bioinnovel Chapter 3 Apologize? I did nothing wrong, why should I apologize!
Chapter 3 Apologize? I did nothing wrong, why should I apologize!
The news that Qi Tongwei publicly refused to kneel before Liang Lu, the daughter of the provincial governor, and even beat her brother Liang Fan to a pulp was like a Category 12 hurricane, sweeping across the entire Handong University in just half an hour.
From teaching buildings to libraries, from student canteens to male and female dormitories, almost every corner was abuzz with the news of what could be called the most explosive news in the history of Han University.
"Have you heard? Qi Tongwei from the law department has gone mad! He rejected Liang Lu in front of the whole school!"
"It wasn't just a refusal! Liang Fan rushed at him to beat him up, but he was taken down in one move, and it's said his wrist was broken!"
"My God! Has Qi Tongwei lost his mind? Do you think the Liang family will let him get away with this?"
"It's over, it's completely over. He was the student council president, with a bright future ahead of him. Now, forget about his future, even graduating is in question!"
Amid the discussions, there was a mixture of shock, schadenfreude, regret, and a hint of secret admiration.
Meanwhile, in the boys' dormitory where Qi Tongwei was, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.
"Tongwei, you...you were too impulsive!"
A young man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, whose face was full of honesty and worry, paced back and forth in the room, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
He is none other than Chen Hai, Qi Tongwei's best brother in both past and present lives.
"That's Vice Governor Liang's daughter! Her brother, Liang Fan, is a complete troublemaker! If you show them so little respect today, this matter will definitely not end well! The Liang family will definitely retaliate against you!"
Chen Hai's voice was filled with anxiety.
In his view, Qi Tongwei's actions today are tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock, ruining his own future.
On the other side of the dormitory, a slightly thin young man with exceptionally sharp eyes leaned against his desk, arms crossed, looking at Qi Tongwei with a playful and scrutinizing gaze.
He is Hou Liangping.
"He has backbone."
Hou Liangping spoke slowly, offering a three-word evaluation.
Then he shook his head and added, "But, that's too naive."
"Tongwei, this isn't our countryside, not that little mountain village where you could roam freely. This is Handong, the heart of power. Here, integrity is the least valuable thing."
His words were realistic and harsh, but they hit the nail on the head.
This is Hou Liangping—always rational, always analyzing the pros and cons with an detached attitude.
Faced with the starkly different reactions from his two friends, Qi Tongwei, the central figure in the incident, remained unusually calm.
He sat in his seat, as if everything outside was irrelevant to him.
He pulled a slightly yellowed copy of "Das Kapital" from the bookshelf and meticulously and slowly wiped the dust off the cover with a clean cloth.
The movements were focused and devout, as if polishing a rare treasure.
He wasn't wiping away books, but rather his own heart, which had been covered in dust for a lifetime.
In his past life, he started by abandoning this book, and step by step walked into the abyss he had dug himself.
"Tongwei! Say something!" Chen Hai became even more anxious when he saw his expression.
Qi Tongwei raised his head, looked at the anxious Chen Hai, then at the calm Hou Liangping, and smiled faintly.
"When the water comes, cover it with earth."
"When soldiers come, generals will meet them."
His tone was calm and even, yet it carried an undeniable and powerful confidence.
This confidence surprised both Chen Hai and Hou Liangping.
They felt that Qi Tongwei was different today than before.
Although he was proud before, that pride was sharp and assertive, the kind of arrogance that belonged to an outstanding student from a mountain village who was eager to prove himself.
Now, however, his pride has subsided, and he is as reserved as a mountain and as deep as the sea, as if he has seen through everything in the world.
His eyes, in particular, seemed to conceal a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood beneath their calm surface, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.
"Ring ring—"
Just then, the shrill ring of the telephone in the dormitory suddenly rang.
The three exchanged a glance, all with a premonition in their hearts.
Chen Hai answered the phone first.
"Hello, this is dormitory 302... Oh, counselor, hello, hello..."
Chen Hai's face instantly turned ugly.
"...Yes, yes, Qi Tongwei is here...Okay, okay, I'll have him go right away!"
After hanging up the phone, Chen Hai looked at Qi Tongwei with a serious expression: "It was the counselor. He sounded very stern and told you to go to the department head's office immediately."
What's meant to come will come.
Qi Tongwei put down his book, stood up, straightened his faded shirt, and buttoned up the top button.
"I'll go with you!" Chen Hai said immediately.
"I'll go too." Hou Liangping also stood up. Although he thought Qi Tongwei was naive, he chose to stand with him at this moment.
"Need not."
Qi Tongwei shook his head, a warm smile appearing on his face.
"This is my own business, I'll handle it myself."
"If you go, you'll only get implicated."
After saying that, he didn't wait for the two of them to say anything more, and went straight out of the door.
Department Head's Office.
When Qi Tongwei pushed open the door, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and gold-rimmed glasses was sitting behind the desk with a furious expression.
He was the head of the law department and an important member of the future "Han University Clique." Qi Tongwei had also curried favor with him in his previous life.
Upon seeing Qi Tongwei enter, the department head slammed his hand on the table.
"Qi Tongwei! So you finally decided to come!"
"Do you even know what a mess you've made today! You've really stirred up a hornet's nest!"
The department head looked at him with a disappointed expression, pointing at him with great distress.
"I had such high hopes for you! Student council president, scholarship winner every year, stay on at the university after graduation, or go to the provincial procuratorate—your future was bright!"
"But what have you done? You publicly contradicted Liang Lu! You even hit her brother! You...you've alienated yourself from the people!"
Qi Tongwei listened quietly, his face expressionless.
He'd heard those words so many times he was practically sick of them.
Seeing that Qi Tongwei was completely unmoved, the department head became even angrier.
He stood up, walked over to Qi Tongwei, lowered his voice, and almost admonished him:
"Now! Immediately! Go find Liang Lu right now and apologize to her! Kneel down and apologize!"
"If you are sincere, and Liang softens his heart, Vice Governor Liang might not pursue the matter further! There's still a chance for this to turn around!"
Upon hearing the words "kneel down," a chilling glint flashed in Qi Tongwei's eyes.
He raised his eyelids, looked directly at the department head, and spoke in a calm but unwavering tone.
"I did nothing wrong."
"Why apologize?"
Those seven simple words struck the department head like seven heavy blows to the heart.
He froze, staring incredulously at the student before him.
It was as if he were meeting Qi Tongwei for the first time.
Stubborn, foolish, and obstinate!
After a long silence, the department head sighed deeply, slumped back into his chair, and waved his hand, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"That's enough, that's enough..."
"This child is beyond redemption!"
"You...you should go explain it to Teacher Gao yourself!"
Teacher Gao?
Gao Yuliang!
Qi Tongwei's heart sank.
He knew that the person who would truly determine his fate in this storm was finally about to appear.
His mentor in his past life was also the one who pushed him into the abyss... Gao Yuliang!