Chapter 240 Rumors can kill.

Upon seeing them arrive, Shen Xuewei rushed over and threw herself into Teacher Qin's arms.

"Waaaaah, teacher, what should I do? I'm so scared! I... I think I killed someone. Is he dead? Am I going to jail...?"

Teacher Qin comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here, don't be afraid."

The police checked the man's breathing, breathed a sigh of relief, and comforted Shen Xuewei, "He's not dead, and you didn't kill anyone. You did something heroic, how could you go to jail?"

He then looked at Xu Yue, who was standing alone to the side, and said in a gentle tone, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid, everything is alright now..."

Although it's obvious what's going on at a glance, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

The man was taken to the hospital by the police, while Shen Xuewei and her friend were taken to the police station to give statements. Teacher Qin, Shen Xuewei's homeroom teacher, also went with them.

Shen Xuewei finished giving her statement first and sat outside the police station with Teacher Qin, waiting for Xu Yue to come out.

Looking at Shen Xuewei, who was hanging her head and remaining silent, Teacher Qin remembered the books and test papers she had scattered on the road before entering the woods, and knew that she was probably terrified tonight.

She handed the bag containing the books and exam papers to Shen Xuewei.

Shen Xuewei looked up, then reached out and took it.

"Thank you, teacher."

When Teacher Qin noticed that her school uniform collar was tucked inside, she helped her pull it out.

"Don't be afraid, your teacher is here for you. If you encounter something like this again, please ask an adult nearby for help, okay?"

"You're still so young, and you're not as strong as an adult. What if... ptooey, ptooey, no ptooey."

"What the teacher means is that it's good to be brave and righteous, but we still need to act within our capabilities. We can only protect others after protecting ourselves, understand?"

She is the youngest and best student in the class, so she inevitably pays more attention to her than other students.

If something like this happens, and you recall the disheveled state of the two people you saw in the woods earlier, you might have a nightmare for the rest of your life if you don't handle it well.

Afraid of frightening Shen Xuewei, she didn't dare to speak even a little loudly, and tried her best to tone down her usual serious tone.

Shen Xuewei nodded, resting her chin on the book, leaving a mark.

"Okay, thank you, teacher."

She looked up at Teacher Qin, "Teacher, should we call my parents? My aunt is still sick, and my grandparents are old..."

Hearing that the family's situation was rather dire, Teacher Qin sighed.

"Check the police's notification and that person's situation. I'll try my best to talk to the police on your behalf, and then we'll see how things go."

Her whole family are honest and law-abiding citizens, and this is their first time at the police station. As for the procedures, they are not much more familiar with them than Shen Xuewei.

Shen Xuewei pursed her lips and said softly, "Okay, thank you for your help, teacher."

Seeing her hanging her head like a pitiful little dog, Teacher Qin comforted her, "It's okay, you did something heroic, not on purpose."

“I don’t believe that man would dare to hold you responsible for what he did. You’re not even fourteen yet. At most, the police will ask you some questions, but they won’t tell that man anything about you.”

"Speaking of which, you've done a good deed. I'll talk to the school leaders and get you a certificate for bravery. We'll present it to you during the flag-raising ceremony in front of everyone at the school..."

Shen Xuewei shook her head, interrupting her, "No need, teacher."

"Let's leave it at that. Teacher, could you please not tell anyone about this?"

Teacher Qin was taken aback. "Why? With this certificate of bravery, you'll be given priority when the school evaluates scholarships and holds other events in the future."

Shen Xuewei said softly, "Teacher, this is just icing on the cake. What's mine is mine, and what's not mine is useless with an extra certificate. Besides, I don't need these things."

"What happened today will definitely affect Xu Yue if word gets out. Even if I was just helping someone, what will I say when people ask who I helped and what I helped with?"

“It’s not her fault that this happened. But if word gets out, it could have unimaginable consequences for her.”

Her voice became even softer, "Teacher, rumors can kill."

Even if this happened more than ten years from now, let alone now, if word got out, people would look at Xu Yue with strange eyes.

Even if that person didn't succeed, even if Xu Yue was the victim.

Perhaps at first people would genuinely sympathize with her, but over time, that sympathy turned sour and became a weapon to harm the victim, preventing her from returning to a normal life.

Perhaps things would be better in a big city, but this is just a small county town.

If something like this happens to a young girl, and she's constantly being talked about by others, it's hard to guarantee she won't be able to handle it...

Teacher Qin looked at the girl carefully and discovered another side of her besides studying; her eyes were much gentler.

"Good child, the teacher understands. This matter ends here, and the teacher will not tell anyone else."

Shen Xuewei smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Yes, thank you, teacher."

The two looked up and saw Xu Yue not far away, not knowing when she had come out.

Teacher Qin stood up and walked towards her.

"Xu Yue, the statement is ready, right?"

Xu Yue glanced at Shen Xuewei and nodded, saying, "Yes, teacher, it's ready."

Her voice lowered, "Thank you for coming with me."

Then he looked at Shen Xuewei and said, "Thank you for helping me earlier."

Teacher Qin waved the car keys in her hand, "Let's not talk about that. Come on, get in my car and go home. I'll take you back."

After saying that, she walked outside first.

Shen Xuewei looked at the disheveled Xu Yue and handed her the scarf draped over her shoulder.

"Just cover it up with a scarf, take a hot shower later, get some sleep, and forget about today's events when you wake up."

Seeing that Teacher Qin outside had started the car and was waving for them to come over, Shen Xuewei waved back. Just as she was about to walk out, she caught sight of Xu Yue, who was covering her face with her scarf and not saying a word, and finally couldn't help but say something.

"Don't go to such remote places by yourself late at night in the future. There are a lot of bad people there, so be careful. Get in the car first."

After saying that, Shen Xuewei ignored her and quickly ran to Teacher Qin's car, opened the door and got in.

Xu Yue seemed dazed, and murmured, "I'm not alone... I wasn't supposed to be alone..."

Sitting in the car, Shen Xuewei saw that she was still standing there, seemingly lost in thought, and waved to her, calling out:

"What are you standing there for? Get in the car!"

Xu Yue was startled awake by her voice and quickly got into the car.

Seeing that she had gotten into the car but her soul was still inside, Shen Xuewei understood her feelings perfectly, considering what had happened to her that day.

She sighed, patted her shoulder lightly, leaned over her, and closed the car door.

The sound of the car door closing finally reminded Xu Yue, who felt a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I might have been a little confused and forgot to close the car door."

Shen Xuewei closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. "It's nothing."