Chapter 43 One Must View Issues from One's Own Standpoint

The territory of District 2 is extremely vast, spanning six time zones.

Berick is located in the eastern time zone, exactly twelve hours ahead of the Imperial Capital time.

When it was 11:30 AM in the Imperial Capital, it was 11:30 late last night in Berick.

This hour was precisely the prime moment to enjoy a late-night snack.

Zhang Zhiqiang, the principal of Cerington Academy, loved preparing late-night snacks for himself and his family at this time.

Zhang Zhiqiang took immense pleasure in the process of cooking personally.

Skillfully combining various fresh ingredients and ultimately transforming them into a delicious dish always brought him a deep sense of fulfillment in his heart.

Therefore, the three daily meals at home, including the late-night snack, were all prepared by his own hands.

Tonight's late-night snack was carefully simmered fish maw with abalone sauce and shiitake mushrooms.

The selection of ingredients was exceptionally meticulous; the fish maw had to be aged and thick, while the shiitake mushrooms required log-cultivated ones with a diameter exceeding five centimeters. Old hen, lean pork, and cured ham were then simmered together with great care to extract a rich abalone sauce, cooked slowly over a low flame.

The most crucial step was the mandatory use of traditional clay pots for simmering.

Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Zhiqiang put on thick gloves and lifted the boiling clay pot off the stove.

Zhang Zhiqiang detested convenient gas stoves and favored primitive firewood, firmly believing that only this natural flame could impart the most authentic flavor to the soup.

Anyway, he had plenty of time and patience.

Zhang Zhiqiang lifted four clay pots from the stove, arranged them on a tray, and carried them out of the kitchen together.

He did not like to stew the portions for a family of four in a single pot; instead, everyone enjoyed their own individual pot.

A smaller quantity not only shortened the simmering time but also ensured that the flavor of every single bite was concentrated and ultimate.

His pursuit of deliciousness was strict.

After serving his family, Zhang Zhiqiang placed his own clay pot at the head of the table. The moment he lifted the lid, an extremely rich and savory steam burst forth, instantly invading his sense of smell.

Zhang Zhiqiang took a deep breath, and even the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes seemed to be smoothed out by the aroma. "It smells so good."

He praised from the bottom of his heart.

His son, Zhang Haoxuan, looked at his father's intoxicated expression, but a look of worry lingered on his face as he spoke, "Dad, the online public opinion recently has been very unfavorable to our Cerington Academy.

Shouldn't you quickly rescind that disciplinary action and punish that female student first to appease public anger?"

A dismissive smile appeared on Zhang Zhiqiang's face as he said, "Son, you must understand that our Cerington Academy is one of the top institutions of higher learning in District 2, with a glorious history of six hundred years.

Our alumni are spread across all walks of life, and the elite class of District 2 consists of our graduates.

If I revoke the disciplinary action now, it would be tantamount to admitting that the academy made a mistake, which would be a heavy blow to their reputation.

In the future, when they call themselves Cerington graduates, there is no guarantee their rivals won't sneer and mock them, saying, 'Oh, isn't that Cerington, the place that dishes out arbitrary punishments to students?'"

Zhang Haoxuan asked doubtfully, "But with this deadlock now, won't other people say the same thing anyway?"

"As long as we insist on neither revoking nor apologizing, then we haven't made a mistake.

You shouldn't care about the voices at the bottom; what you need to care about is the perspective of high society."

Zhang Zhiqiang earnestly imparted his philosophy of life to his son.

People from different social strata viewed things from completely different angles.

To ordinary people, they yearned for justice to be upheld.

However, to high society, after making a mistake, no one could force you to bow your head and admit fault—that was the symbol of strength and status.

"I have already given a heads-up to some relevant departments, and they won't intervene. Once this wave of public opinion blows over, no one will remember this matter anymore."

"How should the matter on the medical school's side be handled?"

"I asked Dean Li, and he said it's not a problem."

Zhang Zhiqiang replied casually.

He was not deeply involved in the affairs over there. Since Dean Li had given his guarantee, should something truly go wrong in the future, Dean Li would naturally shoulder full responsibility, and it would have nothing to do with him.

Zhang Haoxuan gave a thumbs-up and said, "Dad, you are truly wise and resourceful."

"Haha."

Zhang Zhiqiang chuckled, scooped up a spoonful of golden soup with a soup spoon, gently blew on it, and brought it into his mouth.

The mellow yet non-greasy taste was just right, making his mood even more pleasant.

He was just about to pick up a plump shiitake mushroom to taste.

Jingle, jingle, jingle.

The phone on the table suddenly rang, and the screen automatically lit up, displaying the surveillance footage from outside the front gate.

A tall, bald Black man in a suit was standing at the entrance.

"Director Hunter, do you have any urgent matters coming over so late?"

"Open the door quickly! There is a critical matter!"

Hunter's voice came through the phone, sounding exceptionally impatient, and his naturally dark face looked frighteningly gloomy in the surveillance footage.

Zhang Zhiqiang hurriedly clicked the door-opening button on his phone, then got up and walked quickly toward the door.

His wife and children also put down their soup spoons one after another and followed closely behind.

The Director of Education of Berick paying a personal visit late at night was worth their entire family turning out to welcome him.

...

The warm lighting of the foyer spilled out, and as the front door opened, Zhang Zhiqiang discovered that standing outside besides Director Hunter were eight stern-faced men standing in silent succession.

Zhang Zhiqiang's heart sank heavily, bringing with it an ominous premonition as he asked, "Director Hunter, what is the meaning of this?"

"Old Zhang, this time you've really dragged me down into a miserable mess! I told you long ago to resolve the mess at Cerington as soon as possible, but you insisted on dragging your feet!"

Hunter was filled with anger. Thinking of how Park Jinhu had cursed him out to a pulp on the phone, even disparaging him as a worthless toilet maggot, the anger in his chest flared right up. "Now the order from above has come down to immediately strip you of your office and investigate you. Come with us!"

Zhang Zhiqiang froze entirely on the spot, crying out in shock, "This—how is this possible?! Didn't we agree that I would handle this little matter myself..."

"Once it reaches the Saint, it is no longer a little matter!"

Hunter was furious. "I almost lost my position because I was implicated by you!"

Thud!

Zhang Zhiqiang's legs went weak, and he collapsed directly to the ground. His complexion was as pale as paper, and his lips trembled as he muttered to himself, "The, the Saint... How could he know about such a thing?"

Because Bai Yujing had never publicly revealed his habit of binge-watching short videos, most others generally believed that his information came from official channels.

Therefore, the departments Zhang Zhiqiang had buttered up were concentrated in the official and traditional media sectors.

He never expected that the Saint would actually pay attention to those short videos which, in their view, were a "waste of time."

After all, given their status, they didn't need to satisfy themselves through virtual entertainment like short videos; they could directly seek it out in reality.

"The fact is that the Saint already knows and has personally made the decision on the punishment. All your assets will be confiscated. Even if subsequent investigations prove you are innocent, your entire family must enter the factories."

Hunter's gaze swept over the trembling wife and children standing behind Zhang Zhiqiang.

Hearing this, the expressions of the three of them changed drastically.

Zhang Haoxuan roared excitedly, "I am a doctoral graduate of Cerington Academy! I am a senior intellectual! How can I go to a factory to tighten screws?!"

"This is the order of the Saint."

Hunter replied coldly.

Because of this damn mess, they had no idea how busy they were going to be next, so how could they possibly care about preserving his dignity?

"Ah!"

The immense blow completely shattered Zhang Zhiqiang's nerves. Everything went black before his eyes, and with half a scream, he fainted on the spot.