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n93 No Arguing!

nDue to the sudden appearance of Peach and the others, Sun Ling, their homeroom teacher, rushed over upon receiving the news.

nSun Ling looked at Peach kneeling on the ground and said, “You aren’t a student of the school any longer, yet you dare to gather people and beat up our school’s students. This matter will not be resolved so easily.”

nShen Xi cut in before her teacher could go on a tirade, “You said someone was directing you, but you don’t know who they are. How can we believe you?”

nAs she spoke, Shen Xi pointedly stared in Jiang Xue’s direction, though she made it look unintentional to anything but the trained eye. Jiang Xue did not notice Shen Xi’s gaze, too caught up in trying to disappear discreetly.

nLi Tao mulled over details regarding her interaction with her employer. Suddenly, she whipped out her phone and said, “I have that person’s phone number. We’ve been communicating via text, and I’ve kept all records of our correspondence.”

nSun Ling seized the phone, quickly scrolling through the text messages, a serious look on her face. Then, in front of the whole class, she phoned the number and put it on speaker.

nSun Ling was grasping at straws, hoping to learn something about this mysterious figure who hired Peach to beat up her students. She did not expect to hear a response from someone in her class.

nAll eyes turned to the source of the vibration. The sound was coming from Su Ni’s desk.

nThe shift in expression was instantaneous. The person who ordered Li Tao to beat up Shen was Su Ni?

nSu Ni’s mind went blank, stunned by the turn of events. She ran to her desk in a flight of panic. It was a reaction based on instinct and not any conscious thought. If anyone got their hands on the phone, she would be finished.

nUnfortunately, Zhao Yuan beat her to the punch. She arrived at Su Ni’s desk, pushing away Jiang Xue, who was in the vicinity and retrieved a black phone set on vibrate. She handed the offending device to Sun Ling.

nSun Ling’s expression darkened as she saw the caller ID reflected on the phone. There could be no doubt that the call was from Li Tao’s phone.

nShe swivelled to Su Ni and demanded, “It was you who hired Li Tao to gang up on Shen Xi, wasn’t it? You even spread rumours of her being someone’s mistress. To think you would go so far as to demand nudes of Shen Xi! I’m ashamed and disgusted.”

n“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me! That isn’t my phone. I don’t even know what it’s doing under my desk! Teacher Sun, please believe me. I never told anyone to beat Shen Xi up!”

nSu Ni nearly descended into hysterics. She could not understand why a phone that did not belong to her would be found under her desk.

nHowever, Su Ni’s pleas fell on deaf ears, Su Ni’s previous actions had built up her image as someone who stood at odds with Shen Xi and Zhao Yuan, and any deniability on her part was instantly discredited. A buzz stirred in the crowded classroom, with many students believing she had orchestrated Shen Xi’s beating.

n“Hey, do you remember what Su Ni said about Shen Xi’s parents on the first day of school? She called them trash pickers. There seems to be bad blood between the two.”

n“Your right. Wasn’t a rumour spread around the same time that Shen Xi’s family was poor and that she needed to sell her body to pay the school’s fees? Su Ni’s been slandering Shen Xi from day one. Now, she’s even recruiting people to beat her up. Who else could it be but her?”

n“Su Ni must have been plotting this for some time. Who knows how deep her schemes run? She’s too vicious!”

n“I don’t know… Why would Su Ni do something so horrible? Isn’t it a little much?”

n“Send her to detention! She needs to be re-educated. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did this again to someone else.”

nSu Ni was about to go mad. She did not hire Li Tao to beat up Shen Xi, yet no one was willing to listen.

nSu Ni turned to Jiang Xue for support, desperation bubbling to the surface as she latched onto her friend. “Jiang Xue, I didn’t do it. I’m innocent. Please, believe me. I’m sure they’ll listen if you explain it to everyone.”

nJiang Xue immediately became the centre of attention. She cursed Su Ni in her heart. Here she was trying to keep a low profile only to be exposed by her blasted roommate.

nJiang Xue slowly pried Su Ni’s fingers away, remaining expressionless as she did so. “I want to believe you, I really do, but why would that phone be in your possession? I think you owe everyone an explanation.”

nSu Ni stared wide-eyed at Jiang Xue in disbelief. Betrayal is a bitter pill, and Su Ni struggled to swallow it. Her eyes burned red, any trace of hope vanishing into thin air.

nShen Xi offered the red-eyed Su Ni her token condolences, “Doesn’t it feel awful not being able to defend yourself? When you slandered others, did you stop to think whether there would be a day when you would find yourself in a similar position?”

nAlthough Shen Xi knew Su Ni was not the one who hired Li Tao to beat her up, Su Ni was definitely the perpetrator behind the rumours flooding the school.

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