Chapter 28: On How Rumors Arise
After a chaotic night, Sun Wei, sporting dark circles under her eyes, appeared in the principal's office on time.
Fu Qing asked her, "Have they explained everything clearly?"
Sun Wei's mind was still replaying the video Shen Qingqing and Zhang Han had shown her during their all-night tutoring session yesterday. In the video, Fu Qing, like Spider-Man, left several of the terrifying zombies from yesterday far behind. And Zhang Han's vivid recounting of the barbecue restaurant ordeal: "You don't know, I was there. The principal slapped that troublemaking drunkard against the wall so hard he couldn't be pried off..."
Sun Wei was shocked and immediately shared the incident on the pedestrian street with her new roommates: "I saw the principal stop a speeding SUV with his bare hands, stab the driver all over, and then walk out of the police station unharmed..."
After saying that, the two of them clicked their tongues and shook their heads together, ignoring Shen Qingqing's subtle gaze and whispered murmurs beside them:
"So this is how rumors are created..."
Meanwhile, Sun Wei sat in front of Fu Qing, watching the principal drinking strawberry-flavored soy milk through a straw. She felt that beneath Fu Qing's calm exterior lay a formidable inner strength. She was very honest: "I've explained it clearly."
Perhaps because of the near-fatal accident she experienced while shopping yesterday, Sun Wei now seems indifferent to life and death and has a good acceptance of the impending apocalypse.
She asked cautiously, "Who are you looking for?"
Sun Wei heard from Zhang Han and the others that most of the students had never met the principal alone, so she was very uneasy.
"Two things. First," Fu Qing tossed her a bracelet, "It should have been given to you on the day you enrolled, but you didn't come to school, so it's been delayed until now."
Sun Wei's enrollment procedures were completed online after a special application process, and she also used a hospital certificate to apply for leave.
Sun Wei hurriedly caught the bracelet, put it on her wrist, and her eyes gleamed.
After Shen Qingqing introduced it to Zhang Han yesterday, she had been looking forward to this magical communication tool. Now that she finally had one herself, she couldn't help but feel excited: "Thank you, Principal!"
"The bracelet can also take photos and videos, and it will automatically recognize the content of the photos. If you share them on the school forum or send them to classmates, it doesn't matter if you capture realistic zombies in the photos," Fu Qing explained simply. "You can explore the remaining functions yourself or ask your classmates."
"good."
Sun Wei understood that the bracelet essentially provided a more flexible internal communication platform, while also incorporating built-in review rules.
She exclaimed again: "This is all so high-end!"
Fangzhou doesn't resemble a school; rather, it's more like a secret organization that possesses highly classified information and technology that surpasses the capabilities of this era.
Their goal is to save the world.
Sun Wei felt her inner chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) burning fiercely.
When Zhang Han and Shen Qingqing recounted their experiences, there was only one part that remained unchanged and unexaggerated: Fu Qing's speech at the opening ceremony.
"This is the greatest crisis in human history, but you have the opportunity to change it."
That simple sentence, after the initial confusion and fear, has gradually gained a powerful and moving force over time.
So much so that when Zhang Han's Shen Qingqing repeated it, she said it almost word for word. Then the two of them looked at each other at the same time, their expressions becoming complicated as they looked at the plaster on each other's exposed skin.
Nearly a month later, after experiencing initial trials and tribulations, they finally understood the hopes and responsibilities the principal had entrusted to them.
Although Sun Wei only had a vague understanding of this, she kept those words firmly in her heart.
"The second thing," Fu Qing asked, "...Are you working in social media?"
With the script used during filming and all the equipment in the luggage, the answer is quite simple.
Sun Wei did not deny it: "Yes."
Unexpectedly, the topic changed so quickly. Sun Wei was initially puzzled, but then thought that perhaps the principal saw her filming yesterday and was worried, so he wanted to conduct further investigation.
So she took out her phone and showed her profile: "Don't worry, I didn't post anything about school."
Fu Qing looked up and quietly took a breath.
