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Chapter 191: The Scale of the Strike Exceeds Expectations
In an urgent situation that left no room for hesitation, Zhang Qiu immediately made a decision: "I need to go back to school."
"Brother Qiu, let me go with you," Rui Rui said.
"You stay here and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, we'll contact each other by phone."
Zhang Qiu was tense; if this was a huge conspiracy, then the bar had to be on guard. Without pausing, Zhang Qiu opened the door and headed downstairs, the wooden floor creaking underfoot. Rui Rui watched Zhang Qiu's hurried figure, anxiously clutching her chest, and said, "Why don't you let me follow you?"
"Brother Qiu told me to stay here, so I'll stay here. Don't worry, nothing will happen." Yang Yu sat down, her mind filled with more questions than Zhang Qiu had. After all, Zhang Qiu knew some details about the current situation, but she was completely in the dark about what was happening.
At the end of April 2012, Beiluan No. 1 High School was destined to be recorded in its school register. Known for its stability, Beiluan No. 1 High School turned chaotic in just one afternoon. The entire senior class went on strike, shouting for their innocence. A student skilled in calligraphy had taken several A4 sheets and pieced them together to write the words "Darkness Without Daylight," which hung between two classrooms.
The teachers arriving for class were flustered; even those known for their strictness lost their authority this year. The students were practically insane, blocking the doors with desks and chairs so that teachers couldn't even enter. When they tried to shout a few words to stop it, their voices were drowned out by the angry students. "They're crazy; they're all crazy!" The teachers were both furious and anxious; with only a month left until the college entrance exams, they couldn't believe there was a strike—absurd, utterly absurd!
If the seniors were like this, the sophomores were even worse. It wasn't just blocking classrooms anymore; students directly piled desks and chairs at the entrance of the teaching building, propping brooms and mops outward as if turning the building into a fortress. Outside, upperclassmen tore down curtains and wrote colorful slogans with paint to hang from the floors. Residents from Cloud Sea District across from Beiluan No. 1 High School peeked out to witness this spectacular scene, some even taking out their phones to snap pictures and spread news of the strike through social media.
When Zhang Qiu arrived at Beiluan No. 1 High School, a crowd had gathered outside the school gate while five security guards stood watch inside. Squeezing through the crowd to reach the entrance, Zhang Qiu shouted, "Let me in; I am Zhang Qiu."
An older security guard spotted Zhang Qiu in the crowd and quickly opened a door for him to enter, urging him, "Hurry to the Principal's Office; Principal Wu and your director are waiting for you there."
"Thank you."
Zhang Qiu ran toward the office building, hearing the uproar inside the teaching building like a boiling pot bubbling over. He also noticed a banner hanging from the sophomore building and couldn't help but slow down. "Standing up for justice is not a crime," "No dirty money from those who harm others," he read. Among them, one slogan stood out prominently beneath the school emblem: "Warmly welcome Zhang Qiu back to school!"
"Students these days are so passionate?" Zhang Qiu was taken aback as he entered the office building.
The door to the Principal's Office was open; Wu Deyu leaned forward on the sofa with a furrowed brow and his hands crossed. Director Zhao and the Security Chief stood silently before him with their heads bowed. As soon as Zhang Qiu stepped into the Principal's Office, he felt a rush of cool air hit him—it was refreshing. If only they could install air conditioning in classrooms; how comfortable that would be!
Zhang Qiu couldn't think too much. As soon as Director Zhao saw Zhang Qiu enter, he immediately said, "Zhang Qiu, look at the good things you've done!"
The scene Zhang Qiu witnessed on the way here was shocking; the scale of the strike was far beyond what he had imagined. Director Zhao was furious, and no matter how Zhang Qiu explained, it would be useless, so it was better to remain silent.
"Zhang Qiu, you admit it, right?" Director Zhao saw that Zhang Qiu wasn't speaking and thought he felt guilty. Wu Deyu, however, remained calm and stopped Director Zhao, saying to Zhang Qiu, "Have a seat; we meet again so soon."
Zhang Qiu sat down on the sofa, looking at Wu Deyu without fear. Wu Deyu remarked, "Your mental fortitude is quite good; you caused such a big incident and still act like nothing happened."
"I didn't do anything wrong."
Director Zhao shouted angrily, "Two grades are on strike because of you, and you still dare to say you didn't do anything wrong? Isn't that just nonsense?"
Wu Deyu waved his hand to signal Director Zhao to be quiet and then asked Zhang Qiu, "If you didn't do anything wrong, then what's happening outside?"
"The students are on strike."
"Why are the students on strike?"
"Because of me."
Wu Deyu fell silent and quietly looked at Zhang Qiu, clearly indicating that he had admitted it himself.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
At that moment, the door to the Principal's Office was knocked on. Several police officers in uniforms walked in with briefcases under their arms. Zhang Qiu recognized the lead officer as Ma Zhen, with Lan Ningshan following among them.
Wu Deyu stood up and shook hands warmly with Ma Zhen, saying, "Comrade Police, here's the situation: both the sophomore and senior classes are completely on strike. Desks and chairs are blocking the entrance; the teachers can't even get in. The school has lost control inside."
