Chapter 108: You Have Always Been This Excellent.

In the principal's office. Just back from an academic exchange abroad, He Qisheng had not even warmed the seat of his chair when the door was pushed open by someone. Immediately afterward, the furious Li Junmei and the coolly observing Ruan Chayu entered. The instant he saw Ruan Chayu's cool gaze, He Qisheng's scalp tightened, and he instinctively rose from his chair. When Ruan Chayu enrolled in the school, he was still overseas, but the decision of whether she could enter Mochen Second Middle School had been finalized only after consultation with the guidance director. Thus, he had long known that she was a student there, though he had yet to have the chance to formally meet her. Thinking that this was the gifted student snatched by the nation because of her exceptional talent, He Qisheng's eyes gleamed with sudden light. He never expected such a prodigy to be able to settle down and study in an orderly fashion. However, before he could urgently exchange a few words with Ruan Chayu, he witnessed Li Junmei roughly shoving her forward. "Principal! You must handle this fairly and justly!" When He Qisheng saw Ruan Chayu being pushed ahead with such force, his heart gave a violent jolt, and his worried gaze clung to her. Seeing that Ruan Chayu remained composed, she placed a hand on the edge of the table before him, and only then did he finally relax. Then his somewhat cold eyes swept toward Li Junmei. "You cannot speak properly; pushing and shoving—what kind of behavior is this?" Li Junmei was utterly unable to calm herself at this moment. Her voice was shrill, piercing through the ears like a knife. "Principal, our Mochen Second Middle School is a century-old institution that has always placed the utmost emphasis on reputation and prestige. You emphasized during our meetings that we must treat the matter of students cheating with utmost seriousness!" Upon hearing Li Junmei say this, the principal nodded. Indeed, the school valued its students' reputation above all else. A student who cheats during school years will inevitably grow accustomed to obtaining desired outcomes through other means once they enter society. Seeing the principal nod in agreement, Li Junmei's emotions surged even more intensely. She raised her finger, pointing straight at Ruan Chayu. "And this student—she disregards school discipline, disregards school rules, and in this critically important exam, she cheated by stealing the papers and scored full marks, becoming the top of the grade!" He Qisheng selectively absorbed a few key phrases from Li Junmei's words: Ruan Chayu, full marks, top of the school. His somewhat cloudy old eyes suddenly shot forth a brilliant gleam. He stepped forward abruptly, moved to Ruan Chayu's side, and his face lit up with excitement and joy. "Ruan Chayu! I knew it—you have always been so excellent!" Li Junmei, who had been full of fury and was about to rebuke Ruan Chayu, paused when she heard those words—"you have always been so excellent." She tilted her head in confusion. What? Excellent? Had the principal grown senile and lost his senses? Cheating to become the top of the grade, and yet still called excellent? Just then, Ruan Wei, Gu Juyan, and Shen Jie also entered the principal's office. The moment they stepped inside, they heard Li Junmei's incredulous tone. "Principal, she cheated—she stole the exam papers—she used despicable means to claim first place. How can you still praise her as excellent?" "Teacher Li, without evidence, how can you make such an absolute accusation? Is that not a bit disrespectful to people?" Shen Jie rushed to Ruan Chayu's side, blocking Li Junmei's sharp and vicious face with a fierce, menacing gaze, as though shielding his own.