Pan Jia's father pulled up a chair and sat down, clearly intent on bargaining with the head teacher.
"Teacher, when it comes down to it, our Jiajia is also a victim here. Any punishment or demerit should only go to this young man."
As he spoke, the man pointed at Qi Shaobai.
The indicated Qi Shaobai was clearly already very impatient. He met the man's gaze directly.
Now it was the man who had been speaking arrogantly who was taken aback. He turned his attack towards the school authorities, saying to the head teacher:
"We sent our daughter to No. 1 High School in the hopes that she would have a good learning environment. Now that an incident like this has happened, shouldn't the school give us parents an explanation?"
Sheng Mumu had been standing to the side for quite a while now, piecing together fragments of information. She finally realized what was wrong.
She slowly walked over to Qi Shaobai and said unhurriedly:
"Have you seen these love letters?"
Qi Shaobai's eyebrows furrowed slightly and his cold, aloof eyes flickered as he recalled.
He would find girls' love letters in his drawer every now and then.
But he would never open and read them.
He also couldn't confirm if he had received any of the ones here in front of him now.
Leaning lazily against the wall, he glanced at the crying girl he didn't know and lazily said:
"I've never read any of them."
Sheng Mumu naturally believed his words. She pursed her lips:
"I see. I understand now."
Then she went over to the girl called Pan Jia.
The man sitting in the chair stood up warily, "What are you doing?"
Sheng Mumu turned her head and revealed a polite smile:
"Don't worry, I just want to ask your daughter a few questions to understand the situation."
"The situation is already very clear. If there's anything else to ask, ask me." The man said.
Sheng Mumu raised her eyebrows, "The love letters weren't written by you, so it's not very suitable to ask you."
Having said that, she ignored the dumbfounded man and went straight over to Pan Jia.
Her tone became softer and gentler. She handed over a tissue.
"Don't be nervous. As a parent, I want to understand the situation."
Pan Jia trembled as she took the tissue. Her body was unnaturally tense and she didn't dare meet Sheng Mumu's gaze.
Sheng Mumu's gaze was sharp. She slowly and deliberately spoke:
"You said you were dating our Qi Shaobai, correct?"
"Uh..." Pan Jia hemmed and hawed. Suddenly her arm was shoved.
Her mother beside her urged, "Your parents are right here. Speak up boldly."
Pan Jia bit her lip. It seemed she had summoned up great courage before nodding almost imperceptibly and saying in a tiny voice: "...Yes."
Sheng Mumu asked again: "Other than the letters you wrote, did Qi Shaobai ever write back?"
Pan Jia's head drooped lower and lower. "...No, none."
"Mrs. Qi, are you finished with your questions?" Pan Jia's father cut in loudly. "Lack of replies doesn't prove your son's innocence. My wife and I saw Jiajia hiding in her room talking on the phone every night with our own eyes."
Sheng Mumu: "How can you be sure it was with Qi Shaobai on the phone?"
"You... this..." The man couldn't answer and waved his hand to avoid the question. Instead he retorted, "What are you saying, we're the injured party here. What is there to be afraid of saying?"
Sheng Mumu raised her eyebrows. She also didn't address his words directly, and continued:
"There's one thing I don't quite understand. According to what you just said, you discovered long ago that your daughter was potentially dating my son. Why didn't you contact the school earlier, or contact us parents, but instead waited until the school discovered the letters before saying you wanted to hold someone responsible?"
When she finished speaking, Pan Jia's parents' bodies stiffened.
Sheng Mumu's eyes narrowed slightly and her gaze grew sharp:
"Every time your daughter wants to speak, she gets interrupted. Is that unintentional, or are you worried she will tell the truth?"
The man across from her was flustered with guilt and raised his voice, "What are you talking about? We're the injured party here. What is there to be afraid of saying?"
Sheng Mumu took a light breath and slowly laid out her judgment:
"The school discovered the letters and called you to the school. You were worried your daughter would get a warning or demerit on her record during this critical time in 12th grade. So you plotted for her to push the blame onto my son who knew nothing about it and make him take the fall."
