Chapter 15 — The Day the Whole School Went Wild

The form might be a mistake made by the professional team during the data consolidation phase.

Upon hearing this, Director Ma’s expression twisted instantly.

Teacher Gao, do not try to shift the blame onto the professional team.

The documents were signed and submitted by you.

He spoke, immediately drawing a receipt from his briefcase.

Your signature is right here.

Gao Lam stared at the paper, her lips trembling violently. Xu Jiaiyan suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the sleeve of my mother’s jacket.

Teacher, I beg of you.

I genuinely knew nothing about this nomination quota.

Locking her in the equipment room during the field trip was my mistake, and I am deeply sorry.

But as for the Foundation’s grant quota, I truly had no idea.

My mother harshly brushed his hand away.

You had no idea?

Did you also not know about locking my daughter in the utility room?

Did you not know about crossing out her name and writing that she was unworthy?

Did you not know about coercing the entire class into liking your post in the chat group?

Xu Jiaiyan wept until he was limp and breathless. Yet this time, not a single person stepped forward to support him. I walked over to the podium, picking up the field trip roster with my name crossed out. The words she is unworthy on the page were a glaring, pitch-black scar. I looked directly at Gao Lam.

Teacher Gao.

You once said my personality was unsuited to represent the class.

Now I would like to ask you one question.

Am I truly unworthy, or are all of you simply too terrified to let me be seen?

Gao Lam snapped her head up. Her lips parted, but before she could utter a single word, Department Head Shao’s phone rang. He answered it, listened for mere seconds, and his countenance shifted dramatically.

What?

Inside Gao Lam’s office computer, there is a deleted memo file?

He swept his gaze across the room, his voice chillingly cold.

The file is titled, Explanation for Replacing Shen Nanqiao.

When Gao Lam heard the name of that file, her entire body visibly swayed. She clutched the edge of a nearby desk, her voice dry and raspy.

I did not write it.

No one answered her. The denial had slipped past her lips far too quickly. It was so fast it sounded as though a script for her defense had been prepared long in advance. Department Head Shao led a group of people toward the faculty office. I followed behind them. My mother intended to hold me back, but ultimately loosened her grip. She merely held my hand tightly, as though afraid that the moment she relaxed, I would be cast away into some forgotten dark corner once more. Gao Lam’s desk sat right beside the window. A potted pothos plant rested on the surface. Next to it hung a framed group photo of the class. In the picture, Xu Jiaiyan stood dead center, his class monitor badge pinned proudly to his chest. I stood at the very edge of the frame, half of my face obscured by a classmate in the row ahead. I had never examined this photograph closely before. Now, I realized that even our standing positions had been meticulously arranged beforehand. A technician powered on Gao Lam’s computer. The recycle bin had been emptied, but the IT specialist swiftly recovered several documents. One of them was precisely the Explanation for Replacing Shen Nanqiao. When the file was opened, the office grew so deathly still that the whir of the computer’s cooling fan could be distinctly heard. The contents of the document were not long. Yet every single line cut like a razor-sharp blade.

Shen Nanqiao possesses outstanding academic performance, but her solitary disposition is detrimental to projecting a positive image of the school.

Following the passing of her biological father, this student’s psychological state is unstable, and her family background is sensitive; she is not encouraged to appear in the public eye.

Student Xu Jiaiyan assumes the role of class monitor, exhibits strong organizational skills, and projects a bright image, making him suitable for external promotion.

Proposal to adjust the first-stage nomination representative of the foundation to Xu Jiaiyan.

The signature at the bottom belonged to Gao Lam. The date was three days after the end of the previous semester. After reading through it once, my mother’s face turned an alarming shade of pale. She gritted her teeth and demanded, My daughter’s father passing away—is that your justification for replacing her? Gao Lam’s lips trembled.

I did not mean it like that.

My mother strode forward, cornering her.

Then what on earth did you mean?

Her father is gone, so she is no longer allowed to face other people?

She is grieving, so she is no longer bright enough for you?

She refuses to fawn over people like you, so she deserves to be cast aside?

Forced backward by the interrogation, Gao Lam cast a pleading glance toward the principal. Yet the principal utterly lacked the courage to meet her eyes. Department Head Shao spoke in an icy tone, Continue the investigation. The technician opened another spreadsheet. It was the consolidated moral conduct evaluation sheet. In the original record, my total score was ninety-eight point five. Xu Jiaiyan had ninety-one point two. Yet in the final submitted report, the peer evaluation score assigned to me had been slashed by twenty points. The stated reason:

Fails to actively participate in collective activities, adversely affecting class cohesion.

Meanwhile, Xu Jiaiyan had been awarded a bonus of fifteen points under the rationale:

Leads the class in fostering an atmosphere of mutual care and support.

Watching up to this point, Cheng Hao’s father could not help cursing aloud.

This is beyond shameless.

Xu’s mother immediately glared daggers at him, though she dared not talk back. For she, too, had already laid eyes on the column below. Family-school cooperative evaluation. Xu Jiaiyan had been given a perfect score. The accompanying note read:

Parents consistently provide enthusiastic support for class development.

Those few words acted like a vicious slap across the face, utterly shattering the defensive lies she had just attempted to spin.