Chapter 68: Heart-piercing Knife
The dispute between Yang Wei and Yu Renli was finally resolved with the intervention of Zhang Yunqi. It was not that he was meddling in other people's business, as Yang Wei and he lived in the same dormitory, and he also had a good relationship with Yu Renli. Fighting in public let Jiang Lihua know that these two little fools would not end well.

However, Zhang Yunqi could stop them from fighting, but he could not stop their internal division. The group that used to play together was torn apart, suspicious of each other, accusing each other, and hating each other. Yu Renli was the worst off, as everyone suspected that he was the one who started the fire.

Rumors are the sword that kills the heart!

When their own interests were infringed, even this group of young students did not hesitate to assume the worst of their classmates.

At the beginning, Yu Renli would refute fiercely and even quarrel with those who doubted him. Later, after much experience, he gradually became numb. When others asked him if he had started the fire, he would simply nod and say: "Yes, I am one of them. There were two people who started the fire. I remember it very clearly. The other person was you. It was your small stove that collided with mine and caused the fire!"

From then on, no one dared to ask him again.

This incident was not funny, and it gave Zhang Yunqi a deeper understanding of human nature, but he did not sympathize with this group of classmates. There is a very common saying that when there is an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent. These little fools brought it upon themselves and could not blame anyone else.

The first period on Monday is a self-study class.

Halfway through the class, the head teacher Jiang Lihua came to the class to inform everyone that the school would hold a fire safety publicity conference in the gymnasium in two days and everyone had to attend.

After saying that, Jiang Lihua called Zhang Yunqi to his office alone. He seemed to be in a good mood. He was not implicated in the fire. He pulled a chair for Zhang Yunqi to sit down and chat.

They talked about study-related topics. Jiang Lihua did not mention a word about Lin Cong being expelled from school. However, whether it was because he was grateful for the clues provided by Zhang Yunqi or for some other reason, his tone towards Zhang Yunqi was quite cordial. Even if he hoped that Zhang Yunqi could make further progress in his studies and work harder, he expressed it in a very tactful way.

After chatting for about ten minutes, he finally told Zhang Yunqi: "Because you performed well in the firefighting, the school has arranged for you to speak on stage as a representative at this fire protection publicity conference. Go back and write a speech first and think about what to say at that time."

Zhang Yunqi thought at the time, is this the award that Jiang Lihua mentioned a few days ago? Do I need to write a speech? What the hell is this? It's so fucking ridiculous.

Two days later, a fire prevention publicity meeting was held as scheduled in the school gymnasium. All teachers and students in the school attended the meeting, and each person was given a fire prevention knowledge brochure. All school leaders attended the meeting, and leaders from the Fire Department and the Education Bureau also came to the venue. The scene was particularly formal and grand.

The opening speech was given by Wang Daozhong, the principal of the No. 1 Middle School in the city, a tall and thin middle-aged man, about 50 years old. He is rarely seen in the school on weekdays. Only in such important large-scale gatherings can students listen to his teachings.

Wang Daozhong was very eloquent, had a very elegant demeanor, was full of justice, and spoke eloquently, which frightened the group of little fools below. Perhaps Zhang Yunqi was the only one present who knew that the principal of this key high school was an embezzler.

In his previous life, he had seen news about Wang Daozhong being sentenced for corruption and bribery. It seemed that he and his wife, who was the deputy director of the Education Bureau, had amassed a huge amount of money from the school infrastructure of the city's No. 1 Middle School. Later, the crime was exposed and he was placed under double supervision. He has since disappeared without a trace, and it is unknown whether he was imprisoned or not.

It was not until 2008, when Zhang Yunqi was spamming on a local online forum in Jiangchuan City, that he accidentally saw a piece of news about Wang Daozhong attending an education forum. At that time, he was sitting on the podium and talking as an educator and the former principal of Jiangchuan No. Middle School. The scene was very similar to what he was seeing at this moment.

