Chapter 99 The Timid Him (XI) I'm Proud to Have My Motherland by My Side…

The winter vacation of more than a month passed in the blink of an eye. In the early morning, Song Ce got up early to prepare for school. When he came out after washing up, Song Mingyuan had already prepared breakfast.

"Xiao Ce, it's still early, come and have breakfast." Song Mingyuan looked at Song Ce and greeted him with a smile.

"Okay, Dad."

The father and son sat facing each other and began to eat their breakfasts.

"Xiao Ce, Dad's going to meet a client on Jiefang Road later, and I'll be passing by your school. How about Dad gives you a ride?" Song Mingyuan asked, taking a sip of soy milk.

Song Ce smiled and said, "No need, Dad. Mingjun and I have agreed that starting today, we'll ride bicycles to and from school. This way, we can get some exercise and relieve some of the pressure of studying—it's a win-win situation."

Song Mingyuan nodded, reached out and patted Song Ce on the shoulder, and said, "Xiao Ce, studying is important, but don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best, okay?"

"Yes, I understand, Dad."

After Song Mingyuan left, Song Ce picked up his schoolbag, rode his bicycle to the intersection of Boyuan Road, and waited for Zhao Mingjun. Ten minutes later, Zhao Mingjun arrived in a hurry, a piece of bread in his mouth.

"Brother Ce, I almost overslept today. Luckily, I set two alarms in advance, or I would have been in big trouble!" Zhao Mingjun said, swallowing the bread in his mouth quickly, pounding his chest as he mumbled.

Song Ce smiled helplessly, took out a carton of milk from his bag and handed it to him: "Next time, if you get up ten minutes earlier, you'll have time to eat breakfast properly, right?"

Zhao Mingjun took the milk, pouted, and muttered, "I'd rather sleep for ten more minutes. Getting up early is too painful."

Song Ce sighed, "What happened to your previous determination? You said you'd go through thick and thin, have you forgotten so quickly?"

Zhao Mingjun chuckled, "Brother Ce, I was just kidding. Tomorrow, I promise I'll be here early to wait for you! Hurry up, or we'll miss class!"

And so, the days passed, and Song Ce and Zhao Mingjun persisted in riding their bicycles for a month. Zhao Mingjun became more and more punctual, and even thoughtfully brought Song Ce breakfast twice, for which he was secretly proud for a long time.

In early April, Song Ce faced his first monthly exam of the second semester of his first year of high school. Unsurprisingly, he once again secured first place in the grade. With Song Ce's continued guidance, Zhao Mingjun also managed to break into the top 100 in the grade. Zhang Ruiyu was overjoyed upon seeing Zhao Mingjun's monthly exam results and immediately gifted each of them a brand-new mountain bike.

In Zhang Ruiyu's eyes, this expense was insignificant. Moreover, Song Ce had given Zhao Mingjun quite a few things in the past six months, and in Zhang Ruiyu's mind, Song Ce was practically like a junior member of her own family.

So Song Ce didn't refuse and readily accepted the kindness from his elder. Song Mingyuan, on the other hand, felt a little bad about it, so a week later, he specially took Song Ce and Zhao Mingjun to the mall and picked out a pair of the latest season's sneakers for each of them.

After the monthly exam results were announced, Zhao Mingjun naturally followed Song Ce's lead and chose science.

"Brother Ce, do you think we can be in the same class after the final exams this semester?" Zhao Mingjun asked with a worried look after taking a sip of seaweed soup in the cafeteria on the second floor.

Song Ce looked at Zhao Mingjun in front of him, raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked in return, "You really want to be in the same class as me?"

"Of course!" Zhao Mingjun put down his chopsticks and complained helplessly, "The boys in my class are so boring. They're all jealous of my height and good grades, so no one comes over to play with me."

"What are you playing around for? High school is a crucial period for studying. I see you've been playing wildly all winter break. Starting today, your study load will double. Try to get into the top fifty in the grade in the final exams." Song Ce chuckled, but Zhao Mingjun found that smile incredibly dangerous.

