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

Zhao Shuyao answered the phone.

The voice on the other end of the line lacked the usual lecturing tone of a counselor. Director Zhang's voice was low, even carrying a hint of tentative politeness: "Shuyao, are you resting?"

"I just lay down, Director Zhang," Zhao Shuyao said, still lying on his back. "Any new instructions?"

"Don't talk about instructions, absolutely don't talk about instructions." Director Zhang immediately corrected him, his speech quickening as he spoke. "The school posted a statement on its official website half an hour ago; I don't know if you've seen it."

"The Dean's Office thoroughly investigated the recording of the conversation and determined that Assistant Li had seriously violated discipline by abusing his power to intimidate students. The school has suspended him from his duties."

Zhao Shuyao ran these words through his mind: sacrificing a pawn to save the king—this was the standard tactic for cutting off public opinion when faced with a major public opinion crisis.

When Director Zhang heard that no one spoke, he quickly continued, "Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, come to the small conference room on the third floor of the administration building. Dean Xu and a school leader want to discuss the follow-up matters with you in person. This is not a public reprimand or an accountability, but a very simple heart-to-heart talk between teacher and student. Don't feel guilty."

"I understand." Zhao Shuyao sat up and casually placed a cushion behind his back. "I'll be there promptly at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Alright, alright, then I won't disturb your rest any longer. See you tomorrow morning."

The phone hangs up.

Zhao Shuyao threw his phone next to his pillow. Director Zhang, a grassroots counselor, was just a mouthpiece in the whole incident. His current change in attitude was entirely due to pressure from above.

The fact that school leaders directly intervened to have a "heart-to-heart talk" means that they have enough leverage to make this century-old institution lower its stance and seek a balance.

The next morning at 6:30.

Dongda Track and Field Stadium.

The early spring breeze carried a hint of coolness as Zhao Shuyao, dressed in an ordinary gray sports sweatshirt, ran at a steady pace along the rubber track.

The morning exercise time for sophomores and juniors hadn't ended yet, and a number of students were gathered in twos and threes on the inner side of the track doing stretching. In the past, Zhao Shuyao was just an ordinary face when he ran at this time, but today was completely different.

As he moved forward, the surrounding conversations largely disappeared.

Gazes converged from all directions, their eyes devoid of any probing or attempt to avoid suspicion; instead, they held an intense focus and a barely concealed excitement.

Last night's live stream, which resonated with tens of thousands of people, has made this name a benchmark within the entire Dongyuan University student community.

Zhao Shuyao adjusted his breathing rhythm; he didn't like being stared at like a rare animal.

As they passed the parallel bars area, three freshmen boys in basketball uniforms suddenly stopped and stood up straight. The boy in the middle, his face flushed, suddenly raised an unopened plastic bottle in his hand, took a step forward, and blocked the edge of the track.

"Senior Zhao!" The boy's voice was loud, attracting the attention of many people around him.

Zhao Shuyao stopped, calmed his breathing, and looked at the slightly flustered junior in front of him.

"I watched your live stream yesterday." The boy handed over the bottle of Gatorade with both hands. "I settled the bills with my girlfriend last night. This is what I bought with my remaining living expenses. Please have some water."

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted around them, instantly dissipating most of the tense sense of awe in the air.

Zhao Shuyao's gaze fell on the bottle of Gatorade. He couldn't refuse, otherwise he would hurt the student's enthusiasm and appear aloof; accepting it would be just the right way to shorten the distance between them.

He reached out and took the plastic bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

"I've taken the water." Zhao Shuyao shook the bottle a couple of times, a playful smile playing on his lips. "But I have to remind you, it's good to be clear about the sunk costs in relationships, but if you go to your buddies to crowdfund vegetarian noodles because you're hungry at noon today, then you deserve it."

A louder burst of laughter erupted around the parallel bars area, with several boys shoving and jeering at each other. This teasing immediately pulled Zhao Shuyao's aloof "opinion leader" image back to that of a friendly and humorous senior from Dongda University.

"That's enough. Go study your vocabulary." Zhao Shuyao waved his hand. "I'm just an ordinary history student. I don't sell tickets. Stop crowding around."

The crowd parted to make way.

Zhao Shuyao, holding a water bottle, had just stepped out of the corner of the track when a familiar figure appeared in his field of vision.

