Chapter 15: Making Trouble and Overturning the Table
Chapter 15: Making Trouble and Overturning the Table
That evening, Gu Tong took Ling Yi and Su Qingqing to a seemingly ordinary private kitchen.
The place was not big and not many people were there, but the atmosphere was excellent.
The dishes, which looked ordinary, tasted amazing, earning praise from both Ling Yi and Su Qingqing.
Ling Yi asked Su Qingqing, “Can you stay for a few days?”
Su Qingqing shook her head. “No, I have to go back tomorrow.”
Gu Tong chimed in from the side, “The workload at the Military Intelligence Department is still quite heavy.”
Su Qingqing pouted and said, “Isn’t that right? I was fooled by my old man. I’ve admired the life of a female agent since I was little. During the college entrance exam, I could have gotten into Zongwu or Jing University, but without hesitation, I applied for military school. I kept dreaming about it until I actually entered the school, and then I realized…”
When she mentioned her old man, a hint of sadness flickered in Su Qingqing’s brow.
Perhaps not wanting to show it in front of Ling Yi, she deliberately used a light tone to joke about herself, bringing up some embarrassing stories from back in the day.
After the three of them ate for a while, the image on the TV in the private box suddenly changed—
“We interrupt with a news bulletin. The senior graduating class of Zongwu Academy, known as the Champion Class, has collectively announced they are refusing to accept their graduation certificates…”
The three of them, who had been chatting, instantly turned their eyes to the TV. Gu Tong stood up, picked up the remote control from the coffee table nearby, and turned up the volume.
Ling Yi looked at the TV screen, his heart filled with helplessness.
His biggest worry had still happened.
As expected, his capable classmates were making trouble.
But what method did they use to get a press conference broadcast live at this hour?
Not just anyone could do that!
Great Qin’s entire propaganda system was almost entirely controlled by the Ministry of Truth, and behind the Ministry of Truth… was exactly that group of Academic Faction big shots.
A flicker of excitement appeared in Su Qingqing’s eyes as she muttered, “Has it finally started?”
Ling Yi glanced at her.
Su Qingqing stared at the TV and said, “What happened to you isn’t just your own business.”
Gu Tong didn’t seem very surprised either, saying from the side, “With such a big incident occurring, they have to show some attitude. Otherwise, many people will really think the Military Headquarters can be pushed around at will.”
But Su Qingqing sighed and said, “It’s about time anyway.”
Gu Tong sighed heavily and clenched his fist tightly. “I despise the selfishness of mediocre officials, lament my lack of talent for Dao Enlightenment, and regret that our Monarch is no longer young…”
On the TV, a group of vibrant young people sat on the stage of a hotel’s multifunction hall. The audience was filled with media from all over. From the scene, it was easy to tell this wasn’t something prepared in just a day or two.
Looking at the elegant short-haired beauty sitting in the center of the stage speaking confidently to the camera, Ling Yi wore a bitter smile.
His rumored girlfriend, Luo Xue, had ultimately given him a huge “surprise.” She truly was one of the Children of the Jianghu…
Just then, the TV signal suddenly cut off, and an advertisement appeared.
“Crap!” Gu Tong couldn’t help but curse.
Su Qingqing’s expression also turned ugly.
Everyone understood what had happened. A live press conference being suddenly interrupted must have been the work of someone from the Ministry of Truth.
But what surprised all three of them was that after thirty seconds of commercials, the picture actually restored!
It returned to the live broadcast of the press conference!
And what was even more unbelievable was that Luo Xue on stage, after glancing at a certain direction in the audience, continued speaking exactly from where the broadcast had cut off!
This was definitely a news incident that could shock the entire world.
One of the reasons Ling Yi didn’t want this to happen was right here.
An internal power struggle within Great Qin, brought from behind the scenes onto the stage, would not only make outsiders laugh but also allow the surrounding countries that were already eyeing Great Qin to judge Great Qin’s situation and circumstances more clearly!
