Chapter 97: A Despicable Plot
After leaving the professor's office, Liu Shang finally felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders, and a sense of relief washed over him.
Thanks to Professor Xu's intervention and final decision, the teachers' impression of him had done a complete 180-degree turn.
He went from being a delinquent student who constantly skipped classes and was utterly unmotivated to a diligent young man working hard to get by.
And with that, he had successfully passed all of his final exams.
Meanwhile, at an upscale coffee shop off-campus, a cheerful Song Jia walked in and approached the booth where Tan Feng, Zhou Liang, and the others were sitting.
But as she drew closer, she overheard them discussing final exams and a plot against Liu Shang.
Without even asking for details, Song Jia frowned immediately.
"Hey, Zhou Liang, are you resorting to such despicable tricks again?"
"If Tan Feng wants to pursue Jiang Ruolin, we, as his good friends, should support him. But why are you always so insidious, scheming against Liu Shang?!"
Questioned by Song Jia, Zhou Liang raised his hands defensively, a look of injustice on his face.
"Miss Song, where did you hear that I was plotting against Liu Shang?"
"You've really got me wrong this time. It was Wei Chen who wanted to plot against Liu Shang."
Hearing this name, Song Jia was visibly taken aback.
This Wei Chen was a central figure in their circle. Among those pursuing Jiang Ruolin, Wei Chen was a stronger contender than Tan Feng.
"Wei Chen?"
"Didn't he go to university in Shanghai? Is he back?"
Zhou Liang shook his head. "I heard Wei Chen flew back from Shanghai specifically for New Year's Day, but he didn't even get to see Jiang Ruolin."
"So, he's directing all his frustration toward Liu Shang."
At this, Tan Feng sighed softly and picked up the conversation, his brow furrowed.
"Wei Chen called me about it."
"He spent the whole call sarcastically mocking us for our incompetence."
"He reminded me that we all stayed in Fengcheng and enrolled at Youda just to pursue Jiang Ruolin."
"Wei Chen said he couldn't defy his family and was forced to go to school in Shanghai."
"If one of us had actually won Jiang Ruolin over, he said he would have accepted it."
"But for a whole group of us to stand by and watch some unknown kid from out of town win her over… he said it made us all look like fools."
"Well, after hearing all that, I was honestly speechless."
"And another thing—why do I get the feeling that since that last incident, you and Lu Kai have secretly defected to Liu Shang's side, Jiajia?"
Hearing his name, Lu Kai hurriedly clarified, "Hey, leave me out of it!"
"I admit I owe Liu Shang a big favor for what happened last time."
"But it's just a favor. If I get a chance to repay it in the future, I will. As for our group, buddy, I'll always be on our side."
"But Jiajia… she's definitely showing signs of switching allegiances."
Song Jia, who usually joked around, suddenly felt flustered.
"Hey, stop making things up, okay?"
"I just don't approve of such insidious schemes."
"If I were Jiang Ruolin and found out about this, I'd be utterly disgusted."
"Besides, I'm actually curious to see which one of you will manage to win Jiang Ruolin back."
"That would be much more entertaining."
That evening, Song Jia immediately gave Liu Shang a heads-up.
"Hey, be careful. I heard someone's planning to cause trouble over your final exams."
Liu Shang replied with a smile, "Thanks for the warning."
"However, I already asked Professor Xu for help with my final exam grades."
"I took a quick look today, and it seems I passed all my subjects."
"What? Professor Xu actually stepped in for you?"
"Why didn't I think of that brilliant idea?!"
"My finals would have been so much easier!"
......
As it turned out, Liu Shang had miscalculated the situation and underestimated the depravity of his opponents.
The very next day, Liu Shang was summoned to his counselor's office.
When a confused Liu Shang arrived at the office, he found several university administrators were also present.
Judging by their demeanor, they seemed to be high-ranking officials, and Liu Shang instantly noticed the tense and strange atmosphere in the room.
His counselor made the introductions. "Liu Shang, these are some of our university's administrators, and this is Director Cen from the Academic Affairs Office."
"I've called you here today primarily because of your frequent absences this semester."
Hearing this, Liu Shang couldn't help but frown.
"Ms. Zhao, as far as I know, the final exam results are out. I passed everything, didn't I?"
Ms. Zhao, Liu Shang's counselor, nodded, but before she could speak, Director Cen, who stood at the center of the group, snorted coldly.
After receiving a request from the child of an important official, Director Cen had confidently promised to handle the entire matter.
He had then contacted several teachers in Liu Shang's department.
He had hinted that they must be strict with the student, Liu Shang, during the final exams, and that under no circumstances should they let him pass out of kindness.
To his surprise, however, all the teachers awkwardly informed him that the exam results were already finalized and had been released ahead of schedule.
Liu Shang had passed all his courses, leaving no room for any follow-up manipulation.
Drawing on his many years of experience at the university, Director Cen immediately sensed that something about the situation was unusual.
The results hadn't been officially released yet, so how could there be no room for manipulation?
However, he had already investigated the family background of the student, Liu Shang, and found it to be very ordinary.
As the director of the Academic Affairs Office, he felt there was no need to tread carefully when dealing with such an ordinary student.
He held all the power.
"Hmph. Test scores are one thing, and absenteeism is another. Do not confuse the two."
"In my opinion, the current curriculum and exams are far too easy."
"The fact that you passed your exams does not excuse your serious absenteeism problem!"
"It is my opinion, and that of the university, that the student Liu Shang must be dealt with severely."
"The official recommendation is expulsion, pending a probationary period. I will allow your department to propose the initial disciplinary action."
Hearing this, the administrators from the Department of Chemistry couldn't help but frown.
It was obvious Director Cen was targeting this particular student, Liu Shang.
And his motives were strongly personal.
Otherwise, why would the esteemed director of the university's Academic Affairs Office personally intervene in the case of a single student when his own counselors, professors, and department heads hadn't raised any issues?
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