Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Xu Jia knew, but could she say it? Of course, she didn’t dare.

But now the situation had escalated, with the entire school watching this farce unfold—and she had become the biggest joke of all.

While Xu Jia remained silent, Xu Meng spoke slowly, "This ticket is printed with 'VIP Section, Row 3, Seat 5.' The price isn’t just over a hundred—it’s over six hundred yuan. Now, let go of your hand and let everyone witness whether this is a VIP ticket. Yours was just a general admission ticket for the back rows. You knew something was off the moment you saw it, didn’t you? Since almost the whole class has seen your ticket, it couldn’t possibly be like new from being handled so much. But mine has been kept in my notebook since I got it—brand new."

Her ticket had never been taken out before, yet somehow someone had seen it and mistaken it for Xu Jia’s. But regardless, even if Xu Jia hadn’t known at first, the moment she saw Xu Meng’s ticket, she still had the chance to clarify everything—but she didn’t.

If this ticket hadn’t been for the VIP section, if the prices had been the same, Xu Meng would have had no way to clear her name.

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

Xu Jia had been bragging that her ticket cost over a hundred!

But Xu Meng’s was a VIP seat, priced at six hundred.

Slowly, Xu Meng took the ticket from Xu Jia’s hand, unfolded it, and handed it to Ms. Zhang. After examining it, Ms. Zhang passed it to Principal Zhou, who nodded in satisfaction before throwing it down in front of Yang Ruohua.

It was clear to everyone that Principal Zhou was furious.

Yang Ruohua’s face went pale. Not only had he made such a production earlier trying to humiliate Xu Meng, but he had also intended to undermine Ms. Zhang, who had been doing so well over the past six months.

Moreover, he had a little secret—through back channels, he had learned that the school had one senior teacher position available this year. Both he and Ms. Zhang were strong candidates. In a second-rate school like theirs, such an opportunity only came around every few years. His teaching performance was far inferior to Ms. Zhang’s, and if she managed to have a student who got into a top university, she would remain the school’s star teacher for years to come.

Some people could earn the title of first-grade teacher within a few years, but retire without ever advancing further.

Promotion was difficult—extremely difficult.

And now, he felt that title slipping further and further away.

Seeing his silence, Principal Zhou spoke up, "Don’t you have anything to say?"

Yang Ruohua took a deep breath. "Xu Meng, I’m sorry."

His apology was empty and half-hearted.

Xu Meng scoffed, took back her ticket, and gave Xu Jia a look.

Xu Jia kept her head down, deep in thought. Today, whatever humiliation they had intended for Xu Meng had backfired onto themselves.

She walked up to the Discipline Captain, lifting her chin. "You deliberately damaged my belongings during the search earlier, didn’t you? If you knew you were looking for a ticket, why did you stick your finger into my coffee and stir it? You know it’s something to drink—for all I know you could've put something in it? After all, some people really don’t seem to want me to take the college entrance exams smoothly."

She emphasized the last sentence sharply.

The Discipline Captain’s expression darkened. He had always gotten away with everything at school and couldn’t help himself this time, treating her the same way he had bullied other students before. Neither the principal nor the faculty had noticed his actions earlier, but now that Xu Meng had called attention to it in front of hundreds of witnesses, there was nothing he could say.

Even if the half-full can of coffee hadn’t spilled on the ground, it was no longer drinkable.

Xu Meng took good care of her things, and this can of coffee had been a gift from Han Jiming—his thoughtful gift—now wasted.

Principal Zhou gave the Discipline Captain a look, his face disgusted. "You broke her things—you’ll compensate her. Handle this properly afterward."

The Discipline Captain came from a well-off family and recognized the coffee as something not available locally. He had seen it once before, brought back from Hong Kong by a friend who had visited the south. It wasn’t cheap—it would cost him months of allowance to replace.

But with the principal’s order, what could he do? Pale-faced, he nodded. "Yes, Principal Zhou."

