Chapter 4:Double Standards

Qin Ju's hometown was in Sanjia Village, far from the county town. At this time of day, there were no cars running between the village and town. If she took an ox cart, she wouldn't arrive until nightfall.

Of course, Li Mei had no intention of inviting Qin Ju's parents for dinner, nor would she pay for them to stay in a guesthouse. But the idea of letting this girl go still irked her.

*What if the Shen family blames me later? What if it brings trouble to the school?*

With these thoughts in mind, she said sharply, "Alright, come with me to the principal's office!"

After scolding Qin Ju, Li Mei turned to Shen Yi with a flattering smile. "Shen Yi, do you have time to come with the teacher?"

Her tone shifted from icy winter winds to the warmth of a spring breeze, demonstrating her blatant double standards.

Shen Yi barely lifted his eyelids but nodded politely.

Qin Ju was taken aback, unable to stop herself from glancing at Shen Yi.

*Why is he acting so differently?* In her previous life, she recalled that Li Mei had also asked him cautiously if he would come, only to receive a cold, dismissive response from the irritable young master. But today, he had readily agreed?

Li Mei was visibly pleased, basking in the respect she believed Shen Yi had shown her. Pride swelled in her chest as she began plotting how to place all the blame on Qin Ju.

Watching them leave, Lin Nian's unease grew. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to follow them.

As expected, the moment they entered the principal's office, Li Mei shifted all the blame onto Qin Ju, accusing her of being a shameless girl who had sneaked into Shen Yi's room.

"Shen Yi didn't touch her, of course. They were both fully clothed when I found them. But Qin Ju's behavior is completely unacceptable. Principal, what do you think? Should we expel her?"

Qin Ju's eyes flashed with disdain.

*Li Mei is just as mean, sarcastic, snobbish, and immoral as she was in my previous life. A person like her doesn't belong in the teaching profession—she doesn't deserve it!*

After Li Mei finished her tirade, the old principal finally looked up, his gaze calm as he addressed the two students. "Qin Ju, is what Teacher Li said true?"

"She's lying," Qin Ju responded, her tone even calmer than the principal's.

In her previous life, when she heard Li Mei suggest expulsion, she had panicked and become incoherent, losing her best chance to defend herself. To make matters worse, her aunt had slapped her in the face without even hearing her side of the story, leaving her with no opportunity to explain.

But this time was different.

Qin Ju spoke quickly, "Principal, here's what really happened. After the exam, the teacher took us out for dinner. She wanted to celebrate with champagne, and in the end, she made all of us drink some."

"That's nonsense!" Li Mei interrupted anxiously.

The old principal shot her a stern look before softening his tone toward Qin Ju. "Go on, Qin Ju."

"I drank a little, but since I'd never had alcohol before, I fell asleep as soon as we got back to the guesthouse. When I woke up, I found myself locked in a room with Shen Yi. Before I could figure out what had happened, Teacher Li barged in with a group of people and scolded me for half an hour."

Li Mei's voice wavered as she protested, "Principal, I never told the students to drink champagne! And…"

"Teacher Li did drink," Shen Yi, who had been standing silently with his hands in his pockets, suddenly interjected.

Li Mei was left speechless.

Qin Ju glanced at Shen Yi in surprise before pulling out a student ID card. "This is the student ID I found in that room. It belongs to Lin Nian. I think this is why I ended up in a different room without realizing it. The ID was on the floor near the bed, and when Lin Nian entered with the others, she made sure not to go near it."

-----

Lin Nian, who was about the same height as Qin Ju but stronger, couldn't bear it any longer. She was hiding by the door, but the tension was too much. She finally burst in, her face flushed with anger.

"Qin Ju, you're lying! I didn't do anything! You stole my student ID!" Lin Nian shouted.

Qin Ju calmly responded, "Why would I steal your student ID?"

Lin Nian's voice trembled, "Because you have a crush on Shen Yi. You told me yourself that you didn't want to work hard anymore and wanted to rely on Shen Yi's wealth to take shortcuts. I never thought you'd actually go through with it. And now that you're caught, you're trying to blame it all on me!"

Qin Ju smirked. "Why would I choose to blame you out of everyone? Is there something special about you, or is it just that you have a particularly guilty conscience?"

"I..."

The two of them argued back and forth, but neither could prove their side of the story.

The old principal, watching them with a furrowed brow, finally raised his hand to put an end to the bickering. He saw no point in continuing the argument and decided to smooth things over.

"It seems there's been a misunderstanding. It's vacation time now, so you should all head home. Let's forget about this incident and never speak of it again."

"Yes, Principal," Qin Ju nodded obediently and turned to leave.

She had never expected this incident to result in Lin Nian being punished severely. The old principal was simply trying to calm the situation, without showing any bias.

But for Qin Ju, not being expelled was already a victory. She had other plans ahead.

As Qin Ju walked out, Lin Nian realized that her student ID was still with her. After a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly followed.

(End of this chapter)