Chapter 1 — The Truth in the Schoolbag

Upon my rebirth, the very first thing I did was slip fifty thousand yuan into the schoolbag of the impoverished campus idol. In my past life, after finding Xu Zhi's schoolbag on campus, I immediately brought it directly to him. Never could I have imagined that during the flag-raising ceremony, he would weep bitterly, publicly slandering me for stealing his money:

"There was fifty thousand yuan in my schoolbag, money my younger sister and I scraped together by selling everything we owned to pay for our mother's surgery..."

"Yet when Xia Chen found my schoolbag and returned it to me, there were only twenty thousand yuan left inside..."

"The hospital says today is the absolute deadline for hospital fees, where am I supposed to find another thirty thousand yuan..."

The entire faculty and student body of the school erupted instantly, cursing me as a thief and a butcher, with not a single person willing to listen to my explanations. In the end, because of this stain on my record, I was stripped of my direct admission qualification to top universities, while the righteous teachers and students banded together to relentlessly bully me. Only after death did I learn that Xu Zhi staged this entire drama solely for the sake of securing that exact direct admission slot for himself. The person who missed out on the direct admission list by a mere point was none other than Xu Zhi's younger sister. Opening my eyes once more, I had returned to the exact moment I picked up Xu Zhi's schoolbag.

I carried the schoolbag into the teaching building, where an ATM machine stood in the corner of the first floor. To make it convenient for boarding students to pay tuition, the school had partnered with a bank to place this ATM here, accompanied by a surveillance camera with a crystal-clear view that missed not a single angle. I withdrew fifty thousand yuan, then opened Xu Zhi's schoolbag right in front of the camera. Inside, as expected, were only two stacks of cash, totaling twenty thousand yuan. Indeed, from the very beginning, Xu Zhi's schoolbag had contained only twenty thousand yuan. I leisurely placed the fifty thousand yuan inside, ensuring every single movement was captured by the lens. Having finished these tasks, I did not go looking for Xu Zhi. Instead, I went straight to the headmaster's office. Headmaster Tan was arranging his speech for the flag-raising ceremony and looked slightly surprised when he saw me.

"Xia Chen? What business brings you here so early in the morning?"

I placed the schoolbag on his desk.

"Headmaster, I found a student's schoolbag by the flower beds outside in the courtyard, and the name tag says Xu Zhi."

"Fearing there might be valuables inside, I didn't dare to return it on my own and wanted to hand it over to the school for registration."

Upon hearing this, Headmaster Tan's expression immediately softened.

"You did the right thing. Handing items over to teachers when found prevents any unclear explanations later on."

I nodded.

"Could you please have a teacher log this as lost property? It would be best to clearly record the time, location of handover, and the sealed condition of the schoolbag."

The headmaster chuckled, "This child is as meticulous as a lawyer." In my past life, it was precisely because I was not meticulous enough that I once believed kindness would be treated with kindness. Yet in the end, kindness proved to be the easiest weapon for others to use in murder. Head of Department Shao was quickly summoned. He wore glasses and worked with absolute adherence to principles. Before him, I confirmed once more:

"I did not take anything from the schoolbag, and beforehand I merely recorded a complete video to verify the owner's identity. Now the schoolbag is handed over to the school for handling."

Head of Department Shao nodded, "Understood. We will register it." He took out the lost property logbook and recorded the time. Just as he set his pen down, the preparatory bell rang from the loudspeakers outside in the courtyard. The flag-raising ceremony was about to begin. Headmaster Tan looked at the schoolbag, then at me.

"Xia Chen, as it happens, today's speech theme under the flag is honesty and responsibility. Your actions serve as an excellent example, and I shall commend you on stage later."

I lowered my gaze.

"Headmaster, that won't be necessary."

"Why not?" he smiled with utmost satisfaction. "Good deeds and good people should be shared for everyone to learn from."

I did not try to dissuade him further. For I knew that the more publicly he praised me, the less likely Xu Zhi was to hold back. He had prepared for this for so long. The moment he had been waiting for was precisely when the entire school was gathered. It was just a pity that in this life, I would not jump into his trap.

After the national anthem concluded, Headmaster Tan stepped up to the microphone. First, he spoke a few words about the final sprint phase for the twelfth-grade students, before turning to the topic of honesty.

"This morning, a small yet highly commendable event occurred in our school."

"After picking up student Xu Zhi's schoolbag in the courtyard, twelfth-grade student Xia Chen from class one did not handle it privately, but immediately brought it to the school office for registration."

Low murmurs instantly rippled through the crowd.

"Xia Chen really is the top student of the grade."

"She always follows the rules."

Headmaster Tan continued, "Such an act of finding lost property and not keeping it, handling it through proper procedures, is truly worthy of everyone's emulation." Headmaster Tan turned to look toward the direction of class nine.

"Student Xu Zhi, please come up on stage to retrieve your schoolbag."

Xu Zhi slowly stepped out of the formation. First, he bowed to the headmaster. Then he looked at me, his voice laced with sobs.

"I thank the headmaster, and I also thank Xia Chen."

Xu Zhi accepted the schoolbag. His hand paused on the zipper for a fraction of a second. I saw it clearly; he did not look inside earnestly at all, merely pulling the zipper open a fraction, not even waiting for his eyes to dart around before suddenly screaming at the top of his lungs:

"Where is my money?"

