Chapter 67: Intelligence Defeated by Intelligence

  The car sped along the highway back to Lanzhou, and occasionally looked at the kilometer signs on the road. He always felt that the speeding speed was still so slow, and asked Li Secretary in the co-pilot seat again:

  "Xiao Li, isn't the news true?"

  "That's right, Principal Wang personally called Minister Xu, and Minister Xu asked me to tell you... Sorry, Old Zuo, I'm disturbing your journey again." The secretary in the front seat said.

  The reason was that I received the news of Professor Song Chengyang's hospitalization early in the morning, and when we were visiting the Ming and Qing Dynasties building Niangniang Temple in Qinxian County, Zuo Nanxia and his party returned upon hearing the news. People over 70 are rare since ancient times, and every time I think of old friends leaving one by one, it always gives Zuo Nanxia a feeling of sunset. He didn't ask anything else, sighed, and leaned against the back seat in silence.

  A warm and slender hand stretched out from beside him, slowly and gently grasping his hand. It was his daughter, Zuo Xiying, smiling as if to comfort and care for him. Zuo Nanxia silently hugged his daughter, smiling with affection, but the feeling of desolation had deepened a little more.

  The car sped quickly, and in just over an hour, it arrived at the city center. The highway exit was arranged with traffic police to clear the way, driving straight to Municipal Hospital No. 1. As soon as they got out of the car, they rushed to the ward with a group of leaders from Lü Institute. The doctor explained that it was due to excessive drinking causing stroke symptoms, and the condition had temporarily stabilized. However, Principal Wang from Lü Institute kept saying regretfully that he shouldn't have let Old Song take care of this year's thesis defense for their department. Everyone spoke, but it only made Zuo Nan even more anxious. When they entered the ward, Old Song opened his eyes and smiled, finally releasing the pent-up energy in his chest.

  Softly, the attendants all withdrew from the ward, leaving the old couple a space to be alone. As Zuo Xiying closed the door, several leaders of the municipal and district governments smiled politely, already accustomed to this smile with a false face. Zuo Xiying returned a ladylike smile and retreated to a window not far away, gazing out at the hospital scenery.

  "Principal Wang, what's going on with your school?"

  "I just found out this morning too, who would have thought that Professor Song at his age could still drink like this..."

  "It's not this matter, it's a surname Guo, associate professor, all exposed online, last night, Fenghuang Road Hotel."

  "Let's just forget about that for now... we'll deal with it later..."

  "Mind your image, these are things that can't be put on the table."

  "Minister Xu, the teaching staff is also a mixed bag now, I have no way to deal with it. This thing has gone wrong. There are only five people in the answer committee of one department, and three of them fell down overnight, and another one was hospitalized... Another Professor Kang, vomited and had diarrhea, almost dehydrated."

  Zuo Xiying's ears twitched, and she unintentionally heard the conversation. She slowly turned her head to see Director Xu and Principal Ruan whispering to each other with their ears close together. From their tone, it seemed that something had happened at Ruan Institute again. Zuo Xiying didn't know if it was because of a premonition or some connection, but in that instant, the person who appeared before her eyes was the one she had gone hiking with to the Forest Park, the one who had written a mediocre thesis and had shouted about wanting to smash his teacher's house with bricks.

  The speaker was unintentional, the listener had a mind of his own. Following her father's schedule, it had been two or three days since she last saw him. Zuo Xiying took out her phone and dialed the familiar number without checking the name, and as soon as it connected, she quietly turned her face to the side, covering the receiver with her hand and asking in a low voice:

  "Shan Yong, where are you?"

  ………………

  ………………

  "Sister, I'm at school... preparing for my thesis defense, this afternoon, I don't know what's going on with Professor Song... what happened? Had a stroke?! Ah! I really don't know... okay, after the defense is over, I'll give you a call..."

  Dan Yong was pacing back and forth in front of the tiered classroom, looking like a thief with a guilty conscience. He answered the phone, and finally, the person from the department arrived, holding a notice that he stuck directly onto the door of the tiered classroom. Facing the students who had been waiting for over two hours with their pens and notes, he shouted: "Professors Song and Kang have been hospitalized, the department has made temporary adjustments, and is organizing a new defense committee. The defense will be postponed for several hours, and will officially begin at 2 pm this afternoon... Everyone should take advantage of this time to prepare."

  One sentence caused a stir among all the students in the Chinese department, who didn't know that after being delayed for several hours, they would be nervous for several more hours. The staff member posted the notice and turned to leave, while the emergency meeting was still going on in the department office. Looking at the temporarily formed oral defense committee, apart from Tian Xueshan and Liang Fengchuan, who were still there, three more people had been added, but they were all unfamiliar names.

