Although Peng Xue said generously that it didn't matter if the cup was broken, Xia Yuan's worries finally became a reality.
Huang Lian came to the classroom early after changing her shoes and eating at home. Seeing the lazy appearance of the class, she immediately became furious and called out the names of the students one by one and scolded them:
"Yin Ruichao, I heard your voice in the corridor, go stand outside!"
"Jiang Yanhang, ah. You ranked in the top 20 in the class in the last quiz, and you still have the nerve to show off here? You have to stand up during self-study tonight!"
"Our class has always been an excellent class in the school, but it was held back by a few bad apples like you! A few bad apples spoil the whole bunch. You guys are always smiling and frolicking. I am so angry at you that I am about to vomit blood. It really is..."
Huang Lian gasped for breath and went to look for the teacup on his podium.
Of course, there was no teacup. Huang Lian fiddled with the things on the podium and searched everywhere, but there was no sign of a teacup.
Xia Yuan wanted to talk about this matter as soon as she entered the room, but Huang Lian flew into a rage as soon as she came in, causing her to miss the first time node, while Peng Xue next to her was still sleeping soundly, catching up on her sleep without a care in the world.
There was no other choice, so Xia Yuan had to wake Peng Xue up first, then walked to the podium with gritted teeth and explained the situation to Huang Lian.
Huang Lian's face was visibly twisted, and finally turned extremely blue.
"Tell me, my glass was broken? Who did it? Come out!"
Xia Yuan quickly waved his hands and said, "It was already broken when Peng Xue and I saw it."
"Where are the other students on duty? Were they not there at the time?"
"They all went downstairs to eat first. We are waiting for the health committee to inspect."
"Since you are waiting for the inspection, you should have been waiting in class. Where did you run off to?"
Peng Xue also woke up at this time and quickly raised her hand to take over the conversation: "Teacher, Xia Yuan went to the bathroom at that time. I chatted with the sanitation inspector for a few minutes, and then I turned around and saw the cup fell to the ground."
"Didn't you see anyone leaving the class?"
"I didn't pay much attention to who went out. They were all the ones who checked hygiene in the class."
Peng Xue shook her head.
"… "
Huang Lian asked some more details, and Xia Yuan told them all truthfully. When she learned that Peng Xue was the only one at the scene, Huang Lian's face turned pale and she said nothing. Xia Yuan stood stupidly beside the teacher, looking panicked and she didn't know if she could go back to her seat and sit down.
"Teacher... Although we didn't drop the cup, Peng Xue and I were indeed responsible for not taking good care of it. How about we pool our money to compensate you?"
"What do I need your students' money for? Go back to your seat first."
Xia Yuan walked to his seat tremblingly and sat down.
"Of course, a cup may not be worth much, but if this cup can reveal whether a person is honest, then its significance is extraordinary."
As a Chinese teacher, Huang Lian always gives a lecture. "For example, some people dress up beautifully on the surface, but they are extremely ugly and dirty on the inside. I have repeatedly emphasized to you that it doesn't matter if you make mistakes. The most terrible thing is not daring to admit it."
"Of course, what's even more disgusting is that some people don't know how to repent after being criticized, but instead deliberately go against the teacher."
Huang Lian was talking while looking at Xia Yuan and Peng Xue. The two of them had been doing their homework with their heads down and not talking. Huang Lian was still muttering, "What hatred or grudge could there be between me and you? After I finish teaching you for three years, you won't even come back to see me. I will still teach my next class. It doesn't matter if you go against me now, but if you delay your own future—"
Bang!
Finally, Peng Xue, who had been being blamed for something else, couldn't stand it anymore.
She slammed the table hard with the pen in hand, and the whole classroom fell silent.
"Peng Xue, what are you doing? Did I say anything about you? You feel guilty, right?"
"I told you I didn't fall!"
"Who allowed you to sit and talk to me? Stand up! Do you hear me?"
Peng Xue stood up reluctantly, she took a long breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Let me ask you, you said you didn't fall, who can prove it for you? Xia Yuan! Stand up too."
As Xia Yuan stood up, Huang Lian also stepped forward to question Xia Yuan, "You just told me very clearly that when you came back, did you see that the cup was broken and Peng Xue was sweeping the cup?"
