Shuizhi's reaction clearly showed he had something to hide.
The Principal had planned to probe Shuizhi for information, but now there was no need.
The Principal waved his hand at the bewildered Shuizhi, "Alright, you can go now. At my age, my hearing isn't what it used to be. I often experience tinnitus and frequently can't hear sounds. I kept thinking I heard students talking during the lecture, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. My ears were just buzzing."
It was normal for an elderly person to have reduced hearing.
So he hadn't heard the students talking during the lecture.
He just wasn't sure if Shuizhi would believe him.
As the school's Principal, wanting to keep his position for a few more years, he couldn't reveal his weaknesses.
Even if his body was failing him, he had to pretend he was still as vigorous as ever, not inferior to the younger generation in any way.
Shuizhi hadn't heard anything and couldn't guess the Principal's intentions.
Hearing his explanation, he finally understood where the teacher's earlier question had come from.
He thought to himself, the Principal really was getting on in years.
At his age, tinnitus was already becoming an issue.
Of course, Shuizhi couldn't voice his internal criticisms of the Principal's words.
As a teacher's model student, he naturally had to show concern for his teacher's health.
"Sir, are you alright now? Can you hear me clearly?"
If one was going to feign illness, it had to be convincing.
The Principal uncomfortably rubbed his ear, "I can hear, but it's like the sound is coming through a layer of fog."
This was no minor issue. The Principal was Shuizhi's biggest supporter at the school, and Shuizhi hoped the old man could remain Principal for a couple more years, allowing him to climb even higher from his current position.
No matter what, he couldn't let anything happen to the Principal now.
With this in mind, Shuizhi's tone became even more solicitous, "Sir, why don't you find time to visit the hospital? Health is the foundation of everything. You can't let work wear you down."
Shuizhi held the Principal's arm, and the Principal gratefully patted the back of Shuizhi's hand, "Don't worry, even if my health fails, I'll make sure you're well taken care of before I step down."
These words warmed Shuizhi's heart considerably.
The Principal endured his disgust and engaged in a moment of teacher-student bonding with Shuizhi.
After Shuizhi left the Principal's office, the Principal sat at his desk, lost in thought for a while, then picked up the phone and called in his Secretary.
"Do you have any instructions, Principal?"
"Did you hear any students discussing my wife during the lecture?"
The Secretary was utterly confused. Why would students be talking about the Principal's wife?
Seeing the Secretary standing there dumbfounded, the Principal waved his hand dismissively, "You've been my Secretary for over three years now. You know my personality. I always speak directly and never misdirect my anger. If you heard anything, just tell me frankly. It's fine."
The Secretary looked up at his leader's benevolent face, "Sir, what's this about...?"
The Principal smiled, his eye corners crinkling, "Actually, I thought I heard students talking while I was on stage. I'm worried it might have been an auditory hallucination, so I called you in to ask."
Logically, if the Principal on stage had heard it, there was no reason the Secretary sitting below hadn't. The Secretary shook his head honestly, "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't hear anything."
The Principal knew this Secretary's character well. He had chosen him not because the young man was particularly efficient, but because he was honest and kind-hearted.
The Principal might not believe Shuizhi's words, but he couldn't disbelieve this Secretary.
The Principal nodded, "Then perhaps I'm under too much stress lately and experienced an auditory hallucination."
"You can go now." As the Secretary reached the door, the Principal called him back, "Wait. Go and make a copy of the surveillance video from the Ethics lecture hall and send it to my computer."
It was an odd request, but the Secretary complied, "Certainly, I'll do it right away."
The Principal muttered to himself, "It's been years since I taught a class. I wonder how this lecture went. I'll review the playback to see which parts I didn't explain well."
The Secretary was efficient, and soon the Principal received a video file.
The Principal had a rough idea of when he thought he'd heard the voice.
He dragged the progress bar to just before that time and watched the section five times, but never heard the female voice.
Neither Shuizhi nor the Secretary had heard it.
Could it really have been an auditory hallucination?
The Principal might consider it a hallucination, but he didn't doubt the truthfulness of what he thought he'd heard.
It wasn't that he distrusted his wife, but thinking back, she had mentioned more than once that young Shuizhi was a good kid and his student. If he was going to promote someone, why not promote his own student?
The Principal thought his wife's reasoning made sense, and so Shuizhi had been groomed as his protégé, his career advancement as rapid as if he'd boarded a helicopter.
If these two didn't have some other connection behind his back, why would his wife repeatedly hint at this to him?
Where there's smoke, there's fire.
He couldn't falsely accuse an innocent person, but he also couldn't let a guilty one slip by.
Before drawing any conclusions, the Principal decided he needed to investigate further.
After returning home, the Principal acted as if nothing had happened, intending to start his investigation with his wife.
However, he was too busy every day, either working or doing overtime.
Even on rare weekends, he had to travel for meetings.
Investigating on his own was asking too much of himself.
He couldn't ask any acquaintances to investigate either. His wife and his student having an affair wasn't exactly something to be proud of.
So on Monday at work, the Principal took a small break from his duties to find a private detective online.
He asked the detective to investigate whether his wife had any inappropriately close relationship with Shuizhi.
After handling this matter, he still had to prepare for Monday afternoon's Ethics class.
Before class, Shuizhi eagerly ran to his office to help carry his water bottle and USB drive.
Facing the man who might be seducing his wife, the Principal didn't act cold or distant. Instead, his attitude became even friendlier.
The content of the Ethics class was incredibly dull, with the screen filled with dense, tiny text.
Even high school students under the most academic pressure would feel dizzy looking at it. Shi Li shifted her gaze to the Principal's face.
At that moment, she remembered something, [What was the name of that website with the video of the Principal's wife and Shuizhi doing... you know?]
Everyone else: Just say what kind of video. We admit our minds are in the gutter; we're thinking dirty thoughts.
The Principal's hand trembled as he lifted his water cup.