Sun Wei's account name is @社会你薇姐. Judging from the cover, she mainly shares daily vlogs and videos of her chatting and makeup, showing her face. On the platform she was shown, she has 680,000 followers, which is definitely a large number of bloggers.
“I started doing social media in high school. Since this type of account requires me to share my daily life frequently, I told my fans when I received my college admission notice. But the school name was blurred out. Will that have any impact?” Sun Wei asked anxiously.
Fu Qing shook her head: "No."
She had long realized that simply revealing the school's name, "Fangzhou," or making others aware of its existence would not expose the school's special nature.
With so many students living and working on campus, their daily interactions with "Fangzhou"—from purchasing ingredients for the cafeteria, delivering packages, and ordering takeout, to their parents and friends—make it impossible to hide the truth. However, after observing for a period of time, Fu Qing discovered that even if they knew, they wouldn't feel any curiosity.
For example, even the bus driver on the route near the school gate, Zhao Tingting, who had visited Fangzhou before, failed to discover Fangzhou's secret. They seemed to naturally make the connection, assuming Fangzhou was a martial arts school or some mysterious special school, and then lost all desire to explore further.
Therefore, even if some of Sun Wei's fans, out of interest in her, went to search for this school, they would not find anything.
Even if some of the more terrifying people uncovered Sun Wei's location, their focus would remain solely on Sun Wei herself, without paying any attention to Fang Zhouduo.
Of course, if any pervert dares to come to Fangzhou as a stalker, they'd better think twice about whether they can escape unscathed from the onslaught of students bursting with a sense of justice.
As long as you don't go too far, the system will suppress everything; after all, it's the one that truly doesn't want the apocalypse to be exposed.
Sun Wei felt a little relieved: "Don't worry, I'll post a notice of suspension after my next video, and then I'll focus on my studies."
Since there was no material to film anyway, she made up her mind last night to train hard for the next year in preparation for the apocalypse.
Although she was a little reluctant to part with it, after all, she had worked hard to manage this account all this time, and the fans were always very active and the number of fans was steadily increasing. But hobbies and making money were far less important than living.
She saved most of the money she earned through social media, which is enough to stock up on goods for the future.
Seeing that Sun Wei looked like she was about to make a drastic decision, Fu Qing quickly stopped her, saying, "There's no rush."
She considered for a moment: "Are you interested in an opportunity to earn points?"
Sun Wei: "?"
She had heard about the purpose of points from her roommates, and she also knew that she couldn't participate in the running check-in because of her foot injury, which meant she was destined to miss the best opportunity to earn points, and she was worried about where to make up for it.
Fu Qing's question really hit the nail on the head.
"Please speak!"
...
Five minutes later, Su Huaijin, having received the private message, arrived at the principal's office with the remaining three members of the publicity team.
Upon seeing Sun Wei, the freckled boy couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister Wei!"
The girl studying broadcasting and hosting also recognized Sun Wei: "I've seen your posts online! I never imagined we were from the same school."
Only Su Huaijin, who doesn't like going online, and the boy who doesn't follow beauty bloggers looked completely bewildered.
What was supposed to be a nice classmate reunion turned into a fan meeting, making Sun Wei a little awkward.
Fu Qing tapped the table with her fingertip, interrupting the two, and after they introduced themselves briefly, she looked at Sun Wei and said, "She will be in charge of short videos for young people from now on. You two can communicate more."
Although the publicity team has become quite comprehensive since these four people joined, due to their different areas of expertise, this "comprehensiveness" is only for articles and short videos aimed at parents, and there is a big gap between them and the content that young people like.
Sun Wei has extensive experience in creating self-media accounts and also brings her own audience. With her joining, the reach of the platform can be further expanded.
The four members of the publicity team were thrilled to find that the principal had brought over a big shot just over the weekend.
While surprised, Su Huaijin felt a little embarrassed about her position as team leader. "Sun Wei is much more experienced than me. She should be the team leader."
