**TEACHER'S ROOM**
The moment the door closed behind her, one of the teachers exhaled.
"She's either remarkably calm… or hiding something."
"No," the vice principal said slowly, "her demeanor doesn't suggest guilt. But we must hear the boy's account."
He turned to the assistant teacher standing by.
"Announce it. Call Hao Ran in."
Song Mei was just about to reach the classroom room door But what she hadn't expected was the sudden announcement blaring over the loudspeaker:
"Hao Ran, please report to the staff room immediately."
A collective gasp swept through the classroom. Dozens of heads turned, some toward the loudspeaker, others toward Hao Ran himself.
He stiffened, but his expression quickly hardened. Without hesitation, he rose from his seat and strode to the door.
The whispers trailed after him like a tide.
"They're going to ask him about the photos."
"If he admits it, Song Mei's finished."
"If he protects her… then what?"
Song Mei did not look up, not even once. She simply turned another page, her pencil gliding effortlessly across the paper.
Inside the staff room, the air was taut with disapproval. Three senior teachers sat at the long oak desk, faces grim, eyes sharp with authority.
"Hao Ran," one began, folding her hands neatly on the table. "You know why you've been called here. Explain yourself. What were you doing with Song Mei at the waterfall? The photographs suggest… inappropriate behavior."
The boy's jaw clenched. He drew a steady breath, then looked each of them in the eye.
"With all due respect, teachers, the photos lie by omission. Song Mei did nothing inappropriate. She wasn't even speaking to me—I followed her."
The vice principal frowned. "Then you admit you were together in a secluded area?"
"Yes," Hao Ran answered, his voice unwavering. "But not for the reasons people think. I was the one who sought her out, not the other way around. She never touched me, never encouraged me. Whoever spread those pictures is deliberately twisting the truth to ruin her reputation."
The teachers exchanged uncertain glances. His tone carried conviction, his words steady and unflinching.
Another teacher leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Do you understand how serious this is, Hao Ran? You're both minors. The school cannot—"
"I understand." Hao Ran cut in sharply, his knuckles pale against the desk. "But I refuse to let her bear the weight of lies she didn't create. If you doubt me, then investigate the source of the leak. You'll find your real culprit."
Silence followed his declaration. Heavy. Unsettled.
Finally, the vice principal exhaled slowly. "Very well. You may return to class. But mark this, Hao Ran—if evidence emerges to contradict your statement, both you and Song Mei will face consequences."
Hao Ran bowed slightly, his expression carved from stone. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out.
By the time he returned to the corridor, the rumors had already mutated. Students leaned against lockers, wide-eyed, whispering:
"They called him in."
"Did he confess?"
"No way—he's too proud. He must've denied everything."
The moment Hao Ran stepped back into the classroom, silence rippled outward like a wave. Every gaze locked onto him, waiting, hungry for answers.
But he said nothing. He returned to his seat, dropped his bag beside him, and opened his textbook as if the entire world weren't collapsing into scandal.
The quiet thunder of restraint was louder than any rumor.
Meanwhile, high above them all, the rooftop door creaked shut behind Song Mei.
The wind tangled through her hair as she leaned against the railing, her phone already pressed to her ear.
The call connected.
A deep, dangerous voice answered. "Song Mei."
She smiled faintly, her eyes narrowing at the horizon.
"I have information you want. Your sister—she's alive. She's in a small village called Jiangnan, southern province. Go there, and you'll find her."
The voice on the other end stilled. Then came a cold laugh.
"And what do you want in return?"
"I want you," she said evenly, "to find the one who leaked those photographs and destroy them. Post their name, their proof, their confession on the school forum. Leave nothing hidden."
A pause. Then the man's voice dropped, lethal.
"If this information is false, Song Mei, I'll find you. And I'll make you regret lying to me."
The line clicked dead.
Song Mei lowered the phone, her expression unreadable.
The wind pulled at her skirt, but she stood perfectly still, a lone figure against the city skyline.
"Then we'll see," she whispered, "who regrets first."
Exactly ten minutes later, chaos erupted.
Every phone buzzed. Notifications poured in like a storm.
[Breaking Post on Academy Forum]
The culprit behind the waterfall photographs has been exposed. Evidence attached.
Screenshots, private chat logs, timestamps, and furious monologues filled the screen.
The culprit was no stranger.