Xia Yuan nodded hesitantly, "But this can't be-"
"But what but? You don't want to learn good things, but just follow Peng Xue to learn bad things, right? There is no one else who can prove your innocence, how can you prove that the cup was not dropped by you two? I think you have a good motive! I said a few words to you when you were cleaning this afternoon, so you are holding a grudge, right?"
"Teacher, if you have a dark mind yourself, don't always speculate about other people's goodness or badness!"
"Still talking back?"
"Is what I said wrong?" Peng Xue yelled at Huang Lian, "I already said it wasn't me who fell. I admitted it a long time ago, okay? Why do you have to hold on to me? Are you sick?"
"Okay then! You said I'm sick, so you can ask my classmates, which classmate do you think would do such a thing, would break my cup? Hmm? Can you find one and let him explain his motives?"
Huang Lian asked Xia Yuan to give up her seat and dragged Peng Xue to the podium. "Come, look for it. Look up. Who else in the class would break my cup besides you? Yin Ruichao, stand up. Is that you?"
Yin Ruichao stood up and waved his hands quickly, "I, I was playing basketball while I was cleaning."
"Jiang Yanhang, is that you?"
Jiang Yanhang also shook his head. "I, I have been queuing up to buy beef noodles. I didn't know!"
Huang Lian left Peng Xue on the podium as if she were publicly executing her. She clapped her hands and signaled everyone:
"I think we should not go to self-study tonight. If we can't find the criminal who broke the cup, there is no need for us to continue studying, because we all need to learn how to be human beings first."
"If a student doesn't even have the courage to admit his mistakes, such a black sheep is very dangerous in our class. Let me tell you this. Each of you should take out a piece of paper and clearly state where you were and what you did during the general cleaning this afternoon. If anyone can testify for you, I will collect them one by one."
After a brief hesitation, the students in the class began to take out their letter paper and notes and started writing.
Only Xia Yuan kept his head down, clenched his fists, and sat stiffly in his seat, motionless.
"Of course, if you have evidence, if you saw someone break my cup, or even if you just suspect someone, you can write it down."
"You know, you're not harming her, you're helping her."
"If you can't find it, then you should also remember that the reason you didn't have self-study tonight was because one person delayed everyone's progress."
"Who is it? Come out and admit it! You're wasting everyone's time..."
"How much can a cup be worth? I'll help you pay for it. I still need to study hard!"
The continuous shouting and whispering filled the entire class and surrounded Peng Xue's ears.
Even she was beginning to waver now.
Huang Lian successfully spread the emotions of dissatisfaction in the class and focused everyone's dissatisfaction on this "culprit".
She seemed to be on an uninhabited island, surrounded by thick black fog and endless night.
Huang Lian collected the notes written by everyone, shuffled the order, hid the names, and began to read out loud some of the contents on the notes.
Most of the students in the notes were just distancing themselves from the matter and pretending it had nothing to do with them.
But there were also a few people who were curious and mentioned Peng Xue's name among the suspects.
They mentioned that Peng Xue hated Huang Lian so much that she called her a yellow-faced woman behind her back;
They mentioned that Peng Xue had said that she had the bad idea of deflation of Huang Lian's bicycle;
There were even some people who pretended to be good people, hoping that Peng Xue would stop being stubborn and apologize to the teacher sincerely so that the class could return to its previous harmony and love. However, this had directly defined Peng Xue as a criminal.
Some of the content was complaints that Peng Xue had only confided to her companions, but now they had all become thorns piercing her heart.
This made her, who was already accustomed to being targeted and had always maintained a calm mentality even when treated like this, finally develop a sense of despair as if she was falling into the abyss.
After collecting the notes, Huang Lian finally received them in front of Xia Yuan.
"Xia Yuan, where is what you wrote?"
Xia Yuan lowered his head and remained silent.
"I'm asking you, did you hear me? Stand up!"
Xia Yuan continued to remain silent, but his fists were always clenched tightly.
Amidst the continuous urging, she finally stood up slowly and faced Huang Lian, whose face was ashen.
At the podium in front, Peng Xue, who was always cheerful, was biting her lip and lowering her head. Her beautiful bangs were sticking weakly to her forehead. No one knew what kind of mood she was in at this moment.
"Xia Yuan, why don't you write anything?"
"Because, in my opinion, you are not seriously looking for the criminal at all."
