novelraw 744 Insulting Everyone
744 Insulting Everyone
Qin Man sneered at Yao Tang as if she had just exposed all the girl's evil deeds.
Ranran had been through rigorous training and art classes since she was young. As a result, she was proficient in piano, chess, and painting, on top of her academic prowess.
How could she lose to Yao Tang, who was a mere nobody from the countryside?
Did that bumpkin even understand what an orchestra was, or how it worked?
How could such a person enter the Music Association when even the accomplished Ranran couldn't?
An ominous expression came over Elder Li and Elder Wang as they slowly approached.
There was no doubt that Yao Tang was a genius; they had verified this for themselves. And yet this woman had the audacity to accuse her of going through the backdoor?
Of all the miscreants in the world, it was the cheaters that Elder Xu hated the most. If what Qin Man said was true, then he wouldn't have persuaded Yao Tang to join them in the first place.
Vice President Liu saw the way that the elders scowled and immediately spiraled into a panic.
This was definitely bad!
If he didn't clear matters up quickly, he would be in real trouble.
"No, no, please, you misunderstand," he spoke up in a trembling voice. "I already refused their request. No one is going through the backdoor, I assure you."
He turned to his superiors with a beseeching expression.
"What does it matter, anyway?" Qin Man scoffed before pointing a finger at Yao Tang. "That brat did the same thing! Why aren't you saying anything about her?"
She didn't believe that the ignorant fool had managed to get admitted through her abilities. She must have bewitched these old men or something.
Qin Man wouldn't have cared much about that, but it infuriated her that these geezers were persecuting her and Ranran when they were just as guilty of the same thing.
"Tangtang is the President's apprentice," Tan Jian declared, stepping forward to glare at Qin Man. "She could have entered the association without taking the assessment, but she still chose to participate for the sake of fairness. If you insist that she cheated, then, by all means, show us the evidence. Otherwise, you are only slandering her good name!"
Qin Man's eyes widened at that, and her jaw dropped.
At the same time, Yao Tang cast a sideways glance at President Tan. Indeed, if she had known about this in the beginning, she wouldn't have bothered with the assessment at all.
In any case, what had been done was done. She would chew him out at a later time, at a less public place.
Nevertheless, President Tan awkwardly rubbed his nose. The tip of his ears turned red with embarrassment.
Qin Man, on the other hand, was scrambling for her wits. She refused to believe the young man's words. "So what if she is the President's apprentice? Does that absolve her of her wrongdoings? What kind of instrument can she even play when she's lived in the mountains all her life? I bet she relied on other talents to score with powerful people in the Music Association. That's how she became an apprentice, isn't it?
"Come now, surely this constitutes using the backdoor as well? Selling her sex appeal to get intimate with old, wily men. In comparison, Ranran only came here to put in an inquiry. In this aspect, I do agree that Tangtang is much more capable than my Ranran."
In a matter of seconds, Qin Man insulted not only Yao Tang, but President Tan and the elders as well.
She had effectively implied that Yao Tang was fooling around with them and seduced them into granting her a position in the Music Association.
As soon as she finished speaking, the air around them grew heavy and oppressive. The elders' faces turned dark and ominous.
Yao Ran saw this, and she frantically pulled Qin Man back. "Mom, don't say anything more. Sister is not that kind of person. Let's just leave, okay?"
"What? I'm only complimenting her!" Qin Man shook Yao Ran's hand away and glared at Yao Tang.
"Why don't you tell us the truth, once and for all? Am I mistaken?"
"Zhang Shun!" President Tan bellowed before anyone else could speak. His eyes were wide with fury as he glowered at Teacher Zhang.
"You requested a transfer to Beijing, and I approved it. I didn't expect you to let these people tag along with you and cause trouble at the association. Did you bring them all the way here to slander my apprentice and speak ill of our relationship?"
Teacher Zhang had never seen President Tan so furious.
He trembled under the man's menacing gaze. He opened his mouth to explain himself, but he couldn't find the words to say.
"And you!" Elder Wang called out to Liu Yao, who was hovering at the doorway. "Get over here!"
Liu Yao walked over timidly. He already hated Teacher Zhang and the mother-daughter pair to the core.
He kept his head low and said nothing. Although he hadn't really done anything to warrant everyone's wrath, he couldn't deny that the whole debacle unfolded under his watch.
"So, you think you can just receive anyone now? I don't think you want to be the Vice President anymore! If so, you should have just left your office, and we'll find someone else more capable and discerning to take over the position. How dare you entertain these shameless people? Don't you know what's good for you?"
"I deeply apologize, Elder Wang!" Liu Yao cried out as he bowed repeatedly. All he wanted at that moment was to disappear.
"Elders, I am indeed at fault for meeting with them for even a moment, but I beg you to quell your anger. This lady only speaks for herself and reflects none of my personal sentiments. I assure you, I will not be receiving any of them in the future."