The Dark Side of the Piano Boy (4)

Jiang Ye almost thought he had heard it wrongly.

But he also heard other people's puzzled discussions.

"What was Zhou Ningning performing? Shouldn't it be the handsome boy playing the piano?"

"Lu Zhiran performed so well, why did someone else win the championship?"

"I also think the one who talks about piano should win first place..."

The heated discussions around him reminded Jiang Ye that what he had just heard was not an illusion, he did not hear it wrong.

The winner of the arts performance was a high school girl who was obviously inferior to Lu Zhiran.

Jiang Ye stood up from the audience angrily and walked quickly to the backstage.

On the way to find Lu Zhiran, Jiang Ye could only throw his doubts to the system, "Xiaoju, help me check why Zhou Ningning won the award."

No one would believe you if you said there was no shady dealings behind this!

After searching for a while, the system said, "Host, I found it."

Zhou Ningning is the daughter of the school board chairman and is a senior this year. She has always been a low-key girl, and no one in the school even knows that her family background is so strong.

Not long ago, Zhou Ningning pursued a boy and confessed her love to him.

The boy said that he would agree to be with Zhou Ningning as long as she could win first place in the school art evening.

In order to be with the boy she liked, Zhou Ningning used her family connections to secure the first place in the evening party performance in advance.

Hearing this, Jiang Ye was so angry that the veins on his forehead seemed to pop out. He had never been so angry about anything before.

Because he knew that Lu Zhiran had been preparing for this for a long time, and he also remembered the sparkling eyes when Lu Zhiran vowed to him that he would get first place.

Jiang Ye nervously rushed to the backstage.

But what caught him off guard was that he searched the backstage but couldn't find any trace of Lu Zhiran.

"Classmate, may I ask, do you know where Lu Zhiran went?"

After asking many classmates, Jiang Ye got the same answer: "I don't know."

A kind classmate reminded him, "Big brother, we are going to the front desk to receive the award soon. Lu Zhiran won the second prize, so he should go to the front desk in advance, right?"

"Okay, thank you."

Jiang Ye turned around and rushed from the backstage to the front stage.

The performance has ended. In the huge auditorium, the students who were sitting below the stage have left one after another, leaving only the stage still bustling with activity.

The school leaders, the host, the performing students, and the persons in charge of the event will also take a group photo.

Jiang Ye did not find Lu Zhiran among this group of people.

In fact, this was what Jiang Ye had expected, because Lu Zhiran was not a child who would accept failure, and Lu Zhiran probably did not have the courage to come here to receive the award.

It doesn't matter if Lu Zhiran can't be found. He came here for another important thing to do...

"Hello, you are one of the judges of this arts evening, right? I am Lu Zhiran's family member, I have something to ask you..."

Jiang Ye found the most important person on the jury this time. He had an information tag on his chest. His surname was Li and his given name was Li Cheng. He was an art teacher in the school.

Jiang Ye didn't hold back and went straight to the point.

"Teacher Li, don't you think Lu Zhiran's performance at tonight's arts evening was better than that of the champion Zhou Ningning?"

Teacher Li looked unhappy, as if he felt a little guilty. But he couldn't do anything about it. After all, Zhou Ningning had connections, so he had to do it based on her mood.

The man said vaguely, "Your child's performance is outstanding, but...but Zhou Ningning is also good. And Lu Zhiran's is an individual project, and Zhou Ningning's is a group performance..."

What kind of excuse is this? Does it even make sense?

"But anyone with a discerning eye can see that Lu Zhiran's performance is better than Zhou Ningning's, and almost everyone thinks that the champion should be Lu Zhiran."

"Teacher Li, don't you think it's ridiculous to give the championship to Zhou Ningning? No matter what the reason is, your grading is too unfair to the children..."

Teacher Li Cheng was very confused. Why were Lu Zhiran's family members so powerful? It was just a first or second prize. Why did they care so much?

In order to deal with Jiang Ye, the other party made up some inexplicable reasons.

Seeing that Jiang Ye didn't listen, Li Cheng wanted to bypass Jiang Ye directly.

But how could Jiang Ye accept this? He held the other party, showing a strong determination to not give in.

This is the championship that belongs to Lu Zhiran, and he wants to get it back for Lu Zhiran.

He couldn't let Lu Zhiran suffer any injustice.

Lu Zhiran cannot be allowed to face this ridiculous injustice.

"Teacher Li, I hope you can think carefully about the four words 'ethics of a teacher'. The championship tonight should have belonged to Lu Zhiran..."

Just as the two were in a stalemate, a pretty girl in a skirt suddenly rushed over in a panic and interrupted the conversation between Jiang Ye and Teacher Li.

"Sorry to bother you!"

[Host, this girl is Zhou Ningning. ]

Jiang Ye looked at Zhou Ningning, his brows knitted involuntarily, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disgust.

Zhou Ningning didn't know who Jiang Ye was.

She seemed to have something urgent to do and didn't care about Jiang Ye being there.

She looked at Li Cheng nervously, "Teacher Li, I have something urgent to ask you... I want you to withdraw my championship award!"

Jiang Ye and Li Cheng were both stunned at the same time.

Li Cheng came back to his senses and asked incredulously, "Why? What happened?"

