Chapter 30 Part 1

When Song Ran woke up the next day, she discovered that the matter had rapidly fermented overnight. The article she wrote had spread to every corner of the internet, attracting nationwide attention.

The direction of public opinion had reversed overnight, shifting from a collective mockery of the jumper's weakness and incompetence to verbal abuse and denunciation of Teacher Zhao.

"A 'bitch' of a teacher, trash."

"And he's a master teacher, no less. I don't know how he was selected. The education system is rotten to the core."

"Shouldn't this kind of person be in jail? Go to hell!"

"Does the Education Bureau dare to admit that a master teacher is scum? I bet they don't, haha. Time for some PR again."

Song Ran felt not the slightest bit of comfort at this reversal. The internet, it seemed, had always been just a place for venting emotions.

However, amidst the overwhelming flood of abuse, a netizen's comment caught Song Ran's attention:

"Will the other teachers at the school tell the truth?

What's despairing is that the person they want to protect might not have any immense power. They just want to protect the interests of their own group, and people in the same group are bound to cover for each other. In this society, if you don't belong to any group, then congratulations, you're all alone."

Song Ran stared at that sentence for a long time. She told herself that the so-called job of a reporter was simply to ensure that no one was ever alone and helpless again.

As for her, she didn't want to lead or change public opinion. All she wanted to do was to record an ignored voice, even if it only served to supervise and restrain, pushing the authorities to ultimately deliver a fair and just result.

However, she soon discovered that things weren't that simple.

That morning, she was called to Liu Yufei's office and told to voluntarily delete the article, issue an apology, forward the police's investigation notice, and hand over the private information of Student Wang.

Song Ran couldn't understand. "Didn't the station tell me to follow up and report the truth? Didn't you say you'd support my press freedom?"

Liu Yufei was also in a difficult position. He said, "But now, the truth needs to be investigated by the police."

"Then let the police investigate. Why make me delete the article and apologize? I didn't express any opinions, I just recorded a student's testimony. Shouldn't they be investigating the things I recorded?"

Liu Yufei rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the situation was tricky. "They will investigate. But you have to remove the negative impact. The netizens' discussion has now escalated to the education system, the public security system, and even higher, believing that they are covering for the teacher."

"If they aren't, then isn't it fine once they investigate and clarify things? Also, before the truth comes out, I will not hand over that student's information. The video and screenshots he provided are on Zhu Yanan's phone. The police can find them, they don't need me to provide them."

"Song Ran, you mostly cover international news, so you still don't understand how domestic news is done. Some things... you can't be too stubborn."

Song Ran mulled over the meaning of his words and said softly, "Did someone pressure the station? He's just a teacher, and they have to protect him? Is the victim that insignificant?"

Liu Yufei was at a loss for words. He was well aware of the ideals and sacred ground in the hearts of young reporters, aware of their lack of tact, and knew that this conflict of values couldn't be resolved in a short time.

He sighed, "Song Ran, asking you to delete it is for your own good. This has already turned into a national news story. Look at how many people have gotten involved. If it keeps escalating, the station might not be able to protect you."

Song Ran was shaken. She was young, after all, and a trace of panic immediately appeared. But she gritted her teeth for a moment, and with a stubbornness that came from who knows where, she actually said softly, "Then we'll see what happens."

Song Ran returned to her desk, her hands and feet trembling, her face a little pale.

But she quickly forced herself to calm down, opening her files to continue searching for clues.

Around noon, she found the home address of the dean of Shiyan Middle School. She paid a visit, wanting to ask about a third-year high school student who had reported Teacher Zhao Yuanli to the dean's office for corporal punishment.

The dean was a woman in her forties. She had already been interviewed by several waves of reporters today and was rather impatient, but still polite enough.

But as soon as she heard that Song Ran was the reporter who wrote "Another Voice," her expression changed instantly. She pushed and shoved Song Ran out the door, shouting curses:

"You reporters who feed on human misery, do you have any conscience? No student has ever reported Teacher Zhao to me. You believe the lies he told? Wang Han is just a good-for-nothing, useless student who resents his teacher. He's a lost cause, and you're brainless!"

