Chapter 355: Chapter 355: Murderer, So Disgusting!
The students in the classroom couldn’t care less about the teacher’s angry expression; no one was focused on the slides, and everyone was caught up in heated discussions!
"Have you heard? There are reporters all over the school gate now! The principal is definitely going to charge Cecilia!"
"Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank. Back when Cecilia posted those insinuations about Katherine’s character, she never thought that she herself was worse than anyone!"
"Exactly! Katherine is such a great person. She even won the campus queen title for our department in the competition. How could Cecilia, the fake campus belle, ever compare to Katherine?"
"This is truly satisfying! That despicable woman finally gets her comeuppance! Hope the punishment is severe, the best would be expulsion! A mere record in her file would be too lenient!"
However, some observant students noticed something unusual.
"Hey, are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why does that post about Cecilia’s chaotic private life seem odd? When did Cecilia ever give a speech in the university’s auditorium? She usually doesn’t participate in any events..."
"Yeah, I noticed that too. And the auditorium in the background was packed. There seemed to be a banner up there, welcoming new students or something, but I couldn’t see clearly."
Noticing this inconsistency left everyone a bit astonished, and someone tentatively raised a question.
"Could those photos be fake? With today’s advanced Photoshop technology..."
"I don’t think they’re fake. I’ve studied Photoshop for several years..."
Just then, a student who was registering student details stepped forward.
"Um... it seems like Cecilia is older than us. We’re all mostly eighteen or nineteen, even considering repeat studies, generally around twenty, but Cecilia is already twenty-one... The records also show she transferred from the finance department to our art department... Plus, the school emblem indicates she enrolled three years ago."
"Could that be? Was she held back a year? But she doesn’t seem like a repeating student, not to mention her character, she’s top-notch in the art department too..."
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks, sensing that the truth was becoming more and more elusive.
Besides the moral stain, it seemed Cecilia embodied endless mysteries for them to uncover.
...
Cecilia followed the principal down the corridor. She held some respect for this new principal appointed to Stellerton University, considering him a fair, upright person and a scholar of merit, a teacher worthy of admiration.
"Principal... where are you taking me?"
Cecilia’s expression was calm, her voice steady as a lake, as if the world wasn’t tearing her reputation apart.
The principal gave her a complicated glance. Although he had never taught Cecilia, he appreciated art and talent and had heard of Cecilia’s reputation.
—Not long ago, Cecilia and Sean, representing the art department, submitted several paintings for school evaluation.
Cecilia’s Sunset Peony Painting, with its meticulous portrayal of the Golden Star Snow Wave White Peony, harmonized traditional Veridian painting styles with Western techniques, merging the strengths of both for an apt composition and a delightful color scheme. The principal was very fond of it.
He even intended, regardless of the competition results, to buy Cecilia’s painting at double the market price to keep it at home.
Unexpectedly, before the painting’s results were announced, Cecilia’s name was tarnished, and hundreds of students protested outside the principal’s office, claiming that expelling her was essential to Stellerton University’s dignity.
...
The principal pondered deeply, looking at Cecilia’s cool and delicate face, and sighed heavily.
"Classmate Vaughn, are you aware of what’s happening online right now?"
Considering Cecilia’s youth, the principal thought she might be oblivious to the storm brewing around her due to her composed demeanor.
Facing the principal’s extremely complex gaze, Cecilia nodded calmly.
"I am aware."
"..."
This made the principal reassess Cecilia, examining her from head to toe. He hadn’t expected such young woman to possess such a stable disposition.
Yet, no matter how stable, he rubbed his temples at the thought of the school’s crowded gates.
"It’s not that I don’t want to give you time to explain, but the south gate is filled with reporters. Cecilia... sorry to trouble you to go and clarify."
The principal said, casting a sympathetic glance at Cecilia.
Perhaps this trip would utterly ruin Cecilia’s reputation.
But he had no choice. Protecting her meant greater pressure on Stellerton University.
With entrance exams looming in a few months, Stellerton’s enrollment guide was about to be released. If Cecilia’s incident tarnished Stellerton’s reputation or affected its enrollment, it would be an irredeemable loss.
So the principal could only choose to send Cecilia out, leaving the rest to her fate.
...
Facing the principal’s heavy, weary look, Cecilia subtly pressed her lips together, her expression unruffled.
"Thank you, Principal."
"Thank me for what?"
The principal was baffled, still feeling guilty for sending a young girl out as a scapegoat.
But Cecilia simply smiled softly.
"At least, you didn’t add insult to injury."
"..."
The principal gently patted her shoulder and sighed with resignation.
"I’m sorry, child... go on."
...
At the school’s south gate, as expected, there was a sea of people. Besides reporters who came to interview, there were many idle gossipers who wanted to take a look at the infamous mercenary campus belle.
Natural beauty is always a scarce resource, and it often attracts trouble.
Seeing Cecilia appear, the reporters surged forward madly, cameras set up aggressively, trying to capture her as close as possible!
"Classmate Vaughn! Are those online rumors true? Are you really entangled with several wealthy heirs?"
"Have you really been kept by a rich benefactor?"
"Did you really seize your family’s house, driving your biological father and stepmother onto the streets, causing her to pass out in the freezing weather? Don’t you think you’re shameless?"
...
Cecilia’s eyes slowly swept over the crowd.
"Are you done talking? Why do you all presume that one person’s side of the story is the truth?"
The girl’s expression was as cold as ice, and her powerful aura suddenly shocked the reporters.
Amidst confused looks, suddenly, a rotten egg accurately flew towards Cecilia!
"Even a murderer released three years ago is so arrogant, phony self-righteousness! Hit her!"
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