Chapter 54 - Huo PingChuan is Offline
Huo PingChuan was stunned. He never thought things would end up like this. He repeatedly reviewed the whole process of the satisfaction survey in his heart and couldn’t think of any mistakes. And even if someone did find a problem with the scores, how could anyone prove that he had something to do with it?
With that thought, Huo PingChuan calmed down a little. He said: “Then I’d like to ask, what evidence do you have?”
Princ.i.p.al Qiu looked around the office. Although the other teachers didn’t say anything, it was obvious that they were all curious about this. Princ.i.p.al Qiu thought for a moment, then said: “Let’s talk in my office.”
The actual truth wasn’t clear. Honestly, the matter should’ve been kept from all the teachers, but now it was said in front of so many people. But Huo PingChuan was trying to avoid any suspicion of guilt right now. If he agreed to talk behind closed doors, it would look bad. In order to appear innocent and fearless, Huo PingChuan decided not to take a single step forward. With his voice calm, he said: “Just say it here. Let the teachers judge the situation for themselves. This is related to all of us, so let’s not hide this matter and make everyone lose faith in our school.”
Hearing this, Princ.i.p.al Qiu no longer insisted and said: “Student Zheng told me that they privately counted the survey scores from Cla.s.s 7 and Cla.s.s 8. They found their results….to be very different from the scores officially published.”
Princ.i.p.al Qiu glanced at Bai YanZhu and deliberately raised his voice to say: “Based on the calculations Student Zheng gave me, Teacher Bai’s score should’ve been the highest compared to the other teachers of these two cla.s.ses. This is very different from the published score.”
Bai YanZhu was stunned when he heard those words. The sadness caused by the apparent lack of emotional response from his students had not yet disappeared. So when he heard this sudden turnaround, he was unable to respond. Bai YanZhu could only look at Zheng PingQing dazedly.
“Teacher Bai, we all love you, ah.” Zheng PingQing said with a chuckle.
Zheng PingQing’s words were the law in Cla.s.s 8. So hearing this from Zheng PingQing was more effective than any other teacher. The uncertainty in Bai YanZhu’s heart finally disappeared and was instead filled with warmth.
Then, Bai YanZhu looked at Huo PingChuan with eyes filled with doubt. He was now quite angry with the apparently ‘carefully calculated’ official scores.
Huo PingChuan, who was definitely not angry, snapped: “Nonsense! This is an anonymous survey, how can students count the scores in private? Their calculations are interfering with the evaluation, which is against school rules!”
Zheng PingQing made an expression of shock. He smacked his thigh and said to Huo PingChuan: “Vice-Princ.i.p.al Huo, your ability to change the subject is truly amazing. With that kind of skill, you’ve done this kind of smooth-talking before, haven’t you?”
Lin YaZhi answered for him: “Yes, his ability to shirk responsibility is first-cla.s.s.”
Huo PingChuan’s hands shook with rage. “Did I say anything wrong?”
He looked at Princ.i.p.al Qiu. “Princ.i.p.al Qiu, don’t you think the same? The first requirement of an anonymous evaluation is that no person can interfere with the results. But Student Zheng had dared to do this, isn’t he being totally lawless?”
Zheng PingQing was really amused. After watching Huo PingChuan’s performance, he calmly said: “First of all, I didn’t interfere with anything. we just wanted to practice our calculation skills…”
Feeling as if Zheng PingQing was insulting his intelligence, Huo PingChuan asked: “Do you think everyone here is a fool? Who would believe that clumsy excuse?”
Zheng PingQing was unafraid and calmly continued: “Oh this isn’t an excuse. I was just trying to give you some face. But since you don’t want it, I’ll tell you the truth…”
Huo PingChuan: “…..” Why is it that every time he singled out the problem, this student can think of more and more outrageous things?
Sure enough, Zheng PingQing really did change his answer: “Honestly, it was because we all think Vice-Princ.i.p.al Huo’s character is too deceitful. We couldn’t trust you, so we decided to calculate the results privately. But we never expected you to actually change the teacher satisfaction scores…you talk about conducting oneself with integrity, but how come you don’t follow your own words?”
Lin YaZhi let out a loud “hah!” and without any politeness, praised: “Our students in Cla.s.s 8 can discern people so accurately, ah!”
Huo PingChuan didn’t expect Zheng PingQing to actually say something even worse. His face turned red and green simultaneously.
He never thought that these students would secretly calculate their scores.
He should’ve been more restrained in his manipulation of the results of these lower cla.s.ses. He had never cared about the lower cla.s.ses because the head of that organization told him that when they implemented the same survey in other schools, the underachievers in those schools couldn’t care less about their teachers’ performances. They would score their teachers casually and the results would often be influenced by their emotions. Therefore, those who taught the lower cla.s.ses would generally score lower than the other cla.s.ses, and the students never really cared about the results either.
