He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Shuyao looked at the scrolling text on the screen, a clear look flashing in his eyes, but he didn't rush to press the speakerphone button.

While turning on speakerphone now might satisfy netizens' curiosity, it would also make one appear aggressive and premeditated. More importantly, administrative staff within the system are extremely sensitive to such public occasions.

Once Assistant Li realizes that the voice is being played aloud, he will immediately tone down his official demeanor and spout a bunch of high-sounding platitudes, which will greatly diminish the value of the call.

To deal with vested interests who are used to being superior, you must allow them to fully unleash their true nature in a seemingly closed and safe context.

Zhao Shuyao clicked the mouse lightly, subtly activating the hidden system recording software in the background of the computer.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. Let me hear what it is about." Zhao Shuyao smiled at the camera and said in a gentle tone, "I appreciate everyone's kindness, but we are cultured people who value manners. It would be a bit undignified to turn on speakerphone without the manager's permission. Let me take this call first."

Press the answer button and hold the phone to your ear.

The background noise in the live stream was instantly filtered out, and tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on his calm face.

As soon as the call connected, a loud male voice burst out from the receiver. Assistant Li's roar penetrated the physical soundproofing layer of the phone's receiver, and even Zhao Shuyao, who was sitting in front of the computer, had to move the phone away slightly.

"Zhao Shuyao, what exactly are you trying to do!"

Assistant Li's breathing quickened, and her voice rose eight octaves: "Do you really not want to graduate at all? You've completely disgraced our century-old prestigious university, Dongda, today!"

Zhao Shuyao did not reply, keeping the phone pressed against his ear, his gaze fixed on the monitor, watching the audio recording waveform jump around as the other person cursed.

The anger over there did not subside with the silence.

"I never realized you were such a troublemaker!" Assistant Li gritted her teeth. "How can you be so ungrateful? Do you even realize how much trouble you've caused our entire department with your rotten apple?!"

Assistant Li took a breath and issued an ultimatum: "I am ordering you, in the name of the Dean's Office, to immediately shut down that ridiculous live stream, pack your things, and come to my office to apologize to Professor Yan in person at the hospital. Do you really think you can act with impunity online just because you don't value that diploma?"

Zhao Shuyao patiently listened to this half-minute-long, frantic outburst.

I glanced at the chat in the live stream.

Viewers could only hear silence on his end, while the live chat was filled with anxious inquiries about what harsh words the other side had uttered.

Zhao Shuyao cleared his throat.

"Assistant Li," Zhao Shuyao's voice was calm and unhurried, his enunciation exceptionally clear, ensuring every word was perfectly recorded into the microphone, "Have you finished speaking?"

This opening statement is extremely simple, yet it carries a natural sense of control over the situation.

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the phone.

Zhao Shuyao gave the other party no time to react and naturally began to question them in return.

"From the moment you answered the phone, you've been insisting that I apologize," Zhao Shuyao said with a smile, but his eyes were devoid of warmth. "But let's stick to facts. What exactly did I say wrong?"

"Which historical source is cited incorrectly? Can you point it out to me specifically? As long as you refute my academic logic, I will immediately go to the hospital to serve the old gentleman tea and water."

Assistant Li was speechless. He worked in administration at the institute and knew nothing about Qing Dynasty archives or local chronicles. He couldn't respond for a while.

Zhao Shuyao continued, his tone subtly revealing a hint of intellectual bewilderment.

"Also, you just said that I am a rotten apple in our Dongda University, ruining the reputation of this century-old prestigious school."

As soon as these words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded with comments.

Zhao Shuyao's "mirror repetition" technique was extremely effective. More than 10,000 viewers immediately used this sentence to recreate the despicable face on the other end of the phone.

"Holy crap, calling your own students 'rotten apples'? Is that something a university professor would say?!"

"Just because I told the truth, the school treated me like a rotten apple. Is there any hope for this school?!"

Zhao Shuyao ignored the comments and continued typing into his phone.

"Assistant Li, my understanding may differ from yours." Zhao Shuyao sat up straight and straightened the collar of his hoodie. "I don't feel like I'm damaging my reputation at all; on the contrary, I feel like I'm saving my academic reputation."

"Our university motto is clearly written: 'Unity of knowledge and action, seeking truth from facts.' As an institution with a profound cultural heritage, shouldn't the school be proud to have a student like me who dares to face history and speak out to correct mistakes?"

Zhao Shuyao asked sincerely, "Do you really think that, faced with the power dynamics and interpersonal relationships of various parties, our school motto hanging in the century-old auditorium has become nothing more than a decoration that doesn't need to be taken seriously?"

These accusations carry immense weight, each one precisely striking at the heart of academic conscience and the spirit of higher education.

On the other end of the phone was Assistant Li's office in the School of Humanities.

Assistant Li gripped the landline receiver, a fine layer of cold sweat already beading on his forehead. He had been so focused on venting his anger and completing the pressure-exerting task assigned to him that he hadn't expected Zhao Shuyao to be able to turn his private threats back into reality with such high-sounding rhetoric.

"Zhao Shuyao, stop spouting this nonsense!" Assistant Li's voice was slightly trembling, but his official authority remained. "Let me tell you, the Yan family's foundation is coming to the institute next month..."

