Volume 1 Chapter 40 Clearing Up the Truth

  "Look at my memory, I'll definitely remember next time, Old Li, haha!" Kong Yue Mei smiled apologetically, her heart marveling at how Director Li was so powerful, a thin man like a noodle, yet he could easily drag away the massive tiger, which was at least twice his size.

  What made Kong Yue Mei even more astonished was yet to come. After the sober and not-so-sober people had all boarded the principal's business car, Liu Xiao also miraculously appeared out of nowhere and squeezed onto the car.

  "Is everyone ready? Let's go!" Director Li started the engine.

  "Can you drive? You've had quite a bit of wine, why don't we take a taxi back instead?" Kong Yue Mei was a little worried, but she soon found that her worry was unnecessary, as Director Li had already smoothly driven the car out of the parking lot.

  Maybe everyone was a bit disheartened, no one spoke anymore, the car silently drove towards the main road, Kong Yuemei's voice suddenly came from the side of the co-pilot: "Old Li, you drive very steadily, it feels very safe."

  "Hmm, I've been driving for over a decade." Director Li said with pride: "When we learned to drive back then, it was very strict, just like going to school. Every day at 9 am sharp, we'd arrive on the scene, and at 5 pm sharp, we'd be dismissed. We studied for three whole months, unlike now when you can learn in just a month or two, with only a few hours of practice, and then get your license after three months. That's how road killers are cultivated."

  "That's right, I said so, you drive so steadily, it turns out that you have a solid foundation. Look, another bicycle has overtaken us." Kong Yue Mei couldn't stand the urging horn sounds behind her and reminded him.

  "What?!" Director Li was greatly stimulated, and he suddenly floored the accelerator. The business car instantly accelerated like a wild horse, speeding up to 120 kilometers per hour in an instant, scaring the surrounding cars into hiding. Fortunately, it was already late at night, so no traffic accident occurred.

  Kong Yue Mei and Director Li finally sent everyone home, it was already after 1 am. Director Li suggested going to sing KTV, but Kong Yue Mei considered that Lin Jun Yun was still sleeping in the car, so she didn't respond. Director Li had no choice but to give up, reminding Kong Yue Mei not to forget their weekend appointment with a hint of drunkenness.

  The next day, the school held a press conference, and many media outlets such as Dongcheng Evening News were invited to attend.

  The principal patted the microphone: "Respected leaders, guests, friends from the press, ladies and gentlemen, good morning! Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this meeting at Dongcheng No. 1 Middle School. After 15 years of development, our school has become one of the top middle schools in Dongcheng District. Unfortunately, due to a minor incident that did not reflect the facts, our school's reputation was severely affected over the past two days." The principal cleared his throat and said loudly: "In order to clarify the truth, after careful consideration by the school leadership and both sets of parents, we have specially gathered everyone here today to clarify this incident and restore the truth."

  "Is it true that a female student got pregnant with an official's second generation?" As soon as the principal finished speaking, a little girl with a ponytail immediately stood up and asked eagerly, this question had been bothering her for a long time.

  "That's completely a rumor, the girl student involved is sitting right next to me, and her mother is also present." The principal smiled at the ponytailed girl: "You should be under eighteen and still in internship, right? Put yourself in their shoes, if this happened to you, what would you do? Would you sit here waiting for others to question you? From another perspective, if such a thing really happened, could they still sit here so calmly?"

  The braid had nothing more to say and sat down.

  "Principal, I'm a reporter from Dongcheng Evening News. I have a small question that has been bothering me all night. If I don't get an answer, I'm afraid I'll lose sleep again tonight. I hope you can give me a truthful response."

  "You said it." The principal looked at the questioner with a headache.

  "Principal, could it be that some people, in order not to affect the school's reputation, used certain means to bribe both families?" A reporter wearing gold-rimmed glasses stood up and asked coldly: "Or perhaps it wasn't bribery, but rather threatening both families with expulsion from school to force them to compromise? Principal, don't mind me, I'm just saying this hypothetically. Science Explorer Wang."

