Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Self-esteem is Eating Until You’re Bloated_1
Chen Lan looked at Yang Yihang with an unreadable expression and slowly picked up her phone.
Everyone in the class sat there quietly, their eyes on Chen Lan, as if waiting for something major to happen.
Chen Lan dialed Fang Yiyi’s number. After a while, sure enough, the ringtone sounded.
All eyes in the class turned toward a slim girl who was looking at her backpack in shock, her eyes wide open.
"Jia Xin?"
"How could it be Jia Xin?"
"First Zhou Zimeng, now Jia Xin, I find Fang Yiyi most suspicious!"
...
Dozens of murmurs started, but Zhou Zimeng felt disappointed. She discovered after the last incident that her classmates seemed to be wiser.
They apparently no longer completely trusted what they saw at face value. The majority of the glances towards Jia Xin were suspicious, even sympathetic, but there was no disgust or malice.
Once bitten, twice shy. The old saying was indeed reasonable.
"Jia Xin, can you explain this?" Chen Lan looked at Jia Xin, her eyes concealing her thoughts.
However, the more sensitive students could feel Chen Lan’s hostility towards Jia Xin. The last time a phone mysteriously appeared in Zhou Zimeng’s bag, Chen Lan simply awaited the arrival of the head teacher.
Yang Yihang was sensitive enough to notice Chen Lan’s anomaly. Furrowing his brows, he stood up and said, "Teacher Chen, let’s leave it to the head teacher. We should guard the windows."
It was easy to hear that Yang Yihang was protecting Jia Xin.
Zhou Zimeng was also surprised to see Yang Yihang defending Jia Xin.
In Yang Yihang’s mind, Zhou Zimeng had committed suicide because she was wronged like this. He didn’t want it to happen again, especially since Zhou Zimeng told him that Jia Xin was her best friend.
Chen Lan looked at Yang Yihang and held her words back.
Oh, innocent child, don’t you know, your beloved Zhou Zimeng was actually framed by this Jia Xin!
Jia Xin felt a surge in her heart upon hearing Yang Yihang’s protective words. She suddenly stood up, looked at Yang Yihang, and said confidently, "Don’t worry, I won’t commit suicide because I didn’t steal anything."
Yang Yihang’s brows furrowed tighter, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.
Chen Lan couldn’t bear to hear any further, she looked at Jia Xin and asked clearly, "So, you mean Zhou Zimeng committed suicide because she stole something?"
Jia Xin paused before replying, "That’s not what I meant, I was talking about myself. I don’t know whether she stole anything."
Chen Lan couldn’t contain her rage, hissing, "Well, let me tell you. Those who steal are shameless villains. How could a shameless person commit suicide out of shame? Zhou Zimeng committed suicide because she did not steal anything and wanted to protect her reputation by proving her innocence with her death."
Chen Lan’s words were resounding and echoed in everyone’s hearts like a boulder splashing waves in a still lake.
Chen Lan was usually gentle and patient in her classroom management, seldom scolding students harshly.
She suddenly flared up now, surprising her students who were accustomed to her gentleness.
Jia Xin lowered her head, murmuring, and didn’t say anything further.
Yang Yihang observed Chen Lan’s stern expression, his face changing several times before he silently sat down.
Chen Lan took several deep breaths, picked up her phone, and called the class’s head teacher, asking him to come over immediately.
The head teacher was not out this time and was able to arrive quickly.
However, Jia Xin insisted she did not steal anything, suggesting that someone was intentionally framing her, with her words implying at Fang Yiyi.
Chen Lan rolled her eyes secretly. Such a young girl, yet she could shift the blame without being flustered by unexpected events. Such cunning was indeed terrifying.
Fang Yiyi, already known for her wilfulness, was so furious with Jia Xin that she started to curse and mentioned that Jia Xin was envious of Zhou Zimeng and purposefully leaked her best friend’s secrets.
Jia Xin turned white but knew that this was not the time to retort. She simply sat there, silently bearing it all and lowering her head. She looked so pitiful, her eyes welling up with tears.
In any case, the missing phone had been found and whether Jia Xin denied the accusation or not, both the head teacher and Chen Lan could do nothing without further evidence.
In the end, the head teacher chose to compromise, soothing both Fang Yiyi and Jia Xin, and advised Fang Yiyi to take better care of her belongings in the future.
Seeing that it was getting late, the headteacher quickly settled the matter, urging the students to rush home for safety reasons.
Zhou Zimeng saw that her revenge, paid in soul power, had resulted in such an unsatisfactory outcome. It was hard for her to accept. Looking at Jia Xin, she said resentfully, "Why? Why is it like this? Why wouldn’t she commit suicide?"
Qin Sisi calmly remarked, "Because she has a thick skin!"
Tears welled up in Zhou Zimeng’s eyes as she said, in frustration, "Why can a bad girl like her live well? I’ve never harmed anyone. Why did I have to die?"
Sisi sighed and said poignantly, "Death, wasn’t that your own choice?"
Zhou Zimeng suddenly looked like a wooden chicken, her eyes devoid of spirit.
Yes, it was her own choice. She chose not to trust anyone and chose to prove her innocence in the harshest way.
What a fool she was. Why did she ever decide to commit suicide?
Those snide remarks, doubts, disdain, and contempt...
At the time, those negative emotions had seemed unbearable, like the weight of a mountain on her shoulders. But thinking about it now, in the face of life and death, they were just a mere feather, absurdly dramatic.
Sisi looked at the tearful Zhou Zimeng, sighing, "I remember reading an article called ’Pride Is for the Overfed’. Appropriate pride is a good thing, but indulging in it, unable to bear even a hint of doubt from others, is a sign of being weak."
Pride is for the overfed?
This was the first time Zhou Zimeng had heard such a statement. From childhood, she was taught to have self-respect, to protect her pride.
But faced with setbacks and doubts, excessive pride could turn into a disadvantage.
Zhou Zimeng hung her head in sorrow. She quickly raised her head again and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, I admit I was too weak. I’m willing to take responsibility for my own death. But what about her? She has done wrong things, shouldn’t she be punished?"
Zhou Zimeng watched Jia Xin, who was packing her bag and preparing to leave the classroom. Her eyes were filled with resentment and rage.
Zhou Zimeng’s death was triggered by Jia Xin. If Jia Xin wasn’t punished at all, it felt unjust.
Sisi thought for a moment and looked at Ye You, saying, "We have no choice but to use that diary."
Ye You nodded, his eyes profound. With a flick of his claw, the beautiful diary appeared in his hand.
