Chapter 54

Zhao Shucheng was almost irritated to the point of vomiting blood by this brother and sister. Looking at their genuine puzzled expressions, he finally realized that Zhou Xiaoyu had only said that her ideal partner was Pei Zheng, and she did not directly admit that she was with Pei Zheng. She mentioned Pei Zheng at that time was most likely to make him give up.

In other words, Pei Zheng was not with Zhou Xiaoyu.

However, knowing this did not make Zhao Shucheng feel any better. Nothing was more infuriating than having your rival steal your beloved girl, especially when the rival didn’t even have to lift a finger to take something that others desired but could not obtain.

Zhao Shucheng truly holds a grudge against Pei Zheng now. Yet, while he was resentful, he didn’t dare confront Pei Zheng openly. Pei Zheng was too skilled in a fight, and if it weren’t for the teacher standing in front of him, Zhao Shucheng would never have dared to provoke Pei Zheng.

Things took a turn for the worse when Zhou Xiaoyu arrived.

Zhao Shucheng was unsure whether he hoped Zhou Xiaoyu would confirm she was with Pei Zheng or deny it.

Zhou Xiaoyu was a beautiful girl with a bright and striking appearance. She belonged to the kind of person who, at first glance, instinctively made people think she was attractive. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her expression was serious and precise.

When she arrived, Zhou Xiaoyu’s face looked quite reluctant. After all, anyone would be unhappy if they had just turned down a classmate’s confession, only to be told shortly after that they were involved in rumors about a fight between two male students. Despite the widespread gossip about her and the two boys, Zhou Xiaoyu didn’t hide away. The fact that she showed up to testify showed not only her extraordinary resilience but also her strong sense of justice.

The crowd instinctively parted to make way for  Zhou Xiaoyu, allowing her to step into the eye of the storm.

Lu Nong and Pei Zheng also noticed  Zhou Xiaoyu. Lu Nong shot Pei Zheng a glance, silently asking, Do you know this girl? Is she your romantic interest?

Pei Zheng shook his head, indicating he didn’t know her.

Lu Nong thought it was absurd that Pei Zheng would date a girl. He figured Pei Zheng was not the type to date anyone. Now hearing that Pei Zheng claimed not to know her only confirmed her belief. As expected of a male lead from a time-traveling novel, he was committed to male integrity; to him, only the female lead mattered, while all other beautiful women were just passing clouds.

“Teacher, I am Zhou Xiaoyu,” Zhou Xiaoyu bowed slightly to the teacher, “I already know about the fight between Zhao Shucheng and Pei Zheng.”

The teacher adjusted his glasses and asked the most pressing question for everyone present. “Zhao Shucheng claims that you and Pei Zheng are in a relationship. I would like to know if this is true. This concerns Pei Zheng’s reputation, so please be honest, Zhou Xiaoyu.”

“Rest assured, I understand,” Zhou Xiaoyu replied seriously. “There is nothing between Pei Zheng and me. We have never dated and have hardly spoken to each other. Pei Zheng doesn’t even remember who I am. Zhao Shucheng’s actions today are nothing but slander. Not only have they harmed Pei Zheng, but they have also damaged my reputation. I hope the teacher will handle this matter seriously and give me an explanation.”

After saying this, she cast a disdainful glance at Zhao Shucheng, but her expression toward Pei Zheng was far more complex. It seemed that Pei Zheng’s lack of recognition had been a blow to her.

Lu Nong couldn’t help but applaud her silently. This girl was clear in her speech and had a confident attitude. Most importantly, she understood how to protect her rights and clarify the rumors regarding herself, Pei Zheng, and Zhao Shucheng.

After Zhou Xiaoyu spoke, Zhao Shucheng felt weak. He realized he had lost face, dignity, and even love today.

The transition from love to hatred happened in an instant. Stung by the last contemptuous glance from Zhou Xiaoyu, Zhao Shucheng stood up angrily and shouted, “What are you pretending for? If you hadn’t told me that Pei Zheng was your ideal partner, implying that you were with him, I wouldn’t have gone to trouble Pei Zheng!”

Upon hearing this, the onlookers began to piece together the situation. Zhao Shucheng had tried to win over Zhou Xiaoyu, but she rejected him and told him that her ideal partner was Pei Zheng. Zhao Shucheng mistakenly thought that Zhou Xiaoyu and Pei Zheng were dating, which led him to confront Pei Zheng out of anger.

In the end, he didn’t just fail to beat Pei Zheng, he ended up being beaten himself. Even in the administrative office, Zhao Shucheng was not honest. To clear himself of the accusation of striking first, he slandered Pei Zheng, claiming he was having inappropriate relations with both Lu Nong and Zhou Xiaoyu. However, the two girls disproved his claims, proving Pei Zheng’s innocence.

