Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Two days have passed since the "Chonggang Incident," but the discussions it sparked continue to ferment on campus.

"Shoufeng, do you think that vendor selling spicy soup is actually Qin Yuechuan's mother?" Student A pressed for an answer.

"Yeah, aren't you his cousin? Tell us the inside story!" Student B chimed in.

……

As the number of people asking questions increased, Qin Shoufeng felt like he was being roasted over a fire. His face darkened, and he roared, "How many times have I told you? That's not his mother! Don't ever mention this to me again, it's so annoying!"

The thought of his cousin made Qin Shoufeng feel uneasy all over. At this moment, two voices began to tear at his mind again:

"You're such a coward! You should have rushed out with Xiao Chuan to save people back then! If you hadn't given him a day student pass, would he have been able to run out of the school gate to save people? If he hadn't left the school gate, how could he have been injured and hospitalized? Look, this is all your doing!" the little black man shouted, jumping up and down.

"That's easy for you to say! Can you beat those thugs? Haven't you seen what happened to Xiao Chuan? Besides, this wasn't my fault, so why are you blaming me?" the little white figure retorted, sticking out his neck.

The black and white figures were arguing incessantly, and Qin Shoufeng's head was throbbing with pain. He felt guilty, but upon hearing that the school was going to deal with Qin Yuechuan seriously, he dared not defend his cousin. He was afraid of revealing the truth; if the school found out the details, he would definitely be punished as well. After all, he, Qin Shoufeng, was the mastermind behind borrowing the day student pass!

"It's better to stay far away to avoid getting into trouble. At worst, we can just give Yue Chuan some compensation later."

Qin Shoufeng comforted himself in this way. He simply didn't have the courage to clarify the situation and could only secretly pray that Yue Chuan would be safe and sound and that the storm would pass quickly.

Those who know the truth have remained silent, which makes the whole incident even more perplexing.

Rumors spread and the negative impact continued to expand, forcing Dong Mingdao, the de facto leader of the school, to convene another meeting to discuss countermeasures.

In addition to the management team, one more teacher attended the meeting: Zhou Wenyao, Qin Yuechuan's homeroom teacher.

Just like the last emergency meeting, security captain Zhang Tianhu was the first to speak. In addition to his self-criticism, he also prepared witness testimonies, putting on an act of "taking action" against Qin Yuechuan. In his description, Qin Yuechuan was not a chivalrous and righteous young man at all, but a bad student who stole other people's day student passes and fought with people outside the school.

After listening to Zhang Tianhu's explanation, Zhou Wenyao smoothed the gray hair at his temples and calmly joked, "To summarize Captain Zhang's statement, it boils down to two sentences: First, I did nothing wrong; second, it's all that freshman Qin Yuechuan's fault! Is this what you call a self-criticism? You might as well just write a statement of no responsibility!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several young teachers in the conference room secretly covered their mouths to stifle their laughter. As for Captain Zhang? His face turned red and then pale. He was about to stand up and refute, but Dong Mingdao, who was sitting at the head of the table, raised his hand and pressed him down.

"Mr. Zhou, you're a veteran at the school. Let's not resort to personal attacks today, but discuss the facts and how to deal with this freshman. If we don't suppress this unhealthy trend, what will become of the school's reputation? Will parents still feel comfortable sending their children to our school?"

Although Dong Mingdao was the designated leader, he was not as senior as Zhou Wenyao, and he would not break off relations with him unless absolutely necessary.

"Principal Dong is right. We do need to 'discuss the matter at hand.' Now I will report the situation I have to everyone. After all, I am Qin Yuechuan's homeroom teacher. If the student makes a mistake, it is because I did not discipline him properly. I apologize to everyone."

This boastful statement left many teachers speechless. After the meeting room quieted down, Zhou Wenyao continued, "After verifying with various parties, it is confirmed that Qin Yuechuan did indeed use someone else's day student pass to leave the school, which violates school rules and regulations. However, I need to clarify that Qin's motive for leaving the school was not to go out for a meal or to fight, but to rescue someone from local thugs. I have verified this with the student himself and the middle-aged female vendor selling spicy soup."

