Chapter 11: This Is True Classmate Affection!

Office.

Wang Shasha stood with her head lowered before Old Guo.

The leaders of the arts class wore stern expressions.

Faced with the evidence, Wang Shasha couldn’t even find the words to defend herself.

“This matter must be dealt with seriously! A simple self-criticism is definitely not enough!” Old Guo slammed his hand on the table in anger. “So young, yet harboring such malicious intent—this is unacceptable!”

Ji Shichu looked at Wang Shasha, noticing her eyes darting nervously; several times she opened her mouth but dared not speak, as if hesitating.

He stepped forward and whispered a few words to Old Guo.

Immediately, Old Guo changed his tone: “Our class monitor’s hand injury is severe. Call the police! Wang Shasha must be severely punished!”

Hearing this, Wang Shasha’s vision darkened; she fell into a state of extreme panic.

“Don’t call the police! Don’t! It was Li Jiaxin who made me do it! It was Li Jiaxin!” she cried out.

Then she threw herself in front of He Miao, weeping bitterly and begging for forgiveness: “I’m sorry, He Miao. Please forgive me. Don’t call the police, or my life is over!”

“What’s going on? Wang Shasha, explain yourself clearly!” Old Han, the arts class leader, was truly losing his patience.

“It was Li Jiaxin. Once, she overheard the school leaders praising He Miao’s class program. She said that all the awards at the school’s evening gala had always been swept by the arts class and that no accidents could be allowed. My family is poor, so they often boss me around. She told me to steal the music score and somehow cause He Miao to be injured so she couldn’t perform. I didn’t want to do it—I was scared—but if I didn’t, they would isolate me!”

Wang Shasha looked at Ji Shichu: “Ji Shichu, you know how it feels to be isolated, right? That feeling is worse than killing yourself!”

“But Chuchu has never done anything to hurt others, even when she’s suffering herself!” Ying Zhiyao stood in front of Ji Shichu, fiercely defending him. “You have no right to compare yourself to Chuchu!”

The fiercely protective little darling was irresistibly adorable.

He Miao and Dong Rui held back their laughter.

Ji Shichu gazed at the soft, vulnerable girl before him and couldn’t help but smile; his dark eyes sparkled with amusement.

“Li Jiaxin?” Old Han’s face darkened completely.

Li Jiaxin was the representative of the entire arts class.

She played the piano beautifully, had won awards for the school, and had excellent academic results.

Usually quiet and reserved, she was the teachers’ favorite student.

So he simply could not imagine that such a child was the same person Wang Shasha described.

Wang Shasha saw Old Han’s disbelief but had no evidence to offer—she could only anxiously plead, “I’m not lying!”

“Old Han, go and call Li Jiaxin here,” Old Guo ordered.

“Wang Shasha, has anyone else been told you were called to the office?” Ji Shichu suddenly asked.

Wang Shasha shook her head: “No.”

After all, she had been taken straight to the office by Old Guo and hadn’t even processed it herself.

“If you have no evidence, even if Li Jiaxin is brought here, she can deny everything, and even have other classmates vouch for her character. Then you’d be left speechless.”

“Then what should I do? I’m telling the truth! It really was Li Jiaxin who made me do it!” Wang Shasha was on the verge of breaking down.

“If you want to prove yourself, you must put on a show,” Ji Shichu’s eyes flashed coldly before he revealed his plan.

“Homeroom teacher, Director Han, what do you think?” Ji Shichu naturally sought the teachers’ opinions.

“Let’s do it that way,” Old Guo agreed.

Though hesitant, Old Han could not argue against Ji Shichu’s concerns: “Let’s follow your suggestion.”

Following Ji Shichu’s plan, after composing herself, Wang Shasha took the initiative to find Li Jiaxin.

At that moment, Li Jiaxin and a group of her friends were still fuming.

Since the cultural class had won the grand prize, it was a tremendous humiliation for the arts class!

It was then that Wang Shasha appeared.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, utterly helpless: “I’m sorry, Jiaxin. I messed things up. But I really did steal He Miao’s music score as you told me to, and I tried to make sure she got injured and couldn’t perform. I didn’t expect…”

Seeing Wang Shasha only made Li Jiaxin angrier; her usual calm façade vanished.

With a fierce scowl, she slapped Wang Shasha hard.

Smack!

“Useless! You can’t even do such a simple thing right! You should have just destroyed the cello outright!”

Wang Shasha staggered but, though her cheek tingled, her heart finally settled.

She had done it.

At that moment, Old Han stormed in.

“Well, well!” He trembled as he pointed at Li Jiaxin. “Bullying a classmate, huh? Playing innocent? Both of you, come with me to the office!”

Li Jiaxin was stunned, and when she recovered, she glared fiercely at Wang Shasha: “You betrayed me?”

Wang Shasha lifted her head to meet her gaze: “If you do something wrong, you must face the consequences!”

Before, because of her poor family, she had been looked down upon by these people, ordered around without daring to look them in the eye.

This was the first time she had done something wrong to He Miao, and she regretted it immediately.

No matter the punishment, she accepted it.

But no one who did wrong would escape punishment!

Especially not Li Jiaxin!

The one who wore the mask of kindness but was really a pretender!

What followed was much easier because Old Han had seen and heard everything firsthand.

No matter how much Li Jiaxin denied it or cried and pretended to be weak, it was useless.

With Old Guo protecting their own, Li Jiaxin ended up with a recorded demerit.

The others had to read self-criticisms at the Monday student assembly.

Dong Rui couldn’t help but give Old Guo a thumbs-up.

He Miao was very satisfied with the outcome.

Ying Zhiyao snuggled close to Ji Shichu, habitually twisting the corner of his shirt, looking up at him with a bright smile.

Ji Shichu lowered his gaze and smiled back at the girl.

Old Han, still reeling from his nearly overturned worldview by Li Jiaxin, saw Ji Shichu and Ying Zhiyao’s intimate closeness and immediately vented his frustration.

Not to mention, Old Han and Old Guo often seized any chance to find fault with each other.

He roared, pointing at Ji Shichu and Ying Zhiyao: “You two! Aren’t you standing too close?”

Ying Zhiyao trembled, clinging even more tightly to Ji Shichu.

Ji Shichu felt a headache coming on—he was so used to the girl’s closeness that he forgot the setting was inappropriate, especially with Old Han around.

But seeing the girl startled by Old Han’s loud voice, he held back from putting distance between them. Instead, he shielded her with his body, adopting a protective stance.

Until Old Guo whispered something into Old Han’s ear.

The four of them watched as Old Han’s expression instantly softened, his chubby face blossoming into a smile: “Ah, yes, yes, this is what friendship looks like! If the whole school were like you two, we wouldn’t have stupid incidents like Li Jiaxin’s!”

The four youngsters were utterly bewildered: “??”

Friendship??

Old Guo rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Afterward, everyone accompanied He Miao to the hospital.

Following a thorough examination, it was confirmed that He Miao’s left hand had only a simple sprain, with no bone damage.

Relieved, they all looked forward to celebrating in the city the next day.