Chapter 39

Chapter 39

This was an open secret.

Individual credit reflects on the whole team. If word gets out about cracking such a major case, their staff’s contributions would be acknowledged.

But if the truth were revealed, it would show that the railway bureau had nothing to do with it—the key figure in solving the case was a middle school student named Xu Meng.

The sheer audacity of some people, always angling for unearned credit.

Huang Mei: "Consider this a courtesy heads-up. Don’t think I’m trying to cause trouble."

Yin Juan suddenly faltered: "But—but this was approved by Deputy Director Liu. Can’t you back off for once and stop undermining me? Cooperate with me to make the Spiritual Civilization Month (a workplace morale campaign) a success, and there’ll be benefits for you later."

November was the unit’s Spiritual Civilization Month. Besides distributing welfare to employees, small events would be held. Every year, the office and the labor union jointly organized it, so the two of them should have discussed it together.

Yin Juan had been at the unit longer and always hogged all the lucrative assignments, never giving Huang Mei a chance to get involved.

By saying this, she was actually backing down.

Huang Mei’s initial anger subsided, but she instinctively felt that Yin Juan was probably scheming something else.

"I don’t care for it." Huang Mei tossed out these words and walked away.

She felt a sudden rush of vindication.

The thought of diligent workers like herself constantly being eclipsed by those who only put on a show, made her deeply frustrated.

Sometimes, she really wanted to quit this lousy job, but reason told her—at this age, could she really pivot careers like some twenty-something?

Just as she stepped out of Yin Juan’s office, she ran into Jiang Haohao, who had come looking for someone.

Compared to last time, Jiang Haohao had packed on more pounds.

In the 1980s and 90s, aesthetics were different from later generations. Carrying some extra weight was seen as desirable for both men and women. Someone like Jiang Haohao, with her cherubic, well-fed appearance, suggested a well-off family—and indeed, Principal Jiang’s household had always enjoyed good meals. Jiang Haohao had that plump, rosy-cheeked look, much like Yin Juan.

As they passed each other, Jiang Haohao gave her a deliberate glance.

She entered Yin Juan’s office and handed her a kraft paper bag, saying arrogantly, "Consider it done. Your son can transfer next semester. But I’ll warn you—our school is a top-ranked key middle school. The academic pressure is intense. He’d better be ready to hit the ground running."

Yin Juan opened the bag, and her eyes lit up. She barely contained her glee: "Of course, I understand. You know, our last collaboration made it into the Railway Monthly. I got you front-page treatment—look at this article. It highlights your contributions the most."

Jiang Haohao, while saying, "I’m not one to chase after fame," took the magazine in hand. Then, accepting the newspaper Yin Juan passed her, she couldn’t help but smile. With these reports, she’d be the talk of the faculty lounge.

This year’s "Capital's Top Ten Teachers" award nomination could now rightfully include her name.

Winning such an honor would greatly benefit her future career.

Principal Jiang had mastered this art, rising quickly in his field. Having been groomed in his methods, Jiang Haohao had learned effortlessly.

Though Yin Juan privately looked down on her, securing a spot in this elite school for her son was invaluable. The school had Ivy League-level admissions standards, and it would greatly aid her son’s chances for high school. Just thinking about it, Yin Juan could already envision the university gates—she was already mentally decorating his dorm room.

Meanwhile, Jiang Haohao returned to school with the newspaper and magazine.

What’s the point of success if nobody sees it?

Just as Jiang Haohao’s deeds spread throughout Seventeenth High, and even Principal Jiang reported her heroics to higher authorities to secure her the "Capital's Top Ten Teachers" nomination, the whole campus was abuzz with her heroics—when the latest issue of *Legal Weekly* hit the stands.

—Outsmarting a Kidnapper: An 18-Year-Old High School Girl Takes Center Stage.

—The female teacher showed remarkable language skills.

*The Legal Weekly* is a niche newspaper with a dedicated following in certain circles.

The 1990s was an era when print media thrived. Even if it wasn’t the most influential newspaper, its reports carried a certain authority, earning it a solid reputation and a degree of popularity. In today’s internet terms, it had its own loyal fanbase.

Principal Zheng of No. 17 High School was one such die-hard fan of *The Legal Weekly*.

