Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Among those who came to the exhibition, besides those who received invitations, there were also those who paid their own way to enter.

For example, Shen Lanqing and Nan Feiyao.

Shen Lanqing rushed over as soon as he heard the news. Originally, he was supposed to go on a date with Nan Feiyao today. Nan Feiyao had planned for three days and three nights to create the perfect date, preparing a surprise for his beloved Lanqing that would be unforgettable for a lifetime.

But in the end, he was forced to come see Shen Gali's terrible paintings, which were so awful they were an eyesore.

Yet Shen Lanqing was holding up his phone, angling it this way and that, muttering nonstop, "Bro's amazing, he's Da Vinci reborn."

Nan Feiyao let out a dry chuckle, cursing Shen Gali a thousand times under his breath.

But since they were already here, they couldn't just leave. Besides, quite a few of Shen Gali's classmates were present, so Nan Feiyao had plenty of questions he wanted to ask Shen Gali.

Many people crowded around Shen Gali, the little painter, seemingly very interested in his creative process. They chattered away, questions flying like bullets, sending Shen Gali's soul into outer space.

Of course, they were only putting on a show of interest to suck up to Nan Liujing.

Taking advantage of Shen Lanqing's absorption in the exhibition, Nan Feiyao came over to Shen Gali, looked him up and down, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law keeps getting more impressive. Not only were you selected as the spokesperson for the campus enrollment video, but you've also put on a painting exhibition. It's not an overstatement to call you a genius."

Shen Gali was tired and said lazily, "If you say so, I guess."

His classmates, who always looked down on Shen Gali anyway, now piled on the sour-grapes act. Priding themselves on their youthful vigor, they refused to tolerate any unfairness.

They had to fight! Remove all the obstacles to national progress!

One classmate declared solemnly, "Speaking of the campus video spokesperson, Shen Gali, do you have a clear conscience?"

Shen Gali hated crowded places because there were always a few crazy ones hiding among them.

But since someone asked, he had to tell the truth: "I cut corners. Going through proper channels was too exhausting."

The audition was over a hundred meters away. But his limit was fifty meters.

When the classmates heard this, they thought: Wow, that's bold. Rich people really don't care.

At that moment, the middle-aged man who had been admiring the painting "My Beloved" walked over. He had something to discuss with the painter, but seeing the crowd surrounding him, he stepped back to wait.

"You admit you hacked the account to rig the voting and stole the opportunity that should've gone to Lanqing, right? But we are college students with ideals and aspirations for the modern era, and we won't stand for this kind of unfairness. Now apologize in public and step down voluntarily, returning the opportunity to Lanqing!"

"And you hacked the principal's account too! Do you have any idea how many confidential files are on the principal's computer? If they hold you accountable, you'll face legal trouble!"

Shen Gali: ?

Hacking accounts and rigging votes? That happened?

The commotion attracted many people's attention. Regardless of status or background, gossip was a universal human trait.

Nan Liujing, who had been quietly listening, let his gaze slide over the students one by one.

Hacking and vote rigging? That happened? How many more surprises did Shen Gali have?

He slowly looked at Shen Gali.

Shen Gali frowned, a sleepy flush at the edges of his eyes, his watery eyes looked like they were about to burst open like a dam.

Pitifully adorable.

Shen Gali thought, 'I don't know what's happening, but why not just confess? If I mess up the exhibition, I can go home and lie down for ten minutes.'

Seeing this pitiful look, Nan Liujing's gaze locked, and his fingertips twitched involuntarily.

Just as Shen Gali was about to open his mouth to confess, Nan Liujing lightly knocked on the table, the dull thuds drawing everyone's attention.

The man, rumored to be old and ugly, never showed his real face—even wearing sunglasses inside to hide his identity. The rumors seemed true.

Nan Liujing spoke coldly, "I get that you're young and want to fight injustice, but this is an art show, not a struggle session. If you keep causing trouble, I suggest you think about the consequences."

His icy voice made it feel like standing in the Antarctic glacier. The students were frightened by the freezing tone and fell silent, not daring to speak.

But Nan Feiyao, fearless, pressed on, "Brother, doing wrong requires paying a price—that's the rule. The students said the principal's personal forum account might contain confidential files. If it's pursued legally, the law won't be merciful. If you're gonna protect him, you want to end up in jail with your sister-in-law?"

