How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 332 Brothers in Suffering
Zhou Maoquan watched the departing figure, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Was what that man surnamed Zhang just said true or false?
If it's true, how did the other party know?
Also, did Director Zhu betray him?

Countless problems arose one after another, giving Zhou Maoquan a splitting headache.

Fear comes from the unknown.

Of course, he wasn't afraid that the guy surnamed Zhang would find out the truth; he was just worried that the guy surnamed Zhang would get the evidence and tell the boss everything.

When the boss investigates, he'll find out that everything he said was a lie.

The boss is very angry, and the consequences will be severe.
'No, we need to contact Director Zhu immediately.'

Thinking of this, Zhou Maoquan immediately took out his phone from his pocket, found Director Zhu's number, and dialed it.

"Beep...beep...beep..."

Every sound coming from the microphone made Zhou Maoquan's heart tremble, like a death row inmate waiting for the verdict.

It wasn't until the seventh call that the other end finally connected.

"Principal, what can I do for you?" It was Zhu Zhengyan's voice on the other end of the line.
"Where are you now?" Zhou Maoquan asked immediately.

“Principal, I’m at the police station,” Zhu Zhengyan replied.

Zhou Maoquan felt a chill run down his spine. It seemed that the man surnamed Zhang hadn't lied; everything he said was true.

Just as he was about to continue questioning, he suddenly smelled a pungent odor of smoke.

"Principal, your phone is smoking!" Teacher Wang shouted from the side.

"Ok?"

Zhou Maoquan looked at the phone with a puzzled expression. He saw that the phone was emitting a faint blue smoke, and the pungent smell was coming from it. At the same time, the temperature of the phone was also rising continuously, and it was even hot to the touch.

"Snapped!"

He immediately threw his phone on the ground.

The next moment, with a "bang," the phone exploded, bursting into flames.

Zhou Maoquan's heart clenched painfully, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

If he hadn't thrown his phone away in time, his hands and ears would probably be strung together like tamarisk branches.

The security guard hurriedly grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it frantically at the burning phone.

White powder gushed out like a blizzard, instantly engulfing the leaping flames, and a strong smell of burning filled the hall.

Zhou Maoquan stared blankly at the charred phone, unconsciously swallowing hard.

I bought this phone two years ago, and it's only been used for two years. How could it suddenly explode?

Is this retribution?

Zhou Maoquan quickly shook his head, trying to banish the thought from his mind.

He hasn't done anything heinous, so how could it be retribution?
"Principal, are you alright?" Teacher Wang asked with concern.

"It's alright." Zhou Maoquan shook his head. Luckily, Teacher Wang reminded him just now, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly remembered the phone call he hadn't finished and the questions he hadn't had a chance to ask Director Zhu. So he instructed the security guard to tidy up the place and then strode towards the elevator.

There's a cell phone in the drawer; I need to contact Director Zhu right away.

As the two doors slowly closed, the elevator began to ascend, and the numbers on the electronic panel kept changing.

1...2...3...4...

"Oh!"

The elevator suddenly shook violently and then came to a sudden stop.

Caught off guard, Zhou Maoquan staggered and fell backward.

"boom"

Zhou Maoquan slammed his back against the billboard, gritting his teeth in pain. He quickly grabbed the handrail and pressed all the buttons on the panel while enduring the pain. Finally, he leaned against the wall, too afraid to move, and shouted in the direction of the camera.

"Help! Someone, save me!"

"Someone come quickly!"

The elevator was stuck between the fourth and fifth floors, about ten meters above the ground. If someone fell from there, they would be seriously injured, even if they didn't die.

Jiahua Art Examination Training Center has been here for seven or eight years, and the elevator has always been maintained and serviced on time, and has never stopped working.

what is it today?
Just as Zhou Maoquan was shouting loudly, the elevator suddenly made a "creaking" sound, the sound of metal rubbing together.

He immediately shut his mouth, looked up at the top of the elevator, where the sound was coming from, and a picture appeared in his mind.

The gears turned, the cable snapped, and the elevator plummeted...

A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as the elevator suddenly began to plummet.

Zhou Maoquan's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground, his crotch soaked.

Cold sweat broke out instantly, soaking his clothes, and his heart was filled with fear and despair.

The numbers on the electronic panel are changing rapidly.

4...3...2...

"Crack!"

The elevator suddenly stopped.

Zhou Maoquan looked at the floor numbers and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It's stopped, that's great.

