Chapter 27

It was Li Sitong, Xuejiao's mother.

She rushed into the office, her forehead glistening with sweat. "Teacher, what happened?"

As she walked in, Li Sitong glanced at Xuejiao. For a moment, she wanted to ask, "What's going on with you?" But memories of past incidents flashed through her mind. No, she wouldn't doubt Zizania again.

Li Sitong opened her mouth slightly but quickly shut it. Standing next to Xuejiao, she turned her attention to the teacher.

Yin Fang took a deep breath and repeated her concerns.

Li Sitong froze, looking at Yi Tianyu. She recognized him as the boy who had stood up for Xuejiao during the conflict with Cheng Mingjiao. The same boy who had been critical of her before.

So, was it all because of…?

Doubt began to creep into her mind when Xuejiao's earlier words suddenly echoed in her head: "You never believed me!"

Li Sitong swayed slightly, but her doubt quickly faded. She turned to Xuejiao and asked gently, "What's wrong, Zizania?"

Her tone was not accusatory, just curious.

"Nothing, Mom. I haven't been in any relationship, and I won't fall in love." Xuejiao repeated herself, her tone resolute.

Li Sitong nodded and smiled. "Alright, Mom believes you."

She turned to Yin Fang. "Teacher, Zizania isn't in a relationship."

Yin Fang looked stunned, glancing between Xuejiao and Li Sitong. She had instinctively prepared herself for an angry reaction from Li Sitong, much like the last incident, but this calm response caught her off guard.

"No puppy love," Yi Tianyu added firmly.

"Then why were you so angry?" Yin Fang raised her voice, looking at him.

Yi Tianyu met her gaze, his tall stature adding weight to his words. "Because I didn't like what you said."

Yin Fang was momentarily taken aback, but her irritation quickly resurfaced.

Yi Dafa interjected with a quick smile. "Teacher Yin, the children both say there's no relationship. Could this be a misunderstanding?"

"Yes, teacher. Who wrote this letter?" Li Sitong asked, holding Xuejiao's hand.

"It's anonymous," Yin Fang replied, gesturing to the letter on the table.

Li Sitong picked up the letter and read it carefully.

After a moment, she looked at Yin Fang. "Teacher, the language used here—'Gu Xuejiao's behavior is improper, her attitude isn't right, and she doesn't deserve to stay in Class One'—it clearly shows dissatisfaction with Zizania. I think it's possible the person who wrote this doesn't like her."

Before she could finish, Xuejiao interrupted, her eyes fixed on the letter. "It's Cheng Mingjiao. She wrote this letter."

Xuejiao sighed inwardly. Cheng Mingjiao's hatred for her bordered on obsession. She would seize any opportunity to harm her.

"Cheng Mingjiao's handwriting doesn't look like this," Yin Fang said, frowning. Her tone carried a hint of disappointment. "If you want to prove yourself, don't wrongly accuse others."

The disappointment in her voice and eyes was clear.

Xuejiao remained composed, tucking her hair behind her ear. Despite her thin frame, her posture was straight, and her clean, clear eyes reflected calm confidence.

"This was written with Cheng Mingjiao's left hand. She's ambidextrous and can write with both hands."

Xuejiao knew this from the original Gu Xuejiao's memories. Cheng Mingjiao often showed off her left-hand writing skills at the Cheng family home, to the point that the former Xuejiao had tried to learn left-handed calligraphy herself before giving up.

Li Sitong's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's right! Mingjiao does write with her left hand sometimes!"

Her anger toward Cheng Mingjiao reached its peak. How could Cheng Mingjiao stoop so low to harm them?

Yin Fang hesitated, now unsure. Cheng Mingjiao and Xuejiao didn't get along. If this accusation was true, then the anonymous letter was likely malicious.

"Are you certain?" Yin Fang narrowed her eyes at Xuejiao.

"Yes. You can ask Cheng Mingjiao to come here and write something with her left hand," Xuejiao suggested confidently.