When she finished speaking, the office fell into a brief silence.
The head teacher's eyes grew wider and wider as he mulled over her words, increasingly feeling that was the truth.
Pan Jia's parents looked at each other, then simultaneously looked back at Sheng Mumu, just about to continue equivocating, when they heard the girl who had cried herself hoarse suddenly speak:
"Auntie...I'm sorry..."
The girl's tears pitter-pattered onto the office floor.
Having the entire truth laid bare, she didn't dare look again at the boy she loved in her heart.
She hated that she couldn't find a crack in the floor to crawl into, her face flushing bright red as she cried:
"You're right...Qi...Qi Shaobai was wrongly accused. We were never dating. From start to finish it was entirely one-sided on my part..."
Pan Jia's throat tightened and her nose soured. She choked up and couldn't get out the words that followed.
Beside her, as soon as the parents saw their daughter confess everything, they were completely flustered. Each grabbed one of her arms.
The father's tone was severe: "Jiajia, what's the matter with you? Getting a disciplinary warning in 12th grade is very serious. Weren't you told not to say anything?"
The anxious mother said, "Jiajia, you..."
Sheng Mumu lightly shook her head and went to Qi Shaobai's side. "Let's go home."
Qi Shaobai's hands that had been folded in front of his chest finally dropped. The sharpness in his eyes disappeared inch by inch. He nodded his chin and followed her out.
Inside the office, the girl's sobs and parents' chatter still hadn't stopped.
Sheng Mumu reached the door and her footsteps paused.
She slowly turned her head to look back.
Her tone wasn't harsh, but each word rang clearly:
"It is parents like you who cannot face problems directly and teach your daughter to lie, that are the biggest punishment for your daughter."
Having said that, she left the office without looking back.
On the road from the classroom building to the parking lot,
Qi Shaobai walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
Sheng Mumu glanced at him. Seeing his completely carefree appearance, she couldn't help but complain:
"What's with you? Qi, you're usually quite talkative. How come when you were wrongly accused today you didn't make a peep?"
Qi Shaobai lazily turned his head.
A hint of mockery flashed through his cold, aloof eyes.
"I knew you would come, so what was there to say?"
Sheng Mumu: "............"
She grabbed Qi Shaobai's schoolbag and forced him to stop.
Craning her head up to look at her discount son who was a head taller than her, she said impatiently:
"You brat, waiting for me to stand up for you while hiding behind me to enjoy the show, is this your business or my business?"
Qi Shaobai had a perfectly justified expression as he shrugged:
"I'm just too lazy to waste words with people I'm not familiar with."
Sheng Mumu: "......"
She really wanted to point at his nose and give him a talking-to.
But then she felt some pity for the boy who had just been freed from a false accusation.
She sighed helplessly, letting go of his schoolbag.
"Nevermind you, let's go, let's go."
The corner of Qi Shaobai's mouth quirked up slightly. He put his schoolbag back on properly.
His gaze went to Sheng Mumu's bag in her hand. He jutted his chin out and said casually as if it was nothing:
"It was so kind of such a busy woman to make a trip here. Let me carry your bag for you."
Sheng Mumu was stunned for a second before giving him the side-eye and handing over the bag:
"Consider it you being self-aware."
Dusk was falling and students were coming and going across campus.
Among them were classmates who recognized Qi Shaobai.
Seeing this scene, they were shocked and opened their eyes wide, but didn't dare react too obviously. They watched covertly.
Qi Shaobai was actually carrying his stepmother's bag?
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
But Qi Shaobai himself was completely nonchalant about it.
Carrying bags for the women of the house was a fine tradition in the Qi family.
His dad did it too.
He was just a high schooler. What was the big deal about carrying one for a bit?
The two who had become the center of attention on campus remained oblivious to the eyes on them.
Chatting all the while, they walked towards the parking lot.
"Little Qi, have you grown taller again?"
"Haven't measured, don't know."
"I rushed over and didn't eat. Take me for a meal."
"Let's go."
"I'll pick the place."
"Okay."