Wang Daozhong's speech was not long, but it was very brilliant and attractive. When he stepped down from the stage, all the students gave warm applause to this highly respected principal in their hearts.

The next program is a popular science lecture on fire protection knowledge.

The No. 1 Middle School of the city specially invited four firefighters to teach students on-site how to properly extinguish a fire and various escape techniques.

After the fire fighting knowledge lecture, it was Zhang Yunqi's turn to speak as a representative of the students who participated in the fire fighting. The fire was known to all students in the school, but not many people knew Zhang Yunqi. Those who knew him, such as the students in Class 168, did not know that he would be speaking on stage, so they were quite surprised when he appeared on the stage.

When Zhao Yingying, who was sitting at the front of the gymnasium with Li Yufei, saw Zhang Yunqi, her eyes widened like two ping-pong balls. After a long while, she pulled Li Yufei next to her and pointed at the boy on the stage and said, "This, this is Zhang Yunqi? Am I seeing things right, Yufei?"

Li Yufei smiled and said: "Yes, it's him."

Zhao Yingying sighed: "I really can't tell, this guy, you can't judge a person by his appearance."

Li Yufei brushed the scattered hair behind her ears and said casually: "What kind of eyes are you looking at? Zhang Yunqi is not ugly."

Zhao Yingying replied without thinking: "I didn't say he was ugly, it was just a metaphor. This guy has some skills, unlike some of the useless people in school."

Li Yufei said nothing.

She looked at the boy on the stage, and couldn't help but think of the night of the fire. The boy was so calm when he directed a group of people to put out the fire. Even the teachers in the school were willing to follow his arrangements. His mature and determined aura left a deep impression on her.

Li Yufei has always disliked Zhang Yunqi's usual behavior. He seemed to care nothing about anything and not study hard enough. He did not look like a top scorer in the high school entrance examination, especially since his family background was not good. Even as an ordinary friend, she was a little disappointed.

However, she had to sigh that human beings are fickle animals. When faced with major issues, this ordinary-looking boy showed an aura that was much more mature than his peers. His decisiveness in handling things and his firmness in facing problems completely overturned the impression he had left on her mind before.

Thinking of what Zhang Yunqi said when she met him selling handheld game consoles at No. 7 Middle School during the National Day, Li Yufei felt a little regretful for some reason. It seemed that her tone was a little too harsh at that time. She didn't know what Zhang Yunqi was thinking and whether he would mind.
As she was thinking this, Li Yufei suddenly heard Zhang Yunqi's voice coming through the microphone: "Dear teachers and classmates, good afternoon. My name is Zhang Yunqi, and I am a student in Class 168 of Grade ."

This introduction was quite standard. Li Yufei silently looked at Zhang Yunqi who was speaking impromptu on the stage, and there was still an indescribable expectation in her heart.

I only heard him say: "There was a fire in Class 168 that day, and I participated in the whole process. The reason why I can stand here today is because the school wants me to share the situation of extinguishing the fire that day. But to be honest, I don’t remember much now, because when I saw such a big fire, my legs were weak. Fortunately, I didn’t drink water that night, otherwise I would have wet my pants."

There was a pop.

Zhao Yingying laughed out loud and said, "This guy is not only capable, but also quite funny."

Li Yufei also laughed, but her eyes did not leave Zhang Yunqi. Zhang Yunqi said: "I see many classmates are laughing, but this is really not funny, because it concerns our lives and our learning environment. The fire that night destroyed a classroom, 60 classmates' books, 120 days of study materials and hard work, all because of one classmate's carelessness. What do you call this? Ten thousand people are not too many to prevent fire, but one person's carelessness will cause trouble!"

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　It's late, but it's here anyway. The next chapter will be written between 2 and 3 pm, and then another chapter will be written around 12 am. Thank you for your understanding and support. It's Monday. Please collect and recommend it.

(End of this chapter)