Chapter 81
◎It wasn't you who got the love letter thrown away.◎
Xu Shen was suspended from school.
After talking with Lao Fang, he didn't go back to the classroom. Instead, Lao Zhou called him in for a face-to-face meeting, and then his parents were notified directly in the office and taken home. He didn't even have time to pack his things.
Xu Shen was already a popular figure in the high school, and his popularity soared even higher after the arts festival. Now, the news that he was rejected by a girl in his grade and that she threw a love letter at him from upstairs has spread like wildfire and has had a significant impact.
For these high school students, puppy love is always a red line, and it is taken very seriously by the school. Especially because of this opportunity, the series of outrageous things Xu Shen had done recently suddenly came together in the teachers' minds.
This time, Lao Fang didn't intend to resolve the matter within the grade or the high school level, and it seemed impossible for it to be resolved internally anyway. I heard he had already reported it to the school leaders, and the school was discussing how to handle Xu Shen, seemingly intending to use this incident as a warning to others and to restore discipline.
During recess, the classroom was bustling with activity, everyone discussing the matter. Initially, only a small group of students who had been involved that morning knew the details, but as the story unfolded, everyone soon became aware of it. When Zhan Xinyue passed by the throng of people, the whispering crowd would instantly fall silent.
Clearly, everyone was eager to share and discuss, but this desire to share did not extend to Zhan Xinyue, the person directly involved.
However, from the faint sounds they made, Zhan Xinyue still heard some key words: Xu Shen might be expelled.
Rumors circulated all day, and although their veracity was unknown, it was a foregone conclusion that Xu Shen had been suspended and his seat had been empty for an entire day. In the second semester of high school, all subjects were catching up on the curriculum, and schools generally wouldn't easily suspend students unless something was extremely serious. After all, during such a crucial period, missing one or two weeks of classes could make it difficult for a student to keep up. Therefore, it was clear that Old Fang was serious this time.
Just after the last class of the afternoon, Old Zhou appeared at the classroom door with a gloomy face. This matter had escalated to such a big extent, and it was caused by his own students, so naturally he was not in a good mood.
Upon seeing him appear, the students in the class, who had just relaxed because of the bell signaling the end of class, perked up again. This time, however, no one deliberately avoided his gaze; instead, many were looking at his face. Clearly, everyone was secretly guessing what he would say about the important events that had happened in Class 10 today.
The teacher on the podium hadn't even left yet when he saw Lao Zhou and immediately gestured to him, offering to give him the podium.
Old Zhou shook his head and didn't come in. His gaze swept around the classroom, finally settling on Zhan Xinyue.
"Zhan Xinyue, come to my office."
Old Zhou's seat was at the far end of the office, a relatively isolated space. The teacher next to him wasn't there, so he pulled her chair over to him, gesturing for Zhan Xinyue to sit.
Zhan Xinyue sat down calmly: "Teacher Zhou, what did you want to see me about?"
“I think you know why I’m looking for you,” Old Zhou said. “When I talked to Xu Shen today, he said that he didn’t consult you about anything he did, and that he made all the decisions on his own. He told me not to look for you. Although the contents of that letter basically confirm this, I still want to talk to you.”
Zhan Xinyue listened silently.
"Your exam score dropped so much this time, is it related to Xu Shen?" Old Zhou asked.
Zhan Xinyue thought for a long time, gently shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
Her grades dropped drastically this time mainly because she was unfamiliar with the knowledge points after her rebirth, but upon closer examination, her rebirth was originally inseparable from Xu Shen.
"No wonder." Old Zhou nodded. "His behavior is indeed very distracting, causing you to lose focus and resulting in a drop in your grades. Don't worry, I have already given him a serious reprimand today, and his parents have also promised to discipline him strictly when they get home, so you can rest assured."
"Thank you, teacher," Zhan Xinyue said.