We're on the second floor now, at most five or six meters above the ground, so falling down won't cause any serious injury.

However, just as he relaxed, the elevator began to slowly rise again, to the 3rd floor, the 4th floor... Bang, the elevator stopped again.

Zhou Maoquan shuddered, so nervous he didn't dare breathe, his heart pounding in his throat as if it were about to jump out.

It's stopped again?
Is this the Grim Reaper?
The elevator ascended, and as the floor number '5' appeared, it came to a stop, and the two closed doors slowly opened.

Outside the door, security guards and teachers stood in a circle, their faces filled with worry. Now that they saw the principal was alright, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Principal, are you alright?"

"Principal, come out quickly."

"..."

Looking at the familiar faces outside the door, Zhou Maoquan felt like crying, but he managed to hold it back.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

He struggled to his feet, gripping the handrail, but after taking just one step, his legs gave way and he collapsed back to the ground.

This was the fright he had just experienced, and the closest he had ever come to death. Even though he had recovered somewhat mentally, his body had not yet recovered and he was still in a state of fear.

The security guard quickly entered the elevator and helped the principal up. At the same time, a pungent, foul smell entered his nostrils, making him frown.

What is the taste?
The security guard looked around for the source of the smell until he saw a puddle of water on the ground and the principal's pants were soaked. He immediately realized what was going on.

It smells like urine!

The principal was so scared he peed his pants.

At this moment, everyone saw this scene, but because of the principal's status, no one dared to ask questions, let alone laugh at it, and no one wanted to be punished for it.

With the help of a security guard, Zhou Maoquan walked shakily out of the elevator. The moment his feet touched the ground, he shed a tear of emotion.

"Principal, are you hurt? Should we call 120?" a teacher asked.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Maoquan snapped out of his daze, gently shook his head, and forced a smile, putting on a tough-guy act. "No need, I'm fine. You can all go back."

Everyone assumed that the principal didn't want them to see him in such a disheveled state, so they all left, but they all took the stairs.

"You can leave too," Zhou Maoquan said to the security guard beside him.

"Principal, let me help you back to your office," the security guard said. "No need, I'm really fine. By the way, go contact the elevator manufacturer and have them send someone over as soon as possible to see what happened and check it thoroughly. Luckily, it was me trapped inside; if it had been a student, it would have been so dangerous," Zhou Maoquan said, frowning.

"Yes, Principal." The security guard responded, then released the principal and turned to leave.

Once everyone had left, Zhou Maoquan leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

He wouldn't be so scared if the elevator had just stopped; the problem was that it kept going up and down, and the feeling of rapidly falling was absolutely terrifying.

Zhou Maoquan stood there for a while to catch his breath, then leaned against the wall and returned to his office, plopping down in a leather chair.

Ok?
A wet sensation came from under my buttocks, accompanied by a chill.

He looked down and frowned.

Where does the water come from?

Who played this prank by splashing water on his chair?
Zhou Maoquan stood up, pulled out a few tissues to wipe himself, and a strong smell of urine hit him. His movements froze, and the expression on his face became stiff, as if he had just had plastic surgery.

This is……

He reached down and touched his crotch, then felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground again.

not good!

When I stepped out of the elevator, I was definitely seen by the teachers and security guards outside. It might be all over the training center by tomorrow.

It’s over.

His illustrious reputation was ruined by a single pee!

Zhou Maoquan was too embarrassed to ask the cleaning staff or teachers to clean up, so he simply cleaned it up himself and then left the office without saying a word.

He needed to hurry home to take a shower to prevent the marinade from getting too strong.

The car was parked quietly outside the training center.

Zhou Maoquan walked quickly with his head down, afraid that someone would see the water stains on his pants. Only after he got into the car and closed the door did he raise his head.

Insert the key and turn it gently.

"Buzz!"

The car starts.

"puff!"

A strange noise suddenly came from inside the car, followed by thick smoke billowing from the hood.

what's the situation?
Zhou Maoquan looked completely bewildered.

Cell phones are smoking, and cars are smoking too?

I didn't check the almanac before going out today. Does that mean everything is inauspicious?

He quickly opened the door and got out, moving away from the car. However, there was no fire extinguisher in the car, so he could only rush into the training center and crawl into the security room.

"Quick, fire extinguisher!" Zhou Maoquan shouted to the security guard.