It was Hao Ran's close friend muchen—the boy who hovered near him since childhood, whose admiration for Song Ning was an open secret, whose disdain for Song Mei was even louder.
His messages bared his twisted intent:
""Song Mei thinks she's untouchable. She deserves to be dragged down.
If I frame her, everyone will see her for what she is.
Hao Ran should be with Ning Ning, not some cold, unwanted girl like her.""
The school exploded in shock.
"It was him? Hao Ran's friend?"
"So all this was because he liked Song Ning? That's insane!"
"Then Song Mei really… wasn't guilty at all?"
Across the classroom, the buzz of whispers rose like a tide. Eyes darted toward Song Mei, but she didn't so much as flinch. Her pencil continued gliding across her sketchbook, calm and precise, while the world around her burned.
For the first time, the flames weren't licking at her heels.
They were swallowing someone else whole.
Before the chaos could spiral further, the loudspeaker crackled again:
"Song Mei, Hao Ran, and the students involved in the incident—please report to the staff room immediately."
The halls fell into silence.
Inside the staff room, the atmosphere was suffocating. Muchen stood in the corner, arms crossed, jaw tight, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Hao Ran stood opposite him, tense, his fists clenched at his sides.
Song Mei entered last. Her cold gaze swept across the room before settling on the teachers.
"You've already confirmed the culprit, haven't you?" she asked, her tone cutting through the silence like a blade.
The teachers shifted uncomfortably. "Yes… the evidence points clearly to Muchen. But—"
"There is no 'but,'" Song Mei snapped, her voice sharp and unforgiving. "He tampered with private images, spread them online, and slandered my name. Either the school expels him, or I will call the police myself. Cyber harassment is a crime. If the authorities get involved, this school's reputation will plummet. The choice is yours."
The teachers paled. They had never heard a student speak with such direct authority.
Muchen laughed suddenly, a bitter, mocking sound. "Expel me? For her?" His eyes burned as he turned on Hao Ran.
"And you—how dare you stand there silent? How can you defend her of all people? Have you already forgotten Song Ning? She's the one who should matter, not this snake who pretends to be pitiful while stabbing her own sister in the back!"
Hao Ran's jaw tightened. "You went too far, Muchen. Whatever your reasons, you had no right to frame Song Mei. You know she didn't do anything wrong."
"Shut up!" Muchen snarled, his voice cracking with fury. "You betrayed us—you betrayed her! If you won't protect Song Ning, then I will! And if I have to destroy Song Mei to do it, then so be it!"
The tension snapped.
Hao Ran surged forward, shoving Muchen hard against the table. The wooden legs screeched against the floor. Teachers rushed to separate them, voices raised in panic.
"Muchen! Hao Ran! Enough!"
But their shouts were drowned out by the chaos of fists nearly flying, chairs toppling, and the venom in Muchen's words.
Amidst the shouting, the door creaked open.
Song Ning stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes, wide and glistening, swept over the scene—Muchen raging, Hao Ran fighting, and Song Mei standing like a frozen blade in the storm.
She stumbled forward, tears already spilling down her cheeks.
"meimei" Her voice broke. She fell to her knees in front of Song Mei, clutching the hem of her skirt. "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry… this is all because of me. If I hadn't been so blind, none of this would've happened!"
Her tears streamed down endlessly, words tumbling over themselves. "Please forgive me… please… don't hate me anymore…"
Song Mei looked down at her, her expression carved from ice.
"Yes," she said coldly. "It is your fault. And that's why you need to stay away from me. Don't come near me again, Song Ning."
Song Ning's sobs grew louder. She shook her head frantically, clutching tighter at Song Mei's skirt.
"No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry—I'll do anything—please, meimei!"
But Song Mei shook her off with a single sharp motion, her voice cutting through her pleas.
"Enough. Your apologies mean nothing to me."
The room fell into stunned silence. Even Hao Ran stopped mid-motion, breathing hard, his eyes flickering toward Song Mei's unyielding figure.
Song Mei turned back to the teachers. Her gaze was sharp enough to pierce steel.
"You have until tomorrow morning," she said. "Expel him, or I'll make the call to the police myself."
Her words landed like a hammer blow.
Without waiting for a reply, Song Mei walked out, her footsteps echoing down the corridor. Behind her, Song Ning's sobs rang out, broken and desperate, filling the staff room with grief.
But Song Mei never looked back.