"However..." Old Zhou changed the subject, "Sometimes you have to be mindful of the methods you use. I think your approach was somewhat inappropriate. When you encounter something like this, you can simply come to the teacher directly. There's no need to take such an extreme approach. Now that you've caused such a commotion, it has had a negative impact on the entire grade and the entire department."
Seeing that Zhan Xinyue kept her eyes down and did not defend herself, Lao Zhou said again, "I'm not speaking up for Xu Shen, but you really should think about whether making such a fuss is good for you. You are a high school sophomore now, and what you need most right now is a quiet environment to study, not to get yourself into the eye of the storm."
"Yes, Teacher Zhou, I admit that this was not very mature of me," Zhan Xinyue said. "I will be more careful in the future."
Her attitude seemed impeccable, yet something felt off. Looking at Zhan Xinyue's calm, downcast face, Old Zhou felt like he was talking to a piece of cotton. She seemed to accept everything he said, yet remained completely unmoved.
Old Zhou sighed helplessly, "It's come to this, so I won't say anything more. You need to adjust your mindset as soon as possible and get back to your studies. The school will handle Xu Shen's matter properly, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."
Before she even reached the classroom door after leaving the office, Xin Wenhua was leaning against the railing outside Class 10, looking at her with a complicated expression.
Zhan Xinyue glanced at him and continued walking towards the classroom, but Xin Wenhua came to meet her.
"Um... Crescent Moon, what did Old Zhou want to talk to you about?"
Perhaps because he had been involved in this whole affair, he looked at Zhan Xinyue with obvious embarrassment.
"He didn't say anything, just told me not to let this affect me and to focus on my studies," Zhan Xinyue said.
"Didn't he say what would happen to Xu Shen? How long will he be suspended from school?"
"He didn't say."
Xin Wenhua smacked her lips twice after hearing this and said, "Xinyue, I have to say something fair. What you did today was really unfair. Shen Ge is such a good person, and he likes you so much. Even if you don't feel the same way about him, you shouldn't treat him like that. Everyone has pride. You just threw the things he wrote for you downstairs. That's so hurtful. So many people in the grade know him. Aren't you just trampling on his dignity?"
Zhan Xinyue didn't want to talk to him anymore, so she turned around and said, "This has nothing to do with you."
"Fine, if you don't want to listen, then so be it. But as the saying goes, leave a way out for yourself, so you can meet again in the future... No matter what, the way you're doing things without leaving any room for maneuver is really too much, you know that?" Xin Wenhua said loudly from behind.
The classroom was bustling. Normally, many students wouldn't be in the classroom for an activity period, but the buzzing conversations could be heard from a distance. However, the moment Zhan Xinyue entered, the noise instantly subsided. The small groups of people gathered at the back of the classroom all looked up at her, their eyes revealing a strange wariness.
Clearly, her presence made it less convenient for everyone to chat freely. So, it's easy to guess what their main topic of conversation would be.
As Zhan Xinyue took a few steps forward, the noise in the classroom became even quieter. When she passed a few people on the side, they immediately dispersed and returned to their seats. After thinking for a moment, Zhan Xinyue simply turned around, left the classroom, and went out the door.
Since it's not appropriate for people to discuss these things in front of her, she won't be in the way here.
As she walked down the corridor, several students from neighboring classes were secretly glancing at her. Zhan Xinyue quickened her pace as she went downstairs, only feeling a little better once she reached the back playground.
There were still many people on the playground after this time, but there were students from all grades and departments, so at least not so many people were staring at her anymore.
Zhan Xinyue knew what everyone was talking about without even listening; the students from other classes were all curious about her, the center of their conversation. But the students in Class 10 were different. The whispers and strange looks they were giving her had clearly become less friendly.
Just like what Lao Zhou and Xin Wenhua told her, no one understood her behavior. In everyone's eyes, Xu Shen hadn't done anything excessive, especially for these students. Many things are one thing if they're unpleasant in private, but taking them to the teacher is another matter entirely. That was considered traitorous, a despicable act.