Didn't he persuade and persuade several judges before, using his connections to make her the champion? Now he's going back on his word?

Zhou Ningning's face was not good. Unexpectedly, she bowed to Li Chengcheng in front of Jiang Ye.

He told Li Cheng the whole story.

The girl's eyes turned red as she spoke, and she choked up, "I'm sorry, Teacher Li, for causing you so much trouble and pressure..."

"I have already... I have figured it out."

"No matter how much I like him, I can't turn myself into such a stupid and selfish girl..."

True love is to make yourself better, not to make yourself become the person you once hated.

"If I really become that kind of scheming and calculating girl, it will only make it harder for others to like me..."

and--

"If he really wanted to be with me, he wouldn't have put forward any conditions."

Jiang Ye looked at the girl in front of him who couldn't help crying and sighed in his heart. Although he felt sorry for this girl, but...

If it weren't for Zhou Ningning, his classmate Lu wouldn't have been injured.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ye's face turned cold again, and he criticized, "You are so willful and selfish! Because of what you did, my Lu Zhiran has to suffer."

Zhou Ningning bowed to Jiang Ye again and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I will go and apologize to Lu Zhiran specifically next time, don't worry..."

After repeated apologies, Jiang Ye's expression finally eased a little.

Finally, Li Cheng listened to Zhou Ningning and changed the winner of the first prize.

The championship award was returned to Lu Zhiran.

"I don't think Mr. Lu is here either. Mr. Jiang, when the time comes, you can hand over the first prize trophy to Mr. Lu and apologize to him for me."

"Mr. Jiang, please tell Lu Zhiran when you get home that I will go to his class to apologize to him next time."

Jiang Ye took the trophy and reluctantly accepted the result.

When Jiang Ye thought about the fact that he had won back the honor that originally belonged to Lu Zhiran, his heart was filled with a slight sense of accomplishment and anticipation for Lu Zhiran's reaction.

I want to tell Lu Zhiran about this as soon as possible.

…

Lu family.

There was only one light on in the living room, and it was the dimmest one.

Lu Zhiran sat on the sofa with his head lowered. His curled eyelashes slightly covered his eyes. He pursed his lips tightly, said nothing, and was as quiet as a puppet.

Not long after, the sound of a door being pushed open was heard in the living room.

Lu Ya walked in from outside.

She was wearing an elegant black dress. Because she was attending a social event tonight, she had drunk a lot of wine and there was a slight smell of alcohol on her body.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Lu Ya walked over, her steps obviously a little unsteady.

Lu Zhiran raised his head after hearing the voice.

He looked at the woman with empty eyes and his voice filled with anxiety.

After a moment, he couldn't help asking, "If I didn't win the first prize, would you... definitely fire Jiang Ye?"

The young man's slender fingers subconsciously pinched tightly, and because he pinched too hard, his knuckles turned a light bluish-white.

For the first time, Lu Zhiran showed uneasiness in front of Lu Ya.

After drinking a little wine, Lu Ya remembered that tonight was the time for Lu Zhiran's cultural performance.

She heard the hidden meaning in Lu Zhiran's words and frowned suddenly.

"Aren't you the first prize?"

The woman's voice was filled with strong dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

Lu Zhiran was silent for a while in grief, and only after a moment did he muster up the courage to argue with Lu Ya for the first time, "Can you please not fire Jiang Ye..."

Hearing Lu Zhiran say this, Lu Ya's voice suddenly rose uncontrollably, "You are from such a small school, and you are not the first prize winner?"

This was the tone that terrified Lu Zhiran the most when he was young.

Lu Yamei stared at Lu Zhiran with her glamorous eyes, as if she wanted to stare a hole in him. She suddenly walked to Lu Zhiran's side, grabbed him with one hand,

"An arts evening party has no more than 20 programs at most. With only more than 20 competitors, you can't even take first place?" Lu Ya was drunk, and the more she spoke, the more she felt that her son was such a failure!

Lu Zhiran couldn't help but bury his head again.

He looked at the floor, and could clearly hear Lu Ya's outrageous criticism and scolding.

"Lu Zhiran! Do you know how hard I work outside? I was at social events the whole night and drank a lot of wine. But when I came back, you told me that you didn't win the first prize..."

Lu Yazhang blushed, and angrily pulled Lu Zhiran's body, "I provide you with such good conditions, why can't you give me the best in return? I want you to be the best, I have said it countless times, Lu Zhiran, you should be the first! I will not allow anyone to be better than you, and I will not allow you to lose to others!"

The influence of alcohol and out-of-control emotions made Lu Ya, who was used to being tough, even more excessive.

Lu Ya pulled Lu Zhiran, as if he was still the little boy who was only a few years old and allowed her to beat and scold him.

"Come...Come, I'll take you to sleep in the basement."

"You go and keep Xiao Hei company tonight. You will never give me a proud child. You should live with a dog. I worked so hard to earn money to raise you, but in the end it's almost the same as raising a dog... At least raising a dog won't make me sad, but what about raising you? Huh?"

"Lu Zhiran, come in, let me in!"

Lu Ya pushed Lu Zhiran into the basement without hesitation.

Lu Zhiran watched Lu Ya close the door.