"No!" Chen Hang jumped up and down in a panic, while Chen Yuanyuan shook her head in grievance.
Jin Shuoshuo nodded, reached out and patted Chen Hang on the shoulder, without getting angry.
"Teacher Liu, you may have misunderstood. They have always been very good friends."
Liu Chunyan was taken aback by her smiling face, then smiled and said, "So, in Teacher Jin's eyes, it's normal for men and women to put their arms around each other?"
“Of course it’s normal.” Jin Shuoshuo smiled, her young and beautiful face still radiating a calm smile: “Perhaps it’s because Teacher Liu is getting older and there’s a generation gap, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with men and women being friends. Besides, Teacher Liu should have found the key evidence, right?”
Liu Chunyan's words were completely blocked by her, and for a long time she could only glare at her with a flushed face.
"Heh, I see. So this is Teacher Jin's teaching style?" She patted her waist. "An outstanding teacher for two consecutive years, yet the students she teaches are so unruly. If the students in Class A are like this, then the rest of Class 8 are even more unruly."
Chen Hang's eyes reddened with anger, which Jin Shuoshuo noticed. She gently patted Chen Hang's shoulder and pulled him back down.
"Is what Teacher Liu said really true?" Jin Shuoshuo's expression turned serious, and his smile disappeared: "You said that the students in Class 8 do not follow the rules, but why don't you think that it is your rules that are too pretentious?"
What do you mean by this?!
“I don’t mean anything by it. I just want to know why the class was harmonious when I was teaching, but it’s become unruly when you’re teaching? Have you tried to think about this from a different perspective?” Jin Shuoshuo pressed on, his words sharp but not blatant.
Liu Chunyan sat there speechless, unable to come up with a solution after thinking for a long time. So she resorted to sophistry: "Why are you rambling on? My job is to discipline these students who are dating early!" She felt she was right and raised her chin slightly: "And am I wrong? If you ask me, those guys in the back row of your class are all no good!"
"Teacher! Please don't drag other people into our business, okay?" Chen Hang took a step forward and finally couldn't help but shout.
Liu Chunyan was stunned for a moment, then angrily pointed at Chen Hang, gesturing wildly: "Look, look! Teacher Jin, this is the good student you taught, he's quite good at talking back!"
Was I wrong to stand up for it?
"Chen Hang! Stop talking." Jin Shuoshuo pulled him back, afraid that he would do something too outrageous.
Liu Chunyan threw down her pointer: "If you ask me, those guys who hang out with Su Jinning are all bad news. What's the point of cheating and scrambling to get into the top ranks in the midterm exams?"
Everyone present was stunned.
A surge of anger choked Su Jinning, who was standing outside the door. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles cracked, as if nothing could quell his rage.
Shen Moyu pushed open the door and rushed in: "Teacher Liu, please explain yourself clearly, what do you mean by 'stealing chickens and dogs'?"
"Shen Moyu, what are you doing in here?" Jin Shuoshuo asked, exasperated.
Shen Moyu didn't even turn his head, his cold, peach-blossom eyes fixed on Liu Chunyan: "I've come to ask the teacher for some evidence."
Liu Chunyan was clearly taken aback, and it took her five or six seconds to straighten up while holding onto the table: "Evidence? He's a good-for-nothing hoodlum who doesn't study all day, and he improved his score by more than 200 points in half a month. Isn't that enough to prove anything?"
Jin Shuoshuo knew Shen Moyu's personality: when calm, he was calmer than anyone else; when impulsive, he was capable of doing anything.
Liu Chunyan was no pushover; she'd been making things difficult for her for so long, and now she was even dragging her student into it. She was genuinely angry and helpless.
"Alright, you can go out now."
"Is this the evidence?" Shen Moyu ignored him, his eyes reflecting a bloodthirsty coldness: "Are you his teacher, parent, or classmate? Class 7 and Class 8 are separated by a whole wall, of course you can't see whether he is studying hard or not."