Encouraged by Nan Feiyao, the fearless student said angrily, "If you join forces with Shen Gali, we'll fight you to the bitter end!"

Nan Liujing's eyes darkened behind his sunglasses, narrowing coldly.

Just as he was about to speak, a middle-aged man with jet-black hair and sharp eyebrows stepped forward, raising a hand to call for silence:

"Alright, let me say something fair about this matter."

The outraged student scoffed, "You're an outsider. Don't bother acting like a so-called neutral observer. This has nothing to do with you. Go take a walk."

The middle-aged man was not offended. He smiled amiably and elegantly: "Indeed, it has nothing to do with me. So, does the other party in this matter have the right to speak?"

The students were clearly taken aback, exchanging uneasy glances, a sense of unease rising.

The middle-aged man stepped forward and extended his hand to Nan Liujing: "Hello, President Nan. I am Yu Yanxiang, the current principal of Jinhai University. It's an honor to receive your invitation."

A series of mental thunderbolts struck the students, leaving them completely dazed.

He said he was who???

The principal?!?!

Damn, they were doomed.

The principal was a shadowy figure, a big shot rarely seen. Few students had ever seen his true face, so it was natural they didn't recognize him.

The student who had told him to go take a walk was now completely frozen, cracks forming all over.

After shaking hands with Nan Liujing, Yu Yanxiang warmly shook hands with the exhibition's protagonist, Shen Gali. Then he slowly turned to face the students, whose expressions were varied but all unpleasant.

He smiled calmly, showing magnanimity and disregard for trivial matters, as if he had no intention of arguing with these naive youngsters.

"Regarding your doubts about the campus spokesperson vote, let me clarify for you. In my spare time, I occasionally visit the school forum to keep up with students' recent activities. I happened to see the spokesperson vote. After comparing them, I voted for candidate number four, who should be Shen Gali, if I'm not mistaken."

The students were incredulous and confused: "Principal, the campus spokesperson best represents the spirit of our school. All previous spokespersons have been sunny and positive. Why would you choose someone like Shen Gali..."

The student shot a nervous glance at Nan Liujing and shut up. He didn't dare finish the sentence, fearing he would die too horribly.

Yu Yanxiang slowly revealed a smile and said softly, "The ocean is vast because it admits all rivers. The tenet of Jinhai University has always been to embrace all imperfections. We hope our students, besides fulfilling their duties, will also develop morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically, becoming broad-minded youths who learn to be inclusive."

Hearing this, the students lowered their heads in shame.

Yu Yanxiang continued, "Adhering to this tenet, after careful consideration, I believe our enrollment video should convey a message to all sectors of society: Jinhai University will equally embrace every personality, acknowledge that what exists is reasonable, and hope that everyone here has infinite opportunities and possibilities, rather than rigidly following conventions and putting normalcy first."

Sometimes, you don't need to care too much about conventions. I think you young people should be able to understand this better than an old man like me.

The gentle and magnanimous words of advice made the aggressive students blush with shame.

No wonder he's the principal—he has far more foresight than ordinary people.

Everyone turned to look at Shen Gali, seeing the red rims of his eyes and knowing how wronged he had been. They quickly bowed and apologized: "We're sorry, Shen. We misunderstood you. We sincerely apologize and hope you can forgive us. We're sorry."

Yu Yanxiang looked at the children with satisfaction and nodded: "It's never too late to mend your ways."

The students were moved to tears.

"But since mistakes have been made, there should be a way to handle it. So, you will post a pinned apology on the forum and the school bulletin board. I need signed apologies from all of you, and the apology will be displayed for a month."

The students were speechless.

Shen Gali had been standing for a full half hour, exceeding his usual limit.

He was too tired to say even one more word, so he responded to the classmates' apology succinctly: "Mm."

To ease the atmosphere, Yu Yanxiang smiled at Shen Gali and said, "Shen, would you like to give everyone a tour of your work? I have something to discuss with President Nan."

Although Shen Gali was tired, since the other party had helped him out, he had to show courtesy in return.

Yu Yanxiang politely raised his hand and smiled at Nan Liujing: "President Nan, this way, please."