Ma Zhen's expression was serious as he asked, "Is there any injury or loss of life?"
"No, no." Wu Deyu didn't dare to cause any casualties; if something happened due to the strike, he would be in serious trouble as the principal.
"I heard on the phone that this strike is related to a student?"
"Yes, yes, it's him." Wu Deyu led Ma Zhen to see Zhang Qiu.
Ma Zhen looked at Zhang Qiu with a blank expression, as if he had never seen him before, and asked, "Is this matter related to you?"
Zhang Qiu admitted, "Yes, it is related to me."
"Explain the situation."
"This morning during the break in history class, I went to the restroom with my classmates..." Zhang Qiu had only said a couple of sentences when Director Zhao interrupted him, shouting, "Get to the point."
"No need, let him start from the beginning." Ma Zhen had learned from experience that if he wanted to get the full story from Zhang Qiu, he needed to let him start from the top.
Wu Deyu politely said, "Officers, please sit down and listen."
"No need for that. Zhang Qiu, you continue."
Zhang Qiu looked at Director Zhao and asked, "So I can continue?"
"Hurry up!" Director Zhao said with frustration.
"Well, during the break I went to the restroom with my classmates and encountered a particularly fat bully..." As Zhang Qiu gestured while speaking, Lan Ningshan couldn't help but chuckle. Ma Zhen shot her a glare, and she quickly returned to a serious demeanor.
"The situation is like this, Officer. I feel wronged; not only was I sent home for reflection, but I've also been labeled as someone who organized the strike. I hope you can investigate thoroughly and restore my reputation."
Ma Zhen considered both the school's perspective and Zhang Qiu's account and concluded that this strike might not have been organized by Zhang Qiu after all. From what he knew about Zhang Qiu, he wouldn't be foolish enough to do something like that. Having realized this, Ma Zhen suggested, "I think we should go to the teaching building and understand the students' true intentions."
The Security Chief immediately became concerned upon hearing they were going to the teaching building and said, "Isn't that too dangerous?"
Wu Deyu rebutted, "We have Comrade Police with us, what is there to worry about?"
Zhang Qiu ignored their conversation and said to Ma Zhen, "Their banner says they want me back. I will personally accompany you."
"Alright, Zhang Qiu, you come with me. Also, Shan Shan, you follow us. It will just be the three of us."
As soon as Ma Zhen finished speaking, Wu Deyu also became worried and said, "Comrade Police, is it really safe for just the three of you to go?"
"Don't worry, Principal Wu. They are just students, not rioters. You just need to promise me not to issue any orders until I have investigated everything."
"Okay, I promise you."
"Principal, can you also agree to one condition of mine?"
"Zhang Qiu, what are you up to now?" Director Zhao intervened.
Zhang Qiu took a deep breath. Director Zhao was increasingly opposing him; it seemed he had forgotten that Zhang Qiu still had a video in his possession. After this matter was resolved, he should find an opportunity to have a good talk with him.
Ma Zhen said, "Principal Wu, why not listen to Zhang Qiu's condition?"
"Zhang Qiu, what do you want?" Wu Deyu's expression was grim.
Zhang Qiu looked directly into Wu Deyu's eyes and said, "I want to know if the students stop their strike, can we avoid punishing them?"
Wu Deyu silently stared at Zhang Qiu, his right eyebrow twitching. His expression revealed no reaction. Ma Zhen felt that Zhang Qiu made a valid point; if Wu Deyu could agree to this, it would undoubtedly help resolve this mass incident. After years of policing, Ma Zhen had encountered student fights and parents surrounding the county government, but this was the first time he faced a large-scale student strike.
Ma Zhen said, "Principal Wu, I think Zhang Qiu's suggestion is very necessary."
"No, if we don't deal with a group of troublemaking students, it will be difficult to manage in the future," Wu Deyu said, looking troubled.
"Principal, the international exchange students are coming. If they arrive while both grades at our school are on strike, it will be a huge embarrassment."
Zhang Qiu's words struck a chord with Wu Deyu. After thinking it over, he sighed and said, "Alright, you have a point. Officer Ma also suggested this, so I will agree. As long as the students are alright, I won't take action against them. After all, being a principal is also about looking out for the students."
Zhang Qiu felt a wave of disdain inside; it sounded good, but unfortunately, it was all false.
Seeing that Wu Deyu had already made a promise, Ma Zhen waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's go. Shan Shan, come with us."
"Okay." Lan Ningshan followed them out.
Wu Deyu watched Ma Zhen take Zhang Qiu out and returned to his seat in deep thought. There were only two hours left until the May Day Holiday. On one hand, Lu Bin, a graduate from previous years, had reported back to the school to invest in building a gymnasium. On the other hand, a high school from the United States was about to come for an exchange program. At this critical moment, a strike had occurred—something that had only happened during the Cultural Revolution in Beiluan No. 1 High School's history. If the gymnasium fell through and we embarrassed ourselves internationally, it would be a serious problem.
Wu Deyu sat on the sofa with a terrifyingly dark expression. Director Zhao and the Security Chief stood quietly by his side, feeling anxious yet afraid to speak. Principal Wu was in a bad mood; if he said something wrong, they would be in trouble too.
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