  Shan Yong glanced around a few times, then quietly slipped out of the crowd and walked away, as if there was still something on his mind that he couldn't let go of.

  Of course, the mastermind behind this was him. However, he didn't expect the plan to go so awry that even Old Song ended up hospitalized from drinking too much. At this time, Single Courage felt a pang of guilt for not killing Bo Ren, and rushed to the Teaching Building No. 2, where the Politics and History Department's oral exam was being held. He waited in the corridor until almost eleven o'clock before seeing Song Siying walk out of the exam room with an air of triumph. He whistled, and when Song Siying saw him, he excused himself from his classmates, saying something simple, and rushed over to Single Courage. Without a word, he used his eyes to communicate, grabbed Single Courage's arm, and pulled him away.

  There is cat urine, definitely. There is adultery, possibly.

  Rushing to the second teaching building, they arrived at the end of the first floor corridor and slipped into the classroom, which was now empty. Song Siying signaled for them not to speak, quietly closing the door behind them. With a sly smile, she turned on the computer, and the two sat together, watching the recorded footage. One segment showed Tian Xueshan's coded recruitment speech, while another showed a blurry video of Guo Qishen being taken away by the police. After flipping through several web pages, they found that this incident had caused a huge stir online, with many people discussing it on forums and social media. Although the campus seemed calm, the news had already spread like wildfire. Scanning through the pages, they saw that most of the comments were about morality, with many people expressing outrage and condemnation.

  Dan Yong looked at it and felt that it had deviated too far from his original intention, so he asked with a bitter face: "Kuan Jie, my intention was to make him unable to answer, how did it end up in the police station?"

  "Who can blame? You put a young girl in the hands of an old lecher, what good can come of it? And if his wife finds out about this, what good can come of it? It's not like someone else called the police, it was his wife who was so anxious that she couldn't open the door and called the police... Oh my, you didn't see the scene, Old Guo's wife was furious, fighting with the young lady, scratching and clawing everywhere, clothes torn in several places... The police from the station came and couldn't even pull them apart."

  Song Siying said, waving her colorful fingernails to demonstrate, making Shan Yong's whole body get goosebumps. It turned out that it wasn't a bad design, but rather someone didn't follow the good design, and Song Siying revealed that such a big deal would go into the police station, who thought they could cover it up? Now there are more people who like to stir up trouble than those who actually do things, afraid that the world won't be chaotic enough.

  After finishing speaking, Song Siying looked at Dan Yong and didn't see the complacent expression she expected, instead asking in surprise: "What's wrong with you? Didn't everything go according to your plan? If it weren't for you calling a halt, it would be even more lively now. Now Tian Xueshan and Liang Fengchuan are just right, we've got them by the scruff of the neck, what are you still worried about? Whether they can mix in or not is up to your one word."

  Imagine stirring a pot of muddy water, turning over those who can't be bribed, and then blackmailing and threatening the rest until they comply. The only ones who would really worry are Professors Song Chengyang and Kang Baorui, who never get along. As for the others, such as Tian Xueshan and Liang Fengchuan, who are currently being coerced, there's no problem at all.

  Just then, Shan Yong let out a long sigh, as if his own dark psyche had just been in a contest with the remaining noble spirit of this school. The result was... he felt a bit ashamed, thinking about Professor Kang's unmoved expression and Professor Song's tears of joy, which made him feel that he couldn't get excited at all.

  "Hey, I'm asking you something, what's wrong?" Song Siying was displeased and pushed Shan Yong.

  "Never mind, I'll just write another one myself. Let's just let things be and see what happens. If we have to fake it, I'm afraid I won't be able to live with myself." Shan Yong said gloomily, telling Song Siying to destroy everything. But unexpectedly, this made Song Siying stunned, staring blankly, mouth agape, looking at Shan Yong in a complicated way. Shan Yong asked strangely: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

  "You didn't say so earlier, I've already used this to threaten Tian Xueshan." Song Siying was tongue-tied and gave Danyong a very annoyed answer.

  "What? How dare you take it upon yourself?" Dan Yong was startled.

  "I'm telling you, I had no idea there were so many tricks in the art recruitment process. I just made a phone call to stir him up, who knew that guy wouldn't even respond to me and actually threatened to sue me... Anyway, he has no idea who I am, so I'll scare him, see if he wants to back down. You five exam committee members, none of you will get away with this." Song Siying whispered, her expression flying: "...I reckon he didn't quite believe it last night, but this morning Guo Qishen got into trouble, and even Professors Song and Kang were hospitalized, he was scared stiff, made a phone call saying everything can be negotiated... kept asking me who I am, I didn't tell him."

