most important thing now was to get the story straight, muddy the waters, and buy time for internal investigations and dealing with external accountability.

By including Yu Fuli's actions within the scope of the college's official duties, at least the other party can be prevented from facing the most direct accusations of responsibility.

He coughed loudly, breaking the awkward silence: "Now is not the time for this! The most urgent task is to do everything possible to treat our two classmates and thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident! Security department, immediately seal off the horse farm and related areas, and preserve all evidence! Medical department, fully cooperate with the hospital! Everyone else, return to your posts. No one is allowed to disclose any information without permission, let alone make any unfounded speculations!"

He issued a series of orders, and only then did everyone recover from the shock of publicizing this absurd reason, responding in unison and getting busy.