To be honest, short of doing what Xie Tianyi suggested…tracking down the girl in the photo and having her clear his name…Tang Yu couldn’t think of a single way to prove his innocence.
Yet Bai Yuenian’s simple “Don’t worry” possessed a heavy, almost magnetic authority, instilling an unexplainable sense of reassurance.
Tang Yu’s hard-won habit of sleeping early was officially ruined. He spent the entire night wondering if Bai Yuenian really had a way to achieve the best of both worlds.
Tang Yu always liked to think he didn’t care about his reputation or what others thought of him. But deep down, how could he genuinely not care?
If he truly didn’t care, he would have treated the woman named Madam Qin…his biological mother in name only…like a complete stranger.
Yet Bai Yuenian seemed to understand him down to his core. Knowing what Tang Yu truly cared about protecting, he had deleted the forum post at the very first opportunity.
More importantly, when Liu Ziyue had confronted Tang Yu over the fight, Bai Yuenian had been there. He knew that Tang Yu was protecting a girl’s identity.
He knew Liu Ziyue had interrogated him twice without getting a single name out of him…
And yet, Bai Yuenian had told him not to worry! That meant he definitely wouldn’t resort to the same rigid, brain-dead approach Xie Tianyi had suggested, right?
Top students really do have better brains, Tang Yu thought. He actually has a better way.
The realization kept Tang Yu tossing and turning in bed, thoroughly energized. He wasn’t tired at all; if anything, he was actually looking forward to the next morning.
Without even realizing it, the dark, gloomy mood brought on by the forum post had quietly dissolved.
However, when the next day arrived, a completely different issue erupted first.
The second period was Chinese. Normally, Ms. Zhou…or “Min-jie,” as the students fondly called her…would arrive early, but today, she was five minutes late and nowhere to be seen.
When the Chinese class representative went to the office to check on her, Zhou Fangmin was in the building, but her desk was empty.
A neighboring teacher mentioned that Director Liu had called her in.
It was completely unusual. Liu Ziyue never pulled teachers away during class time.
The class representative hurried over to Liu Ziyue’s office, only to overhear a heated argument from outside the door:
“When we enrolled our children in Shi High, it wasn’t just because of the faculty. We trusted the school’s safety and security!”
“Shi High’s cut-off score isn’t low! How could you admit a student like that?!”
“The photos posted on that forum were terrifying to look at!”
“If this continues, we can hardly trust you with our children’s safety.”
“Unless that student named Tang Yu is expelled immediately. Right now!”
That morning, a group of concerned parents had banded together to confront the school, demanding Tang Yu’s expulsion. They claimed that having a student like him on campus was a massive security hazard. Inside Director Liu’s office, the parents were already worked up into a frenzy.
Hearing this, the Chinese class representative slunk back to the classroom and silently sat down.
When her classmates pressed her for news, she could only whisper, “Let’s just wait a bit longer.”
Half an hour passed, and Zhou Fangmin still hadn’t returned.
A wave of panic began to settle in Tang Yu’s chest. Whenever he felt panicked, his fingers twitched…he craved a cigarette.
Unable to sit still any longer, he stood up and walked out of the classroom.
The class representative turned around and called out anxiously, “Quick, bring him back! There are a bunch of parents in Director Liu’s office demanding his expulsion!”
“What?!”
“How did it come to this?”
“Is Tang Yu going to Director Liu’s office?!”
The argument inside Liu Ziyue’s office was deafening. The parents had been arguing for half a day without a resolution, their tempers flaring as their voices escalated until they echoed down the stairwell.
Tang Yu didn’t even have to look for the office. He had originally intended to slip into the bathroom for a quick smoke before heading back to class.
But the moment he stepped out and heard the commotion, he changed direction and walked toward the noise.
Before he got close, he heard his own name.
“Parents, please listen to me! Tang Yu is absolutely not that kind of student. As the homeroom teacher of Class 1, I can guarantee it!”
It was Zhou Fangmin’s voice!
Immediately, another wave of aggressive shouts shut her down:
“What good is your guarantee? Can you watch him twenty four hours a day?”
“Besides, for a teenage boy at this age, how much control can a female teacher like you really have over him?”
Just then, a male voice cut in.
“Then let me manage Tang Yu, alright? I’m a male teacher…I’ll take full responsibility for him!”
It was Liu Ziyue!
“Expelling a student at the slightest conflict completely goes against Shi High’s educational philosophy. If I expel Tang Yu today and we later find out he was innocent, what then? How will the school answer for it? Wouldn’t parents be even more unsettled by a school that expels students so recklessly? How would you feel if something like this happened to your own child?”
“Don’t twist this around! You’re the Dean of Students, you’re busy…are you telling us you can keep an eye on him all day?”
“We stand by our demand: either expel him, or suspend him. Besides, with grades as terrible as his, does it really matter whether he attends class or not?”
“Parent, please understand, this is a crucial period transition from junior to senior year. The first round of comprehensive review has just begun…”
The rest of the words faded into a blur in Tang Yu’s ears as memories of his past life surged back.
In his previous world, there was an instance where the Provincial Bureau of Education arranged a high school inspection to evaluate the top schools in the city.
Shi High was the very first school the provincial leaders were scheduled to inspect.
During the homeroom period the day before, Mr. Cai had repeatedly emphasized the importance of proper attire and grooming for the next day:
Wear the complete uniform and keep it spotless. Girls with long hair must tie it up high…no low ponytails. And absolutely no running or jumping in the hallways.