Thus becoming even more brazen!
But judging from the reactions of Su Qingqing and Gu Tong, it seemed they both knew something.
So, this press conference by his classmates most likely had the backing of the Military Headquarters.
From the perspective of the Military Headquarters side, this was probably about “lancing the boil, cutting out the rotten flesh.” That was most likely it.
This was also why Ling Yi was unwilling to join the Military Headquarters.
In the live broadcast, Luo Xue was accusing Zongwu Academy of smearing Ling Yi—
“Certain people, for their own selfish gain, forcibly expelled a talented student from the academy. What’s even more chilling is that they felt this wasn’t enough to destroy a person. Using the ridiculous reason of ‘causing major property loss to the academy,’ they framed Ling Yi for three hundred million!”
Although this matter had been exposed by the traffic radio station before, on one hand its spread was limited, and on the other hand, many people still had doubts.
Now, with Luo Xue saying it publicly again, the impact was far more powerful than hearing it on the radio.
So, among the media below, many couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.
Luo Xue’s delicate face was covered in frost as she said coldly, “A third-level Demon Beast Core is worth about a million on the market. Three hundred million can buy three hundred of such cores! It could allow a third-level Meridian Opening Realm martial artist to train for years! It could instantly elevate an ordinary family into the wealthy class!”
“That’s an amount an ordinary person couldn’t earn in several lifetimes!”
“Even we, who came out of Zongwu and are called geniuses, dare not say we can earn that much money in our lifetimes!”
“It takes many years to cultivate a talent, but to destroy a person… it only takes certain people moving their lips!”
“No reason, no explanation, just using a fabricated charge of theirs, they want to destroy someone like this.”
“I want to ask, based on what?”
“And who gave them this kind of courage?”
“Expulsion without reason, falsely accusing someone of an astronomical compensation claim, freezing personal accounts, blacklisting credit… spanning multiple departments and fields, their methods are simply boundless!”
“I just want to ask, who gave you the right to do this?”
“And who is hiding behind the scenes, manipulating all of this?”
“What exactly do you want to do?”
“If the Old Principal didn’t have such prestige and status in Great Qin, would you even splash a basin of dirty water on the deceased Old Principal?”
“A bunch of shameless, despicable scoundrels!”
“Such an academy completely and utterly violates the principles of fairness, justice, and openness. I think we are not worthy of possessing its graduation certificates!”
“So after careful consideration, we have finally decided to stand with the wronged classmate Ling Yi. We refuse to attend the Graduation Ceremony and refuse to accept our graduation certificates.”
“Of course, certain mighty individuals can expel all of us as well.”
Luo Xue’s icy voice, through the TV broadcast, during the dinner hour, almost instantly spread throughout the entire Great Qin.
At the same time, it spread through the network to every corner of this Supercontinent.
Was this merely the Children of the Jianghu making trouble?
This was the Military overturning the table against the Academic Faction!
Ling Yi’s mind raced, constantly analyzing the possible impact of Luo Xue’s words and what would happen next.
He suddenly felt that when making trouble turned into overturning the table, the outcome of this matter… didn’t seem so severe anymore!
Yes, those in the know understood this was a contest between the two major factions within Great Qin.
But in Luo Xue’s continuous accusations, this matter had gradually evolved into a… private vendetta by a group of people with ulterior motives against the talented student Ling Yi.
Despite Luo Xue’s sharp words and fierce attacks, she actually remained within a controllable range.
She did not name any specific person or any specific department!
Ling Yi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The thought in his mind suddenly spoke, “That girl is full of heroic spirit, I like her too!”
Ling Yi rolled his eyes. You like every girl, right? Did you install a voice changer in my head or what?
Gu Tong sighed with emotion. “Your classmates are really amazing! After this press conference, some people will have to make a drastic sacrifice. The Academic Faction will be defeated this time. And it will clear the injustice from your poor, wronged self… Truly, everyone in the Champion Class is a genius!”
