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n94 Jiang Xue Intercepts the Police Report

nSu Ni spun on Shen Xi, shouting angrily, “You don’t have to get sarcastic with me! If I say I didn’t do it, then I didn’t. If you insist on blaming me, I’ll laugh and call you blind. You will be the one to hurt next time, you fool!”

n“Hah! You still have the nerve to scream and shout!” Zhao Yuan rolled up her sleeves and was about to give Su Ni a lesson in humility when Shen Xi stopped her.

nSu Ni’s outburst did not anger Shen Xi. Instead, she offered her a piece of advice out of the goodness of her heart, “If you didn’t do it, you could always file a report with the police. I’ve heard the police station has the technology to verify fingerprints and call access.”

n“Since the cell phone appeared in our class, the perpetrator must have been in our class recently. The scope of the investigation isn’t too large, so something should turn up if they launch an investigation as soon as possible.”

nShen Xi’s words were a bolt from the blue, bringing clarity to Su Ni’s panic-addled mine. Since she was innocent, she could seek help from the police to clear her name, couldn’t she?

nOn the other hand, Jiang Xue was petrified by the possibility of Su Ni going to the police. When her homeroom teacher used Peach’s phone to call her, she immediately chucked her phone under the desk beside her. She did not have the presence of mind to realise it was Su Ni’s table.

nIf Su Ni sought help from the police, and they checked the phone for fingerprints, Jiang Xue knew she would not be able to escape.

nMeanwhile, Su Ni had picked up her phone and was about to call the police to file a report.

nJiang Xue was so anxious she lept forward, grabbing hold of Su Ni’s hand as she whispered, “If the culprit isn’t found even after you’ve called the police, you’ll be punished not only by the school but be held captive by the police until they extract a confession out of you. Please reconsider. Why would Shen Xi offer you advice when you’ve harmed her? This is very likely a ploy to get you carted off to jail!”

nSu Ni felt her heart skip a beat. Already beset by anxiety over her situation, Jiang Xue’s words added to her fluster. She did not want to be sent to jail!

nShen Xi glanced at Jiang Xue, a teasing half-smile on her lips, “Oh? Jiang Xue, why wouldn’t you advise Su Ni to report the situation to the police? If she’s innocent, there’s nothing she needs to be afraid of. Or are you saying that the police aren’t trustworthy? What is it you’re afraid of? Hm?”

nSu Ni eyed Jiang Xue suspiciously.

nJiang Xue swallowed her instinctual retort. How was it that Shen Xi could read her thoughts? “I think the school should resolve this matter. If a student not from our school did it, it would tarnish the school’s reputation if the word were to spread. I’m saying this for the school’s sake,” Jiang Xue said, doing her best to maintain the air of righteousness around her.

n“Moreover, we don’t even know whether this is a big or small problem. Why go to the police when the school could easily resolve the matter? No real harm was done. Shen Xi, why do you need to hound Su Ni so aggressively?”

nShen Xi found Jiang Xue’s words rather amusing. “You say that no real harm eventuated… if not for Guan Lei, those students would have shown no mercy. The truth remains unchanged: someone hired people to hurt our students, causing innocent students bodily harm. Jiang Xue, I’m not the one holding preventing Su Ni from clearing her name. You are!”

nThe others may not have known what Shen Xi was referring to, but Jiang Xue did. Shen Xi knew she was responsible for hiring Peach to beat her up, and now she was trying to use Su Ni to expose her.

nZhao Yuan, who was at the side, exposed her injured arms and face, allowing everyone to see what she had suffered. “Am I not proof enough that real harm was done? Jiang Xue, why don’t you let someone beat you up and see whether that counts as ‘real harm’.”

nJiang Xue knew there was no way to wriggle out of the situation unscathed, so she did what she did best: Deflected. “It’s not like I did anything. The two of you don’t have to gang up on me like that. I’m just stating the facts. We’re all classmates. Do you have to push Su Ni over the edge? Can’t you forgive and forget?”

nIn this way, Jiang Xue subtly influenced public opinion, pushing the blame onto Su Ni’s shoulders.

nSu Ni tugged at Jiang Xue anxiously. She knew that Jiang Xue was speaking up for her, but she was innocent, so Jiang Xue was misrepresenting her involvement.

nJiang Xue patted Su Ni’s hand, supplying her with a measure of confidence. Su Ni naively thought that Jiang Xue had a way to help her, so she instantly quieted down.

nSeeing how they had reached a stalemate, and the bell for the start of the class had just rung, Sun Ling had no choice but to escort all the students to the office to avoid delaying the day’s lessons.

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