Chapter 71 – Results
Du Weihuan looked utterly disheveled, his snowboard stuck in the snow, and he lay on the ground in an awkward position.
He struggled to lift his head, looking up at Qiao Huaiyao, who stood above him backlit, seemingly relishing his moment of disgrace with an impassive expression.
“I made a mistake,” Du Weihuan said, clenching his fists. “This round doesn’t count!”
Qiao Huaiyao’s lips pressed into a thin line. Hearing Du Weihuan’s excuse didn’t surprise him in the least. He calmly said, “Loser.”
Du Weihuan’s eyes snapped up, glaring at Qiao Huaiyao through his goggles.
Qiu Shufeng cursed and ran over. “Do you have any shame left?”
A mistake? Even without this so-called mistake, Du Weihuan would never have caught up to Qiao Huaiyao. Moreover, Du Weihuan had tried to ram into him during the race but couldn’t even manage to keep Qiao Huaiyao in sight. If Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t stopped at the top, he might have already crossed the finish line while Du Weihuan was still struggling behind.
It was a clear, crushing victory! Yet Du Weihuan still tried to make excuses.
If Qiu Shufeng weren’t still in his ski gear, he would’ve wanted to fight him. “Mistake or not, you were bound to lose! You even tried to crash into him, but you couldn’t catch up! Pathetic!”
Du Weihuan angrily retorted, “Mind your own business! I won against you without making any excuses!”
Wang Zhan, furious, removed his gloves. “Let me at him! I’ll knock some sense into him today!”
Yu Luofan rationally held him back. “You’re just giving them more ammunition.”
Seeing the Qing University students approaching, the Ming University students also rushed over. “Enough! It was just a friendly match, not worth all this.”
“Du Weihuan, just apologize and be done with it.”
“Everyone, calm down.”
…
With so many people involved, the scene quickly became chaotic.
Supported by his classmates, Du Weihuan stood up, packed his snowboard, and turned to leave.
Qiu Shufeng immediately shouted, “Stop right there!”
Du Weihuan glanced at him and warned, “Don’t go too far! I told you it was a mistake. If I hadn’t made an error, the outcome might have been different. I’m injured now, and I haven’t asked you for medical expenses. Do you really want to escalate this?”
Qiao Huaiyao ignored him and turned to the staff, asking, “Is the ski resort’s surveillance footage recorded in real-time?”
“Yes,” the staff member nodded. “All footage is recorded in high-definition and stored for seven days.”
Accidents are common in ski resorts. In cases of collisions, accountability needs to be determined. Although the ski resort has a liability waiver, it still must provide relevant footage to help resolve disputes between the parties involved. Otherwise, the resort might also bear some responsibility. Therefore, the resort’s surveillance cameras are high-quality, durable, and monitored in real-time. Any issues with the cameras are quickly addressed.
Upon hearing the word “surveillance,” Du Weihuan’s steps faltered. He looked cautiously at Qiao Huaiyao, “What do you mean?”
“Contact the control room and have the footage sent to me,” Qiao Huaiyao said, giving Du Weihuan a cold glance. “Whether it was intentional or not will be for your principal to decide.”
The staff member exchanged contact information with Qiao Huaiyao and hurriedly used his walkie-talkie to make arrangements. He didn’t dare to delay, as the boss had specifically instructed them to take good care of this guest.
Du Weihuan’s face darkened. “What do you mean by this? Do Qing University students think they’re so great? Requesting surveillance to slander me!”
“I spit! Just asking for the surveillance footage is slander? So, you already know your intentions were obvious and are afraid of being exposed? Do you even know shame?” Qiu Shufeng crossed his arms and sneered. “Is this the caliber of Ming University students?”
Yu Luofan added, “If it wasn’t intentional, why are you so nervous?”
Wang Zhan chimed in, “Exactly! Are you scared now? What were you thinking when you did something so despicable?”
Du Weihuan glared at him, but Wang Zhan shrugged and continued to mock, “If I were the principal, I’d kick you out of school for being such a disgrace.”
Du Weihuan shook off his classmate’s hand and shouted, “Do you think the principal has time for this nonsense? Qiao Huaiyao, don’t think you can come to Ming University and flaunt just because your teachers at Qing University coddle you. Who do you think you are? Is being good at studying so special?”
“This has nothing to do with studying, you idi*t!” Qiu Shufeng couldn’t help but curse. “Do you have a problem with people who excel academically?”
Qiao Huaiyao took off his gloves and scrolled through his contacts, dialing a seldom-used number.
Everyone continued to argue loudly.
After two rings, the call connected. Qiao Huaiyao said, “Principal Zhao.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the ski resort fell quiet.
Everyone’s arguing trailed off, and Qiu Shufeng, who had been pointing at Du Weihuan, froze.
“We haven’t been in touch for a while, young master.” Principal Zhao’s gentle and refined voice came from the phone. “I was thinking of trying to recruit you to our school after the college entrance exams.”
