5 1.5

By lunchtime that day, Liu Yao could no longer stand the meaningful glares from all around her. She rushed to Headmaster Feng with red eyes and whispered, "Headmaster Feng, I think I should resign."

Hearing his beloved woman so upset and even addressing him so formally, how could the man keep calm? He hurriedly sat her down on his office couch and wrapped her body in a tight embrace. "Yao'er, what happened? Who bullied you? I'll take care of it, so don't make any hasty decisions."

Liu Yao buried her face in the headmaster's chest. She confessed, "In fact, in fact it was my fault. Because I didn't clarify, Ah Li had to grade all the music theory tests yesterday. When he came in today, he piled them on me in front of everyone, so the other teachers thought I was abusing him."

At this, Headmaster Feng's expression was a bit strange, with several questions appearing in rapid succession.

This "Ah Li" seemed to be the new music student teacher that Zhao Cui had brought up, but when had Yao'er gotten close enough to him to call him so intimately? As for the 'abuse,' he'd long surmised that Yao'er was dumping most of her work on Teacher Shao. How else could she have spent so much time with him after Teacher Shao was hired? It was just that a small student teacher wasn't worth paying attention to, but after Zhao Cui's mention, he was a bit wary.

Liu Yao had expected that the headmaster would denounce Teacher Shao right away, especially after she referred to him so affectionately, but the other side was silent long enough that she grew somewhat nervous. She struggled free and scrubbed her dry eyes.

"I really should have made it clear to Teacher Shao, in the end, no matter what my intentions, I made him do so much by himself. I'll apologize again. Headmaster Feng, please don't trouble yourself."

Her face showed a brave smile, and she made as if to stand up.

All the headmaster's thoughts flew away. His Yao'er may have overworked her assistant, but after all, this was her first time having a helper. This Teacher Shao was really too much, publicizing his superior's mistakes. He solemnly promised, "Yao'er, I'll make this right for you. Just hold on."

In response, Liu Yao only silently leaned her head against his shoulder and bowed her head, hiding the curl at the corner of her lips.

Later that same afternoon, the headmaster unobtrusively summoned Shao Li to his office.

Chen Yu obediently responded and then turned to the teacher on his other side. "Teacher Dan, if Teacher Liu comes back and looks for me, can I trouble you to tell her that the headmaster called me? I'm sorry to bother you, but I don't want her to worry."

Hearing this foolish child, Teacher Dan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Obviously it was Teacher Liu who'd gotten him into trouble with the headmaster, so where would she be worried for him? Besides, Teacher Liu had, as usual, left for the day right after her last class. Uncertain what to say, he could only answer, "It's no trouble, you be careful."

Chen Yu exposed a grateful smile and hurried to meet this second male lead.

In fact, Headmaster Feng could be called the thick thigh that supported the female lead from beginning to end. It was most likely also the headmaster that had arranged for Shao Li to be killed in the original plot.

Hm, Chen Yu couldn't wait to crush him.

When he entered the headmaster's office, the man sitting behind the desk directly ignored him. Chen Yu didn't put such petty tricks in his eyes and covertly studied the other man. The headmaster appeared to be in his early 30s, with thick wavy hair and well-defined features. It was clear that he exercised regularly and worked hard to dress meticulously. Chen Yu mused, this appearance was not bad, but the overall image was too fussy and pretentious for his tastes. Let Liu Yao keep him.

Finished with his taste test and impatient to get started, Chen Yu shuffled his feet and timidly asked, "H-Headmaster Feng, you called?"

Headmaster Feng hadn't personally interviewed this new hire, so this was the first time he was seeing Shao Li. When he finally raised his head and saw the young man's lovely features, his eyes widened, but he soon regained his calm.

"Teacher Shao, I heard there was some trouble this morning. If you have a grudge against Teacher Liu, you should resolve it privately instead of pulling in other teachers."

Chen Yu sneered, what a good boss, pushing all the blame to a clueless student teacher. He showed a shocked expression, raising misty eyes.

With Shao Li's gentle, clear voice, he earnestly swore, "Headmaster, I really don't have any issues with Teacher Liu. She's been very good to me, it was just that I...made a mistake by doing more than she wanted me to." Towards the end, Shao Li trailed off as if hesitating to lie but not wanting to expose his senior's abuse.

Headmaster Feng believed that Shao Li was innocent, but he'd promised his Yao'er. Remembering her dependent gaze and soft body, the resolve in his eyes sharpened.

Chen Yu recognized the mix of pity and callousness he'd faced every time someone set him up to be cannon fodder.

He'd given this man a chance to make a different choice, and now that he could affect the plot, he'd let him experience the results of his decision. Before the headmaster could force Shao Li to blacken himself to wash Liu Yao clean, Chen Yu suggested, "Headmaster, perhaps, perhaps I've brought trouble to Teacher Liu? If that's the case, I'll apologize right away. I can explain to the other teachers what happened, is that okay?"

Headmaster Feng faintly felt that this was too good to be true, but when he looked at Teacher Shao for any sign of a trick, he only found that the other was looking at him with unclouded eyes. Just a good-natured fool, he reassured himself. "Fine, you go ahead then."

If he could, he would follow along and manage Shao Li's speech, but he didn't want the other teachers to know he'd pressured Shao Li for his lover.

It was too bad that by the time Chen Yu walked into the faculty room, Teacher Dan had more than fulfilled Chen Yu's expectations. The news that the headmaster had sent for Teacher Shao had circulated to everyone.

So all the teachers understood what had happened when Chen Yu stood in front of them with a pale face and softly declared, "I hope everyone can take a moment to listen to me. Teacher Liu has always looked after me and has never given me too much to do. She's even advised me on details like how juniors should be the first to come to school. So please don't blame her based on what you saw this morning. It was really my mistake."

With this hint, the clever individuals among the teachers understood how Liu Yao had insidiously mistreated Teacher Shao for so long without being discovered.

The other faculty members originally sympathized with Shao Li, but that was all. Seeing such blatant bullying from the headmaster and Liu Yao, however, they immediately stood up and protested. If Headmaster Feng could be so biased against Shao Li, the next to suffer could be themselves!

With this incident, everyone raised their vigilance against Liu Yao, and her reputation among the teachers dropped to the very bottom. A few individuals who had connections also complained to some members of the academy board. It wasn't a big enough issue to fire anyone, but it did significantly lessen Headmaster Feng's standing.

By the next morning, when Headmaster Feng found out what had happened from an aggrieved Liu Yao, it was too late to do anything. The two could only mark down Shao Li in their hearts and try to avoid the limelight.