He had a background in Chinese literature and even submitted short filler pieces to newspapers in his early years, harboring dreams of becoming a writer. Later, however, he realized that writing books had little to do with studying Chinese literature. As work consumed more of his time and life’s trivialities piled up, this dream gradually faded.

During his edgy teenage phase, Principal Zheng had even dreamed of churning out a mystery novel.

Though his dream of becoming a writer was dashed, Principal Zheng never lost his passion for reading.

In other words, it was his love for novels and newspapers that had initially inspired him to write.

As soon as today’s issue of *The Legal Weekly* was placed in the newspaper rack, he snatched it up.

Tucking the newspaper under his arm, he pedaled like the wind and arrived at the school gate.

The security guard nodded at Principal Zheng and opened a side gate for him. Everyone knew Principal Zheng was nearing retirement age, and these days, he was in his mellow phase. Whether it was the younger staff or his old acquaintances, they all spoke highly of him.

"Principal Zheng, here for work?"

"Old Zheng, morning!"

Principal Zheng nodded in acknowledgment. Those who called him "Principal Zheng" were usually much younger, while those who addressed him as "Old Zheng" were generally his peers—people who had joined the workforce around the same time as him. There was no sense of distance between them, and their interactions remained as casual as they had been in the past.

Of course, this easy rapport with his colleagues was also because Principal Zheng was naturally good-natured.

Before reaching his office, he noticed the door of Jiang Guangdong’s adjacent office was closed.

Jiang Guangdong wasn’t the most upstanding character, but he was skilled at maneuvering and had backroom ties with the district education office. If not for Principal Zheng keeping him in check, he’d have had free rein long ago. However, the school wasn’t anyone’s personal dictatorship—Principal Zheng couldn’t completely suppress Jiang Guangdong, nor could Jiang Guangdong act with impunity.

For example, a few years ago, Jiang Guangdong proposed renovating the teachers’ offices, but Principal Zheng rejected the idea.

Did Principal Zheng not know what Jiang Guangdong was up to?

They were around the same age. As long as Principal Zheng didn’t step down, Jiang Guangdong couldn’t rise. But no one could force Principal Zheng to retire early, and by the time he did, Jiang Guangdong would also be at retirement age—they were only three years apart. The district education office wouldn’t appoint someone on the verge of retirement as principal.

Jiang Guangdong wanted to line his pockets before retiring, but Principal Zheng made sure to clip his wings.

A few years ago, when Jiang Guangdong tried to get his daughter into the school as his "successor," Principal Zheng turned a blind eye.

"Succession" was a feature of the times—typically referring to a child taking over a parent’s job after retirement. But Jiang Guangdong hadn’t even retired yet when he arranged for his daughter to join. At the time, there happened to be an opening, and Jiang Guangdong promised that once he retired, he wouldn’t use this nepotism slot. The matter was swept under the rug.

Still, Principal Zheng felt uneasy. He and Jiang Guangdong didn’t get along, and he saw Jiang Guangdong as someone who would seize every advantage, even the tiniest scrap of benefit. For instance, when schools were asked to nominate "Outstanding Teachers," Jiang Guangdong had repeatedly submitted his underwhelming daughter, Jiang Haohao, whose mediocre track record was even considered an embarrassment.

Every time Jiang Guangdong nominated her, Principal Zheng blocked it.

Jiang Guangdong fought back by blacklisting other nominees.

For three consecutive years, No. 17 High School hadn’t submitted a single candidate.

The teachers had been grumbling for ages, but no one stuck their neck out.

After all, it’s a tradition in China to prize humility and deference. But there were likely plenty of people who held a grudge against Jiang Guangdong.

No sooner had Principal Zheng entered his office than someone ambled in his direction.

Looking up, he saw his old comrade Lao Fang.

Lao Fang was a northerner, stood nearly six-foot-three, which was quite rare for their generation. He was upright and had offended many people over the years. In recent years, Principal Zheng had transferred him to the logistics department, partly to take care of his old friend. Lao Fang’s health wasn’t great, and if he'd kept teaching, he might not have lived to collect his pension for long.

"Lao Zheng, this year’s Teacher of the Year nomination from the school finally went to Jiang Guangdong’s daughter."

Only someone as blunt as Lao Fang would dare say this outright.

Lao Zheng wasn’t one for gossip, especially not behind others’ backs. But he did remember the nomination—this year, Jiang Guangdong had finally submitted his daughter’s name. He had reviewed the application, and the achievements listed were indeed impressive and relevant to her field. He had no reason to block it this time.