The survey results for No.12 followed this pattern. Huo PingChuan followed the data the organization gave him and even randomized some of the other scores just to make it look more normal. Huo PingChuan thought he was safe because he figured that the students wouldn’t care about the results and that the teachers wouldn’t dare ask for the questionnaire.
How can Huo PingChuan even imagine that this situation could occur? Thinking about it, it could only be all Zheng PingQing’s fault. But getting angry now would be too telling.
Huo PingChuan found himself in an awkward position. But after panting for a while, he suddenly remembered something else. He angrily said: “The teacher’s scores are supposed to be confidential. How did you compare your results to the official score?”
Listening to this Lin YaZhi jolted. “Ah, I leaked it.”
Zheng PingQing nodded. “Yes, you leaked it.”
Lin YaZhi suddenly understood. Lin Qian had asked him about the satisfaction survey scores a few days ago and he naturally wouldn’t keep anything from his son. At this moment, Lin YaZhi also realized just how good his son’s relationship was with Zheng PingQing.
Huo PingChuan was so angry he almost fainted. With a shaky voice, he said: “You dare…you dare….”
With a loud ‘wow’, Zheng PingQing said: “Didn’t you dare to tamper with the teachers’ scores? Don’t try to make excuses and explain things to us.”
Pretending to be an innocent teenager, Zheng PingQing stood in front of all these adults and scolded Huo PingChuan in a naive and frivolous manner: “Are you trying to stall for time? So many people are waiting for you to explain, ah! Great leader, if you can’t explain this small matter, how can the other teachers trust you in the future?”
In fact, it was already too late. All the teachers’ expressions had long filled with mistrust.
And all the people standing with Huo PingChuan already felt embarra.s.sed that they did so. The scores they had initially been proud of became something disgraceful.
Princ.i.p.al Qiu didn’t expect Zheng PingQing to attack so accurately. His words left no room for Huo PingChuan to talk his way out of the situation. With a sigh, Princ.i.p.al Qiu said: “PingChuan, ah, what’s your answer?”
In the end, Huo PingChuan was forced into a complete loss. Faced with a room full of suspicious eyes, Huo PingChuan took a deep breath and regained his composure. His brain quickly went over all the information, and he opened his mouth and said: “Princ.i.p.al, first of all, I think this student’s words need further verification. Second, if we a.s.sume that his accusations are true, then I think the problem will lie in the organization that calculated the scores. They will need to be investigated….”
He still had a trump card. As he thought this, the tremor in Huo PingChuan’s voice disappeared, and he even managed a smile. “From the very start, I clearly stated that I would not be involved in any way with the process of the satisfaction survey. Even if there really was a problem with the results, it has nothing to do with me. If there’s anything I am accountable for, it would be that I didn’t look into the survey deep enough before recommending it. I’ll admit to this mistake, but to say that I had tampered with the survey scores…I absolutely cannot accept that.”
When Huo PingChuan said this, the teachers who were originally skeptical of him quieted down. They thought that perhaps Huo PingChuan really hadn’t intervened. They had forgotten that when the results came out, Huo PingChuan found out about the scores only after the teachers did.
Princ.i.p.al Qiu had also known this, so he didn’t doubt Huo PingChuan. He said: “I naturally know this. This is why I came to you. I mainly wanted to ask about the organization that handled the calculations and how we can investigate them. We can find out the truth of this matter after we carefully check them out.”
Huo PingChuan relaxed. With a shrug, he replied: “Maybe there was something wrong with their calculation. As far as I know, they use some piece of software to calculate the scores. Maybe something went wrong with that.”
“We can find that out after we investigate.” Princ.i.p.al Qiu said.
“That’s right.” Huo PingChuan’s heart finally calmed down. As long as he gets through this, he can easily find a seamless explanation for this problem later. However, Huo PingChuan refused to have all that he’s suffered today to be in vain.
Huo PingChuan put on a wronged expression and said: “We can investigate the problem with the satisfaction survey slowly, but today, Teacher Lin and Student Zheng indiscriminately poured dirty water all over me. Shouldn’t these two men apologize to me first?”
Lin YaZhi rolled his eyes. “I won’t apologize, just fire me.”
Huo PingChuan: “……” He really will fire Lin YaZhi sooner or later!!!!
But Zheng PingQing inexplicable revealed a meaningful smile, a smile that clearly didn’t belong to someone his age. Huo PingChuan suddenly felt cold. Zheng PingQing said: “I won’t apologize either. Feel free to expel me.”
Huo PingChuan: “…….”
Huo PingChuan turned to Princ.i.p.al Qiu: “Princ.i.p.al, look. These two clearly don’t feel any ounce of remorse. How can we continue to work harmoniously in the future?”
Princ.i.p.al Qiu was also suffering from this headache. He really didn’t know what to do. He could only try to smooth things over. “Let’s talk about this later….”
But Huo PingChuan insisted: “No, they have to be taught a lesson today.”
