As a teacher, shouting in public is a very ungraceful thing to do.

But at this moment, Yin Fang couldn’t care less about that.

What was Li Ping doing?

He was trying to steal Gu Xuejiao away!!!

This was the student she would value most in the coming year!

It wasn’t every year that one encountered a talented student. The previous year had Cheng Mingze, this year had Chu Sheng. Yin Fang had already given up hope, but then Gu Xuejiao suddenly appeared, becoming the bargaining chip in the college entrance exam competition between her and Li Ping!

The college entrance exam wasn’t just a battlefield for students; it was also an arena where teachers competed against each other.

The student Li Ping was trying to poach wasn’t an ordinary student. This student represented grades, bonuses, professional titles, and prestige.

How could Yin Fang not be anxious?

If Gu Xuejiao went to Li Ping’s class, the next year would be days of Li Ping lording it over her!

Yin Fang walked over quickly, her high heels clicking loudly, as if this could release her anger.

“Teacher Li, what are you doing?”

Caught red-handed, Li Ping scratched his nose awkwardly.

But seeing Xue Jiao standing nearby and the tempted look on Li Sitong’s face, he decided to put his dignity aside. “I’m just asking if student Xue Jiao would like to change classes. I think our class’s atmosphere is more suitable for her.”

“And our class’s atmosphere isn’t suitable? Teacher Li, what if I wanted Chu Sheng from your class?” Yin Fang suppressed her anger. Students and parents were passing by, so they couldn’t make too big a scene.

Li Ping started being unreasonable, shrugging his shoulders and smiling. “Teacher Yin can ask Chu Sheng. If he’s willing, I naturally won’t say anything.”

“You—” Yin Fang was angry again. Chu Sheng and Li Ping had always had a good relationship. How could he possibly change classes?!

But suddenly, Yin Fang thought of Xue Jiao.

She suddenly realized she should work on Xue Jiao, to make her unwilling to transfer!

So, Yin Fang turned to look at Xue Jiao and Li Sitong. “Student Gu Xuejiao, Mrs. Gu Xuejiao, our Class 1 has always been very good, no worse than Class 2. Xue Jiao has risen to her current level in our class, so she naturally fits in well with us. For the child’s senior year, I think it’s better to stay in Class 1.”

Yin Fang was smiling as she spoke, but Li Sitong seemed hesitant.

Probably noticing her hesitation, Li Ping added, “Our class has the same teaching resources as Class 1! The teachers in both classes are almost the same! Only a few subjects are different!”

Yin Fang turned to glare at him.

At this moment, Yin Fang suddenly regretted her dismissive attitude toward Xue Jiao at the beginning of the semester. If she hadn’t been dismissive, her relationship with Xue Jiao and Li Sitong wouldn’t be so awkward.

It turned out that every student could be a potential star. In the future… she should never look down on any student again!

Yin Fang had just gained this awareness now. Many years later, after she completely changed her attitude, she would discover—how significant a teacher’s coldness and dismissal could be to a student!

People need affirmation. Providing care and encouragement, rather than indifference, makes students much more motivated.

The student who influenced Yin Fang most deeply in her life was Xue Jiao. She didn’t collapse under her dismissal but instead became the pride Yin Fang desperately wanted to keep. It was also because of Xue Jiao that she realized how wrong she had been.

Li Sitong thought for a moment but still felt that going to Class 2 would be better, so she slowly opened her mouth. “Well, I think…”

Xue Jiao tugged at her and said softly, “Thank you for your kindness, Teacher Li, but I’ve already gotten used to life in Class 1, so I’ll stay in Class 1 in the future.”

Unlike Li Ping’s immediately crestfallen face, Yin Fang’s face bloomed into a smile. She rarely reached out to pat Xue Jiao’s head. “Student Xue Jiao, rest assured, staying in Class 1 is your most correct decision!”

“But—” Li Sitong still hesitated.

Why would Xue Jiao want to stay in Class 1? Yin Fang hadn’t been nice to her before. Could it be because of… Yi Tianyu?

Xue Jiao lowered her voice. “Gu Shiyun is in Class 2.”

Li Sitong seemed to realize something, her pupils contracting. She immediately put on a smile. “I also think Jiao Jiao is better off in Class 1. Thank you, Teacher Yin and Teacher Li!”

After making their decision, they said goodbye to the two teachers and went to the cafeteria to eat.

Yin Fang and Li Ping walked side by side toward the office. Yin Fang was still mumbling, “Teacher Li, I’ll remember what you did today, and I won’t forget it in the future! You’d better not give me a chance to poach from your class!”