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Another, more senior counselor rushed in carrying a tablet computer.

"Old Li, stop talking!" The counselor lowered his voice, his tone urgent, and reached for the hang-up button on the landline. "He's live-streaming! There's a microphone on his desk, and tens of thousands of people across the internet can hear what he's saying clearly. There's even a reporter from Southern Media Group connecting with him!"

Assistant Li's brain went blank.

He instantly understood why Zhao Shuyao had repeated his words so clearly and precisely.

This third-year graduate student actually used tens of thousands of netizens as a jury to publicly execute him, an administrative cadre!

Assistant Li reacted extremely quickly, his attitude making a 360-degree turn in a fraction of a second.

"Ahem!" Assistant Li coughed twice into the microphone, his voice instantly becoming earnest and full of elder's concern, "Zhao Shuyao, please don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant."

"Your pursuit of academic excellence has always been recognized by the department," Assistant Li began to try and salvage the situation. "What I mean is, as graduate students and young people of the new era, isn't respecting the elderly and caring for the young a traditional virtue of our Chinese nation?"

"Professor Yan is over eighty years old, and his physical functions are declining. Putting aside academic disputes, from a humanitarian perspective, shouldn't you consider the feelings of an elderly person? This is a matter of basic human decency."

Hearing this complete 180-degree turn in his words, Zhao Shuyao's smile widened even further.

But he didn't expose it.

"Okay, Assistant Li." Zhao Shuyao said gently, "I've remembered your advice. I will reflect on your suggestion about 'respecting the elderly.' There are still some academic issues to wrap up in the live broadcast. We'll talk about it later."

Press the hang-up button. The phone screen dims again.

Zhao Shuyao put his phone back on the desktop.

He looked up and stared at the computer screen.

The entire chat in the live stream room had gone completely into a frenzy.

Netizens aren't stupid. Zhao Shuyao's retelling, coupled with the clearly predictable "sudden change in attitude" that followed, made everyone see the arrogance and absurdity of this power struggle.

People recalled their experiences of being unreasonably criticized by their counselors when they were in school, and the heartache of being threatened by their superiors with performance evaluations when they first entered the workforce.

This resonance across the industry's grassroots level completely ignited the emotional powder keg in the live stream room.

"Hahaha, this is hilarious! What kind of lousy leader is this? First he was calling people 'rotten apples,' then he realized something was wrong and immediately changed it to 'respecting the elderly and caring for the young'!"

"That was amazing! Teacher Zhao's move was so subtle, it was like killing without drawing blood. He didn't even use the word 'dirty,' he stripped the other person down to their underwear!"

The mockery in the comments quickly escalated into a collective outcry of anger, with three distinct directions emerging on the public screen.

The first direction points directly to the school's attempt to shirk responsibility.

"Is this the level of administration at the University of Tokyo? When their own students are wronged outside, instead of talking to the person who filed the lawsuit, they pressure their own students to admit their mistakes?"

"What a display of official arrogance! Their first instinct is to eliminate the person who raises the issue; this approach is far too brutal!"

The second approach focuses on personal insults.

"How did a teacher who calls their own students 'rotten apples' even get a permanent position?"

"Just because the students refused to back down, they threatened them with their graduation certificates. It turns out that what Teacher Zhao said was not an exaggeration at all; these academic tyrants really can control everything!"

The third direction is to examine the bottom line of the spirit of universities.

"What kind of behavior is this? Helping outsiders bully their own people! Shouldn't the school stand on the students' side and protect them?"

"That old man is spouting nonsense, relying on his age. The school leaders don't uphold the truth; they only care about whether their own work is affected. Is this what higher education is like now?"

In the connection window at the bottom left of the screen, reporter Wang's expression became extremely serious.

The development of this matter has completely exceeded the initial "academic reputation dispute." It has now become an extremely typical and vivid social cross-section—about how administrative power within the system is alienated and becomes a tool for vested interests to suppress dissent.

Reporter Wang immediately typed a few lines on the keyboard and sent them back to the newspaper's news center back office.

"Title proposed: From academic debate to threat to future prospects: Who is using 'graduation certificates' to blackmail for the truth?' We'll immediately arrange for a front-page article with a transcript of this live broadcast."

Zhao Shuyao sat in front of the computer, looking at the screen full of condemnation and support, his mind clear.

This is exactly the best result he wanted.

The other party thought that a phone call from an academic affairs assistant would make him submit, but little did he know that this phone call would become the strongest catalyst for him to ignite social emotions.

Zhao Shuyao moved the mouse, opened the recording software that had been running in the background, saved the newly generated audio file, and backed it up to the encrypted cloud drive.

If one day the Executive Yuan really uses that set of fabricated charges to block his file, this complete original audio recording containing the "bad apples" and "not wanting to graduate" will be used in conjunction with the tens of thousands of witnesses in today's live broadcast and the news drafts from Southern Media Group.

That was definitely a crisis management situation that put the entire leadership of Dongda University in a very difficult position.

"Friends, let's calm down." Zhao Shuyao clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the live stream viewers back to himself. "There's no need to overthink that little incident. I've always believed that individual qualities cannot represent the entire school's educational philosophy."