Sima Chu met Han Lin's gaze and couldn't help but tremble.

"I saw Sima Chu walk out of the classroom before I entered it," Han Lin said, pointing at Sima Chu and stating what he had seen before entering the classroom.

Han Lin's words stirred up another huge wave, and everyone's attention turned to Sima Chu once again. Sima Chu looked at the gazes around him and shook his head repeatedly. For a long time, everyone simply watched Sima Chu in silence. This silent accusation left Sima Chu unsure how to respond.

“I remember now.” Zhao Han said this out of the blue while standing on the podium, and then successfully drew everyone’s attention back to herself. “When you all went to lunch, only Sima Chu and I were left. Sima Chu saw me put the money I collected into my bag. Only then did she leave.”

Zhao Han's words were tantamount to a clear accusation against Sima Chu. After hearing Zhao Han's words, everyone turned their attention back to Sima Chu.

"It wasn't me," Sima Chu muttered in defense of himself.

"Who else could it be but you? Nobody in our class needs money as much as you do." It was another girl who said this sarcastic remark.

"Hey! How dare you talk like that! Are you rabid? We haven't even figured things out yet, and you're already biting people!" Before Sima Chu could even speak, Xiao Qing suddenly slammed her hand on the table, stood up from her chair, pointed at the girl who had just spoken, and yelled at her.

"Oh! Who did I think it was? It's Xiaoqing. I remember your dorm was in such a mess a while ago. What? Now you're starting to care about your fake sisterhood? That's hilarious. I wonder who's the dog and who's sick." The girl didn't back down at all and retorted to Xiaoqing's words.

"Say one more word and I'll tear your mouth apart." Xiaoqing was completely enraged by these words. She rolled up her sleeves and opened her palm, ready to slap the girl across the face.

"Ladies, we're both students from prestigious universities, please control your emotions." After a brief moment of surprise, Ling Zixuan stood up from his chair, stood between the two girls, and offered a word of advice with a smile.

These two girls were probably both fans of Ling Zixuan. Seeing the smile on Ling Zixuan's face, they didn't pay attention to what he had said. In short, after glaring at each other, they sat back down in their chairs.

Sima Chu glanced at Xiao Qing, a hint of gratitude in her eyes, and then a tear rolled down her cheek. Despite her gentle appearance, Sima Chu possessed an extremely resolute character. Before anyone could notice, Sima Chu quickly wiped away the tear with her sleeve.

"Sima Chu, now could you please answer a few questions for me?" Ling Zixuan sat back down in his chair, turning towards Sima Chu. Sima Chu glanced at Ling Zixuan and nodded.

Ling Zixuan began his questioning. "First of all, are what Han Lin and Zhao Han said true?"

Sima Chu did not answer, but simply nodded in response.

"Can you tell me if you noticed anyone else in the classroom when you entered it?"

Sima Chu honestly shook his head at this question.

"Then why did you come to the classroom so early? And why did you leave after you came in?"

Sima Chu looked up at Ling Zixuan, then remained silent for a moment. He picked up the water glass from the table and replied, "I forgot my glass in the classroom. I came back to get it to go back to the dormitory to get water." After saying this, Sima Chu silently lowered his head.

Everyone glanced at the cup in Sima Chu's hand, then at her face, but no one spoke.

"I want to speak frankly and calmly here," the same girl spoke again. This time, however, her tone was very calm. "We're short a thousand yuan from our activity budget. At present, for everyone's living conditions, a thousand yuan more won't make us rich, and a thousand yuan less won't kill us. So I don't think anyone should take such a risk for such a small amount of money. Unless this thousand yuan is extremely important to the thief. Otherwise, the thief is a repeat offender, not after the money, but for the thrill of stealing. Forgive my narrow-mindedness, but I really can't think of anyone other than Sima Chu who would find this thousand yuan so important. And she's the one primarily responsible; that's a fact no one can deny."

After hearing this, Xiaoqing was still furious and wanted to stand up and argue with her. However, Xiaoye, who was sitting to the side, stopped her from acting rashly. No one commented on what had happened. Instead, everyone's gaze kept lingering on Sima Chu. Sima Chu couldn't stand this feeling. Not just Sima Chu, but anyone would find it unbearable to be subjected to such scrutinizing gazes, as if they were dealing with a criminal.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sima Chu stood up from his chair and met the gazes of most of the people present. "I am poor, extremely poor. But I am also working my butt off to make a living. How can you impose mistakes on me that I haven't made just because I am poor? Is poverty a sin?" Sima Chu roared out the last sentence.

Suddenly, everyone's gaze shifted from Sima Chu. They exchanged glances and then lowered their heads. The classroom fell silent again, a deathly silence. But for Sima Chu herself, as she finished speaking, she asked herself the same question: Is poverty truly a sin? From childhood to adulthood, Sima Chu had received little kindness. But she was cheerful and never believed poverty was a mistake. She believed she could change everything with her own hands. However, university, what many saw as paradise, wasn't so wonderful for her. Now she even began to believe that poverty was an inescapable, indelible original sin. All the so-called beauty seemed so pale and powerless in the face of poverty.

At this moment, Xiaoqing suddenly shook off Xiaoye's arm and stood up from her chair again. "Your suspicions are valid. Rationally speaking, I do suspect that Xiaochu stole the money. But it's just suspicion. Besides, Zhao Han, don't you have any suspicions?" When Xiaoqing finished speaking, it was easy to see the surprise on everyone's faces. Of course, the most surprised was Zhao Han.

"Me? Suspect?" Zhao Han's eyes widened as she spoke, pointing at herself. After saying that, she opened her mouth wide and stared at Xiao Qing.

“That’s right, there have been many instances of embezzlement throughout history. Stories of thieves crying ‘stop thief!’ are also quite common,” Xiaoqing said with a smile, looking at Zhao Han.

"Xiaoqing, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation!" At this moment, Zhao Han clenched her fists, trembling with anger.

"Don't worry, it will."