Huo Feng did not appear, and thus there was one less person involved.
But even with one less person involved, Pu Sangzhi would not cower.
The justice that she should seek for Huo Feng, she would pursue alone if necessary!
At this mont, everyone in the world related to this ’cheating’ incident was already in the teachers’ office, except for Huo Feng, of course...
Even though Huo Feng was absent, since all the other relevant individuals had been gathered, Huo Mingshan still went over the details of the incident once more.
First, Huo Mingshan had the invigilator repeat their account of what happened.
Under the watchful eyes of so many, the invigilator didn’t dare to exaggerate this ti and said according to what she had seen, "When I discovered their cheating, the cheat sheet was on Huo Feng’s chair, obviously fallen from his pocket. At that mont, I went to collect the exam papers, and the answers on the cheat sheet matched perfectly with those on his paper; therefore, I concluded Huo Feng was cheating. And at that ti, Chen Ruixiang was right behind Huo Feng, making signals to him, so I imdiately caught Chen Ruixiang. Their exam answers were identical, as were the answers on the cheat sheet. That’s the whole story."
Clearly, the invigilator’s oral account was different from before.
Previously, the invigilator had stated outright: The cheat sheet was found in Huo Feng’s pocket.
Noticing the inconsistency in the testimony, it was evident that sothing suspicious had erged in the case.
Without waiting for Huo Mingshan to speak up, Pu Sangzhi directly asked her, "Teacher, did you just see the cheat sheet on his chair, and nothing more?"
The invigilator imdiately retorted, "As I said, at that ti Chen Ruixiang was making signals to Huo Feng. And after finding the cheat sheet, I checked their exam papers, and the answers were exactly the sa."
Pu Sangzhi persisted, "So, you just saw the cheat sheet on Huo Feng’s chair?"
Made nervous by Pu Sangzhi’s repeated questioning, the invigilator hurriedly explained again, "Let say it one more ti, it was Chen Ruixiang making signals to him, and then I checked both of their..."
"So!"
Pu Sangzhi abruptly cut off the invigilator, "All these things that you observed, were rely Chen Ruixiang’s solo act! What exactly did Huo Feng do?"
Pu Sangzhi’s tone carried an aggressive and confrontational power, leaving the invigilator choked for words.
However, to maintain her teacher’s dignity, the invigilator turned to face Pu Sangzhi sideways before asserting, "Why are you pressing like this? It was Chen Ruixiang who admitted it! He confessed that his cheat sheet was for Huo Feng!"
"Teacher, you are the first to wrongly accuse Huo Feng. Please rember, today you have stabbed a good student in the back with your actions!"
Pu Sangzhi bluntly said this to the invigilator, then turned to fix her stare on Chen Ruixiang, asking, "And why would you falsely accuse Huo Feng?"
Chen Ruixiang was both nervous and shaken by Pu Sangzhi’s aggressive confrontation...
But because he had lied all day, with the class teacher fully supporting him, Chen Ruixiang genuinely couldn’t bring himself to confess until the very last mont.
At this mont, he could only insist with feigned confidence, "I didn’t falsely accuse him."
"You’re still lying!"
Pu Sangzhi straightaway rejected his claim, "Huo Feng is a student of the Olympiad class; he even participated in Wenzhou City’s Olympiad last year! With his math grades, why would he need to get answers from you? Who exactly were these answers for, or whom are you trying to fra? Are you still unwilling to tell the truth?"
Chen Ruixiang struggled to rebut Pu Sangzhi, "Anyway, they were for him. He made signals to as soon as the exam started yesterday, suggesting I should pass him the answers. So I gave them to him!"
Chen Ruixiang didn’t know just how insincere he sounded with those words.
But because he said it with eyes closed and with considerable volu, he seed to exude a false sense of confidence.
Seeing Chen Ruixiang’s fierce certainty, the class teacher Yang Huiming naturally chid in to bolster Chen Ruixiang, "Did you hear that? I’ve said my student doesn’t lie, Huo Feng really did signal him! Which decent student wouldn’t be afraid of a thug like Huo Feng? My student gave him the answers out of fear, and it’s this sa fear that prevents him from admitting it now – he’s been dragged down by Huo Feng! And now you all even dare to vindicate a student like Huo Feng? What about the injustice my student has suffered?"
Yang Huiming indeed had a way with words, advocating for the seemingly gentle and wronged Chen Ruixiang in just a few sentences.
Pu Sangzhi watched Yang Huiming with fury, observing how these people had banded together to twist the truth.
At that mont, she could completely imagine... what kind of scene had Huo Feng faced? What kind of people!
With Huo Feng’s temperant, it was no wonder he exploded!
Because Pu Sangzhi was very angry, furious!
"Ms. Yang, you only dare speak like this because Huo Feng isn’t here to give his own testimony," said Pu Sangzhi, staring intently at Yang Huiming. She then turned her piercing gaze to Chen Ruixiang, "You also dare sar his na just because Huo Feng isn’t here. All of you, you’re the real villains! There must be evidence, and the truth will be found! You say Huo Feng signaled you, but that’s just a signal! He never asked you for the cheat sheet because he simply doesn’t need your answers! The signal you imagined... let tell you, that was him looking down on you!"
