The Truth Comes Out

Lu Yao's father was a member of the school board. He had come to the school today as the board's representative to hear the principal's summary of the first semester's work and the plan for the rest of the school year.

Since the report had ended early, Lu Yao's father had originally planned to leave. However, when he and the principal passed Lu Yao's classroom, they saw a large group of people gathered inside. Lu Yao and Lu Qi were both there as well, so he came in to see what had happened.

The homeroom teacher wiped the sweat from his forehead, his brows tightly furrowed. How was he supposed to explain the current situation to the principal?

Just having the principal learn about what had happened would surely earn him a harsh scolding, let alone the fact that Director Lu, the father of Lu Yao, the other main figure in this incident, had also appeared.

Seeing that Teacher Tang, the homeroom teacher, was unable to explain himself for a long time, the principal looked puzzled. What was wrong with Teacher Tang today? Why was he acting so strangely?

At that moment, Jiang Bai suddenly spoke. "Principal, Uncle Lu, this matter is a little complicated. Would it be all right if I explained the entire course of events to you?"

Lu Yao's father naturally knew the Jiang Family's outstanding son. He nodded faintly. "Sorry for the trouble, Student Jiang Bai."

The corners of Jiang Bai's lips curled upward. "You're welcome, Uncle Lu."

With that, he turned to Lin Xiang, Lu Yao, and the others. "If I misquote anything any of you said later, you people involved may correct me at any time."

When he saw Jiang Bai direct those words at Lu Yao, Lu Yao's father raised his brows slightly. This matter involved Lu Yao?

Jiang Bai thoroughly recounted everything that had happened in chronological order, including how Li Guigu had guided people into suspecting Lu Yao and how Xia Yue had secretly fanned the flames.

He did not embellish anything from beginning to end. He merely stated the facts plainly and without emotion, yet even that was enough to make Lu Yao's father's face gradually turn livid, while the pressure around him grew colder and more oppressive.

Now that they had stepped away from the heat of the moment and listened to Jiang Bai revisit what had happened, Li Guigu's malicious intentions became even clearer. From the very beginning, he had targeted Lu Yao and wanted to smear him.

Feeling the terrifying aura that Lu Yao's father gave off when he was angry, the principal began wiping the cold sweat from his own forehead.

Jiang Bai said, "Uncle Lu, that is everything I saw and heard. No one refuted me while I was recounting it, which proves that what I said was true."

Lu Yao's father said, "Thanks for the effort, Student Jiang Bai."

Then he swept a cold glance over Li Guigu in the crowd before turning to the principal, who was wiping away cold sweat. "I won't ask how your school educates and manages its students. Call the other party's guardian over. The three sides can discuss how this matter should be handled."

After saying that, he took out his phone in front of everyone and made a call. "Lawyer Dong, please come to Huiying High School right away. I have an urgent matter here that needs your handling."

The school dealing with the matter according to its rules was one thing. Lu Yao choosing to call the police and handle it according to the law was another. The two did not conflict and could proceed at the same time.

Lu Yao's father had not deliberately lowered his voice during the call, and the students in the classroom clearly heard what he said.

When they heard that Lu Yao's father had not only summoned Li Guigu's guardian but also called a lawyer, the students began whispering among themselves.

"If he knew this would happen, why did he do it in the first place?"

"I kind of feel sorry for Li Guigu now!"

"Put away that ridiculous saintly heart of yours. He's pitiful now, but weren't Lin Xiang and Lu Yao pitiful just a moment ago?"

Li Guigu had already been scared out of his wits the moment he saw Lu Yao's father at the classroom door. Now that he heard a lawyer had been called, his face turned deathly pale.

Inside the principal's office.

Li Guigu and Teacher Tang sat on one sofa, while Lu Yao's father sat alone on the sofa opposite them. Even by himself, his powerful presence controlled the atmosphere of the entire office.

Although Lin Xiang and Lu Yao were also involved in the incident, they were the victims, and the facts were already very clear. Therefore, Lu Yao's father had told them to remain in the classroom for their lunch break so it would not affect their classes that afternoon.

Before long, a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase hurried into the principal's office.

