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Chapter 66: Can’t You Give In Just Once?

Zhang Heng cast a sidelong glance at Lu Li, disdain curling at the corner of his mouth.

He bore no personal grudge against Lu Li; he targeted him only because Lu Li had qualified for Yongning University’s special-admission exam.

He felt deeply unbalanced.

We are all mired in the same swamp, so why should you be the one to rise above it?

There are always people in this world who believe they are no worse than anyone else and that if they cannot have something, no one else should either.

Zhang Heng was exactly that kind of person.

Zhang Heng shouted, “Classmates, Lu Li is tied to a criminal and nearly got police officers killed; a person like him doesn’t deserve to test into Yongning University… kick him out of Class 4!”

“Get out of Class 4! Expel him!” Shen Tan roared along.

A few other students, stirred up, joined the chant.

Most of the class remained silent, yet the looks they shot Lu Li carried a hint of wariness.

Tang Yang and Shao Linlin tried to defend Lu Li, but their voices were drowned in the uproar.

“Bang, bang, bang!” Homeroom teacher Mr. Liu stepped into the classroom and rapped the blackboard hard.

The cries of “punish him” finally ceased.

“Lu Li, step outside for a moment,” Mr. Liu said gravely as he walked out of the room.

Lu Li rose and followed him.

Standing on his seat, Zhang Heng chuckled, “See that? Even Mr. Liu can’t stomach it; Lu Li’s expulsion is a done deal!”

Shen Tan nudged him with an elbow. “Are you sure about this? Did Lu Li really disrupt public order?”

Having lost miserably in several duels with Lu Li, Shen Tan felt uncertain.

“Absolutely reliable,” Zhang Heng laughed. “My uncle said the kid was given a stern lecture and ordered to write a self-criticism.”

“Then I’m relieved,” Shen Tan exhaled. “This time we have to get Lu Li expelled; at the very least kick him out of Class 4!”

Outside the classroom, Mr. Liu took Lu Li aside and asked softly, “I just saw a patrol car drive onto campus and two officers headed to the principal’s office. Did you really take part in yesterday’s case and disturb public order?”

Lu Li frowned slightly. “I was involved, yes, but I didn’t disrupt public order.”

Since Mr. Liu had always treated him well, Lu Li patiently explained and gave a brief account of yesterday’s events, causing Mr. Liu’s expression to grow grave.

“So it was to save a classmate; I knew you weren’t a bad kid,” Mr. Liu sighed as he rubbed his forehead, then forced a wry smile. “But good intentions don’t wipe everything clean. You were rather reckless this time. I’ll explain everything to the principal later. Relax, with Professor Dai Ming’s backing, if you just admit fault and apologize, we can wipe away the negative impact…”

Lu Li suddenly said, “I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

If the sniper had still not been in position and we really kept waiting, and that bipolar man triggered the bomb, who would have paid for Chu Zining’s life?

Why should the SWAT team’s mistake be pinned on me?

Mr. Liu froze. “What do you mean?”

Lu Li replied, “I did nothing wrong, so I won’t apologize.”

“My good boy, a real man avoids taking a loss in front of him. You’re smart… surely you grasp that simple truth?” Mr. Liu advised earnestly. “Your future matters most; don’t gamble it away.”

Lu Li shook his head in silence, remembering the stubborn Chu Zining who had refused to apologize; he was determined not to fall short even of that fragile girl.

Mr. Liu was about to continue persuading him when the school PA system crackled to life:

“Senior Year, Class 4 student Lu Li and Senior Year, Class 1 student Chu Zining, please report to the platform on the athletic field.”

“Senior Year, Class 4 student Lu Li and Senior Year, Class 1 student Chu Zining, please report to the platform on the athletic field.”

“Senior Year… ”

After repeating three times, the PA switched to another announcement:

“All teachers, stop your lessons; all homeroom teachers, lead your classes to the athletic field quickly and in order.”

“All teachers, stop your lessons; all homeroom teachers, lead your classes to the athletic field quickly and in order.”

“All faculty and students… ”

Mr. Liu’s face stiffened; calling Lu Li over and summoning the entire school to watch… this smelled like a public denunciation assembly!

Once it turned into a school-wide criticism session, the stakes changed; in severe cases, it could even lead to expulsion!

In the past, anyone publicly criticized by the whole school had received at least probation.

Mr. Liu grew anxious and hurriedly instructed Lu Li, “Son, as long as you apologize sincerely, nothing serious will happen. As for any disciplinary action, I’ll try to reach Professor Dai and minimize it for you. I know you have pride. An apology is humiliating, but it’s only temporary. Once you get into Yongning University, these students will look up to you; you’ll be a role model, and no one will remember today.”

“Even Han Xin once suffered the humiliation of crawling between someone’s legs; why should you and I be above it? If you really get expelled, your life will be ruined.”

Lu Li shook his head, then bowed solemnly. “I’ll head to the platform now. Thank you, sir.”

As Lu Li started downstairs, Mr. Liu called after him, “Can’t you just bend this once? You’ve finally got a chance to stand out; will you throw away years of education for a moment of pride?”

Lu Li paused and chuckled softly. “If I have to admit guilt when I did nothing wrong, then those years of education were for nothing.”

Mr. Liu watched Lu Li’s back, raised his hand to speak again, but until Lu Li vanished from sight he couldn’t utter a single word.

…

The students were quickly marshaled and herded toward the field, chattering all the way.

“What’s going on? Why did classes suddenly stop, and why are we headed to the field? I even saw a police car.”

“You don’t know? Don’t you have Internet at home? Yesterday’s pedestrian street incident blew up online!”

“Huh? My folks won’t let me use my phone. What exactly happened?”

“Yesterday there was a shooting on East Street; the bad guy had a bomb and nearly killed several officers!”

“???”

“That’s terrifying! But we’re just students… what’s it got to do with us? Why are the police here?”

“They say one of the criminal’s accomplices is in our school! Didn’t they just summon two seniors? It’s probably them!”

“Yikes, that’s scary. Hurry up and let the police take them away…”

The chatter was quickly suppressed by the homeroom teachers, yet the more they tried, the more excited the students became; the rumors grew wilder, and some even claimed the two summoned students were murderers.

Listening to the rumors, Zhang Heng grinned smugly at Shen Tan. “See? I told you my info was solid! Lu Li is done for!”

Shen Tan frowned; he still felt it wasn’t that simple.

Zhang Heng scoffed, “Stop overthinking. Would my uncle lie to me? He’s my own uncle… he’d scam anyone before he’d scam me.”

Shen Tan let out a long sigh. “I hope so…”

…

Lu Li walked alone onto the platform and looked up to see the helpless Chu Zining; her soft eyes darted around as if searching for someone.

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