  Song Siying was delighted, and directly patted Dan Yong on the back, saying: "Well done, you've handled this matter beautifully! How did you know there were so many shady dealings in art school admissions? Let me tell you, don't even mention any conditions, just let him take care of a few art school admissions, and we'll make a fortune. Each student has to pay hundreds of thousands, I'll find someone for you, and later we'll split the profits 50/50. In less than two years, we'll be rich!"

  Oh no, San Yong's stomach hurts so badly that he had to clutch his belly and cancelled the plan yesterday. Who knew Kuai Jie would still come over on her own initiative?

  Song Siying was enthusiastically cheering him on, almost pressing her body against his. Shan Yong's heart was racing so fast that he didn't even notice the fragrance of her perfume, and when he suddenly did, their faces were extremely close together. Song Siying was admiring Shan Yong's appearance with great appreciation, then suddenly smiled and said: "Egg brother, it seems I haven't misjudged you. After graduation, I'll hang out with you. These two hands are really playing beautifully. Even an old slicker can't play them out."

  "Stop it, I'm here to tell you that's enough." Dan Yong stood up and took away the recording.

  "What's wrong with you?" Song Siying was unhappy.

  "That's all I'm saying, and that's final, did you hear me?"

  Shan Yong got angry, his temper flared up, and he glared at Song Siyun, not wanting to discuss the topic anymore. He stared at Song Siyun, waiting for an answer. Song Siyun nodded slightly, pouting her mouth, as if unwilling, yet seemingly willing. However, her eyebrows and eyes sparkled with a flirtatious tone: "Alright, I'll listen to you. But someone's being quite bossy for the first time, though...I have to say, you look pretty cool like this."

  That sly delight, that tender voice, that uncontainable admiration, made Shan Yong's whole body feel numb, and he hastily got up and slipped away.

  …………………

  …………………

  The news of the postponement of the Chinese department's exam spread like wildfire among students, and speculation about the reason for the delay became the main topic of discussion. Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles, and there are no walls that can keep secrets from leaking out. Even with emergency measures in place, the aftermath was still shocking enough.

  "Do you guys know why Professor Guo can't come anymore?"

  "Why?"

  "Prostitution was caught by the police station on Huan Dong Road."

  "Nonsense."

  "It's all over the internet, what's so special about it? The vice president of Fudan University is doing this too, they call it 'poverty alleviation... work'"

  "You're all foreigners now, I'm giving you the latest news. In Luzhou, someone exposed a photo of him, it was caught by his wife, and the two were scratched until their faces were covered in blood."

  "Is it because she hooked up with a girl from that department..."

  "This is how you get prostitutes, really don't know how to use words, Professor Guo went to give a lesson on socialist construction to the fallen women."

  "This is called being lofty and elegant, yet tolerant and accommodating; people will never get tired of it."

  “……”

  In the tiered classroom, in the departmental classroom, students were whispering to each other in twos and threes, their faces flushed with excitement as they discussed something. Some had put down their papers and were searching for related news online. The girls at Luan Institute were numerous, not only did the boys benefit from this, but even some unscrupulous teachers and professors also gained from the improved sex ratio. There were always rumors of teacher-student romances circulating, just as they were getting to the juicy part, a voice suddenly shouted from the doorway: "Has anyone seen Lei Dapeng?"

  Many students turned around, but it was the class monitor Wang Huating. They all smiled and shook their heads. Wang Huating searched for them in the tiered classroom, but couldn't find them. She went back to the classroom again, still unable to find those three, including Liu Cuicui. At this time, the department was holding an emergency meeting, and the class teacher was busy and didn't have time to take care of it. He hung up the phone after calling Liu Cuicui, and a while later gave a result that made her laugh and cry: On the playground.

  This location made Wang Hua-ting a bit puzzled, it was almost noon, the sun was scorching hot, but she didn't know what those three were doing on the playground at this time. She went downstairs and rushed to the playground behind the teaching building, looking from afar at the three people sitting under the basketball hoop with their backs against each other, chattering away like they had been struck by lightning.

  As they walked closer, looking at the three dejected faces, even Wang Huating couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic towards them. A few steps forward, none of the three spoke, they just glanced at Zhi Shu with a hint of resentment.

  "Have you handed in your papers?" Wang Huating asked.

  Shaking head, no deal.

  Or else, after handing it in, the stroke patient was hospitalized and couldn't make it to the defense, but if he could, he might not have made it to the afternoon's defense anyway.

  "I've handed it in for you, get ready to defend it, Da Peng, yours." Wang Huating handed over the thing, and it turned out that she had brought the thesis. This surprise was not trivial, and it moved Lei Da Peng so much that he was overwhelmed with emotion. In a flash, Wang Huating poked Dan Yong: "Yours."