He paused, then continued to pursue Liu Chunyan's evasive gaze: "You say he's a thief, but the midterm exam questions were an original set of questions from Zhengde No.1 Middle School, unique in the national question bank. Where did he get the opportunity to copy them?"
Jin Shuoshuo sighed: "Teacher Liu, he is my student. I know him best. It is unreasonable to judge a child based solely on appearances."
Liu Chunyan said indignantly, "See? This is the top student in the grade we used to pamper. He's shown his true colors after hanging out with Su Jinning, hasn't he?"
"Mo Yu, teacher, stop talking." Su Jinning walked in from the doorway at some point and gently tugged at Shen Mo Yu's arm.
He feared that Liu Chunyan would distort the truth and point the finger at Shen Moyu again.
Liu Chunyan twitched the corners of her mouth, glaring at him with a look of utter hatred.
"This has nothing to do with Teacher Jin," Su Jinning said calmly, concealing the disappointment in his eyes and closing them briefly. "If you're also disliking me because of my conflict with your son, then there's no need for that." His words hit the nail on the head, leaving Liu Chunyan speechless. "You can look for the reason in your son." He paused, then added, "I have a clear conscience about my 500 points, and I have no reason to steal or cheat."
Su Jinning suddenly smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know you don't like me and are targeting me. So I will try my best to get into Class A so that I won't get in your way. It's not good for either of us."
After he finished speaking, he smiled faintly, grabbed Shen Moyu, and left the office.
The office fell silent instantly. Liu Chunyan was utterly humiliated. Not only had she failed to vent her anger, but she had also been falsely accused. So she angrily sat back down in her office chair and stared out the window as if she had been deeply offended.
“Teacher Liu, you are now the homeroom teacher of Class 8, so of course I can’t say anything.” Jin Shuoshuo tidied his sideburns: “But I hope you can treat everyone equally. If you don’t like me, you don’t have to take it out on the students. And you don’t need to hold a grudge against your son and Su Jinning.”
Liu Chunyan was so angry that her teeth chattered, but she didn't know what to say. She could only watch as Jin Shuoshuo calmly led the students away. The door suddenly closed, and she was once again left speechless.
Stepping out of the office, Jin Shuoshuo let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the four students he both loved and hated, he smiled helplessly: "Can't you guys give me a break?"
Chen Yuanyuan pursed her lips: "I'm sorry, teacher, I've caused you trouble."
Chen Hang nodded in agreement: "Actually, you didn't need to come."
"Not coming?" Jin Shuoshuo sighed. "It's a good thing Su Jinning and the other guy asked me to come. Everyone knows she doesn't like me, and since she couldn't vent her anger on me, she came after you guys. If I hadn't come, who knows how much punishment I would have given you."
Chen Hang couldn't help but clench his fist: "I just don't understand how someone like her became a teacher! Listen to what she says about us, she's twisting the truth and being unreasonable."
"Yes, and they even said those things about the Sports Committee... that's too much." Chen Yuanyuan wiped the tears from her face and said with a wronged expression.
Su Jinning leaned against the balcony, seemingly lost in thought, and did not speak.
Jin Shuoshuo opened his mouth, but finally shook his head helplessly, walked over to Su Jinning, and patted him on the shoulder.
Su Jinning then realized: "Teacher."
"Hmm." Jin Shuoshuo looked at his face: "Don't take her words to heart. She's just saying that because she's prejudiced against you."
"I know, I'm not stupid." Su Jinning smiled indifferently, but still lowered her head somewhat blankly, like a wronged child who couldn't explain her grievances.
It wasn't just Liu Chunyan; ever since her results came out, people on forums and at school have been saying that she got her score of over 500 by cheating.
He got used to it and gradually just smiled and let it go. He understood; it was like a piece of gold that had been dull for a long time suddenly shining. Anyone would find it strange.
But when others say those things to him without any hesitation, he still feels angry, wronged, and disappointed...
Shen Moyu looked at him, who was bowing his head and remaining silent. His bangs covered his eyes, and only the outline of his pursed lips could be seen.