"You're just looking for an excuse to vent your anger on Xiaoxue."
Xia Yuan held his head high and looked at his head teacher, his eyes full of anger.
"Don't you think it's despicable for you to do this?"
"I don't understand... I don't know why even my classmates are following you in doing such despicable things!"
Xia Yuan, who has always been friendly and respectful to teachers, stood on Peng Xue's side this time to protect Peng Xue and became an enemy of all the teachers and classmates in the class.
Of course, no one stood up to support it, and no one stood up to refute it.
Only Peng Xue, who was in the abyss, raised her head slightly, her air bangs swaying slightly, and her blurry vision fell on the dazzling Xia Yuan.
Huang Lian was extremely angry. She really didn't expect that this good girl, who she thought was timid and cowardly, would be so disrespectful to her.
"So, you are definitely not going to listen to the teacher's advice and insist on going along with others, right?"
Xia Yuan shook his head slightly.
"I don't want to be associated with this."
Her clear eyes were determined and full of anger.
"I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely will not go along with you guys!"
Bang!
Huang Lian, who was furious, slapped Xia Yuan in the face. The crisp sound made the whole classroom quiet down, and a bright red palm print immediately appeared on Xia Yuan's fair cheek.
It has been more than ten years since Xia Yuan grew up, and her parents, grandmother, Lin Youxi, Mei Fang, and many other friends have never let her suffer such injustice.
But Xia Yuan, who always plays the role of a crybaby, did not shed tears this time. Instead, she remained unwilling to be outdone and stared at Huang Lian firmly.
Almost at the same time, Huang Lian was suddenly pulled back a few steps.
The one who pulled her away was Peng Xue, who was originally standing on the podium as punishment.
Peng Xue seemed to be greatly stimulated after seeing Xia Yuan being slapped for her. She burst out with aggressive murderous intent. She grabbed the collar of Huang Lian, who was not much taller than her and had a thin body, and slapped her hard. Amid her screams, the two of them started fighting by grabbing each other's hair.
The students in the class had never seen such a scene before. Everyone was stunned for a while, and finally the two were pulled apart under the command of the class monitor Chen Jiacong.
Huang Lian was furious and pointed at Peng Xue and yelled, "Get out of here! Pack your bags and leave now! I don't have a student like you who has a corrupt character and no respect for elders!"
After beating Huang Lian, Peng Xue ignored her and went back to his seat. He rubbed Xia Yuan's cheek with heartache and began to pack his schoolbag.
"I... I'll go with you too!"
Peng Xue shook her head and smiled. She smoothed her messy hair and patted Xia Yuan's head gently. "You have done enough for me. Thank you, Yuanyuan."
“It’s really fun to be with you guys.”
"I'll always remember that."
Beating a teacher was considered a very serious incident by people in this small county. It was basically impossible for Peng Xue to stay in school and continue her studies after this incident, so she tactfully carried her schoolbag, held her head high, and walked out of the classroom with confidence. The students next to her avoided her under her aura.
She is very proud.
She never searches.
…
The loud noise made by the class next door caused the head teachers of class 9 and class 7 who were studying to run over to check it out. After Li Shibing left, the students in the class were in a commotion, and many curious students planned to sneak over to watch. It was Lin Youxi who maintained order and calmed the class.
When Mei Fang was delivering beef noodles, he heard Xia Yuan talk about the incident of smashing the Huanglian cup. He was already worried. Then, when he saw Peng Xue striding through the corridor with her schoolbag in hand, rubbing her eyes, he immediately realized that something must have happened to Yuanyuan.
That day, Huang Lian kept all the students in Class 8 after school until eight o'clock. When Xia Yuan dragged her exhausted body out of the classroom, she saw Mei Fang and Lin Youxi still waiting in the corridor. She threw herself into their arms without thinking.
Lin Youxi and Mei Fang tacitly did not ask anything, they just let Xia Yuan hug them.
Exhausted, Xia Yuan accompanied the two halfway before gradually sorting out his thoughts and telling Mei Fang and Lin Youxi about the farce that happened in the evening.
After listening to this, Mei Fang had a lot to say and a lot of anger to vent. This was the first time in his life that he was so angry at someone.
However, seeing Yuanyuan's haggard face, he couldn't bear to let Xia Yuan recall the pain just now and vent his anger.
