The homeroom teacher of Class 7 frowned and asked, "Hu Yuying, can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
Hu Yuying nodded without hesitation. "Yes, teacher, I can."
"Because on Saturday, I was with Long Aotian at Nanfeng Plaza, on the fourth floor, eating hot pot. Ye Liangchen was drunk and hit his nose on the table by himself."
"Besides, he just admitted that he injured his nose himself. Didn't you hear that, teacher?"
Ye Liangchen clutched his chest and took a step back, feeling the hostility in Hu Yuying's gaze. He shook his head bitterly.
He was the one who got hurt, yet Hu Yuying didn’t seem to care about him at all. Why was she looking at him with such eyes?
He was the victim here!
His heart ached—unbearably so.
Ye's Mother, hearing Hu Yuying's confident tone and noticing her son's hurt expression, grew furious.
"You’re so young, yet you’re already dating boys? Spending their money, letting them treat you to meals—are you proud of yourself? Do you even know what shame is?"
Her words not only made Hu Yuying’s face flush red but also drew disapproving looks from the teachers.
By this point, the situation was already clear.
Yet Ye's Mother continued to spout such hurtful words, deliberately twisting the facts and being unreasonable.
"Old lady, are you projecting your own dirty thoughts onto my classmate? Is this how you behaved when you were young?"
Long Aotian pulled Hu Yuying behind him, his eyes darkening with anger as he glared at Ye's Mother.
She was already being unreasonable, and now she was bullying Hu Yuying, this poor girl!
As her protector, he couldn’t tolerate this—not even a little bit.
"Who exactly are you referring to when you say 'so young and already misbehaving'? Surely not the top student in our grade, right?"
"And when you accuse us of dating, what’s your basis for saying that? Did you see us dating with your own eyes? Or are you just shamelessly stirring up trouble?"
"I’m willing to spend my money on her, and I’m happy to treat her to meals. So what? Is it your money? Are we eating your food? Even if we were dating, what business is it of yours?"
"You talk about shame, but do you even know what manners are? What about the saying, 'Old age without virtue is a curse'?"
Long Aotian’s words left Ye's Mother seething, her face turning ashen. She pointed at him, stuttering, "You... you... you..." but couldn’t form a complete sentence.
"What about me? What about me?"
Ye's Mother clutched her chest, having never encountered someone with a sharper tongue than her. "I’m older than you. You should respect your elders!"
"Older than me? Is your tumor older than me?"
"Don’t try to play the age card with me. I don’t buy into that. If I respect you, it’s because I see you as a person. If I don’t, then what are you, really?"
"We’re all human for the first time. If your mouth is dirty, I won’t coddle you!"
Hu Yuying tilted her face slightly, her pale complexion regaining some color thanks to Long Aotian’s words.
Long Aotian was standing up for her.
Looking at his tall, sturdy figure, tears welled up in her eyes.
Hu Yuying had always considered herself strong. She hadn’t cried when she was misunderstood or when harsh words were thrown at her.
But now, seeing Long Aotian shielding her, she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, stubbornly refusing to let herself cry.
Because—Long Aotian was protecting her!
So—she had to be even stronger!
Ye's Mother was breathing heavily, her eyes wide and her features twisted in anger, her face turning a deep shade of red.
Seeing this, the homeroom teacher tugged at Long Aotian’s sleeve.
"It’s fine, teacher. I’ll handle her myself."
The teacher’s lips twitched. This wasn’t just about arguing anymore—it seemed like Ye's Mother might actually pass out from rage.
Ye Liangchen clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with fury.
His mother had gone too far by insulting Hu Yuying.
But that didn’t give Long Aotian the right to humiliate his mother. Long Aotian had crossed a line, and Ye Liangchen couldn’t forgive him.
If Long Aotian had just taken the blame like a man, this whole mess could have been avoided.
Being falsely accused wouldn’t have cost him anything, yet he had to escalate things to this point.
Now, everyone was stuck in an awkward situation.
Fine, fine, fine. Long Aotian, I’ll remember the humiliation you brought upon me and my mother today. I swear I’ll repay you a hundredfold!
"Enough!" Ye Liangchen stepped forward, feeling that with great power comes great responsibility. It was time for him to intervene.
"This matter... let’s just say it’s our fault, okay?" he said, his voice strained as he closed his eyes, seemingly wrestling with his thoughts.
After a long pause, he opened his eyes and said, "Fine, let’s just say it’s our fault. Is that enough for you?"
"You think just because you’re a little muddy eel, you can pretend to be a sea creature?" Long Aotian sneered. "I almost forgot about you. Come here and tell me again, what exactly did I do to you?"
Seeing Long Aotian beckoning him over, Ye Liangchen took two steps back, returning to his mother’s side. With reddened eyes, he said bitterly, "I already said it’s our fault. What more do you want?"
"An apology. I want you to apologize to Hu Yuying!"
"Long Aotian, don’t push it! What if I refuse to apologize?" Even a clay figurine has some temper, and Ye Liangchen didn’t feel he was in the wrong.
If anything, Long Aotian was being overly petty!
Hearing this, a sly smile spread across Long Aotian’s face, his eyes filled with malice.
What a despicable person!
Not only had Ye Liangchen tried to frame him, but he had also dragged Hu Yuying into this, trying to ruin her reputation with just a few words.
Such a petty move!
Long Aotian never claimed to be a good person. Growing up in an orphanage and struggling at the bottom of society, he had developed a fierce edge to survive.
Even if life had dulled his claws, he could still tear apart a pampered house dog with ease.
Seeing the cold smile on Long Aotian’s face, Ye Liangchen was suddenly reminded of a past life—or perhaps a dream—where Long Aotian had surrounded him with a group of people.
Back then, Long Aotian had smiled at him just like this. If it hadn’t been for Gao Quan, he would have been beaten to death...
Swallowing hard, Ye Liangchen took a deep breath. He had endured so much already—what was one more time?
With that thought, he turned to Long Aotian and Hu Yuying and muttered, "I’m sorry."
Before Ye's Mother could say anything else, Ye Liangchen quickly pulled her away.
He was deeply frustrated. His mother was so articulate at home, yet in front of Long Aotian, she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
"If there’s nothing else, we’ll be going now," Long Aotian said, turning to the homeroom teacher.
"Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t hit anyone. If I cursed, it just means my moral education needs work..."
The two homeroom teachers had already grasped the situation. It clearly wasn’t Long Aotian’s fault, so they waved him off. "Enough, they’re gone. No need to keep going."
The Class 1 homeroom teacher added, "We’ll make sure this matter is properly addressed."