After entering, the man introduced himself. "Hello, everyone. I am Zhang Shan, special assistant to the Li family's old madam. I will discuss and resolve Young Master Guigu's matter with you all."

The principal frowned. "Mr. Zhang, as far as I know, Madam Li is Student Li Guigu's legal guardian. Could you please ask her to come participate in this discussion as much as possible? If this matter is pursued, it is not a trivial one."

Zhang Shan gave a fake smile as he declined. "I'm sorry, Principal. Our old madam is truly very busy right now and cannot spare even a moment. She has fully entrusted me with handling this matter. If there is anything needed, you can communicate with me directly."

Li Guigu sat on the sofa with his head lowered, sneering inwardly. His grandmother was too busy to spare time? That excuse was laughably clumsy. She simply thought he had disgraced the Li family. Just because he had offended the Lu family, she could abandon him without hesitation as a discarded pawn. This was the Li family's affection.

After greeting the principal, Zhang Shan turned and bowed to Lu Yao's father. "Hello, Director Lu. Before I came, our old madam repeatedly instructed me to convey her greetings and apologies to you."

Leaning back against the sofa, Lu Yao's father replied coldly and expressionlessly, "Do I look like I want to waste time discussing that nonsense with you right now?"

The smile on Zhang Shan's face froze. Just as he was about to speak to ease his embarrassment, there was a knock at the door.

Lawyer Dong walked up to Lu Yao's father. "Director Lu, I have already learned the full course of events on my way here. Please wait a moment. Next, I will do my utmost to seek the justice Young Master Lu deserves."

Lu Yao's father nodded. "Sorry for the trouble."

Lawyer Dong was famous even within the legal profession for his eloquence. Moreover, what Li Guigu had done this time had seriously violated school rules, and Zhang Shan had no intention of fighting for Li Guigu from beginning to end. He was merely going through the motions, so the three parties quickly reached a consensus.

According to school regulations, Li Guigu would be advised to withdraw from the school. But that did not mean the matter was over.

Li Guigu's actions against Lu Yao constituted defamation. Since Lu Yao had chosen to call the police, what followed was where Lawyer Dong truly needed to exert his skills.

When he heard that he was being expelled from school and thought of the stain this would leave on the rest of his life, Li Guigu covered his face and burst into tears on the sofa.

Lu Yao's father felt nothing when he saw him like that.

Nothing was more ruthless than attacking a person's heart. When Li Guigu had framed Lu Yao, why had he not considered that if Lu Yao could not clear his name, he would have to bear the accusation of being a thief? With that accusation on his back, Lu Yao would never be able to hold his head up for the rest of his life.

People always acted remorseful and guilty only when they were caught and punished after making a mistake. If they escaped punishment, they would only feel smug.

Just like most criminals: when they sat before the police and underwent interrogation, they would repent and say they regretted committing such a wrong. But if they had escaped the police pursuit, they would only be smug about what they had done.

Leaning against the back of his chair, Lu Yao's father added coldly, "Aside from him, please transfer that girl named Xia Yue to another class."

Xia Yue thought her word games were clever enough to go unnoticed, but before a shrewd and calculating business magnate like Lu Yao's father, her little tricks were simply beneath notice.

Seeing that the matter could finally come to an end, the principal hurriedly nodded in agreement when he heard that Lu Yao's father only had this one request.

Lu Yao's father stood up from the sofa. As he passed Li Guigu, he looked down at him, still crying with his face covered, and said coldly, "I don't care what your Li family wants to do, but do not drag Lu Yao and his mother into it. I have always turned a blind eye to your previous little schemes, but from now on, if you insist on continuing, don't blame me for cutting off the Li family's overreaching hand."

With that, he left the school with Lawyer Dong.

Before Lu Yao's father had even left the school, news of Li Guigu trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice he used to lure it had already spread throughout campus. Another discussion thread appeared on the school forum.

[Who was saying before that he was an illegitimate child...? The truth and that rumor are worlds apart.]

[It seems like Li Guigu told his desk mate.]

[Li Guigu's scheming is truly unfathomable.]

[This whole thing had twist after twist. If I were Lu Yao, Li Guigu might really have nailed that thief stigma onto me.]

