Chapter 20 Rumors stop with wisdom, only fools gossip
The next day, Wen Zhu woke up to the ringing of the phone. He had slept well and felt refreshed. Zhou Xiaoju, on the other hand, yawned one after another with her mouth wide open.
"Wen Zhu, aren't you angry? You can still sleep so soundly. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I really want to get up in the middle of the night, put a sack on her and beat her up."
Seeing that she was even more angry than herself, the person being talked about, Wen Zhu comforted her, "I don't care what they say. The more you care, the more internal friction you'll feel, and the more complacent those who want to see you look bad will become. Refutation and self-justification have always been traps that those who have been wronged cannot escape. Only if you stop caring will their evil intentions be thwarted."
After washing her face, Zhou Xiaoju's chubby face was puffed up with anger. Although she didn't quite understand what Wen Zhu said, it didn't stop her from thinking that what Wen Zhu said was right.
Wen Zhu couldn't help but pinched one of her cheeks with one hand and praised her sincerely, "Xiao Ju, you are so cute! Next week I will bring you some delicious food made by my mother." Zhou Xiaoju's eyes lit up, and she stopped worrying about other things and became happy again.
Wen Zhu's code of conduct has always been to waste others' energy instead of himself.
I'm right, I'm great, I'm amazing.
After morning self-study, she had completely forgotten what the teacher had told her to do, that she should go to the Dean of Academic Affairs. She picked up the enamel pot and chopsticks, put the food she brought with her in her pocket, and was about to rush to the cafeteria with Zhou Xiaoju, but was interrupted by the teacher at the door who said, "Wen Zhu and Zhou Xiaoju, come with me to the office!"
She was so hungry for food.
Wen Zhu felt that the teacher was deliberately punishing her by not letting her eat at mealtime. The light in her eyes instantly faded.
The girl at the back table and the boy who often asked questions offered to help them with their meals, and only then did Wen Zhu become happy.
After thanking them and handing them the food, he and Zhou Xiaoju followed the teacher to the office.
The teacher's office is actually a large shared room with all the teachers in it. This resulted in the teachers all staring at them as soon as they entered.
Zhou Xiaoju was subconsciously so nervous that she didn't dare to take any firm steps. She had a natural fear of the teacher.
Wen Zhu was different. He smiled as he entered and greeted his homeroom teacher, Teacher Lin, and the class teacher, "Good morning, teacher!"
Zhang Erya was already standing there, looking at Wen Zhu and Zhou Xiaoju with a provocative look.
The dean of studies called the head teachers of the two classes over and discussed the situation together.
Zhang Erya spoke first.
"It was that shorty. She stole my things, and then the two of them beat me up together. It hurt so much!"
Class 2's head teacher, Teacher Yan, immediately stopped Zhang Erya from yelling. Then, she turned to the Dean of Studies and said, "Dean Feng, you said these two were beating one up and stealing things. That's definitely wrong. Just let them write a self-criticism and criticize them."
Teacher Lin immediately spoke up, "Teacher Yan, I think we should first understand the situation before deciding who is right and who is wrong, and then decide on the punishment. I trust the character of Wen Zhu and Zhou Xiaoju in our class. They wouldn't hit anyone for no reason. They are both good students with excellent academic performance and good character."
Then, under Wen Zhu's encouraging gaze, Zhou Xiaoju recounted the whole story without any personal grudges, and said that she could find someone to testify at any time.
Zhang Erya wanted to refute, but Wen Zhu stared at her straightly. She suddenly remembered that Wen Zhu had done something to her yesterday and she had a stomachache for a long time. She was a little scared and didn't dare to say anything, so she agreed.
After understanding the whole story, the dean gave the punishment measures:
Zhang Erya, who spoke ill of others behind their backs and spread unfounded rumors to defame them, bears primary responsibility and must write a self-criticism and receive a school-wide reprimand. She is also strictly prohibited from spreading false information. Otherwise, she will be punished.
Although Zhou Xiaoju was enthusiastic, her approach was wrong. She had to write a self-criticism for fighting with others.
