Chapter 124 - 121: The Ultimate Classmates
A shiver went through everyone present. What would a helpless, isolated woman do? What *could* she do?
"Bao’er, don’t say such things!" Li Xiu gripped Zhou Lian’s hand tightly, his voice low and firm. He knew his wife was just trying to scare them, but he couldn’t bear to hear her talk like that.
Patting her husband’s hand reassuringly, Zhou Lian gave a slight smile and said, "You’re both girls. I find it hard to believe you don’t know how important a reputation is to a woman. What’s more, I have a husband and a daughter. My daughter is only eight or nine months old. I don’t even know you, and I certainly have no grudge against you. For you two to suddenly act like you want to hound me to my death, what are your intentions? You so-called university students, the so-called pride of the heavens, you’ve been educated to read and understand reason, but where is your conscience? A talented but immoral menace is worse than a virtuous but mediocre person!"
’The aftershocks of the "Movement" have only recently subsided, and people’s minds are still on high alert. If this had happened five years ago, without any backing, I would have been completely ruined. Their scheme was nothing short of venomous. From ancient times to now, the biggest taboo for a woman is to be involved in ambiguous affairs with men, to be the subject of gossip. These two girls are just like the villains from those palace and family drama novels of later generations!’
Hearing Zhou Lian’s words, the hearts of the onlookers tightened in unison. If what she said was true, then these two students were truly vicious. What kind of hatred or grudge was this? But Zhou Lian didn’t even know them!
"I heard your esteemed university is currently evaluating student character, preparing to recommend a group of students for Party membership. I also heard that a few professors can now directly supervise graduate students. Although it’s only the freshman year, many things can be planned for in advance," Li Xiu said with a smile, looking at the vice-principal and the dean of discipline. ’Everyone must pay the price for their actions. No one is an exception.’
The vice-principal, the dean of discipline, and the counselor were all stunned. If that was the case, this was no longer a simple matter of misconduct. The implications were far more serious, which meant the proposed punishment was no longer appropriate. It was too light.
The final decision was expulsion. The incident was too malicious and its potential impact too great; it had to be handled with the utmost severity.
Once the decision was announced, Li Xiu headed home, carrying his daughter in one arm and holding his wife’s hand with the other. He paid no mind to the wilted Wang Li and Sun Xiaoyan, nor to the red-faced Sun Dacai who stood to the side, wanting to apologize.
Watching the backs of Li Xiu’s family of three, the onlookers were at a loss for words. The vice-principal cleared his throat twice. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he said sternly, "Alright, that’s enough. Disperse. Go on about your business, don’t just stand around here."
Looking at the few people who remained, the dean of discipline said, "Student Sun Hongguo, you should head back as well."
The counselor looked at the two girls standing there in a daze, sighed, and said, "Go and get the paperwork done first, then go back to your dorm to pack your things."
"Professor, I’ll never do it again! Please don’t make me withdraw, please?" Wang Li cried. Why had it come to this? She had gone through hell and high water to get into this university, and now, after just over a month, she was being expelled.
"This is the university’s decision. There’s nothing I can do," the counselor said irritably. "Besides, your actions were truly outrageous. As women, as university students, your minds are just too filthy." ’Now you know you were wrong? What were you thinking before?’
"Principal, Dean, Professor, we really know we were wrong. Please give us one more chance, please?" Sun Xiaoyan also pleaded through her tears.
"Frankly, I’m very curious. Student Zhou Lian has no grudge against you, so why did you decide to cause trouble for her? Even I know she has a loving partner who treats her very well. Furthermore, Student Zhou Lian doesn’t live on campus. Her partner drops her off and picks her up every day. The only time she spends at the university is almost entirely in the classroom. As her classmates, you should have known this. And besides, if you put Zhou Lian’s partner and Student Sun Hongguo side-by-side, who would you choose?" the vice-principal asked bluntly.
"The decision has been made. Stop pestering us. No one here is a fool. You were smart enough to get into university, so you must have some cleverness about you. The school will not investigate the inside story any further, so you should just quietly complete the paperwork. Our Beijing University is not an institution you can drag through the mud," the dean of discipline said, furious. ’What a mess. Having a student’s family member point a finger in my face and question the character of Beijing University’s students... I haven’t been this humiliated since I started this job.’
The incident was quashed as soon as it made a ripple. However, Zhou Lian’s name spread throughout Beijing University. She was beautiful and a good student, but with a bit of a temper. She also had a handsome, gentle husband who brought their child to pick her up from school every day. She became an object of envy and jealousy for many female students, but no one dared to provoke her. After all, she was not to be trifled with, and neither was her husband.
Back home, seeing Zhou Lian looking a little down, Li Xiu gently patted her and said, "Don’t be upset. Go wash your hands, it’s time to eat."
After dinner, once he had coaxed Nuonuo to sleep, Li Xiu wrapped his arms around Zhou Lian and started comforting his wife. "Bao’er, it’s not such a big deal. They aren’t worth your anger."
"I’m not angry, just frustrated. What a ridiculous mess! They must have thought I was an easy target, picking on the weakest one!"
Seeing Zhou Lian pouting, Li Xiu smiled gently and said, "They went too far, but what can I say? My Bao’er is just that outstanding. They were jealous of you. When jealousy gets the better of people, they do extreme things. You don’t need to take it to heart."
"What are they jealous of? That I have a good husband? So this was an attempt to drive a wedge between us? But based on their behavior, there’s no way you’d ever be interested in them. Do they even have brains?" Zhou Lian said helplessly. She felt like an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. Li Xiu was basically trouble that followed a handsome face!
"You, your imagination is running wild. A couple of days ago, I ran into a few of your professors at the university. They seemed to recognize me and struck up a conversation. They just wanted to know what your plans were after graduation—whether you’d work or something else. I told them this is your favorite major and that I’d support you in continuing on to graduate school. I also mentioned that you have a rather pure and simple personality, so a life in academia would suit you best. One of the female professors decided on the spot that she wants to mentor you all the way through. I guess a few of the professors must have said something!"
Staring at her nonchalant husband, Zhou Lian took a deep breath to steady herself and said, "Why didn’t you tell me about this?"
"I forgot. Besides, what was there to say? The plan was always for you to keep studying. If you can’t be in school anymore, you do research," Li Xiu said innocently. Looking at his wife, how could he possibly remember such trivial matters?
"What do you know? Those professors in my department are heavyweights in the academic world! How could you not tell me!" Zhou Lian said, feeling a little wronged. ’Those professors are my idols! To earn their appreciation would be an incredible honor!’