“Is Tеaсher Huang saying this bеcausе yоu intend to shield the thief?”
“Or perhaps Тeaсher Нuang is in cаhооts with the thiеf. Оthеrwise, whу would yоu bе аfrаid to check thе surveillanсе fоotаge?”
“Even with сleаr еvidеnсe, уou still want tо cоver it up?”
Gu Аn’an’s relеntlеss questioning struсk with fоrсе, causing Huang Ruоуun’s departing footsteрs tо halt.
Zhao Хi’s fаcе рalеd, nevеr еxрecting Gu An’an to be so unyielding.
Only Gu Wanrou swallowed hard, realizing the situation had escalated—it was becoming more and more like last night, increasingly similar.
The classmates who had been trying to brush the matter aside with vague remarks instantly fell silent, not daring to utter another word, quietly watching the scene unfold.
It was only now that they belatedly realized they had all just pressured Gu An’an into admitting she was the thief.
Now that it was clear she wasn’t, they wanted to sweep the matter under the rug—how could it be that simple?
How could everything always go their way?
But Huang Ruoyun didn’t see it that way.
She had long wanted to drive Gu An’an out of her class. This time, she had intended to let her off as a stroke of luck.
Unexpectedly, Gu An’an dared to dig deeper—how audacious.
Turning around, Huang Ruoyun glared at Gu An’an with a dark expression, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips. Did she think she couldn’t handle her?
“Gu An’an, for disrespecting your teacher, you receive a major demerit.”
Gu An’an’s dark eyes instantly grew somber, while Zhao Xi’s pale face lit up with delight.
Then Huang Ruoyun’s voice continued, dripping with absolute certainty.
“Hand over the surveillance footage, or don’t blame me for withholding your graduation certificate later.”
“I’ll leave a note in your file.”
Huang Ruoyun had used this tactic to deal with many troublesome students in the past, and now she was applying it to Gu An’an.
If it were an ordinary student, they might have been afraid.
But Gu An’an?
She was bound to a system now—only a fool would care about Huang Ruoyun’s threats.
Everyone watched as Gu An’an let out a light laugh, suddenly pulling a voice recorder from her pocket. She looked at Huang Ruoyun with an apologetic expression, though her eyes were full of provocation.
“I’m so sorry, Teacher Huang. What a coincidence—today, not only did I buy surveillance footage, but I also happened to buy a voice recorder.”
“Since Teacher Huang has said all this, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind letting everyone listen and judge for themselves.”
After all, the system’s 1 million reward had already been deposited. If worse came to worst, Gu An’an could just buy some online exposure herself and let everyone see what Huang Ruoyun was really like.
Gu An’an spoke with such seriousness that, inexplicably, both Huang Ruoyun and the classmates present knew she meant every word.
Huang Ruoyun’s face instantly turned ashen—no one had ever dared to challenge her like this.
“Give me the recording and the surveillance footage.”
She actually reached out to snatch them.
Gu An’an would never hand them over. Just as the two were struggling and the surrounding classmates hesitated over whether to help Teacher Huang, a stern male voice rang out:
“What’s going on here instead of attending class properly?”
“Teacher Huang.”
The newcomer was none other than Principal Gao of Nancheng No. 1 High School.
He had just seen Huang Ruoyun being urgently called away by a student but hadn’t seen her return. Worried something might have happened, he had come to check on the situation.
To his surprise, he arrived to find Huang Ruoyun arguing with a student, his brow instantly furrowing.
But Huang Ruoyun wasn’t the least bit afraid.
It was just as well that Principal Gao had come.
She quickly stepped back, revealing Gu An’an’s familiar face.
Principal Gao recognized her instantly, as not long ago, Gu Wencheng had specifically pulled strings to arrange for Gu An’an to be admitted to Nan City No. 1 High School.
As Nan City’s foremost entrepreneur, when Gu Wencheng spoke, even the city mayor had to show some respect, let alone others. Moreover, Gu An’an’s background was tragic, so Principal Gao had taken it upon himself to accept her.
Little did he know that he would later discover Gu An’an had poor character—stealing and lying—and by then, it was too late to refuse.
Now, seeing Gu An’an and Huang Ruoyun, a teacher, wrestling with each other, his brow furrowed tightly.
“What is going on here!”
Huang Ruoyun spoke first, playing the accuser, “Principal Gao, it’s Gu An’an, this student. She stole the class fund and refused to admit it. Now she’s even defying her teacher. I was just giving her a little lesson.”
“Is that so?”
Fortunately, Principal Gao didn’t immediately take her word for it. He shifted his gaze to the other students present.
Unexpectedly, they all averted their eyes, seemingly afraid to look at Gu An’an.
But not a single one spoke up to explain on Gu An’an’s behalf.
Hah!
If they wouldn’t speak, was Gu An’an herself a mute who didn’t know how to talk?
Besides, the relevant evidence had already been uploaded to the cloud. Even if it were destroyed now, what did it matter?
It was also a good opportunity to see what kind of person this Principal Gao was.
Gu An’an stepped forward directly and spoke coldly:
“Huang Ruoyun treats the class as her own personal fiefdom, acting on her whims and deliberately framing students.”
“I didn’t steal the class fund. I bought a camera and placed it in my desk, and it clearly recorded Zhao Xi planting the evidence while pretending to be the victim.”
“If you don’t believe me, Principal, you can check the surveillance footage and listen to the recording right now. The backup has already been uploaded to the cloud.”
“Even if you snatch it away, it’s useless.”
Principal Gao felt a headache coming on.
At this point, he finally understood why he had seen Huang Ruoyun struggling with Gu An’an over something earlier.
It was probably this so-called surveillance footage and recording.
If mishandled, this could escalate into an online scandal with everyone attacking the school.
“This isn’t the place to handle this, Student Gu,” Principal Gao said gently. “How about we go to the office to talk?”
“Principal.”
Huang Ruoyun frowned disapprovingly, not expecting Principal Gao to act this way.
In her view, these students had their graduation certificates and files held by the school. A simple threat would keep them quiet.
Not to mention, although Gu An’an was the biological child of the Gu family, rumors said she wasn’t favored.
Of course, who would like someone who lied habitually and stole things?
Especially since her grades were a complete mess and not good at all.
Who would like someone like that?
“Shut up.”
Principal Gao was practically fuming. He had only a few years left before retirement and couldn’t afford any scandals at this final stage.
Especially if it blew up online and made him “famous” in his old age—he felt like he could swallow Huang Ruoyun whole.
But Gu An’an didn’t want to go to the office.
She wanted to resolve this matter openly and fairly.
Once inside the office, with the door closed, even if she wasn’t at fault and was the victim,
rumors wouldn’t see it that way. They could still fabricate that she had used her family’s influence to force Zhao Xi to submit.
Zhao Xi might even gain a wave of sympathy from it.
Gu An’an absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen, narrowing her eyes.
[Ding!—In three minutes, the principal’s three-year-old grandson will be kidnapped. Please prepare for the rescue mission. Reward: one million RMB.]
Gu An’an’s eyes lit up—it was here.