After Qiu Yizhen and her two followers finally left Class 8 of the first year, a collective sigh of relief swept through the classroom. While she was present, everyone had held their breath, afraid that even a minor slip could provoke her ire.
Once the tension dissipated, Jian Yiling reached for a small black cube sitting on her desk. She pulled out a memory card and inserted it into the laptop she had brought with her. Beside her, Hu Jiao Jiao's eyes widened in disbelief as the screen lit up, displaying the footage of Qiu Yizhen and her entourage from earlier.
"You—you recorded it?" Hu Jiao Jiao stammered, astonishment etched across her face.
"The school's surveillance isn't reliable," Jian Yiling replied calmly. Knowing Qiu Yizhen was the daughter of the board member, she easily guessed that the school's cameras posed no real threat to her. In contrast, recording the incident herself was far more effective, especially since the equipment she purchased could also capture audio.
As she answered Hu Jiao Jiao's question, Jian Yiling's fingers flew across the keyboard, performing basic editing on the video to obscure identities and remove any mention of her name. The main task was to silence the part where "Jian Yiling" was mentioned; she didn't want her name appearing in the footage.
Hu Jiao Jiao blinked in surprise. While she understood that the school's cameras were ineffectual, she was impressed by Jian Yiling's foresight. Once the editing was completed, Jian Yiling uploaded the video and even paid several prominent social media influencers to share it.
By the afternoon, multiple Weibo influencers had begun to retweet the video. Even before school was out, it had quickly climbed the trending charts. Thanks to the pixelation, the identity of the arrogant girl claiming to be the board member's daughter remained hidden, but that didn't stop netizens from voicing their opinions.
"This is outrageous! Just because she's the board member's daughter, she thinks she can bully others!"
"This is clearly bullying! Where is the oversight for such campus violence?"
"Come on, someone tell me which school this is! Let's bring that illustrious board member out for a chat!"
"See, mastering the art of a good birth is so crucial for survival. [dog emoji]"
In no time, the comment section exploded with thousands of replies, the numbers continually climbing. While outsiders might not recognize the individuals in the video, the students and faculty of Shenghua High School could identify the protagonists immediately. The figures were far too familiar.
Wasn't that Qiu Yizhen, the school's queen bee, along with her two lackeys from their senior year?
The incident quickly garnered the attention of the school administration. Before long, Qiu Yizhen's father, Qiu Liyao, was notified of the situation and faced pressure from other members of the board. If this issue escalated and tarnished the school's reputation, it could negatively impact the interests of all shareholders.
Fuming, Qiu Liyao called his daughter into his office. "What's wrong with you? How did I end up with a daughter like you? Instead of focusing on your studies, you're following the path of troublemakers! You're flunking school and trying to play the tough girl! Are you trying to ruin me?"
As soon as she entered the office, Qiu Yizhen was met with a barrage of her father's furious words. She hadn't yet checked Weibo and was completely unaware that the video of her confronting Jian Yiling had already gone viral.
"Why are you so angry? What's the matter with you?" Qiu Yizhen retorted, her temper flaring in response to her father's harsh words. "Is scolding all you know how to do?"
Qiu Liyao pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to rein in his frustration. "You think this is a joke? You don't understand the consequences of your actions. If this gets out of hand, it'll affect not just our family but the entire school. Do you even realize how serious this is?"
Qiu Yizhen rolled her eyes, feeling the heat of his anger but unwilling to back down. "It's just a little confrontation. Why does everyone have to overreact?"
"Overreact? You've put the school's reputation on the line! If the board finds out how you've been acting, they'll want to distance themselves from us. Do you think they'll care about your little tantrums? This isn't just about you anymore!"
Her father's words hung heavy in the air, but Qiu Yizhen was too stubborn to accept the gravity of the situation. As the tension mounted, Jian Yiling remained calm, her plan unfolding perfectly as she monitored the chaos she had set in motion. The backlash against Qiu Yizhen had just begun, and she was ready to watch it all unfold.