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Chapter 46

As soon as he said that, the small office fell silent again.

Meng Yingying thought she had misheard.

Coach Zhao is the same.

Commander Fang frowned, his face full of anger, and asked directly.

“This kind of thing happened in the Jishi Cultural Troupe. Their coach was suspended, the students were almost expelled, and even Shen Qiuyue may not be clean. We just agreed to reinvestigate her and only release her to participate in activities normally after confirming that she is not involved.”

At this point, she raised her wrist to look at her watch. "You can see for yourself."

"It's only been forty minutes since you announced the punishment results. What? In just forty minutes, the Political Department and the Military Discipline Company have been able to thoroughly investigate Shen Qiuyue? This matter has nothing to do with her!?"

"If the Federation of Literary and Art Circles really had this capability, then such a shady and underhanded thing wouldn't have happened in front of the competition."

The old regimental commander was a stubborn and inflexible person, and he was easily overwhelmed by the fierce artillery fire from Commander Fang.

With an embarrassed look on his face, he handed the form directly to Director He, saying, "I can't explain it, and I can't stand it. You explain it."

When Director He proposed the deal with Commander Cao, he felt it was inappropriate, but he couldn't stop Director He from going his own way.

He couldn't persuade him otherwise.

So, they simply handed over the choice to Director He.

When Commander He was singled out, she wasn't afraid. Instead, she glanced at the people in the room and said, "Commander Fang, stay. Commander Cao, stay. The rest of you can leave."

This means only the top executives were retained.

Even Coach Zhao and Meng Yingying didn't have a chance to get in.

Meng Yingying frowned slightly. Coach Zhao, like a mother hen, led her, Ye Yingtao, and Lin Qiu out of the office.

"What are they going to say behind our backs?"

Ye Yingtao came out, still somewhat unwilling, and asked angrily.

"Is there something we can't hear?"

"Unless it's something shady."

Unfortunately, after the incident, Qi Donghan was transferred back to his post. Otherwise, if he were here, he could have surely helped them resolve their doubts.

Following the line of thought that Qi Donghan had given her, Meng Yingying frowned and guessed, "Resource exchange, perhaps?"

Her voice wasn't loud.

As a result, although Ye Yingtao and the others heard it, they didn't quite understand it.

What is resource substitution?

Meng Yingying glanced back at the tightly closed office door. She was about to say something, but seeing Shen Qiuyue standing not far away, she also perked up her ears.

She changed her words at the last minute, saying, "It's about resource exchange."

You have to exchange things for things to get things.

It sounded a bit like a tongue twister, and seeing that they still didn't understand, Meng Yingying continued to explain.

"Commander Cao sacrificed Coach Qin in order to pave the way for Shen Qiuyue. According to the rules announced by the old commander, Shen Qiuyue would normally not be able to participate in the joint performance competition of the three northeastern provinces. But Commander Cao was willing to pave the way for her."

"They forcibly added her to the substitute team."

At this point, Meng Yingying paused, and she and Shen Qiuyue looked at each other. "I just don't know what resources Commander Cao used to get Shen Qiuyue to lead the Jishi Cultural Troupe to be a substitute in the competition."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiuyue suddenly realized what was happening. She murmured, "Have I become an item in this transaction?"

The reason why Director Cao did this was simply because he felt that their cultural troupe was not as good as the Jilin City Cultural Troupe, and that the substitutes would be able to turn the tide when they went to the joint performance competition of the three northeastern provinces.

As for the real people involved, they were just lucky to win the championship this time. Even if they went to the joint performance, their true colors would still be revealed.

"What will Commander Cao offer in exchange for Shen Qiuyue and the others as replacements?"

Ye Yingtao asked a question, and Meng Yingying shook her head. She turned to look at the door with a calm gaze, "Only the people in the office would know."

Then she smiled and said, "But we don't need to worry."

"Why?"

Meng Yingying smiled brightly, with a hint of understanding, "With Commander Fang here, don't worry, she won't let us suffer any losses."

office.

With his men gone, Commander Fang had no more scruples and slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Commander He, old commander, I want an answer!"

"I want to know why you put Shen Qiuyue and the Jishi Cultural Troupe in as substitutes?"

"If you really do this, where does that leave the Harbin Cultural Troupe?"

Director He poured a glass of water for Regiment Commander Fang and handed it to him, saying, "Calm down first."

"I can't calm down."

Commander Fang rolled up his sleeves, veins bulging on his neck. "You've really gone too far! What about our art troupe's students who worked so hard to win the championship?"

