Whoosh whoosh whoosh, another crowd surged toward the Academic Affairs Office.

Though only Xia Xiaolan and Ning Xue were called, a stream of people followed behind them.

Even those who couldn’t enter wanted to watch developments from outside. Thanks to Matthew wandering around with his injury, Mrs. Dawson’s “reputation” had spread far and wide.

“Is this still Cornell? Looks more like the Dawsons’ backyard!”

“This is too much, trying to force them to quit Cornell…”

“Maybe Heidi herself couldn’t continue, so—”

“Why did Heidi attempt suicide?”

Gathering to watch wasn’t typically an American habit; people usually respected privacy.

But this situation was just too absurd.

Xia Xiaolan was well-liked in the School of Architecture, unlike Ning Xue’s aloofness. She had a personality that got along with everyone wherever she went. Moreover, she had performed excellently, creating quite a stir during her few months as an exchange student at Cornell. Among the architecture faculty and students, those who hadn’t directly benefited from Xia Xiaolan included many who had been helped by Zhou Cheng at the Wilson Hotel.

By the time they reached the Academic Affairs Office, the crowd behind Xia Xiaolan had grown even larger.

Not only architecture students but also Daniel leading the hotel management majors, showing their support for Xia Xiaolan through action!

Xia Xiaolan found this scene oddly familiar.

Where had she seen it before?

Let her think… ah, at Anqing No. 1 High School’s gate, when the Xia family had caused trouble, and the school’s teachers and students had stood up to protect her… Xia Xiaolan’s eyes grew warm. From Cornell classmates to Anqing No. 1’s teachers, since graduation, she’d donated books and money but never returned to visit.

After returning to China, she must remember to visit Anqing No. 1!

“You’re moved, aren’t you?”

Ning Xue suddenly asked.

“Not at all, just got something in my eye.”

Miss Xia cared about face, of course, she wouldn’t easily admit it.

But her denial was useless – everyone could see through it!

“Go in!”

“Don’t fear her, go in!”

“We want excellent classmates! Who gave an outsider the right to question Cornell University’s student admissions?”

Someone started it, and the students began shouting in a chorus.

The voice was so loud it made everyone in the building peek out to look.

The Academic Affairs Office was in the Architecture School’s faculty building.

All the school’s professors had offices there.

This naturally included Professor McCarthy, who watched the commotion below through his window. His stern expression softened slightly as he understood what this scene meant.

As an exchange student, Xia Xiaolan had been fully accepted by Cornell – otherwise, these students wouldn’t be so united!

McCarthy’s rising smile instantly vanished.

—Cornell had accepted her, yet she refused to stay. How infuriating.

The commotion that startled Professor McCarthy naturally startled others in the faculty building.

The good-natured Professor Lipton couldn’t help placing his hand on his stomach, muttering:

“McCarthy is just a nuisance.”

Yet this “nuisance” could have saved himself but chose to help the shot Lipton instead.

And the nuisance student had risked danger to support him.

If McCarthy’s teaching methods were truly problematic, wouldn’t the students have wished for the stray bullet to kill the nuisance?

The students still admired the nuisance… proving that while they complained about McCarthy’s teaching style, their bodies and hearts were quite pleased and honest.

Therefore, McCarthy shouldn’t be driven out of Cornell.

Mond Dawson’s demands were unreasonable. His targeting of McCarthy wasn’t just about his daughter’s suicide attempt and his anger as a father.

Mond had his agenda.

Professor Lipton made up his mind – he couldn’t keep being ambiguous, trying not to offend anyone. Playing both sides would be unfair to McCarthy. He must oppose Mond’s attempts at coercion!

In the Academic Affairs Office.

The waves of voices from below made Mrs. Dawson’s face turn pale.

Lawyer Eric had hidden amusement in his eyes.

To even mobilize students – this Chinese female student Connie knew wasn’t simple at all.

For a lawyer focused on “equal rights legislation,” no one understood better than Eric the effect of stirring up a crowd.

He looked at the pale-faced Mrs. Dawson:

“In a real court, madam, guess how the jury would view this? How would the judge rule if all these students attended the trial? Imagine that scene, the swarming reporters finding their sensational story…”

There was longing in Eric’s description.

A voice screamed in Mrs. Dawson’s mind: This is a trap!

They want her in the defendant’s seat, to be watched like a circus clown!

What would Mond do?

Damn it, with so many people watching, she couldn’t contact Mond, didn’t know where he was.

If she apologized, would it disrupt Mond’s plans?

If she apologized, it would mean all her previous trouble at school was unreasonable.

Mrs. Dawson tried to seek her lawyer’s opinion, but both lawyers avoided eye contact. They had come to intimidate timid Chinese international students – how could they have known these Chinese students would be so confident?

Ning Xue remained completely unmoved no matter what they said.

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t even let them finish before turning to hire her lawyer.

And she’d hired a tough cookie like Eric… Neither lawyer was confident they could win against Eric in court!

Mrs. Dawson was nearly going crazy.

Couldn’t find her husband, and lawyers couldn’t help – did she have to apologize?

Apologizing to two yellow-skinned monkeys would be worse than death!

This was America, a paradise that provided everything for the wealthy. The poor and people of color should curl up and live as inferiors.

Black people were no longer content being slaves and demanding equal rights.

And now Chinese people, even lower than black people, had become difficult to deal with!

The world was changing too fast, leaving Mrs. Dawson at a loss.

Just then, the Academic Affairs Office door was pushed open. Xia Xiaolan stood in front, Ning Xue beside her, then Jonathan… these three people Mrs. Dawson despised appeared before her.

Xia Xiaolan waved to the students behind her:

“Everyone waits outside first, the office can’t fit so many people.”

The students laughed.

Daniel, extremely popular at Cornell, used his influence as a campus celebrity to maintain order: “We’ll all listen to Xia, just wait outside. With so many people present, no one can bully Cornell students!”

Damn it!

These people were doing this deliberately.

Deliberately bringing students along.

The yellow-skinned monkeys entered the office but didn’t close the door.

At the entrance, by the windows, in the corridors – students were everywhere.

The crowd’s presence put enormous pressure on Mrs. Dawson. If she had to apologize, the shame and pressure would increase tenfold!

Xia Xiaolan’s eyes swept the room, walking toward the man in the gray suit:

“You must be Lawyer Eric? I’m Xia Xiaolan, your client in this case.”

As Xia Xiaolan shook hands with Eric, he understood immediately what kind of Chinese student would have the confidence to stand firm against Mrs. Dawson!