Chapter 85: The Silent Lambs (2)

Li Yunling could no longer sit still. She grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of her chair and rose to go check the situation at the music department’s examination hall.

He Mingzhe followed her out of the office, his heart racing with excitement. He thought, “Cheng Xiaoyu, you’re finished.” He hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. He trailed behind Li Yunling, just a little distance from her, all the while talking about how the Cheng Xiaoyu featured in the news reports was such a terrible person.

Li Yunling grew angrier with every word. The admissions supervisor for the piano department was the principal’s confidant, Deputy Director Kong Jianjun. Li Yunling oversaw teaching. The two had never gotten along.

At this moment, He Mingzhe exaggerated the mess in the piano department’s admissions in front of Li Yunling, making her even more dissatisfied.

Li Yunling was a straightforward person intolerant of any injustice, whether in teaching or in life; she rarely showed leniency, but her teaching skills were exceptional—otherwise, she would never have become head of the piano department.

When she arrived at the conservatory, Li Yunling saw that a crowd of students had gathered outside the examination hall. Some held banners, one reading “A century of Shanghai Theatre Academy, today we are shamed.”

Another said, “For Pei Yancheng, all male students unite to drive out Cheng Xiaoyu,” accompanied by a photoshopped image of Cheng Xiaoyu from the internet.

There was also, “Guided by the scientific outlook on development, reject the infiltration of improper forces, and create a harmonious and civilized new campus.”

And, “Today I am ashamed of my alma mater—tomorrow my alma mater will be proud of me.”

Li Yunling saw the chaos and her face grew even more severe, her anger rising as she strode toward the examination hall.

Student union volunteers stood at the front, blocking the surging crowd. In truth, most students were just there for the spectacle, not intending to disrupt the examination, but as the onlookers grew, many uninformed people joined in the commotion.

Now, not only were students of Shanghai Theatre Academy aware, even the candidates inside the exam hall knew! Many pointed at Cheng Xiaoyu, sitting in the back row, whispering about him.

He had been scheduled as the last candidate to take the exam today.

Cheng Xiaoyu ignored all the scornful looks. He knew his own ability well; although Aunt Zhou had spoken on his behalf, it wouldn’t change the outcome—he would earn his way regardless.

Sitting in front of Cheng Xiaoyu was Duanmu Linsha, who actually worried for him. Anyone who scoffed at Cheng Xiaoyu received a fierce glare from her.

Li Yunling entered the exam hall and sought out Kong Jianjun, the supervisor, calling him out of the classroom to ask, “Are you aware of what’s happening outside?”

Kong Jianjun was not particularly intimidated by Li Yunling and replied indifferently, “We can’t bar someone from the exam just because of past incidents. These students are just bored. I’ll go out and disperse them.”

Li Yunling retorted coldly, “Is that how you handle problems? What about the school’s reputation? What will parents of candidates think?”

Kong Jianjun felt Li Yunling was making a mountain out of a molehill and stiffly replied, “Should we indulge students who believe rumors and make trouble? How will we recruit or manage students in the future?”

Li Yunling frowned and said, “Let me see the preliminary exam scores.”

Kong Jianjun handed her the list of candidates’ preliminary exam scores. Li Yunling flipped to the end and, as He Mingzhe had said, Cheng Xiaoyu was scheduled as the last candidate, playing the three simple pieces He Mingzhe had mentioned.

Looking at the scores, she saw that all three judges had given him 80 points—placing him in the upper-middle tier among the remaining ninety-some candidates. She was now fully convinced that Cheng Xiaoyu had gotten in through connections.

Admissions at Shanghai Theatre Academy weren’t without their tricks, but favoritism only surfaced when candidates were of similar ability. Never before had someone been allowed to perform such simple pieces and still receive such high marks.

Li Yunling laid Cheng Xiaoyu’s preliminary scores before Kong Jianjun and asked, “How do you explain this?”