The next day at noon, Tang Yu arrived right as the bell rang. The deep blue trim near the hem of his uniform jacket was stained with a splash of red.
Mr. Cai blocked him right outside the classroom, unleashing a harsh lecture: “Do you hate me that much? You came dressed like this? Are you trying to get me called into Director Liu’s office?”
Tang Yu offered weakly, “It’s just juice I accidentally spilled during lunch. It’s no big deal, right? Can’t I just cover it up?”
A student sitting behind him had accidentally knocked it over while eating.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the main lobby of the academic building.
Class 13 was on the first floor, making it the very first classroom on the inspection route.
In the end, Mr. Cai refused to let him inside: “Quick, go hide somewhere!”
Tang Yu protested, “My phone is still in the classroom!”
Just hide like this? How boring!
Mr. Cai snapped, “Hurry up!”
Fine. Tang Yu slipped into a bathroom stall right before the provincial leaders turned into the hallway.
Hiding there, there was nothing to do except listen to the echoing footsteps outside.
The principal and Liu Ziyue were likely escorting the officials, exchanging endless, dry pleasantries of corporate polite talk.
Tang Yu found it mind-numbingly dull.
A moment later, someone entered the first-floor bathroom.
The newcomer seemed to be searching for something. Their footsteps were intermittent, pausing briefly outside each stall before moving on, without actually entering any of them.
This person isn’t here to use the bathroom.
Tang Yu reached that conclusion with total certainty.
About a minute later, the footsteps stopped right outside his stall.
Through the narrow gap beneath the door, Tang Yu caught sight of a pair of spotlessly white sneakers and the hem of a high school uniform pant leg.
Then, a slender, fair hand reached underneath the door, sliding his phone through the gap.
Bored out of his mind, Tang Yu’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, man! I owe you a meal!”
The person outside didn’t say a word; their footsteps simply faded away into the distance.
Finally free from boredom, Tang Yu played on his phone for a bit, planning to launch a game.
Not long after, footsteps approached again. It was that same familiar pair of white sneakers.
Immediately after, a uniform jacket was draped over the top of the stall door.
…?
Did this guy just leave his uniform for me? Is that what this means? Today is the school inspection! Is he really fine not wearing his uniform?
Tang Yu pushed open the stall door, catching only a brief glimpse of the person’s tall, retreating back.
The uniform jacket hanging on the door was pristine, looking practically brand new.
Which guy in Class 13 owned a uniform this clean? And judging by that fleeting back view, he was tall and lean.
Tang Yu mentally scanned the taller guys in Class 13… Who could have brought him his phone, and then come back to give him a uniform?
He couldn’t think of a single person.
Still, at least he had a clean uniform now and didn’t have to stay hidden in the stall.
Right on cue, the bell rang to signal the end of the first period, allowing Tang Yu to blend seamlessly into the crowd streaming into the hallway.
At that moment, the school leadership finished inspecting Class 10 and stepped out into the hall.
Across the bustling crowd, Tang Yu’s eyes caught a striking figure standing alongside the group of pot-bellied school leaders dressed in formal suits.
It was a student. He wore a plain white T-shirt without a uniform jacket, walking a short, respectful distance behind the entourage as if accompanying the inspection team.
Liu Ziyue even turned around to pat the boy on the shoulder, saying something proudly to the visiting officials.
The hallway was noisy, but fragments of words drifted over: “…outstanding…” “…competition gold medal…” “…early admission…”
Ah.
The classic ‘model student.’
Tang Yu turned and walked in the opposite direction back to his classroom.
What he failed to notice was that the “model student” turned back to look at him as he walked away, a soft, gentle smile curving his lips.
Back in the classroom, a classmate asked in surprise, “Hey, Tang Yu! How did you get out?”
Tang Yu shrugged effortlessly. “Fortune favors the bold.”
He glanced around the room. Every single student was wearing their uniform jacket.
Was there a spare uniform in class he didn’t know about?
How much did Old Cai hate him to keep something like that from him?
He started scrutinizing the shoes of the taller guys in the room.
Black, brown, dirty… Ugh.
Finally, he spotted a pair of white shoes! Tang Yu walked over and looked down at the hands of the boy sleeping soundly at his desk.
Tanned skin, calloused palms. Nope, not him either.
Right then, the guy woke up. Seeing Tang Yu standing beside him, his face lit up with dramatic surprise: “Tang Yu? Are you checking me out? Did you finally fall for me?”
Tang Yu: “…”
“Get lost!”
Ever since his foster parents passed away, Tang Yu had lived a rough, uncaring life…like a cactus rotting at the roots in a barren desert, far too exhausted to dig deeper into the earth.
But now, looking at Zhou Fangmin and Liu Ziyue inside the office, their eyes red with desperation as they fought for him, a sudden spark of resistance flickered in his chest.
Tang Yu shifted his weight and stepped forward. Looking directly into the crowded office, he spoke clearly:
“It wasn’t me.”
“I didn’t do any of those things.”
Zhou Fangmin turned in surprise. “Tang Yu? Why are you here?”
“You’re Tang Yu?”
“It is him!”
In the next second, a heavy glass pen holder came flying straight toward his face! Tang Yu squeezed his eyes shut, standing his ground without dodging.
Yet, the expected impact and pain never came.
Tang Yu cracked his eyes open. The tall figure standing defensively in front of him seemed to overlap perfectly with the memory of the person who had handed him the uniform jacket long ago.
Bai Yuenian turned around, placing a hand gently on Tang Yu’s shoulder.
“Are you okay?”