  "What makes you ask such a question?" The principal looked at the person who asked with a slanted eye.

  "Pure curiosity, the principal can choose not to answer if he feels uncomfortable, since I haven't asked before." The person who asked sat down, but more people had already perked up their ears to listen to the principal's response. They remained silent, hoping that one or two more people like this would come forward and liven up the atmosphere.

  The principal rubbed his eyes: "Since our school was founded, we have adhered to the concept of 'people-oriented, moral integrity, and responsibility in action'. Here, I can guarantee that as long as I am in office for one day, I will absolutely not allow any despicable means to appear within the school." The principal adjusted his glasses and continued with a serious face: "In this regard, I would like to emphasize that the school will never tolerate or condone any rumors or slander against Dongcheng Middle School without any basis. Journalist friends, please add this sentence when reporting."

  "Can I take it that you're threatening me now?" Jin Si's eyes behind his glasses were unwavering, deliberately going against the principal.

  "The same sentence, ten people will have ten different understandings after hearing it. Journalist friend, how you understand is your business, let's agree to disagree." The principal was so angry that his teeth were almost bleeding, the wine from last night had not completely worn off, and he was still hungover when he hosted this press conference, didn't expect to encounter such a stubborn one at the very beginning, felt a headache.

  "Good, good, good!" Golden Glasses clapped his hands and said three "goods": "Principal, you are indeed insightful. One sentence has suddenly opened up my mind. As the saying goes, 'different people have different opinions'. Since Dongcheng Evening News sent me to attend this meeting, I feel a great responsibility. After returning, I will definitely sort out what I understand into tomorrow's headline news."

  "Whatever." The principal, still hungover and suffering from a severe headache, was infuriated by this provocation and stormed out of the school hall, waving his sleeve. His original intention had been to use this press conference to clear up the matter, but he hadn't expected to encounter such a thorn in the flesh right at the beginning.

  The principal's departure immediately triggered a burst of whispers. The reporters looked at each other, thinking to themselves, what kind of show is this? They called everyone together, and just as they sat down and listened to him boast about the school's glorious achievements for a few sentences, he was topped with a few sentences and actually patted his butt and slipped away. How should tomorrow's news be written?

  "Everyone be quiet for a moment." Pang Dahu, who was standing beside him, sensed that something was amiss and hastily grabbed the microphone to shout.

  His loud voice immediately quieted down the venue, and everyone turned to look at him.

  "I am Pong Datou, also known as the father of Guan Er Dai mentioned online."

  Pang Dahu's few words were indeed a bombshell, and the entire venue erupted instantly. Earlier, Pang Dahu was sitting in a corner position on the rostrum, not very eye-catching, so not many people noticed his presence.

  "Is it him?"

  "This person looks somewhat familiar."

  "The head of Dongcheng Public Security Bureau was exposed online long ago."

  "Oh, no wonder the Dongcheng district has been relatively safe in recent years. Just looking at him makes me feel completely secure."

  "I've heard he's a fair and honest man, how could he have raised such a prodigal son."

  "Quiet, quiet! Do you want to hear the truth of the matter?" Pang Datou was also suffering from a hangover and was dizzy and confused by the noise from the people below. He just wanted to finish reading the school's prepared speech as soon as possible and go back to sleep. In the afternoon, he still had to go to the Discipline Inspection Committee for investigation.

  The people below gradually quieted down, and Pang Dahu finally spoke fluently according to the speech manuscript that Director Li had rushed out overnight: "Things have been blown up, but actually, it's not complicated at all. This girl's father is my good friend from university, we both liked the same girl, who is this girl's mother..." As Pang Dahu read on, his eyebrows furrowed: this speech manuscript written by Director Li doesn't feel right, why does it sound like a plot from Qiong Yao's novel? They're here to clarify the truth for the two kids, but even the adults are being dragged in.