"Principal, what's wrong?" the security guard asked in confusion. He had just used a fire extinguisher to put out the exploding phone, so why did he need a fire extinguisher now?
"My car is smoking, hurry and put out the fire!" Zhou Maoquan urged.

"what?"

The security guard was speechless. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran out, muttering to himself, "Is this karma coming on to the principal?"

Thick smoke billowed from the gaps in the hood, accompanied by bursts of explosions, making it impossible for anyone to get close.

Zhou Maoquan and the security guard each held a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the source of the smoke.

The two men, one on each side, sprayed for several minutes before the flames inside the car finally disappeared, leaving only thick smoke and dust.

not far away.

While eating ice cream, Zhang Wen watched this scene, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether it was the unlucky charm he had thrown in the car that had taken effect, or the unlucky charm still on Zhou Mao's body.

The reason he left was because he had just thrown a bad luck charm at Zhou Maoquan.

With the talisman of bad luck present, there's no need for him to be there.

Of course, he had another purpose: to use Zhou Maoquan to lure Director Zhu back to the police station.

The thug who threw the stinky tofu, as well as Zhou Maoquan and Zhu Zhengyan, will all suffer the consequences.

A few minutes later, a Volkswagen Tiguan pulled up outside the Jiahua Training Center.

Zhang Wen's eyes narrowed. He remembered that this car belonged to Director Zhu; he had seen it outside the police station before.

As the car door opened, Zhu Zhengting indeed got out.

Zhang Wen immediately summoned a bad luck charm and threw it fiercely at the other party.

Although they were about 20 or 30 meters apart, the talisman seemed to have eyes and flew rapidly toward Zhu Zhengyan, finally landing accurately on him.

A flash of white light, and the bad luck charm disappeared.

Zhang Wen watched with a smile, waiting for the next good show.

Zhu Zhengyan walked to the principal's side, looked at the car covered in powder, and asked in confusion, "Principal, what happened to your car?"

"I don't know," Zhou Maoquan said dejectedly. After a while, as if suddenly realizing something, he turned around abruptly and, upon seeing that the person asking the question was Zhu Zhengyan, immediately pulled him aside and asked, "What were you doing at the police station?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it. Two of the people I found who went to Xingxiang to throw stinky tofu have been arrested and taken to the police station," Zhu Zhengyan sighed.

"Is it because of the stinky tofu incident? Did they sell you out?" Zhou Maoquan asked, frowning. His cold gaze seemed to ask: You didn't sell me out, did you?

"These two people were taken to the police station for fighting, it has nothing to do with throwing stinky tofu," Zhu Zhengyan said in a low voice.

"Oh." Zhou Maoquan finally relaxed and a smile appeared on his face. However, he remembered something else and asked the person in front of him, "Director Zhu, have you seen Principal Zhang of Xingxiang Art Examination Center?"

"No." Zhu Zhengyan shook his head. "Principal, didn't you tell me to do it cleanly and efficiently? I didn't show up at Xingxiang."

"But how did that Zhang guy know you went to the police station to pay the fine for the thug who threw stinky tofu?" Zhou Maoquan asked.

"Huh? No way?" Zhu Zhengyan was taken aback.

“He told me this himself,” Zhou Maoquan said earnestly.

"Could that guy surnamed Zhang be at the police station too? I didn't see him." Zhu Zhengyan thought for a moment, then said, "Principal, don't worry. Even if he saw me, I won't betray you. Besides, he can't find any evidence that I instructed someone to throw stinky tofu. His phone is completely clean."

Zhou Maoquan nodded; that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Alright, you've been busy all night, go home now."

"Ah."

Zhu Zhengyan responded and walked towards the car.

He had only taken a few steps when he tripped and stumbled forward.

With a "thud," he fell flat on his face.

"what!"

Zhu Zhengyan cried out in pain and then got up from the ground.

His nose and mouth were covered in blood.

"Director Zhu." Zhou Maoquan walked over quickly, and when he saw the other person's appearance, his facial muscles twitched, as if he also felt the pain.

"Principal, I'm fine, I just tripped." Zhu Zhengyan covered his nose, his voice slightly slurred.

When he removed his hand, two of his front teeth were missing from his mouth.

It must have been knocked off just now.

Zhou Maoquan swallowed hard, thinking: Could it be that he's also getting his comeuppance?

Seeing this, the security guard thought to himself: Principal Zhou and Director Zhu are truly brothers in misfortune!

……

(End of this chapter)