Before he finished speaking, the meeting room erupted in uproar. Clearly, everyone was shocked by Teacher Zhou's remarks. Everyone knew that Zhou Wenyao was protective of his own, but no one expected that he would dare to go against Dong Mingdao in public. Principal Dong had already set the tone, but you, Old Zhou, have forcefully reversed it. Aren't you afraid that Principal Dong will make things difficult for you in the future?

At this moment, Zhang Tianhu slammed his hand on the table and said sternly, "Teacher Zhou! You really know how to protect your own! According to you, Qin Yuechuan not only won't be punished for 'crashing the post,' but he'll also be commended!"

"We'll talk about the award later. I just want to ask Captain Zhang one question: Qin Yuechuan, a mere fifteen-year-old, why would he deliberately provoke thugs without a special reason? What was he after? Was it for a bowl of spicy soup? Or to get a concussion?" Zhou Wenyao retorted sharply, his eyes blazing.

The two were at loggerheads, about to erupt into a heated argument, when Dong Mingdao suddenly called out "Silence!" and looked at Zhou Wenyao with a stern face, saying, "Teacher Zhou, how can you prove that Qin Yuechuan went to rescue someone? If he is related to that unlicensed vendor, then this matter is probably a different story, isn't it?"

The way leaders speak is truly remarkable; a single sentence can hit the nail on the head. "Didn't you say, Old Zhou, that this kid went to rescue someone? Who was he rescuing?" "He rescued an unlicensed street vendor! The school strictly forbids students from leaving the school grounds without permission, and even more strictly forbids them from buying food from street vendors. If he violates any of these rules, I have ways to deal with your good student, Qin Yuechuan."

Zhou Wenyao seemed to have anticipated Principal Dong's reprimand. Without thinking, he immediately took out the documents he had prepared in advance. "This is Qin's family member information form, and a photocopy of the female vendor Zhao Sumei's ID card. The household registration information can prove that the two are not related."

The documents were presented to the podium, but Dong Mingdao didn't even glance at them. The female secretary, however, carefully reviewed them. After a dozen seconds, she smiled and said, "Hmm, Teacher Zhou is indeed mature and prudent. This household registration information is stamped with an official seal; it's authentic and reliable!"

The female secretary did not communicate much with Zhou Wenyao. Her decision to side with Zhou Wenyao this time was entirely due to her dislike of Vice Principal Dong.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Dong Mingdao secretly gave Zhang Tianhu a wink. As if receiving an order, Captain Zhang immediately pulled a black plastic bag from under the table: "Principal Dong, Secretary Li, teachers, please look at this!"

As Zhang Tianhu spoke, he held up the white enamel mug from the bag, saying, "This fast food mug was found by one of our security guards next to a food stall. Look! The name 'Qin Yuechuan' is even engraved on the bottom!"

Zhang Tianhu's language skills were far inferior to Zhou Wenyao's. He rambled on and on, recounting the details of Zhao Sumei putting hot and sour soup into the enamel cup, and how Yue Chuan left behind the evidence. Although he didn't draw a conclusion, his implication was simply to prove that Qin Yue Chuan's purpose in rushing to the hill was not to save people, but to go out to eat. As for the child being beaten by people outside the school, that was his own fault!

It has to be said that the timing of this piece of evidence is very delicate. If Zhang Tianhu doesn't produce the evidence soon, everyone will probably side with Zhou Wenyao. Of course, some people doubt the origin of the enamel cup, but the problem is that the bottom of the cup is engraved with the three big characters "Qin Yuechuan". At this moment, all the teachers are probably confused. Could it be that Qin Yuechuan was really beaten up by thugs when he went to eat outside the school?

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Zhou Wenyao again. Old Zhou had become Qin Yuechuan's "defense lawyer," and the direction of the matter depended on him.