Sun Wei had just heard about Su Huaijin's illustrious history and felt ashamed in front of the academic star: "No, no, no, you know this school better than I do. You're more suitable to be the group leader."
"No, no, no, you're more professional in this area."
"No, no, no..."
Fu Qing, with a straw in his mouth, watched the two of them say "no, no, no" for a long time.
She slurped up the soy milk and then said, "What are you all being so polite about? It seems like there are no extra points for being the team leader."
Su Huaijin: "..."
The principal's question was fatal. She opened her mouth, "Oh, I forgot..."
Everyone: "..."
*
"This is it, stop here."
As the older police officer gave the order, the younger officer beside him clicked the mouse in response.
Song Rushuang could make out her own silhouette from the frozen surveillance footage.
Song Jianguo and Xu Mingyu sat down beside her and leaned forward as well: "Hey, isn't this us?"
The group, along with Song Xiang and his family of three, were sitting in the police station's rest area. They were there to give statements.
This case involves too many people, and almost all the police force has been mobilized. In order to give the victims and the public an explanation as soon as possible, they have been working non-stop since the incident yesterday. The group was supposed to come to the police station yesterday, but because Xu Feng said she felt uncomfortable in her chest and went to the hospital, they changed it to today.
The police station was packed with people. Some were there for the first time and were looking around. Others were clearly relatives of victims, with blank expressions and red, swollen eyes. There were also people who had come to report other cases and were shouting insults at each other with the defendants who refused to admit their crimes. They were stopped in time before they could fight.
The myriad aspects of life are condensed in this small house.
They had finished giving their statements, but before they could leave, the police stopped them, brought over a computer, and showed them the surveillance footage.
The older policeman was Officer Chen, whom he had met yesterday. He remembered Song Rushuang, who had acted bravely. Pointing at the figure on the screen with the end of his pen, he said in a gentle tone, "This is CCTV footage from the entrance of a shoe store on Yongxin Road during the time of the incident yesterday. Is this you?"
"It's me." Song Rushuang clutched the hem of her clothes, not understanding what was going on.
Song Xiang gloated from the side: "What, officer? Did my sister do something wrong?"
What good could come of being stopped by the police?
Officer Chen glanced at him indifferently, said nothing, and gestured to his partner to continue playing.
The scene sped up, quickly cutting to an SUV crashing in, with screams heard in the background. Officer Chen then resumed the original speed.
The surveillance camera recorded the entire subsequent process, including Song Rushuang being the first to react, waking her parents up, finding a suitable refuge for them to hide in, stopping the panicked Xu Feng, and correcting Song Xiang's escape direction.
This is a surveillance camera with audio recording; it can clearly hear everything people say at the door.
Upon hearing Song Rushuang yell "Shut up!" at Song Xiang, the expressions of the people present became somewhat subtle.
Song Aiguo broke the silence and joked, "Xiao Shuang, a young girl like you is so fierce, it'll be hard for you to find a boyfriend in the future."
Xu Mingyu was busy admiring her daughter's heroic act: How come she never noticed how smart her daughter was before? She single-handedly saved her whole family! She wondered if she could get a copy of the surveillance footage...
These thoughts filled her mind. Hearing Song Aiguo's words, she didn't even lift her eyelids, and sneered: "It's better for girls to be a little rude, otherwise our whole family might not be able to sit here peacefully today."
This is a response to Xu Feng's comment yesterday that Sun Wei was rude.
Song Jianguo was also dissatisfied: "Aiguo, what are you saying? Does that mean Xiaoshuang didn't save your son?"
He would praise Song Xiang along with Song Aiguo, but he hated hearing others say bad things about his daughter.
Xiao Shuang saved his wife and kids, and instead of praising his daughter's good looks, he's nitpicking! If something had happened to Song Xiang yesterday, would his second brother have blamed Xiao Shuang for not saving him?
Song Aiguo was surprised to be rebuked twice, and his face immediately turned ugly. It took him a few seconds to realize that his wife hadn't said anything this time.