Zhou Xiaoyu was a girl who cared about her reputation. After hearing Zhao Shucheng’s words, her face turned crimson, and she couldn’t even bring herself to look at Pei Zheng.

At that moment, she realized that this trouble stemmed from her own indiscretion. Pei Zheng was the one who had been dragged into this mess because of her refusal of Zhao Shucheng. Her approach had indeed been inappropriate. She shouldn’t have mentioned Pei Zheng while rejecting Zhao Shucheng, as it had nothing to do with him.

Seeing her like this, the crowd began to murmur, realizing that she might genuinely have feelings for Pei Zheng.

Zhao Shucheng, noticing their reaction, felt a sense of triumph. If I can’t have her, neither can anyone else!

If the conversation ended here, Zhou Xiaoyu’s future would be filled with rumors about her liking Pei Zheng. Everyone would talk behind her back about how she wanted to be with Pei Zheng, who didn’t even know who she was.

Lu Nong had a good impression of Zhou Xiaoyu and didn’t want such a clear-headed girl to fall victim to gossip. After all, what was wrong with liking someone?

The teacher cleared her throat. “Since the truth is now clear…”

“Zhao Shucheng, I want to know if Zhou Xiaoyu ever told you in person that she was dating Pei Zheng. You keep mentioning, ‘Zhou Xiaoyu said Pei Zheng is her ideal partner.’ It seems that Zhou Xiaoyu only mentioned that one thing about Pei Zheng to you, correct?”

Zhao Shucheng was at a loss for words. Zhou Xiaoyu suddenly looked up, her eyes red as she stared at Lu Nong. Although she hadn’t cried when others were whispering moments ago, she couldn’t hold back her tears now that Lu Nong was speaking for her.

Zhao Shucheng remained silent, and Zhou Xiaoyu wiped her tears as she said, “Yes, I only mentioned that I wanted to find someone to study and progress with, someone like Pei Zheng.”

“Good,” Lu Nong nodded. “So, when Zhao Shucheng claims that ‘Zhou Xiaoyu hinted that she is dating Pei Zheng,’ that is just Zhao Shucheng’s imagination, right?”

“Imagination that I’m not pure with Pei Zheng, imagination that Pei Zheng and Zhou Xiaoyu aren’t pure, imagination that Zhou Xiaoyu hinted to you that she’s dating Pei Zheng. I’d like to know what else is left in your life besides imagination, Zhao Shucheng. Do you live on imagination?”

“Classmate, I suggest you seek medical attention soon.”

“You!” Zhao Shucheng glared at Lu Nong, but Pei Zheng stepped in front of Lu Nong, glaring back. Zhao Shucheng could only suppress his anger.

This revealed his cowardly nature, and even the nearby teachers shook their heads in disapproval.

“Pfft…” Someone in the crowd couldn’t help but laugh.

Everyone began to realize the absurdity of this rumor. It originated from Zhao Shucheng’s wild imagination.

Lu Nong pressed on, “Let’s take a step back. Even if Zhou Xiaoyu really is with Pei Zheng, you’re saying you went to confront Pei Zheng because Zhou Xiaoyu told you this, shifting all the blame onto her. The logic there is flawed, isn’t it?”

“The reason you went to fight Pei Zheng is that you like Zhou Xiaoyu, but she rejected you and mentioned Pei Zheng. You were just embarrassed and angry. Zhou Xiaoyu didn’t force you to fight. By blaming her, you only show how cowardly, weak, selfish, and hypocritical you are.”

Indeed, everyone nodded. Zhao Shucheng’s fight with Pei Zheng was essentially a result of his own actions, yet he pushed the blame onto a woman, which was despicable.

“In the end, everyone has the right to admire and like others. Just as you have the freedom to admire Zhou Xiaoyu, she has the right to admire Pei Zheng. Is it wrong to appreciate someone?”

Lu Nong faced Zhao Shucheng directly but kept her peripheral vision on those who had been whispering. Seeing them all lower their heads, she turned to Pei Zheng and asked, “What do you think about Zhou Xiaoyu’s admiration for you?”

Pei Zheng thought for a moment and calmly replied, “I think Zhou Xiaoyu has good taste. I also admire myself.”

Lu Nong: “…”

Onlookers: “…”

Fortunately, Pei Zheng eventually spoke with conviction, saying, “Of course, I greatly admire excellent young women like Zhou Xiaoyu. I hope to work hard and progress together with her and everyone else in the future.”

His clear conclusion redirected everything back to the camaraderie among classmates. Even Pei Zheng expressed admiration for Zhou Xiaoyu. This appreciation was devoid of romantic undertones, effectively dispelling any scandalous gossip about “she loves him, but he doesn’t love her.” Others couldn’t belittle Zhou Xiaoyu anymore.

Zhou Xiaoyu was so moved that she laughed and cried, saying, “Yes, we should work hard and progress together!”