Li Ping didn’t say anything.

Yin Fang turned her head, puzzled. “What are you thinking about, Li Ping?”

After a moment, Li Ping suddenly looked up. “Gu Xuejiao, and Gu Shiyun, both surnamed Gu. Gu Xuejiao’s mother changed her attitude immediately because of Gu Shiyun. Could these two have some kind of relationship?”

Yin Fang was also taken aback for a moment, but quickly frowned and said, “They can’t possibly be sisters, and anyway, what does it matter to you? Let me tell you, today you…”

Yin Fang continued to chatter, and Li Ping had no energy to think about anything else. He immediately dismissed the strange thought that had just arisen.

After Li Sitong and Xue Jiao left, Gu Shiyun slowly walked out from the front door of Class 2, her eyes somewhat gloomy.

——

After the parent-teacher meeting, Xue Jiao again devoted all her attention to studying. Chu Sheng had caught up with her; if she slacked off even a little, she would lose first place.

Although Cheng Mingze was about to take the college entrance exam, he had already secured direct admission, so the pressure wasn’t very great.

So he continued to stay on the school team with Yi Tianyu and others. The Seventh Middle School basketball team had also made it to the finals and was about to compete with the high school famous for sports for the provincial championship. If they won, it would be glorious; if they lost… they would have nothing.

This was Yi Tianyu’s stepping stone to get into a good university, a shortcut to narrow the distance between him and Xue Jiao. One can imagine how important this match was to him.

The match was scheduled right after the May Day holiday.

“Bookworm, are you going to watch then?” Yi Tianyu asked shyly.

“Yes, I am.”

Immediately, Yi Tianyu’s mood soared, and his mouth spread into a grin.

“Our whole family is going,” Xue Jiao added casually without looking up.

Yi Tianyu: “…”

Right, Cheng Mingze would also be playing, so of course Xue Jiao’s whole family would go…

Yi Tianyu looked at Xue Jiao, feeling somewhat depressed.

——

“Mom, I’m back.” Gu Shiyun returned home with her books. Wu Wanjun was sitting on the sofa, her face covered in tears.

Gu Shiyun quickly threw her schoolbag to the maid, completely ignoring how her heavy bag made the maid stagger. The maid struggled to catch the bag and stabilize herself, then held her stomach, frowning as she rubbed it.

“Mom? What’s wrong?!” Gu Shiyun sat down anxiously beside Wu Wanjun.

Wu Wanjun cried even harder.

“Mom!”

Wu Wanjun pulled out a tissue and wiped her tears.

“Your father has been bewitched by another vixen!”

“What?!” Gu Shiyun’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How is that possible?!”

“Your father hasn’t been home much this week. He must have someone outside!” Wu Wanjun said resentfully.

Gu Shiyun sighed in relief. “Mom, don’t overthink things. Isn’t Dad good enough for you?”

Her mother had no evidence, so she naturally assumed her mother was imagining things.

“Shiyun! Would your mother not know if a man’s heart is still there if he has someone outside?!” Wu Wanjun raised her voice.

For a moment, Gu Shiyun felt embarrassed.

Yes, her mother had risen to her position this way, so of course she would know best.

“Mom… are you sure?” Gu Shiyun’s voice was a bit hoarse.

“Certain!” Wu Wanjun wiped her eyes and said firmly, “Since the parent-teacher meeting on Monday, your father has hardly been home!”

Her voice suddenly lowered, and she asked suspiciously, “Shiyun, do you think your father is involved with Li Sitong again?”

“Impossible!” Gu Shiyun raised her voice. With a man like Cheng Mingze’s father, Li Sitong would have to be crazy to get involved with Gu Jingxu.

“I don’t think so either. Then it must be some other little vixen!” Wu Wanjun said through gritted teeth.

Gu Shiyun fell silent. The family she had been so proud of having turned out to be just like this…

She used to envy Xue Jiao so much, and then was so grateful when she got it herself, but all this was just a fleeting happiness.

Wu Wanjun was still crying. Gu Shiyun’s eyes flickered, unclear what she was thinking.

——

Thursday.

A hot topic suddenly appeared on the school forum, with a big headline: “So This Is What Your Goddess Is Really Like!!”

First, there were many photos of Gu Xuejiao—early ones with red hair made up like a ghost, and her sitting in a nightclub. Due to the angle, the last photo made it look like she was leaning against a muscular man with a tiger head tattooed on his arm.

