Chapter 20: The Cold School Beauty’s Fierce Love
Before Tao Ning could come up with a perfect solution, school ended, and students, armed with homework and brimming with joy, rushed out the gates.
Xu Qiuyi slowly packed her things in the classroom, Tao Ning on the other side.
Tao Ning said, “Let’s go, Qiuyi.”
Xu Qiuyi slung her backpack over her shoulder, and the two left the classroom. Passing by the display board again, Xu Qiuyi subconsciously glanced at it, pausing briefly before looking away.
Tao Ning, noticing the fleeting movement, immediately looked over.
The display board wasn’t just for school announcements; it also showcased student achievements. The two boards closest to the building displayed monthly exam results and rankings.
On the honor roll, large, strangely shaped, and conspicuously dark stains marred the surface, visible to every passing student, like ink splattered on a pristine white shirt.
Behind each stain was the same person. Top scorer in all subjects, top scorer in individual subjects, every photo defaced with ink, each stroke like a resentful accusation from someone incompetent.
Tao Ning’s eyes darkened, and she strode towards the board.
“Don’t,” Xu Qiuyi reached out to stop her, but failed.
The wind picked up, leaves fell, and Tao Ning’s hair fluttered. Xu Qiuyi’s outstretched fingers brushed against a strand of hair, the fleeting coolness startling her. She stared at her fingertips for a few seconds.
What was that feeling in her chest just now?
Tao Ning pulled out a tissue from her skirt pocket and tried to wipe the marker stains off the display board.
It was a futile effort, she knew it wouldn’t work, but she did it anyway.
Perhaps fearing the handwriting would be recognized, the culprit had only blackened the faces and scores. Even without any derogatory words or insulting symbols, Tao Ning felt instinctively angry.
The Original World’s employee handbook warned against becoming emotionally invested in mission targets.
Excessive emotional investment was something rookies did, easily leading to self-harm and grave mistakes. Minor cases required psychological counseling or a transfer to a desk job, losing field qualifications.
If the employee persisted, the Original World would recall and punish them. Further resistance would result in forced retrieval and punishment.
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Tao Ning felt herself calm down.
Her data gradually stabilized, and 520, which had been anxiously monitoring her page, also wanted to breathe a sigh of relief.
The sudden spike in values was truly terrifying!
It didn’t dare to intervene, regretting boasting to its colleagues about having an easy host.
Xu Qiuyi walked over and said, “It’s getting late, let’s go back. The cleaning staff will know how to remove these stains during the weekend.”
Tao Ning turned her head: “This isn’t the first time?”
Xu Qiuyi’s eyes flickered, and she smiled: “Just occasionally, not very often.”
“Just occasionally?” Rubbing the stain with her fingertip, Tao Ning threw away the tissue, hands on her hips. “No, we can’t just let this go.”
The young miss always followed through on her words. Without hesitation, she dragged Xu Qiuyi to the security room, calling the disciplinary office on the way.
Hanging up, Tao Ning said to Xu Qiuyi, “I’ll get justice for you, don’t worry.”
Xu Qiuyi, her intended words already spoken, closed her lips with a complicated expression, looking down at her wrist held by Tao Ning.
Tao Ning’s palm was very warm, and the moment she grasped her wrist, Xu Qiuyi’s soul seemed to tremble.
Learning their purpose, the security guard was first taken aback, then tried to explain the regulations. Unable to out-argue Tao Ning, he finally said, “But I can’t export the surveillance footage without authorization from a superior.”
Tao Ning said, “Don’t try to confuse me. Who said anything about exporting the footage? I just want to find out who vandalized the display board between 4 pm and 5:30 pm.”
The guard, having been refuted, said with a mix of reluctance and displeasure, “These students nowadays, not focusing on their studies, always causing trouble. If everyone’s like this, what’s the point of my job?”
Tao Ning understood his meaning and didn’t take the bait: “I think I’ve been quite well-behaved. You want me to bring out my mom, the big gun, is that it? Don’t tell me you, on behalf of the principal, are saying I don’t have the right to do this?”
The guard fell silent. Tao Ning’s mother was a member of the school board. She had generously funded new equipment and campus improvements for her daughter’s sake.
Xu Qiuyi, standing behind Tao Ning, suddenly asked, “What’s that in your hand?”
The guard subconsciously hid the object in his hand. The movement was obvious, a clear sign of guilt.
“A miniature camera, you usually…” Xu Qiuyi suddenly realized something.
Tao Ning reached out and squeezed Xu Qiuyi’s hand, then turned to the guard with an amused expression: “Seriously? You’re even recording student conversations? Are you going to post a video online tonight, saying a certain heiress is abusing her power and oppressing a worker?”
Xu Qiuyi immediately closed her lips.
When the disciplinary head and the teacher in charge of the display board arrived at the security room, Tao Ning was already there, the security guard standing beside her with a troubled expression.
Tao Ning, standing by the door, said, “I’m making this clear, are you going to check or not? The school’s surveillance footage is kept for a month. You’re telling me that less than 24 hours of footage has already been overwritten? That’s negligence of duty, and you will be held accountable by the school.”
Xu Qiuyi was indeed standing beside her, shielded by Tao Ning, close to the door, ready to escape if needed.
The disciplinary head arrived, out of breath from rushing across the vast campus. Before he could speak, the other teacher behind him interjected, “It’s not that serious, let’s just forget about it.”
These words only added fuel to the fire. The disciplinary head shot the teacher a glare, and the teacher returned a wronged look, as if to say the students were unruly and he was powerless to do anything about it.
Are you an idiot? How can you say that at a time like this?
As expected, Tao Ning said, “Why should we forget about it? Xu Qiuyi has participated in numerous competitions since enrolling, achieving excellent results and bringing honor to the school. Now, her photo on the honor roll has been deliberately defaced. Do you think that’s appropriate?”
Turning to the teacher, her tone sharp: “If it were you, wouldn’t you feel disheartened?”
“Can you truly remain indifferent to being gossiped about by everyone who passes by?”
“You’re not her, you can’t empathize, so don’t try to smooth things over. I, Tao Ning, won’t stand for this.”
The teacher was rendered speechless by the barrage of questions. Feeling embarrassed at being questioned like this by a student, he opened his mouth to retort, but a female teacher beside him stopped him.
Tao Ning raised her hand, holding her phone: “I’ll just ask one question, can we check the footage or not?”
Xu Qiuyi watched Tao Ning’s figure, her own emotions stirred by Tao Ning’s raised hand. She wasn’t unfeeling, how could she truly not care?
Her previous indifference stemmed from knowing it would be futile, choosing to avoid trouble. She constantly reminded herself of her goals, not to be swayed.
Over time, Xu Qiuyi had learned to build a wall around herself, rejecting any external stimuli.
But now, someone was fighting for justice for her, seeking a resolution. No one had ever done this before, and she was naturally touched.
The disciplinary head finally caught his breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief: “Check, check, of course we’ll check. Since I’m aware of this, we must address this undesirable behavior and maintain a positive school environment.”
Fine words were just that, not to be taken too seriously. Xu Qiuyi, alone at Ming Rui, was like an island.
If this island was the most outstanding but also the most silent, then the outcome would be like the saying “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” She would be taken for granted.
With the disciplinary head’s order, the security guard, however reluctantly, sat down to check the footage.
After a flurry of keyboard clicks, the guard said, “I found the footage, but the face isn’t clear.”
They gathered around the monitor. The culprit was fully equipped, wearing a black hat and mask, even removing their name tag. It was impossible to identify them based on their build.
The time was 4:32 pm, right during the last class. There were no people around, and the faint sound of a teacher lecturing could be heard from a nearby classroom.
But one thing was clear: the uniform and build suggested a male student.
Xu Qiuyi said, “Give me the camera height and the display board height, I can estimate his height.”
The male teacher said, “But there are so many boys in the school, we can’t just calculate the height and then ask every class, can we?”
The gymnasium was used by all three grades, the venue was huge, and overlapping class schedules were normal.
The guard leaned back in his chair: “See, I told you it’s useless to check.”
Tao Ning said, “He didn’t come from the direction of the teaching building, it looks like he came from the gymnasium. It’s late autumn, the weather is warm and humid during the day, so PE classes are rarely held outdoors, they’re usually in the indoor gymnasium.”
The female teacher said, “Then check the route to the gymnasium?”
Xu Qiuyi said, “Not just that, also check the route from there to the boys’ changing room. There’s some distance between the two, and there’s a shortcut, but it’s hidden by trees and not covered by cameras. If he left during PE class, he would have to change into his sports uniform and then return to the gymnasium.”
Otherwise, wearing the school uniform back would be too conspicuous, and most people would remember him.
The disciplinary head asked, puzzled, “Aren’t the gymnasium and the changing room in the same direction? Where’s the shortcut?”
Tao Ning: “Taking that route means less time in the sun.”
The disciplinary head: “…” So it’s a shortcut created by you lazy brats. He had caught students smoking there before.
The security guard, before he could speak, had the key points laid out for him and had no choice but to start working again, three screens lighting up in front of him.
They found a clear image of the culprit’s face. However, to everyone’s surprise, the student didn’t return to the changing room to change. He changed right there, hidden by the trees. It was him returning to the changing room with his clothes and hat that exposed him.