Chapter 44
Hearing his father's rare stern tone, Su Miao's eyes lit up and he looked up at his father with admiration.
Wow! My dad is a superhero! So cool!
Others also felt that Liu Zhaodi's behavior was a little abnormal and looked at him with suspicion.
Liu Xu frowned uncomfortably. She had never seen Su Yuanzheng so aggressive, but Liu Zhaodi was her niece, so she had to protect her.
"What do you mean? Zhaodi was just too nervous, so she made a mistake on stage. What does this have to do with the lost accompaniment tape?"
Su Yuanzheng stared at Liu Zhaodi closely. "Really? How could it be such a coincidence that the accompaniment tape was lost right after you went to visit? If it was someone insignificant, why would they steal the accompaniment tape? And why did they only steal the ones for Miaomiao and the others' show?"
Seeing that Liu Zhaodi was frightened, Liu Xu quickly hugged her and said to Su Miao in her usual impatient tone, "Alright, Zhaodi has been pitiful enough today. You changed the song and it didn't cause any substantial loss. Why bother making a fuss?"
Su Miao pulled Li Yuanyuan beside him and said slowly, "This really didn't cause me any loss, but it affected my companion. We were originally supposed to sing in chorus, but we had to change to a solo, so she missed the opportunity."
The theater director was also very dissatisfied with Liu Xu's attitude: "Comrade Liu Xu, it is I who must thoroughly investigate this matter! This kind of vile behavior will affect the reputation of our entire theater. Don't you even have this much awareness?"
Liu Xu gritted her teeth and secretly cursed Su Miao for being a traitor who had lost face for her in front of the leader.
She had no choice but to appease the leader and said, "Dean, don't be angry. That's not what I meant. I just wanted to say that this matter has nothing to do with my niece. I just took her on a tour backstage."
"But... after she separated from you, she went towards the sound room alone." A voice came from the corner, attracting everyone's attention.
The person who spoke was a logistics lady holding a broom. The dean asked, "Auntie Huang, did you see this little girl go to the sound room? When was it?"
Aunt Huang thought about it for a moment and said a little embarrassedly, "Dean, I saw Liu Xu and the little girl walking over there when I was cleaning. After they came back, the little girl went over there again not long after. I'm really not sure of the exact time."
With Aunt Huang's testimony, Liu Zhaodi's suspicion increased sharply.
She shook the hem of Liu Xu's clothes anxiously and said, "Aunt, it really wasn't me. I was just too nervous and went to the bathroom more than once. There were too many people on the other side, so I went around through the sound room."
Although Liu Xu also had some doubts about her niece, she could only support her at this time, otherwise she would not be able to get rid of the relationship. After all, it was she who took her niece to visit everywhere.
"Dean, it can't be Zhaodi's. You may not know this, but the student who lost the accompaniment tape is my daughter, and this is my niece. We are cousins, and we get along just like real sisters at home."
The dean really didn't know about this relationship, and the situation suddenly became a little awkward. Liu Xu came to get a certificate from her work unit when she got divorced. Does that mean that now she is confronting her ex-husband's daughter with her niece?
Others who didn't know they were divorced found it even more bizarre. Why was this comrade so focused on protecting his niece and so cold towards his daughter?
Li Yuanyuan muttered softly, "Our relationship wasn't that good. He used to bully Miaomiao all the time."
Although the sound was small, it was loud enough for many people to hear, and the expressions on everyone's faces became subtle.
"Dean! The results of the competition are out! Please go back to your seat!" The theater's office director hurried in and said.
The dean was in a dilemma. He had caused such a big commotion just now. If he left before the matter was fully investigated, wouldn't it seem that he was all talk and no action and had no authority?
The situation was deadlocked for a while.
Su Miao noticed his expression. In fact, she knew that today's outcome would most likely be unsolvable.
No matter how big a suspicion Liu Zhaodi has, if there is no solid evidence to prove that she saw her taking the accompaniment tape, as long as she insists that she did not do it, there will be no conclusion.
Besides, it was just a small mistake in the performance program. The dean just wanted to show his rigorous attitude to the outside world. He didn't really want to make a big deal out of it. It would be a fantasy to ask the police to solve the case.
It would be better for her to be more generous and give the dean a way out. Anyway, she was sure that her mother's performance today was already bad enough in the dean's eyes, so it would be better not to beat the dog when it is down, lest it become desperate and do something more extreme.
Then they will make up for it from other places. According to her understanding of the working style of leaders within the system, if they are shortchanged here, they will be compensated from other places.
"Leader, teacher, as the saying goes, a blessing in disguise. Despite this little incident, I still managed to complete the performance successfully. Since we can't find the person who stole the accompaniment tape right now, let's give her a chance to reform and not waste time on this matter."
The dean slid down the ladder Su Miao had provided. He leaned over and patted Su Miao on the shoulder, saying, "You are such a broad-minded young comrade. No wonder you sang 'I Love You, China' so well-reasoned."
"Thank you for the compliment, I'm very satisfied with my performance tonight, but it's a pity that my classmate didn't get to go on stage."
The dean thought for a moment and said with a smile, "How about this? On New Year's Eve, the county art troupe will hold a theatrical evening. How about I put your originally scheduled program today first and let you open it?"
Su Miao and Li Yuanyuan looked at each other excitedly and applauded, "Great! Thank you, leader!"
"Alright, let's all go to the auditorium and see if your singing tonight can take the cake."
The music teacher was certain that Su Miao would win the award, so he didn't let her return to her seat and took her directly to the right side of the stage to wait.
The host came to the stage with a list of winners and said in a very formal tone: "Dear leaders, guests and all contestants:
Today, we gather here to witness a wonderful literary and artistic competition...
..."
A total of five outstanding programs will be selected. The winning performers will go on stage in turn, and the awards will be presented after the rankings are announced.
Every time a winning program was announced, Su Miao felt the music teacher's hand on his shoulder tighten.
The host said, "Next, I announce that the winner of the 3rd Ning County Primary School Art Competition is... the soloist of "I Love You China," performed by Su Miao, a primary school student from Ning County!"
The whole audience burst into applause, and excited cheers could be heard from students in the first small team. The music teacher gently patted her shoulder and said, "Miao Miao! You are first. Go on stage and enjoy your glorious moment!"
Acceptance speeches are not popular nowadays. Usually, leaders just come on stage, hand out the award certificates and then leave.
But Su Miao's performance today was so impressive that the art troupe leader couldn't help but praise her: "Student Su, you sang this song with such genuine emotion today. It was truly moving. It's the best children's version I've ever heard! You truly deserve first place."
A government leader nearby also said, "I love the sugarcane from your hometown. It's like milk nourishing my heart." With such enthusiasm, he said, "Isn't Ning County the hometown of sugarcane? Great! Very good! You truly expressed your love for your hometown!"
Su Miao nodded innocently and thanked the leaders, silently praising them in her heart: "As expected of leaders! They are good at elevating ideas!"
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