So What if the Pretty Campus Belle Loves Money? (14)
Thursday, 2 p.m., in the third-floor conference room of the Administration Building.
When Shi Zheng pushed open the door and entered, both sides of the long table were already full.
Countless gazes instantly converged on her.
Then Gu Yanshen, seated at the head of the table, looked up. "Everyone's here. Let's begin."
Almost as soon as the meeting began, the school forum had already exploded.
[Hot] Shocking! SZ actually got the Student Council to hold a disciplinary hearing for her?!
[Who on earth is she? Wasn't she supposed to be expelled for sure?]
[I heard someone's protecting her? Young Master Hua? If it's not him, that only leaves President Gu.]
[Don't make wild guesses, poster above. President Gu hates backdoor dealings more than anything!]
[Waiting for the outcome. I don't believe she can turn things around this time!]
[Hoping this joke gets expelled!]
[Same!]
[Same +99]
[...]
[I'm hiding in the third-floor bathroom of the Administration Building. The door's closed, but I can hear a little. I'll give everyone a live report.]
*
About half an hour into the meeting, a post bearing the Student Council's official verification badge was suddenly published and pinned: [Notice on the investigation and handling of the forum allegations and the student involved, Shi Zheng].
[First, verification has confirmed that the information claiming student Shi Zheng came from a wealthy family was falsified.]
[Second, regarding the allegation that student Shi Zheng maintained improper relationships with multiple members of the opposite sex at the same time, the chain of evidence remains incomplete and contains questionable points. Further investigation is required.]
[In light of the above, and given that some allegations have been substantiated and caused a negative impact, student Shi Zheng will receive a warning but will not be expelled.]
[The Student Council's Disciplinary Inspection Department will continue to trace the source of certain false allegations on the forum and investigate possible malicious defamation.]
[This notice is hereby issued.]
As soon as the post went up, replies piled up into a towering thread.
[Her fake family background is confirmed! She really is a fake heiress. Ugh!]
[They didn't say the claim that she had a foot in several boats was confirmed, though! Is this a reversal?]
[What the fuck? A warning? That's it?!]
[Heh, how's a warning any different from no punishment? If she doesn't have someone backing her, I'll eat my keyboard!]
[Poster above, they already said her family is poor. Where would she get a backer?]
[Am I the only one who finds "continue to trace the source" scary... Feels like someone's about to have bad luck.]
[Keep investigating! Hurry up and find out! I want to see who's playing dirty behind the scenes!]
[Exactly, exactly. Drag out whoever made the allegations too. If we're eating melon, we should eat the whole thing.]
[Hehehe, spectators like me love watching this stuff.]
[Timidly asking... Doesn't anyone think it's strange that the president held a disciplinary hearing especially for her?]
[So... SZ doesn't have to be expelled? That's allowed???]
Public opinion erupted once more.
The controversy, which had originally centered on whether Shi Zheng should be punished, instantly branched off into speculation about the mastermind behind the scenes.
Shi Zheng's name was once again thrust into the eye of the storm.
When Su Qingqing refreshed the page and saw the post, her fingertips turned icy.
Especially at the last sentence of the notice.
She couldn't figure out what method Shi Zheng had used to persuade Gu Yanshen to help her.
*
In the conference room.
The Student Council members left one after another. Shi Zheng was just about to leave when Gu Yanshen called her back.
Gu Yanshen said, "Shi Zheng, stay a moment."
The door closed.
Shi Zheng stopped and turned around. "President, was there something else?"
Gu Yanshen didn't answer immediately.
He folded his hands in front of him and leaned back in his chair.
"You saw the notice just now."
"Mm. Thank you for handling it impartially, President."
"Impartially?" Gu Yanshen let out a cold laugh, then abruptly changed the subject. "Before the meeting started, Hua Jinchen came to see me."
Shi Zheng raised her eyes, showing an appropriate amount of surprise.
"He came to speak to me specifically about your expulsion."
Gu Yanshen said, "He told me to make sure I handled it fairly and didn't let you suffer an undeserved injustice because of false rumors."
He paused, his voice dropping a little. "Hua Jinchen has never been the type to meddle in other people's business."
"What's your relationship with him?"
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the silent standoff between them.
Gu Yanshen's question was blunt and pointed, carrying a scrutiny that would not tolerate an evasive answer.
Meeting his gaze, Shi Zheng suddenly gave a soft laugh.
Instead of answering his question, she tilted her head slightly and asked in a provocative tone, "Why are you so concerned about Hua Jinchen's reason for helping me, President?"
"Could it be... President, are you jealous?"
Gu Yanshen's interlaced fingers stilled.
"Shi Zheng, watch your words." His voice grew colder. "Answer my question."
"What relationship Hua Jinchen and I have, why he helped me... None of that seems to have anything to do with you, does it, President?"
Shi Zheng acted as though she hadn't heard his warning. "You weren't willing to help me, President, so I could only ask someone who was willing."
"Still, Hua Jinchen's face carries more weight than I expected. He actually managed to persuade the esteemed President, who's said to keep public and private matters separate."
She threw Gu Yanshen's earlier words right back at him, word for word.
With that, she stopped looking at him, turned, and headed for the door.
"Stop." Gu Yanshen's voice came from behind her.
Shi Zheng didn't stop, and her fingers had already touched the doorknob.
The next instant, an irresistible force suddenly struck from behind and seized her wrist.
The grip was so strong it hurt. She was pulled a staggering step backward, her back colliding with the chest close behind her.
At some point, Gu Yanshen had left his seat.
He trapped Shi Zheng in the narrow space between the door and his body.
His tall figure completely loomed over her, his cool cedar scent enveloping her tightly.