Officer Chen calmly said, "That was a good shout from the young lady. Her composure at such a crucial moment is commendable."
“The glass walls of ordinary shops are no match for vehicles. Yesterday, the shops where people hid were all smashed by the suspect after he discovered and rammed them. Hiding behind the counter was no good either; the counter was even displaced by the impact, and people were stuck between the counter and the wall. Fortunately, the SUV did not continue to chase, but only broke some ribs.”
"He also suffered head and face injuries from broken glass. I heard he was taken to the hospital and received over twenty stitches. But in such a big case, disfigurement is already a very good outcome..."
He didn't continue, shaking his head, heartbroken by the suspect's cruelty and the victim's innocence and pitifulness.
Song Xiang and Xu Feng's faces had turned pale, and when they heard that someone was stuck behind the counter, they felt a sharp pain in their chests.
Upon hearing about disfigurement, I couldn't help but touch my own face again.
Overnight, the fates of countless people were changed.
If they had narrowly escaped the attack, they might already be expressing their gratitude for their good fortune. But the problem is, their safety wasn't solely due to luck...
Song Xiang and Xu Feng had different thoughts and restrained themselves from looking at Song Rushuang.
Song Rushuang didn't really care about her cousin's family's gratitude, since that wasn't why she saved them. She was more concerned about Officer Chen's purpose in keeping her: "Officer, you specifically sought us out just for this surveillance footage?"
To be honest, she was a little nervous. After all, she was only eighteen years old and had little experience dealing with the police. If her parents hadn't been there, she probably would have been even more uneasy.
"Ah, yes, there are a few things. One is that the surveillance footage from this store and the store across the street can be used as evidence of your act of bravery. Please take a look, is that alright?"
Officer Chen said that as the progress bar moved forward, it showed the process of Song Rushuang rushing to the roadside tree to save Sun Wei.
Song Rushuang nodded, and upon hearing this, the expressions of Song Aiguo's family became even worse.
Not only do acts of bravery earn rewards, but they can also be included on one's resume, which will likely be very helpful when looking for a job in the future.
They could already imagine how Song Jianguo and Xu Mingyu would brag about it to their relatives and friends during holidays.
"Another thing, we saw this footage while reviewing the surveillance footage yesterday, and I immediately said that the young girl handled it exceptionally well." Officer Chen suddenly smiled, his tired and heavy expression rarely changing after a busy day. "Many people, when they see a car rushing towards them, instinctively want to run in the opposite direction, but people can't outrun a car. Running to the sides of the car's front makes it difficult for the car to turn and catch up in time, and that's the correct thing to do."
He didn't say that Fu Qing would be dealt with in a similar way afterward.
They also retrieved the surveillance footage of Fu Qing, but it was too graphic and not suitable for public viewing.
Unexpectedly, the police officer contacted her to praise her. Song Rushuang blinked and met Officer Chen's calm and gentle gaze. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she suddenly felt relieved.
What's there to be nervous about? She's facing the group of people in the world who are least likely to hurt her.
Song Rushuang said shyly, "Actually, we mentioned this in class, and I just happened to remember it."
Although Fangzhou did not offer specific courses on emergency avoidance, most of its teachers were all-rounders. Having spent a long time surviving in the apocalypse, they could talk about anything and teach a little about anything outside of the course content.
Bai Tang once dedicated half a class to talking about how to maintain a good mindset in the post-apocalyptic world, and emphasized the importance of mental health.
Teachers never hesitate to spend a few extra minutes briefly explaining anything they deem important.
In the post-apocalyptic world, social order is chaotic, and accidents involving cars hitting people are far more common than before the apocalypse. Bai Tang had explained the theoretical knowledge, and Hao Zhenye had also demonstrated how to avoid such situations in physical education class.
"Your school even teaches how to deal with sudden collisions?" Officer Chen's eyes lit up, and the image of Fu Qing flashed through his mind. Surprisingly, he wasn't entirely surprised.
With a principal like that, it's no wonder that the students he raises are so courageous and resourceful.