Song Ran was stunned. Holding her voice recorder, she pursued her, "I never told you the student's name. Why did you say he was Wang Han? So Wang Han did report Teacher Zhao to you for bullying students, didn't he? Why didn't you, as the dean, handle it then, and why are you still hiding it now..."

The dean immediately retorted, "You told me Wang Han's name! I remember now, you're that notorious war correspondent, the one who just waits around to photograph dead people, feeding on their misery! Our school's business is none of your business. Get lost and go take pictures of dead people abroad!"

The dean shoved Song Ran hard and slammed the door shut with a "bang".

Song Ran staggered and hit the stair railing, a sharp pain shooting through her waist as if it would break. Breaking out in a cold sweat, she forced herself to stand up straight.

She stood in the suddenly dead-silent hallway, her face flushed crimson.

Regarding the CANDY incident, this was the first time someone had cursed her to her face.

But, she wasn't wrong. Doctor Liang said so.

At that moment, her only goal was to capture the joy of a child receiving candy, but she ended up capturing a devil instead. That wasn't her intention. She wasn't wrong.

Doctor Liang said she wasn't wrong.

She lowered her head and covered her eyes with her hands, holding back for a long time before she looked up again. Her eyes were slightly red as she calmly walked down the stairs.

This time, she would definitely protect that child.

...

The criminal investigation team was in charge of this case, but because its scope was too wide and its impact too severe, their superiors demanded the case be solved and an explanation given by the end of the weekend. All the police officers in the Baixi District had their leave canceled and were assigned to assist in the investigation.

Li Zan spent the entire day rushing around outside.

He had seen the article and witnessed the impact it had caused. But he didn't even have time to ask Song Ran what was going on. He had originally thought she would at least ask for his opinion before publishing it.

Li Zan and his colleagues spent the whole day conducting investigations at Shiyan Middle School, questioning Teacher Zhao Yuanli's colleagues and the four to five hundred students from the 10 classes he had taught.

Since it was a day off, the teachers and students were all scattered, which made the investigation very difficult. Fortunately, the school gradually managed to gather everyone back.

Li Zan was in charge of questioning a dozen or so students but didn't get any useful information. He couldn't sit still and once again carefully read through the article Song Ran had written.

His colleagues all thought she was spreading rumors, but Li Zan felt that her record was truthful. He could even tell from the Q&A that Song Ran hadn't even come close to leading or misleading the subject.

But, where was the evidence...

In the long transcript of the dialogue, Li Zan found a small line of text:

"...I reported it to the dean of the office, and I was scolded and sent away..."

He rushed to find the dean.

The dean said she had never received any complaints about Teacher Zhao from any student and had no idea which student had spoken to the media. After thinking it over, she concluded the reporter must have made it all up.

Right in front of Li Zan, she fiercely criticized Song Ran.

Li Zan listened to her accusations in silence and said a faint "thank you" as he left.

He returned to the station and went through all the records and testimonies his colleagues had collected that day, as if trying to prove something. But after reading through hundreds of documents without missing a single word, he still couldn't find any clues of the teacher using corporal punishment or even verbal abuse. On the contrary, many students said Teacher Zhao was very good. Some students even expressed their dislike and disgust for Zhu Yanan, the student who jumped, believing that it was bad enough he was fragile, but he had also harmed the teacher and the school.

The truth, it seemed, was leaning toward a side that he feared.

And just then, news came that due to the severe impact of the incident, the monthly bonuses for all police officers in the district, from the Public Security Bureau down to the local police stations, were deducted.

At that moment, Officer Jia and the others had just returned to the station after an exhausting day, not even having had a chance to sit down for a sip of water. Upon hearing the news, the room fell silent. They didn't even have the energy to complain.

After a long while, Xiao Bing said in a low voice, "Our salaries are already not high, and we work ourselves to death, and it's all ruined by this bunch of reporters."

Xiao Ding said, "Who's going to manage the official Weibo account today? I'm not doing it. Usually, when we solve cases, nobody cares, but today there are tens of thousands of angry comments."

Officer Jia glanced at Li Zan in silence. Li Zan said nothing. His official affiliation was with the military, and he was a cadre, so the disciplinary measures here wouldn't affect him at all. But he...

