Chapter 44: Clearing a Misunderstanding

Just after Le Zhenglan ended the call, Li Li, who had been silent since Le Zhenglan arrived, suddenly broke out into loud cries, imploring Yuan Yu for mercy.

“Yuan Yu, Yuan Yu, I was wrong, I truly was. I’m sorry, so sorry. Song Tianxing orchestrated everything. It’s not my fault; I was simply fooled by him and followed his plans.”

Li Li knew that if the backup video indeed existed, her fate would be sealed.

She was eighteen this year. A fraud worth three hundred thousand yuan, even if she was a student, was a guaranteed ticket to expulsion. Moreover, this was no ordinary deception. It had significant financial implications. She would have to face criminal charges, go to jail, and this would forever tarnish her record.

Regret painted her face as she looked pleadingly at Yuan Yu, hoping that she would show her mercy.

However, although Yuan Yu was kind-hearted, she was no saint. She understood that if it hadn’t been for Lin Xiao, she would have been in a dire situation, far worse off than Li Li.

People must bear the consequences of their actions. So, Yuan Yu ignored Li Li. With a hint of a dependent smile, she reached out for Lin Xiao’s hand and stood behind him.

She stole a glance at Lin Xiao, her heart filled with a sense of security.

‘It feels so good to have you, Big Brother Lin,’ she thought.

Seeing Yuan Yu unmoved by her pleas, Li Li’s heart sank further. With her last shred of hope, she turned to Song Tianxing. “Young Master Song, please save me.”

However, Song Tianxing showed no regard for Li Li. He was preoccupied with his worries about explaining the situation to his father.

As for the video, what did it have to do with him? It was Li Li’s problem, he didn’t even appear in the video. Any crime associated with it was solely Li Li’s concern.

Looking at the indifferent Song Tianxing, Li Li gradually sank into despair. At this moment, an overwhelming sense of regret filled her heart. If only she could turn back time, she would never again allow jealousy to provoke Yuan Yu.

She did have opportunities. Back in the women’s clothing store, she received two slaps from Lin Xiao. If she had let go of her envy, perhaps the current predicament would never have happened.

Sadly, it was all too late.

Guanglai High School was of a moderate size. It was merely a school for a few thousand students, with several academic and residential buildings, supplemented with a few artificially designed hills and sports grounds.

For an average person, it wouldn’t take much time to jog a full lap around the campus.

A few minutes after receiving a phone call from Le Zhenglan, the most influential figure at Guanglai High School, a young man wearing glasses respectfully handed her the surveillance footage.

“Director Le, this is the surveillance video from Class 3-1 you requested,” he said.

“Very well. You’ve done a good job.” Le Zhenglan acknowledged with a nod.

She then turned on the computer in the counseling room and started the surveillance footage. She didn’t start from the beginning, instead, Le Zhenglan adjusted the video to the timeframe of interest in that morning.

A few students, all dressed in school tracksuits, were seen filing out one by one for PE class. Among them were Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing.

Le Zhenglan fast-forwarded the footage.

Roughly half an hour after the classroom had emptied, the door creaked open. Li Li cautiously peeked inside, a gift box clutched in her hands. After confirming the room was empty, she stepped in—eyes gleaming with a mix of excitement and cunning.

Clutching the gift box, Li Li wore a dreamy expression as she tiptoed to Yuan Yu’s desk. With deliberate care, she opened the box, gently lifted the watch, and slipped it into her pocket. Then, with a look of excitement, she tucked the empty gift box and the certificate neatly into Yuan Yu’s schoolbag.

Her scheme complete, she slipped out of the classroom in a hurry. The entire act had taken less than five minutes.

Even though Lin Xiao already knew the truth, watching the full extent of the setup unfold still made his blood boil.

“We should call the police,” Lin Xiao said coldly.

“Agreed,” Le Zhenglan nodded, her expression equally stern.

She turned to Li Chenggong, who stood there like a man already defeated. “Counselor Li, you gave Li Li access to the classroom keys, didn’t you? And you tampered with the surveillance footage in the security room. As of today, you are officially dismissed from Guanglai High School.”

Li Chenggong didn’t argue. From the moment Le Zhenglan appeared, he knew this day had come.

Thankfully, he had only acted as a biased accomplice. Though disgraceful, it wasn’t criminal. Losing his post was a heavy blow, but with his credentials, he could find another job—just not one with the same prestige or perks as Guanglai.

But, Le Zhenglan’s next words completely shattered his plans, leaving him dumbstruck.

“Don’t even think about finding a job at another school,” Le Zhenglan said. “I’ll inform the entire educational community in Jiangnan Province and disclose the reasons for your dismissal. So, you should abandon the idea of returning to the field of education.”

“Director Le … Director Le … Please, have mercy on me. I won’t dare to do it again,” Li Chenggong pleaded, looking toward Le Zhenglan with a desperate expression.

“Mercy?” Le Zhenglan said with a cold, dismissive laugh.

When he schemed against Yuan Yu, why didn’t he show her mercy? Driven by his own selfish desires, he pushed a student into the abyss. How could such a person be fit to teach or remain in a school?

Even if the target of Li Chenggong’s scheme hadn’t been Lin Xiao’s sister but just an ordinary student, Le Zhenglan would never have let him off easily once the truth came to light.

As a key institution under close police oversight, Guanglai High School saw a swift response once the authorities were notified.

To fully exonerate Yuan Yu, the police made no effort to conceal their arrival. In no time, news of the plot—how Li Li, Song Tianxing, and Li Chenggong had conspired to frame her—swept across the entire school like wildfire.

“I always knew Yuan Yu wasn’t a thief, but none of you believed me.”

“Who would’ve thought Li Li could be so cruel? Tsk tsk, it’s true what they say about a woman’s heart being the most venomous thing in the world!”

“Who can argue with that? This event truly defied all expectations.”

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Yuan Yu felt numb. Despite being exonerated, there were no waves of emotion in her heart. At this moment, Yuan Yu’s mind was filled with thoughts of Lin Xiao. She knew that without him, her life would’ve been ruined.

As long as Lin Xiao was there, the accusations and suspicions of strangers didn’t matter to her.

The discussions didn’t last long. Lin Xiao, Yuan Yu, and the others left Guanglai High School with the police to provide their statements at the police station.