Chapter 45: Perhaps She Had Long Harbored Resentment Toward Xie Xuan

Xiang Yu showed no sense of grievance or resentment at being falsely accused. Neither humble nor pushy, she replied, "Teacher Li, I was also pushed from behind and accidentally fell on top of Xie Xuan; I didn't do it on purpose. Later, when others kept falling on top of me, I even tried my best to prop myself up on the ground to lessen the pressure on the people beneath me."

Xiang Yu acutely sensed that Xie Xuan, nestled in Teacher Li's arms, stiffened for a moment. But immediately afterward, she began to whimper softly and complain about her foot hurting.

Teacher Li's anger flared even higher. "Who knows if you were supporting yourself or not? But the fact remains that you fell on our Xie Xuan, crushed her foot, and ruined her dancing. If my daughter fails to successfully pass the art academy admissions, you will be held responsible! Besides, you had a verbal altercation with my daughter in class two days ago; you probably pushed her on purpose."

Xiang Yu took a deep breath. "Teacher Li, if Xie Xuan's foot really affects her specialized exam, I am willing to bear my share of the responsibility. As for the verbal dispute from two days ago, I am truly wronged. Xie Xuan was the one who came over to speak to me, and her words were unkind. I merely reminded her to mind her phrasing, and I harbor no malicious intent whatsoever toward classmate Xie Xuan."

Principal Xie heard this and no longer played the mute. He frowned and looked at his daughter, "What happened two days ago? Make it clear."

Xie Xuan puffed out her cheeks. "I didn't say anything much. I just mentioned that her grades were kind of lousy, and asked if it wasn't a bit too late to start studying hard now. Then she said my words were harsh and threatened to report me to you, so I didn't say anything more and just walked away."

Principal Xie frowned as he looked at his daughter and was just about to say something when he was interrupted by the irate Teacher Li.

"Was Xuan Xuan wrong? Xiang Yu is an empty-headed vase; the whole school knows it. Xuan Xuan was only concerned about her and spoke without thinking, yet she was sharp-tongued and threatened to report her. Making such a fuss over nothing and being so aggressive—she must have had a grudge against Xie Xuan for a long time and harbored resentment. She deliberately took the chance today to push her and ruin her dancing, affecting her specialized admissions examination. No wonder neither of her parents takes her side; they must know what kind of nature their own daughter has."

Even though Xiang Yu had been reborn, being subjected to such oppression, insults, slander, and having her sore spots trampled on made her feel extremely distressed, and her eye rims grew somewhat red. However, she constantly reminded herself to endure; she had no capital to throw caution to the wind and fight blindly for justice. If she fell out with Teacher Li, she wouldn't be able to continue her schooling, Teacher Zhang wouldn't be able to help her anymore, and she would lose the wager with her parents.

She forcefully suppressed her grievance and humiliation, struggling to calm her emotions.

Teacher Li's words were entirely based on guesswork and emotion. Teacher Zhang and the other teacher did not dare to say much more, and Principal Xie ultimately felt somewhat embarrassed. He patted his wife's shoulder with his hand and said gently, "Don't be too angry. After all, this was an accident. The priority right now is to take Xuan Xuan for an X-ray to see if her bones are injured."

Xie Xuan's eyes flickered, and she said unnaturally, "Dad, there's no need. I probably just sprained it; resting for a couple of days will be fine."

Teacher Li was jolted back to reality by those words and immediately helped her daughter stand up. "Right, the most important thing right now is to go to the county town for an X-ray."

Xiang Yu stepped forward and handed over a thousand yuan. "Although I was also pushed down by the people behind me, it is an undeniable fact that I accidentally crushed classmate Xie Xuan. This money is for classmate Xie Xuan to get an X-ray and check her leg first."

Her words were sincere, calmly displaying her utmost goodwill.

The anger in Teacher Li's eyes subsided a great deal, and she said rather unnaturally, "There's no need. Let's wait until we've seen the doctor before assigning blame."

Principal Xie nodded. "That's right. Classmate Xiang Yu, you can go back first. We'll take Xie Xuan to the hospital to take a look."

Xie Xuan was powerless to refute. Her parents' love was both her backing and her restraint.