Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Who Stole the Divine Statue?
After he left, Shen Ningning ran to the door and peered left and right.
Making sure no one was there, she closed the door and slid the bolt shut.
Then, with a flash, she entered the Immortal Realm and began to feast!
The fragrant beef noodles were still hot, as if they had just been taken off the stove!
Shen Ningning cupped the bowl with her small hands. After finishing her noodles, she drank an entire glass of sweet, freshly squeezed orange juice.
"Ahhh~" she patted her small belly, her pink tongue licking her lips.
’I’m so full!’
The exhaustion from copying scriptures all night was instantly swept away.
The little one looked up at the two shelves, filled to the brim with ready-made delicacies, and was overcome with immense satisfaction.
’No matter where I am, I can pop in for a meal whenever I get hungry.’
She left the Immortal Realm.
A short while later, however, an Attendant Student came over and said that Mr. Huang wanted to see her.
Shen Ningning agreed.
Just as she was about to head out, the little one paused.
She turned back and placed the copied scriptures back into the Immortal Realm.
Only then did she leave the room, with her mind at ease.
When she arrived outside Mr. Huang’s room, Mr. Huang saw her and said in confusion, "Shen Xuezhi, I did not ask an Attendant Student to call you here. I only summoned Lu Scholar."
Shen Ningning looked taken aback.
She looked at the Attendant Student who brought her. He scratched his head and said, "My apologies, I might have misheard."
The little one said, "It’s okay!"
When she returned to her room, the first thing she did was check her desk.
Sure enough, the books and inkstone she had placed on her desk had been disturbed.
Shen Ningning’s bright, glistening eyes gazed outside, toward Lan Qian’s room.
She had thought it odd when Lan Qian suddenly gave her that ink.
And so, having suffered too many losses at the hands of Aunt Qin, Shen Ningning had already learned how to protect herself.
’Even if Lan Qian tried to use the Attendant Student to lure me away, it doesn’t matter. I put the finished scriptures away a long time ago!’
Just after 7:00 AM, Mr. Huang had them take their copied scriptures and go to the classroom.
Shen Ningning handed in her copy.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lan Qian staring at her viciously.
The little one pretended not to see. She lifted her fair, round face and sat back down in her seat.
Mr. Huang inspected the scriptures Shen Ningning had copied and couldn’t help but nod lightly.
"Your calligraphy is neat and the pages are clean. Shen Xuezhi, you haven’t disappointed me."
He then told an Attendant Student, "Go bring over the statue of the Rain Godess. The Emperor and the Crown Prince should be on their way to the Heavenly Temple now, so we can arrange for the item to be delivered to the County Magistrate."
"Yes, sir." The two Attendant Students left at once.
Not long after, they ran back with panicked expressions.
"Mr. Huang, something’s wrong! The statue of the Rain Godess is gone!"
"What?!" Mr. Huang was greatly startled. He immediately hiked up his robes and strode outside.
The students, curious, quickly followed.
They saw Mr. Huang search all over his room, but the divine statue was nowhere to be found.
No matter how composed he usually was, the expression on his face could now be described as pale and terrified.
"It can’t be gone. I put it on this shelf myself. It was still there before 7:00 AM."
"Could it have been stolen?" someone whispered.
Mr. Huang’s gaze turned sharp.
’If it was stolen, the thief definitely hasn’t had time to get the statue out of here.’
"Everyone return to the classroom. No one is to come out without my permission," Mr. Huang commanded.
He then told an Attendant Student to call the other teachers over. They were going to search every single room!
Back in the classroom, everyone was whispering amongst themselves—
"Who would be so bold as to steal the statue of the Rain Godess?"
"I don’t know! If we don’t have the statue, and the prayer for rain fails, won’t it be our fault?"
"So annoying. That person has sticky fingers. They shouldn’t drag us down with them!"
Lu Shaoyuan furrowed his brows and said, "Can you all be quiet? What’s with all the noise?"
Someone pouted and muttered, "The Emperor performs a ritual to pray for rain at the altar every year, but when has it ever succeeded?"
"Last year, because the prayer for rain was unsuccessful, the Emperor executed two Wizards, saying they were completely useless."
"This time we’ve lost the statue of the Rain Godess. A good thing has turned into a bad thing. Who knows how the Emperor will punish us. The whole academy might even be shut down!"
But Shen Ningning said, "Nothing’s been decided yet, so don’t be scared, everyone!"
She was very optimistic. She took out the orange slices her grandmother had cut earlier from her food box and gave a few pieces to all her classmates.
Eating the sweet oranges, everyone was suddenly filled with emotion—
"Ningning, it would be nice if we were all from a well-off family like you, without having to worry about food or clothing."
"These oranges are so sweet! Ningning, does your family own an orchard?"
Just as Shen Ningning was about to explain, Mr. Huang appeared at the doorway with a grave expression.
"Shen Xuezhi, come out for a moment."
The entire class instantly fell silent.
Shen Ningning blinked in confusion, then stood up and pattered out the door.
Lan Qian snickered, "Oh my, don’t tell me she’s the one who stole it?"
A classmate immediately retorted, "Don’t talk nonsense! Ningning is so generous and shares all her good food with us. Why would she steal that?"
Lan Qian tutted. "Oh, you can’t be sure about that. None of us really know if she’s a rich young lady or not."
"Have you ever been to her house?" she demanded of the classmate who had spoken up.
The classmate, holding an orange, silently shook his head.
Lan Qian sneered, "Well, there you have it. Who here has been to her house? We all think she’s from a powerful and wealthy family, but maybe it’s all just an act!"
Lu Shaoyuan demanded angrily, "Will you ever stop?"
This made Lan Qian even angrier. "None of you believe me! Fine, let’s follow them and see if she’s the one who stole it or not!"
She was the first to stand up. The other classmates exchanged glances, and unable to suppress their curiosity, followed one after another.
Shen Ningning followed Mr. Huang back to her own room.
Two other teachers were standing in front of an open wooden cabinet, their expressions complicated.
As Shen Ningning walked in, the first thing she saw was the statue of the Rain Godess, hidden in a corner.
Her round eyes widened in shock, and she immediately looked at Mr. Huang.
"Sir, it wasn’t me! I didn’t take it!"
The classmates who had followed were utterly astonished to see this.
Shen Ningning usually wore fine brocade. She was fair-skinned and beautiful, with a vibrant and charming air. One look at her and you could tell she had been doted on and raised with care.
Why would she ever steal a small jade god statue!
Lan Qian pushed through the crowd, a cold smile on her face. "Shen Ningning, you’d better confess. Did you steal it to sell for money to help your poor grandmother!"
Shen Ningning glanced back, her clear eyes filled with simmering anger.
"I didn’t steal anything!"
"You didn’t? Then how do you explain the statue being in your room!"
Seeing Lan Qian’s smug and triumphant expression, Shen Ningning instantly understood everything.
She said to Mr. Huang, "Sir, someone is framing me. I request a thorough investigation!"
"Just now, I was deliberately lured away from my room by an Attendant Student. When I returned, the things inside had been disturbed."
"Someone must have taken advantage of my absence to deliberately place the statue in my room!"