Ling Yi nodded. “You are right.”
“…”
Gu Tong looked speechless.
Can you be a little less proud?
Your senior here graduated from Zongwu too, you know!
At that moment, the press conference reached the question-and-answer session.
The first journalist asked a very sharp, core question.
“Student Luo Xue, I have a question. You say Student Ling Yi was wronged. Do you have any evidence? As far as I know, when the incident happened, you were studying for your master’s degree at Great Chu Academy…”
On the stage, Luo Xue nodded gently. “That’s a good question. We don’t have evidence to prove Student Ling Yi’s innocence, but after four years as classmates, we all believe in his character…”
Just then, a voice suddenly came from below. “But we have evidence!”
Buzz!
The entire press conference venue erupted into an uproar.
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice. Countless camera lenses immediately focused on the speaker.
The new vice principal of Zongwu Academy, Leng Mingda.
He strode onto the stage and said loudly, “Can I have a microphone?”
The person in charge of hosting looked at Luo Xue. She smiled and nodded. “Give it to him. I think everyone here is as curious as I am about how exactly Student Ling Yi caused such great losses for the academy.”
Someone handed the microphone to Leng Mingda. He glanced at the audience and spoke with a solemn expression. “Firstly, as the vice principal of Zongwu, I apologize to everyone… It is our failure in discipline that led to such a major scandal. Also, I apologize to the students on stage… It was our oversight…”
Here, he paused, then sighed. “Previously, because we considered that Student Ling Yi was Principal Shen’s adopted son, we did not want to make this public, as we wished to let Principal Shen rest in peace. But now that things have come to this, we can only reveal the evidence.”
“Zongwu Academy, as the top institution in Great Qin and ranked sixth in the world, would never wrongly accuse one of our own students!”
These words were reasonable, measured, and impactful, immediately silencing the entire venue.
Ling Yi watched the TV and said, “That guy used to be in the Academy’s Ministry of Truth. He’s very good at crisis management.”
Gu Tong looked at Ling Yi curiously. “You’re not worried?”
Ling Yi smiled. “Why should I worry? I trust them. If they wanted to cause trouble, I’d be worried. But if they’re flipping the table, then I have nothing to worry about.”
At the venue.
After Leng Mingda finished speaking, several people from Zongwu Academy brought out a computer and a projector. They showed a video right then and there.
In the video, there was a clear image of Ling Yi’s face, along with his voice.
“Principal Shen sent me to borrow a Magical Artifact… Yeah, for the graduation mission, worried something might go wrong… That’s right, um… Preferably the Frost Sword.”
In the video, Ling Yi, using Principal Shen Xiaowu’s name, borrowed a fifth-tier Magical Artifact, the Frost Sword, from the academy’s storeroom. He also signed his name on the loan form.
The entire process was perfectly captured on surveillance.
It looked flawless, without a single hole!
The press conference venue fell silent.
Almost everyone watching the live broadcast was also left speechless.
The journalist who asked the first question spoke again. “Student Luo Xue, what is your explanation for this?”
At that moment, countless people, including micro-expression experts, tried to see any sign of panic on Luo Xue’s face. But Luo Xue, facing the cameras, remained completely calm.
She even showed a happy smile. That smile was instantly interpreted by the micro-expression experts as “You’ve finally shown your true colors!”
“Vice Principal Leng!” Luo Xue looked at Leng Mingda and said cheerfully, “Do you mind giving me a copy of that evidence?”
“What do you want to do?” Leng Mingda frowned.
“To expose the fake!” Luo Xue suddenly turned cold and snapped, “Don’t you know, this whole press conference, everyone has been waiting for you to come on stage! If you didn’t show up, how could we clear Ling Yi’s name? How could we reveal the true faces of you shameless villains?”
She glared coldly at Leng Mingda. “You… don’t dare to give it to me?”