Chapter 112: She Is the One Setting the Questions
The moment Gu Zhenzhi felt the soft warmth pressing against him, his heart gave a gentle tremble. He tightened his arms, pulling the tearful and utterly distressed Ruan Cha into his embrace, his hand softly soothing her back.
Once Ruan Cha’s emotions settled somewhat, Gu Zhenzhi released her, placing his hands on her slender shoulders, lowering his gaze to meet hers at eye level. “Don’t be afraid. Tell me, how did they bully you?”
Ruan Cha’s small, reddened nose twitched as she cautiously turned her head, stealing a glance at Ruan Yingzhe’s fierce, predatory gaze. Nervously, she burrowed deeper into Gu Zhenzhi’s embrace, trembling. “Brother Zhenzhi… I’m afraid to say. They threatened me… I’m scared…”
“Ruan Cha! You mustn’t make up such stories!” Kong Xian said anxiously upon hearing this.
Ruan Cha poked out a pitiful little head from Gu Zhenzhi’s arms. “I—I’m not lying!” she insisted, clutching at the hem of his shirt, her face pale with fear. “Brother Zhenzhi, I really am not lying. They all bullied me together…”
“Mr. Gu, I can take charge of this matter!” Before Ruan Cha finished speaking, Shen Jie stepped forward, standing between Gu Zhenzhi and Ruan Cha. Finally, someone powerful enough to defend Ruan Cha had appeared.
Otherwise, he might have had to reveal his identity and testify for her…
“Ah yes, I can also bear witness to this,” the old man chimed in. “This Teacher Li really did bully Ruan Cha. Without any proof, she just accused her of cheating. Isn’t that just bullying a child?”
“I can testify too!”
A strong, resonant voice came from outside the door, drawing everyone’s attention.
They saw a dignified, scholarly face—the kind that only appeared in academic journals—standing there, radiating a commanding presence.
“Only a bunch of bullies would give an academic test paper to a high school student and expect her to do it. What else could this be but torment?”
“Professor Chang?!” Ruan Wei was the first to recognize Chang Decai, her eyes widening in shock.
Seeing Professor Chang, He Qisheng seemed to find a solid backing and straightened his posture. He had only finished grading half the test and didn’t even have the answers. His only option was to call this elder from the university out.
Chang Decai paced over to the principal, snatched the test paper off the desk, and glanced at it briefly. “This paper doesn’t need grading.”
Li Junmei’s heart tightened. “Professor Chang? Why not grade it? This student has shown misconduct and tried to cheat. This is only to verify the authenticity of her results!”
Chang Decai snorted coldly. “You have the nerve to say this is to verify the student’s performance? Even if you sat here and took this test now, you might not pass!”
Li Junmei’s face stiffened, a slight twitch at the corner of her eye.
“Moreover, the person who designed this test is the student herself. Why would she need to take her own test again to prove anything?”
When Professor Chang said this, everyone was stunned.
He Qisheng looked incredulous. “Old Chang, what are you saying?”
The professor’s expression was full of playful pride. He glanced at He Qisheng with a disdainful look, as if finding his ignorance amusing.
Withdrawing his gaze, he looked admiringly at Ruan Cha, still nestled in Gu Zhenzhi’s arms. “Miss Ruan…” The words were on his lips but were cut off by Ruan Cha’s sharp glare.
Chang Decai felt a bit aggrieved inside.
“Perhaps it’s been so long you’ve forgotten. This was your own test paper from back then. Even Mo City University still uses it.”