Chapter 309 Gender Equality?
Hera was taken aback by the Dean’s demeanor, as he had always seemed approachable and friendly, often smiling and appearing easygoing. She had expected him to be impartial and conduct a thorough investigation before passing any judgment.
What Hera hadn’t anticipated was that one of Alice’s supporters would be the Dean’s niece. It was why he leaned in Alice’s favor; his personal connection made it evident why he harbored a bias against Hera.
After all, he had done a simple background check on Hera to see if he would be butting heads with an heiress of a powerful family or someone of significance. Instead, he found out that Hera was just an orphan who had earned a scholarship to the university. He knew he could easily give the scholarship to someone else if he expelled her. Besides, the majority of the institution’s directors just wanted him to handle the matter quietly to protect the university’s reputation.
If it were anyone else, they would do everything to protect a student with a bright future like Hera. Unfortunately, she offended someone she shouldn’t have. Once he took care of her, the directors wouldn’t even know she was a promising student who might become a leader in the future. He could silence her without consequence.
And they all left the punishment to him as he saw fit. Given this freedom, he could please his niece by expelling Hera and simultaneously satisfy the directors by removing the student who kept tarnishing the school’s reputation with constant negative publicity.
Little did he know, this would turn out to be the biggest mistake of his entire life.
"I have received word that you have been tarnishing our university’s reputation and dragging us through the mud," the Dean sternly said before Hera could step into the office. The students who had stayed to support her overheard his words and quickly understood the implications behind them.
If only they had been as perceptive earlier, they wouldn’t have fallen into the trap of helping others slander their senior, blindly going along with the flow without considering the implications for others. This experience would serve as a valuable lesson to not let gossip and hearsay sway them and to always seek the full story before passing judgment.
Blindly following what others say without seeking the truth would bring great shame to their college degrees and their entrance into the most prestigious university in the country. If they fail to use their brains to think critically and allow themselves to be manipulated again, it would be a disservice to their education. This experience has indeed made them more aware of their surroundings and more discerning in the future.