"Notice!"
"In light of recent issues concerning our freshman, Chen Yang, of the class of '79, the following announcement is made:"
"Classmate Chen Yang is an educated youth sent to the countryside. He, in conjunction with the local commune in An Province, established a distiller's grains fish factory, thereby boosting local production and income."
"During the National Day holiday, upon hearing rumors that the distiller's grains fish factory's sales were low and the enterprise could not operate normally, and that Shanghai No. 3 Radio Factory was in urgent need of foreign exchange to purchase equipment for transformation and upgrading and was on the brink of bankruptcy, Chen Yang returned to his hometown to assist the factory."
"In the following month, Chen Yang traveled to Hong Kong City and secured a HK$2 million order for distiller's grains fish for the factory. He also brought back US$500,000 in foreign exchange for Shanghai No. 3 Radio Factory."
"Classmate Chen Yang, through his own efforts, created employment for three thousand local farmers, increasing their income, and saved Shanghai No. 3 Radio Factory, preventing the layoff of over three hundred state-owned enterprise workers."
"Having been absent from classes for one month since the start of the semester, disciplinary action should be taken according to school regulations. However, given that classmate Chen Yang has been contributing to society and the people, no disciplinary action will be taken, hereby announced."
The announcement was written rather hastily, appearing to emphasize Chen Yang's contributions throughout, as if rushing to exonerate him.
Chen Yang's face burned with embarrassment. He wasn't that great; he just wanted to make money, and then help the villagers make money together. Helping the Third Radio Factory was also so they could better produce televisions for him as a subcontractor, allowing him to seize the home appliance market.
"Brother Xiangyu, Brother Baolin, it's up to you two. Find a way to spread this notice everywhere for me."
"Also, find a few stooges to go and scare those kids who spread the most rumors before. Tell them absolutely not to insult Teacher Zhang."
"Have them pretend to be Teacher Zhang's admirers. Their goddess is pure and flawless, absolutely not defiled by anyone. They should also issue stern warnings, saying that anyone who dares to speak ill of Teacher Zhang in the future will be challenged to a duel."
Chen Yang handed a stack of Da Tuan He (a form of currency) to Liu Xiangyu and Wang Baolin. Creating a new hot topic to draw attention away from another matter was the best way to cover it up!
In the past, on websites like "Zha Lang" (a fictionalized name for a popular online platform), celebrities would buy explosive news about others from paparazzi to cover up their own negative news.
As for how the other celebrities who were exposed would fare, they didn't care. It was better to survive oneself than to die with one's comrades. If one's status wasn't high enough and the news wasn't sensational enough, it wouldn't cover up their negative news.
Thus, Liu Xiangyu and Wang Baolin, taking Chen Yang's money, embarked on a passionate period they had never experienced before.
This was the first time in their lives they had taken money to hire people, spread news, and even perform intimidation. To be honest, they felt a sense of exhilaration watching them scare those who spread rumors.
It was just… so exciting!
Two days later, Chen Yang no longer had to walk around the school furtively.
However, another matter that troubled him arose.
"Chen Yang is a true man. Yes, we thought he had gone through Teacher Zhang's backdoor before, and that Teacher Zhang had argued with the principal for him."
"Now it seems Teacher Zhang's argument was entirely because she cared about her students. Such a beautiful, dedicated, and responsible teacher, and yet some people slander her! I will never forgive those who slander Teacher Zhang."
As Chen Yang walked, he frequently overheard declarations like these. The male students were all fired up, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
The fiercer the rumors were spread before, the more vigorously they now defended Teacher Zhang's purity.
Chen Yang watched the male students whose focus had suddenly skewed, and he worried that if things went awry, Zhang Yingying would scold him.
Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Zhang Yingying's voice.
"Chen Yang, come here for a moment."
Clearly, she had also overheard the impassioned speeches of these excited male students and felt a headache coming on.
What was all this about? She had come to work properly, and now she was the subject of discussion throughout the entire school.
If things continued like this, she probably wouldn't last until next year before her father had her transferred.
Why was it so difficult to find a more peaceful job!
Zhang Yingying looked dejected. Chen Yang didn't know what this young lady was thinking, so he obediently followed her.
Setting aside everything else, the fact that she could easily verify his information from Hou Yong with just a word, and that even the principal meekly followed her instructions, allowed Chen Yang to easily infer that Zhang Yingying's background was definitely not simple. Someone in her family likely held an extremely high position.
However, in Chen Yang's memory, there were no leaders in Shanghai with the surname Zhang in previous administrations.
He couldn't ask about this, so he could only silently warn himself to treat this young lady well and not offend her.
Otherwise, the business and connections he had painstakingly built might truly be destroyed by her with just a word.
Even if he put in all his effort to attend university and build connections, the highest positions Wang Baolin and Liu Xiangyu would reach were a deputy position in Shanghai and a general manager of a state-owned enterprise, respectively.
Zhang Yingying's background was likely no weaker than the future achievements of these two, but Chen Yang's current connections were still like two rookies.
Right now, the most powerful connection he could rely on was Zou Chenguang. Setting aside the fact that Zou Chenguang was the Director of the Industry and Commerce Department in An Province, even if he were the Director in Shanghai, wasn't it clear that Hou Yong had to answer obediently when asked questions?
An arm cannot twist a thigh!
"I asked you to handle the matter properly, and this is how you handled it?"
"Since when did I become a national treasure or something? Why do I need so many male students from the whole school to defend me to the death?"
"Those who know will say it's because I'm beautiful. Those who don't might think I'm a seductress like Su Daji, who brings ruin to the nation."
Zhang Yingying was speechless. What was all this? When she first arrived, everything was fine. Being a counselor was no big deal.
She had even specifically asked the principal to arrange a simple course for her to teach. Normally, a counselor wouldn't have the qualifications to teach; they would have to be promoted to lecturer first.
But this was her request! The principal found a way to let her jump the queue and get promoted to lecturer first. And so, the course was taught well, and the students loved listening.
When did things start to go wrong? Zhang Yingying thought carefully. Yes, that was right. It started when Chen Yang stopped attending classes.
Then, when he returned, and she had learned from the two explanatory statements he brought back that they were true, she went to the principal's office and vehemently defended Chen Yang in a fit of emotion.
Principal Liang, Uncle Liang, who had always respected her, had criticized her in a very stern tone for the first time. He thought that she had used her father's connections to get two false certificates to fool him in an attempt to protect her student.
Zhang Yingying felt very wronged. She was a bit protective and doted on her students, but she wasn't unreasonable.
Chen Yang himself had done this, though it was incredibly outlandish. An educated youth sent to the countryside who had just passed the university entrance exam actually had such capabilities. She hadn't believed it at first.
But it was the truth!
"Am I to blame for crying too? I was wronged for no reason, so what if I cry?"
Zhang Yingying said tearfully, enduring it would lead to peace, but taking a step back made her even angrier.
Chen Yang looked at the somewhat emotional Zhang Yingying, feeling bewildered. Why was this girl crying?
He hadn't done anything!