1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

After the game, the cheers and applause of the crowd still echoed in the stadium.

The members of Yang Qiming's group wilted like eggplants hit by frost.

The principal and several judges walked forward with solemn expressions, and swept their cold eyes over them. The look seemed to carry a heavy weight, and they whispered, "You guys, come here."

Although the sound was not loud, it was like thunder exploding in their hearts.

Everyone knew that Yang Qiming's plagiarism would not be easily exposed. After all, this matter involved the reputation of the entire school.

Zhang Wenshu and Huo Rong stood at the front of the team, their bodies trembling slightly, anger and shame surging in their chests.

They are the top students among the juniors. They make great progress in their studies. They are the stars of hope in the eyes of their teachers and the role models for their classmates to emulate.

For this competition, they put in extraordinary efforts and devoted all their spare time to it.

Those notebooks, curled up and filled with notes, are the testimony of their hard work.

They don't mind the dirt or the tiredness, and they constantly modify and improve the machines.

They are not afraid of having their hands covered in oil and dirt, and when encountering complex mechanical failures, they will take the initiative to volunteer to participate in the emergency repairs, just to turn theory into practice and accumulate more practical experience.

In order to optimize a part design, they stayed up all night for three consecutive days, repeatedly calculating data and modifying drawings, with draft papers piled up on the desk.

I had thought that I could stand out in the competition with my outstanding design and add a highlight to my graduation assignment, but I didn't expect to be dragged into the quagmire of plagiarism by Yang Qiming.

At this moment, they hated Yang Qiming in their hearts.

The principal walked into the office angrily with a gloomy face. His usually steady steps were now accompanied by heavy stomping sounds, as if every step was to break the oppressive air.

He walked straight to the desk and dropped the documents in his hand with a bang. The documents scattered all over the table and a few pieces of paper floated to the ground, but no one dared to pick them up.

The principal finally stopped, looking at the students in front of him sternly with a sharp gaze, and said, "Do you know what this competition represents? This is the school's test of your professional ability, and it is also an opportunity to select talents for the country's industrial development. Yet you are acting so recklessly!"

He roared, clenching his fists and waving them in the air to vent his anger. "If you are interested in that idea, you can join their group. Why do you want to steal the fruits of others' labor?"

The atmosphere in the entire office was so depressing that it was suffocating. The walls seemed to be shaking slightly at the roar. Everyone held their breath and dared not make a sound.

The head teacher Xu Changqing stood next to the principal with his brows furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川". His face was full of helplessness and disappointment.

As Yang Qiming's class teacher, he has always been optimistic about this student and has shown great concern for his study and life. He also often encouraged Yang Qiming to realize his potential, bring honor to the class, and add luster to the country's industry.

He didn't expect that something like this would happen. He felt as sad as if the seedling he had carefully nurtured had grown crooked. He couldn't help but blame himself and said, "Principal, please calm down. It's all my fault that I didn't keep a close eye on him. I let him make such a big mistake and caused such great harm to his classmates. I am responsible."

The principal raised his hand slightly, signaling Xu Changqing not to blame himself too much. He said calmly and gently, "Teacher Xu, everyone has seen your efforts along the way. Yang Qiming made such a big mistake because he couldn't resist the temptation and lost his way. How can you blame it all on you?"

"In this competition, the first-place team of Li Weiguo and the second-place team of Lin Wanqing were both taught by you. The outstanding talents and fighting spirit they displayed are a reflection of the success of your education, aren't they?"

At this time, Zhang Wenshu from Yang Qiming's group bit his lips and his eyes turned red, and he was the first to break the silence.

His voice was a little hoarse due to excitement: "Principal, teachers, we are wronged! When Yang Qiming came to us, he said he had a brilliant idea, but who knew he would plagiarize other people's ideas."

As he spoke, he clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, and his face was full of resentment. "We believed him, thinking that we were doing it to bring honor to the school and contribute to the country's industry, so we worked day and night. Who knew he would be this kind of person!"

Huo Rong nodded repeatedly, tears welling up in her eyes. She choked up and added, "Yes, President. We really wanted to innovate. We pondered over every step of the research process and referred to a lot of professional materials. We figured out every step of the program debugging bit by bit. We were looking forward to getting good results in the competition so that we can complete our studies and serve the country. Now, it's all ruined by him."

Other people in Yang Qiming's group also echoed this, saying that they were all tricked into joining the group by Yang Qiming.

They originally thought they could become famous through this competition, but unexpectedly it backfired. Now they all regretted joining this group.

Among the people present, only Yang Qiming stood there with his head down and said nothing.

Yang Qiming only now realized why his roommates looked at him strangely when he returned to the dormitory that day.

Presumably, it was from that time that Li Weiguo and his people knew about his plagiarism, but they kept it secret for this moment.

He clenched his fists tightly and cursed the people in the dormitory in his heart. It was because of them that he was in such a difficult predicament now. He would remember this grudge forever.

The principal frowned slightly, looked at them, and had a general understanding of the matter.

But he couldn't punish Yang Qiming now. He had to confirm what these people said one by one.

His tone was serious but also somewhat soothing: "Don't get excited yet. The school will investigate this matter thoroughly. We will not wrongly accuse any hard-working student, but we will never tolerate any violations."

Next, the school immediately launched a detailed investigation, and after a lot of unraveling, the truth finally came to light.

The next day, at the school assembly, the principal looked solemn and announced to all the teachers and students below the stage: "After a rigorous investigation, it is true that Yang Qiming plagiarized, and it has nothing to do with the other members of the group."

There was a burst of discussion in the audience, and the students' eyes were all fixed on Yang Qiming.

Yang Qiming's face flushed red and he stood on the stage with his fists clenched.

The school punished him mercilessly and gave him a serious warning. This incident was solemnly recorded in the file.

Not only that, he also had to make a self-criticism in front of all the teachers and students in the school.

Yang Qiming held the letter of apology, his hands shaking violently, and he read out the contents of the letter intermittently.

"Teachers and classmates, I was wrong, very wrong... My momentary greed not only ruined my own reputation, but also almost implicated my teammates. I failed the trust of the school and the cultivation of the country... I promise everyone that I will keep my feet on the ground in the future and make up for my mistakes with hard work..."