As for Wen Zhu, he was criticized verbally. Next time when he tries to stop a fight, he should be careful not to hurt others by mistake and should find a teacher to resolve the issue in time.
The three were released.
After walking out of the office, Zhang Erya was still a little dissatisfied and looked at Wen Zhu angrily.
Wen Zhu held back the easily irritated Zhou Xiaoju and said to Zhang Erya, "Have you ever thought about why you were punished?"
"It's all because of you!" Zhang Erya retorted angrily.
Wen Zhu smiled and shook his head, "Is it me? Is it Xiaoju? No, think about it carefully, we are not familiar with each other. The reason why you spread rumors about me behind my back is because someone gave you some hint?
Didn't you notice that every word in that letter was an apology, every word hinting that something bad had happened to me? But the letter didn't directly say it, and it was all you who spread it. If the school wanted to find the culprit, it would definitely be you, not the person who wrote the letter.
After all, it was an apology letter.
Why was the letter supposed to be given to me, but not to me, and instead ended up in your hands? How come you just happened to 'pick up' this letter?
If it weren't for this letter, you wouldn't have been punished. Oh, what a pity."
After saying that, he took Zhou Xiaoju and left.
Today, you can hear people talking about Wen Zhu everywhere, and they are all bad remarks.
Wen Zhu didn't take it seriously. She didn't have the right to speak, so how could she care what others said?
It's just that there are too many flies, which is annoying. You can hear them everywhere. It's the same old clichés over and over again. She has memorized them. Sometimes having a good memory is not a good thing.
In order to give his ears some peace of mind, Wen Zhu decided to let the rumors dispel themselves.
At noon, the radio would play music or stories about good people and good deeds, promote progressive ideas, and include some school announcements. The student announcers would work in pairs.
The school was at the foot of a mountain, and the teaching building had no extra classrooms. So the broadcasting room was located in a small bungalow on a small slope next to the teaching building, facing the cafeteria and dormitories. The loudspeaker was installed on the other side of the teaching building, but the volume wasn't high enough, and if it wasn't installed close enough, the students wouldn't be able to hear clearly.
Today happened to be Wen Zhu and Zhou Xiaoju's turn to be on duty. Wen Zhu told Xu Niannian in the morning that his brother had told him a secret about her, and if she wanted to know, she could go to the radio room to find her.
Wen Zhu gave Zhou Xiaoju the meal ticket and enamel pot, asked her to get some food, and said that he would be on duty alone.
The music had already started, it was "Let's Row the Boat Together." Wen Zhu sat in the radio studio, with the door half-open, and could vaguely hear a little bit of familiar music.
She thought about her current behavior and realized that it was exactly the villain's usual trick.
Xu Niannian pushed the door open and immediately closed it. The music outside the room became even quieter, almost inaudible.
She looked down at Wen Zhu who was sitting on the stool. She was standing there, but she was just sitting there lazily. Her face was intact, but the scars on her face had not healed, but her arrogant look made her feel inferior for some reason.
"What did Xu Yaozu say? Tell me quickly. I still have to go eat after you finish speaking."
Wen Zhu looked up at her and smiled harmlessly, "Oh, no hurry, answer a few questions for me first."
Zhou Xiaoju, who was frantically shoveling rice into her mouth, vaguely heard Wen Zhu talking to someone on the radio. The fire of gossip burned fiercely, and she picked up the bowl and hurried towards the teaching building.
The others also moved to their dining area, unsure of what was happening. Following the crowd was a surefire way to go. News was scarce these days, and gossip was human nature, especially when it came to firsthand information about Wen Zhu, who had been the subject of much discussion among the students.
"Xu Niannian, were you the one who spread the rumor that I was raped?" Wen Zhu asked.
Xu Niannian immediately denied it, "Of course it wasn't me. It was Zhang Erya who spread it. She found the apology letter I wrote to you and misunderstood it. I didn't mean that."
"Oh, so that's how it is. No wonder I heard that rumors stop with the wise, and only fools gossip. It seems that Mr. Xu is really a smart guy!"
The fools outside were discussing Wen Zhu:...
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