The Vice Principal was momentarily stunned. “President Song’s girlfriend is also a student here at Jiangda?”

“She is,” Song Xu replied, his expression dark and icy. “A freshman in the Law School. Your faculty leadership just finished berating her. They’re planning to issue a formal warning and are even threatening her with expulsion.”

“My woman doesn’t need a degree from Jiangbei University to succeed, but I will not tolerate her being bullied or framed. I expect a formal explanation.”

“President Song, please, don’t be so upset. It’s likely just a misunderstanding,” the Vice Principal urged, trying to soothe him while whispering urgently to the Principal. The Principal immediately summoned his assistant, whispering a few quick instructions before the man nodded and hurried away.

Both the Principal and Vice Principal stood up simultaneously. “President Song, let’s take this to the office to discuss it properly.”

Song Xu was already past the point of sitting still. He was desperate to see Lin Xi. When they had spoken on the phone earlier, he could tell she was on the verge of tears. Even the toughest little “stinking stone” had her moments of vulnerability.

—

Once they reached the Principal’s office, Song Xu settled onto the sofa, waiting for Lin Xi to arrive.

“What is the young lady’s name?” the Principal asked with a polite smile.

“Lin Xi,” Song Xu replied curtly.

The Vice Principal’s eyes widened in realization as he slapped his thigh. “I remember now! President Song mentioned this girl to me before, asking me to look out for her. At the time, I thought she was a relative. I had no idea she was your girlfriend!”

“This Lin Xi is an exceptional student,” the Vice Principal explained to the Principal. “She ranked eleventh in the city for the humanities track this year and chose our Law School.”

He looked genuinely puzzled. “I specifically reached out to young Wang in the admissions office to keep an eye on her. Wang is usually very reliable—how could such a massive misunderstanding happen?”

Song Xu remained silent, offering only a cold smile. It was better for the school to uncover the truth themselves; as an outsider, it wasn’t his place to pass judgment yet. However, if Jiangda failed to provide a satisfactory resolution, he wouldn’t hesitate to slash their funding.

It wasn’t long before the key players began to trickle in.

Liu Ting was the first to arrive. She had no idea what was happening; the messenger had simply told her she was needed in the Principal’s office. Dressed in a vibrant red dress and ten-centimeter heels, she walked in with a triumphant smile.

Her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Song Xu on the sofa.

Does Song Xu want to see me? He doesn’t have my contact info, so did he go through the Principal to get an introduction? It has to be that!

Liu Ting flashed Song Xu a shy, coy smile and walked over to greet him. “Senior Song.”

The Principal and Vice Principal both stared at her. She was… decent-looking, perhaps, but standing next to President Song, she seemed to lack a certain grace. They exchanged a look, silently questioning Song Xu’s taste in women.

Neither administrator recognized her. During her speech, they had both been zoning out, distracted by the blistering heat and wondering when the ceremony would finally end. They had skipped the rest of the performances specifically to handle Song Xu’s “emergency.”

“President Song, is this the one…?” The Vice Principal trailed off, terrified of making an embarrassing mistake.

Song Xu didn’t even look at her. He simply closed his eyes and said, “I don’t know her.”

The Vice Principal breathed a secret sigh of relief. He knew a man of Song Xu’s caliber couldn’t possibly be interested in someone so gaudy. He turned to Liu Ting, his tone questioning. “And who might you be?”

Liu Ting felt a flash of resentment. She had walked right past the podium during her speech and even bowed to them. How could they not recognize her already? Are they going senile?

She managed to keep her temper in check before the Principal. “I’m Liu Ting. I’m the freshman representative who just finished giving the orientation speech.”

“Oh!” The Principal and Vice Principal shared a look of vague recollection. But why was she here? Could she be involved in the “misunderstanding”?

“Have a seat for now,” the Principal said dismissively.

Liu Ting scanned the room. There were two armchairs and one long sofa. Since Song Xu was sitting on one end of the sofa, she smiled and moved to sit right next to him.

“Senior Song…” She reached for her phone, hoping to exchange numbers, but he cut her off before she could get a word out.

“Do me a favor and stay away from me,” Song Xu muttered, his brow furrowed in deep irritation. “The scent on you is nauseating.”

Liu Ting froze. She was wearing expensive, imported French perfume that cost thousands of dollars. How could it be nauseating? “Senior Song, you must be mistaken. It’s a very high-end fragrance.”

“I don’t care if you’re fragrant or foul—get away from me. Do you not understand plain English?” Song Xu had dealt with too many women like this.

If he gave them an inch of politeness, they would hallucinate a romantic interest and cling even harder. He had no patience for it. Mortified, Liu Ting scurried to the far end of the sofa, putting as much distance between them as possible.

The two Principals kept their gazes fixed forward, pretending they hadn’t seen the awkward exchange as they waited for the others.

Finally, the Law School Dean and Deputy Director Liu rushed in. They assumed the meeting was about the “disorderly” students who had shouted during the ceremony. On the way over, they had already agreed to pin the entire blame on Teacher Wang and the two girls.

Upon entering, they noticed Liu Ting and a strange young man were already present.

“Tingting, why are you here?” Deputy Director Liu asked.

Liu Ting stood up and hurried to her uncle’s side, clutching his arm. “Uncle, someone told me to come, but I’m not sure why.” She threw a wronged, tearful glance toward Song Xu.

The Law School leadership ignored the exchange and bowed deeply to the two Principals. “Principals, there was a small mishap at the Law School today, but I’ve already handled the situation. I can guarantee nothing like this will happen again.”

“Do you have a student named Lin Xi in your department?” the Vice Principal asked.

The Dean nodded aggressively. “Yes, she’s the one who started the shouting. I’ve already decided to expel her.”

“What?” the Principal and Vice Principal shouted in unison. “Did you even bother to investigate what happened?”

The Dean nodded with absolute certainty. “We have. Lin Xi framed Liu Ting, claiming Liu Ting stole her speech. The truth is quite the opposite; Lin Xi was simply jealous and tried to ruin Liu Ting’s reputation.”

Liu Ting paled slightly. Lin Xi? Her speech? She gripped Deputy Director Liu’s arm, her voice trembling. “Uncle, my speech was…”

Deputy Director Liu patted her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry. It’s fine.”

Just then, Lin Xi, Bai Tiantian, and Teacher Wang arrived, accompanied by the Principal’s assistant. As they stepped into the room, Lin Xi saw Song Xu sitting on the sofa, and the weight that had been crushing her chest finally began to lift.

Song Xu beckoned to her, his voice softening. “Xixi, come here.”

Lin Xi looked at the crowded office, then at Bai Tiantian and Teacher Wang beside her. She felt a wave of self-consciousness and shook her head slightly at him.

Song Xu’s eyes narrowed, his tone turning firm and commanding. “Be good. Come here!”