Kong Jianjun, who had received Zhou Peipei’s request and had readily agreed, now saw Cheng Xiaoyu’s exam repertoire and thought, “This is bad.” He hadn’t expected Cheng Xiaoyu to be so perfunctory, choosing such simple pieces. He could only say, “I wasn’t the proctor for his exam, how should I know? You’ll have to ask Old Huang.” Old Huang was the elderly professor who had proctored Cheng Xiaoyu’s exam.

Li Yunling hesitated at the mention of Old Huang. He was a respected professor of good character, but she felt there was no need to verify—no matter how well those simple pieces were played, they couldn’t be that impressive. She told Kong Jianjun, “Cheng Xiaoyu’s exam qualification must be revoked.”

Kong Jianjun, having never heard Cheng Xiaoyu play and knowing Zhou Peipei had spoken to him, assumed Cheng Xiaoyu wasn’t very skilled. He had little confidence now and replied softly, “There’s never been such a precedent; it’s very inappropriate.”

Li Yunling, always intolerant of wrongdoing, saw Kong Jianjun’s softened tone and knew something was amiss. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have backed down. She said sharply, “Can you bear responsibility for tarnishing the school’s reputation?”

Kong Jianjun certainly didn’t want to take the blame. He replied, “We can’t revoke someone’s exam qualification without evidence.”

Li Yunling thought for a moment and said, “Call this candidate over. I’ll persuade him to withdraw. That way, everyone saves face. His skill is unlikely to meet our department’s standards anyway.”

Kong Jianjun, seeing the responsibility shifted, entered the classroom and called, “Candidate number 511, Cheng Xiaoyu, come out.”

The exam had been suspended by now. The candidates inside believed Cheng Xiaoyu’s qualification would be revoked and joined in the jeering, some even applauding.

Cheng Xiaoyu walked out calmly, as if nothing had happened, ignoring the mocking voices as he approached Kong Jianjun and asked, “Is there something you need, sir?”

Kong Jianjun smiled at him and said, “It’s a bit tricky now. Professor Li outranks me and insists on revoking your qualification. I argued on your behalf and got you a chance to explain yourself to her. Do your best. If all else fails, mention Professor Zhou’s name and see if it helps.” With this, Kong Jianjun not only saved face but also set a trap for Li Yunling.

Kong Jianjun led Cheng Xiaoyu to Li Yunling. Without asking his opinion, she commanded, “I don’t care who you’ve spoken to. You must withdraw from the exam now, so both your family and the school save face.”

Cheng Xiaoyu saw the banners outside, but he did not believe they justified revoking his qualification. He was no child, unafraid of teachers, and his confidence kept him from fearing Li Yunling. He smiled and said, “I won’t withdraw. This is an opportunity I earned myself. If you want to revoke my qualification, please give me a reason. I believe Shanghai Theatre Academy is fair and just. If anything unfair occurs, I’ll appeal to the principal or the media for justice.”

Li Yunling was infuriated by his veiled threats. She felt that students with a bit of background were becoming lawless, and this chubby boy dared to smile so brazenly. She’d heard from He Mingzhe that he might be related to school leaders, but she prided herself on fairness and disdained such students. She said coldly, “Our piano department won’t accept students like you. You won’t pass the exam.”

Cheng Xiaoyu, unaware of He Mingzhe’s machinations, grew stubborn, thinking this old witch was unfit to be a teacher. He replied expressionlessly, “Whether I pass or not isn’t up to you. You’re not an examiner.”

Li Yunling felt this boy was outrageously bold and reckless. She glared and said, “Fine, fine. If you’re not afraid of embarrassment, you’re free to continue.”

She ignored Cheng Xiaoyu and told Kong Jianjun, “Move the exam to the concert hall. Make the entire exam public, allowing anyone to attend and question.”

Cheng Xiaoyu ignored Li Yunling as well, turned back to the classroom to fetch his file folder. The sudden change left him a bit unprepared, and it was clear his chosen repertoire would no longer suffice.

He began to regret not practicing more difficult pieces in his spare time.