Zuri glanced around, her eyes filled with contempt as she swept over the two gossipy women before calmly and composedly leaving.
Only after the two had walked away did the surrounding chatter resume.
Regardless of the murmurs behind her, Azura was grinning widely, giving Zuri a thumbs up. "Wow, that was really impressive."
Zuri felt nothing.
She just wanted to attend school quietly, but there were always people eager to jump in and seek attention, which was extremely frustrating.
When Esme and Shen Menglai started avoiding her, Zuri knew something was up, but she never expected Shi Feifei would go out of her way to investigate her.
This period of silence had been a preparation, seemingly waiting for the day to completely tarnish her reputation.
"Who's so unscrupulous to post those things on the bulletin board? It can't be that delicate, pampered heiress from your dorm, can it?"
"Mhm." Zuri replied, eight or nine out of ten, it was her.
"Come on, let's go settle this with her." Azura was instantly furious. She was sick of anyone messing with her friends.
"Don't be impulsive."
Without evidence, confronting her would just be a waste of time.
"First, let's find evidence."
"I'll go to the school administration to retrieve the surveillance footage."
"There's no surveillance around the bulletin board. If we want evidence, we have to go through those two." Zuri's gaze fixed on Esme and Shen Menglai standing ahead.
"Then what are we waiting for!"
Without another word, Azura charged forward, blocking Esme and Shen Menglai.
"Is there something you need?" Shen Menglai asked coldly.
"Do you already know what's going on?"
Shen Menglai and Esme avoided eye contact.
"We don't know what you're talking about. We're going to eat." Shen Menglai had no intention of explaining, pulling Esme away.
Zuri stepped forward, standing before them. "I know you've already seen what's on the bulletin board. Do you think it's abnormal for an orphan like me to possess those things? Do you, like everyone else, assume I'm impure, being kept by someone? That's why you chose to avoid me?"
Esme opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Shen Menglai.
"You know what you did. We're not on the same side, so don't speak to us anymore," Shen Menglai replied coldly.
Zuri gave them both a deep look, not saying an extra word, just uttering one word, "Fine."
She let them leave.
"Are you just going to let them walk away?" Azura frowned.
"There are plenty of ways; it's not like they're indispensable."
On the other side, Esme couldn't help but say, "Isn't what we're doing a bit wrong? What if it's a misunderstanding? I don't think Zuri is that kind of person."
Shen Menglai gave her a withering look. "Don't be fooled by her lofty façade. I've heard before that many girls, relying on their looks, go around messing things up and corrupting the atmosphere. I hate those people the most."
Esme had nothing more to say.
Meanwhile, Zuri was about to take action at the source, but she didn't expect Shi Feifei to have already been summoned to the guidance office.
"What is this about, Director?"
"Look for yourself!" The director unceremoniously placed a thick stack of photos on the desk.
Shi Feifei picked up the photos in confusion, but when she saw them clearly, her face turned pale.
"You have seriously violated school rules. The academy has decided to give you a demerit. If you offend again, you will be expelled."
The evidence was irrefutable; Shi Feifei couldn't even cry out in protest.
"You need to post an apology statement on the bulletin board and restore Zuri's reputation."
"I won't." Shi Feifei's face stiffened.
She couldn't bring herself to admit, in front of everyone, that she was the one who framed her, even if it meant getting beaten to death.
"Is this your attitude?" The director's expression darkened.
"If you want to discipline me, do so. If you want to expel me, go ahead. But if you want an apology, forget it."
She had never endured such grievances in her life.
The department head probably didn't expect her to be so stubborn, showing no remorse whatsoever.
"I'll ask you again: do you choose to apologize or to have your student status revoked?"
"If you want to expel me, expel me."
Shi Feifei slammed the door and left, nearly infuriating the department head.
Upon leaving the director's office, Shi Feifei immediately called her parents, crying on the phone.
"Dad, I'm being bullied. The school is siding with the bullies and wants to expel me. Boohoo, I'm not going to study anymore."
Upon hearing his daughter's cries, Shi's father felt heartbroken. "Good girl, don't cry. I'll find someone right away. I won't let anyone bully my precious daughter."
"Dad, you have to get that woman expelled. She's just a kept mistress. I don't want to live with a woman like that. Whenever I see her, I feel disgusted."
"Okay, okay, I'll find someone. Be good and don't be angry," Shi's father comforted her.
"And you have to follow through."
"When have I ever lied to you, Dad?"
After receiving his father's reassuring reply, Shi Feifei felt relieved. She would just wait for that woman, Zuri, to be quietly expelled from the school.
If it weren't for her high school classmate, who happened to know Zuri's middle school classmate, she almost got deceived by Zuri.
After the hotel incident, she had been wary of Zuri's identity, only to discover she was nothing, just a suspected kept mistress.
The thought that Zuri was just an orphan, yet standing on top of her, made Shi Feifei unable to swallow her pride.
While Shi Feifei was smugly waiting, little did she know that her father was already in deep trouble.
"What did you say? The Aiffel Hotel has withdrawn the order? You should go find Manager Wang and ask what's really going on."
Just as Shi's father hung up, the landline rang again.
"Mr. Shi, we have a problem. Our bathroom products injured someone, and that person has reported it to the authorities. Now, the authorities are coming for inspections. A batch of goods stored in our warehouse has been seized."
"Wait here, I'm going to find someone."
Halfway through the call, the phone rang again. "Mr. Shi, there's a major issue."
Upon hearing the words "major issue," Mr. Shi felt a throbbing headache.
If he still didn't know he had offended someone, he wasn't fit to hold his current position.
Mr. Shi thought back but couldn't recall exactly whom he had offended. He dialed an old friend, a well-connected CEO, "Brother, can you give me the details? Who's trying to mess with me?"
The other end of the call sighed. In the past, when he heard about troubles, he would have warned him in advance or even helped out, but this time, the person Mr. Shi had offended was beyond his capacity to meddle with.
"Old Shi, for the sake of our past friendship, I'll tell you the truth. That person hasn't taken action yet. They just want Zhao Si to give you a little lesson. That person, who even Zhao Si has to grovel to, what have you done to deserve someone like them?"
Mr. Shi's face turned pale with fear.