Chapter Eighty-Three: Professional Ethics and the Corner of the Wall (Part Two)

What Wang Lei did not expect was that while he was still trying to contact an expert in lip-reading through the Provincial Public Security Department, the head coach of Frontier University had already filed a complaint with the Provincial Sports Administration.

Wang Lijun, almost the day after the match ended, personally went to the Sports Administration to lodge his complaint. He was well aware of Wang Lei’s background, and he also knew about Li Weihong’s position, but right now, with his years of seniority, Wang Lijun felt he could disregard all of that. After all, it was the Provincial Youth Team’s players who started the fight, so he believed he had the moral high ground.

It must be said that Wang Lijun had lived too comfortably these past years. Leaning on his seniority, he had firmly held the position of head coach at Frontier University for twelve years. Whenever trouble arose, he would feign ignorance and rely on his track record to weather the storm, even though the team had not broken into the top eight of the national league finals since the turn of the century.

Such prolonged ease hadn’t worn down Wang Lijun’s temper; on the contrary, it had bred an arrogance he ought not to have, especially now that many of his former teammates had become the powerbrokers of the nation’s basketball scene.

Wang Lijun stormed into the Sports Administration, slamming the table and fiercely berating the Provincial Youth Team’s conduct. He was scathing in his criticism of Wang Lei’s tactics and even went so far as to attack Wang Lei’s character.

The staff at the Sports Administration had long grown weary of this old hand—always throwing his weight around, meddling in everything as if he were truly running the place. The leaders, not wishing to offend this man with his network of former teammates, could only send some young staff to deal with him while also giving Wang Lei a heads-up, hoping he would show some humility and help smooth things over.

When Wang Lei received the notification, he was bewildered. Even with the experience of two lifetimes and all the wild stories he had seen online, he had never encountered someone quite like Wang Lijun in real life.

As for the suggestion that Wang Lei should yield and have Hawur rest for a while, he refused outright. If the other side wanted to play the villain and cry foul first, he saw no reason to respect his so-called elder. In fact, Wang Lei believed that people like Wang Lijun should be exposed for all to see—so the world could witness what happens when the wicked grow old.

Yet Wang Lei still underestimated Wang Lijun’s shamelessness. Before he could even submit the lip-reading expert’s interpretation and the match footage to the Sports Administration or release them online, Wang Lijun had already made his next move.

Hawur and Sun Dexun, the only two members of the Provincial Youth Team who were current students at Frontier University, received notices from their school. They were ordered to return immediately, forbidden to continue training or competing with the Provincial Youth Team. Moreover, Hawur was given a severe demerit for his actions during the match.

When Hawur got the call from his classmate, he was so furious that he smashed his phone on the spot. No matter what, the facts of the incident hadn’t been fully investigated, and yet the school had already taken such drastic action. Who could accept that? Hawur, though worried about being suspended, didn’t feel he had done anything wrong. In his eyes, that bastard deserved a beating, and if given the chance, he would do it again.

While Wang Lei didn’t know how Wang Lijun managed to get Frontier University to act so quickly and rashly, he realized that a man who could hold the head coach position for over a decade was far from incompetent.

Now, the most critical thing was to prevent Hawur’s punishment from being finalized and ensure that neither he nor Sun Dexun left the team because of this incident. The Provincial Youth Team was at a pivotal moment; any disruption could shatter the progress they had just begun to make.

Wang Lei’s understanding of Wang Lijun’s brazenness deepened. He almost admired how “relentless” this guy was—using every trick to poach his players. At the same time, Wang Lei now felt free to deal with Wang Lijun without reservation.

His first step was to call the staff member at Frontier University who had coordinated the match. On the phone, Wang Lei sounded humble and conciliatory, suggesting that things could be discussed, that there was no need to be so drastic. After all, giving players disciplinary records would only harm their futures. In essence, his aim was clear: to buy time and prevent Hawur’s punishment from being implemented.

Some might say Wang Lei was being underhanded, that he should meet force with force and simply release the footage online, letting everyone see the truth. But he had considered this. If he acted rashly, it would be Hawur and Sun Dexun who suffered in the end. They were, after all, students of Frontier University. If the Provincial Youth Team and their alma mater fell out for good, how could these two continue their studies there?

Stabilizing the situation came first; only then could Wang Lei plan an appropriate counterattack. He needed to separate Wang Lijun from the banner of Frontier University, so the latter could no longer hide behind the school’s authority.

Given the circumstances, Wang Lei didn’t think to keep anything from Li Weihong; in fact, he assumed she already knew the full story. So he called her and explained everything in detail, including his own thoughts.

Li Weihong did not state her position directly, but before long, she sent him a phone number—Frontier University’s president’s private line. She didn’t spell it out, but her actions made her attitude clear.

Some might say Wang Lei had no self-respect, that this was too humiliating. But he himself felt it was the most appropriate course. What was face worth? He could easily leverage his online influence to blow the whole thing open, but that would only satisfy his own sense of justice. It would do nothing for the Youth Team or the players. Here in Frontier Province, stability was paramount. If he acted for his own satisfaction but left the Youth Team and its players to bear the consequences, how could they continue to live here?

With the university president’s private number in hand, Wang Lei found his next steps much easier. He promptly submitted the match footage and the lip-reading expert’s interpretation. As for how the president would handle it, Wang Lei believed the man would have his own ideas—anyone who could be reached through such private channels was not ordinary.

Initially, Wang Lei had wanted to completely discredit Wang Lijun, but now he saw no need. Events had taken an unexpected turn, and the most important thing was to keep the team and its players stable. As for everything else, there would be opportunities enough once the team had achieved real results.