Once the accusation of theft against Shu Feng was confirmed, he would undoubtedly be expelled and miss the high school entrance exams. For a poor family like his, this would be a devastating blow. It would be tantamount to ruining his future.
"So he's the one who stole it!!"
"Of course it was him. Only Shu Feng's family is that desperate for money!"
"If his family needed money, he could have just asked. To resort to stealing... that's just too much!"
"…"
A wave of murmurs broke out as all eyes fell on Shu Feng, looking at him as if he were a thief.
"That's enough! Nothing's been cleared up yet, so what's all the noise about?"
Zhong Jietong's brows knitted together as she slammed her hand on the table and snapped. For some reason, seeing Shu Feng being targeted like this made her deeply uncomfortable.
Zhong Jietong was a central figure in the class, so when she got angry, the others immediately fell silent.
Shu Feng said calmly, "You all say I stole the money. Zou Qiang, did you still have your money before gym class?"
Zou Qiang said, "It was there before gym class. I checked."
Shu Feng said, "During gym class, Linga and I were together the entire time. When would I have had time to steal any money? It's obvious someone is framing me."
Linga's eyes lit up as he said loudly, "That's right! During gym class, Shu Feng and I were together the whole time. I can vouch for his innocence."
Wang Mo shouted, "Linga, you're Shu Feng's best friend! Of course you'd cover for him. Your testimony is invalid!"
Linga said anxiously, "I'm not covering for him! I'm telling the truth! You have to believe me!"
Shu Feng said calmly, "Actually, it's very simple to prove my innocence. Fingerprints. If I stole it, my fingerprints would be on the bag. I am certain I have never touched it. All we have to do is have the police check for prints, and it'll be clear who the real thief is."
At these words, Wang Mo's face paled slightly. He was the real thief. If they actually investigated for fingerprints, he would be caught for sure.
Panic flashed in Zhou Changfeng's eyes, and he glanced over at Xu Gang.
Xu Gang gave a faint smile, a flicker of contempt in his eyes as he looked at Shu Feng.
"What in the world is going on here?"
A balding, beer-bellied middle-aged man walked into the classroom and asked coldly. This was Xu Gang's uncle, the Director of Student Affairs, Xu Chenghai!
"Teacher Xu, Shu Feng stole our class's field trip money! Here's the proof!"
Zhou Changfeng's eyes lit up. He tossed the money bag to Wang Mo, who caught it and ran to Xu Chenghai's side, giving Shu Feng a triumphant look.
With a look of disgust, Xu Chenghai snapped, "Shu Feng, learning to steal at such a young age. You have no upbringing! What on earth did your mother teach you? That's it, get out of here and go home. Just wait for your expulsion notice!"
Xu Gang smirked. 'Shu Feng, even if you didn't do anything, you're still a thief. You want to fight me? Just watch how I'll ruin your name and reputation!'
Zhong Jietong's brows knitted. She stood up and said respectfully but firmly, "Teacher Xu, this matter hasn't even been investigated. Isn't it inappropriate for you to just label a student a thief like this?"
"Zhong Jietong, the money bag was found in Shu Feng's desk! He was caught red-handed! This is no longer a matter for students like you to get involved in."
Xu Chenghai shot Zhong Jietong a stern glare, then turned back to Shu Feng, his face filled with disgust. "Shu Feng, you stole from the class. The amount is significant. Go home and get your parents! Furthermore, I'm announcing that as of today, you are expelled! Go home and wait for the official notice!"
Pitying glances fell upon Shu Feng. A few of the smarter students vaguely guessed the truth, but they all remained silent.
Xu Gang's father was on the school board, and his uncle, Xu Chenghai, was the Director of Student Affairs. Here at Lei Jiang Third Middle School, their power was almost absolute. Framing a poor student was a trivial matter to them.
"Hey, Ma Jin, it's me! Shu Feng!"
With everyone watching, Shu Feng simply took out his phone and called Ma Jin.
Ma Jin's hearty voice came through the phone, "Shu Feng, what's up?"
Shu Feng said, "A student at my school named Xu Gang and the Director of Student Affairs, Xu Chenghai, framed me for stealing 4,000 yuan of the class field trip money. They're saying because my family's poor, I must be the one who stole it."
Ma Jin laughed heartily. "I get it. Leave a small thing like this to me."
"Shu Feng, who gave you permission to make a call in the classroom?"
Seeing Shu Feng's calm expression, Xu Chenghai felt a growing sense of foreboding. He rushed forward and swung a vicious slap at Shu Feng's face.
Xu Chenghai's methods had always been brutish and violent; corporal punishment and even beating students were commonplace for him. He never dared to touch students with powerful family backgrounds, preferring to lord his authority over the poorer ones, which made him thoroughly despised.
'Unfortunately for you, you picked the wrong person to bully!'
Shu Feng's hand shot out, grabbing Xu Chenghai's right wrist. With his other hand, he delivered a hard, backhanded slap across Xu Chenghai's face.
SLAP! Xu Chenghai's face immediately swelled up, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"You little bastard, you actually dared to hit me! You're dead! I'll have you expelled! I'll have you expelled!!"
With bloodshot eyes and a face contorted with rage, Xu Chenghai pointed at Shu Feng and roared furiously.
"Who is it you're expelling?"
An authoritative voice rang out from the side as an elderly man with graying hair and sharp, alert eyes walked in.
Xu Chenghai's eyes lit up and he cried out, "Principal, you're just in time! This student not only stole the class field trip money, but he also assaulted a teacher. Please make him withdraw! No, expel him! He must be expelled, to uphold school discipline!"
The elderly man's name was Zhang Ke, and he was the principal of Lei Jiang Third Middle School.
Zhang Ke glanced at Shu Feng and asked, "Young man, what is your name?"
Shu Feng answered calmly, "My name is Shu Feng."
Zhang Ke asked, "Did you steal the money?"
Shu Feng said, "No. Someone framed me."
Xu Chenghai roared, "Still trying to talk your way out of it? The money bag was found right in your desk! You were caught red-handed. What more is there to say?!"
"If I had stolen the money, why would I have just left it in my desk? Besides, a certain person found the bag the moment they started searching, almost as if they already knew it was in my desk."
"The moment I suggested calling the police to check for fingerprints, I was interrupted. Then, this Director of Student Affairs, Xu Chenghai, walked in and immediately accused me of theft, declaring me guilty without any investigation. All these coincidences, when you put them together, point to only one possibility: Director Xu Chenghai colluded with certain people to frame me!" Shu Feng finished, his voice perfectly calm.