The Truth

The honest, dutiful class monitor was cleaning the classroom.

Following Lin Zhengran's instructions, Jiang Xueli walked to her desk with tears streaming down her face and sobs caught in her throat.

It frightened the class monitor, who was sweeping the floor, and she chose to hide off to the side.

Jiang Xueli lay on her desk and cried for a while. Seeing that the class monitor was still sweeping with her head lowered and ignoring her, she moved away the hand wiping her tears and secretly looked at Lin Zhengran, who was hiding outside the door.

She meant, "The class monitor isn't paying attention to me."

Lin Zhengran clicked his tongue and answered with his eyes, "So stupid. Don't just cry. Add some words and make it sound more serious. The more serious, the better!"

Jiang Xueli nodded. A moment later, she suddenly burst into loud sobs. "I'm sorry, class... class monitor. I've wronged you!"

The class monitor, who was sweeping, heard Jiang Xueli say her title and jumped in fright, watching her from behind with some hesitation.

Jiang Xueli continued, aggrieved, "Everyone says I stole your things, but I really didn't steal anything. Boohoo~ I don't know what's going on. I-I'm going to drop out. I'll never go to school again, and after I can't go to school, I won't be able to find a job and can only pick up trash off the street to eat every day."

Outside the door, Lin Zhengran: "."

It was a little exaggerated, but pretty vivid.

Jiang Xueli sobbed, "From now on, I'll only be able to eat rotten apples other people don't want, moldy tomatoes, and... and my mom won't want me anymore either."

"Jiang... Jiang Xueli, you said you're going to drop out?" As a child herself, the class monitor really couldn't listen anymore. She felt this was far too pitiful, and Jiang Xueli shouldn't have to be treated like this. "Don't cry first, okay? Wipe your tears first."

Jiang Xueli hadn't expected the class monitor to actually comfort her, so she cried even harder. "Boohoo, class monitor~ I know you don't believe me, but I really didn't steal your phone."

The class monitor came up to Jiang Xueli with the broom. Seeing her face covered in tears, her heart ached so much she couldn't speak. "I believe you. I believe you."

Jiang Xueli sniffled and stared at the class monitor pitifully, her voice breaking in fits and starts from sobbing. "Re-really? You really believe me? But why do you believe me? Wasn't the phone found in my desk cubby?"

The class monitor frowned, looking as if she was about to be unable to hold her words back. Seeing this, Jiang Xueli quickly grabbed her arm.

"Class monitor, do you know something? Just tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone it was you who said it. Please."

Under the condemnation of her conscience, the class monitor chose to redeem herself. She put down the broom and first walked to the doorway to check if there was anyone else. Lin Zhengran also hurriedly ran off elsewhere while he had the chance.

Luckily, this period was PE Class, and everyone had already gone to the sports field. Basically no one would come back.

The class monitor gave Jiang Xueli two tissues for her to wipe her tears.

"I'll tell you everything I know. Actually, I also think this whole thing is really strange. Because after I accidentally brought my phone to school that day, at noon the phone wasn't on me. Jiang Lin from our class had borrowed it. She said she needed to call her mom, so she borrowed my phone."

The class monitor continued, "Then... that afternoon, Jiang Lin told me my phone had been stolen. The next day, the phone was found in your desk. But this whole thing is so strange, because when I lent it to her, I gave it to her in the cafeteria. I was afraid of losing it at the time, so I'd kept the phone on me the whole time. But when I went to ask her for it that afternoon, she said it had been stolen. But that noon, I remember you were in the classroom cleaning and didn't go to the cafeteria to eat."

Jiang Xueli nodded. "Right. It's exactly because I didn't go to the cafeteria to eat that everyone says I stole your phone when I was cleaning alone."

The class monitor sat beside her. "See? Isn't this weird? I even suspect someone deliberately framed you."

Hearing this, Jiang Xueli felt everything become clear. Lin Zhengran, outside, had also heard the conversation between the two of them.

After PE Class ended, at lunch, Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli didn't go to the cafeteria.

The two of them gnawed on bread on the steps by the rooftop door of the Teaching Building. After all, the rooftop door was locked, and they couldn't go up.

Jiang Xueli watched Lin Zhengran chew his bread and said to him, "So this definitely had to be done by Jiang Lin and the others. Because the day before yesterday, I was the one who told the teacher about their group playing with phones. They must hold a grudge against me, so they framed me."

Lin Zhengran looked ahead. "Looks like it. Then why do you think your deskmate identified you? So far, this seems to have nothing to do with her."

Jiang Xueli suddenly thought of something. Nibbling her bread in small bites, her face turned red. "Actually, it does. If I have to say it, I can still find a reason for her to frame me."

"Oh?"

Jiang Xueli said in extreme embarrassment, "Can't you tell?!" Seeing that Lin Zhengran still looked completely confused.

Jiang Xueli looked at him as if she were looking at an idiot and said quietly, "My deskmate likes you! Every time the class talks about us being a couple, didn't you see she looks a little unhappy? And she secretly looks at you from time to time too."

"Huh? How do you know she secretly looks at me?"

Jiang Xueli was speechless. "Because the two of us are deskmates!"

"So what if you're deskmates? I don't know who my deskmate looks at every day." Lin Zhengran thought this was perfectly reasonable.

Her face reddened, and with her eyes shut, she retorted, "That's because you're different from normal people!"

In truth, it was because Jiang Xueli also occasionally stole glances at Lin Zhengran that she discovered her deskmate was looking at him too, but she could only keep those words bottled up in her heart.

After scolding Lin Zhengran, Jiang Xueli snorted and continued gnawing on her bread. "Forget it. There's no point telling a dummy like you. And I'm only suspicious. It doesn't necessarily mean she really would accuse me because of something like that."

Lin Zhengran looked ahead. "Doesn't matter. Anyway, you've been with me all day these past two days, and your mood has visibly improved. The person who framed you will definitely panic. These two days, we'll secretly follow the group who framed you, and we'll eventually hear something."

"Mm."

Jiang Xueli opened the last packet of pickled mustard and stuffed it into Lin Zhengran's hand, saying one thing while meaning another. "You eat the last packet. I don't like pickled mustard."

Lin Zhengran was puzzled. "If you don't like it, why did you eat two packets?"

Jiang Xueli wished she could disappear into the ground and replied in embarrassed annoyance, "What's it to you! Don't tell me you think I'm being nice to you?! Don't... don't overthink it. I don't mean anything else."

"Oh. I really hadn't thought that."

Jiang Xueli gnashed her teeth at his attitude and raised her little fist. "Dummy! Big Dummy! If you're like this, no girl will marry you when you grow up!"

"You say that like any boy will marry you, when you're always making such a fuss."

"You!" She didn't want to say any more. The more she said, the more mistakes she made. She muttered to herself, "Then perfect. We might as well make a pair."

"What?"

Jiang Xueli wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. She hadn't expected that what she was thinking in her heart would actually come out of her mouth. Flustered, she quickly covered her ears as if that could hide it. "I didn't say anything!"

A few more days passed. Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli took a recorder and secretly followed that group of people. Sure enough, a week later, they overheard their conversation and obtained the most crucial evidence in this wrongful case. The truth could come to light that very day.