章 9: Celebration Banquet
After receiving the report, the high school cheating case escalated to the level of a criminal case within forty hours. After all, the seriousness of the college entrance examination could not be underestimated...
Leaving the interrogation room, Ye Gaoyi returned to his office desk in the early hours of July 1st. There, he had Li Xuan's photo on the table, and the surveillance footage kept playing on his computer screen. It showed Li Xuan casually walking into the examination room.
He felt a chill running through his heart.
Recalling what Song Yang had said about the confrontation with Li Xuan face to face, Ye Gaoyi realized that this young man was daring and meticulous. Most importantly, he understood the principle of remaining hidden in the shadows!
No one would suspect him!
If he hadn't achieved the top score, perhaps no one would have discovered what he had done!
In half a month, even these video surveillance data would be erased! There would be no evidence left!
With these thoughts, Ye Gaoyi lit another cigarette, frowning deeply.
"Never thought that at this age..."
"He could do something like this..."
"Why didn't he use this intelligence in a better way!?"
Just as he took a deep drag on his cigarette, a fellow officer who was working overtime approached him.
He asked, "Captain Ye, what should we do now? Should we arrest Li Xuan immediately?"
Ye Gaoyi shook his head.
He said, "The higher-ups don't want us to use excessive force. It would create a terrible impact. In order to maintain social order, we can't just focus on fighting crime."
"He will attend Zhonghai First High School's celebration banquet tomorrow... We'll arrest him after the banquet ends..."
Before he could finish saying the word "arrest," he suddenly stopped.
"Not tomorrow, it's today."
"Xiao Zhang, go get some rest. Be ready for tomorrow's operation..."
"All of you, stay alert!"
The officer in front of Ye Gaoyi nodded, turned around, and went to rest on the duty bed in the office.
...
July 1st, 11 a.m.
Li Xuan arrived at the front entrance of Zhonghai Hotel. A prominent display stand was placed in front of the hotel entrance, with the words "Warmly Celebrating the Great Success of Zhonghai First High School's 2019 College Entrance Examination!"
"This celebration banquet is fully supported by Zhonghai (International) Hotel."
"Please proceed to the 23rd floor for the banquet."
As Li Xuan stepped inside, he noticed Zheng Tiantian.
After watching the movie together, although they had exchanged WeChat contacts, they hadn't spoken to each other. Li Xuan, of course, intended to say as little as possible since he knew that speaking too much would lead to mistakes.
"Li Xuan..."
Zheng Tiantian seemed to have been waiting at the entrance for some time.
"What a coincidence?"
Her words brought a smile to Li Xuan's face.
He said, "Shall we go up together?"
Zheng Tiantian nodded eagerly, "Yes!"
23rd floor.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Li Xuan was slightly stunned.
The scale of the banquet was indeed grand, as Zhong Xibei had mentioned. It seemed they had spent a considerable amount of money.
As he looked around, there were around forty large tables set up in the spacious hall. At the end of the hall hung a banner.
The hall was well lit with floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, making it bright and spacious.
Reporters, teachers, students, parents, and even some alumni from Zhonghai First High School were bustling about the hall, creating a lively atmosphere.
However, Li Xuan frowned.
"Li Xuan!"
"Come over here!"
Zhong Xibei's face was flushed with excitement, and he seemed to be in high spirits.
"Perfect timing, Zheng Tiantian, come here too!"
Li Xuan and Zheng Tiantian sat on either side of Zhong Xibei. At first, Zheng Tiantian seemed a bit resistant, but she eventually went along with the old principal's intentions.
"Today is your celebration banquet, as well as Zhonghai First High School's celebration banquet!"
Zhong Xibei declared passionately, "Zhonghai First High School is finally making a name for itself!"
As he spoke, he introduced Li Xuan to other senior colleagues sitting at the same table, showing his fondness for Li Xuan in his words.
He indeed admired this young man.
At 11:30 a.m., the banquet officially began. Zhong Xibei stood up and walked to the stage from the table, continuing his speech.
He passionately recounted the thirty-year history of Zhonghai First High School, narrating how he had expanded the school from a few rows of bungalows to its current scale. He also expressed gratitude to the organization.
Finally...
"This time, our Zhonghai First High School ranked first with ten students exceeding the highest scores! Over 30% of our students were above the top-tier university admission score line nationwide!"
"We even have five students who received early admissions to Huaqing University and Peking University!"
"What's more, our Li Xuan!"
At this point, the whole room erupted in enthusiasm.
The applause resounded through the hall.
People were especially generous in encouraging Li Xuan!
Almost everyone knew how difficult Li Xuan's path to education had been!
The camera flashes flickered as the journalists finished taking photos and quickly joined the applause.
However, no one seemed to notice that Li Xuan's expression wasn't very good.
Meanwhile, Zhong Xibei continued, "Li Xuan, with a score of 740, secured the first place in the province's science stream!"
"This is not only his personal glory but also the pride of Zhonghai First High School!"
"Our school has decided to reward him for his achievements!"
"Please come to the stage, Li Xuan, to receive the award!"
Li Xuan stood up from his seat and walked towards the stage.
At this moment, his face was full of smiles, a stark contrast to his serious demeanor earlier.
But no one noticed the change in his expression.
Zhong Xibei handed a handbag to Li Xuan, and the camera flashes erupted again.
With the microphone in hand, Zhong Xibei continued, "We hope Li Xuan will continue to work hard in the future!"
"And we hope Zhonghai First High School will keep improving!"
Cheers erupted once more.
After the enthusiastic applause died down, Zhong Xibei led Li Xuan off the stage.
At the table, Zhong Xibei raised his glass and said loudly, "Cheers to the future of Zhonghai First High School!"
Everyone at the table stood up, raising their glasses.
Even Li Xuan and Zheng Tiantian stood up.
As they downed their glasses, the atmosphere became more lively.
Zhong Xibei was in a good mood, and within a short time, he had already had three drinks.
The atmosphere became increasingly festive, but Li Xuan wasn't as happy as the others.
His face turned slightly red.
"What's wrong?"
Observant as she was, Zheng Tiantian noticed Li Xuan's discomfort and asked him.
With Zhong Xibei sitting between them, he naturally heard Zheng Tiantian's question.
He glanced at Li Xuan and remarked, "Li, your alcohol tolerance isn't great, huh?"
Li Xuan lifted his head, feeling a bit weak, and nodded slightly.
Noticing Li Xuan's condition, Zhong Xibei didn't want to force him to stay at the table. He spoke, "In that case, Li, you can go back first."
Li Xuan wanted to say something, but Zhong Xibei interrupted, "You are the pride of Zhonghai. Don't worry about anything else. If you're feeling unwell, go ahead."
Hearing Zhong Xibei's words, Li Xuan gratefully smiled and then picked up the handbag and left the table.
...
In the surveillance room of Zhonghai Hotel.
Everything on the 23rd floor was under their watchful eyes.
Watching Li Xuan stand up and prepare to leave, Ye Gaoyi picked up the walkie-talkie and said in a low voice, "Begin the operation."
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