He was done! Finished! Kaput.
It was useless for him to say anything now.
His fate was sealed the moment the National Sports Associationstepped in.
Wang Peng’s phone kept chiming with notifications, as if to underline the fact that his much-desired success was rapidly slipping out of his reach.
“Brother! Hello? Brother Peng, are you still there?”
Wang Peng grunted in response, promptingAssistant Mato continue. “Take my advice. Delete that post and apologize right away. If you let this go on for a moment longer, your credibility will be ruined for good! Your career is at stake here.”
Wang Peng hurriedly clicked back to his homepage and opened the posts he had published yesterday.
He was one tap away from deleting them when his thumb froze.
Deleting his controversial posts would be as good as admitting that he had lied, wouldn’t it?
This could actually be a good opportunity for him, if he managed to play his cards right. He still had room to turn the tables in his favor.
Since the National Sports Associated had refuted him, anyway, he might as well face the music. But instead of owning up to the whole truth, he could just say that he had been mistaken.
If he played out the victim card, he just might gain back his supporters’ sympathy.
Wang Peng took a deep breath. “Let’s leave the posts up,” he said through gritted teeth. “Everyone believes the statement issued by theNational Sports Association. If we suddenly delete the posts in the aftermath, we would only be adding fuel to the fire they lit under us. We should just take this head-on and move forward.”
He considered his options and quickly came up with a plan.
“Go and find a video expert, someone who specializes in verification. We need to get a certificate of authenticity. Or better yet, let’s just have one forged. In any case, I am never deleting those posts!”
Wang Peng was confident that people would believe him again once he presented a legitimate certificate to back up his claims.
If things got any worse than they already were, he could just shift the blame to the so-called expert who had issued him the certificate. That way, he’d be able to escape the brunt of public persecution.
Besides, he had only echoed what others had already been talking about.
Why should he be the only one to take the fall?
Wang Peng felt that he had found a light at the end of the tunnel, and his heartbeat slowed to a steady pace. He would survive this unscathed.
What was more, the traffic on his homepage was abating.
By this time tomorrow, the netizens would probably forget about the posts already. Why would they bother with him, anyway, when there were tons of gossip fodder going around every hour?
He was still basking in his sense of victory when his phone rang again. It was still Assistant Ma.
“What is it this time?” Wang Pengbarked. “Shouldn’t you be busy doing what I ordered you to? Why are you calling me again?”
“No, Brother Peng, I…” Assistant Masounded miserable, his voice low and tight. “I’m afraid there’s no need for that anymore…”
This angered Wang Peng. “What the hell do you mean, there’s no need? Just tell me if you don’t want to do it! You should have just said so earlier, I’m more than happy to terminate you on the spot! You’re fired!”
Assistant Ma continued speaking in the same glum tone. “Brother Peng, you have been expelled from theNational Sports Association. The higher-ups say that they do not tolerate people with despicable morals in their organization.”
Wang Peng went cold.
A muscle on his face twitched as he tried to process what he had just heard.
This was a massive and truly unprecedented blow.
He had always taken pride in being a part of the National Sports Association. He had even used his membership as leverage in order to become a coach.
Now that he was expelled, all his hard work in the last few decades no longer meant anything. It had all gone to smoke.
What would his peers think of him once word of this got out? He might not even be able to keep his job as a coach anymore.
What was he going to do now?
