Chapter 20: My Cousin's Wife Is the Direct Niece of the Gu Family's Distant Relative!
The three of them emerged together from the office of the Dean of Students.
Ruan Cha obediently followed behind Shen Jie.
Shen Jie was quite popular in the class—partly because he was close in age to the students, and partly because of his handsome looks and refined demeanor, which stirred the affections of many young girls.
His fair, delicate skin made it clear at a glance that he had been raised in comfort from a young age.
"I heard the Dean mention just now—your name is Ruan Cha, right?" Shen Jie had been walking alongside Li Junmei, but after a few steps, he glanced back at the slender girl trailing behind him.
"Yes," Ruan Cha nodded.
"Mr. Shen, your courage is really growing, isn't it? Daring to make such grand promises in front of the Dean... Just look at this pretty little girl—it's obvious she's not serious about her studies, only interested in her appearance every day. And yet you said you'd turn her into a top student? That's the funniest joke I've ever heard," Li Junmei sneered, her sharp, bitter words making Shen Jie's expression gradually turn cold.
He turned back, casting a reassuring look at Ruan Cha, then addressed Li Junmei, "Ms. Li, as a veteran teacher in this school, do you really need me to remind you to protect the students' self-esteem?"
"Self-esteem? What self-esteem could a child so young possibly have? And anyway, am I not speaking the truth? If it weren't for her connection to the Gu family, with grades like hers, she wouldn't even qualify to attend our Second High."
"Ms. Li, that's going too far!" Shen Jie had always exercised restraint at the school, rarely letting others' words affect him. But now... the girl behind him was so young.
She looked so well-behaved, it tugged at the heartstrings, and yet Li Junmei said such things about her—imagine the psychological harm it could cause!
Shen Jie could not tolerate it.
"Mr. Shen—" Li Junmei had always been proud and domineering at school; no teacher had ever dared to lose their temper at her after she spoke. But with Shen Jie's outburst, her expression changed instantly.
"I'm just speaking the plain truth and you're getting angry with me? I've seen plenty like her—relying on her pretty face, lacking self-restraint, flirting around. I've never even heard of her in the Gu family, and who knows which young master she seduced to barely manage a place in this school!"
Li Junmei's face twisted with disgust and contempt.
Shen Jie was finally pushed past his limit. "Ms. Li, you are a woman yourself, yet you use such vicious words to insult a girl barely in her teens, and with such filthy assumptions—don’t you think that’s a bit too cruel?"
As the tension flared between the two, Ruan Cha lowered her gaze, the clear light in her eyes gradually dimming.
She stepped to Shen Jie's side, meeting Li Junmei's eyes directly, a cold clarity sparking in her own. "Teacher, what is your connection to the Gu family, that you claim to know them so well?"
At this, Li Junmei straightened, pride swelling in her posture. "My cousin's wife is the direct niece of a distant relative of the Gu family!"
"I see." Ruan Cha kept her delicate face composed, her lips curving slightly. "For a moment, I thought you were just bullying others because Gu Jiayan is in your class."
Ruan Cha's words struck right at Li Junmei's sore spot.
Her recent arrogance at school stemmed from having Gu Jiayan in her class—a student who had repeatedly won awards. As long as Gu Jiayan maintained this momentum, Li Junmei's promotion at the end of the year was all but guaranteed.
"So, Ms. Li, your only connection is that your cousin's wife is the niece of a distant relative of the Gu family. Then, how do you know which young master I supposedly seduced? Did Gu Jiayan whisper it to you at your bedside? Or did old Mr. Gu kneel before you and confess it himself?"