Ma Guotao was surprised by the anatomy teachers' reaction and blurted out, "Are you here to plead for Zhao Yuan? Not to kick him while he's down?"
Now it was the anatomy teachers' turn to be stunned. "Why would we kick him while he's down?"
Only then did Ma Guotao realize he had misunderstood. His dissatisfaction instantly vanished, replaced by a sense of relief.
'So these teachers under me are loyal and principled after all.'
Yu Ke said eagerly, "Principal Ma, I know Zhao Yuan very well. He would absolutely never do something like impersonating the Jinling Zhao Family to commit fraud! And I just called him. He told me that the Jinling Zhao Family is slandering him!"
"Why would the Jinling Zhao Family slander him?"
Ma Guotao shook his head, not quite believing Yu Ke's words. After all, the person who had called to complain was Zhao Dezhu himself!
Seeing his disbelief, Yu Ke grew anxious. Just as she was about to say more in Zhao Yuan's defense, Ma Guotao's phone rang.
Waving his hand to quiet the room, Ma Guotao answered the call. "Senior Brother Cui," he said with a chuckle, "it's been a while. What can I do for you?"
The caller was none other than Chairman Cui of the Jing City Acupuncture Association.
Ma Guotao and Chairman Cui had studied under the same teacher and were considered fellow apprentices. They normally had a very good relationship. Today, however, Chairman Cui's tone was not friendly at all; it sounded like he was calling to demand an explanation.
"Junior Brother Ma, I'm asking you, why are you expelling Zhao Yuan?"
"Huh?" Ma Guotao was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Chairman Cui's call to also be about Zhao Yuan.
After a moment's thought, he briefly explained what had happened. "It's like this. Yesterday, Zhao Dezhu called me and said that Zhao Yuan was impersonating their Jinling Zhao Family to commit fraud, ruining their reputation and causing an extremely negative impact. That's why I..."
Before he could finish, Chairman Cui cut him off. "Impersonating the Jinling Zhao Family to commit fraud? Are you kidding me?! Junior Brother Ma, Zhao Yuan is a student at your university. Don't you know what he's capable of? He'd impersonate someone else? And to commit fraud? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! If you ask me, that old scoundrel Zhao Dezhu must be up to no good!"
Ma Guotao was confused. He quickly asked, "Senior Brother Cui, can you explain this more clearly? Isn't this Zhao Yuan just a freshman? What kind of skills could he possibly have?"
"What, you still don't know? I knew it. You're a smart man; how could you do something so foolish!" Chairman Cui sighed. "Not long ago, a Japanese man named Kobayashi Haruo came to our Acupuncture Association to stir up trouble. You've heard about that, right?"
Ma Guotao nodded. "I have. I heard that Japanese man was highly skilled and defeated a group of experts from your Acupuncture Association. Then, at the critical moment, a mysterious expert suddenly appeared, turned the tide, and defeated him, saving your association's reputation."
"That's right," Chairman Cui said. "And that mysterious expert was the very same Zhao Yuan you're trying to expel!"
Ma Guotao was shocked. "What? That mysterious Acupuncture expert was actually Zhao Yuan?! Senior Brother Cui, you're not mistaken, are you?"
"I was there and witnessed it with my own eyes. How could I possibly be mistaken!"
Chairman Cui snorted.
"I don't know about his other skills, but when it comes to the Acupuncture Technique, I'm no match for him! Although the Jinling Zhao Family is also skilled in the Acupuncture Technique, in my opinion, their experts aren't necessarily better than Zhao Yuan! Tell me, with skills like that, would he even need to impersonate the Jinling Zhao Family? And to commit fraud? This is definitely malicious slander!"
Ma Guotao's brow furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.
'If Zhao Yuan's Acupuncture Technique is really as incredible as Chairman Cui says, then there's indeed no reason for him to impersonate anyone!'
'Ma Guotao suddenly felt that something was fishy about this whole affair. It was very likely he had been deceived by Zhao Dezhu!'
This realization made him furious.
After hanging up with Chairman Cui, Ma Guotao prepared to call Zhao Dezhu and get to the bottom of things. But before he could even find Zhao Dezhu's number, the office door was pushed open once again.
Qiu Haogu, Director Ma, and others filed in.
The office, already occupied by a group of anatomy teachers, instantly became unbearably crowded with the addition of Qiu Haogu, Director Ma, and the others. The people at the back couldn't even get in and had to stand outside the door.
Even though he was the principal, Ma Guotao didn't dare put on airs in front of a senior figure like Qiu Haogu. He hurriedly put down his phone and rose to greet them. "Elder Qiu, what brings you here?"
"I'm here to speak on Zhao Yuan's behalf," Qiu Haogu said with a solemn expression. "I will stake my own reputation to vouch for him! It's absolutely impossible that he would impersonate the Jinling Zhao Family to commit fraud!"
"You're here for Zhao Yuan, too?"
Ma Guotao's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected Qiu Haogu and his group to be here for Zhao Yuan, and he certainly hadn't expected Elder Qiu to be willing to stake his own reputation on the boy.
Then, his gaze fell upon Director Ma. He asked with a wry smile, "Director Ma, don't tell me you're here for Zhao Yuan as well?"
"That's right." Director Ma nodded. "Principal Ma, just like Elder Qiu, I am also willing to stake my reputation to vouch for Zhao Yuan!"
Amid his shock, Ma Guotao's interest was piqued. He asked curiously, "What on earth has Zhao Yuan done to make you all value him so highly?"
Instead of answering, Qiu Haogu asked a question in return: "Have you read the article in the latest issue of the *Chinese Medicine* journal, the one about the Treasure of Life and Form Theory?"
"I have." Ma Guotao nodded and gave a thumbs-up, saying with sincere admiration, "Elder Qiu, I must say, your accomplishments in Medical Ancient Texts are truly incredible! I never imagined the Treasure of Life and Form Theory could be punctuated and translated that way! Although the article has sparked a great deal of debate, in my opinion, the new punctuation and translation are far better than the old versions! I believe that after some discussion, the medical community will eventually include your article in textbooks to replace the old interpretation."
"Don't give me the credit." Qiu Haogu shook his head. "I didn't write that article. I was just shameless enough to put my name on it."
Ma Guotao was very surprised. "Then who wrote it?" Suddenly, a name came to mind, and he exclaimed, "Could it have been Zhao Yuan?"
"That's right. It was him!" Qiu Haogu confirmed with a nod.
Ma Guotao found it hard to believe. He said with a sigh, "Is he really just a freshman?"
'The Acupuncture Technique represents clinical Medical Skill, while Medical Ancient Texts represent foundational theory. Zhao Yuan had achieved a high level of mastery in both. How could such a genius, such a rising star, possibly impersonate someone to commit fraud?'
'A moment ago, Ma Guotao was only suspicious. Now, he was absolutely certain he had been deceived by Zhao Dezhu!'