Officer Yi also glanced at Li Zan, said nothing, picked up his police uniform, and left.

Just then, Xiao Ding received a phone call.

From the conversation, Li Zan gathered that some students wanted to write an open letter to speak out for Teacher Zhao Yuanli and were asking Xiao Ding for specific advice on how to proceed.

Xiao Ding said, "We can't get involved in this sort of thing. If I had to give advice, just talk about the teacher's character. Don't attack Zhu Yanan, or you'll get flamed. It's best to post it tomorrow; people need time to calm down."

Li Zan glanced at his watch. It was almost the end of his shift. Still unwilling to give up, he hurried to the Baixi Public Security Bureau.

He wanted to see Zhao Yuanli's records and testimony, but Zhao Yuanli was being interrogated directly by the Public Security Bureau, so Li Zan couldn't access them at the police station.

When he got to the bureau, the criminal investigators ignored him. Fortunately, the detective from the mall "bomb threat" incident was there; he was Deputy Captain Wu, the officer in charge of the case.

He recognized Li Zan and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Li Zan explained his purpose.

Deputy Captain Wu said, "I could help you with other things. But this case, before a verdict is reached, the details are confidential. Sorry."

Li Zan knew that according to procedure, it was impossible for him to access more information.

But he still refused to give up and tried his best to make a case. "Deputy Captain Wu, the reporter who wrote that article is my friend. I'm worried she's... being used."

"Your friend?" Deputy Captain Wu was taken aback. After a moment of thought, he handed him a thin file and said, "We're in public security. For everything, we look at the evidence."

"Thank you." Li Zan took it and opened it.

...

In the afternoon, Song Ran's article was suddenly deleted everywhere.

It wasn't that Song Ran wasn't afraid.

She was an idealist, but not oblivious to social realities, and she certainly didn't fantasize that this was a spotless, white world.

She was also panicked and timid, but after a fierce internal battle, she still refused to back down.

The humiliation that child had suffered was still vivid in her mind; she couldn't turn a blind eye.

Unexpectedly, because the article was deleted, the internet was instead flooded with voices of solidarity and support for her. The criticism of those in power grew more intense, even touching upon issues of public credibility, showing no signs of stopping. Teachers, students, the Education Bureau, the Public Security Bureau, and countless people were dragged into it.

Over the course of the day, more than a hundred thousand netizens sent her messages, sharing their own experiences with educational violence, thanking her, and supporting her. Fellow reporters from other cities also reached out, saying they would give their all to help if she just asked.

This made Song Ran feel a sliver of strength.

In real life, however, not a single person expressed their support for her.

Her colleagues were tight-lipped about the matter, refusing to discuss it.

Ran Yuwei called to ask if she was crazy and if she even wanted to continue working in this industry.

After work, Liu Yufei found her again. He told her to provide the information on Student Wang and to publish a letter of apology within the day to completely quell the online storm.

Song Ran met his demands with silence.

Liu Yufei was at his wit's end with her. "Song Ran, you're going to be the death of me! Of all the reporters in the department, you've always been the most sensible and trouble-free, with the best temper. Why are you being so muddle-headed right now? How about I write the apology letter for you? You have to post it."

Song Ran said nothing, gave a bow, and turned to leave.

But she was actually very tired.

She returned home, exhausted. Just as she reached the edge of the courtyard, she saw Song Zhicheng and Yang Huilun waiting at her door. Yang Huilun was holding a basket of groceries.

Song Ran had been fighting a battle outside all day. The moment she saw them, her entire body went on alert.

But Song Zhicheng patted her head and said warmly, "You haven't been home in days. Your auntie said she wanted to come over and cook a meal for you, worried you might be in a bad mood and not eating well by yourself."

Song Ran was taken aback. Her heart softened considerably, and she felt even more guilty for her cynical thoughts.

"I'm fine," she said softly.

Yang Huilun quickly prepared three dishes and a soup, and the three of them sat around the table.

Song Zhicheng asked with concern, "Has your mood been any better lately?"

Song Ran knew he was asking about her condition and gave a vague reply, "A little better." Only after saying it did she realize she had been so busy today that she forgot to take her medicine.