"Ah? Double the price!" Zhao Mingjun couldn't help but groan.

Song Ce glanced at him sideways, "If you don't study, don't even think about being in the same class as me in the second year of high school."

"...It's just double, right? Let's go for it!" Zhao Mingjun clenched his fist, looking like he was ready to burn his bridges.

Song Ce smiled upon hearing this, "Alright, brother, you have ambition! I believe in you."

The first class in the afternoon was English. As soon as the bell rang, Song Ce saw Zhao Mingjun's homeroom teacher, Wang Zhaoxing, and Mao Guanying standing at the classroom door. Mao Guanying waved to Song Ce, signaling him to come out. Song Ce got up and followed the two to the activity room of Class 7.

"Teacher Mao, what can I do for you?" Song Ce asked politely.

Mao Guanying was always very patient with this top student in the class. He rejected Wang Zhaoxing's suggestion to take Song Ce directly to the office, and instead insisted on calling all the relevant students to the activity room.

Mao Guanying chuckled and said, "Actually, it's nothing much. Teacher Wang just wants to ask you something about Zhao Mingjun in their class."

Upon hearing this, Song Ce knew why Mao Guanying had called him over—Zhao Mingjun had been falsely accused by his classmates of stealing from them.

At this moment, in the activity room of Class 7.

Zhao Mingjun stood listlessly to one side, his head drooping, while two angry-looking male classmates stood opposite him. From the original owner's memories, Song Ce recognized the slightly chubby boy as Liang Wei and the other, a skinny boy as Chen Yizhong.

As soon as Zhao Mingjun saw Song Ce walk in, his eyes lit up, and his originally gloomy expression regained a bit of life.

"Brother Ce! You've finally arrived!"

"Quiet! Quiet!" Wang Zhaoxing called out to stop them, then nodded to Mao Guanying.

"Song Ce, Zhao Mingjun said that he was with you the whole time from lunchtime to the start of the first class today. Is that true?" Wang Zhaoxing looked at Song Ce with a kind expression and asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Song Ce nodded and replied affirmatively, "That's right, Zhao Mingjun was with me throughout lunch today. Teacher Wang, may I ask what happened?"

"Here's the thing, today Chen Yizhong from Class 7 lost his iPod music player. Although the school has repeatedly emphasized that students cannot bring electronic devices to school, we teachers also bear responsibility for losing something so valuable in the classroom. I asked each student in the class, and only Liang Wei saw Zhao Mingjun return to the classroom alone. After the first activity period, Chen Yizhong's iPod was gone," Wang Zhaoxing explained.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingjun immediately panicked. He hurriedly protested, "Teacher, I really didn't take Chen Yizhong's things! Song Ce can also testify for me; I was with him the whole time!"

Chen Yizhong interrupted Zhao Mingjun angrily: "Everyone knows you're always following Song Ce around, so of course he'll side with you!"

“Yes, teacher,” Liang Wei chimed in, “He definitely won’t have enough time to get rid of the iPod in such a short time, so perhaps…”

"Not as good as what?" Wang Zhaoxing asked.

"Why don't you check if Zhao Mingjun has that iPod on his person or in his bag? Wouldn't that tell us?" Liang Wei muttered.

Upon hearing this, Song Ce pulled Zhao Mingjun behind him and asked calmly, "What evidence do you have to prove that Zhao Mingjun took his classmate's iPod?"

Seeing this, Wang Zhaoxing also looked troubled. He looked at Liang Wei and asked again to confirm, "Liang Wei, are you sure you really saw Zhao Mingjun return to the classroom?"

“Teacher, I’m sure!” Liang Wei said loudly.

Chen Yizhong raised his hand and pointed directly at Zhao Mingjun, angrily saying, "Zhao Mingjun, if you're a real man, stand up and let the teacher check! If it turns out you didn't steal it, I'll apologize to you!"

"Apologize?" Song Ce burst out laughing upon hearing this. "Everything requires evidence; empty words won't do. Just because Liang Wei said he saw Zhao Mingjun return to the classroom, you can conclude that he stole something? That's absurd! Besides, Zhao Mingjun was with me at the time, so he has an alibi."