Principal Zhou cast another icy glance at Yang Ruohua, his disappointment unmistakable. This man had once been the school’s most promising young talent, performing well in previous years. But now, compared to Ms. Zhang, he didn't measure up—not just in teaching quality, but in character as well.

He waved his hand at the onlookers and said, "What are you all staring at? It's already the third period in the afternoon. Hurry up and get to class."

Then, with a warm tone, he said to Xu Meng, "Are you okay? Quickly gather your things and go to class. What happened today was the school’s responsibility, so don’t take it too hard. As long as the truth is out, that’s what matters. Don’t let it affect your studies."

Attending a concert isn’t a big deal, especially during the May Day holiday. Students shouldn’t just bury their heads in books all the time—learning to manage emotions is also an important lesson.

The same concert can be interpreted in two very different ways by teachers.

For struggling students, it’s seen as neglecting their studies.

For top students, it’s considered a healthy balance between work and relaxation.

Ms. Zhang also walked over and said, "Thankfully, this matter was clarified in front of so many students. Otherwise, the consequences could have been much worse. I know some people are envious—Xu Meng does well, so they accuse her of cheating; she uses nice things, so they suspect she stole them. Sometimes, people shouldn’t be so narrow-minded and judgmental. As far as I know, Xu Meng’s mother now runs an English tutoring center, and their family is quite well-off. If you have any questions, you can ask her directly instead of spreading nasty gossip behind her back."

"Alright, alright, everyone, go to class. The college entrance exams are almost here—if you’re not anxious, I’m anxious for you."

Principal Zhou’s gaze swept between Ms. Zhang and Yang Ruohua before finally settling on Ms. Zhang. "Stop by my office later. I need to discuss the promotion with you."

At the mention of the promotion, Yang Ruohua’s face instantly turned ghostly pale.

Though the school hadn’t explicitly announced any punishment for him, missing this chance might mean no second shot in his lifetime.

Yang Ruohua shot Xu Meng a fierce glare. "Hmph."

With that, he strode away.

A few of Xu Meng’s friends from class hurried over to help her gather her things. The student discipline squad had made a mess of her belongings earlier—some of her papers were even torn. Xu Meng had always been particular about keeping her notes organized, neatly clipping them together, so it would take a while to sort everything out again.

Xu Meng said, "Let’s just get it all back first. I’ll tidy it up slowly later."

Wei Xiang looked worried. "Do you think you pushed Teacher Yang too far? Will there be any consequences?"

Xu Meng replied, "I already crossed him a while back."

In her previous life, there had been no exposure of the school’s cheating scandal. Yang Ruohua’s class had relied on group cheating to maintain their top average scores. Now, she even suspected that the missing admission letter might have something to do with Yang Ruohua as well.

She wasn’t a fool—she had doubted it from the start. Before the semester began, she had even come to the school to check the honor roll. When she didn’t see her name, she assumed she had completely failed the exams.

A missing name on the honor roll, a stolen admission letter, and years later, quietly correcting the name without anyone noticing—no one would ever know how Xu Jia had gotten into that university. It had all been pulled off flawlessly.

But with Xu Jia’s intelligence, how had she managed to plan all this without getting caught?

Even after humiliating Yang Ruohua, Xu Meng wasn’t in high spirits.

That can of coffee—if she’d made it last, it could have lasted until the exams. But now, half of it was wasted. Though there was still some left, Xu Meng couldn’t stand the thought of it being tainted, so she refused to drink it and poured it all out. She kept the can, though, buying some origami star paper to fold stars one by one and drop them inside whenever she had time.

That evening, when Han Jiming came to pick her up after school, he picked up on her bad mood right away.

"You okay?" Han Jiming parked his motorcycle at the entrance of Changchun Alley and walked her home, hand in hand.

He had noticed something was off the moment he saw her today, but at first, he thought she was just tired. Now, it was clear she was upset.

Xu Meng glanced around, then gently wrapped her arms around his waist, her voice soft as she said, "It’s nothing. I’m just a little tired."