Director He placed the cup on the table. "Old Fang, can you please not be so impulsive when things happen?"

"Didn't you think of that? We were willing to use Shen Qiuyue as a substitute to participate in the joint performance of the three northeastern provinces. Are you really blind and deaf, putting a student who has harmed others into the flock of sheep?"

Commander Fang looked up. "What do you mean?"

He Chang was not afraid at all. She met her gaze and said, "It means exactly what it says."

“After this incident, I, as an outsider, have been investigating it privately. From beginning to end, Shen Qiuyue was not involved in this matter.”

"That was done by her coach, and she profited from it. What's the difference between that and her involvement?"

Director He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't be unreasonable. Those who have made mistakes should be arrested and punished. Now we need to discuss the future."

"We can't even explain what happened before, so how can we discuss the future?"

Commander Fang sneered and slammed his hand on the table.

Director He also got angry. She slammed her water glass on the table, splashing a few drops of hot water, but her voice was frighteningly cold. "Old Fang, calm down first and let me finish what I have to say."

"You may not know what kind of person I am, but you should know what kind of person the old regimental commander is."

"Although I am a member of the provincial song and dance troupe, I also have a temporary position in the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Let me put it this way, others may not know, but don't you know?"

"Don't you have any idea how much money the Harbin Federation of Literary and Art Circles has in its accounts? The provincial government only approved the most basic funding for the joint performance of the three northeastern provinces. Other provinces and localities have money because they are major cities. What about us? Our performing arts troupe is poor, and the federation is poor too. We can barely afford the round-trip train tickets for the participating students. As for the meat, egg, and milk coupons for the contestants during their training period, forget about it."

"Now someone is willing to pay out of their own pocket to reimburse the meal and travel expenses for all the participants from Heilongjiang Province. All we need to do is bring one more substitute. Would you refuse such a deal?"

Commander Fang was panting.

"Come on, tell me."

Director He walked up to her and asked, "You are the head of the cultural troupe. If your troupe is facing financial difficulties and someone is willing to sponsor you, what would you do?"

Commander Fang turned his head away.

"The current situation is that Shen Qiuyue, after her own investigation, has not been involved in any framing of anyone. Under these circumstances, are you still going to refuse?"

"Even without considering funding, there's the issue of participating in the joint performance of the three northeastern provinces. Other provinces send students to participate, and they all have substitutes. Only Harbin doesn't. Do you know why?"

"Because the Harbin Municipal Art Troupe and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles are short of money and cannot support the expenses of the reserve team, a phenomenon has been created over the years where everyone thinks that only the champion can go, but that is not the case. It is because the units in Harbin are short of money and cannot support a second reserve team."

"Now we have this opportunity, which not only allows the Harbin team to receive subsidies for food, travel expenses, and training, but also for the venue. This is the first time in so many years that we have been able to bring together two teams to compete in the three northeastern provinces."

"Old Fang, you're in a position of authority, you're the leader. If you were put in charge of overseeing the overall situation, what would you choose?"

The air fell silent.

Commander Fang's lips stiffened, his anger stuck in his throat, unable to rise or fall.

She didn't speak; she was like a piece of poop coated in sugar—unpleasant to eat, and unpleasant not to eat either.

Taking the opportunity, Commander Cao pulled out a neatly folded allocation slip from his briefcase and laid it out on the table.

Then he addressed the crowd.

"Our Jilin City Cultural Troupe still has a surplus of 7,300 yuan in its account, all of which are legal funds. Today, I will publicly declare that we will donate all of this money to the Harbin Federation of Literary and Art Circles to participate in the Northeast China Arts Festival. This money will be used for two purposes: first, to subsidize the train tickets for all the contestants; and second, to conservatively estimate that we will add one of the following to our daily meals: meat, eggs, or dairy products, to ensure that the contestants get adequate nutrition."

At this point, he changed the subject and looked at Commander Fang.

"And I have only one condition for spending so much money: that Shen Qiuya from our cultural troupe lead the team as substitutes to participate in the joint performance of the three northeastern provinces."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room became so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the second hand of the clock on the wall.

The old troupe leader's eyelids twitched, his gaze fixed on the allocation slip—7,300 yuan, more than double his entire year's budget for the literary association.

Director He narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, clearly calculating something in his mind.

This sum of money is quite substantial.

Commander Fang clenched his teeth, his face turning pale and then flushed.

Their Harbin Cultural Troupe only had a little over two thousand yuan left in their account, and they had to be careful with money even when buying practice shoes.