Officer Chen couldn't help but exclaim, "Your principal is very farsighted. Currently, many schools' safety education programs are still limited to common natural disasters and accidents like earthquakes, tornadoes, and fires. But in fact, there have been more and more other social incidents lately. We plan to conduct a series of safety lectures and drills in classrooms of primary and secondary schools and universities throughout the city, including how to deal with things like car crashes and random stabbings."
"That's great." Xu Mingyu nodded. "This incident was really frightening. I saw on the news that some people specifically go to kindergarten gates to attack people, targeting weak and innocent children. These people deserve to go to hell."
As a mother, she gets angry every time she sees similar news.
“We hadn’t kept up with safety education in this area before, and we were even more panicked than the children. It’s a good thing that Xiaoshuang learned it at school,” Song Jianguo said. “If we’re going to hold a lecture, it would be best to invite the parents as well, because adults need to be taught too.”
Officer Chen nodded in agreement, then changed the subject: "That's why we specifically came to you to ask if it's possible to blur out this video and use it as teaching material?"
“Real video footage is more convincing. When we make course materials later, we should also include her coping methods as an example,” he explained patiently.
Upon hearing this, the group of people were all stunned.
Song Jianguo and Xu Mingyu were overjoyed: their daughter's video had received such appreciation, and they were even going to use it for teaching. Didn't that mean everyone in the city, from elementary school to university, could see it, use it as a reference, and learn from her methods?
This is much more prestigious than showing off to your relatives!
After being shocked, Song Aiguo, Xu Feng, and Song Xiang felt both embarrassed and ashamed.
It's obvious they'll become the negative examples in this teaching material. Every time a teacher praises Song Rushuang, they'll be criticized. This is just...unbelievable.
Officer Chen, with a serious expression, continued, "This case occurred in S City, and it's quite serious. Our city will definitely be launching a series of actions targeting this case. We might also need to produce promotional videos for public places like subway stations. We'll contact you again if needed."
"Oh, of course, everyone involved will have their faces blurred, so please don't worry."
The Song family was plunged into darkness.
Why would you play it on the subway?
Song Jianguo and Xu Mingyu were overjoyed and had no time to consider their brother's family's reaction: "This, this is our honor, please use it as you please. Don't you agree, Xiaoshuang?"
Although Song Rushuang felt embarrassed, she thought it was a good thing, so she nodded and said, "Okay."
"Thank you for your help." Officer Chen smiled.
"When you get back, please thank your principal. It's all thanks to her."
Fearing they might not take it seriously, he said solemnly, "Prevention of danger can save lives in critical moments. We always emphasize the importance of safety drills and safety education, and this is the best example."
Song Rushuang nodded repeatedly, but in her heart she thought that their school had done more than just this one safety drill.
The principal's foresight and proactive approach are not limited to these areas.
Unfortunately, people outside the school will never know.
Song Aiguo and Xu Feng didn't even dare to voice their disagreement, feeling that saying so would only make them more embarrassed. Since the image was blurred anyway, they decided to close their eyes and pretend they didn't know it was them.
After the statements were taken and the video recording was discussed, Officer Chen personally escorted the group to the police station entrance.
Song Xiang, who had been holding it in the whole way, finally couldn't help but say, "That surveillance video..."
He wanted to ask if it was possible to avoid showing the actual footage, or even make it into an animation. Song Aiguo and Xu Feng could be disregarded, but Song Xiang himself was still a student; who knew if the video would end up being shown at their school?
He even went so far as to boast on his WeChat Moments yesterday that he was a survivor of the Yongxin Road pedestrian street incident, and received a lot of private messages asking about it. In the chat, he even claimed to be the one who saved people.
If the surveillance footage is shown on campus one day, how will he ever be able to face anyone again! Even if his face is blurred, his close roommates and classmates will probably still recognize Song Xiang, since he's wearing his usual clothes.
Song Xiang was so embarrassed that his scalp tingled. He was extremely regretful that he had spoken too quickly. Why couldn't he have waited one more day before showing off?