Qiao Huaiyao took off his goggles and set them aside casually. “Just call me by my name. I need to discuss something with you.”
Principal Zhao chuckled, “What’s the matter? You could have just sent a message. Was it necessary to call?”
Du Weihuan started to panic upon hearing this voice, but he wasn’t sure if the person on the other end was really a principal. Judging by Qiao Huaiyao’s expression, though, it didn’t seem like he was faking it. Du Weihuan glanced nervously at his classmates, hoping for some confirmation.
The students from Ming University looked bewildered; no one knew if it was true or not.
Du Weihuan gritted his teeth. The idea of Ming University’s principal being so available seemed far-fetched. Normally, getting through to the principal’s office was nearly impossible. For Qiao Huaiyao to call and have someone pick up immediately was suspicious. Besides, it wasn’t an assistant answering—it was the principal himself.
With these thoughts, Du Weihuan’s pounding heart began to calm down. It couldn’t be real. How could a principal answer a student’s call so quickly?
Qiao Huaiyao, with an indifferent expression, said, “A student from your school…”
He paused and looked at Qiu Shufeng.
Qiu Shufeng immediately understood and said, “First-year, Chemistry Department, Du Weihuan.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded slightly, “That’s the student. I’ve sent you a video. Please review it and determine the appropriate action. Ming University is a prestigious institution. While considering academic scores, you should also consider the character of your students. Don’t let one person tarnish the school’s reputation.”
Principal Zhao paused, his tone growing serious, “Alright, I’m watching it now. Was that you who got hit in the video? Where are you? I’ll come over right away.”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “No need, it wasn’t me. It was my classmate.”
Principal Zhao sighed in relief, “Okay, you don’t need to worry about this. I’ll contact his advisor. Were there any other students involved?”
Before Qiao Huaiyao could ask, Qiu Shufeng shook his head.
Others had tried to stop Du Weihuan but had failed.
“No,” Qiao Huaiyao said, noticing several people near the hot spring filming with their phones. He frowned, “Handle this quickly. The sooner, the better.”
Principal Zhao responded solemnly, “Understood.”
Du Weihuan scoffed, “You play the part well. It’s a shame you’re not an actor.”
“Let’s go,” he muttered. Hearing the supposedly respectful tone of the person on the phone, anyone would think it was just hired help, too polite to speak harshly.
But just as he turned around, Du Weihuan’s phone rang. “Hello? Advisor?”
The advisor’s voice was emotionless, “Come back to school immediately. The principal needs to see you.”
Without further explanation, the advisor hung up.
Staring at the phone, Du Weihuan felt a chill run down his spine. He turned sharply, shouting in disbelief, “Qiao Huaiyao?!”
Could the person on the phone really have been the principal?
The advisor’s call couldn’t be fake, and Du Weihuan could always recognize his voice.
Now—
Du Weihuan was breathing heavily, the vast ski resort’s cold air making it difficult for him to breathe. “Has the principal of Ming University gone mad? What’s your relationship with him…?”
Facing Du Weihuan’s change in demeanor, Qiao Huaiyao replied calmly, “When you applied to Ming University, you should have known it’s a private university.”
Du Weihuan, with a blank stare, didn’t grasp the meaning behind the words. “Of course, I know that! What do you mean?!”
After the college entrance exams ended, even before the results were out, they started estimating scores. The internet was flooded with information about universities. Ming University, the only private university that could rival the 211 universities, was well-known. Of course, he knew it was private.
“What does a private university have to do with you and the principal?!”
Du Weihuan was confused, but Wang Zhan suddenly widened his eyes. No way? Seriously?
Qiu Shufeng stiffly exchanged looks with Yu Luofan, “Is it what I’m thinking?”
Yu Luofan blinked and showed him the Ming University Wikipedia page he had searched online.
The page stated that the first principal’s surname was Qiao. The photo wasn’t of the principal when he was young but of an elderly man, kindly holding a young boy.
Qiu Shufeng was stunned. “Is reincarnation really a skill?”
Qiao Huaiyao, not wanting to stay at the ski resort any longer, removed his goggles and had no intention of explaining further to Du Weihuan. “You guys enjoy yourselves. I’m leaving.”
The issue resolved, he needed to find his brother.
After the commotion, Qiu Shufeng didn’t feel like skiing anymore. He also didn’t want to follow Qiao Huaiyao, knowing he was heading to the film set to find Bai Jinyan.
Now that Qiao Huaiyao was alone, Bai Jinyan must be at the hot spring. It wouldn’t be right to intrude on them.
Qiu Shufeng decided not to join in and pulled Wang Zhan away. “Let’s go. You two can ski, and I’ll be the judge.”
Wang Zhan wanted to say something, but Qiu Shufeng dragged him away.
“Hey—slow down, you’re stepping on my foot.”
The screening room was on the fourth floor.
When Qiao Huaiyao arrived, no one was there. He glanced at his phone and saw no new messages, so he went back upstairs. Sure enough, Bai Jinyan was still on the phone.