I became a civil servant in the underworld and became an internet sensation in both the mortal and s

Chapter 25 Confrontation
If the trophy is shattered into pieces, then the award ceremony can't be held.

Looking at the principal's dark face and the bewildered and agitated Zhao Tang, the host felt like crying. In his more than 20 years of hosting career, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. What should he say next?

Ultimately, he chose to skip the awards ceremony and move directly to the next segment.

The next segment will be to invite the parents of the first-place winner to the stage to share how they raised such an outstanding daughter as Zhao Tang.

If it weren't for the previous unexpected incident, this segment would have been a welcome one, but given what just happened, it has become somewhat awkward.

However, since it was agreed upon beforehand, we had no choice but to continue.

"...I never expected that life would be full of surprises, but sometimes surprises are part of the joy."

The host awkwardly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Zhao Tang's excellence is naturally inseparable from her parents' careful cultivation and education. So next, let's invite Mr. Zhao Yuan and Ms. Lin Yin, Zhao Tang's parents, to share with us how they raised such an outstanding daughter as Zhao Tang."

"Please welcome Mr. Zhao Yuan and Ms. Lin Yin."

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Zhao Yuan and Lin Yin had no choice but to bite the bullet and go on stage, managing to force a smile.

Originally, they should have been happy that their daughter had won first place and they were invited to speak on stage.

But after the unexpected incident, they were really nervous about going on stage.

However, since the host had already invited them to come on stage, they couldn't very well refuse.

"...Actually, we didn't really educate her much, because Tangtang has always been a sensible and intelligent child, and she learned everything on her own."

“She showed a strong talent for drawing from a young age. Neither my husband nor I hired a teacher for her. She learned everything on her own.”

"Tangtang's first place is the result of her hard work, and my husband and I are very proud of her."

As Zhao Yuan delivered his remarks, he breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully nothing else happened.

That shouldn't be the case, right?

But reality did not allow Zhao Yuan to have his wish fulfilled.

Just as he finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the auditorium.

"Dad, are you proud of Zhao Tang? Are you proud of her theft?"

Everyone looked back and saw a strange woman leading a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old into the room.

The female voice that just spoke must have belonged to that little girl.

"Zhao Yuan, you scumbag, you bastard, you're really good at lying through your teeth. It's Xiaoying who has the talent for drawing, and it was Xiaoying who drew this picture. How dare you say that it's the result of Zhao Tang's hard work, and that you're proud of her?"

"Ha, Zhao Yuan, less than a year after Su Qian died, you got together with that mistress Lin Yin and even mistreated Xiao Ying with her, making Zhao Tang use Xiao Ying's painting to enter the competition. Aren't you afraid that Su Qian will become a ghost and come back to haunt you after doing this?!"

The one swearing was Zhou Min, and standing next to her was Zhao Lanlan, who had just arrived at the auditorium to pick up Zhou Min.

Of course, this is what people outside saw. Su Qian, Xu Qingling, and Sasha also came in with the two of them, but no one else saw them.

Zhou Min angrily berated Zhao Yuan and Lin Yin, her words revealing a great deal of information and completely exposing their true colors.

The reporters had a keen sense of smell; they were even more excited than before, and their flashbulbs were still going off.

"So they were in their second marriage, and that woman was a mistress who took his place."

"This man looks respectable, but I never expected him to be such a scumbag. You can never judge a book by its cover." "Did you hear that? Zhao Tang's painting was stolen from his first wife's daughter to enter in the competition. It wasn't Zhao Tang's at all. It's shameful."

"No wonder there were several eerie winds just now, and the trophy even broke in the end. I guess it's because the mother died with her eyes open and was protecting her daughter."

……

The auditorium was filled with discussion. Zhao Yuan and Lin Yin saw that the envious glances that had been directed at them had now turned into contempt and disdain.

Neither of them expected that they had been keeping Su Qian's existence a secret from Zhao Lanlan all along, and had even assumed that Zhao Lanlan was Lin Yin's eldest daughter.

How come Zhao Lanlan now knows that Su Qian is her biological mother and knows all those things about Su Qian?

However, the two suddenly realized what was going on when they saw Zhou Min next to Zhao Lanlan.

It must have been Zhou Min who told her.

Zhao Yuan was used to pretending, and he was not one to sit idly by and wait for his death.

So, despite his resentment towards his daughter Zhao Lanlan, he had to put on a gentle act and ask, "Lanlan, have you been listening to some nonsense?"

Then he put on a hurt expression, "I'm your father. Don't you know how I've always treated you? Now you actually believe a stranger's words instead of your father's?"

Sasha pinched her nose, frowned, and looked disgusted. "Ugh, this Zhao Yuan, doesn't he know what he did? How dare he ask Xiaoying like that? He's shameless."

Xu Qingling wasn't particularly surprised.

It seems she was born with a keen understanding of the coldness of human nature.

Su Qian, on the other hand, if it weren't for the fact that it was her daughter and Zhou Min's turn to shine, and there were so many people around, she would have loved to slap Zhao Yuan, that shameless scumbag, a few times right now.

At this moment, Zhao Tang, who had been somewhat confused, found her anchor after Zhao Yuan spoke up and immediately said, "That's right, sister, don't lie to outsiders. I'm your sister! How can you accuse me of stealing your painting? I worked hard for several nights straight to paint that painting. Even if Mom and Dad are a little biased towards me, they still love you. You can't accuse me of stealing because of that. If you say that, I'll become a thief, and my reputation and my whole life will be ruined!"

As she spoke, Zhao Tang's eyes reddened at the opportune moment, looking as if she had been heartbroken by Zhao Lanlan.

In just a few words, she portrayed Zhao Lanlan as someone who, dissatisfied with her parents' favoritism, wantonly slandered her younger sister and tried to destroy her.

Su Qian's face was terribly gloomy. "This Zhao Tang is just like her mother. She's the best at turning the tables and playing the victim."

Seeing that Su Qian seemed about to lose control and make a move, Xu Qingling quickly stopped her, "Su Qian, trust Xiao Ying."

Su Qian froze, her gaze falling on Zhao Ying not far away, her eyes filled with pity.

Zhao Ying noticed her mother's gaze, looked over, gave her a firm look, and then took a step forward.

With a firm gaze, she said loudly, "Whose painting is this? We'll know once we take it out and look at it."

"Yes, we haven't seen the painting yet."

"The theme of the final seems to be 'Mom.' I'm quite curious about what this painting is about."

"Principal, please take a look at the painting."

The school originally planned to display the winning entries' paintings after the final competition.

(End of this chapter)