Establishing Initial Credibility

"Teacher Zhou..."

The other teachers offered a few lukewarm reprimands.

Zhou Yi had heard these words many times before, yet hadn't she always gone her own way regardless?

But hearing them now, Zhou Yi only felt a burning sensation on her face, as if she were a peeled egg, laid bare and exposed before everyone.

Damn it!

When had she ever suffered such indignity!

When had she ever been this disheveled?

It was all because of this Nyarlathotep!

If he hadn't suddenly intervened, these cowards would have been obediently listening to her after she had made an example of the first few!

Once this batch of students was admitted to the inner court, her teaching career would have added another glorious chapter.

But all of this had been ruined by this damned Nyarlathotep!

Xia Linyuan had no idea that Zhou Yi's internal monologue was so rich; his "all that is spoken shall be known" ability was not mind reading.

"Gu Qingqi, is that any way to speak to Teacher Zhou? Apologize to Teacher Zhou at once!" he feigned a scolding tone.

Being scolded by Xia Linyuan, Gu Qingqi felt a bit aggrieved. "Teacher Nyarlathotep, everything I said is true! Before you arrived, she called us trash and idiots. Just because we didn't fight during registration, she called us useless!"

"Teacher Nyarlathotep, what did we do wrong? Why should we be called trash and idiots by a stranger for no reason? Just because we didn't fight, we get called useless? Is it just because she is our homeroom teacher?"

"Even our mothers, who carried us for ten months and endured hardship to give birth to us, wouldn't call us useless for making a mistake, let alone when we haven't done anything! Does being our homeroom teacher give her the right to say whatever she wants and curse us?"

"This whole thing was started by her from the very beginning. It's not your fault at all, Teacher Nyarlathotep. Why should you bear the brunt of unearned criticism just to defend her?"

Gu Qingqi's words were sincere, earnest, and deeply moving, instantly resonating with many of the students.

"That's right, Teacher Nyarlathotep!"

"Teacher Nyarlathotep, she isn't worth you bearing unearned criticism to defend her!"

"Teacher Nyarlathotep, I, Gu Qingqi—refuse to accept this!!!"

Gu Qingqi roared this last sentence, his voice even carrying a hint of a sob.

It was enough to see that they were truly, deeply aggrieved.

The students who resonated with these emotions looked at each other, seeing the glistening tears in each other's eyes, and then spoke in unison with firm voices: "We refuse to accept this!"

In the last row, at the desk by the door.

Gu Yuena nudged Xia Linyuan with her elbow. "I was wondering; so this was the little scheme you were playing. Did you know something like this would happen all along?"

"More or less," Xia Linyuan replied nonchalantly.

"Tell me, how did you manage that?"

"A clone ability. Is that so strange?"

It was strange! Of course it was strange! Even the Dragon God didn't have a clone ability, so wasn't it normal for her to find it strange?

"Oh, I forgot you are all from the gutter," Xia Linyuan said coolly.

Gu Yuena almost couldn't resist wanting to take a needle and sew that incredibly punchable mouth of his shut.

Zhou Yi and the other teachers could never have imagined that in such a short time, "Nyarlathotep" had gained the approval of so many students.

Hearing the shouts growing louder and louder, Zhou Yi finally panicked. "Are you all rebelling?"

As soon as she spoke, the atmosphere in the classroom became increasingly tense.

If not for the presence of so many other teachers, Zhou Yi would have likely slammed the door and left long ago.

Seeing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, a teacher hurriedly signaled her with their eyes not to add fuel to the fire, and Zhou Yi reluctantly shut her mouth.

This Zhou Yi really didn't know the first thing about reading the room.

"Quiet, quiet!" Xia Linyuan said in a deep voice, and the entire class finally fell silent.

Xia Linyuan said, "It is true that Teacher Zhou spoke out of turn first, but I believe Teacher Zhou is simply accustomed to the teaching methods she has cultivated over the years and did not do so intentionally. I hope everyone can be more understanding of Teacher Zhou. I believe Teacher Zhou will surely correct her teaching methods and teach according to each student's needs."

This new teacher was truly sensible and easy to work with. In contrast, Zhou Yi only knew how to add fuel to the fire. A new teacher was doing a better job than her, knowing when to stop and even magnanimously giving her a way out.

This was the collective thought of all the teachers present.

However, no one noticed the thin, cold smile on the corner of Xia Linyuan's lips, which looked exceptionally sarcastic.

He gave Zhou Yi a way out only to build a persona in front of everyone and establish his own credibility, so as to facilitate his future actions.

Otherwise, why would he design a plan to stir up conflict between Zhou Yi and the students of Class One, only to resolve it himself? That would be pure idiocy.

Regardless, this incident had already taken root in the hearts of Zhou Yi and the students of Class One. A shattered mirror, even if mended, would still have cracks; it was impossible to return to the way it was before without turning back time.

Guided by him, this matter would surely be deeply embedded in the minds of Zhou Yi and the students of Class One.

He only needed to add a little more fire to reap the rewards of the fisherman; why wouldn't he do it?

"Teacher Zhou, apologize to the children," one of the teachers whispered.

This was your fault to begin with. The man has already given you a way out; if you refuse to even apologize, you're being a bit ungrateful.

"Teacher Zhou, just apologize and let it pass."

"Teacher Zhou, just apologize. After all, they are still your students, and you have to lead them for several more years. Apologizing won't cost you a piece of flesh."

Others also began to whisper one after another.

"I..." At this moment, Zhou Yi felt an incomparable sense of humiliation.

Asking her to apologize was even more painful than asking her to die.

She knew she could simply walk away and let the matter cool down, but if she didn't apologize now, the resentment would only deepen, eventually leading to unpredictable consequences.

Moreover, after what had just happened, the impression the students of Freshman Class One had of her, and even of Shrek Academy as a whole, had become incredibly poor. If this matter were exaggerated and spread by those with ulterior motives, it would deal a devastating blow to the reputation that Shrek Academy had spent ten thousand years building.

Although Shrek Academy's educational philosophy had always been to prioritize the teachers' perspectives, as the primary culprit in this incident, how would the academy, which had always cherished its image and reputation, deal with her?

By then, even Fan Yu might not be able to protect her.

Apologizing to win the forgiveness of the students in Freshman Class One was her only solution now.

After pondering for a long time and analyzing the pros and cons, Zhou Yi's face shifted between shades of green and white before her expression returned to normal. Suppressing the humiliation in her heart, she stepped back onto the podium. Under the gaze of everyone, she bowed deeply to the students, and then bowed again to Xia Linyuan.