How could this be

When Bill entered the principal's office, he found another person inside, who turned out to be the school's vice principal, Carter. Although Princeton University had several vice principals, the one with the most authority was Carter. The principal, on the other hand, was usually away attending meetings in other places and didn't have much involvement in managing school affairs, which were mostly handled by Carter.

"Bill, is there something you want to discuss?" the principal asked Bill, and Carter also looked at him.

Both principals were aware of Bill's background. However, unlike Jason, Hillary, and others who respected and feared Bill's background, the two principals were not as concerned. They had their own impressive backgrounds, combined with their positions, making them less afraid of Bill. Bill also knew this, so he didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of them.

"Principal, I want to report something," Bill approached and took out his phone, saying, "Last night, a very serious incident occurred on the street in front of our school. A group of about ten people were fighting, and among them was one of our school's teachers. As a teacher of Princeton University, I was shocked and angered upon learning this. The teacher's public fight had a negative impact on our school's reputation. I hope the school will handle this matter seriously, remove such bad elements from our teaching staff, and uphold the school's reputation."

"This is a video taken by a student at the scene. The person in the white shirt is our newly arrived teacher, Jake. Even when I interacted with him before, I noticed some improper behavior and character. Now, he has done something like this, truly making him a disruptive element among us. I wonder how such a person was recruited into the school, probably through some connections," Bill said indignantly, looking visibly angry.

Both principals watched the video, and as Carter watched, he casually remarked, "The disruptive element you mentioned was recruited by me. Are you suggesting that I used my power for personal gain?"

Initially feigning an indignant expression, Bill suddenly froze and then stammered, "No, that's not what I meant."

Bill never expected that Jake was personally recruited by Carter. He had assumed it was some mid-level staff at the school who used their connections to bring Jake in since he was just a physical education teacher and it was possible for middle-level staff to do such things.

However, Bill had never imagined that Jake was brought in directly by Carter. Bill was well aware of Carter's power at Princeton University, which far surpassed that of middle-level leaders at the school or even other vice principals.

"It doesn't matter what you meant," Carter's expression remained unchanged. "Based on my knowledge of Jake, I don't agree with your evaluation of him. Jake is an excellent teacher with strong teaching abilities, loved by his students. On the school's intranet, his students praise him highly. Moreover, I was already aware of the incident last night, and in that situation, Jake did nothing wrong. On the contrary, he should be commended for his actions. With many of our students present, Jake showed that he wouldn't bow down to criminal elements in society. He proved that evil cannot overcome justice, providing a valuable lesson to the students and setting a good example. We should promote and commend such a teacher and his behavior. That's why I came to see the principal this morning, to suggest that, in the name of the school, we reward and publicize Jake's actions, encouraging students to learn from him."

Carter's words left Bill dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that instead of getting Jake fired, he would hear an entirely different opinion in the principal's office. Not only would Jake not be dismissed, but he would also be praised and commended? How could things turn out this way? This was not what Bill had in mind.

Bill couldn't comprehend or accept it, and he turned his head to look at the principal, hoping to understand his stance. Was the principal going to share the same attitude as Carter?

"Before you arrived, Bill, Principal Carter did indeed explain what happened last night," said the principal as he returned Bill's phone, adjusting his glasses on his nose. He continued in a calm tone, "I have also agreed with Principal Carter's suggestion to publicize and commend Jake's actions and encourage other students to learn from him."

How could this be? Even the principal held the same attitude. Bill felt like he was on the verge of collapsing; this was not the outcome he had desired.

"Bill, you came just in time. Please convey our decision to Jake. Let him know not to worry about it. The school understands and supports him. We hope he will continue to do well and stay true to his principles," said Carter to Bill.

Bill felt a sense of disgust at the idea of conveying the school's praise and encouragement to Jake. Wasn't this just embarrassing himself?

Before, Bill had indeed intended to contact Jake when leaving the office but only to mock him after the principal listened to his complaint and decided to fire Jake. However, now? The current situation was entirely different from what he had expected. How could he possibly have the mindset to contact Jake? It would be even more uncomfortable than eating a fly.

"Is there a problem, Bill?" the principal asked, looking at Bill. "This shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"Not difficult..." Bill forced out an awkward smile that looked worse than crying.

Suddenly, Bill seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Besides teaching classes, Jake is hardly ever at school. He frequently plays truant, showing a complete lack of discipline. How can such a teacher effectively educate students? I think there's no need to reward him."

Bill did have objections to Jake frequently playing truant. He wouldn't dare do such a thing himself, but Jake dared to. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to report Jake. He believed that after the school learned about this, they would certainly cancel the commendation for Jake.

"This matter was also approved by me," Carter spoke again, "and I have already reported it to the principal." The principal nodded slightly while looking at Bill, and in Bill's mind, he shouted, "How could this be?"