If you're going to pretend, why go to such lengths...?
He looked at Officer Chen awkwardly, still thinking about how to start the conversation, when the other officer seemed to just remember something: "Oh, don't worry about the surveillance footage, we'll only show the part after the incident."
What do you mean by only showing the parts after the incident? Song Xiang didn't understand for a moment and stared at him blankly.
Officer Chen had already changed his expression.
As a veteran criminal investigator, he could be intimidating without even trying when he wanted to, and Song Xiang felt uneasy under his gaze.
Officer Chen admonished, "But I must remind you, harassing girls is extremely wrong. Even simple verbal harassment, if the circumstances are serious, violates the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, do you understand?"
Xu Feng didn't quite understand: "What? Breaking the law? When did Xiao Xiang break the law?"
Song Xiang thought for a moment, then suddenly turned pale.
He remembered that he had whistled and said a few words to the blonde girl who came out with him in front of that store. Was that caught on the security camera?
How could I be so unlucky? A crime just happened, there just happened to be CCTV footage in front of that store, and the police just happened to see it while reviewing the footage...
His face was pale, and he dared not mention the surveillance footage again.
Before Song Aiguo could say anything, Xu Feng, who had suddenly realized what was happening, pulled him hard.
Xu Feng broke out in a cold sweat. She understood that Officer Chen meant "if the situation is serious," which meant that Song Xiang's behavior was not too serious and that it would end with just a verbal warning. If their parents got involved again, it might escalate the situation.
The family was already in a bad mood, and being startled made their faces even worse. Their eyes darted around, and they dared not utter a sound.
Song Rushuang looked at Song Xiang, then at her uncle and aunt, and almost couldn't help but laugh.
When my cousin was harassing someone yesterday, didn't he keep saying he just wanted their contact information? And didn't my uncle and aunt seem quite unhappy about Sun Wei's refusal?
So they knew it was wrong to do that.
They were acting so convincingly that she thought they really didn't know.
Officer Chen stood at the entrance of the police station, sternly scrutinizing the family of three. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye and chuckled, "Perfect timing, the person involved is here. You should apologize to her."
Song Rushuang turned her head and, sure enough, it was Sun Wei.
Sun Wei received a call from the police and had just taken a taxi from school to give a statement when she unexpectedly ran into her roommate, Song Rushuang, who gave her a knowing look.
She saw Song Xiang and Officer Chen looking dejected to the side, and when she heard the word "apology," she understood what was going on and laughed, "You want to apologize? Then I'll record it."
"To be honest, I didn't sleep well last night. I'm making a recording so I can listen to it later and feel a bit better." Sun Wei wanted to tease him. "Is that okay, officer?"
The parties involved were in a legal process of recording audio and video, so Officer Chen didn't say anything. However, Song Xiang was so angry that his nose was crooked.
But seeing Officer Chen, he didn't dare to act rashly. He awkwardly apologized, deliberately speaking very softly. When he looked up, he discovered that Sun Wei was using a small microphone clipped to her collar to record her voice. He was so shocked that he almost lost control of his expression.
"I'm sorry, it's a professional habit, I usually carry recording equipment with me," Sun Wei said with a smile, then played it again. "Yes, it's very clear. I accept this apology."
Song Aiguo pointed at her, unable to speak: "You, you..."
His son had embarrassed himself this time, and Song Aiguo didn't dare to cause trouble for his older brother, niece, or the police officer, so he vented all his resentment on the girl who suddenly appeared.
"Looking so young, and already out working, he's definitely not a decent person." He muttered under his breath, only to be glared at by Officer Chen: "Watch your words!"
Song Rushuang cleared her throat: "Oh right, I forgot to introduce you. This is my roommate, Sun Wei."
"We are all victims of the 600-plus score in the college entrance examination."
She smiled and glanced at Song Xiang: "Cousin, say hello."
The expressions on Song Xiang's family's faces finally became completely distorted.
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