### Chapter 19: Facing the Consequences
Lu Wanyu clutched her aching shoulder as she stood up, a tear in her knee and dust clinging to her clothes, looking rather disheveled. Yet, her gaze remained defiant.
She scoffed coldly, "Destroyed your desk? This is just tit for tat! You were the one who threw all my books away first!"
Through gritted teeth, she continued, "I was careless just now, but if you have the guts, meet me after school. I'll beat you so badly, even your parents won't recognize you!"
Tang Qianmiao regarded her with indifference. "I threw away your books? Do you have proof?"
Before Lu Wanyu could respond, another classmate interjected, "Not only did she throw away your books, but she also stuffed your desk with filth. Compared to that, what she did to you was light."
The girl who spoke was dressed similarly to Lu Wanyu, her tone filled with indignation, clearly angered on her friend's behalf.
Tang Qianmiao's expression remained emotionless. "Empty accusations are pointless. Either show me evidence or apologize."
Lu Wanyu sneered, "Evidence, is it? I'll give you some right now."
She walked over and grabbed a girl who had her head lowered. "Tell her what you saw that day!"
The girl trembled all over, her head still bowed.
"I… I…"
"Speak!"
Tang Qianmiao watched the scene unfold with a calm gaze.
The frightened girl stammered, "Last... last Friday, it was my turn to clean the classroom. When I was done, only Tang Qianmiao and I were left. I went to take out the trash, leaving her alone. When I returned, she was gone, and in my rush to go home, I forgot to lock the classroom door... I only mentioned that it could have been her, I never said it was definitely her."
But before she could finish, Lu Wanyu had already sought revenge on Tang Qianmiao.
Hearing this, Lu Wanyu's face darkened. "Damn it! Why didn't you say that earlier?"
She slowly loosened her grip on the girl's collar, her eyes darting about, clearly lost in thought.
"So this is the 'evidence' you were talking about?" Tang Qianmiao asked.
Lu Wanyu, now less confident, remained silent, though her expression was still one of fury.
Mistaking someone for an enemy—this had never happened to her before.
At that moment, the teacher spoke cautiously, "There's surveillance in the classroom. We can check it to find out what really happened."
Both girls followed the teacher to the surveillance room.
The footage from last Friday showed that Tang Qianmiao had not left her seat, nor had she approached Lu Wanyu's desk.
The truth was clear—Tang Qianmiao wasn't the culprit.
Lu Wanyu, anxious, demanded, "What about later? I want to see the real culprit!"
The school officer fast-forwarded the footage, but his face suddenly changed. "This… why is there nothing? The most recent footage is from this morning. Strange, how could it be missing?"
Tang Qianmiao glanced at the screen, already understanding the situation, but she had no interest in meddling further. "May I leave now?"
She turned to go.
"Wait!"
Lu Wanyu stepped in front of her, her expression resolute. "I, Lu Wanyu, always own up to my mistakes. I was wrong to accuse you earlier, and I destroyed your books with this hand."
Without hesitation, she grabbed a metal rod from the security office and struck her own hand with it, not even pausing to think.
"Stop it, Lu Wanyu!" the teacher cried out in shock.
But it was too late. The blow was heavy, beads of sweat instantly forming on her forehead from the pain.
Despite the agony, she didn't scream. Clutching her arm, she looked at Tang Qianmiao. "I'll make it up to you for the desk and the books."
Tang Qianmiao was slightly surprised by her actions but said nothing, and simply walked away.