Chapter 259
If they want to ask, let them ask.
Shen Nanchu was invited to the department head's office.
Seeing Liang Guoming and Yu Hongbin, Shen Nanchu merely greeted them calmly.
Liang Guoming and Yu Hongbin exchanged a glance; this young girl was truly composed.
Yu Hongbin: Student Shen, congratulations on achieving such excellent results in this final exam.
Shen Nanchu: Thank you for the compliment, sir.
The office instantly fell silent.
A somewhat awkward silence.
Ahem, Yu Hongbin coughed twice, Are you adjusting well to this semester at Jing University?
Yes. Shen Nanchu nodded. Sir, if there's something on your mind, you can just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush.
Yu Hongbin: ...
Liang Guoming: ...
Alright, the young girl was straightforward and decisive, so they wouldn't play any superficial games either.
Student Shen, there have been some negative rumors about you in the school recently. You know about this, right?
As soon as Yu Hongbin finished speaking, Shen Nanchu nodded.
I know.
What do you think about it?
Yu Hongbin and Liang Guoming looked at Shen Nanchu simultaneously.
Shen Nanchu didn't hesitate at all. I will just ignore them, does that count?
What?
Ignore them?
That wouldn't do.
Student Shen, let me tell you, that won't do.
Rumors and gossip can hurt people invisibly. We can't just let them spread unchecked.
Shen Nanchu shook her head,
But these idle gossips can't hurt me!
They even earned me quite a lot of aversion points!
Shen Nanchu didn't say that last sentence out loud.
Shen Nanchu had actually played a part in fueling today's situation.
Yu Hongbin and Liang Guoming were completely rendered speechless.
The person involved wasn't anxious at all and didn't even take it seriously, so what else could they say?
Sir, just let this matter blow over with the wind!
A clear conscience fears no false accusations.
Shen Nanchu sat up perfectly straight.
Yu Hongbin and Liang Guoming exchanged a glance, both of their eyes filled with helplessness.
...
Early morning, before the sun had even risen.
Pei Zhengnian had stayed up all night and just finished a lengthy tactical deduction. With a trace of exhaustion lingering between his brows, he rubbed his temples and reached for the phone.
He hadn't called home in a few days, and he wondered how she was doing.
The phone rang in the Pei family's courtyard house.
Pei Yunzhou, who was watching TV, hurriedly stood up,
Hello, who is it?
It's me!
Pei Zhengnian's deep voice came from the other end of the line.
Brother, why are you calling so early? Sister-in-law and Mom took Little Anchen to Uncle's house.
Oh, is everything alright at home?
Pei Zhengnian felt a little disappointed; Shen Nanchu wasn't there.
Everything is great at home!
Pei Yunzhou quickly replied, then couldn't wait to share the breaking news,
Brother, you have no idea, Sister-in-law has been amazing at school! It's absolutely earth-shattering!
Oh? Pei Zhengnian became interested, the corners of his mouth turning up unconsciously. What did she do this time?
He was somewhat used to his wife causing a big stir from time to time, but every time he heard about it, he still felt a sense of pride.
Pei Yunzhou sounded excited, pouring out the words like beans rolling out of a bamboo tube,
Hasn't it been finals week these past few days? Sister-in-law wants to skip grades, so she took the final exams for both freshman and junior years in one breath!
Guess what? She scored a perfect one hundred on the freshman exam! The junior year exam was insanely difficult, but she scored a ninety-nine! She only lost one point for handwriting!
All the school leaders were alarmed! The principal and the department head personally supervised her exam and graded her papers!
As Pei Zhengnian listened, the smile on his face grew wider. His exhaustion was swept away, and his heart felt as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.
Although such near-perfect scores were astonishing, since it was her, Pei Zhengnian didn't find it particularly surprising. He only felt overflowing pride.
He could even imagine her proud appearance in the exam room, calm, composed, and writing with effortless grace.
Good! Very good!
Pei Zhengnian's voice was loud and clear, revealing heartfelt joy.
Pei Yunzhou also chuckled, sharing in the glory.
But as he laughed, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and his tone became indignant. However, Brother... there are also some... some unpleasant rumors at school.
Pei Zhengnian keenly caught the change in Pei Yunzhou's tone. His smile instantly vanished, his brows furrowed, and his voice deepened,
What unpleasant rumors? Speak clearly!
Pei Yunzhou got angry just thinking about those people at school who couldn't tell right from wrong,
Second Brother, you don't know, some people at school are really sick in the head. They're jealous that Sister-in-law did so well on her exams, so they're gossiping behind her back.
They're saying that her grades are illegitimate, that she might have cheated, or used some improper methods to get the school leaders to value her so much...
Bullshit!
Before Pei Yunzhou could finish, Pei Zhengnian let out a furious roar like a sudden clap of thunder, making Pei Yunzhou's ears ring on the other end of the line.
His face instantly turned so dark and gloomy that water could drip from it.
An uncontrollable rage flared up from the bottom of his heart, rushing straight to his head!
Those bugs hiding in the gutter had no skills themselves, yet they dared to slander her with such filthy thoughts and vicious words!
Cheating? Improper methods?
This was simply the greatest insult to his wife! It was also a provocation against Pei Zhengnian's judgment and dignity!
Who? Who is spreading this nonsense?
Pei Zhengnian's voice was bone-chillingly cold. Even through the phone line, one could feel that terrifyingly oppressive aura.
Frightened by his brother's anger, Pei Yunzhou shivered and stammered,
I... I'm not very sure either. It's just... I heard classmates secretly discussing it, and it seems to have spread quite widely... It seems... it seems Qin Rong is involved, and...
Qin Rong?
A cold glint flashed in Pei Zhengnian's eyes.
The person spreading rumors behind the scenes was almost certainly Qin Rong.
It seemed the lesson he taught her last time wasn't enough!
Alright, I know.
Pei Zhengnian forcefully suppressed the urge to charge back to the capital immediately. His voice returned to calmness, but beneath this calm lay an even more terrifying storm,
Fourth Brother, I am giving you a task. Before I get back, find out who started these rumors.
After saying that, without waiting for Pei Yunzhou to respond, Pei Zhengnian hung up the phone with a snap.
He stood in place, his chest heaving violently, his eyes as sharp as a falcon's.
A few minutes later, he abruptly turned around, grabbed his military cap from the desk, put it on his head, and strode outside.
Guardsman!
Here!
The young guard immediately ran over, stood at attention, and saluted.
Prepare the car! I need to return to the capital immediately! It is an emergency!
Pei Zhengnian's voice was firm and unquestionable.
Yes, sir!
Although the guard was surprised as to why the regiment commander suddenly needed to return to the capital late at night, he didn't dare to ask and immediately ran to make arrangements.
...
The Pei family courtyard.
Pei Yunzhou, who had just been hung up on, froze in place.
Oh my goodness, Second Brother seemed really angry.
Did this mean his Second Brother was going to come charging back?
Pei Yunzhou instantly became excited.
As long as his Second Brother took action, those bastards would definitely be in for a rough time!
He was going to Jing University right now.
...