  She handed over a stack of paper documents, and Shanyong looked up in surprise, seeing that the complexity in her eyes was deeper than he had ever seen before. He didn't take it, and Wang Huating didn't bother to be polite either, directly throwing it into his arms. She turned around and said to Simu Xian: "Mu Xian, yours is prepared by Cuiyun, I replaced you both yesterday, but I couldn't find you all day today... But it's not too late now, the department head and the newly formed defense committee have communicated with each other, let's prepare for this afternoon's defense."

  The words seemed to be spoken without any emotional tone, but Lei Dapeng wanted to say something, and since both brothers were there, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Shan Yong didn't dare open his mouth at all - the core content of the toilet lid plan hadn't even been shared with Leaky Brother yet. In fact, only he and Song Siying had discussed the details in private, and now the focal point of the intense mental struggle between the three seemed no longer to be whether the thesis could pass or not. Upon learning that Professors Kang and Song were both hospitalized, Simu Xian and Lei Dapeng had already been blaming Shan Yong for a long time.

  "I don't know what you've done, but as a friend, I did what I could, even though I didn't want to resort to such deception."

  Wang Hua-ting said a word, the words are very concise, can't continue, neither heavy nor light. Seeing that her brothers didn't make a sound, Wang Hua-ting turned to leave with an expression of frustration and added: "Things don't have only one solution, you guys shouldn't be too extreme."

  He said a word, almost walked away in disappointment, this sentence seemed to have a hint, Si Mu Xian and Lei Da Peng both looked at Shan Yong, Egg Brother came out of the Politics Department without saying a word, didn't know what to do next. It seems that the branch book is still useful, Lei Da Peng finally realized what was in his hand after a while, flipped through it, and was very moved. Except for the thesis, the key points of the defense were marked clearly, just worrying about not being able to connect... now he's excited, saying with a smirk: "Look, at critical moments women are more useful than brothers... Egg Brother, this is really something! Professor Song has already agreed to let me pass, this is great, I've got the whole hospital on my side. The new committee can't be set up in time now, right?"

  Si Mu Xian flipped through it, and with a hint of disappointment, let out a sigh. This conventional and unremarkable paper had no new ideas, but also nothing to pick on. It was probably written by Zhu Shu himself, and one could sense Zhu Shu's difficulty in writing it, as it went against his own principles. He sighed and said: "Da Peng, you should be content now, Wang Hua Ting has you in her heart."

  Lei Dapeng, who was not in a good mood, heard this and paused for a moment, sniffing his nose without saying anything. Some things are naturally understood and don't need to be said, but what he's worried about right now isn't that. Just then, Lei Dapeng pulled his younger brother aside and asked, "Younger brother, you still have a game this afternoon, what should I do?"

  "Just carry it on your back."

  "I can't carry it on my back."

  "So how did you usually pass your exams?"

  "That's different, you know that written exams are just blind writing, and then buying off the teacher with a passing grade is fine. But this oral exam requires speaking, you know I have a bad mouth and can't speak well."

  "What can I do? Can't I replace you?"

  "Hey, don't go... Let's discuss and see how high-tech gadgets are, you say I'll follow and learn."

  Si Mu Xian was entangled and couldn't get rid of it, got up to leave, and Lei Da Peng hurriedly grabbed his ear and chased after him to discuss. The two men ran after each other, while Shan Yong sat alone under the basketball hoop. This time, he was really clever but made a mistake. If he had to answer questions in person, not to mention Lei Da Peng's temper, he might not be able to pass this hurdle himself.

  What extends from here is not a bright and straightforward path, and those who stay here are no longer open-minded gentlemen. Do I need to insist?

  Dan Yong sat for a long time, looked at the video recorded by Song Siying on her computer, and finally made a decision to continue the "shit basin" plan. He found Tian Xueshan's phone number and dialed it out.

  The phone connected, and the sound of "hello" came out. Shan Yong said: "I am Shan Yong, Du Shi'er you met yesterday is the person I found... I don't want to do anything, and I have no grudges against you. I just want to make things convenient during the thesis defense."

  The phone hung up abruptly, as if refusing.

  Shan Yong's mouth twitched slightly as he smiled, and for some reason, at this moment, even without seeing each other, they could see through each other's thoughts. Perhaps wanting to improve his posture or perhaps thinking of a countermeasure, but he judged that the dignified opponent didn't dare to take risks, not even pretending to be brave. As for grasping the dark psychology, Shan Yong seemed to feel himself becoming more and more sensitive.

  Sure! Here is the translation:

  As expected, after waiting for a while, the phone in his hand rang...

  ……