Ten Outstanding Communist Youth League Members

"You're the one who's had too much to drink!" Su Ke murmured in Li Daxing's ear, a cold smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Li Daxing visibly shuddered and swallowed hard. His breathing quickened, and his eyes darted around.

Su Ke raised an arm, as if to pat Li Daxing on the shoulder. But before he could make another move, the six-foot-tall man suddenly blurted out, his voice breaking, "Principal Liu, actually, I was the one who drank at noon!"

"Oh? What happened?" Liu Peihua's expression darkened. He glanced at Li Xueliang, who was still sitting on the sofa.

"Brat, what are you talking about?" Li Xueliang knew perfectly well that his son had been drinking, but this was no time to tell the truth. He kicked Li Daxing aside and pointed at the office door, shouting, "Get out of here right now!"

Furious and humiliated, Li Xueliang drove his own son out, then went straight up to Liu Peihua and pointed back at Su Ke. "Principal Liu, Su Ke has to be expelled!" His tone was firm, almost like an ultimatum.

Su Ke struggled to suppress his anger. He was also puzzled by Li Xueliang's attitude. What did he have backing him that made him dare to speak to the principal like that?

Just then, the phone on Principal Liu Peihua's desk rang. He waved at Li Xueliang before answering. "Hello, Mr. Li!"

"Long time no see, long time no see. You've just been so busy with business!"

"Oh, you mean Feifei? Her grades have always been good!"

"You're too kind. After all, Feifei should be calling me Uncle, shouldn't she?"

"Oh? You mean what happened at noon? I already know. Mm-hmm, don't worry. They're just kids; it's nothing that serious!"

"Sure. Let's get together sometime!"

Liu Peihua put down the phone. He gave Su Ke a meaningful look, then glanced at Li Xueliang. For a long moment, he said nothing, and the principal's office fell completely silent.

"Principal Liu, what are you going to do?" Li Xueliang had calmed down considerably. His tone was no longer as aggressive, though his expression remained tense.

"They're just kids. There's no need to expel him, is there?" Liu Peihua didn't seem annoyed by Li Xueliang's disrespect. Instead, he smiled.

To Su Ke, those words clearly revealed what the principal intended. It seemed he was going to be all right. Could it have been because of that phone call?

As he listened to the principal mention Mr. Li and Feifei, he wondered, Could that girl Li Feifei be helping me?

"Principal Liu, handling things this way isn't right. If Director Zhang finds out, our school might lose its chance to be recognized as an advanced school!" Li Xueliang said. Then he sat back down on the sofa, lit a cigarette without asking, and watched Liu Peihua.

Hearing this, Liu Peihua did hesitate. Li Xueliang had a relative who was a director in the education bureau's supervision office. He'd gotten his position as head of academic affairs because of that connection.

At this point, Su Ke left things to fate. He stood quietly to one side and entered the Flower Picking System's space; he'd just heard a notification about a new task.

Task: Get Li Yuhua's phone number; Reward: 500 yuan.

What the heck? Who's Li Yuhua? Su Ke was dumbfounded. The name was completely unfamiliar; he'd never even heard it before. He didn't know this person at all, so how was he supposed to get his phone number? Was he supposed to dream it up?

Just then, as Liu Peihua was still deliberating, the phone rang again, interrupting his thoughts. Mr. Li's earlier call had indeed been to plead with him on Su Ke's behalf, and he'd agreed. But now Li Xueliang was using Director Zhang from the city education bureau to pressure him. Wasn't that just because he thought Liu Peihua had no one backing him?

Liu Peihua was furious, but had no way to vent it. He was already feeling frustrated, and the ringing phone made him frown. But the next moment, his expression changed. He quickly answered, his voice turning gentle.

"Hello, Director Wu!"

"Yes, I'm at school! What? You're coming over soon?"

"Su Ke? He's a student at our school."

Liu Peihua suddenly said Su Ke's name, making Li Xueliang perk up his ears to listen.

"Of course. We're in the office. Mm-hmm, I'll bring Su Ke over."

Li Xueliang had no idea what was going on, but he suddenly had a bad feeling. When Liu Peihua hung up, his tone had softened considerably. "Principal Liu, was that a call from Deputy Director Wu of the education bureau?"

To his surprise, Liu Peihua didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Su Ke, speaking warmly. "Su Ke, did you help catch a thief a few days ago?"

Su Ke was still wondering who on earth Li Yuhua was. Hearing the principal's question, he nodded without thinking.

"Excellent! You showed courage in helping others! Get ready. Some leaders from the city education bureau and the Municipal Communist Youth League are coming to meet you. Don't be nervous when they arrive!" As he spoke, Liu Peihua came around from behind his desk and patted Su Ke on the shoulder with an approving smile. "Good lad! You've brought honor to our school!"

Only then did Su Ke catch on. He looked up at Liu Peihua, but before he could say anything, the principal led him over to the sofa and warmly asked him to sit down. The sudden change left Su Ke struggling to adjust.

"Principal Liu, are you expelling him or not?" Li Xueliang still insisted that Su Ke be kicked out, despite his sense that something was wrong. But Liu Peihua's response left him stunned.

"Li Xueliang, go home and discipline your son properly. You don't get to decide by yourself whether someone is expelled or not. Director Wu and Secretary Li from the Communist Youth League are coming over soon, so stop embarrassing yourself here. Su Ke's already been nominated as one of Langfang City's Ten Outstanding Communist Youth League Members. Think carefully about the consequences!"

Liu Peihua gave Li Xueliang a fierce scolding, finally releasing all the anger that had been building inside him. At the end, he pointed at the office door. "Get out there and keep watch. As soon as the leaders enter the school gates, come report to me!"

"Huh? Langfang City's Ten Outstanding Communist Youth League Members?" Li Xueliang looked bewildered, as if his brain hadn't caught up yet. But he understood that Su Ke couldn't be expelled now. He turned away and muttered as he walked out.

Watching Li Xueliang leave with a thoroughly miserable look on his face, Liu Peihua laughed without restraint. It seemed he hadn't been this happy in a long time. He sat down beside Su Ke on the sofa.

He spoke kindly. "Su Ke, Deputy Director Wu Chengjie, who oversees the education department at the city education bureau, and Deputy Secretary Li Yuhua from the Municipal Communist Youth League are coming to meet you. When they arrive, be sure to talk about the moral education at our No. 17 High School. This is a great chance to bring honor to our school!"

"Oh!" Su Ke nodded mechanically. He hadn't expected Li Yuhua to show up so soon. A deputy secretary of the Communist Youth League—Su Ke figured that leaders like him were usually older. How was he supposed to get his phone number?