See? Your goddess likes to hang out at nightclubs, casually going to hotel rooms with men, having one-night stands!

Then the text followed: “Gu Xuejiao, this burden followed her mother into the Cheng family, becoming siblings with Cheng Mingze. Her stepfather is a somewhat famous wealthy man.”

Another attached image showed a chat record.

It contained just a few lines:

A: Why haven’t you been coming out to play lately?

Gu Xuejiao: Mingze is at home.

A: You like him that much?

Gu Xuejiao: Of course, I like him very, very, very much.

The final summary: This is the current goddess Gu Xuejiao—a burden who likes her stepbrother, who used to enjoy nightclubs and one-night stands. Hahaha, it’s the same person; the poster doesn’t lie.

The comments below were also lively:

“How is that possible?”

“It’s true; she was like that before.”

“How does the poster know so much?”

“Impossible! That doesn’t look like the goddess at all. What idiot wrote this?”

“Everyone knows Gu Xuejiao only likes studying. Who are you trying to frame?”

“My God, she was like that before?”

“It’s true, she was like that before, but as for the hotel rooms… I don’t know about that.”

…

During lunch, people secretly checking their phones pushed the topic to its peak. You tell me, I tell him, one tells ten, ten tell a hundred. Soon, most of the grade and even the school knew about it.

The ice queen used to love nightclubs and one-night stands, and fell in love with her stepbrother… what a shocking topic!

“Yu-ge, back to the classroom for class?” a sweaty player asked, leaning on his knees.

Yi Tianyu made a distant three-point shot before saying, “Let’s go. We’ll practice again tonight. The finals are right after the holiday, so everyone stays focused!”

“Okay—” they all said in unison.

After the players finished shouting, they walked to the bench to pick up their water and started drinking heavily.

A girl was sitting next to the chair—the girlfriend of one of the team members, currently scrolling through her phone rapidly.

Seeing them approach, the girl immediately stood up with a smile and walked toward her boyfriend.

“Hey, you used to say you admired Gu Xuejiao. Come on, take a look at what kind of person Gu Xuejiao is! Hahaha!”

Yi Tianyu paused mid-drink and walked over to ask, “What’s going on?”

“News about Gu Xuejiao. The school forum is lively now. If some students hadn’t handed in their phones, it would probably be blowing up! Hahaha, so this is what Gu Xuejiao was like before. She’s such a fake…”

The girl looked disgusted.

Yi Tianyu reached out and took the phone, quickly reading through it.

His face immediately turned black as ink.

“I always felt Gu Xuejiao wasn’t a well-behaved person. Isn’t she just…”

Before she could finish, a force pushed her hard, making her fall to the ground.

“What are you doing?!” The woman was furious, but after shouting, she realized it was Yi Tianyu who had pushed her, and he seemed even angrier than her.

“Women like you who take pleasure in others’ misfortune are truly disgusting. Gu Xuejiao is a hundred times better than you. I don’t hit women, but right now you’re making me very unhappy!” After saying this, Yi Tianyu swung his fist at the boyfriend who was helping the woman up.

“Ah—how could you do this?!” The woman screamed.

Yi Tianyu threw another punch, then shook his head, saying coldly, “I’m just this unreasonable. If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll keep hitting.”

With that, he coldly turned and left.

His fists were clenched tightly, his whole body emanating hostility, so no one dared to stop him or say anything.

——

The news gradually spread to other classes, starting with the regular classes:

“Are you serious?”

“That can’t be possible!”

“It’s true. Pictures don’t lie!”

“My goodness, why don’t I believe it?”

“Gu Xuejiao is such a fake! Ice queen?”

“I saw the photos too. Wow! I can’t believe it!”

“I still don’t think it’s possible.”

…

Among them, one boy remained silent. After hearing the widespread rumors, he frowned deeply.

Soon, he went into the bathroom, secretly took out a phone, and typed a few sentences along with a link.

——

The two experimental classes in the second year knew about it early. Some people in Class 2 had always disliked Gu Xuejiao, so they naturally immediately took pleasure in her misfortune.

Class 1 knew because Xue Jiao was in their class, and people kept asking them for confirmation.

Xue Jiao sat in her seat, and even though no one directly said anything to her, the occasional glances made her uncomfortable.

She frowned slightly.

What… was going on?

“Hey, bookworm…”

“Hmm?” Xue Jiao looked at Yi Tianyu, puzzled.

Her eyes were clear, and her desk was covered with exercise books that were half-completed. She was previewing the material.