Although she was mentally prepared, it was impossible for her to remain completely unmoved when she suddenly became the target of everyone's criticism on this one day.
Compared to what Xu Shen had done to her, she felt that her revenge was insignificant. However, at this moment, in everyone's eyes, she was the one who was in the wrong and went too far, while Xu Shen became the victim in everyone's eyes.
Zhan Xinyue walked aimlessly along the track beside the playground. People were coming and going on the track, and for a moment she didn't know where to go.
In the classroom, Shi Ziqian was twirling his pen, staring at Zhan Xinyue's empty seat, seemingly lost in thought.
Ziqian wasn't there when that scene happened that morning, but he had pieced together the gist of it from the conversations he overheard throughout the day.
Zhan Xinyue had been acting calmly, but today she was clearly lost in thought most of the time. She had been called out by Lao Zhou for a long time, and when she finally returned, she went out again as soon as she entered the classroom.
When Shi Ziqian looked up, he only saw her silhouette flash by the front door and then disappear quickly.
He stared at that spot for a while, exhaled, put down his pen, and a thoughtful expression gradually appeared on his face.
But just a few minutes later, a petite figure suddenly appeared at the front door. Shi Qiyue was peeking in through the door, and as soon as she saw him, she waved to him: "Come out!"
Her voice was quite loud, and many people in the classroom looked towards the door, so Shi Ziqian had no choice but to get up and go over.
"What is it?" He closed the door behind him, shutting out the curious glances coming from inside the classroom.
"I've come to see what's going on." Shi Qiyue insisted on pushing the door open again and peering inside. "Who's your rival? Point him out to me. I want to see what he looks like and whether he's a match for me."
Shi Ziqian looked up: "How did you know?"
"It's all over the junior high! I heard someone was relentlessly pursuing a girl, pestering her every day, until she finally got fed up and threw his love letter down from the building. And wouldn't you know it, it landed right on your dean's face! I was listening to the commotion when I heard the name—isn't that your deskmate?!" Shi Qiyue spread her hands, her tone tinged with regret. "I thought the guy was you, but after asking the name, I realized it wasn't. So, who is that guy anyway?"
I don't know how these gossips spread so fast in school. In just one day, they went from the high school to the junior high school. And in the process of being passed on by word of mouth, the details have become quite distorted.
"Not here," Shi Ziqian said simply.
Shi Qiyue wasn't giving up, "When will you be back?"
Shi Ziqian glanced back at the empty seat next to the podium and said indifferently, "I don't know if I can come back."
"Tsk, got fired?" Shi Qiyue burst out laughing. "It can't be that bad, this guy is really unlucky."
Not yet, and we don't know about the future.
Shi Qiyue laughed for a while, then sighed, "Speaking of which, I have to take back what I said before. Don't be fooled by how gentle this sister looks; she's not soft-hearted at all. It just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover!"
“No, not exactly,” Shi Ziqian said. “They must have had some issues before, otherwise she wouldn’t have acted this way.”
"Alright then." Shi Qiyue's eyes lit up. "Judging from this situation, you'd better keep it up. I hope that next time I hear someone in the junior high school saying they've been dumped with a love letter, it won't be you."
Shi Ziqian remained silent. "You came to see me about this?"
“Otherwise what?” Shi Qiyue said matter-of-factly.
"Now that you've finished asking your questions, you can go back." With that, Shi Ziqian turned and walked towards the classroom.
Shi Qiyue stepped forward and blocked his way, continuing to add fuel to the fire with her laughter: "But don't worry, go ahead and chase after him! After all, you have a huge advantage that your unlucky brother can't match."
Shi Ziqian paused slightly: "What?"
"At least, the school won't expel you."
Shi Ziqian: "..."
He slipped past her and entered the room. This time, Shi Qiyue didn't stop him; she just laughed heartily behind him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
