Electronic Nezha

Chapter 153 Public Opinion is a Double-Edged Sword

Here's what happened: Ever since Huang Jiaoming held his last press conference and announced the calculation process of the mind map, the two foreign scholars who had questioned Huang Jiaoming have been tagged on Twitter. Among them are international academic bigwigs, but more are onlookers who just want to watch the drama unfold.

Public opinion is like a soft knife; when you stab someone, it can easily bounce back and hurt you. The two scholars refused to admit defeat, stubbornly sticking to their old arguments, emphasizing luck and probability, and claiming that without follow-up, this matter would become a bad debt.

But now there's a follow-up.

What followed was that on his way back to the hospital, Huang Jiaoming posted a summary of the surgery he was going to perform that day online using his mobile phone, and attached a new mind map at the end, without saying anything else.

That's the whole process, so now the whole world is waiting for the results of this surgery.

This is easy to understand. No matter how far you jump with one leg, you're still crippled; standing on two legs makes you a stable person. Huang Jiaoming is building up his other leg. Undoubtedly, he will record the entire surgery, vividly showing every frown and every wiping of sweat. If the surgery is successful, he will firmly stand at the pinnacle of world academia, silencing all criticism.

Ma Chaoran explained it to me in just one minute.

My first reaction after hearing this was disillusionment, followed by a laugh.

I was fooled and manipulated by this old guy again, but what could I do? That picture did indeed cost a life.

"That old bastard!" I cursed fiercely.

Ma Chaoran smiled and hung up the phone.

"Who are you talking to? Are we going to the Fengzi New Year's Shopping Festival or not?"

That's how the world is. Some people are on the road to success and fame, while others are still struggling to make a living. If I didn't tell you, who would have thought that someone's success and fame came from struggling to make a living? And who would believe me even if I told you?
Around 11 a.m., Wang Aili called me and asked me to come to the school. I had just arranged a row of frozen persimmons at the entrance to achieve the desired effect when I suddenly felt a little stunned. Was this a time rewind? Why does this scene feel so familiar?

Old Wang asked me, "What happened to Liu Zhenhua again?"

I asked cautiously, "Why did you say 'again'... What's the date today?"

Old Wang muttered to himself, "Luckily I don't have kids. There's just no end to the worries. Last time it was about controlling grades, and now final exams are coming up soon. Don't you think the teachers will drag you away for a pre-battle pep talk?"

I thought to myself, that's definitely not the case. It's just an occasional prank by a student with above-average grades. Wang Aili doesn't have the energy to make me go all the way there. Could it be that Liu Zhenhua skipped class to go to the computer lab and got caught?
When I got to the market entrance, I found that Shark was already waiting for me in his SUV.

"Why is it you?" I asked.

"I'm specifically in charge of fieldwork."

When the car arrived at the school gate, I said to Shark, "You don't need to go in."

The shark hesitated for a moment and said, "What if a fight breaks out?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If you don't trust me, give me the gun. When I'm in good form, I can score 80 out of 10 points."

"Uh, don't turn off the walkie-talkie, I'll be waiting at the school gate."

Upon entering the teaching building, it was time for class. When I got to the office door, I saw four boys, including Liu Zhenhua, standing inside. Wang Aili was also standing there, her face ashen.

"What's going on?" I asked directly, without my usual obsequiousness, because I saw a few familiar faces again—Zhang Jingxuan, the tall and thin top student in the grade, and the two boys from the "car seat" incident last time. This time, Cui Haoxiang was not there.

Wang Aili glared at her students and said irritably, "Who said that?"

A middle-aged man sat in Wang Aili's seat. He said slowly, "These boys sneaked into the teaching building's restroom to smoke after free time during PE class. I caught them myself." Wang Aili's face darkened further. She stammered, "Director Li, I will definitely give them a good talking-to when I get back and prevent this from happening again."

The so-called Director Li should be someone like the director of the teaching affairs office. He revealed the matter himself, which did not give Wang Aili a way out. Then he said, "After something like this happened, the school has to take a stance. An inspection and a school-wide reprimand are inevitable. The problem now is that the 'testimonies' of these students do not match."

I waved my hand and said, "Wait, what does this have to do with Liu Zhenhua?"

Director Li said, "Let's talk about this matter. You are Liu Zhenhua's parent, right? Although he wasn't the one smoking in the restroom, those three said the cigarettes belonged to Liu Zhenhua."

I laughed in exasperation: "My kids never touch that stuff."

Director Li said, "Of course everyone says that now that we're here. Ask your son if he went into the teaching building, and what he was doing."

Liu Zhenhua said, "I don't like playing football, I'm going back to class to do my homework."

Wang Aili couldn't help but say, "I've never seen you work this hard before!"

Liu Zhenhua said, "I'm willing to write a self-criticism, but the cigarettes aren't mine."

Director Li said, "Can you explain it clearly? If I had arrived a little later, wouldn't you have smoked with them too? And why do all three of them claim it's yours?"

Liu Zhenhua said, "They've been looking down on me ever since the 'car seat' incident, and they've been trying to mess with me."

Director Li said, "Oh right, it was you guys last time. The school didn't punish you because we wanted to give you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."

Liu Zhenhua said, "I wasn't involved last time either."

Director Li asked, "This time, do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"

I was so angry I said, "Where did you get the evidence for this? Didn't you see it with your own eyes? My son wasn't among the smokers. Just because those three say something doesn't mean it is!" I know better than anyone what Liu Zhenhua was doing. What I can't understand the most is, shouldn't it be normal for classmates to fight in the morning and then get together to play games or soccer in the afternoon? Are all kids these days so cynical?
Director Li waved his hand: "It's not as simple as who smoked or not; this also involves the issue of school violence."

I asked, puzzled, "Who assaulted whom?"

Director Li pointed back and forth among the three boys, Zhang Jingxuan and his friend, saying, "Which of you three said it again? The cigarettes belonged to Liu Zhenhua, and he forced you to buy them."

The burly boy next to Zhang Jingxuan raised his hand and said, "I said it, my name is Zhao Hanyu."

I said, half-laughing and half-crying, "There's an enhanced version too?"

Zhao Hanyu said, "I can testify! Liu Zhenhua forced me to buy the cigarettes. If I didn't buy them for him... he... he beat me up!"

There were two other teachers from other classes in the office, and everyone could tell that Zhao Hanyu had said those words with a forced smile.

Liu Zhenhua shrugged and said, "I have nothing more to say."

Just then, three burly men suddenly burst into the office. The one in the lead, wearing a mink coat, slammed in like a bear, waving two packs of cigarettes and shouting, "Who forced my son to buy him cigarettes?" The other two men each held up their phones and filmed the office and the people inside from different angles.

The man in the mink coat immediately recognized Liu Zhenhua as the "instigator" from the way he was standing. He shoved two packs of cigarettes into Liu Zhenhua's hand and shouted, "I bought you cigarettes, can you please stop hitting my son?"

(End of this chapter)