Yi Tianyu knew what a hardworking person she was. This stubborn girl whose mind was focused only on studying—hanging out at nightclubs? One-night stands?

Hah, he wouldn’t believe it even if you killed him.

“Nothing, keep studying.” Yi Tianyu smiled gently.

“Oh…” Xue Jiao turned her head, feeling that everyone was acting strange today.

Meanwhile, in Class 2:

“She’s that kind of person!”

“That can’t be right. How could someone like Gu Xuejiao do such things?”

“It’s almost finals. Don’t waste time on these made-up stories.”

“How is it made up? This person’s character is problematic.”

“Right, those boys probably like that kind of girl! Hmph!”

“That’s unfair. If this is true, I’d find it disgusting to even look at her!”

…

“Enough!” Chu Sheng suddenly stood up and slammed his book on the desk.

The others were stunned, looking at him in disbelief.

The top student Chu Sheng, who never liked to talk, who never raised his voice, who only knew how to bury his head in his studies.

Now he was…

Chu Sheng’s hand trembled slightly as he continued to raise his voice, “Have you all finished your homework? Or have you all reviewed for the final exam? If you have time to discuss these things, you’d be better off studying. If you want to discuss them, I don’t want to hear it.”

With that, he sat down and continued writing rapidly.

The others were stunned, blinking and looking at each other, and then pushing one another, they all dispersed.

After everyone had scattered, Chu Sheng’s hand holding the pen paused. The writing on the paper was messy, showing his disturbed state of mind.

In the afternoon, Yi Tianyu found the people managing the school forum.

“Delete the post. You people are not doing your job! How dare you allow such a slanderous post on the forum?!” His voice was very angry.

The forum administrators were only part-time managers, mainly responsible for educational issues at the school.

Hearing this, a young teacher frowned deeply. “We didn’t know about it either. Everyone was eating lunch, and by the time we came back, this post had already gone viral. We immediately wanted to delete it, but for some reason, the post suddenly disappeared, then reappeared a while later, and after that, we couldn’t delete it.”

The teacher also looked worried. The forum had been created just to keep up with trends, usually only promoting learning. The hot posts were all about sharing study experiences. A sudden post causing such a storm would also make it difficult for them to answer the principal!

Yi Tianyu frowned deeply. They couldn’t delete it?

“Student, you should go back now. We’re still trying to find a solution for this post! Don’t disturb us!”

Yi Tianyu walked out of the office in a daze. When he reached the entrance of Class 1, he bumped into Cheng Mingze, who was carrying a laptop.

“Why are you here?” Yi Tianyu frowned.

“Looking for Xue Jiao to figure out how to solve this.”

As soon as Cheng Mingze finished speaking, Yi Tianyu instinctively said, “Don’t tell her!”

Cheng Mingze frowned deeply and sighed. “I know you think she shouldn’t be told about this, but you must understand that Xue Jiao has the right to know. She’s not as fragile as you think.”

With that, he strode into Class 1.

It was dinner time, but many people had already returned from eating. Seeing Cheng Mingze enter, they immediately widened their eyes in surprise.

Cheng Mingze’s fame needed no explanation, and he was also the other main character in the story!

Cheng Mingze completely ignored their gazes. He walked to Xue Jiao, opened the laptop, and first showed her the post.

Xue Jiao looked at the post on the computer with confusion.

Gradually, her brows furrowed. She browsed through the entire post, then went back and carefully read it again from the beginning.

After finishing, she was silent for a moment, then asked:

“Has it spread widely?”

So this was why people had been looking at her strangely all day?

“Those who care know about it, and those who don’t care have heard about it from others.” Cheng Mingze frowned deeply.

Yi Tianyu jumped into his seat and asked her, “Is this person you?”

Xue Jiao was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, it’s me.”

It was Gu Xuejiao, which meant it was her.

Yi Tianyu was stunned for a moment, his eyes widened in disbelief. It was the bookworm?

“Those photos…”

Xue Jiao frowned deeply, recalling the whole story in her memory. After a moment, she said, “The photos are real, but the content is fabricated. This one…”

Her finger pointed to the nightclub photo. She frowned and said, “I went with Li Wei and the others. They said they’d take me to broaden my horizons, just for a little while. But after we went in, Li Wei and the others made me drink, and I got a bit drunk. Then Li Wei and her friends left me there. I ran back by myself while I still had some consciousness.”

“Was that the time…” Cheng Mingze seemed to remember something.

“Yes.”