Having gone through the same grueling period himself, Han Jiming chuckled and asked, "Do you want me to cheer you up?"

Xu Meng burrowed into his chest. "Sing me something, then."

The girl's hair brushed against his chin, and her scent drifted up from her chest, his body reacted instinctively. His voice roughened as he said, "Can't sing like this."

With you holding me like this, I can't sing.

The next morning when he went to pick her up, she seemed back to her usual self.

Even though Xu Meng said she was fine, Han Jiming still managed to find out what had happened at school.

Jiang Nan had connections: "It was a big deal. Almost the entire senior class gathered around her, watching as they searched her things. That bastard Yang is no saint either—he pointed at her in front of everyone and called her a thief. What girl could take that kind of shame?"

He gestured: "They hauled everything out to the playground to search—notebooks, books, flipping through every page. There was this disgusting guy named Ding Ming who deliberately stuck his fingers into her coffee, stirred it, even licked them, and then threw it on the ground. Seriously, what kind of person does that? Han Lingling would’ve lost it."

With Han Lingling's proud temperament, she would never tolerate such an insult.

Han Jiming’s face stayed blank throughout, showing no trace of anger. But Jiang Nan knew he was pissed. Carefully studying his face, Jiang Nan asked, "Should we grab that Yang guy and beat him up?"

They’d done things like that plenty of times as kids.

Though Han Jiming’s face betrayed nothing, Jiang Nan knew him well enough—the angrier he was, the calmer he appeared. If you thought he wasn’t mad, you’d be dead before you realized it.

The calmer Han Jiming looked, the meaner he got. In that regard, he was nothing like his scholarly father but took after his mother instead.

"Dig up all the dirt on Yang and make sure it gets exposed. As for that Ding guy, get someone to rough him up," Han Jiming said, tossing his drink onto the table and standing up.

Seeing him about to leave, Jiang Nan chased after him. "Hey, man, where are you going? Weren’t we supposed to have lunch together?"

Han Jiming glanced at him. "Got things to do."

Jiang Nan cursed, "Damn, you’re cold as hell."

Han Jiming threw something at him. "Here, take this. I really don’t have time for lunch."

A few days later, Xu Meng received several cans of coffee from different brands.

Han Jiming smiled faintly. "Last time, I just picked up whatever they had at the airport without paying much attention to the flavors. This time, a friend happened to be returning from abroad and stopped over in Hong Kong, so I had him bring back a few varieties—some black coffee, some with milk. I’ve had this one—it’s decent. Let me know when you run out."

Xu Meng arched a brow, guessing he knew.

Han Jiming reached out and touched her forehead. "Don’t mimic me. It’s not your look."

Xu Meng burst out laughing. "Conceited much? You’re the only one allowed to look good?"

Han Jiming placed two fingers at the corners of her lips and gently lifted them into a smile. "This suits you better." Then, suddenly changing his motion, he ruffled her face with his hand.

Xu Meng chased after him, hitting him. "You’re just asking for a beating."

Naturally, Han Jiming refused to let her catch him, breaking into a run at a brisk pace.

Xu Meng pursued him. Her legs weren’t as long, nor was she as fast, but his backpack slowed him down just enough for her to catch up. She swatted at him a few times, and soon they were both laughing uncontrollably.

"Stop buying me things all the time. I haven’t given you anything in return."

"Spoiling you makes me happy. What, you won’t even let me enjoy that?"

Xu Meng fell silent for a moment. "Sometimes it’s like you’re treating me like a pet."

He pampered her, and she just had to lounge around—much like their family dog, Wang Zai.

Han Jiming was amused by her analogy and pinched her cheek. "Wow, comparing yourself to a pet—that’s new."

But the way she acted spoiled really did resemble a kitten.

After their little tussle, Xu Meng’s mood lightened considerably.

Not long after, a major scandal erupted at school—Yang Ruohua’s dirty laundry got aired.