Transmigrated into a female-oriented novel, and put an end to the domineering CEOs all over the city

Inside a high-end apartment building.

Zhou Yanlin, the president of Bashi University of Technology, opened Weibo after being reminded by others. When he saw that glaring topic, his finger trembled and he almost dropped his phone.

Who would have thought that simply expelling a poor student with no connections or money would be exposed online and even become a trending topic?

He had clearly warned the relevant leaders and teachers that this matter should be handled discreetly and that no one was allowed to talk about it.

From notification to completion, it took less than three hours, a clean and efficient process.

How did this news leak out? Or... is someone deliberately trying to sabotage him?

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Now is not the time to investigate who leaked it. The most urgent task is to suppress the trending topic. Once the hype dies down, things will be easier to handle.

He picked up his phone, found the number of Director Wei in charge of public opinion management at the Municipal Party Committee's Publicity Department, and dialed the number.

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

"Director Wei, this is Zhou Yanlin from the University of Science and Technology," he said calmly, as if chatting with an old classmate, without a trace of panic. "Have you seen that trending topic online about a student from our school being expelled?"

"This is a misunderstanding, and our school is handling it internally. Could you perhaps try communicating with the platform first to reduce the public's interest? After all, it's affecting the school's reputation and the city's educational image..."

On the other end of the phone, Director Wei received a call from Principal Zhou and immediately guessed that it must be about this matter.

He sat in his office, staring at the word "Explosion" on his computer screen, and a slight twitch appeared on his lips.

He knew perfectly well that the minister had personally hinted at this matter.

Don't worry about public opinion; let it ferment naturally and wait for the municipal party committee's orders.

What does this mean? It means that a high-ranking official in the municipal party committee has his eye on this old guy, Zhou Yanlin.

It's likely that his rank is even higher than his own minister.

It's important to know that the head of the municipal publicity department is already a member of the municipal party committee standing committee, which is considered a municipal leader.

Just like why Zhou Yanlin never called the minister? Because the minister simply wouldn't listen to him.

Moreover, he had seen this public opinion, and there were plenty of student witnesses, videos, chat logs, and screenshots of the student's evaluation documents, so it was not a rumor at all.

In other words, Principal Zhou did indeed abuse his power and violated regulations by expelling a good student.

Director Wei also looked down on Zhou Yanlin. A university president, in order to curry favor with some powerful person, had lost all sense of shame and ruined a child's life.

What qualifications does someone like that have to be a principal?

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and began practicing Tai Chi.

As the head of the publicity department, he had practiced this set of push-hands skills, which were both soft and firm, for decades and had mastered them to perfection.

"Principal Zhou, we have taken note of the situation you raised. Our principle regarding online public opinion is to treat all cases equally, verifying what needs to be verified and guiding what needs to be guided."

"According to regulations, we need to verify the source and authenticity of the information first. We cannot arbitrarily interfere with the platform's content ecosystem. Rest assured, we will handle it according to procedure."

After saying this with a chuckle, he added with a veiled sarcasm, "By the way, Principal Zhou, this incident also reminds us that student management in universities must be carried out in accordance with laws and regulations to avoid giving others ammunition for criticism. Don't you agree?"

Zhou Yanlin was a seasoned veteran, and he immediately realized that the other party had no intention of helping him at all. Not only did they refuse to help, they also gave him a veiled reprimand.

His face darkened, and after thinking for a moment, he began to use threats and inducements:

"Director Wei, if this matter really blows up, it won't be good for the city's education image, will it? Our school enrolls so many local students every year; if our reputation is damaged, it won't benefit anyone. Could you perhaps help me think of a solution? I'll come to thank you in person another day..."

Director Wei on the other end of the phone gave a cold laugh.

The other party meant that if you help me, you'll get plenty of benefits, but if you don't, you'll regret it.

That's ridiculous. This old guy is about to fall from grace, and you still dare to threaten him? And you even said you were coming to thank him?

How long can someone who's been targeted by a high-ranking official in the municipal party committee, someone whose violations of rules and regulations are a foregone conclusion, keep getting away with it? Getting involved with him now would just get you smeared with dirt.

He wondered if he seemed too agreeable, or if he needed to learn to say no.

"I'm sorry, Principal Zhou, I can't help you." Director Wei simply hung up the phone, too lazy to play along.

Hearing the busy tone coming from his phone, Zhou Yanlin's face turned extremely ugly.

He never expected that a mere section chief would dare to be so arrogant towards him.

He was, after all, a department-level cadre with countless students, and a well-known figure in the Ba City education sector.

A section chief, people of all ranks had to line up to toast him, and gifts for him during holidays, local specialties worth less than five figures, would not even get into his home.

But he really doesn't have any other options right now.