Chen Yizhong scoffed, "Alibi? You two are so close, who knows if you conspired beforehand? Maybe Zhao Mingjun stole something and you even helped him hide it!"

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere in the activity room. Mao Guanying, standing to the side, frowned and couldn't help but reprimand him, "Chen Yizhong, you need evidence to support your claims! Don't make wild guesses here!"

“Okay, everyone, calm down first. Liang Wei, think back carefully. Besides seeing Zhao Mingjun return to the classroom, did you see anything else unusual?” Wang Zhaoxing asked after a moment of thought.

Liang Wei paused upon hearing this, his eyes instinctively darting away. "I only saw him rushing back to the classroom by himself; I didn't notice anything else."

Song Ce stared intently at Liang Wei and said coldly, "Liang Wei, are you sure you didn't see wrong? This is no small matter. If you wrongly accuse your classmate, can you bear the consequences?"

Liang Wei felt inexplicably flustered under Song Ce's gaze. He lowered his head to avoid Song Ce's eyes and stammered, "I...I really saw it, I can't be wrong!"

Zhao Mingjun was both angry and anxious, his eyes reddening. "Brother Ce, I really didn't take any iPod! And I didn't go back to the classroom! I swear to God!"

Upon hearing this, Song Ce patted Zhao Mingjun on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

“Teacher, I think there are many suspicious points in this matter. It’s unfair to suspect Zhao Mingjun of taking his classmate’s things based solely on Liang Wei’s statement. I remember there are surveillance cameras in the corridors of every floor of our school. Could we check the surveillance footage from that time?” Song Ce looked at Wang Zhaoxing and Mao Guanying and frowned.

"After this incident, I went to check the surveillance footage from that time. Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras on the floor where Class 7 is located were broken and hadn't been repaired yet," Wang Zhaoxing said with a serious expression.

Chen Yizhong crossed his arms and snorted, "That's good, now that there are no cameras, we'll have to search you. Let's see what you have to say when we actually find something!"

Zhao Mingjun trembled with rage and shouted, "Chen Yizhong, don't go too far! I didn't take it, that's all. Don't make false accusations!"

Seeing the situation reach a stalemate, Wang Zhaoxing looked helplessly at Zhao Mingjun, trying to appease him: "Zhao Mingjun, in order to clear your name, I have no choice but to check your bag and coat. However, if it turns out you didn't take them, I will definitely make Chen Yizhong apologize to you..."

Before Wang Zhaoxing could finish speaking, Song Ce interrupted him with a serious expression for the first time, saying, "Teacher Wang, if you put it that way, then I have reason to suspect that everyone in Class 7 is a suspect, and even Chen Yizhong himself may have hidden the iPod to frame a classmate who had better grades than him."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yizhong was furious and shouted, "Song Ce, you're talking nonsense!"

"Chen Yizhong, watch your manners!" Mao Guanying immediately reprimanded.

Song Ce smiled slightly, looking directly at Chen Yizhong and Liang Wei with a frank gaze, and said, "I'm just telling the truth. Teacher Wang, you also know how much psychological pressure it puts on a high school student to be suspected of stealing without cause."

After all, Song Ce was considered the future top student of No. 5 Middle School, and Wang Zhaoxing had always been tolerant of such high-achieving students. He looked at the tense group before him with a headache, sighed, and asked, "Song Ce, what do you think should be done about this?"

Song Ce pondered for a moment, then looked in Chen Yizhong's direction and asked again, "Chen Yizhong, do you still have your iPod before lunch?"

Chen Yizhong was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and after thinking for a while, he said, "I'm sure. I ate later than usual today. I went to the cafeteria only after all the students in the classroom had left. Before that, I even put my iPod in the side pocket of my backpack."

Song Ce nodded and smiled, "In that case, things will be much easier from here on out."

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Author's note: Thank you so much for the nutrient solution, my little darling! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]

I came home late today (smoothly kneeling down) (obediently repenting)