Chapter 553: Chapter 542: Now You Panic When Trouble Falls on You?
His nonchalant words, however, sent a shiver down one’s spine. Shen Hua paused in her crying, and behind her tear-blurred eyes, surprise was evident.
Is this... believing in her?
Cui Yun has clearly been toying with her all day. The two of them, supposed to be mutually antagonistic at first sight.
Mr. Xue was intimidated. But soon, a tidal wave of fury replaced it.
Scholars are the most revered among people, and though he is just a teacher at an academy, he is respected wherever he goes.
No matter how rich the Shen Family is, in the end, they are merely merchants. But he is different, he has had the fortune to dine with the County Magistrate!
He laughed bitterly out of anger: "Today has indeed been an eye-opener for me."
But obviously, Cui Yun is not buying into his act. Since Mr. Xue couldn’t do anything about him, he became even more fixated on this issue.
"Predecessor."
He turned to the old man: "Zhou Zhizhi is an exceptional girl, not only does she respect teachers but also excels in both character and learning, with not a single flaw to be found in her. Yet she remains humble and unassuming, who in the academy wouldn’t speak well of her."
The old man frowned, having long noticed Mr. Xue’s bias against Shen Hua and having reminded him repeatedly, yet he hadn’t expected such an incident to occur.
Fearing he would utter something unpleasant: "Zhou Zhizhi is good, but Shen Hua is not bad either. She is just a bit spoiled."
Moreover, after a few games of chess, he knew that Cui Yun’s identity was no simple matter, the regal air in his every move was definitely not something that could be cultivated in the small Fengzhou.
The old man naturally did not want Mr. Xue to offend someone.
He asked: "What exactly happened here?"
Zhou Zhizhi, with tears in her eyes, wiped them away: "It’s my fault that has led everyone to argue again."
She said guiltily: "I distinctly remembered taking the paint away, but I lost it somehow, and I couldn’t find it when I came back. Panicked, the teacher saw my anxiety and decided to adopt this strategy, asking my classmates to help look for it."
She didn’t know how it ended up with Shen Hua.
Regardless, Zhou Zhizhi was happy with the outcome.
She said generously and innocently: "As long as nothing is lost, I don’t blame you."
The old man: "I think, this matter might be a misunderstanding."
"What kind of misunderstanding could there be?"
"Where is the evidence?"
"Just now, all the students in the hall followed me out, leaving only Shen Hua here. Whenever she is in the academy, she gives Zhizhi all sorts of trouble."
"What kind of place do you think the academy is? How can we keep a girl like her who does not know repentance!"
Cui Yun narrowed his eyes: "Is this all you’ve got?"
He sounded like he just heard the joke of the century.
"When the government office arrests and convicts someone, they need testimonies and evidence, and also the confession signed and thumb printed by the criminal."
"If you’re so capable, why not go join the Ministry of Justice instead of being a teacher? After all, there are plenty of homicide cases piled up there over the years, which you could handle in just 15 minutes with your bare words."
"Would you like me to put in a good word for you?"
Ministry of Justice?
Just listen to him boast.
Cui Yun’s warm fingertips touched the girl’s damp eye corner, convincing her to sit down and find comfort.
If this matter isn’t thoroughly clarified, with academy folks talking, one saying this, another saying that, a rumor repeated becomes a fact, and the false could become true.
"Why did you stay here alone?"
Shen Hua candidly replied: "I feel his skills in painting are mediocre at best, unworthy of teaching me."
With Cui Yun insightfully protecting her, the girl now had the confidence to speak, no longer showing the pitiful appearance when she was surrounded by the group earlier.
"When have I not dealt with people openly and honestly in front of everyone, behaving with integrity? How could I possibly engage in something as low as stealing and thieving?"
Do you even have a point?
"These hands of mine have touched all kinds of treasures; why would I stoop to taking such cheap paints?"
"Even if I did it, how could I be so foolish as to hide it in the desk waiting to be convicted?"
Shen Hua thought for a moment.
"I would probably throw it onto the desk of the girl who has the best relationship with her."
Zheng Qianyu asked earnestly, "Why?"
"To sow discord!"
If she wanted to deal with someone, she preferred to double the trouble.
Nobody gets off easy.
Saying this, she recalled something.
"Seems like someone came back."
Shen Hua came to her senses and immediately showed her fangs and claws: "Someone is framing me!"
Cui Yun responded with a sound.
He looked coldly and indifferently at Mr. Xue, then scanned the surroundings.
"Everyone present seems to have a motive."
This remark once again stirred up the crowd.
"Not me!"
"Nor me! I was with Liu’er the whole time, always back at the rear mountain."
"Then who has left the group?"
"We were all drawing, which ignorant fool would pay attention to such matters?"
The ignorant Zheng Qianyu slowly stepped forward.
"Xu Qingqing is aloof by nature, she took a spot by herself, perhaps she was the one who came back."
Xu Qingqing quickly shook her head.
Before she could explain, Shen Hua spoke with her soft and sweet voice.
"It’s not her."
She met Xu Qingqing’s eyes, filled with timidity and gratitude.
"She doesn’t have the guts."
The girl also regretted, feeling sleepy at the time, someone approached but she was too lazy to open her eyes, half asleep.
Zheng Qianyu helped to check each person one by one: "Zhang Qiu said she was thirsty and went outside to fetch water."
"I did go out, but I fetched water from the spring at the back mountain."
"I don’t care, you still left."
Zheng Qianyu pressed on aggressively: "You talked ill of Shen Hua behind her back on many occasions, clearly, you had a motive."
Her words began to sow doubt among the nearby girls.
"Maybe it was her."
"Just now, she was the one speaking the loudest against Shen Hua."
"She was the one who pushed her, I stood right beside her and saw her doing it."
Shen Hua: ???
The girl gave a cold smile.
"Alright, it’s time to eat; aren’t you hungry? No need to guess anymore. Just decide it was her."
Zhang Qiu was angry: "Shen Hua!"
"I just shoved you, nothing more is related to me."
She also acted in defense of Zhou Zhizhi, and that was why she had used force.
"Only when the disaster falls on your head do you start to panic?"
Just?
So, shoving her, causing her to fall to the ground in full view of everyone and into an awkward situation, is something you can just casually brush off?
Shen Hua looked at Mr. Xue.
"Please expel this riff-raff from the academy right away, let the students decide on the matter, and let that be the end of it."
Mr. Xue’s brows were furrowed enough to form a line.
"Enough! You really are—"
Shen Hua’s voice was louder than his: "Why enough, I’ve caught the person."
"Or is it that the teacher just doesn’t like seeing me, eager to expel me but reluctant to expel others?"
"If you dislike me so, just say it."
"I can leave the academy, but not as someone who was driven out, but because I chose not to stay."
As she spoke, Shen Hua cautiously glanced at Cui Yun.
"What, am I stopping you?"
Cui Yun smiled slightly: "Speak your mind, I’ve got your back if there’s trouble."
This statement, admittedly, gave Shen Hua a somewhat shameful sense of happiness.
The girl raised her chin: "Then please have Mr. Xue return the New Year’s gift I sent."
"Since you look down upon me, how can you have the nerve to accept my gift? If it were just one ingot of gold, I wouldn’t mind, as my family is wealthy, but the silk is not so easily obtained, and I don’t wish to let you benefit from it."
