Li Ran hesitated to speak, wanting to say something, but remained silent. She watched Su Qing leave and then she turned back to the office.
Her entrance caused Niu Hongyu, who had been so respectful on the phone, to suddenly look down upon her after he hung up.
"Li Ran, you're so arrogant! You didn't even knock before entering the office!"
He sat at his desk, dressed in a smart suit, glaring at Li Ran angrily.
Li Ran's biggest disdain used to be when someone thought her brother or someone else was something special and then linked him to her, acting as if she was taking advantage of his brother.
But now, thinking about it carefully, it's truly ridiculous.
Unconsciously, many people were wary of her. They were wary of her, obviously not.
Taking a deep breath, Li Ran composed himself. "I'm sorry, Principal. I won't do it again next time."
Niu Hongyu was clearly the kind of person who would back down if given the chance. After saying this, his expression brightened considerably and he waved his hand.
"It's no big deal, but this is just outrageous."
Niu Hongyu was a somewhat snobbish person, but also a pragmatic one. He was incredibly flexible, having risen from a physical education teacher to his current position, having likely sacrificed more than others.
He always knew what to say, what to do, and what to stand for. He had always made Li Ran the classroom teacher, ensuring she was content with the role.
"Is everything alright? If nothing's wrong, go back to class."
Niu Hongyu didn't mention the incident, acting as if nothing had happened. He hoped Li Ran would assess the situation as he did and not let impulsive actions jeopardize her future.
The hint in Niu Hongyu's eyes was self-evident.
The adults didn't say it so explicitly, but it felt vaguely like everything was said.
Li Ran naturally understood. She pinched her fingertips, feeling the need to live up to her conscience. For a long time, she stood in front of the desk.
"Something's up."
Niu Hongyu frowned and set the pen he was signing aside.
"Li Ran, you have to understand that there are some things that are not yours to decide, and certainly not mine."
He clearly knew what Li Ran was going to say, but he still wanted to warn her. Niu Hongyu never wanted to make enemies.
But at this moment, Li Ran seemed determined to go against him.
"Although I can't make the decision, I have to be conscientious. Since the girl transferring here, Su Qing hasn't done anything out of the ordinary and has always been diligent in her studies."
"Besides, by transferring here, aren't you supposed to ensure a good learning environment for her?"
Li Ran had initially been reluctant to accept this student, and their school wasn't in Wuzhen. What was the point of recruiting them for some empty title, like top scorer or not?
But at the time, Niu Hongyu had forced this person into their class.
Li Ran observed Su Qing's performance. The girl possessed none of the qualities that would make her a failure. Besides being quiet and having few friends, she was completely absorbed in her studies.
She'd taken leave now as asked.
With exams approaching, Li Ran still wanted to fight for her place.
"Su Qing is innocent of all the public opinion."
Li Ran's insistent defense made Niu Hongyu's face turn grim.
"It's not me who caused the public opinion to become like that!"
"Who can stop the gossip?"
Niu Hongyu's eyes closed tightly. "Exams are almost here, and I'm about to be transferred. I don't want to cause any trouble!"
Every word—selfish, yes, selfish. Is that normal?
Li Ran didn't know. She didn't know what she would do in his situation, so she had no right to judge.
She looked at Niu Hongyu. "Are you hiding something?"
Her fingers clenched into fists, trying to make a final effort.
But it was all in vain.
"Innocent or not, I don't know, and I don't want to know. Now if she won't ask for leave, then I have to!"
Niu Hongyu's words suppressed all of Li Ran's shock.
Niu Hongyu knew his words weren't very nice, so he waved his hand irritably and glanced at Li Ran.
"Go out and close the door. There's nothing I can do about this."
With that single word, he shut everything out.
It was clearly just a matter of public opinion, so how had it suddenly escalated into this?
It seemed as if there was some deeper, hidden secret that people were eager to uncover.
It seemed as if this public opinion was intentional, pointing the finger at Su Qing.
--
It's a good thing she's taken a leave of absence, Su Qing thought. She was a little worried, or may be she couldn't help but explode.
While Su Qing was packing her textbooks, Hu Yifan, seemed to have received some news, ran into the classroom, sweat dripping from his forehead, clutching Su Qing's school bag.
"Su Qing, what happened? You can't leave."
"What happened? I'll take you to the teacher."
Hu Yifan looked at Su Qing breathlessly. He had heard from classmates that Su Qing seemed to be leaving school, and so he rushed over.
His eyes were filled with anxiety. Leaving school in such a hurry must be something serious.
Was it because of those voices? A flood of thoughts and emotions flooded Hu Yifan's mind.
In those events, those voices, the biggest victim was Su Qing. How could Su Qing possibly leave school?
Seeing Hu Yifan's anxiety, Su Qing felt a moment of warmth in her heart.
"You haven't told Jiang Sui about the incident yet, right?"
Su Qing remained calm, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
He had arrived in such a hurry that Hu Yifan's phone and other belongings were in the locker in the training room's locker room. He definitely wouldn't have enough time to inform him.
"Don't tell Jiang Sui about this."
Su Qing smiled at Hu Yifan. They both were about to take final exams. If Jiang Sui knew about this, he would definitely come to her or try to resolve it in some way, not to mention the case.
Su Qing didn't want to complicate matters, so she decided to take a cold approach.
Hu Yifan pursed his lips and said nothing. He certainly understood Su Qing's point. While he didn't know every detail of their relationship, he did have a general idea.
"Things are complicated. If we act rashly, it might affect him."
She seemed to know Hu Yifan would be difficult to convince, so she resorted to verbal pressure, making him realize the seriousness of the situation.
"You know Jiang Sui's temper."
He certainly couldn't just sit back and watch her get stuck in this mess. But now things were becoming increasingly complicated, and someone had even reached out to Wuzhen.
This forced Su Qing to be on guard.
Hu Yifan gradually loosened his grip on Su Qing's school bag.