Yin Fang froze, unwilling to escalate the situation further. If she investigated this, who would dare report anything in the future?

"Teacher, it was Mingjiao. We all know she writes with her left hand. That's it," Li Sitong said, standing firmly beside her daughter.

Yin Fang's face tightened as she mulled over the situation. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Fine. Let's leave it at that. Parents, you may leave. Gu Xuejiao and Yi Tianyu, focus on your studies and stay out of trouble."

"Understood," Xuejiao replied calmly. Yi Tianyu glanced at her and nodded as well.

Yi Dafa, however, couldn't resist a parting remark. "Teacher, I hope in the future you'll verify things more thoroughly before acting. This caused unnecessary trouble and wasted time, not to mention the stress it put on the kids."

Yin Fang flushed, embarrassment creeping up her face. She took a deep breath. "You're right, Mr. Yi. I'll be more careful next time."

"Thank you, teacher. Goodbye," Yi Dafa said, leading Yi Tianyu out of the office. Li Sitong followed suit, gently guiding Xuejiao.

Once they were gone, Yin Fang angrily tossed the letter onto her desk. She had never been so humiliated before. Staring at the anonymous letter, her frustration mounted.

"Cheng Mingjiao..." she muttered. If this really was her doing, it had caused a great deal of unnecessary drama.

Outside the office, Li Sitong smiled at Xuejiao, gently rubbing her head. "It's all fine now. Mom believes you. Don't worry about it and focus on your studies, okay?"

Xuejiao felt the warmth of her mother's hand and nodded stiffly.

Li Sitong gave her one last smile and left.

Xuejiao stood there for a moment, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She reminded herself to focus on her studies—there was no time to dwell on this incident.

Just as she was about to head back to class, a voice called out. "Miss Gu!"

Turning around, she saw Yi Dafa approaching with a wide grin.

"Uncle Yi, what's the matter?" Xuejiao asked politely.

"What did Tianyu say about the basketball game? He should focus on his studies, not just basketball!" Yi Dafa said, though his tone was more amused than stern.

Xuejiao smiled slightly. "It's to earn the national second-class athlete certificate. It'll help with his university application."

"Really?" Yi Dafa's voice rose in surprise.

"Yes, it's true," Xuejiao confirmed.

Yi Dafa laughed heartily. "Well, the boy wasn't lying! That's great—it's like those academic competitions!"

Yi Tianyu rolled his eyes. "See, old man? I told you!"

Xuejiao turned mischievously. "Uncle Yi, while basketball is helpful, he still needs to study hard. Maybe you should keep an eye on him."

With that, she walked away, leaving Yi Tianyu fuming.

"You..." Yi Tianyu stomped his foot in frustration.

"What 'you'? She's right!" Yi Dafa smacked him lightly on the back. "And don't think I haven't noticed—you like her, don't you?"

Yi Tianyu froze, his face turning red. "What are you talking about, old man?!"

"Don't pretend with me. I'm your father—I know you!" Yi Dafa said smugly. "If your grades drop next month, I won't help you sit next to her!"

Yi Tianyu's eyes widened in panic. "I'll study! I'll study!"

Yi Dafa chuckled. "That's more like it."

Back in the classroom, Xuejiao walked in, and Cheng Mingjiao immediately glared at her, a smug look on her face.

Xuejiao met her gaze and sneered. "Cheng Mingjiao, I know you don't like me, but writing anonymous letters to slander me? That's low."

The students nearby perked up, their attention drawn to the confrontation.

Cheng Mingjiao's face turned red as she tried to defend herself. "You're making things up!"

Xuejiao remained calm. "Fortunately, I remember your left-hand writing. Care to deny it again?"

Cheng Mingjiao panicked, her voice rising. "I didn't do it!"

"A guilty conscience, are we?" Yi Tianyu's voice interrupted coldly as he walked in.

He leaned closer to Cheng Mingjiao, his voice sharp. "From today, Cheng Mingjiao, you're my enemy. And trust me, I don't lose to my enemies."

Cheng Mingjiao's face went pale.

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