Chapter 864 - 883: The Dean’s Care
Chapter 864: Chapter 883: The Dean’s Care
After finishing with this wave of people, she took a leave of absence and went to see Dean Zhu.
"Dean."
Dean Zhu gave her a deep look. "Qiuqiu, something has come up. Shall we find a quiet place to talk?"
Qiuqiu gave him a questioning look.
The two of them went to an office inside the factory. Little President Qian came over as well, though she didn’t enter the room, choosing instead to stand guard at the door.
"Dean, what exactly is going on?"
"You don’t even call me ’Teacher’ anymore," Dean Zhu noted, feeling a tinge of bitterness in his heart.
"It’s like this. Didn’t I tell you before that the higher-ups here wanted to act against you?" The dean summarized Wen Jun’s situation in a few brief sentences. "I’ve been keeping an eye on your affairs. Ai’er and Jian Country are backing you, giving you the upper hand in every aspect.
"He wants you to step forward and make a statement now, which means he definitely harbors ill intentions. You cannot take a stance on this." Right now, public support was like a roaring fire fueled by the masses—everyone thought highly of Qiuqiu. Stepping forward to speak up for Q3 at this juncture might not seem like a big deal at first glance.
However, if someone with ulterior motives were to dig up the entire sequence of events later on, Qiuqiu would be put in a very passive and vulnerable position for having spoken out now.
As for accepting gifts, she absolutely couldn’t do that.
Once she accepted them, it would forever become a weakness they could use against her. Speaking up for them in exchange for resources was tantamount to bribery. She could never cross that line.
"I know." Compared to Wen Jun, Qiuqiu was an absolute master at manipulating public opinion. "I won’t agree to it."
"Mm... but I have a premonition that Wen Jun has already reached his breaking point.
"I’m afraid he won’t give you the option to refuse. Qiuqiu, you need to leave this place as soon as possible."
With that, Dean Zhu pulled out a virtual mask from who-knows-where and handed it to Jiang Qiuqiu. "Mine carts come in and out of here every day, and the personnel is a mixed bag—"
A mixed bag meant opportunity. Qiuqiu appreciated the dean’s good intentions, but she shook her head.
"I’m not leaving."
"I know the people here need you." The dean patted her shoulder. "But before you can help others, you must first protect yourself." A desperate person was capable of anything, and the dean was terrified that a crazed Wen Jun might do something to hurt Qiuqiu.
"I know." It wasn’t as if Jiang Qiuqiu was some infinitely selfless saint who asked for nothing in return while sacrificing everything. "I have someone protecting me."
"...Someone protecting you? Here?" The dean glanced at the factory. He thought that although the young girl was precocious, her way of thinking was still a bit too simple. "When the time comes, this won’t just be an issue isolated to one factory.
"Nor will it be an issue involving just a few ordinary people."
"Mm, I’m aware. The person protecting me isn’t an ordinary person. I believe he can handle it."
His advice was to no avail; Qiuqiu was determined to stay. Dean Zhu was deeply worried, but since his student had already made up her mind, he couldn’t exactly knock her out and haul her away. He could only try to run interference on her behalf as much as possible.
He was dead set on acting as a buffer between them. Throughout the day, Wen Jun asked seven or eight times: how had Jiang Qiuqiu responded? When was she planning to explain herself?
Dean Zhu deflected the questions, dodging the main issues by replying that she was thinking about it and would give an answer soon. Meanwhile, he began contacting Dean Lao Fu and the principal of Federation University to request an early return voyage.
Since this year’s Fourteen-School Joint Practical Training had devolved to this point, they might as well just call it off. It was better to go back early. It would be better for everyone.
He had planned everything out meticulously, but plans rarely ever caught up with sudden changes. However, he was completely right about one thing: once things reached a critical mass, a lunatic was highly prone to erupting.
Early morning, September 25th.
Wen Jun received a comms call and was severely reprimanded by the person addressed as "Your Highness." Public opinion had reached a fever pitch, yet he had done nothing to address it. These people were on the verge of becoming unmanageable.
As a result, that very morning, Qiuqiu was forced to "stop working."