Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “Hey, Zhao Yu, where are you going?” In a flash, Zhao Yu ran out and a classmate was trying to pull her back. “Is Zhao Yu mad because Qiao Nan clinched the top place?”

  “Teacher Chen.” Zhao Yu ran to Teacher Chen’s office. True enough, Qiao Nan was also there. Zhao Yu’s eyes welled up instantly in front of Teacher Chen.

  “What is the matter?” Teacher Chen was shocked that she was crying without an apparent reason. “What is wrong, come in”

  “Teacher Chen, Qiao Nan is maligning me.” Zhao Yu wiped away her tears as she sobbed quietly, looking so pitiful.

  Qiao Nan shot a glance at Zhao Yu coldly, without saying a word.

  Obviously, youngsters do have the tendency to lose their cool.

  “Qiao Nan maligned you?” Teacher Chen looked at Zhao Yu strangely. “How did Qiao Nan malign you, and about what?”

  Zhao Yu did not decipher the meaning of Teacher Chen’s question. She was absolutely certain that Qiao Nan had complained against her. To Zhao Yu, Teacher Chen was interrogating and not questioning her as Teacher Chen had always believed in whatever Qiao Nan said.

  After all, Teacher Chen had always liked Qiao Nan and treated her exceptionally well.

  Teacher Chen even gave Qiao Nan a place for the essay competition behind closed doors. It was impossible that Teacher Chen would not believe Qiao Nan’s words.

  “Teacher Chen, I was wronged. Those pens were not broken by me. Qiao Nan cannot malign others and blame it on me just because her pens were broken.” Unless Qiao Nan had evidence, otherwise, she would never admit to it. Zhao Yu cried in front of Teacher Chen.

  “I know I have a bad temper and Qiao Nan doesn’t like me. But we are classmates, even if she disliked me, she shouldn’t bully me like that…… Teacher Chen, trust me, I, I really did not do it.”

  At the sight of Zhao Yu who was crying miserably, Qiao Nan did not know what happened but she suddenly saw a hint of Qiao Zijin in Zhao Yu.

  In the previous life, when Qiao Zijin was broke, she cried to her mother in this manner too.

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  When Qiao Zijin was pregnant with Chen Jun’s child, she also sat by the side and sobbed quietly while she watched her mother hit and scold Qiao Nan to force Qiao Nan to give up the relationship.

  At the time when she was just reborn to this life, her ears were hurt by her mother and Brother Zhai also taught her to use a similar crying tactic on her father. Crying was so handy.

  “The pens were broken, all broken?” When Teacher heard this, he felt that something was not right. Although his mood had been dampened by Zhao Yu’s tears, he remained calm and manage to grasp the point made by Zhao Yu. “Qiao Nan, what exactly is happening?”

  “During the essay competition, I brought three pens. One is the usual pen that I used, the other two were brand new. However, strangely, none of the pens worked during the competition. Fortunately, someone lent me a pen. Otherwise, most likely I would not have been able to participate in the competition,” Qiao Nan told Teacher Chen honestly.

  “Borrow a pen, who lent you the pen?” Teacher Chen was alarmed. If Qiao Nan did not manage to borrow a pen, they would have a close brush with the first place, and would have let slip the championship that was already in their hands.

  “It was a big brother from my neighborhood. He happened to pass by and lent me a fountain pen. Zhao Yu was in the same exam hall as me, when the invigilator was helping me to borrow a pen, Zhao Yu did not say anything. Zhao Yu also only brought one pen, I can understand this. Zhao Yu, I did not blame you.” Qiao Nan smiled at Zhao Yu amicably.

  Teacher Chen was not the only one present in the office, and every teacher brought their brains to work.

  Which student would bring only one pen to participate in the competition or exam. In other words, when Qiao Nan’s pen was broken, Zhao Yu was not willing to lend one to her. This was a fact.

  Also, the three working pens that were prepared by Qiao Nan were all broken at the same time.

  This was strange.

  They thought of Zhao Yu running to the office, crying that she was maligned and emphasizing that she did not do this.

  At that moment, the teachers in the office had a feeling that Zhao Yu had exposed her own deed.

  Zhao Yu did not know the teachers’ thoughts. After she heard the conversation between Teacher Chen and Qiao Nan, she was dumbfounded.

  Hadn’t Qiao Nan come to the office to complain about her to Teacher Chen?

  Then, whatever she said just now, was it not……

  Teacher Chen’s face was gloomy. Obviously he was not in a good mood.

  Teacher Chen’s chest heaved up and down and he looked at Zhao Yu a few times. “Zhao Yu, no-one is maligning you. You may return to the classroom.”

  Teacher Chen’s words were like a double-edged sword. Zhao Yu’s face turned red with embarrassment.

  “Teacher, Teacher Chen.”

  “Leave.”

  “Teacher Chen’s attitude was firm. Furthermore, there were many teachers in the office. Zhao Yu was still young and not thick-skinned enough. When she heard Teacher Chen, she cried more miserably than before and tears rolled from her eyes uncontrollably as she turned and left.

  “Qiao Nan, why didn’t you tell the teachers? Does Teacher Lee know?” Teacher Chen let out a frustrated sigh. He looked at Qiao Nan sullenly. Qiao Nan was good in everything but she was too kind and easily bullied by others.

  As the form teacher, he knew that Zhao Yu had been making things difficult for Qiao Nan.

  “I don’t know.” Qiao Nan shook her head. “When the car arrived, I went to the restroom to wash my face and left my bag in the car. When I came out, everyone was preparing to enter the exam hall. I discovered that all my pens were broken only when I was attempting the question in the hall.”

  After the competition ended, the teachers sent the students home without any ado.

  Qiao Nan did not have any chance to mention this matter to Teacher Lee.

  Furthermore, it was difficult for Qiao Nan to say it. She could not possibly tell Teacher Lee that all the three pens that she brought were broken and she suspected that someone had intentionally broken them.

  Teacher Chen guessed Qiao Nan’s thoughts. “Fine, I understand. You have to pay more attention in future. The kids nowadays…… really, they are not as simple as the kids during my generation. They are still so young.”

  Teacher Chen did not continue further. Anyway, everyone knew what was going on at heart.

  “Teacher Chen, then I will go back.”

  As she left Teacher Chen’s office and passed by the corner, Qiao Nan was held back by Zhao Yu whose eyes were as red as a rabbit due to the crying.

  Zhao Yu was crying as she choked on her words. “Qiao, Qiao Nan you, did you set me up today?”

  If Qiao Nan did not look for Teacher Chen in such a hurry, she would not have misunderstood that Qiao Nan was making a complaint about her. After all, Qiao Nan just told Zhu Baoguo about this.

  “Guess yourself.”

  Zhao Yu was stunned. At this juncture, what was there to guess? “Qiao Nan, you did it intentionally. You wanted to malign me. Teacher Chen already favored you so much, why do you still have to smear my reputation?”

  “Then tell me. How did I set you up? What did I do intentionally, what did I malign you about? If you can narrate the the full story to me from beginning till end, I will pay you respects and apologize to you. Not one thing less.”