Wang Xiaoliang panted rapidly.
Huang Xueli's furious roar came crashing down on him as a reminder.
A reminder to stay calm.
They had come prepared. Provoking him was their aim.
He had let anger throw him off balance.
His operating rights to the three stores were already teetering on the edge. Losing his composure like this left him even less chance of winning them back.
Wang Xiaoliang forced back the curses that had risen to his lips.
"I'm sorry, sir."
"That wasn't directed at you."
"It was directed at those competitors hiding in the sewers, making false accusations against me."
The official in glasses ignored his apology.
"Well, Wang Xiaoliang, I understand."
"Listen to my reasons for removing you, and see whether you can accept them wholeheartedly."
"All right." Those were the only words Wang Xiaoliang uttered.
"Let me ask you, have you ever given Principal Song a gift?" The official's voice suddenly turned cold and stern. The abrupt shift in tone left Wang Xiaoliang a little unprepared.
"No," Wang Xiaoliang answered firmly.
"That's not right, is it? A teacher saw you carrying something into Principal Song's office. Several teachers saw it together, in fact. Are you saying they all lied for someone who had nothing to do with them?"
When asked about gifts, Wang Xiaoliang naturally thought of expensive items. How could a gift to an official in exchange for a favor be cheap?
How could he have known the man meant the piece of calligraphy he had given him?
"I did give him a piece of calligraphy, but it wasn't worth a penny. I wrote it myself."
"As long as you admit it. We won't discuss its value for now. We only need to establish that you two had close ties."
"How does that mean we had close