[Li Guigu is truly vicious. The saying that barking dogs do not bite really does make sense.]

[I'm in the same class as Li Guigu, and I suddenly remembered something. Has Li Guigu been targeting Lu Yao for a long time? Didn't Lu Yao's mom post a photo of her back during National Day before? It even made the trending searches. Back then, lots of people at school said it was Li Guigu. I thought the person in the photo did not really look like him, so I mentioned it to my friend, but my friend snapped at me and said I was overthinking. Later, when I saw Li Guigu admit it, I really thought I had overthought it.]

[Li Guigu is famous throughout our circle now. Friends from other schools were already asking me about it just now.]

[Didn't people say the Li family and the Lu family were on decent terms? Lu Yao is even his cousin. Li Guigu was willing to ruin his reputation like this, so it seems rumors really cannot be trusted.]

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[Only you new money types don't know what happened between the Lu family and the Li family in the past. Which old-established family doesn't know that the Lu family cut contact with the Li family long ago? Have you seen the Lu family cooperate with the Li family on any projects these years? The Li family has just been desperately trying to claim a connection and act close.]

[If the Li family has always wanted to curry favor with the Lu family, then didn't Li Guigu's stunt ruin their plans?]

[So no one from the Li family has even shown up at school yet. When I had PE just now, I saw that the person the Li family sent seemed to be one of their subordinates.]

[But why did the Lu family hide Lu Yao for so many years and only let him appear publicly now?]

[It wasn't that the Lu family hid Lu Yao. I heard my mom talking to someone a very long time ago, and she said the Lu family lost a son over a decade ago. Lu Yao was probably only found again recently, which is why outsiders like us did not know about him.]

[I think I heard my grandmother mention that before too. She said the Lu family lost a child more than ten years ago. It was probably Lu Yao.]

[Shouldn't the Lu family's children have been protected flawlessly? How could one have gotten lost?]

[Damn! I regret not making a move earlier. Lu Yao is totally my type, and I thought that even if he were an illegitimate child, I could put up with it. Now that his identity has been revealed, I probably have no chance of catching him. I should have struck first.]

[As Lu Yao's classmate, I think that even before his identity was exposed, you might not have been able to catch him easily. His love letters are famously numerous in our class. Every few days, some girl comes to our class to call him out and confess, but so far, it seems he has not accepted a single one.]

[No, why didn't he say earlier that he was the Lu family's young master? Everyone ended up mistakenly thinking he was an illegitimate child.]

[Are you sick? Some people simply like to keep a low profile. Making a big show of your family background would be stranger.]

[No, with a face and looks like his, keeping a low profile is pretty difficult.]

[Have you considered that he might not use the forum at all? He might not even know the school has a forum. How long has it been since he transferred here? How could he know that you all had imagined so much behind his back?]

Inside the office.

When she heard that she had to transfer to the neighboring class, Xia Yue angrily demanded, "Teacher, why? Why do I have to transfer to another class? I was only misled by Li Guigu, wasn't I?"

The homeroom teacher sighed wearily. "Xia Yue, this is not something I can decide. If you have objections, you know where the principal's office is. Go directly to the principal and object."

There had been far too many upsetting incidents today. The homeroom teacher no longer had the energy to deal with something as minor as Xia Yue changing classes. Besides, even he found Xia Yue's claim that she had acted unintentionally suspicious, let alone Director Lu, who was fiercely protective of his son.

The moment she heard she would have to see the principal, Xia Yue deflated.

After Xia Yue returned to the classroom, she began crying as she packed up her desk.

Seeing Xia Yue like that, her desk mate Liu Hao hurriedly asked anxiously, "Xia Yue, what's wrong? Why are you packing your schoolbag?"

Xia Yue deliberately turned her head and looked at Lu Yao, who sat behind her, with teary eyes. "Lu Yao, I'm sorry. I only misunderstood you because I was inadvertently misled by Li Guigu. I'm being transferred to the neighboring class now. I hope you can forgive my mistake."

Resting his chin on his hand, Lu Yao gave an expressionless "Oh."

