Chapter 7 — The Truth in the Schoolbag

In the meeting room, not a single soul remained to speak up for him. I lifted my phone and dialed the police right before their very eyes. As the ringing tone pierced the tense silence, Arthur finally broke down completely. He buried his face in his hands and wept aloud. Vivian closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping in utter defeat. Hearing the call connect, I spoke only a single, resolute sentence:

Hello, I wish to report a crime. Someone has publicly fabricated falsehoods within the school grounds, deliberately attempting to frame me for theft and severely jeopardizing my eligibility for direct university admission.

When the police arrived at the school, the second morning period had just concluded. The courtyard outside the administration building was densely packed with students. Everyone pretended to be merely passing by, yet every single gaze darted furtively toward the meeting room. I calmly explained the situation to the officers, submitting the surveillance footage, screenshots, chat logs, and a duplicate copy of the lost-and-found registry from my phone. Dean Shao also retrieved the security camera data. In the video, from the exact moment I picked up the bag, pulled out the money, placed the money back inside, and finally handed the bag over, the entire process was crystal clear and undeniable. On the other end, the information center extracted the forum login records, the access card history for the printing room, and Vivian’s temporary file saves. After reviewing the evidence, the expressions of the police officers turned grave and stern.

This is no longer a simple misunderstanding.

Arthur cried so hard he could barely catch his breath.

I really did not mean to do it, I was just too terrified...

The female officer in charge of taking down the statement raised her head to look at him.

During the flag-raising ceremony, you publicly singled out Ethan for stealing money and demanded that the school take disciplinary action against him, did you not?

Arthur fell utterly silent.

Your sister also demanded that the school issue a severe disciplinary mark right at the scene, questioning Ethan's eligibility for direct admission, did you not both push for this?

He lowered his head and offered no reply.

You knew full well that your mother's medical expenses had already been paid off, yet you still proclaimed today that fifty thousand must be handed over immediately, correct?

He dared not answer even more. Vivian still attempted to struggle out of her predicament.

I did not instigate him, I only helped him write the draft.

The officer pushed the printed draft right before her eyes.

This draft was written before the incident even took place, and the content contains specific accusations against Ethan as well as veiled insinuations regarding his direct admission status.

Please explain this.

Vivian’s lips trembled slightly, but in the end, she could not utter a single word in her defense. That very noon, the school issued its first official notice. The phrasing was exceptionally cautious. The announcement merely stated that a dispute regarding property within the lost-and-found items had occurred during the morning flag-raising ceremony; following a preliminary review, Ethan Tran had indeed handed over the schoolbag in accordance with proper procedures, and no act of misappropriation had been found. The school had rescinded the provisional disciplinary notice issued against Ethan Tran and was actively cooperating with the police to conduct a thorough investigation. The notice did not explicitly mention the names of the two siblings, Arthur and Vivian. Yet everyone in the entire school knew precisely who was being referred to. The class group chats, grade-level chats, and parent-teacher messaging groups instantly exploded into chaos. In my past life, the name that was continuously dragged through the mud in those chats was mine.

Ethan Tran stole lifesaving money.

What is the use of being at the top of the grade if your character is rotten?

Resolutely demand that his direct admission qualification be revoked immediately.

In this lifetime, however, the narrative had drastically shifted.

So Ethan Tran did not steal the money after all?

Then was Arthur crying his eyes out like that this morning just a performance?

Didn't Vivian even stand up and declare that Ethan was not worthy of admission to top universities?

I actually believed it at the time, I even joined in chanting for them to punish him severely...

The principal had already agreed to the disciplinary action, they almost completely ruined an innocent person's future, didn't they?

Are the screenshots of Vivian's forum post real? Was she trying to snatch the alternate spot for direct admission?

To frame someone else just to secure an admission spot, that is utterly terrifying.

I scrolled through the messages in the group chats, my fingers calmly dragging downward. The number of apologies was pitifully small. The vast majority of people were merely scrambling to absolve themselves of any responsibility.

I only heard what other people were saying.

In that kind of situation, anyone would have misunderstood.

It is a good thing the truth was investigated clearly.

A good thing, you say? If I had not relived my life, if I had not prepared the evidence beforehand, would they still be saying it is a good thing? Absolutely not. They would have simply trampled all over me while proclaiming that they were upholding justice. During the lunch break, the head of the grade level summoned me to her office. She poured me a cup of warm water, her tone far softer and gentler than it had been that morning.

Ethan, the teachers were also anxious this morning because Arthur's family background is particularly difficult, and we were afraid that a delay might genuinely harm his mother's medical treatment.

I did not accept the cup of water.

Teacher Hua, you should not have been afraid of delaying his mother's treatment; you should have asked for the evidence first.

Her expression turned somewhat unsightly.

I never said for certain that you were the one who stole it.

I looked straight into her eyes: You questioned me right in front of the top-ranking students, asking why I searched someone else's bag, and you even stated that the matter could not be easily explained away.

She opened her mouth, speechless. I continued speaking: When Vivian questioned my worthiness for direct admission, you did not stop her.

When the students shouted for a severe disciplinary mark to be recorded against me, you did not stop them either.

When the principal prepared to issue the disciplinary penalty against me, you remarked that if a stance was not shown promptly, the parents would raise a tremendous uproar.

Teacher Hua, you are the head of my grade level.

A single word from you carried far more weight than ten people calling me a thief.

The other teachers in the office remained entirely silent.