Chapter 84 Abandoned by All

Once she regained her composure, Duan Jingyi remained as arrogant as ever, her pride undiminished. “Gu Ci, is that you? What’s the matter, stealing Zhiran’s phone just so you can try to threaten me?”

“So what if you won the bet? Let me tell you, everyone is on my side now. If you dare touch me, you’ll become the school’s public enemy!”

Her words only fueled the anger of those who had previously joined Duan Jingyi in insulting Gu Ci.

“From now on, it’s you who’ll become the public enemy, Duan Jingyi!”

“You think you can fool us like we’re idiots?”

“Duan Jingyi, I never expected you to be this kind of person. I’ve truly seen it all today! If I ever speak up for you again, I’m nothing but a dog!”

Listening to the voices coming through the receiver—some familiar, others not—Duan Jingyi was stunned. A sinking feeling gripped her heart, a premonition that something was terribly wrong.

Could it be… everyone heard everything she’d just said?

As curses poured in through the phone, Duan Jingyi hastily hung up. Staring at the call history in disbelief, she slid down onto the bed as her phone slipped from her grasp, leaving her utterly drained.

Even as the dial tone echoed from the phone, the crowd remained unsatisfied. Remembering how they’d lashed out at Gu Ci, humiliation and remorse washed over them.

But when they came to their senses, ready to apologize, they realized the students from Class Twelve had already walked away.

Before the teaching building, the crowd dispersed in silence.

One by one, they left, each weighed down by their own thoughts.

As her classmates passed by, Gu Zhiran stood rigid, unable to move. Her face was pale, her body trembling.

This time, however, not a single person came to check on her.

Gu Zhiran shut her eyes tightly, her fists clenched. What mattered now was saving herself.

No matter what, she couldn’t let this incident ruin the perfect image she’d cultivated among her peers.

With that determination, she drew a deep breath and forced herself to walk calmly back to her classroom.

The melodious bell of First High School rang, signaling the start of class. The Dean of Students stepped out from behind a pillar at the back of the building, his expression complicated by what he’d just witnessed.

Earlier, he’d noticed students from Class Twelve blocking his own students, intending to intervene, but was shocked by Duan Jingyi’s words.

The weakness was feigned, the illness a pretense—not only did she want to evade the bet, but she intended to exploit the sympathy of First High’s students, making Gu Ci the school’s scapegoat.

Even now, the Dean couldn’t believe that the harsh, insolent voice belonged to the girl he’d always considered obedient, sensible, and academically strong.

In that moment, he seemed to age ten years.

After lunch, the Dean summoned Jin Jieqiao to his office.

Seeing her anxious expression, he handed over the position of Dean to her.

Jin Jieqiao was startled. “Sir, there’s really no need, the kids were just—”

He raised a hand to stop her. “One must accept the outcome of a wager. As a teacher, I should set an example for the students.”

For the first time, Jin Jieqiao saw the stubborn, rigid Dean in a new light.

Knowing it wasn’t appropriate to refuse, she decided to accept the position for now and look for an opportunity to return it later. After all, the students had made the bet to stand up for her, not for the title itself.

After completing the handover, the Dean tiredly waved her out.

Gu Zhiran, holding a stack of exercise books, waited outside. When Jin Jieqiao emerged, she lowered her head to hide her face.

In the short span of a lunch break, she had managed to reshape her classmates’ opinions.

Gu Zhiran had always been well-liked in her class.

By shifting all blame onto Duan Jingyi, her own mistake became nothing more than yielding to Duan Jingyi’s pleas, suggesting the idea of feigning illness out of softness.

She claimed ignorance of Duan Jingyi’s intent to force Gu Ci out of school.

To restore her image in the class, she distributed a page from the internal exam papers her father had acquired from Mian High to her classmates, clenching her fists at the thought.

And all of this, she believed, was thanks to Gu Ci and Class Twelve.

Watching Jin Jieqiao leave, Gu Zhiran pondered silently.

She knocked and entered the Dean’s office, there to hand in homework and request leave.

This Wednesday, Master Shen would take her to an internal music exchange hosted by the String Association.

The String Association—short for the Music Association.

Though Gu Zhiran didn’t know why it was called the “String Association” instead of the “Music Association,” that had been the convention for over a century.

None of that really mattered.

What mattered was the String Association’s status in Mianzhou.

Setting foot in the String Association meant she was one step closer to that prestigious circle in the Imperial Capital.

From now on, the distance between her and Gu Ci would only grow wider.

With this thought, the agitation she’d felt over Gu Ci gradually faded.

Standing before the Dean’s desk, she smiled gently. “Sir, here’s today’s practice work from our class.”

She then mentioned her request for leave.

“Alright, leave it here,” the Dean replied, glancing at Gu Zhiran. The morning’s events made it impossible for him to view her as he once did.

“Discuss the leave with your homeroom teacher.”

His voice lacked its usual warmth, sounding flat and distant. He even told her to ask her homeroom teacher instead.

Gu Zhiran’s brows furrowed slightly.

Without betraying her emotions, she quietly handed him the internal exam paper from Mian High, speaking gracefully, “Sir, this is an internal paper from Mian High that my father obtained. I’ve already distributed it so our class can study together. If you have time, perhaps you could set aside a lesson to explain it?”

The Dean’s eyes lit up with surprise as he looked at her. “This is from Mian High? You shared it with the class?”

In senior year, even a single point could make an extraordinary difference in the college entrance exam.

Mian High’s exam papers were renowned classics; mastering even one could give students a significant edge.

Yet Gu Zhiran had generously shared one with her classmates?

She gave a shy smile. “Sir, I just hope our class can improve together and bring honor to our school.”

The Dean remembered how she often helped her classmates.

Such selfless generosity—perhaps everything Duan Jingyi said earlier was just her own idea, and Gu Zhiran knew nothing of it?

For a moment, the Dean’s gaze toward Gu Zhiran softened again.

Elsewhere, Gu Ci stared at a text message from someone long since blocked from her contacts, lost in thought.