Gu Nanxi was wearing a dark blue fitted tracksuit, her hair tied in a high ponytail. She was standing under a tree with her hands in the pockets of her tracksuit. When she saw Zhao Shuyao walking over, she raised her chin slightly as a greeting.

"You have a solid foundation among the masses, Teacher Zhao." Gu Nanxi's tone carried a touch of the cool and mischievousness unique to women from Jiangnan. "I thought you were going to take this opportunity to give a public lecture on how to prevent economic exploitation on the playground."

Zhao Shuyao stopped in his tracks: "It is the duty of scholars to spread common sense, but they should charge for teaching. They only gave me a bottle of sports drink. This is not a good deal."

Gu Nanxi smiled at those words.

The two walked side by side toward the cafeteria.

"Did the school talk to you?" Gu Nanxi turned her head and cut straight to the point.

"Let's go to the administration building for tea at nine o'clock." Zhao Shuyao tightened the cap on the bottle in his hand. "Assistant Li was already sacrificed yesterday, so I guess the school leaders will have to give me some reassurance today."

Gu Nanxi nodded, showing no awe or fear of power, which was consistent with her independent thinking: "What are your specific plans? Just doing popular science online won't keep the hype going. The Yan family has deep roots in academia; their withdrawal of the lawsuit is just a temporary retreat."

"During the May Day holiday," Zhao Shuyao casually mentioned a timeframe, "I need to go back to Suzhou. The tax deficits and cruel policies of the Qing Dynasty left the deepest imprints on the Jiangnan region. Various local gazetteers and folk genealogies are irrefutable evidence. I need to go and scan the materials on-site."

At the same time, I added in my mind: My parents are tying steel bars on a construction site in Suzhou, so I'll take this opportunity to go back and visit them.

Gu Nanxi stopped in her tracks, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before quickly becoming quite natural: "What a coincidence. I'm also going back to Suzhou for the May Day holiday."

Zhao Shuyao looked at her.

"My family owns some property near Jinji Lake." Gu Nanxi tidied a stray hair behind her ear. "Since you're going to investigate historical materials, I'll be your driver and guide."

"Gu, I heard all about your scheme in Fengtian." Zhao Shuyao said casually, "But considering your 'soulmate' comment yesterday, it's a deal. Go back and compile a list of the county-level archives you want to visit and send it to me."

"No problem." Gu Nanxi replied decisively.

8:50 a.m.

Zhao Shuyao arrived at the third floor of the administration building, where the door to a small conference room at the end of the corridor was ajar.

He raised his right hand and knocked three times on the wooden door.

"Come in." A middle-aged man's voice, full of vigor, came from inside.

Zhao Shuyao pushed open the door and entered.

The meeting room was not large, and instead of the usual long conference table, there were two leather sofas facing each other, separated by a large coffee table.

Zhao Shuyao stood at the door, his gaze quickly locking onto the three people inside.

Sitting on the single sofa on the left is Xu Dongming, the dean of the School of Humanities. At this moment, he is holding a purple clay teapot, and his movements are slightly restrained.

Sitting on the right side of the sofa was a pot-bellied, bald middle-aged man. Judging from his posture and appearance, he was the director of the academic affairs office, who held the power over student grades and graduation.

Sitting in the center of the sofa was an elderly man with a full head of silver hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Although he was wearing a simple jacket, his aura of authority was undeniable. He was the vice president of the University of Tokyo in charge of academics and personnel.

The vice principal personally taking part in the event; this level of involvement was even higher than what Zhao Shuyao had predicted.

"Shuyao is here, please have a seat." Xu Dongming put down the purple clay teapot, pointed to the empty sofa opposite him, and spoke in a warm tone as if the notice to cancel the quota for staying on campus had never existed.

Zhao Shuyao walked to the sofa, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he nodded to the three people and said, "Dean Xu, and the two leaders."

Then he sat down steadily, his back straight, his hands on his knees, neither appearing timid nor displaying the aggressive edge he often showed online.

This is the standard of decorum for intellectuals when facing the administrative system.

The vice principal sized up the young man opposite him, his eyes revealing a hint of admiration. Facing three powerful leaders, he remained composed and neither servile nor arrogant; such composure was rarely seen in a student in his early twenties.

