The evening self-study bell had already rung, and Zhu Chaoyang returned to the classroom, glaring fiercely at Ye Chimin. He saw a hint of a disdainful smile at the corner of her mouth before she lowered her head to read her book.

Zhu Chaoyang, feeling helpless, sat back at his desk. The girl sitting beside him secretly nudged his elbow with a pen. Just as he turned his head, she whispered, “Don’t turn around and let them see. I’ll tell you something.”

Bowing his head towards his reference book, Zhu Chaoyang asked in a low voice, “What’s up?”

The girl kept her body still, facing her own book, and whispered, “Were you called by Teacher Lu to ask about Ye Chimin’s camera?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve been wrongly accused.”

“What?”

“When I finished dinner and returned to the classroom, I saw Ye Chimin and the class monitor fiddling with a camera, claiming it fell on the ground and the lens cracked. Later, I heard they were planning to complain to Teacher Lu that you broke it.”

“Seriously?” Zhu Chaoyang widened his eyes in astonishment. “I knew it, they intentionally framed me! I’ve been doing exercises all day, never touched her stupid camera! This is outrageous! I’ll go clear it up with Teacher Lu after class!”

The girl hurriedly said, “Please, don’t. I told you secretly. Don’t tell anyone it was me, or I’ll become the enemy of all the girls.”

Zhu Chaoyang frowned, looking conflicted. After considering for a long time, he reluctantly agreed, “Okay.”

“Just knowing is enough. You absolutely cannot tell anyone!”

“I won’t.”

“Well, it’s a bit too much for them to wrongly accuse you like this.”

“Why would they frame me?”

“I don’t know. I guess maybe Ye Chimin broke the camera and was afraid of getting scolded by her dad. Her dad is the captain of the local police station and used to be in the military. He disciplines her very strictly; she gets beaten even for minor mistakes. If she says a classmate broke it, her dad won’t blame her, and it would be awkward for a police captain to ask a classmate to pay for a camera.”

“Despicable!” Zhu Chaoyang clenched his fists. “To frame me for that reason! Hmph, she’s grown up, and her dad still beats her?”

“Her dad used to be in the military, saying he disciplines her even more severely than boys. I’ve seen her with red ears once; she said her dad hit her.”

Zhu Chaoyang chuckled triumphantly, “No wonder. Her dad raised her like a boy. No wonder she shaved her hair so short, like a malevolent nun. Every day, glaring with those dead fish eyes. She’s probably been beaten into that state by her dad!”

The girl couldn’t help but giggle at his words. At that moment, they both suddenly felt the temperature around them drop to freezing. They didn’t realize when Teacher Lu had silently entered through the back door, standing beside them like a ghost, coldly questioning, “Having a good chat, are we?”

The girl stuck out her tongue, quickly lowering her head, not daring to breathe loudly. Zhu Chaoyang sat awkwardly, and after a few seconds, mustering up his courage, he said, “I was just joking, making Fang Lina laugh.”

“Tomorrow is the exam, and you’re still in such high spirits!”

Zhu Chaoyang felt like there was a refrigerator inside Teacher Lu because he could faintly see cold air coming out of her nose.

Enduring until the end of class, Zhu Chaoyang went to the restroom. As he approached the sink outside, he saw Ye Chimin washing teacups. He tapped the basin angrily, saying, “Why did you frame me?”

Ye Chimin glanced at him for a moment, sneered, and continued to lower her head to wash the teacup.

“You despicable person!” Zhu Chaoyang cursed and was about to enter the restroom.

Suddenly, Ye Chimin burst into tears, surprising Zhu Chaoyang. He looked at her in confusion. He only cursed at her, and she cried? Just like Lin Daiyu!

Even more unexpectedly, Ye Chimin then picked up the teacup, poured the entire cup of water inside over her own head, and then turned and ran away crying. Zhu Chaoyang frowned, unsure of the situation, nervously finished using the restroom, and headed back to the classroom. Just as he passed the office door, he caught a glimpse of Ye Chimin crying in the office, with two other teachers trying to console her.