At this point, Lu Nong felt a bit satisfied. She turned to the teacher and winked, saying, “Teacher, the truth has finally come out. You can make a judgment now.”

The teacher: “…” You’ve already said everything, what else can I add?

“Ahem,” the teacher cleared his throat again. “After the confrontation with those involved, the truth is now clear. Zhao Shucheng has slandered and spread rumors about his classmates, damaging the reputations of Pei Zheng, Lu Nong, and Zhou Xiaoyu. This has caused severe negative impacts. To deter others from following his example, I will report this to the principal and the school committee for serious handling. We must give a proper explanation to the three innocent students affected.”

“Student Zhao Shucheng, you don’t have to go to class for the time being. Go home and ask your parents to come to school.”

Zhao Shucheng sank in despair, a hint of panic in his heart. Bringing the parent… would he be expelled? No, he couldn’t let that happen!

“Teacher, I was wrong! Please give me another chance; I promise I won’t make the same mistake again…”

Lu Nong couldn’t be bothered to look at Zhao Shucheng as she left the academic affairs office. Pei Zheng followed her out, and Zhou Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and left as well.

“Student Lu Nong, Student Pei Zheng, wait a moment.” Zhou Xiaoyu called them.

Pei Zheng turned and frowned, asking, “What is it?”

Although he had defended Zhou Xiaoyu’s reputation following Lu Nong’s words, he didn’t have any particular feelings for her. In fact, he found it a bit annoying. If she hadn’t mentioned him in relation to Zhao Shucheng, none of this would have happened today.

Zhou Xiaoyu smiled apologetically and sincerely said to Pei Zheng, “I’m sorry, Pei Zheng. I want to apologize. It’s all my fault for speaking thoughtlessly and involving you in my conflict with others, which led to today’s mess. I’ll remember this lesson and be more careful in the future.”

Pei Zheng’s expression softened, and he casually replied, “It’s alright. In the end, the truth has come out.”

Zhou Xiaoyu turned to Lu Nong and said, “Lu Nong, thank you for standing up for me today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to face my life moving forward. That would be terrible.”

Lu Nong smiled gently and replied, “No need to thank me. You should thank your courage for being here to prove Pei Zheng’s innocence instead of choosing to hide. Good people should be rewarded.”

After Zhou Xiaoyu left, Lu Nong tossed her backpack to Pei Zheng, saying, “Let’s go. I’m tired. I want to go home early today.”

Pei Zheng: “…”? ?

Pei Zheng looked down at the schoolbag in his hand, speechless. Do you think I am your servant? I am no longer a guard!

He quickened his pace to catch up with Lu Nong, wanting to retort, but then he remembered how Lu Nong had first helped clear his name and then stood up for Zhou Xiaoyu, all while trampling on Zhao Shucheng. He silently bit his tongue.

Today is another day that I realized that my stepmother is not easy to deal with.

Fine, let her have her moment of triumph. Next time, I’ll definitely fight back!

On the way, Lu Nong asked Pei Zheng, “What’s up with that Zhao Shucheng? He seems all talk and no brain, just causing trouble. How did he even get into university? Did he use up all his intelligence on academics?”

It’s not impossible. In her previous life, Lu Nong had encountered people like this—low in intelligence but with decent learning abilities.

Pei Zheng frowned and said, “I don’t know how he got into college either. I’ve never seen him study. When the professor asks him basic questions in class, he can’t answer, so we’ll have to wait for the final exam to see his true colors.”

Lu Nong nodded thoughtfully, hoping he wasn’t someone who got admitted in place of another student.

Today, the two of them took the bus home. Pei Ji’an and Xiao Zhou hadn’t had time to pick them up. As they reached the entrance of the compound, a soldier on duty saluted them meticulously. Pei Zheng greeted the soldier, saying, “Brother, thank you for your hard work. I’ll bring you some water shortly.”

The soldier winked at Pei Zheng and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Lu Nong smiled and walked into the compound with Pei Zheng.

They hadn’t gone far when they saw Wang Hongmian pacing anxiously at the entrance to the Pei family’s house, frequently glancing toward the compound gate.

When she spotted Lu Nong, her expression brightened, and she hurried over to Lu Nong and Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng asked, “Aunt? What are you doing here?”

Wang Hongmian managed a forced smile and replied, “Xiao Zheng, could you go home first? I need to talk to your mother about something.”

Pei Zheng looked at Lu Nong, who nodded in agreement. “Okay, I’ll head back first.”

After Pei Zheng left, Wang Hongmian fell silent.

This was the first time Lu Nong had seen a member of the Shen family since leaving the Pei family. Although Wang Hongmian still dressed elegantly, the dark circles under her eyes revealed that she hadn’t been resting well lately.

Seeing them struggle brought Lu Nong some comfort.

“Is there something you need?” Lu Nong asked calmly.