Since he was from the propaganda department and not in the education system, he really couldn't do anything about Director Wei in the short term.

Moreover, the propaganda department is an unavoidable factor when it comes to handling public opinion.

He stared at his phone screen; the trending topics were still climbing, and hundreds more comments appeared with each refresh.

It's okay.

If the publicity department doesn't help, he has other ways. He has cultivated connections in the education system for decades, and his network of contacts is not for nothing.

Zhou Yanlin stood in the living room for a full minute, holding his phone, then took a deep breath and dialed another number.

This time, he selected Liu Zhang, the vice mayor of Bashi City in charge of people's livelihood, science, education, culture and health.

Vice Mayor Liu had dined with him several times, and last year when the university hosted the provincial university forum, he personally accompanied Liu Zhang on the inspection route.

The two had a pleasant conversation, and before leaving, the president shook his hand and said, "President Zhou, the city can rest assured that the university is in your care."

Most importantly, he also helped the other party a lot, and local specialties were always a must during festivals.

The phone rang five or six times before it was answered.

The environment was noisy, and you could vaguely hear people talking, like at a dinner party.

"Mayor Liu, this is Zhou Yanlin from the University of Science and Technology. I'm sorry to bother you so late..."

"I'm in a meeting, I'll talk to you later." Liu Zhang's voice was calm and quick, as if he had expected him to make this call.

"Beep beep beep—"

Zhou Yanlin held up his phone, listening to the busy tone, his face growing even uglier.

He glanced at the time on the screen; it was 8:30 PM.

A meeting? It's this late, what kind of meeting is this? If he can't even tell the difference from this excuse, he's wasted his decades in officialdom.

Undeterred, he contacted several more leaders of the market.

He has old acquaintances in the education system, the heads of brother units he used to drink with and pat on the shoulder with, and even a student he promoted who is now the deputy director of the municipal government.

However, the other party came up with all sorts of reasons and excuses.

Some said they had to spend time with their families, some said it was inconvenient, and some simply didn't answer.

His student did answer, but stammered out, "Teacher Zhou, please take care of yourself," before hanging up abruptly, without even letting him finish a complete sentence.

What a joke.

Zhou Yanlin has offended someone, and the Discipline Inspection Commission has quietly launched an investigation. This matter has spread among the children of officials.

The source of the news is unknown, no one knows if it's true or false, and no one knows who he offended, but the fact that it "spreads" is itself a weathervane.

If the higher-ups didn't intend to take action against him, the news wouldn't have spread like this.

When the Discipline Inspection Commission is handling a case, the worst thing they can do is to alert the suspect. If you hear any rumors, it means either the investigation is nearing its end, or someone is deliberately leaking information to warn others.

This guy's done for. You guys stay away from him, or you might end up killing a whole bunch of them.

Moreover, the fact that it's trending on social media says it all.

A negative trending topic about a university president, which would normally be removed with a single phone call, stayed on the trending list for an entire afternoon today. Instead of decreasing, its popularity increased, climbing from the local charts to the national charts, with the topic garnering over 200 million views.

What does this tell us?

This means someone contacted them.

To be able to get such solid support from the propaganda system of Ba City, one must be at least a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee.

This also indicates that the principal is about to lose power.

In officialdom, there's a saying: "I'm not afraid of offending people, I'm afraid of being worthless."

A valuable person will have someone protect them even if they make a mistake, because protecting them is equivalent to protecting their investment. A worthless person, even if they are completely innocent, will not have anyone willing to say a word for them.

Moreover, Zhou Yanlin is now worthless and has indeed violated rules and regulations, so who would help him?

They were too busy distancing themselves from him to worry about what other things might happen if the disciplinary committee investigated him.

Therefore, no one will make a move until the situation becomes clear.

They are waiting.

Waiting for what? Waiting for the wind to come.

We're waiting for the disciplinary committee's attitude, the party secretary's attitude, and the direction the higher-ups are taking.

People sway whichever way the wind blows. It's not that there's no warmth in officialdom, but warmth always comes after self-preservation.

Zhou Yanlin placed his phone on the coffee table, his fingertips trembling slightly. He had contacted everyone, but no one was willing to lend a hand.

Those friends who usually called him brother, those younger relatives who brought gifts during holidays, and all the relationships he had helped in the past—all fell silent at this moment.

Only then did he give up his last shred of hope.

It wasn't bad luck, nor was it that the trending topic couldn't be suppressed; it was that I was genuinely being targeted.

There is a pair of eyes he cannot see, watching his every move from a higher place, and the owner of those eyes not only knows about the existence of trending topics, but may even be the one who drives them.

He picked up his phone with trembling hands and scrolled to the last name.

He has connections within the provincial education department.