Chapter 12: Promotion and Party Membership

Who would dare to act so recklessly and openly? Without even entering, Zhu Daodong knew from the heavy breathing that it was none other than the principal he had always respected, Liu Tao!

Liu Tao was a married man, and Hu Lili was an unmarried fiancée of a military officer. Yet, he dared... he dared! The image of Liu Tao in Zhu Daodong's mind was shattered in an instant! Liu Tao was worse than a beast! It was shameful enough to do such things in broad daylight, but he still dared to engage in such indecent acts with an unmarried woman.

Zhu Daodong felt his blood rush to his head. He wished he could kick open Hu Lili's door right now and catch the adulterous couple in the act!

Liu Tao was short and fat, while Hu Lili was the school's beauty. It was obvious to anyone how they ended up in bed together. Liu Tao used his power to pressure her, and Hu Lili was willing. No one knew what promises Liu Tao had made to her. Could a substitute teacher like her really become a permanent one? Even so, it was still too much.

However, as Zhu Daodong approached the faculty dormitory building, he gradually calmed down. If he rushed in, there would be no witnesses besides himself. How could he argue with Principal Liu Tao? Liu Tao was the absolute authority in the school. The vice-principal and the head of the teaching department all trembled before him, having no say in school affairs. What if Liu Tao turned the tables on him?

Zhu Daodong suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. With Liu Tao's ability to manipulate situations, he could easily pin the blame on him! Because Zhu Daodong had no power or influence, Tang Xiaoli left him and was even arranged to work in this remote place by her father. If he acted rashly now, he might even be dismissed from his job.

Zhu Daodong understood some of the power struggles in the school, but others were beyond him. He knew that Vice-Principal Zhang Zhichun was secretly competing with Liu Tao, but Liu Tao's control over the school was absolute, and Zhang Zhichun couldn't do much. Zhu Daodong, whether he understood or not, chose not to get involved, observing from the sidelines. He learned from what he understood and left the rest for future comprehension.

But since he had already discovered this, he felt it was unfair not to give Liu Tao a taste of his own medicine. Since a direct confrontation wouldn't work, he decided to take a more indirect approach. As he approached Hu Lili's dormitory, an idea suddenly came to him.

"Teacher Hu, you haven't gone home yet?" Zhu Daodong shouted from a few meters away.

"Ah! Teacher Zhu, I... I..." Hu Lili, inside the dormitory, was so startled that she almost collapsed on the spot. Zhu Daodong's voice was so clear, indicating he was already at the door.

Fortunately, Liu Tao had seen many storms. He quickly withdrew, and after being startled by Zhu Daodong, he wasn't sure if there would be any long-term effects, but he knew he couldn't continue.

"You're still sleeping, I won't disturb your rest." Zhu Daodong deliberately paused, then hesitantly said, clearly indicating to those inside that he had discovered something.

"Good... good..." Hu Lili hurriedly replied, her back drenched in cold sweat.

Just as Zhu Daodong reached the faculty building, Liu Tao walked out behind him, hands behind his back. Zhu Daodong noticed that Liu Tao's steps were steady and his face calm, as if nothing had happened. If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, Zhu Daodong would have doubted what had just occurred.

"Just now, I was discussing party membership with Teacher Hu. She has submitted an application." Liu Tao walked beside Zhu Daodong and said casually, "You're not a party member yet, right?"

"Oh." Zhu Daodong responded softly, his eardrums stinging. He was increasingly impressed by Liu Tao. Why be a principal when he could be an actor, perhaps with a brighter future?

"Little Zhu, I have to say, in terms of striving for progress and actively aligning with the organization, you're not as good as Teacher Hu. She, a substitute teacher, can write an application for party membership. Why can't you?" Liu Tao said with a hint of blame.

"Well... maybe I'm not qualified enough." Zhu Daodong said, bracing himself. Liu Tao's move to take control was effective. If his face were a bit thinner, he might have been unable to resist. It seemed that hanging around with the nameless Taoist had its benefits, at least making his face thicker. In the school, he could now navigate smoothly, and even when Liu Tao played his tricks, he wouldn't be seen as out of place.

"Qualification is one thing, but writing or not is a matter of attitude!"

"Yes, yes, I'll write it tomorrow."

Liu Tao, hands behind his back, left slowly, leaving Zhu Daodong dumbfounded. He was amazed at how shameless a person could be. He almost admired Liu Tao.

Three days later, at a school meeting, Liu Tao proposed that the teaching department needed a deputy director. Looking at all the teachers in the school, only Zhu Daodong was the most suitable. He had a bachelor's degree and led the class with the best discipline, the highest average, and total scores. Not promoting such a person would be a dereliction of duty!

Liu Tao's words were righteous and well-reasoned. Although some people pointed out that Zhu Daodong had not been working long and was too young, Liu Tao quickly countered, saying that the central government was advocating for the youthification of cadres. Why should the school be an exception?

Zhu Daodong saw through Liu Tao's move clearly. This was to silence him. This promotion had nothing to do with his qualifications or performance. Since Liu Tao and Hu Lili were both willing, why should he clean up their mess?

Half a month later, Zhu Daodong's application for party membership was approved. No one knew what Liu Tao had done, but the process was expedited. Zhu Daodong had actually written an application every year in college, but none were successful. This time, just a shout, and he was both promoted and admitted to the party. It seemed that sometimes a secret piece of information was more valuable than hard work.

Although this promotion and party membership were not entirely honorable, Zhu Daodong felt no psychological burden afterward. Liu Tao spoke beautifully, often praising him since he joined the school but never promoting him. Now, just by knowing about his affair with Hu Lili, he was both promoted and admitted to the party. He had been quite foolish before.