If he kept suppressing it, the school would go four years without submitting a nomination—which would be unheard of.

And precisely because they hadn’t submitted anyone for the past three years, this year’s nomination, regardless of the reason, would almost certainly secure a spot in the "Top Ten" for Seventeenth High.

The idea turned his stomach.

Someone like Jiang Haohao was about to become a "Top Ten Teacher."

Word was she didn’t even bother preparing her lessons, just mooched off her colleagues’ lesson plans. When explaining problems, she relied on answer keys. After years of teaching, without answer keys, she couldn’t explain the concepts—her skills might even be worse than an average student. The idea that someone like her could win such an honor felt like a slap in the face to Principal Zheng’s professional standards.

"What’s done is done. We can’t keep blocking it forever." Principal Zheng glanced at the steamed buns on his desk and reluctantly pushed them forward. "Want to share?"

Lao Fang was a straightforward man. Without hesitation, he sat down opposite Zheng, picked up a bun, and started eating.

Principal Zheng’s stomach growled in protest—he had bought just enough for himself.

Lao Fang raised an eyebrow. "This isn’t from the cafeteria. Where’d you get it?"

Principal Zheng named the place.

Lao Fang finished the bun in a few bites. "Tastes great."

Principal Zheng didn’t hold back anymore and quietly nibbled on the remaining buns, returning to the topic. "I read the incident Jiang Guangdong submitted. It was quite remarkable. But I doubt Jiang Haohao could actually converse with foreigners—I don’t think she’s at that level."

Lao Fang nodded. "I was surprised too, so I looked into it. That girl really isn’t up to par. She didn’t even attend a technical secondary school—just a crash course at teachers’ college. Her English wouldn’t pass middle school."

It wasn’t that he had relatives who wanted the nomination—he just couldn’t stand Jiang Guangdong’s behavior.

Everyone had some selfish motives, but this man had his fingers in every pie.

Lately, Jiang Guangdong had been pulling strings for his daughter. The whole school, even the district office, knew about her supposedly acting as a translator for foreigners.

The matter wasn’t earth-shattering, but it wasn’t trivial either—it was a feather in one’s cap. Most ordinary teachers never got such opportunities, and even if they did, they’d need both luck and skill to handle it. Some English teachers at the school privately admitted they couldn’t even hold a normal conversation with foreigners, let alone keep their cool under pressure where instinct would make anyone fall back on their mother tongue.

Lao Zheng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Lao Fang stared at the *Law & Order Weekly* in his hand and stayed silent.

But Principal Zheng understood. He opened the newspaper, where the front-page headline covered an 18-year-old girl outsmarting a criminal. There was a group photo, and in it, Principal Zheng spotted a familiar face—Teacher Feng Yanwen.

A former teacher at their school, she had gone on personal leave over family troubles.

Principal Zheng had personally approved her living allowance back then.

Seeing her froze him in his tracks for a few moments.

But Lao Fang’s finger pointed to a smaller section below.

Principal Zheng hadn’t expected this case to be split into two reports. While not as eye-catching as the criminal takedown, this follow-up still got prime real estate. It detailed how a female English teacher had communicated with an international visitor, working hand-in-glove with them to track down a lost child—all without stepping on any toes.

At this point, Principal Zheng's mind went blank with a "boom—".

Why does this story look so familiar, just with a different protagonist?

Isn't this the case Jiang Guangdong submitted for his daughter? How did it end up being about Teacher Feng?

Immediately, Principal Zheng understood. With *Legal Weekly*'s reputation for accuracy, they wouldn’t lie or make mistakes. So the problem must lie with Jiang Guangdong and his daughter.

No wonder Old Fang had been beating around the bush earlier—it all circled back to this matter.

With Jiang Haohao’s level of skill, there’s no way she could handle the responsibility of translation, let alone deal with the many unexpected situations during the search for the child. Even an average translator would’ve struggled.

As he read on, Principal Zheng’s hands holding the newspaper trembled slightly. Were Jiang Guangdong and his daughter treating everyone as fools? Passing off such a fake case, one already reported in *Legal Daily*—this was basically shaming the whole city publicly.

Do they really think they can pull the wool over everyone’s eyes?!

Principal Zheng slammed the table in fury. "Bring Jiang Haohao here immediately."