The teacher asked Rina if she had any proof in respect of her claim.
"Sean saw her alone in the classroom at lunch when everyone was out. So she is the only one who had the chance to steal. If we search her everything will be clear." Rina replied.
Su Nian opened her desk and everyone's eye fall into the neckless lying there.
"See that's the neckless I was talking about." ,Rina cried out, " Now it's proven that she is the one who stole it."
"I can prove that I haven't taken it.", Su Nian said at last," I have gone out for sometime before the bell rang to wash my hands and came back just now. Anyone can keep it in my desk at that time. I am not that foolish to keep that valuable neckless in my desk and leave and my desk is completely vacant except the neckless."
" Why would anyone keep it in your desk?" Rina asked.
Su Nian said ," I have a way to prove who has kept it there. I just colored my desk if anyone touched it they have the color on their hand." Then she looked toward Rina's hand. Everyone could see the color in Rina's hand and that exposed the whole fact.
Rina found no way to escape from the incident and got expelled to different lower grade section .
The other students also found out tricking Su Nian was not easy task and got afraid to make any move on her later. They kept their eyes fixed on Su Nian ; some even with gaping mouths. After everything that happened in a matter of twenty minutes, Su Nian didn't brag or say anything but rather, moved on as if nothing happened.
While the rest were weighing their impression of Su Nian, Tina was utterly in awe. She looked back at Su Nian with equal shock, admiration, and guilt. If she were the one who was accused, Tina would be already at the guidance office. But Su Nian ... not only proved her innocence, but she did it with such confidence and courage.
'I want to be like her too.'
When classes were over, Su Nian languidly arranged her things in her drawers and her bag. She let other students leave first because she was small and didn't want to squeeze her way through the crowd. As she did so, she noticed a figure standing in front of her desk.
"Hmm?" a hum escaped her as she looked up at the person. Deep lines appeared between Su Nian's brows when she saw Tina. "Tina?"
"You know me?" Tina blurted out in surprise.
"Mhm. You're the top student in our class, are you not?" Su Nian smiled, only to notice the meek smile Tina sported. 'Is she ashamed of being top 1?'
Su Nian mentally brushed it off. "Why are you here?"
"Uhm... about the group project... do you... do you want... to... partner up with... me?" Tina fumbled with her sentence as if she was trying to find the right words in between.
It almost reminded how Su Nian used to talk in the past, which annoyed everyone. She often stuttered too.
"You still don't have a team? That's weird." Su Nian furrowed her brows. 'Considering she's the top of our class, our classmates should be lining up to team up with her.'
Her classmates even asked Su Nian if they wanted to team up with them. However, she already had a prospective partner, so she refused the kind invitation. Now that she thought about it, everyone was quick to point a finger at Tina for this morning's drama. She wasn't dull not to get a grasp of the situation.
If there were students who were being picked on despite coming from a wealthy family, it was worse for those who didn't have enough financial backup. Some students simply rely on nepotism so much that it was sickening.
"Sure!" Su Nian smiled, making Tina's brows rise.
"You — you — agree?"
"Mhm!"
Tina's gloomy face brightened up, as if she finally saw a sliver of hope peeking through her cloudy days. "Then, should we discuss it tomorrow during lunch?"
"Sure."
"Okay!" Tina bobbed her head, making her short hair bounce.
Having said that, Su Nian grabbed her bag and stood from her seat. She stopped when she saw Tina still looking at her.
"Is there anything else?"
Tina bit her inner bottom lips as hesitation flickered across her eyes. "Uhm... nothing." She smiled and shook her head.
Su Nian blinked innocently before she said, "Should we split the parts on our way out?"
"That's — that — that's okay with — with you?" Tina's excitement caused her to stutter more, but Su Nian didn't point it out and just nodded. "Okay! I — I'll just — my bag."
"Okay." Su Nian smiled and sighed faintly, watching Tina clumsily run back to her desk to take her bag and books.
Perhaps it was because Su Nian also stuttered in the past that she had a soft spot for Tina. Being a hero was not Su Nian's plan. She simply wanted to have a peaceful life before she accepted Professor Singh's apprentice offer. Hence, making friends was also not in her plans since she was leaving, anyway.
Even so, being nice would do her no harm.
"Let — let's go?" Tina returned with a forced grin, hugging a few books with a huge bag on her back.
"Tina, are you going to take your books home?" asked Su Nian. "Aren't they heavy?"
Tina forced a smile and shook her head. She once left her books and notes in her drawers, and the next day, they were glued together. The books in the school were expensive, so she felt safer if she carried them home.
"Let me help then."
"It's okay!" Tina drew a step back, smiling. "I can carry them on my own."
how could she let Su Nian carry her books?
Even though they were both scholar students, Tina didn't dare think they were equal.
Su Nian wanted to insist, but seeing how Tina was clasping the books securely, she didn't force it.
Having said that, the two of them walked side by side out of the building. Since Tina seemed to forget why they decided to walk out together, Su Nian took it upon herself to bring up the project and split the topics they would cover.
There were still a few students in the hallway, busy gossiping or doing their own thing. But when they reached outside the building, deep lines appeared on Tina and Su Nian's foreheads.
Normally, during this time, students were already headed to the pickup point of the building and only a small number would be outside the building to walk. But now, the students flocked outside the building.
"What's going on?" Su Nian murmured and cast Tina a look. Tina shrugged.
Having no idea of what was happening or what happened, Su Nian and Tina relied on the hushed comments from some students around.
"Oh, he's so handsome..."
"What is the top 2 from the star section doing outside our building?"
"Did he have a girlfriend here?"
"I'm making this photo as my wallpaper."
'The top 2 from the star section?' Su Nian glanced up as she recalled the name on the star section list on the main bulletin. She shrugged and faced Tina. "Tina, let's take that route."
At this point, Su Nian understood that these students wouldn't leave until the school "celebrity" left. She had no intention of joining the fuss because she missed her pets a lot. It was a long day, and she simply wanted to shower her pets with some love.
But just as Su Nian and Tina were taking the side route, she heard a soft yet playful voice.
"There you are!"