"I am the school's vice principal in charge of academic affairs, and this is Director Liu from the Academic Affairs Office," the vice principal said, speaking in a calm and gentle tone. "I called you here today for no other reason than that the school has already learned about everything that happened online yesterday."

Xu Dongming immediately picked up where he left off and began to execute the first item on the agenda of the meeting—splitting up.

"Shuyao," Xu Dongming sighed, leaning forward slightly, his tone filled with heartache, "what happened yesterday was a serious dereliction of duty in our office's management."

"That Assistant Li usually takes on too much responsibility. This time, in order to curry favor with some outsiders, he actually withheld your application materials for admission to the university and even verbally threatened you."

Xu Dongming paused for two seconds, observing Zhao Shuyao's expression.

Zhao Shuyao remained calm and did not respond.

"This is a serious trampling on the century-old tradition of Dongda University!" Xu Dongming raised his voice. "Yesterday afternoon, the department held an emergency meeting and decided to suspend Assistant Li indefinitely for investigation. The matter has also been reported to the disciplinary committee for further accountability. The university must apologize to you for this, for making you suffer injustice."

The logic of this statement is perfect. It shifts all the blame onto Assistant Li, absolves the Dean's Office and the school of any responsibility, and at the same time lowers its stance by apologizing, thus silencing Zhao Shuyao from continuing to denounce the school online.

The vice principal and the dean of academic affairs both looked at Zhao Shuyao, waiting for his response. This was a test. If Zhao Shuyao persisted and insisted on a written apology from the school, it would show that the student was too naive and did not know when to back down.

Zhao Shuyao adjusted his posture slightly.

"Dean Xu, please don't say that." Zhao Shuyao's tone was sincere, and there was no trace of pretense in his voice. "I am actually aware of Assistant Li's work style. We are all adults, and he has his own pressures, which I can understand."

At this point, the tone shifted.

"Actually, after the live broadcast ended last night, my supervisor, Professor Zhang Jianguo, called me. Professor Zhang is usually strict with me, but his words were full of protection for me. With such a protective teacher and the Dongda University motto of seeking truth from facts as a safety net, I know in my heart that the school will definitely clear my name."

Zhao Shuyao picked up a cup of tea that had been poured on the coffee table and offered it to the three of them with a perfunctory toast.

"So, leaders and Dean Xu, let bygones be bygones. Who was right and who was wrong has been clearly stated online. As a student, I am fortunate to have learned the essentials of life at this school. How could I possibly complain about the school?"

These words were perfectly watertight.

Mentioning his mentor Zhang Jianguo implies that he is not without supporters within the department; praising the motto of Dongda University is tantamount to placing the school on a moral high ground of "protecting its own" and "seeking truth from facts"; and finally, voluntarily giving up the pursuit of responsibility gives everyone present enough face.

The atmosphere in the entire conference room visibly relaxed.

Xu Dongming leaned back on the sofa with a sigh of relief. The director of the academic affairs office also nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, what a good phrase, 'seeking truth from facts'." The vice principal slapped his thigh lightly, his smile spreading wide. "Shuyao's magnanimity is truly worthy of someone who studies history. He sees things clearly and grasps the main contradictions. With this mindset, he will surely go far on his academic path in the future."

After the statements were made, the next step was the substantive exchange of benefits.

The vice principal glanced at the director of the academic affairs office.

The dean of academic affairs understood immediately, took a folder with a red heading from his briefcase, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Zhao Shuyao.

"Shuyao," the Dean of Academic Affairs began, his tone serious and businesslike, "This is the list of graduate students in our History Department who are being considered for retention this year. Your academic performance has been ranked first every year, and although you changed the research direction of your graduation thesis, the academic framework is extremely solid. The college and the university have re-evaluated your eligibility to remain at the university."

The head of the academic affairs office tapped on the folder with his finger.

"Since it was a misunderstanding caused by the misconduct of a few individuals, now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, the university's principle of hiring has always been based solely on merit. If the University of Tokyo doesn't keep a young scholar like you with such strong professional skills and pure ideals, who will?"

Zhao Shuyao looked at the document on the table, his name clearly printed on the cover.

After a series of intense battles, including a lecture outburst, online smear campaigns, and a live-streamed confrontation, the position that originally belonged to him finally returned to his hands in a more dignified and unshakeable way.