Zhang Jianguo felt as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck; his internal organs were all out of place, and it was a long while before the excruciating pain subsided slightly.
He leaned against the cold wall, swaying as he stood up, his ribs feeling as if they would break with every movement.
Beside him, Zhang Yining’s crying had transformed from initial screams to intermittent sobs; her hair was disheveled, her face still bore clear slap marks, and her delicate makeup had long been ruined by tears, as she huddled pitifully in the corner.
“Dad… Dad, how are you?” She asked, her voice trembling, when she saw Zhang Jianguo get up.
“It’s over… it’s all over! The internet… the internet is full of it… saying you’re a corrupt official, saying my… saying my grades are fake… Wuwuwu… I’m trending! We’re both trending!”
She held up her phone, and the screen prominently displayed the trending topics on various social media platforms, with headlines more shocking than the last: “Shocking Revelation! Deputy Director Zhang Jianguo of the Dongting Education Bureau’s Downfall Recorded!”; “Ironclad Evidence of Yan University Goddess Zhang Yining’s College Entrance Exam Cheating!”; “Father and Daughter Working Together, Transaction Chain Exposed!”
Zhang Jianguo merely glanced at it, and his vision went black, his temples throbbing.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t panic… Yining, Dad’s here… Dad will make a call first.”
He tremblingly pulled out his phone from his pocket; the screen was stained with the tea that had just splashed, and he wiped it haphazardly before finding a number he knew by heart and dialing it.
This was his most trusted backer, Old Song, whom he had cultivated for many years within the system.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered, and an old, calm voice came from the other end, devoid of any emotion: “Hello?”
“Old… Old Song,” Zhang Jianguo tried to make his voice sound less pathetic, even forcing out a hint of flattery, “It’s me, Jianguo. I… I’ve run into a small problem here, and I’d like to ask you…”
“Jianguo.” Old Song interrupted him indifferently, with a subtle sigh in his tone, “I already know about your matter. I’ve seen those things online too.”
Zhang Jianguo’s heart sank abruptly, as if plunging into an ice cellar.
“You, ah,” Old Song’s voice remained steady, yet it carried a coldness that kept people at a distance, “were still too careless. How could you leave so many handles for something like this, and have them all exposed at once? How foolish!”
“Old Song, I…” Zhang Jianguo still wanted to explain, still wanted to plead.
“Alright, what’s done is done, more words are useless.” A hint of impatience entered Old Song’s voice, “You’re responsible for your own actions. Think about your wife and child; be proactive, confess everything that needs to be confessed, and the higher-ups… might still consider your past hard work.”
“Beep… beep… beep…”
The call was decisively hung up.
Zhang Jianguo held his phone, his arm dropping powerlessly, his eyes vacant, cold sweat trickling down his forehead, soaking his already sparse hair and sticking it messily to his scalp.
It’s over… even Old Song…
He didn’t give up and thought of another person, a colleague, Old Zhou, who had once received immense favor from him.
He clutched at this last straw, frantically dialing Old Zhou’s number.
“Hello, Old Zhou? It’s me, Zhang Jianguo! Quick… quick, help me, something big has happened to me…” His voice was tearful, filled with desperate pleading.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then Old Zhou’s slightly panicked voice came through: “Old Zhang? You… where are you now? Don’t do anything reckless! Let me tell you, your affairs… whoever gets involved now will be unlucky! You… you take care of yourself! Don’t implicate us innocent people! Think about your family!”
“Slam!” The phone was hung up again, faster and more decisively than Old Song’s.
Zhang Jianguo completely collapsed, sliding down the wall like a puddle of mud onto the cold floor.
He knew he was completely finished. Those “friends” and “backers” who had once called him brother and clinked glasses with him, in the face of true crisis, ran faster than anyone.
With irrefutable and ironclad evidence, who would dare to lend him a hand at this moment? Not kicking him when he was down was already considered benevolent.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, ultimately turning into a dead ash.
For his wife, for his daughter… he had to take all the blame himself, insisting he acted alone, perhaps then they could have a way out.
As for Yining… dropping out of school was certain, whether she could avoid prison would depend on his “performance.”
“Yining…” Zhang Jianguo’s voice was hoarse, and he reached out, gently holding his daughter’s cold hand, weakly comforting her, “Don’t be afraid… Dad’s here… Dad won’t let anything happen to you.”
Zhang Yining was already sobbing uncontrollably; she gripped her father’s hand tightly, as if clutching the only piece of driftwood: “Dad! Will I… will I be arrested? I don’t want to go to jail… I don’t want to… Wuwuwu…”
“No, Yining, Dad promises you, you’ll be fine.”
Zhang Jianguo’s eyes were dim as he continued to offer assurances he didn’t even believe himself, “It’s just… it’s just that school definitely won’t work out, you’ll be expelled…”
Before he could finish speaking, the private room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Several middle-aged men in dark suits with serious expressions walked in. The one leading them sharply scanned the room, finally focusing on Zhang Jianguo.
“Excuse me, are you Comrade Zhang Jianguo?” The leader showed a red work ID, his tone devoid of emotion, “We are from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. You are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, using your authority to seek improper benefits for yourself and others. We now ask you to return with us for investigation.”
Zhang Jianguo hung his head, as if he had aged a dozen years in an instant, utterly lacking the usual dignity and presence of a deputy director.
He nodded silently, like a zombie from which the soul had been extracted.
He slowly stood up, each step as if dragging a thousand-pound weight, and followed the disciplinary inspection personnel out of the private room.
“Dad! Dad—!” Zhang Yining cried out, chasing after him, but was stopped by a disciplinary inspection officer.
Zhang Jianguo didn’t look back, only his hunched back disappeared at the end of the corridor. He was eventually led into a black car parked at the restaurant entrance and quickly driven away.
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan, the instigator of all this, was leisurely strolling along the tree-lined path of Yanjing University.
【Host successfully exposed Black Material of special person Zhang Jianguo, Black Material APP updated to version 1.0.3】
【Black Material APP 1.0.3 Version: Unlock rewards for exposing Black Material】
【① Reward: 1000 points】
【② Reward: Soldier King-level Fighting Techniques】
【③ Reward: Physique 80 → 82】
These unexpected rewards made Lu Xuan overjoyed.
The autumn night wind carried a hint of coolness, causing his clothes to flutter slightly.
He took out his phone and casually opened a few mainstream social media platforms.
Douyin, Weibo, Bilibili, Kuaishou… without exception, the top few trending topics were firmly occupied by keywords like “Zhang Jianguo,” “Zhang Yining,” and “Yan University Cheating.”
The comment sections below had completely exploded:
“Holy cow! A real-life officialdom exposé! This scandal is ripe!”
“14,888 pages of PPT? How much did he embezzle! The comrades from the Discipline Inspection Commission can use this directly as evidence!”
“Yan University Goddess? I think she’s a Yan University joke! How does someone like this deserve to enter our Yan University?!”
“Strict investigation! A strict investigation is a must! Corrupt elements in the education system, catch every single one!”
“My heart aches for the innocent candidate whose spot she took. Where is the fairness?”