Seeing Lu Yao's perfunctory attitude, Liu Hao angrily shouted, "Lu Yao, you're going too far. Xia Yue apologized to you, and you just said 'oh'? What is that supposed to mean?"

Lu Yao lifted his eyes, his voice indifferent. "It means I don't want to forgive her. Is there something wrong with your ability to understand information?"

Liu Hao's face flushed red with anger. "She's being forced to transfer classes because of this matter involving you. Is there really any need for you to be so petty?"

Lu Yao said, "You just can't bear to see her transfer, right? If that's the case, then transfer over with her. Do you need me to tell the teacher for you?"

Liu Hao immediately fell silent. He opened his mouth and stammered, "I—I..."

Their class had originally been assigned people like Jiang Bai and Lu Qi, so its teachers were better than those in the other classes. Liu Hao could not bear to give up the resources of this class.

Hearing their exchange and seeing Liu Hao's embarrassed expression as he could not get off the hook, You Yu, who was sitting beside Lu Yao, could not help laughing.

It was too funny. Watching Lu Yao shut people down was simply refreshing.

Letting Liu Hao remain embarrassed would only embarrass herself as well, so Xia Yue hurriedly spoke to defuse the situation. "It's okay, Liu Hao. Even if we're not in the same class, we're still good friends."

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Liu Hao hurriedly nodded. "Right, right, good friends. I can still go to your class and hang out with you after school. Come on, I'll help you move your things over. These books are too heavy."

Lu Yao could not be bothered to watch their little "good friends" act, so he directly lay on the desk and closed his eyes to rest.

After some time, Lu Yao finally learned the outcome of Li Guigu's matter from his father.

Lu Yao had originally filed the case under defamation. Although the watch was extremely valuable, Li Guigu had not succeeded in his goal. Lawyer Dong did his utmost and managed to have Li Guigu placed under ten days of administrative detention.

In high society, reputation could sometimes be more important than life itself.

It was easy to imagine that Li Guigu would be unable to take a single step in this circle in the future.

Recently, Lu Yao had been pestered by Lu Qi.

Ever since Lu Qi heard Lu Yao call him that last time, he had tried every possible way to make Lu Yao call him "brother" from then on instead of addressing him directly by name.

One day at breakfast, Lu Yao had been pestered so much that he was almost ready to give in.

At that moment, seeing strawberry Milk on the breakfast table again, Lu Qi inexplicably added, "Look, I normally don't touch childish things like strawberry Milk or candy at all. I'm such a mature man. Don't I deserve for you to call me brother?"

Looking at the strawberry Milk in front of him, of which he had already drunk more than half a cup, Lu Yao felt inexplicably offended again. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Mm. It's not that you don't deserve it. I'm the one who doesn't deserve it."

Completely unaware, Lu Qi patted Lu Yao on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "It's fine. An older brother should naturally be a little better than his younger brother."

Watching the two brothers before them, Ms. Li smiled and leaned close to Lu Yao's father, whispering, "When do you think he'll realize that Xiao Yao likes sweets?"

Lu Yao's father gave Lu Qi a disdainful glance. "If we wait for him to figure it out himself, it'll probably be ages."

At school, inside the classroom.

The homeroom teacher on the podium announced that the monthly exams would be coming soon.

An idea suddenly struck Lu Qi, and he reached out to tap Lu Yao's back.

Lu Yao turned around. "What now?"

Lu Qi's eyes shone with anticipation. "Do you dare compete with me in grades? If you lose, you have to call me brother."

Lu Yao raised a brow. "Are you sure?"

Lu Qi nodded hard. "Yes, I'm sure. Don't tell me you're scared?"

Lu Yao said, "..." That provocation was a little too clumsy.

Lu Yao chuckled. "Fine. You're the one who wanted to compete."

Seeing Lu Yao accept the bet, Lu Qi excitedly clenched his fist. He would definitely beat this brat Lu Yao!

He had seen Lu Yao's grades back in Mountain City. They were the sort that barely passed, and after coming here, Lu Yao either read extracurricular books during class or lay on his desk sleeping. Lu Qi had already begun imagining the wonderful scene of defeating Lu Yao.

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