At that moment, Teacher Lu also noticed him. She immediately stood up, sternly calling out, “Zhu Chaoyang, come in here!”

Zhu Chaoyang shuddered all over, looking at Teacher Lu’s angry eyes, feeling anxious and uneasy as he walked into the office.

“You poured a whole cup of water on Ye Chimin’s head. How could you do such a thing!”

“What!” Zhu Chaoyang widened his eyes. “I… I didn’t do it. She did it herself!”

At that moment, Zhu Chaoyang finally understood what had happened. But now, no matter how he argued, it seemed futile. Ye Chimin cried so bitterly, her whole head was wet, and she had just accused him. All the teachers naturally believed that Zhu Chaoyang, resentful of her accusation, had poured water on her.

“Get your mom to come tomorrow!”

Zhu Chaoyang’s face twitched. “I… it wasn’t me who poured water on her, she did it herself. I… I still have exams tomorrow.”

“You still want to deny it!” Teacher Lu’s attitude was very resolute.

“I… I really didn’t pour water on her, she did it herself.” His lips were trembling.

“You still want to deny it! I’ve never seen a student like you! Good grades don’t mean good character. You must get your mom to come tomorrow, otherwise don’t bother coming to school.”

Zhu Chaoyang’s nails dug deep into his flesh, his cheeks trembling. Never had a day been as terrible as this one.

After the bell rang for class, Teacher Lu asked Ye Chimin to go back to self-study and then softly comforted her for a few words, asking her to maintain a good attitude and not affect tomorrow’s exam.

After Ye Chimin left, Teacher Lu turned to Zhu Chaoyang again, glanced at him, and then softened her tone a bit. “Well… your mom told me about your family situation. After your parents divorced, your dad doesn’t really take care of you, and your mom works at the scenic area, usually not at home. Your mom said you’re alone at home most of the time, so us teachers need to take care of you. But how could you do such a thing?”

“I didn’t, I really didn’t.” Zhu Chaoyang said with a sob.

“You still want to deny it!” Teacher Lu frowned and looked at him coldly. “You hit Ye Chimin a few days ago—”

“No, she framed me for that too.”

Teacher Lu took a deep breath, seeming to lose all hope in this student. “You can’t go on like this. You must bring your mom to school tomorrow. I need to talk to her.”

“My… my mom has to work tomorrow.”

“She needs to take leave. You don’t need to attend evening self-study tonight. Go home early and call your mom. If she doesn’t come tomorrow, you don’t need to come to school.”

Zhu Chaoyang pursed his lips, standing motionless.

“Go, leave now!” Teacher Lu pulled his arm, trying to drag him out of the office.

Almost at the door, Zhu Chaoyang couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into tears. “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I won’t do it again. Teacher Lu, please let me take the exam tomorrow. I was wrong, I shouldn’t have bullied Ye Chimin. I was really wrong.”

The other two teachers in the office, who usually liked Zhu Chaoyang, also started to persuade, “Teacher Lu, let it go. He admitted his mistake. Let him write a statement. He should still take the exam.”

Teacher Lu took a deep breath and finally, under the combined persuasion of the two teachers and seeing Zhu Chaoyang’s tearful remorse, let him write a statement in the office before letting him go back to the classroom.

Back in the classroom, he kept his head down. The girl next to him secretly asked what happened. He shook his head and said nothing. After evening self-study ended, he tiredly packed his bag and headed home. Just as he left the classroom, he ran into Ye Chimin. She sneered and said, “Who told you to always do so well on exams, making my dad always scold me. I just want to make you miserable, make you do poorly tomorrow! Let’s see if you can still come in first!”

Zhu Chaoyang was shocked. He finally understood that Ye Chimin’s motivation for framing him in front of the teachers was jealousy over his exam scores. That was why she set him up!

He looked at her with angry eyes but then lowered his gaze, said nothing, and silently walked away with his bag.

He really wished this semester would end soon.