Headmaster Tan frowned, "What money?" Xu Zhi clutched the schoolbag, his entire body trembling violently.

"Headmaster, there was fifty thousand yuan in my bag, money that absolutely must be paid today for my mother's dialysis and upcoming surgery."

"But now there are only twenty thousand left."

"Thirty thousand is missing."

Everyone's gazes immediately converged upon me. My expression remained entirely unchanged. Xu Zhi instantly burst into tears:

"I know Xia Chen's academic performance is excellent and she is about to be directly admitted to top universities, and I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. But that is my mother's life."

These words of his were utterly venomous. With his mouth, he claimed he did not want to make a scene, yet deliberately brought up my direct admission qualification. With his mouth, he claimed it was his mother's life, while turning me into a thief of life-saving funds. In my past life, following this declaration, everyone present erupted. In this life, it was no different.

"No way? Xia Chen stole money?"

"Her family isn't even poor."

"Just because her family isn't poor doesn't mean she won't be greedy, right? That's a whole thirty thousand."

"Xu Zhi is already so pitiful, and his mother is waiting for the money, how could Xia Chen do such a thing?"

The grade director rushed out from the ranks of teachers, her expression unsightly. She had always favored Xu Zhi. The reason was simple: Xu Zhi was sensible, came from an impoverished background, and was handsome. As for me, I was simply too steady—so steady that the teachers assumed I had no need for favoritism. The grade director walked up to me and asked in a low voice, "Xia Chen, what on earth is going on here? Did you open his bag?" I replied, "I did open it." Her expression shifted instantly. I added, "To verify the identity of the person who lost it, I recorded a video." She completely ignored the second half of my sentence.

"How could you casually search someone else's schoolbag? This is a violation of the law!"

The crowd began to buzz once more. Xu Zhi's voice was drenched in tears.

"Teacher, I don't want to wrong anyone. But my schoolbag has only passed through the hands of Xia Chen and the headmaster. The headmaster couldn't possibly take my money, so who else could it be?"

Headmaster Tan's face darkened.

"Xu Zhi, calm down first. This matter requires investigation."

"Headmaster, I cannot calm down!"

Xu Zhi's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"My mother is lying in the hospital waiting for payment, and last night my younger sister had to work part-time until dawn just to gather that fifty thousand yuan!"

"Student Xia Chen already has a direct admission slot to top universities, she has everything, why must she still take money from my family?"

The phrase "she has everything" practically ignited the entire school. Envy was the easiest thing to drape in the cloak of righteousness. Someone began to shout loudly:

"Check Xia Chen's schoolbag!"

"Make her return the money!"

"If she steals a patient's money, shouldn't her direct admission qualification be revoked as well?"

"With morals like that, how can she represent the school at top universities?"

At that exact moment, someone stepped out from the ranks. It was Xu Zhi's younger sister, Xu Yuewei.

"Headmaster, I would like to say a few words."

Headmaster Tan frowned, "Xu Yuewei, go back to your formation first." Xu Yuewei did not move. She stood below the stage, lifting her head to gaze at me.

"Xia Chen, I have always admired you. Your grades are excellent, you've won numerous competitions, and teachers and students alike say you are the pride of our school."

"Yet I want to ask one question: is someone who even steals life-saving money from a patient truly worthy of being recommended by the school to top universities?"

As soon as these words fell, the entire schoolyard erupted completely. Xu Zhi wept as he shook his head, "Weiwei, stop talking, perhaps student Xia Chen was just momentarily confused..." Xu Yuewei suddenly turned toward him.

"Brother, even now you are still speaking up for him?"

The two siblings played their roles well: one acting as the kind soul, the other as the ruthless antagonist. One offered weak forgiveness, while the other relentlessly questioned with righteousness. Their coordination was flawless. Xu Yuewei looked at Headmaster Tan, her voice restrained yet sharp.

"Headmaster, direct admission to top universities does not look at grades alone, moral character is also required, isn't it?"

"If the school brushes this matter aside today simply because Xia Chen has good academic results, is that fair to ordinary students like us?"

"Is it fair to my brother? Is it fair to my mother lying in the hospital?"

Voices from beneath the stage immediately chimed in.

"Unfair!"

"It must be dealt with!"

"Give her a major demerit!"

"Suspend her direct admission!"

I stood in place, listening to the sounds echoing from all directions. In this life, everyone still stood in opposition to me. The teachers doubted me. Classmates distanced themselves from me. The campus idol wept as he forgave me. His younger sister demanded "justice" on his behalf. How familiar. How utterly repulsive. Headmaster Tan was driven to a pale complexion. He raised his hand to signal several times, yet still could not suppress the roaring chants across the schoolyard. Finally, he looked toward Head of Department Shao.

"Draft a temporary disciplinary plan first."

The grade director chimed in immediately, "Headmaster, under these circumstances, if we fail to show our stance in a timely manner, the parents will undoubtedly make a huge scene." Xu Yuewei pressed further, "Headmaster, I am only asking for handling according to school regulations. With such a massive theft, at the very least a major demerit should be issued, right?" Xu Zhi chimed in, "I do not wish to ruin student Xia Chen's future; as long as she returns the thirty thousand yuan to me and gives my mother a chance to survive, I am willing to write a letter of leniency." Such a fine word, leniency. I had not even confessed, yet he had already begun discussing forgiveness. Headmaster Tan closed his eyes and finally spoke: