Chapter 18: Reaping What One Sows

Sun Mang's stammering actually gave Song Xue more confidence. She confronted him, demanding, "Sun Monkey, when did you start hanging out with Su Yan?"

"I didn't!" Sun Mang waved his hands in a panic.

"Su Yan even called you out to testify; you two are clearly in cahoots. What did this blind girl give you to make you slander me?" Song Xue turned the tables on him.

Sun Mang frowned. He had originally intended to help them cover it up, but he hadn't expected Song Xue to be so arrogant and overbearing. If he didn't speak up, there was no telling how much more he would be framed for.

Thinking of this, he felt there was nothing left to hide.

"I'm not close to Su Yan at all. It's just that during PE class on Monday, I saw you, Wang Lan, and Liu Qian taking Su Yan toward the school's back gate. I was bored, so I followed behind you. Then I saw you lead Su Yan into that abandoned building, and after about ten minutes, only you guys came back down."

His words were like a bolt of lightning, completely corroborating Su Yan's earlier statement.

The classroom instantly exploded into a cacophony of shocked discussions.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes around them, Wang Lan, Liu Qian, and the others wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

Song Xue never imagined she would be followed by Sun Mang. Her head buzzed, and her face turned incredibly red.

So, the reason the blind girl was able to walk out of that building unscathed that night wasn't because of her own abilities, but because Sun Mang had secretly helped her!

She almost immediately accepted this conclusion.

"Sun Mang! You—you're in league with Su Yan!"

Su Yan watched this scene with a sneer; even with death approaching, they still refused to repent.

"Everything I said is true. I heard exactly what you all said when you came out. Do you want me to say it right now?" Sun Mang decided to go all out. Since he was already being branded as Su Yan's accomplice, he absolutely could not let Song Xue continue to distort the truth.

This time, before Song Xue could speak, Wang Lan and the others lost their nerve and couldn't hold their composure.

"Sun Mang, stop talking!"

The reactions of the group provided a definitive answer.

Song Xue felt like she wanted to kill them. There was no way to reverse the situation now.

The complex gazes directed at her made it seem as if she had committed an unpardonable crime.

Clearly, just a few minutes ago, they had all been on her side.

Su Yan let out a cold laugh. She had no intention of letting her off so easily; the time had come.

"Since this matter has been confirmed, let's talk about the first issue."

Song Xue suddenly had an ominous premonition, but it was a second too late to tell her to shut up.

"Your cousin works at the textile factory. She wants to be promoted to group leader but doesn't have the ability, so she set her sights on Su Mo. Because of my father's status, you've been trying to curry favor with Su Mo, hoping to use her to help your cousin climb the ladder."

Su Yan's tone was casual, as if she were merely stating an insignificant fact.

However, the classroom fell silent once again. They were no longer children; although they hadn't entered society yet, they understood many things.

Opportunism and social climbing were despicable!

Su Yan had directly torn away Song Xue's veil of respectability, leaving all the students present both shocked and gossipy.

Song Xue had always maintained an air of lofty purity in class, yet she actually harbored such filthy intentions in private!

Truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance!

Song Xue felt like she was suffocating; the sensation at this moment was pure horror.

Even Su Mo didn't know about her cousin's business, yet Su Yan knew so clearly—was she a demon?

Su Yan looked at her pale cheeks with disdain. "But aren't you stupid? Su Mo is merely my father's stepdaughter. Do you really think my father would treat a stepdaughter better than his own biological daughter?"

Her words were like a sharp knife stabbing hard into Song Xue's heart.

Song Xue could no longer hold herself up and collapsed to the floor with a thud.

She knew perfectly well that Su Mo was not a biological member of the Su family, but Su Mo had always been favored. Moreover, Su Mo had told her that Su Jianguo didn't like Su Yan at all; otherwise, he wouldn't have raised Su Yan outside the house.

It was because of this that she had been so brazen in targeting Su Yan.

But now, she realized she had made a foolish choice.

"What? Su Mo is a stepdaughter? Then why does she have the surname Su?" The discussions in the classroom rose in waves.

They were receiving far too much information today.

Su Yan patiently explained the student's question.

"Because she changed her surname."

This was followed by another wave of sighs and murmurs.

In an instant, Su Mo's image as the pride of Xinghua High School fell from its pedestal.

Li Hu's face was ashen, clearly agitated. Just as he was about to stand up for Song Xue, Su Yan's face, covered by the black cloth, turned toward him.

That tiny movement made his heart tremble, and all his anger vanished without a trace.

This blind girl was truly terrifying; she had even investigated Song Xue's family matters so thoroughly.

And she could even tell everyone in such a situation that she was the biological eldest daughter of the Su family. If he continued to meddle, he would definitely be the one in trouble.

The thought was so certain that it made him abandon all resistance.

It wasn't until the school bell rang that the chaos finally ended.

Song Xue kept her head down with a grim expression from beginning to end, experiencing for the first time what it meant to be the target of public scorn.

She thought the farce would end there, but unexpectedly, as soon as class was over, she was summoned to the office by Zhou Fang.

In the office, besides Zhou Fang, there were several other teachers.

Zhou Fang looked at her with a serious expression. "Song Xue, did you really take Su Yan to that abandoned building?"

Song Xue's heart sank. The worst-case scenario had happened; even the teachers knew.

Although that building did not belong to Xinghua High School, because it was located not far from the school, there were explicit school regulations prohibiting any teachers or students from entering or leaving it without permission.

"Teacher Zhou, I... I..."

"Foolish! Even if you dislike Su Yan, you shouldn't do something so harmful to others and useless to yourself!"

Zhou Fang scolded her sternly. The impact of this incident was extremely severe.

Several lives had been lost at that building; this was no joke!

"Teacher Zhou, I know I was wrong. I won't dare do it again."

Song Xue was on the verge of tears, feeling both wronged and uneasy.

"What use is it to tell me this? Now the whole school knows what you've done. Have you thought about the consequences?"

Zhou Fang's words made Song Xue's heart tremble violently.

She had already experienced the "strange" looks everyone gave her; it was truly terrifying.

If she could choose again, she would never provoke Su Yan today.

Zhou Fang let out a heavy sigh. He had placed high hopes on Song Xue, but now it was all ruined.

His final words were, "Look after yourself."

As things had developed to this point, it was no longer something anyone could control.

Song Xue walked out of the office in a daze, and whispers immediately erupted around her.

She fought back tears, wanting to explain herself to everyone, but she discovered with horror that she couldn't make even the slightest sound from her throat.

(End of Chapter)