Chapter 123 - 120: Unforeseen Disaster (Part 2)
"To the two teachers and all the students here, I’m going to make one thing clear today. If anyone ever tries to drag my wife into something like this again, I won’t let it slide. My wife and I have been married for two years, and we have a nine-month-old daughter. She doesn’t live in the dorms because our home is right near the university. I bring her to school and pick her up every single day, without fail. I’m sure many of you students here have seen me. My wife’s life is very simple: she comes to school for her classes and goes straight home afterward. I don’t know why something like this has happened, but my wife’s character is flawless and beyond reproach."
After hearing Li Xiu speak, the crowd started murmuring. Many of them had seen him every day, holding his child while bringing Zhou Lian to and from the university. One girl couldn’t help but scoff, "Zhou Lian’s husband is handsome and treats her so well. I see their little family four times a day: he drops her off in the morning, picks her up for lunch, brings her back after, and then picks her up again when classes are over. Saying she’s seducing someone? When would she even have the time? I bet she doesn’t even know who this Sun Dacai is!"
"Exactly! I heard her husband is amazing to her. They aren’t even from the Capital City. He bought a house and moved their whole family here just because she got into Beijing University. He even brought the baby along to support her while she studies."
"Really? Her husband treats her so well!"
"My aunt told me. She works at the neighborhood committee office where Zhou Lian lives. She said her husband absolutely pampers her. One time, someone from my aunt’s office went to their home for a routine check and saw him doing the laundry and cooking. Apparently, he rarely even lets Zhou Lian hold the baby because he’s afraid it’ll tire her out!"
A series of sharp gasps went through the crowd. Now *that* was a doting husband. "Those two must be crazy. How stupid would Zhou Lian have to be to throw away a man who treats her that well?"
"The one with the short hair—I’ve seen her following Sun Hongguo around a few times. He must not be interested in her, so she’s taking her anger out on Zhou Lian."
"Taking it out on Zhou Lian? Is she blind? Look at the presence her husband has. Does he look like someone who’d let his wife be wronged?"
"Forget her husband, Zhou Lian herself is no pushover."
"You can say that again. A minute ago, I saw her slap both of them right across the face without even blinking!"
...
A few moments later, the student named Sun Hongguo was summoned. He stood before the dean of discipline, his face flushed beet red. The student sent to fetch him had explained the situation on the way, and right now, he truly despised Wang Li and Sun Xiaoyan.
Li Xiu glanced up for a second before lowering his head again to stay protectively by his wife’s side, watching her play with their little girl.
"You’ve heard what’s going on, I assume?" the dean of discipline asked the student before him, his face grim. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, ’Thin, not very tall, a sallow complexion, and wears glasses.’ He glanced up again at the man standing beside Zhou Lian. ’Unless Zhou Lian is a complete idiot, why would she ever choose this guy over her own husband?’
The onlookers all shared the dean’s sentiment. Leaving everything else aside, in terms of looks alone, Zhou Lian’s husband completely eclipsed Sun Hongguo.
Sun Hongguo nodded and hurriedly explained, "Dean, please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t write any love poem to confess my feelings. This is all a misunderstanding."
He glanced at Wang Li, gritted his teeth, and said, "The other day, Wang Li asked me what kind of partner I’d look for in the future. I said I didn’t know and that I’d know when I met the right person. Then Sun Xiaoyan asked me, ’With so many girls at our school, isn’t there anyone who could be an example?’ So I said, ’Well, then maybe someone of Zhou Lian’s type.’ I know she’s married with a child! Besides, her husband is taller and better-looking than me. With my looks, she wouldn’t give me a second glance anyway!"
A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. Who knew the renowned Sun Dacai was so self-aware!
"Sun Xiaoyan, what’s this about a love poem?" the counselor demanded, his face dark with anger.
"He’s lying, Teacher! I saw him write ’Ode to the Lotus Flower’ in his notebook with my own eyes!" Sun Xiaoyan yelled, refusing to back down. She wasn’t an idiot; she knew this wouldn’t end well for her, so she decided she might as well drag everyone down with her.
"Of all the flowers on land and in water, there are countless to be loved. Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty exclusively loved the chrysanthemum. Since the great Tang Dynasty, the world has adored the peony. But I alone love the lotus, for it emerges from the mud unstained, and bathes in pure ripples, yet is not wanton. Its stem is hollow within and straight without, neither creeping nor branching. Its fragrance travels far, growing ever purer. It stands tall and clean, to be admired from a distance, but never to be touched with disrespect..."
"Dean, you see? Zhou Lian knows this love poem! She’s even..."
"Enough!" the dean of discipline roared, cutting Sun Xiaoyan off. ’What kind of love poem is that? It’s a prose essay by the Northern Song neo-Confucian scholar, Zhou Dunyi! To think that a university student would mistake it for a love poem... Absurd! Utterly absurd!’
The great talent, Sun Hongguo, stared blankly at Sun Xiaoyan and muttered, "That was written by the Northern Song scholar Zhou Dunyi. I just copied it into my notebook. I didn’t write it... Besides, it’s not even a love poem!"
The crowd erupted in another wave of laughter. You really do see all sorts of strange things in this world!
Soon after, the vice-chancellor arrived. It had only been two years since the college entrance exams were reinstated, and he couldn’t afford a major incident. Beijing University was the gold standard for higher education in the country. If a scandal erupted over such a baseless, salacious rumor, the impact on all universities would be significant.
After hearing the entire story, the vice-chancellor was speechless. ’What a ridiculous mess,’ he thought. Though the semester had only started a little over a month ago, he had already heard of Zhou Lian. His own daughter was in the same program and came home talking about her all the time. From what he knew, Zhou Lian was extremely introverted and didn’t even know most of her classmates yet. She would show up to the classroom right before class and leave the moment it was over, with her husband waiting every time, holding their child. It had become a well-known sight in the Chinese Department. ’These two girls must be brainless to try and implicate her in something like this.’
"Wang Li and Sun Xiaoyan, you will each receive a major demerit and be placed on academic probation. If you break the school rules again, you will be expelled. Furthermore, you will apologize to Zhou Lian over the school’s public address system! Sun Hongguo, you will receive a verbal warning," the vice-chancellor announced, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Vice-Chancellor, as the victim, I do not accept this resolution," Zhou Lian said calmly, stepping forward with her child. She gave Wang Li and Sun Xiaoyan a fleeting glance. ’They think they can get off that easily? Do they take me for a saint?’
Li Xiu took the child from Zhou Lian’s arms and stood silently beside her. He knew what his wife was about to do. She wasn’t the type to let a wounded tiger escape, only for it to come back and maul you later.
"Zhou Lian, what outcome would you prefer?" the vice-chancellor asked amiably. He hadn’t just heard about her from his daughter; more importantly, several of the old professors were extremely fond of her. He understood why. The quality of students these days was uneven, with a huge gap in their cultural education. When they encountered a truly promising talent, they were overjoyed.
"Vice-Chancellor, Dean, teachers, and fellow students, have you ever considered what would have happened if my husband hadn’t trusted me today? With just a few careless words, Wang Li and Sun Xiaoyan tried to push me into an abyss from which I could never recover. And now it’s supposed to be over with a simple apology? People say a scholar’s pen is mightier than the sword; today, these two have shown that you can kill with just your mouth!"
Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the faces around her, Zhou Lian twisted the knife. "If my husband didn’t trust me, if my classmates despised me, and if my teachers started looking at me with suspicion... what do you think a person living under that cloud of slander would do?"