203: Chapter 1 Figure Out Who Our Friends Are 203: Chapter 1 Figure Out Who Our Friends Are “I can understand your predicament, but understanding is not a reason to indulge.”
Principal Zhou calmly gazed at Qiao Hongyi, who was seated before him, and after a long silence, he slowly began to speak.
“You are already an adult, and no matter what principles I try to teach you, you are unlikely to take them to heart.
Since that’s the case, why say more?”
Qiao Hongyi lowered his head and said, “I am here to apologize.”
“You are not my student, don’t claim a false relationship.”
Principal Zhou shook his head and said, “Back then, I merely praised you a few times in front of your aunt.
Now, thinking back, I feel a bit regretful.
I thought you might at least learn some of your aunt’s abilities, but now… well, you’re on your own.”
The expression on Qiao Hongyi’s face vanished.
In the office, for a moment, only the sound of the clock’s second hand moving could be heard.
“Sir, I realize my mistake, I won’t make the same error again.
The work at the Special Service Bureau is so complicated, I really can’t leave…”
“You still don’t understand where you’ve actually gone wrong.”
Principal Zhou sighed and said, “I asked you to take a month off, do you think I was punishing you?
Is the Special Service Bureau really that important?
Believe it or not, I could call the President right now, have her abolish the Special Service Bureau of Tianmen City, and have your director take you home to farm sweet potatoes?”
Qiao Hongyi instinctively stood up, but under Principal Zhou’s stern gaze, he slowly sat down again.
“I don’t want to keep telling you how tough things were when we returned back in the day, you’ve been hearing these stories since you were little, and must be tired of them by now.
If you can’t figure out exactly where you went wrong, that means you are not suitable for your current job.
If it really doesn’t work out, go to Jizhou or Jin State.
The Special Service Bureaus there are just starting up, you could be the director, and you’d be able to fulfill whatever ambitions you have, and I wouldn’t be able to intervene.”
Principal Zhou raised his eyebrows and asked, “Do you want to go?”
“I don’t want to go.”
Qiao Hongyi promptly refused, picked up his briefcase, and from it, took out a thick stack of paper documents and handed them to Principal Zhou with both hands.
“That’s why I’ve prepared a bribe in advance, hoping Sir would consider the effort I have put in and cut me some slack.”
Principal Zhou glared at him, took the documents, and began to read carefully after adjusting his glasses.
He read for almost half an hour.
“35 people… and they’re all troublemakers, you must hate me for not dying sooner, don’t you?”
“Sir, you jest.”
Qiao Hongyi spoke earnestly, “Apart from your institution, there are several others trying to cultivate professional talent, but after reviewing the situation, it’s clear that your program has the highest quality of education.
I’m afraid only you can handle these students on the list.”
“After using my students, you try to shut me up with other children, do you think I run a usurious loan business with massive returns?”
Principal Zhou put down the paper documents in his hand and looked at Qiao Hongyi: “There should be one more person, shouldn’t there?”
Qiao Hongyi shook his head: “Just these 35 people.”
“With your severe OCD, would you prepare a list of only 35 people?”
Silent, Qiao Hongyi took another document out of his briefcase: “This one has issues, I originally did not intend to trouble you with it.”
Principal Zhou took it and glanced over it, immediately frowning: “From the Federation… a Ms.
Freud?
You suspect she isn’t real?”
“It’s not suspicion, it’s confirmed.”
Qiao Hongyi sighed and said: “This child is troublesome, and the person backing her family is even more so…”
“No trouble, leave it to me,”
Principal Zhou said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“Among the Western New Gods, Nyarlathotep can be considered one of the closer ones to us.
No matter her intentions, since she has sent the child over, we should accept them.
A person’s background is indeed important, but the education they receive later can have a significant influence.”
“But Nyarlathotep supports Young Master Huang of the Four Seas Commerce Guild…”
“It’s all the same.”
Principal Zhou looked directly into Qiao Hongyi’s eyes and said solemnly, “Overseas Chinese are still Chinese, sharing the same roots as us.
As an intelligence officer, it’s normal for you to be wary of them.
But on a strategic level, it’s critical to understand who our enemies are and who our friends are.”
“There are some things you don’t understand.”
Qiao Hongyi frowned and said, “As the head of the intelligence department at the Special Service Bureau, what secrets could there be that even I am not privy to?”
“It’s not a secret, but rather a part that has been erased from history.”
Principal Zhou said gravely, “Just like the Time-Space Retrospection you have undergone.
Besides those directly involved, ordinary people might be unaware of the changes in the timeline.
Some things are not secrets to our generation, but to you, they are a past you have never experienced.
And the influence of ‘the past,’ even after being erased, remains stubbornly persistent.”
“Life can easily fade away, but ideas are hard to be extinguished by bullets.”
“So…
what exactly is it?”
Qiao Hongyi asked earnestly, “If it’s not a secret, can you not even tell me now?”
“Dragons.”
“Dragons?”
Confusion spread across Qiao Hongyi’s face, “Are you suggesting that dragons as creatures once existed and now don’t?
So in our zodiac…”
Seeing the almost amused smirk on Principal Zhou’s face, he quickly realized he had made a mistake.
People subconsciously use the stereotypes within their cognition to try to understand existences that are beyond their understanding.
“That’s why telling you is pointless; you don’t know the full story, and your understanding is bound to be skewed,”
Principal Zhou shook his head and said, “Focus on the job at hand.
Don’t aim too high and use work as an excuse to overreach.
What you take extra today, or grab more of tomorrow, will eventually turn you into the very thing you initially despised.”
With a wry smile, Qiao Hongyi said, “You have no idea how deep the waters of Tianmen City are, how many millennia-old turtles and ancient turtles it hides.
Sometimes I really can’t help wanting to dredge them all up and bleed them one by one.”
“How could I not know?”
Suddenly, a sly glint appeared in the eyes behind Principal Zhou’s glasses.
“The very spectacle of Tianmen City today, we built it up bit by bit following the President.
The royalty and nobility of the Former Dynasty, the remnants of the old.
The strange and evil gods overseas, the evil spirits.
The locals from All Walks of Life, Jianghu World…
Foolish boy, why do you think I didn’t become the mayor and instead chose to teach at Qinghe Middle School?”
Old Man!
Qiao Hongyi’s eye twitched, barely suppressing the words in his stomach from spewing out.
“Take it easy, slowly and steadily,”
Principal Zhou consoled, “As the saying goes, haste does not bring success.
The President, as a woman, has already seized vast authority, causing those old coots to hop madly.
Maintaining a strong stance will only corner them into desperation.”
“Those who need to be appeased should be appeased.
The corner they’ve backed into should be dug out bit by bit.
‘Time’ is on our side; never be hasty for instant results.”