She described it in very fragments, but Mei Fang could roughly imagine the scene at that time.
Peng Xue almost replicated her journey into the abyss in her previous life, but this time she was not alone. Xia Yuan became her only light, just as she was Lin Youxi's light in the past. Mei Fang's rescue of Xia Yuan became Xia Yuan's rescue of Peng Xue, and she pulled Peng Xue back from the edge of the cliff.
"Yuanyuan... you are really amazing."
In Mei Fang's opinion, going against the whole world for a friend was something that even he, a reborn person, could not be absolutely sure of doing in that atmosphere at that time, but she did it, and it was extremely brilliant.
"You were able to stick to your own ideas and stand on her side in front of so many people. This is the courage that a child of your age cannot have. To be honest, I may not be as resolute as you. Peng Xue must be very grateful to have you as a friend, and that's why she stood up for you at that time."
"I wish she wouldn't help me..."
Xia Yuan has been feeling very sad and self-blaming about this, "This means Xiaoxue won't be able to stay in our class or in our school."
"Since the whole incident was caused by a misunderstanding, if we can clear up this misunderstanding, maybe the principal can make some concessions."
Lin Youxi didn't ask many questions, but she held Xia Yuan's hand tightly and analyzed the problem for her: "Let's think of a solution together. Ask more people in the nearby classes tomorrow. If we find the real culprit, the responsibility for the cause can be transferred to the yellow-faced woman."
"Haha, Youxi, why are you calling her a yellow-faced woman too?"
"Why can't I scream? How dare you bully our Yuanyuan?"
Lin Youxi gently stroked Xia Yuan's right cheek, her words full of heartache, "We grew up together, and you've never been beaten like this..."
"It doesn't hurt that much, actually. Hehe... Especially after Xiaoxue helped me beat up that yellow-faced woman, I felt really refreshed! But, are you willing to believe with me that Xiaoxue is not the criminal?"
"Of course."
Mei Fang gently pinched Xia Yuan's cheek and said, "Didn't I say before that no matter what decision you make, I will unconditionally protect and support you."
"I feel the same way."
Lin Youxi held Xia Yuan's hand.
"Hey hey hey... It's great to have you guys here."
As Xia Yuan was talking, he turned his head and looked at Mei Fang.
"But... it's just... I'm really tired now, and I kind of want - um, I just want Ah Fang's super energy right now, okay?"
In the past, Mei Fang would definitely be troubled for a long time when encountering such a situation, let alone this was in front of Lin Youxi.
But today is a special case.
Mei Fang hugged her without thinking and even carried Xia Yuan around twice.
Lin Youxi watched from the side with her lips pursed, her eyes full of a gentle smile.
Xia Yuan got down from Mei Fang's arms, but she was not satisfied yet. Instead, she moved towards Lin Youxi and opened her arms.
"And then... and then there is the super energy!"
Lin Youxi didn't seem to be particularly surprised by this term, which made Mei Fang feel a little disappointed that he was being too sentimental.
Alfang's super energy, it seems that it is not a special term!
However, if I just share a unique title with Youxi, then it’s nothing...
Mei Fang watched the girls he liked being close to each other with peace of mind. After his smile faded, his expression gradually became serious.
The current primary goal of this matter is to clear Peng Xue of the injustice and find out the real culprit who broke the cup so that Peng Xue can return to the classroom.
Of course, this alone is definitely not enough.
The main culprit will not leave the stage because of this.
Young children dare not or do not know how to resist the unreasonable discipline of adults, but once they know how to do it and have the courage to do so, they will soon understand that students are not always the weaker party.
It needs to be acknowledged that the vast majority of teachers are good teachers who are willing to love and care about their students and live up to their responsibility of teaching and educating.
However, teachers like Huang Lian do exist.
When being targeted like this, being submissive and tolerant will only encourage the other party's arrogance.
Resistance is the only way out.
Mei Fang has made up his mind and will now begin preparing a tactical plan.
I can't let my Yuanyuan suffer from this shrewd woman anymore.
If this chapter is in parts, it will affect the experience, so I will just post this one big chapter today.
Someone in the comment section really got it right!
Also, today is a special day, so everyone should try to keep a low profile and be careful with what they say and do. The pictures and decorations for the Easter egg chapter will be released later.
(End of this chapter)