Chapter 8: I Hit You Because I Want To

Chen Lin spoke with such convincing detail that Fang Xue immediately looked at Qiao Weiwei, sensing from her friend's expression that the accusations were true. A flicker of disappointment crossed Fang Xue's eyes, but her instinct to protect her friend was stronger. She gripped Qiao Weiwei’s hand tightly and retorted, "What business is it of yours?"

"Regardless, there is no way Weiwei took your necklace, and you have absolutely no right to search her bag."

Though not particularly tall, Fang Xue stood in front of her friend like an ancient, immovable pine, providing a sense of calm reassurance. The commotion drew the attention of other students, who soon fetched their homeroom teacher, Li Tong. By the time Li Tong arrived, the other students had already filled her in on the situation.

Li Tong swept a glance over the crowd and ordered everyone back to their seats. Seeing the teacher arrive, Chen Lin grew bolder and renewed her demand to search the bag. "Since you didn't take it, why not just open your bag and prove your innocence?"

Qiao Weiwei had always been a person of principle. Had they approached her politely, she would have been happy to help a classmate find a lost item. But now that they were treating her like a thief, she knew that if she let them bully her, it would only lead to more harassment in the future. It was exhausting.

She stood tall and said coolly, "Even the police require evidence to conduct an investigation. You are accusing me of theft, so it is your responsibility to provide proof, not mine to prove my innocence."

Chen Lin was the principal's niece. Qiao Weiwei’s family had once been well-off, but now that both her parents were gone, there was little incentive for the school to side with an orphan over the principal’s kin. After a moment’s thought, Li Tong aligned herself with Chen Lin. "The school does not install cameras in classrooms to protect student privacy, but that is not an excuse for you to evade punishment. I suggest you cooperate with the investigation, or I will have no choice but to call your guardian."

She had already passed judgment. Qiao Weiwei’s brows furrowed as she prepared to argue further, but Chen Lin caught her off guard, lunging forward to yank the bag away. The contents spilled onto the floor, including a sapphire necklace.

"Qiao Weiwei, the evidence is undeniable. What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Li Tong’s gaze turned sharp, as if she could kill, and the surrounding students shifted from mere curious onlookers to expressions of disdain.

"I never thought we had a thief in our class."
"Things have been going missing for a while; I guess we finally caught the culprit."
"How shameless. It’s embarrassing to be her classmate."

Chen Lin couldn't hide her smugness. "Teacher, thieves should be expelled, or there’s no telling what she’ll do next."

Staring at Chen Lin, Qiao Weiwei suddenly realized something. She had seen Chen Lin hanging around Lin Zhiyi. Every time Lin Zhiyi felt "wronged," Chen Lin was the first to jump to her defense. It was clear that this entire scene was orchestrated because Lin Zhiyi was dissatisfied with her, and Chen Lin had staged this to curry favor with the "young lady."

Fang Xue was still trying to defend her. "Teacher, I have been with Weiwei the entire time. She could not have stolen anything; someone must have framed her."

"Enough!" Li Tong barked, silencing the classroom instantly. She continued, "You don't need to take your exams. I will call your guardian immediately and have them come to the school to process your withdrawal."

Withdrawal! This punishment was far too severe. Shengde High was known for its strict academic rigor, and there had never been a precedent for forced expulsion.

"Teacher—" Fang Xue tried to protest, but Qiao Weiwei squeezed her hand to stop her.

"It’s no use." She gripped the hem of her school uniform so tightly her knuckles turned white, as if trying to crush the fabric into her palm. Without evidence, would her uncle believe her? Would he abandon her because of this? Qiao Weiwei could already imagine the look of disappointment, disgust, and contempt on Gu Huaijin’s face.

She followed the homeroom teacher to the principal’s office in a daze, her mind racing with how she would explain this to her uncle. Seeing her distraught appearance, Chen Lin smiled brilliantly.

"You got your own parents killed, yet you still have the nerve to show your face at school. If I were you, I would have killed myself long ago," Chen Lin sneered. "And your parents deserved it, too—hypocritical, pretending to be so high and mighty..."

Before she could finish, a slap landed across her face, leaving it visibly swollen. She looked at Qiao Weiwei in disbelief. "You dare hit me!"

"You have no right to speak of my parents!" Qiao Weiwei’s eyes were bloodshot, like a wounded beast ready to tear someone apart. She had always been cheerful and warm, with a gentle way of speaking; this was the first time she had ever shown such a look.

Chen Lin’s voice trembled as she retreated behind the principal. "Uncle..."

Principal Zhang Shengnian, naturally protective of his niece, his face contorting with rage, shouted, "Qiao Weiwei, have you lost your mind? Stealing property and now assaulting someone in the principal's office! You are completely lawless! I’m calling the police—you must be sent to a juvenile detention center!"

A criminal record would ruin her life. No orchestra would hire a violinist with a past like that. This was a death sentence for her future. But Qiao Weiwei had already felt the sting of death once; she was beyond caring. So what if she had a record? It would just make the road ahead a little harder and a little slower.

She scanned the three conspirators in the room and tightened her fists. Since she had already struck, she might as well finish it. Just as she was about to lash out again, the door to the principal's office opened.

A familiar figure stepped in, silhouetted against the light, an oppressive aura flooding the room. Zhang Shengnian, who had been shouting just moments ago, hurriedly greeted him. "Mr. Gu! If only you had let us know you were coming—you are the school’s most valued benefactor, we should have sent someone to greet you at the gate."

As he spoke, he shot a glare at Qiao Weiwei, blaming the girl for making him look unprofessional in front of his "god of wealth."

Gu Huaijin’s gaze bypassed everyone else and landed directly on Qiao Weiwei. Noting the scraped skin on her hand, his brows knit together. "You hit someone?"

The atmosphere in the office turned instantly tense. Beyond his reputation as a wealthy tycoon, Gu Huaijin was also known as the "King of Hell." With a single thought, he could make you rich; with another, he could bankrupt you. Everyone knew to treat him with extreme caution.

"It was just an isolated incident, the other students are very well-behaved," Zhang Shengnian said hastily, fearing the loss of the Gu family’s patronage.

Qiao Weiwei felt a pang of guilt. She had promised not to cause trouble, and yet here she was, on the verge of expulsion. She stammered, trying to explain, "I... they forced me first..."

"Shut up!" Zhang Shengnian’s thick brows knit together. "Go write your withdrawal letter and get out of here."

The air in the office grew even heavier. Chen Li, acting as Gu Huaijin’s spokesperson, said coldly, "Mr. Gu arrived precisely because he received a call. I would like to know what 'wrong' our young lady has committed that requires her to withdraw from school."

What? Qiao Weiwei was a member of the Gu family? And judging by the way Gu Huaijin had come in person, her status was clearly not low. Zhang Shengnian broke into a cold sweat, suddenly feeling a surge of resentment toward his niece. Who was she to provoke someone like that?

"She stole my necklace and hit me! Shouldn't she be expelled?" Chen Lin demanded. *So what if she's with the Gu family? Can the Gu family ignore school rules?* She had learned from Lin Zhiyi that Qiao Weiwei was nothing more than a stray the Gu family had taken in out of pity for her dead parents—a mere plaything.