Just as Huo PingChuan began to confront Princ.i.p.al Qiu, a middle-aged man in plainclothes and two police officers burst into the office. The middle-aged man’s eyes were sharp as he asked: “Where is Huo PingChuan?”
This sudden intrusion caught everyone off-guard. Especially since the man seemed to be from a public relations organization.
Princ.i.p.al Qiu asked: “May I ask which department you’re from? What’s going on?”
The man took out a doc.u.ment and showed it to Princ.i.p.al Qiu. “We’re from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. My surname is Zhang. Someone reported Huo PingChuan, the Vice-Princ.i.p.al of No. 12 High School for corruption and bribery. This is a serious disciplinary offense, so we’ve come to take him into questioning.”
They all needed a few seconds to understand the man’s words. A horrified Huo PingChuan yelled: “No way, this is slander!”
His voice attracted the attention of officer Zhang. With a glance, officer Zhang motioned for the two police officers behind him to advance. The two police officers stepped forward and held Huo PingChuan down, but Huo PingChuan refused to yield and desperately struggled. He shouted: “Let me go! I’ve been framed!”
Officer Zhang slightly frowned as he replied: “Please cooperate, Huo PingChuan.”
It was impossible for Princ.i.p.al Qiu to not know anything about Huo PingChuan’s actions, but this sudden development surprised him greatly. No matter what he thought, he had to ask: “Officer Zhang, I’m the current Princ.i.p.al of No.12, surname Qiu. Can I ask what the situation currently is? Is there no chance of a misunderstanding?”
“The situation is still under investigation so I can’t disclose any details. But I can tell you that there should be no misunderstandings. Our informant has provided irrefutable evidence; otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to arrest anyone.” Office Zhang explained.
Unconvinced, Huo PingChuan continued to shout: “Who was it?! Who reported me?! Call him here and let me confront him!”
Officer Zhang, who had probably heard similar words countless times, ignored him. Instead, Officer Zhang looked at Princ.i.p.al Qiu and asked: “You’re the person in charge, right? Did you implement a system from Hua Xiong Educational Inst.i.tution to your school recently?”
Huo PingChuan’s heart jumped when he heard this. Princ.i.p.al Qiu nodded, a thought beginning to form in his mind. Because he would be retiring soon, Princ.i.p.al Qiu didn’t involve himself too much with the going-ons of the school. But after hearing Officer Zhang mention the organization that was involved with the recently implemented survey, he had an inkling of what might’ve happened.
Officer Zhang said: “This inst.i.tution was also reported and we have confirmed a number of serious irregularities in their operations. There have been a lot of illegal money transactions between this inst.i.tution and a number of schools, and we also found evidence of data manipulation by several school princ.i.p.als. The people that owned Hua Xiong were found to be the wife and uncle of an Education Bureau leader and they’ve both been arrested.”
At Officer Zhang’s words, the incensed Huo PingChuan gradually lost his voice.
Princ.i.p.al Qiu sighed. “I see.”
Officer Zhang told him: “We’ve confirmed that Huo PingChuan was the main contact with Hua Xiong, but since you’re the princ.i.p.al of this school, we’d like you to please cooperate with the investigation and come with us.”
Princ.i.p.al Qiu calmly replied: “Alright.”
Afterward, Officer Zhang and the other police officers questioned the other teachers one by one, though most of them explained that they didn’t know anything. Finally, they asked Mr. Zhu and Mr. Chan, who was close to Huo PingChuan, to cooperate with the investigation and took the duo with them when they left.
Officer Zhang came and went like the wind. He burst in, took away several key figures, then rushed out, leaving a huge question mark for the people left in the teacher’s office.
Some of the teachers directly forgot that they had cla.s.ses to teach. They could do nothing but look at each other in disbelief. They didn’t know if they should inquire about the situation, as they were afraid of getting into trouble. For a while, the atmosphere in the office was stagnant.
After who knows how long, Lin YaZhi stood up and said: “Let me invite you all to some afternoon tea. Don’t hold back, order as much as you all like.”
Teachers: “….” Afternoon tea in this kind of situation? Isn’t he celebrating?
Then a bright and cheerful voice sounded out: “I want some dry wontons from that snack bar near the school. Onions instead of coriander, with a dash of chili oil. And some black bone chicken soup too.”
All the teachers looked turned: “????”
Wait, Zheng PingQing is a student. Why is he still here, ah?
Lin YaZhi readily replied: “Oh you have the same preference as my son! No wonder you two have such a good relationship.”
As Zheng PingQing responded to Lin YaZhi, he sent a text to his boyfriend at the same time.
Zheng PingQing: Your honey worked hard. I even managed to order some wontons and chicken soup for you = 3=
The author has something to say:
Zheng PingQing: No, that’s just your son’s preferences.
Lin Qian: My boyfriend is very virtuous.
Vice-Princ.i.p.al Huo PingChuan, Bon Voyage *waves handkerchief*