"Pu Sangzhi, are you also bullying my student?"
Yang Huiming stepped forward to speak, "Do you think you can bully him just because you know Ruixiang is well-known for his good temper? Is your attitude the result of being led astray by that ruffian Huo Feng?"
"Ms. Yang!"
Huo Mingshan could no longer listen, and couldn’t help but sternly rebuke Yang Huiming, "Can you stop interrupting when others are speaking! As a teacher, you insult Huo Feng with every other word, that kind of behavior is just too despicable, and your personality is just too rotten!"
After being scolded by Huo Mingshan, Yang Huiming finally paused for a mont and retorted, unconvinced, "I didn’t an anything else. I just want to say that Chen Ruixiang in our class is honest and simple-natured, with a very good reputation among his classmates. You’re bullying him for the sake of a student like Huo Feng, and I can’t stand it!"
At this point, Zheng Qiu also couldn’t listen anymore, becoming so angry that she slamd the table and barked at Yang Huiming, "Cut out your ’hoodlum’ this and ’thug’ that! Huo Feng is my student, and I know his character better than anyone! He’s not as bad as you say, he indeed has made great progress in his studies! I believe he didn’t cheat!"
Suddenly, a battle erupted among the teachers.
What was originally just a case of student cheating had unexpectedly also damaged the collegiality between teachers.
And well...
Who wouldn’t protect their own?
As a horoom teacher, who could stand to see their students being bullied?
Perhaps Yang Huiming’s reactions were a bit extre, but she too was only trying to defend Chen Ruixiang.
Tracing back to the root of the issue, the problem still ca down to Chen Ruixiang.
Chen Ruixiang’s dishonesty had led to conflicts on multiple fronts...
As the situation escalated, other teachers in the office ca over one by one to diate.
One person pulled Yang Huiming away, another pulled Zheng Qiu, and these teachers calmly comforted them beside their ears for a long ti...
Only then did the chaotic atmosphere slowly calm down...
Afterwards, in the sowhat peaceful atmosphere, Pu Sangzhi took a deep breath and quietly exclaid, "Last sester, Huo Feng told he liked and wanted to pursue , but I rejected him. At that ti, I despised him for being a ne’er-do-well and didn’t even want to be friends with him. To make him give up on , I made a demand... I demanded that he get into Tsinghua before he could pursue ."
Pu Sangzhi began to reminisce about the very beginning... her start with Huo Feng.
Her voice was slow, faint, with a soft and moist quality mixed within...
For a mont, in the quiet office, all the teachers listened intently, turning their gaze upon her.
At this mont, everyone standing before Pu Sangzhi, the narrator, had beco listeners...
"I used to look down on Huo Feng... really look down on him..."
Pu Sangzhi took a deep breath and said slowly, "Back then, I tried every ans to make him give up on , making many harsh demands. Tsinghua... top 200... They were all tactics to keep him away from . But he listened seriously, studied seriously, and told seriously that he would not disturb in high school, that everything would wait until after he got into Tsinghua."
As she talked about the past, Pu Sangzhi felt a pain like her heart was being corroded by sulfuric acid.
Because what she said was true, they were heartfelt words...
In the past, looking down on Huo Feng was true, rejecting him was true...
So now, Huo Feng’s disdain for her, a ’good student’ who judged others with a prejudiced view, was understandable...
"Later, his seriousness moved ."
Pu Sangzhi continued at a steady pace, "I began to seriously teach him. Every weekend I tutored him, eting twice a week at the library, even during winter break and Chinese New Year, I tutored him... because I was serious too... I thought..."
Pu Sangzhi’s chin quivered slightly, her nose tingled with sourness, and her emotions made her eyes turn red as she said, "Because I thought... I wanted to... to get into Tsinghua with him..."
"Tsinghua is my dream... it’s the dream my father left ... and without knowing when, it beca his dream too..."
Pu Sangzhi, with tear-filled eyes, looked at all the teachers present, especially her horoom teacher, "Seeing Huo Feng study so hard for Tsinghua... I really, really wanted to get into Tsinghua with him."
On the words ’really wanted’, Pu Sangzhi spoke with emphasis and force.
"Teacher..."
Pu Sangzhi bit her trembling lip, tears streaming down, finally crying in front of everyone...
"I beg you... don’t knock down Huo Feng... I beg you all... return his innocence... Today he was really angry, he said he would quit studying... I’m afraid he’ll go astray, I don’t want him to fall..."
Pu Sangzhi lifted her sleeve to wipe her tears, sobbing nonstop, "He could have been with to compete for Tsinghua... I beg you, don’t force him into degradation..."
As she cried, she hiccupped through her words...
This pitiful image of her, with tears like raindrops pearling down, was truly heartbreaking.
Seeing her in such a state, Huo Mingshan couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
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