I did not.

"Jingyuan, come, go home with Mom. We'll get you healthy again, nurse you back to strength, break all those bad habits, cut off ties with those people, and then you'll go back to your books. Next year, you can take the entrance exam again and surely get into your dream university."

Guo Jingyuan stared in horror, her eyes wide.

She... Not only did this woman want to drag her name through the mud, she wanted to rob her of her right to take the college entrance exam...

Another year—wasting a whole year—her life would be ruined!

"Ha!"

A loud, unrestrained laugh burst out from the edge of the crowd. It was so abrupt in this tense moment that all eyes were immediately drawn to its source.

"It's Gao Tang!" several girls cried out excitedly.

Seeing everyone's attention on him, Gao Tang smiled again, his interest piqued as he looked at Liu Meijuan and asked, "Are you two really mother and daughter?" He gestured at them. "You don't look much alike."

His question wasn't unfounded. Liu Meijuan, though still attractive, paled in comparison to Guo Jingyuan's level of beauty. To call them mother and daughter was indeed a bit suspect.

"And—" Gao Tang's expression took on a hint of doubt. "You're her mother, yet all you've done is slander your daughter. Are you sure you're not her stepmother?"

Stepmother?

Gao Tang sounded casual, but his words struck a nerve.

The more people thought about it, the more it made sense. The middle-aged woman spoke gently, with the air of a loving wife and mother, but in just a few sentences she had exposed all of Guo Jingyuan's supposed faults.

Even if these things were true, what mother would sell out her own daughter so ruthlessly?

But if she really was a stepmother...

Then her intentions were truly malicious...

Liu Meijuan's face turned ugly in an instant.

How could this wretched girl be so lucky? Her plan was about to succeed, and suddenly, out of nowhere, a man appeared to speak for her!

"Tch, everyone knows Guo Jingyuan is no good. What does it matter whether that's her real mother or a stepmother?" a girl in the crowd called out loudly.

Her eyes never left Gao Tang, brimming with jealousy and longing.

Why was Gao Tang standing up for Guo Jingyuan?!

Wasn't it just because she was a little prettier? Why should she get Gao Tang's attention? He'd been at No.1 High for over a year and never shown interest in any girl he didn't know.

The rumors weren't wrong!

Guo Jingyuan might have an innocent face, but all she did were shameless, disgraceful things. And now, she was even trying to seduce Gao Tang? With that look, she thought she could attract his notice? Shameless!

The girl's words jolted the onlookers back to reality. Even if this woman had her own motives for airing Guo Jingyuan's dirty laundry, those things had to have actually happened for her to bring them up, didn't they?

"That's right, Guo Jingyuan was never any good. So what if her misdeeds are exposed?"

Guo Jingyuan's face was drained of all color.

No. She hadn't done any of these things—why was everyone so eager to accuse her?

Why were false charges being heaped upon her head?

What had she done to deserve this treatment?

Why?

"I don't think you're any better," a brash, familiar voice called out from behind. Chen Ruowen strode into the crowd, anger written across her face.

She stopped in front of the girl who had spoken, "Which of your eyes saw her do anything disgraceful? The only thing I see here is how ugly you are."

"You! You're lying!" the girl retorted angrily.

Chen Ruowen raised an eyebrow. "Am I wrong? Or do you consider yourself pretty?"

In No.1 High, nobody dared claim to be prettier than Chen Ruowen. Anyone with eyes would have laughed at such a notion.

The girl was immediately thrown off, left fuming and speechless.

The moment Guo Jingyuan saw Chen Ruowen, a spark of hope flared in her desperate eyes. She shrieked, shoved Liu Meijuan aside, and stumbled through the crowd as if grasping at her last lifeline, throwing herself into Chen Ruowen's arms.

Every patch of skin showing on Guo Jingyuan was deathly pale, her whole body trembling, tears streaming endlessly, soaking a wide patch of the expensive cashmere sweater beneath Chen Ruowen's school uniform.

Chen Ruowen's anger paused. She gently patted Guo Jingyuan's back, her voice unusually soft. "I'm here. Don't be afraid."

Guo Jingyuan nodded frantically, but her emotions were too turbulent to be soothed so quickly.

The instant Liu Meijuan saw Chen Ruowen, she knew this was not someone easy to deal with.

Her slightly raised chin, the powerful aura, the decisive tone—all spoke of inner strength and confidence. She was nothing like the timid Guo Jingyuan. Her self-assurance was so deep-rooted, she didn't even consider the consequences of her actions.

Such confidence could only be built on countless successes and praise.

Chen Ruowen waited patiently for Guo Jingyuan to calm down before turning her attention to Liu Meijuan.

"Are you her stepmother?" Chen Ruowen asked, certainty in her voice.

Liu Meijuan forced a smile and nodded, "Though Jingyuan isn't my own flesh and blood..."

"If she's not your own, what are you doing here? Showing off that you stole someone else's husband?" Chen Ruowen cut her off.

"Classmate, you must misunderstand me, I—"

"I don't misunderstand you," Chen Ruowen interrupted again.

Gao Tang, standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle, only to be met with a glare from Chen Ruowen.

"Are you so idle? If you are, go fetch our esteemed principal to preside over this matter," she snapped.

At that, half the crowd dispersed in an instant, while Gao Tang smiled and nodded. "Alright, as you wish."

Chen Ruowen turned to Guo Jingyuan, "Do you really know this woman?"

Guo Jingyuan shook her head violently, fear written across her face.

"Don't shake your head. Face her. Say it out loud."

Obediently, Guo Jingyuan let go of Chen Ruowen's neck, moved to her side, and summoned all her courage to step forward into the spotlight once more.

"N-no, I don't know her well."

Chen Ruowen nodded and looked at Liu Meijuan, "You heard that? She barely knows you. Stop acting so intimate, calling her Jingyuan as if you're so close."

Liu Meijuan tried to protest, "No matter what—"

"Enough!" Chen Ruowen cut her off for a third time, refusing her any chance to argue. The best way to deal with someone who likes to set verbal traps is not to let them speak at all.

"I don't have time to waste on you." She turned to Guo Jingyuan, "Did you do any of the things this woman just accused you of?"

Guo Jingyuan shook her head desperately.

"Say it out loud," Chen Ruowen prompted. "Whether these people believe you is their business. You just need to tell the truth."

Encouraged by her words, Guo Jingyuan took a step forward, standing in the center of the crowd. She faced all those waiting to see her humiliated, and the ill-intentioned woman. Her face was pale, but her voice was steady.

"I did not."

"I have never had improper relations with any man, never gambled, never stolen, never fought, and I am not mentally unstable."

"Never."