Chapter 63: The Three Giants of the Officialdom

Damn it! With such a strong aura, if we swapped “Xia Tian” for “Brother Tian,” anyone who didn’t know better might think it’s an illegal gang assembly!

Sister Qian’s expression mirrored mine—both of us were stunned. It seemed we were both clueless about what kind of trick Wang Tong was playing.

I walked up to Wang Tong and asked, “Principal, what play are you putting on here?” In front of all the teachers and students, I still had to give Wang Tong some face.

“Classmate Xia Tian has acted heroically and shown no fear of dark forces. He is a model for all of us to follow! So we specially waited here for Classmate Xia Tian to join us in holding a commendation ceremony!” Wang Tong said cheerfully, without any of the typical principal’s airs. I wasn’t sure if he was doing this to build a positive image or if he had already abandoned any pretense.

“Students, clear the way and let Classmate Xia Tian enter the hall!” Wang Tong turned and shouted into a megaphone, and the students, showing him respect, neatly cleared a path.

Under Wang Tong’s lead, I walked step by step.

Once we were out of the crowd, I leaned in and said to Wang Tong, “What exactly are you up to?”

“Of course, it’s for Mr. Xia Tian’s benefit. Your help in capturing the perverted murderer has already spread. So I seized this opportunity to make you a perfect model student. Of course, it’s not just my decision,” Wang Tong said quietly, glancing back at the students, as if to avoid being overheard.

“Not just your decision? Who else is involved?” I asked, puzzled.

Wang Tong looked around and whispered, “Your friend Director Li is also involved. He’s waiting for you in the hall!”

Director Li? Damn, that’s a big joke. Although Director Li has helped me twice, it was all because of Qin Shousheng. Why would he actively help me build momentum now?

And besides, I haven’t even met Director Li yet. If I run into him later, it will be disastrous if Wang Tong finds out.

“Oh, and Mayor Zhao is here as well!” Wang Tong added, nearly causing me to collapse. What’s up with this mayor joining the fun?

I forced myself to stay calm and asked Wang Tong, “Is there anyone else?”

“Also, Director Zhang from the police station!” Wang Tong continued to hit me with one big name after another. I couldn’t take it anymore! Why are all these important figures coming to hype me up? This is just setting me up! I need to call Qin Shousheng and ask if he’s behind this.

Seeing that we were almost at the hall, I turned to Wang Tong and said, “You go in with the students first. I need to use the restroom.” I then hurried away.

Wang Tong looked at me as I walked off and shouted, “Classmate Xia Tian, hurry up! Everyone is waiting for you!”

“Got it!” I waved and ran toward the restroom.

As I ran a few steps, I heard Wang Tong mutter, “Looks like Mr. Xia Tian really can’t hold it anymore…”

Damn it! Who can’t hold it? Having ears that sharp isn’t always a good thing! Sometimes, I really envy the deaf and mute; they can’t hear the outside world, but they also can’t hear others speaking ill of them!

“Qin Uncle, what’s going on? Why are so many big shots here to hype me up?” As soon as Qin Shousheng answered the phone, I bombarded him with questions. Since Qin Shousheng helped me return to school last time, I had become more familiar in my address.

On the other end, Qin Shousheng laughed, “Don’t you like it?”

“No!” I shook my head and continued, “I mean, you should have told me so I could be prepared!”

“It’s a small matter, no need to worry!” Small matter? This is a huge deal for me!

I took a deep breath. “What’s the purpose of this?”

“Firstly, as you said, it’s to boost your image!” Qin Shousheng paused and then continued, “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to add some points to your score. I know your grades well—they’re really poor!” Qin Shousheng teased before continuing, “This chance to honor you for fighting against criminals is a good way to award you some medals and add points to your college entrance exams, so it doesn’t look too bad.”

“What’s the second reason?” Since Qin Shousheng mentioned a ‘first,’ there had to be a ‘second’ and maybe even a ‘third.’

“Second, the person you’re protecting has a rather reclusive personality. Helping you build a good image will make future interactions easier,” Qin Shousheng said with a smile.

Damn! A reclusive personality? As expected, the person I’m supposed to protect isn’t going to be easy to handle. But if Qin Shousheng says it’s to help me make future interactions smoother, does that mean my role as a bodyguard has to remain hidden, and even the protected person shouldn’t know?

Whatever the reason, Qin Shousheng won’t harm me; after all, he’s helped me a lot.

Hearing my concerns, Qin Shousheng said helplessly, “Yes, you can’t reveal your identity to the person you’re protecting. You have to keep it a secret.”

“Why?” I asked, confused.

Qin Shousheng sighed, “I’ll tell you more about it after your training.”

Damn the secrecy!

But since Qin Shousheng didn’t want to explain, I didn’t press further and changed the topic. “Since there’s a first and second, is there a third?”

“For the third…” Qin Shousheng seemed to be thinking for a while before saying, “You resemble a friend of mine…”

“A friend?” This puzzled me.

“Yes…” Qin Shousheng’s voice grew a bit melancholic. “At first, I thought you were his son, but after investigating, I found out my friend’s son is staying in the capital.”

“And your friend?” When Qin Shousheng mentioned the investigation, I felt something was off. If he was a friend, why the need to investigate?

Qin Shousheng seemed surprised by my question and took a long time to respond, “He passed away… in a car accident…”

Hearing this, my fists clenched tightly. I tried to stay calm, but my voice trembled as I asked, “What was your friend’s name?”

“Xia Feng…” Upon hearing the name, tears began to fall uncontrollably, but fearing Qin Shousheng might notice, I forced a smile and said, “That’s a good name! I’ll stop bothering you and go accept the commendation now!”

“You rascal!” Qin Shousheng laughed and hung up the phone.

I didn’t want to cry, but the tears kept coming back no matter how much I wiped them.

I splashed cold water on my face, hoping to calm myself quickly. Mei’er seemed to notice something was wrong and communicated with me telepathically, “Xia Tian, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just reminiscing about the past.” After the cold water, I had regained my composure. Mei’er acknowledged my response and remained silent.

I tidied myself up and headed toward the hall. After all, there were three important figures waiting for me inside!

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