"Shu Ran, is what Mr. Yu said true?" Zhou Li asked anxiously. She couldn't believe such a thing could happen—especially with a student like Shu Ran. The girl had always been timid; how could she possibly be bold enough to pull off something like this? But the evidence seemed solid.
"Who's Liu Hong?" Shu Ran suddenly asked.
Both Zhou Li and Yu Yi froze on the spot. After a pause of three seconds, Yu Yi turned toward the door and barked, "What are you standing there for? Get in here!"
A well-built, dark-skinned boy strolled in. His face showed no fear or guilt, as if walking into the teacher's office was part of his daily routine.
He stopped next to Yu Yi and tilted his head, sizing up Shu Ran with a disdainful snort.
"I don't know him," Shu Ran said coldly, even before Yu Yi had a chance to speak.
Yu Yi's lips twitched. Liu Hong's eyes widened, anger flashing in them.
Her long black hair was tied into two neat braids hanging over her shoulders. Her features weren't striking but had a quiet elegance to them, though her face was pale—like a doll drained of life. But her eyes… her eyes were razor-sharp, like a hawk's, impossible to look away from. Liu Hong blinked, rarely had he seen such piercing eyes.
"Everyone in this school knows him, and you're saying you don't?" Yu Yi took a deep breath and said coldly, "He's probably even bullied you before."
So this is the infamous Liu Hong? Shu Ran looked at him again. Honestly, whether in her past life or this one, she had only ever heard about this boy—never actually seen him. She had always been the kind to hide quietly in the shadows.
Liu Hong, encouraged by Yu Yi's words, quickly nodded. "She's the one who told me to sneak into the office and steal the test paper."
Zhou Li frowned at that and looked toward Shu Ran.
"I don't know you." Shu Ran repeated, her voice calm, without any explanation. She didn't need to explain—if she didn't know him, then everything he said was a lie.
Liu Hong's face flushed. He hadn't expected to be dismissed like that by such a seemingly insignificant girl. He opened his mouth to argue, but when he met her gaze—those sharp, eagle-like eyes—he felt an invisible pressure that made his throat tighten.
"I... now that I look again, maybe it wasn't her," Liu Hong muttered.
"Liu Hong!" Yu Yi roared, "What kind of game are you playing? First it was her, now it's not? You, of all people, should be able to tell who gave you the order!"
"Well, Mr. Yu, they gave me money, so I did it. And it was a dark alley—I couldn't see clearly," Liu Hong said, then clapped a hand over his mouth. Crap, he hadn't meant to mention the money.
Yu Yi's face darkened with fury. He grabbed Liu Hong and started searching him, quickly pulling out a crumpled one-hundred-yuan note. He froze. That was no small sum. In this day and age, ten yuan could go a long way—whoever handed over a hundred was clearly not your average student.
"Confiscated!" Yu Yi growled, stuffing the bill into his own pocket.
"Come on, Uncle! I worked hard for that money!" Liu Hong lunged forward to snatch it back but got kicked aside by Yu Yi.
"Come back when you can beat me," Yu Yi snapped. Liu Hong stood off to the side, deflated and quiet.
"Mr. Yu," Zhou Li said, unfazed by the familiar drama between uncle and nephew, "even Liu Hong just admitted he's not sure it was Shu Ran. You can't accuse her without proof."
"I have no objections," Yu Yi replied, glancing at Shu Ran. "But the Director gave you three days."
The adult world was indeed full of subtleties. If Shu Ran hadn't been reborn, she wouldn't have picked up the deeper meaning behind Yu Yi's words.
"I know," Zhou Li sighed, "but I can't let an innocent student take the fall either. If no conclusion is reached within three days, I'll accept the consequences myself."
"Retake the exam."
A deep, magnetic voice suddenly echoed through the office.
The four of them looked around in surprise. The office had seemed empty—where had the voice come from? Then, from the last row of desks, a figure slowly sat up. The movement was unhurried, elegant.
"Mr. Gu, you're still here?" Yu Yi asked when he recognized the man's handsome face.
"I was a little tired, just took a short nap," Gu Yichen replied, his gaze falling on Shu Ran as the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile. The sight seemed to dim everything else in the room—like nothing else existed but him.
Seriously, why did a man have to look this good? He could turn heads of both genders. Absolute menace. Shu Ran quickly averted her gaze, only to find the other three still staring dazedly at him—especially her homeroom teacher. Sigh. After everything in her previous life, she'd come to a firm conclusion: the better-looking a man was, the worse he usually turned out to be.
"Mr. Gu, are you suggesting I retake the test?" Shu Ran asked with a trace of annoyance in her voice.
Her words snapped the others back to reality. Yu Yi coughed awkwardly.
"It's the simplest and fastest way," Gu Yichen said as he stood up. The sportswear he wore couldn't hide his tall, lean figure—it only made it harder to look away.
"It's a good idea," Zhou Li added in a small voice, cheeks flushed. "Shu Ran, are you okay with that?"
"Doesn't matter to me," Shu Ran replied calmly.
Something felt off. Her body was tense. Was it because of this man? She shifted her eyes to Gu Yichen again, only to find his gaze still locked onto her—probing, curious, with a predatory sharpness that sent a chill down her spine.
"Let's do it today, then," Gu Yichen declared before anyone could object. "I'll speak with the Director. We'll hold the test after school."
Huh? Shu Ran's mouth twitched. Not only was this guy arrogant, but he was also controlling. Still, his proposal wasn't bad. The sooner the matter was settled, the sooner the rumors could die down. She'd rather not go home with this hanging over her head—who knew what lies Gao Yuanyuan would feed to Gao Jianjun?
Her gaze shifted to Liu Hong again. A hundred yuan wasn't pocket change, and no one knew there'd be a pop quiz today. That meant someone had given him the money after the exam. Someone who hated her and had money to spare—Gao Yuanyuan was the only one that fit the bill.
"What… what are you looking at me for?!" Liu Hong stammered, squirming under her stare. "Keep staring and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Normally, such a threat would make most kids flinch or run away. But Shu Ran just stood there, staring calmly at him. It was like punching cotton—no reaction at all. Liu Hong nearly choked on his own frustration. If Yu Yi weren't here, he might've actually tried to hit her.