“Damn! What kind of people are they?! Bookworm, who is Li Wei? I’ll go…”

Cheng Mingze looked at him coldly. “You have no evidence. Don’t be impulsive.”

Yi Tianyu was fuming, and he poked Xue Jiao’s forehead in frustration.

“How could you be so foolish? Trusting anyone?!”

Xue Jiao nodded seriously. Wasn’t Gu Xuejiao just that foolish?

Cheng Mingze looked at Xue Jiao. “I deleted the post this afternoon, but later I didn’t understand why the post appeared again. I think there’s a hacker or someone extremely skilled with computers manipulating things behind the scenes. I just don’t know if it’s Li Wei and her group.”

Xue Jiao frowned deeply.

Although Gu Xuejiao was troublesome, she had always been led astray by Li Wei and the others. And she had never really done anything bad. She had only gone to nightclubs a few times, and after being abandoned there that time, she never dared to go again.

“The post was most likely posted by Li Wei. Even if it wasn’t her, she’s strongly connected to it.” Xue Jiao pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling like a disaster had fallen from the sky.

The original owner really… knew how to cause her trouble!

Cheng Mingze scrolled through the post again. “I tracked the IP address. It’s from an internet café. They probably went there to post it.”

“Then we need to find a way to make Li Wei confess!” Yi Tianyu angrily pounded the table with his fist. If Li Wei were in front of him right now, he would have taken action!

“We should clarify this. Tomorrow afternoon we start the May Day holiday. I’ll try to borrow the broadcast station to clear things up.”

Cheng Mingze paused, his finger pointing at the “evidence” of “Xue Jiao liking Cheng Mingze.” His voice was somewhat unnatural. “I can clarify this part tomorrow, but the main issue is the nightclub and one-night stand aspects…”

Xue Jiao frowned deeply. She didn’t know why Li Wei and these people wanted to harm Gu Xuejiao like this. What kind of grudge did they have?

Yi Tianyu exhaled, suppressing his anger. “We can only start with Li Wei for the things above. The key is where do we find them? Do you know where they live?”

Xue Jiao shook her head. “I only know they attend a technical school on Changming Street.”

Yi Tianyu suddenly stood up and jumped out. “I’ll go make a call. I know someone there. I’ll ask them to keep an eye on Li Wei, and then we can go find her.”

Cheng Mingze nodded. “This matter can only be resolved through Li Wei.”

——

Yi Tianyu only came back when it was almost time for class. His brows were tightly knitted, his eyes filled with anger.

“Li Wei is gone. She was still there at noon, but suddenly someone picked her up in the afternoon. She didn’t even attend her afternoon classes!”

Cheng Mingze and Xue Jiao frowned simultaneously.

Unable to find Li Wei, the situation reached a temporary stalemate.

It was also at this time that Xue Jiao realized how uncomfortable it was to be looked at differently by others.

She tried her best to ignore the pointing and whispering, and tried not to mind when people would immediately back away as if they’d seen something dirty when she walked past.

Yi Tianyu was like a firecracker today, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. If anyone gossiped about Xue Jiao, he would immediately bristle.

He even called Yi Dafa, asking for help to find someone named Li Wei.

In the evening, Xue Jiao walked toward the school gate as usual. People on the way were whispering, not at all avoiding her.

“I never imagined she was this kind of person!”

“She acts so convincingly. Those boys still call her ‘goddess’ every day.”

“How does she have the nerve?”

“Do you think she likes her brother?”

“What wouldn’t she be capable of?”

“Is the post really about her?”

“Of course it’s her. Why else do you think she’s not defending herself if it’s not her?”

…

Xue Jiao stopped and turned to the people speaking, saying calmly:

“You people follow the crowd blindly, without the ability to distinguish right from wrong. You’re not discussing the truth; you’re venting the darkness in your hearts.”

With that, she left quickly, not caring about their ugly expressions.

Neither Xue Jiao nor Cheng Mingze mentioned the school matter to Cheng Suo and the others. It wasn’t until they each returned to their rooms that Cheng Mingze said, “Jiao Jiao, I’ve already sent people to find Li Wei. As long as she’s alive, this matter will be set right.”

Xue Jiao was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Thank you, brother.”

“Mm.” Cheng Mingze forced a smile, though, for some reason, there was a trace of bitterness in his heart.

The door closed.

A moment later, Xue Jiao’s phone vibrated slightly:

[Lin Zhihua: Can I call you?]

Just as Xue Jiao sent back “Yes,” the call came through.

“Jiao Jiao, I kept the post up, and Li Wei is with me.”