Chapter 30 - 28 Settling Accounts

Jing University President’s Office The president sat on the sofa, taking a sip of coffee, and looked at Gu Yanjing sitting opposite him. Dressed in a black suit, his eyebrows and eyes were cold and sharp. An innate aura of authority. Just sitting there, he exuded a sense of oppression. Since he came in, the office seemed to have dropped a few degrees, making it somewhat overwhelming for the president. The president took another sip of coffee, paused, and asked, "How has the old master been recently?" Gu Yanjing lifted his eyelids, looking at him, his voice still devoid of warmth: "Didn’t you visit the old house yesterday?" The president: "......" Gu Yanjing looked at him. The president, nearly sixty, already had quite a bit of gray hair, his eyes kindly, spoke helplessly: "I was just trying to find something to say, the atmosphere was a bit dry." "He’s quite well," Gu Yanjing cooperated. The president: "......" Meng Yan stood behind the sofa, keeping his mouth tight, pretending he hadn’t heard anything. The president stopped speaking, but after a few seconds couldn’t help asking, "What brings you to meet with the foreign languages instructor?" As soon as he finished speaking, the office door was knocked. He looked toward the door and said, "Come in." The door opened, and Qiao Yuxian’s instructor walked in. Rubbing his hands with a flattering smile, he said, "President, you were looking for me?" Over the years at the school, he had a knack for dealing with leaders. His posture and words had become second nature. The president wore a gentle smile, nodded at him, and then introduced, "This is Mr. Gu from the Gu Group, he wants to speak with you." The instructor looked at Gu Yanjing. Seeing the man sitting on the sofa, his heart suddenly leaped with excitement. His tutoring institution had been running for almost six years. Its reputation had grown significantly in recent years, with many children from wealthy and powerful families enrolling in his tutoring institution. But if a child from the Gu Family could also attend, then the fame of the Kyoto Royal Tutoring Institution would undoubtedly belong to him. "Mr. Gu, hello, hello." The instructor took a few steps forward, his flattering smile deepening, his back involuntarily bending, "Please feel free to speak your mind." Gu Yanjing raised his eyes to look at him, his indifferent eyes like ice, his voice cold as he directly asked, "I’m here to ask why Instructor Li suspended Qiao Yuxian from class." His mind was clouded with excitement. A few seconds after Gu Yanjing finished speaking, the instructor realized the familiar name had been mentioned. His smile instantly froze on his face, and even his body became stiff. The president also looked at Gu Yanjing, a bit surprised in his eyes. He was usually very busy, but because the foreign languages department had dealt with the suspension, he had heard some things about Qiao Yuxian. After all, being suspended from university usually indicated a major misconduct. He didn’t expect Gu Yanjing to come here today because of this girl. "I want to know what she did to warrant her suspension?" Gu Yanjing’s voice was light, yet carried immense pressure. "This..." It took a while for the instructor to regain his voice, the skills he normally used to deal with leaders seemed non-existent in front of Gu Yanjing. He stammered, "The forum’s discussion about her has already greatly impacted the department. The decision to take action was after the department’s discussion..." "Isn’t it because Instructor Li reported false information to the department?" Gu Yanjing asked. The president listened to his words, frowning slightly. "I, I..." The instructor paused, then said, "I just reported to the department based on the facts." "What facts?" Gu Yanjing asked again, "Did you verify the information on those posts for authenticity?" Gu Yanjing’s oppressive presence felt like a mountain gradually weighing heavier on the instructor, making his spine bend further, his head lower. The instructor remained silent. Gu Yanjing continued, "You judged her actions based on someone else’s words and a few photos." His speech was neither fast nor slow, yet each word was like a knife, peeling skin and scraping bone, offering no relief. The president’s expression turned cold, staring at the instructor. "Students are inexperienced and easily misled," Gu Yanjing said, "As a teacher, not only did you fail to clear a student’s name, but you also guided public opinion. Are you worthy of the title ’teacher’?" His tone suddenly intensified: "Did you consider what harm such rumors could do to a girl? You don’t even deserve to be a teacher, you don’t deserve to be a person." Meng Yan lowered his head, not daring to speak. The president was also taken aback by his demeanor. The air was filled with hostility, seemingly frozen, silence spreading. After a while, the instructor suddenly grasped a point, took a deep breath, and said: "Mr. Gu, this matter is indeed due to my negligence, it is my fault. I will apologize to Qiao Yuxian. But guiding public opinion? Where does that accusation come from?" Gu Yanjing said nothing, slightly turning his head to glance at Meng Yan. Meng Yan stepped forward, handing a file to the instructor. Only then did the instructor notice, Meng Yan was the person in the forum’s photos. His eyes had been on Gu Yanjing earlier, completely ignoring everyone else. He stiffly took it, flipped through a bit, and his face instantly paled. The September morning temperature was already a bit cool, yet he broke out in a cold sweat. "The news on the forum about Miss Qiao being suspended was posted by an account you registered. These are all the evidence." Meng Yan said coldly, "That day when the department leaders asked you to return to school to learn about Miss Qiao’s situation, you happened to have a big client. So you hastily dealt with Miss Qiao’s issue, eager to return. You thought the forum’s matters must be true. You didn’t want to deal with subsequent troublesome matters, so you exaggeratedly reported the incident to department leaders and guided student opinion, making things worse. You intended to directly expel Miss Qiao." The file in the instructor’s hand also contained information about his tutoring institution colluding with elementary school teachers, forcing students to attend tutoring classes, and his bribery issues. All the blood in his body turned cold, his limbs growing numb. "Qiao Yuxian has been living with me since the semester began." Gu Yanjing said calmly, "The men in the photos are all from my family. Not just those two, there will be others picking her up in the future. As for that person surnamed Jiang, do you think the gifts he sends catch the eyes of the Gu Family?" The president’s composed face suddenly turned to shock upon hearing the words "living with". The instructor suddenly trembled. If it were Gu Yanjing, then even those above can’t protect him, he’s completely finished now. "Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu. It’s all my fault." The instructor seemed to have a noose around his neck, "I’ll apologize to Miss Qiao, I’ll do whatever it takes. Please be magnanimous, spare me." Gu Yanjing looked at him, and after a moment said, "Publicly apologize to Qiao Yuxian." "Okay, okay. I’ll apologize. It’s my outdated thinking, it’s my prejudice, it’s my corrupt mind. I’ll apologize. Apologize in public." The instructor bowed, head down. Gu Yanjing withdrew his gaze, looked at the president, and indifferently said: "This person cares so much about his own business that he has no time to manage school affairs. Moreover, he doesn’t deserve to be at Jing University. I suggest dismissing him. What do you think, President?" The president smiled kindly, looking at the instructor: "You hand over your school work." "Yes." The instructor felt a chill down his spine. No matter how busy he was outside, he never considered leaving Jing University. After all, staying at Jing University brought him enormous benefits, not to mention other advantages. There were few university affairs, and for things students could handle, he never showed up, only occasionally visiting the school. For many years, things had always been handled this way, but he never expected to stumble on to Qiao Yuxian. He underestimated this girl, who managed to connect with the Gu Family. Now dismissed, all those years of persistence had been for nothing. But at least he salvaged the tutoring institution. He could still earn money. But what he didn’t anticipate was, the tutoring institution he thought was saved was investigated the next day, then rapidly sealed. He was also taken for investigation.