As for subsidizing the contestants' meals on a daily basis, forget about it.

Now, Commander Cao has bid 7,300 yuan, which is clearly "using money to pave the way," but she has no more bargaining chips to offer.

If she had more leverage, she would throw the allocation form in Commander Cao's face and say they didn't need it!

But she didn't.

Not only did she not have it, but no one in the entire group did either.

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping between the two men, and slowly spoke.

“Old Fang, I understand your concerns. You’re afraid the substitutes will steal the spotlight from the starters, and you’re also worried that the kids will be disheartened. But the reality is that if you have money to participate, you can eat and stay well, and be chauffeured around. If you don’t have money, you can only eat dry food, squeeze into hard seats, and sleep on the floor at the competition venue in the middle of the night.”

"You are the leader, you choose, what path should we take next?"

With just one sentence, Commander Fang was cornered.

She remained silent for a long time, then took a deep breath, as if she had made a decision, "I can agree."

"I have conditions."

Now, Director He and Commander Cao exchanged a glance. "Go ahead and say it."

Commander Fang said calmly, “First, give each member of the regular team one ounce of pork and one egg per day. This is the most basic supply. As for the substitutes, they will receive half that.”

The second-string team gets an extra meal of refined food each week, which can be either white flour steamed buns or rice, while the substitutes eat a mixture of flour and rice.

Third, the starting team travels by train in soft sleeper berths, while the substitutes travel in hard seats.

Fourth, the main team will receive new dance shoes, new dance costumes, and new hair ties, two sets of different colors for each member. As for the substitutes, it's up to you.

She talked more and more, and her conditions became more and more numerous.

Upon hearing this, Commander Cao immediately frowned. "You're making things difficult for me."

“We all go out to participate in the competition together and pay the same amount of money, so why should substitutes be considered inferior?”

Team Leader Fang readily admitted, "I was just being unreasonable. According to the rules of previous years, there are no substitutes. This year, substitutes were allowed to play. I wouldn't say anything if the substitutes were given to Coach Li and the others, but I won't agree to give them to you."

"If you want your Jilin City Cultural Troupe to be a substitute in the Northeast China Friendship Competition, then you have to agree. Otherwise—"

Her tone was frighteningly calm: "Then you should withdraw from the competition!"

Commander Cao gritted his teeth and remained silent.

This is blatant bullying; it's obvious they don't want Commander Cao and her cultural troupe to come up.

Commander Cao went to see Commander He.

Commander Fang bluntly stated, "Since you see she's useless, I want you to answer. If you're willing to agree to my conditions, then I'll agree to yours."

"Cao Defang, remember this: you were the one who made things difficult for me first."

She absolutely did not want this substitute for Laussie.

“Even if our team has to eat meager meals, travel in hard seats, and sleep on the floor, we will find a way to send them to the competition.”

This caused the previously agreed-upon atmosphere to instantly become tense.

Commander Fang, who was initially forced into a passive position, has now become the one taking the initiative, while Commander Cao is now the one being forced into a position.

The choice also lies with Commander Cao.

Commander Cao remained silent.

Commander Fang pressed on, "Old Cao, what is your choice?"

"Should we spend a lot of money to send your team to be a substitute, making way for our starting team and putting you below us?"

This statement is not without its venom.

Commander Cao looked up, walked from the window to Commander Fang, and took a step back, somewhat puzzled. "Old Fang, is it really necessary for us to go through this?"

Commander Fang smiled. "Didn't you start first?"

"If you agree, I'll agree."

"If you force someone to do something they can't, I'll force someone to do something they can't."

She didn't understand why Commander Cao was willing to go to such great lengths to send Shen Qiuyue and her team to the substitute positions.

Commander Cao went to see Commander He.

Director He coldly observed, "Don't look at me. I don't participate in your internal decision-making. I'm only responsible for guiding the general direction. If Director Fang is willing to accept the hardship of participating in the joint performance competition of the three northeastern provinces, then I will accept it too."

Look at where this smoothness comes from.

She can thrive in the provincial song and dance troupe and also be the head of a family in the Harbin Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

Commander Cao took a deep breath, looked directly at Commander Fang, and said, "I agree. I agree to all your conditions in exchange for a substitute opportunity to participate in the joint competition in the three northeastern provinces."

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Author's Note: Bonus chapter for 14,000 nutrient solutions! I've really been working hard on the writing, so please leave comments and give me nutrient solutions! Love you all~ [purple sugar]