CHAPTER 311: CHAPTER 308: CINDERELLA’S COMEBACK 53

It was only a few days before the results of the Olympiad Mathematics finals were announced.

Anning scored a perfect first place once again.

This time, the Olympiad Mathematics questions were particularly difficult, and besides Anning, no one else scored full marks.

I heard that several professors from Jing University and Qing University are arguing over which department Anning should join in the future, almost coming to blows.

Anning’s outstanding results not only caught the attention of Qingcheng City’s Education Bureau but also that of the top officials in Qingcheng City.

The Education Bureau in Qingcheng City took special interest in Anning and specifically sent someone to Anning’s home to inquire if the family had any difficulties and to encourage Anning to study hard, aiming to qualify for international competitions and to win awards on behalf of the country.

Throughout, Anning never mentioned anything about Shengzhe.

Nor did she complain to anyone about being bullied at Shengzhe.

But, no one is a fool.

The Education Bureau paid special attention to Anning and reviewed her past records.

They then discovered that Anning had transferred from Shengzhe to First Middle School.

Further probing by journalists who interviewed several students from Shengzhe revealed how Anning’s days at Shengzhe were.

Just as national focus on school violence was peaking, with all schools promoting anti-school violence campaigns,

the Education Bureau saw Anning’s case as typical.

During a meeting with various school leaders, the Education Bureau named and shamed Principal Fu of Shengzhe, causing him to lose face in front of many principals.

He almost regretted not treating Anning better at the beginning.

But now, it was too late for regrets.

With the anti-school violence campaign tasks assigned from above, actions must be taken.

Qingcheng City also strongly promoted the campaign.

The Education Bureau’s intention was to start with cracking down on Shengzhe.

They were the school that had produced a typical case, after all.

The leaders thought that if Principal Lan was not well-connected, with many influential students protecting Anning, she might not have remained safe.

If Principal Lan had not intervened and Shengzhe had refused to release her, Anning might still be stuck at Shengzhe.

That girl, if she had stayed at Shengzhe, who knows what might have happened.

She might have been bullied into a mental breakdown or even harmed.

Such a great child, any mishap would have been a loss for the whole of Qingcheng, or even the entire country.

Students like Anning, excelling in all four subjects and achieving full marks, are extremely rare; without any mishap, this child could very well become a scientist and make valuable contributions to the country.

Thinking this, the Education Bureau leaders cracked down even harder on Shengzhe.

What could Principal Fu do but cooperate with the Education Bureau’s promotional efforts?

Then, the whole of Shengzhe was covered in anti-violence banners, and teachers lectured on the topic during classes. After the Monday morning flag-raising ceremony, Principal Fu also began to speak, and even invited student representatives to make speeches.

Principal Fu spoke to those students who had previously bullied Anning and also talked with their parents.

Even Qin Minghao couldn’t avoid it.

Anning knew that those incidents were not instigated by Qin Minghao.

But Principal Fu and other students at the school didn’t know this.

Everyone believed that it was Qin Minghao who led the bullying against Anning.

Then, Qin Minghao’s parents were summoned.

Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were genuinely unaware of the matter; they were so busy every day that they hardly paid any attention to Qin Minghao. When they heard that Qin Minghao was leading bullying in the school, Mr. Qin almost beat him.

Though Mrs. Qin was ambitious, hoping for Qin Minghao to marry someone of a matching social status, it doesn’t mean she was unreasonable in other aspects.

She also hoped for Qin Minghao to grow into an upright, kind, and responsible man.

Hearing that Qin Minghao had bullied a young girl infuriated her beyond words.

In Principal Fu’s office, both parents nearly teamed up to give Qin Minghao a sound beating, and back at home, Mr. Qin was ready to discipline him with family rules.

Qin Minghao was feeling wronged.

He yelled, "You all misunderstood, it really wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, don’t listen to those people blindly, it was Zhao Haichao acting under my name, I’ve broken off ties with him long ago, and I’ve also apologized to Gu Anning, really, Gu Anning has forgiven me, do you still have to beat me to death?"

Hearing Qin Minghao say this, Mr. Qin calmed down considerably.

He took a deep breath and asked Qin Minghao to sit down and explain carefully.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

Qin Minghao explained that he accidentally bumped into Anning while walking, then for some unknown reason, Zhao Haichao used his name to get freshmen to bully Gu Anning. Subsequently, Gu Anning couldn’t stand it and sought Principal Lan to request a transfer to First Middle School.

Only after Anning transferred did he learn about the incident, upon which he immediately investigated, found out it was Zhao Haichao’s doing, broke off ties with him, and even went to First Middle School to explain the situation and sincerely apologized to Gu Anning. Gu Anning, being a reasonable person, forgave him.

Mr. Qin nodded after listening, "You handled the situation quite well; whether or not it was your doing, trying to remedy the issue after the fact is commendable and responsible."

Mrs. Qin was also less angry now.

Nonetheless, Mr. and Mrs. Qin were still furious at Zhao Haichao, "That Zhao family boy went too far, isn’t this just slandering you? Cut back on interactions with him, and also, since Zhao Haichao can do such things, it suggests a failure in the Zhao family’s upbringing. Perhaps it’s an issue with his parents themselves, and from now on, our family will avoid any dealings with theirs."

Mr. Qin also considered whether there were any recent business partnerships with the Zhao family, thinking it would be best to withdraw from such projects as soon as possible.

They were businessmen, and though some underhandedness sometimes occurred in the business world out of necessity,

they would never engage in any behavior that exploited their position to bully others in everyday life.

It wasn’t easy for a young girl to be studious and ambitious. Even if one didn’t lend a helping hand, one shouldn’t ruthlessly bully her, like what Zhao Haichao did, bullying the weak, which really was contemptible.

Qin Minghao quickly reassured Mr. Qin, "I’ve long ceased contact with him, Zhong Boyang has also broken ties with him. I heard he’s been close with Ren Jiayao recently, and I suspect Ren Jiayao had a hand in bullying Gu Anning too."

Mentioning Ren Jiayao caught Mrs. Qin’s interest, "Old Qin, find some time to take Minghao to the Ren family, and promptly annul the engagement with them, Ren Jiayao’s character is truly deplorable."

Mr. Qin nodded, "I understand."

He planned to claim that Ren Jiayao was involved in bullying Gu Anning, whether she was or not, and to annul the engagement with the Ren family on the grounds of poor character.