Weak, Helpless, and Pitiful

"Ring-a-ling!"

Just as Su Cheng walked out of the student council office, the bell signaling the end of afternoon classes rang.

The outcome was as expected.

The student council had no bias against him, and they even presented all the evidence of Eddie's misdeeds without hesitation. They too wanted Eddie to face appropriate punishment for his actions.

Unfortunately, Eddie's parents had sent a prominent lawyer to represent him.

After statements and arguments were made, the lawyer cited that since Eddie was under 16 years old, the school should only criticize and educate students who violate school management regulations, not expel them.

As punishment, Eddie would have to work at the school during all his holidays this semester.

Ordinarily, such an incident would warrant a school-wide criticism announcement and a demerit on record. But for some unknown reason, the school administration seemed to have some unspeakable secret and directly covered up this process.

Before he left, the student council members expressed their apologies to Su Cheng, telling him: "If the president hadn't been sent away on an exchange program, this wouldn't have been the result."

Su Cheng understood it was due to background influence. He just smiled faintly, not taking it to heart.

After all, he was bent on revenge. No matter what Eddie's punishment was, it couldn't change the hatred deep in his heart towards Eddie!

The only thing he felt disappointed about was that he didn't get to see the legendary mysterious student council president. If he could have personally witnessed the president's demeanor, it would have been quite fortunate.

He had heard that this student council president had gained the support of 95% of the school's students in her first year, becoming the 22nd Student Council Chairperson of Flame City Private Academy. She was hailed as the "protagonist" of this world, a perfect person rarely seen in thousands of years.

Oh, and she was female.

...

"This is compensation. Please accept it."

Shortly after Su Cheng left, a man in a suit handed him a check, speaking coolly.

This was Eddie's lawyer.

He was very famous, wielding significant influence throughout Flame City. Even the school board members treated him with utmost respect.

Behind him stood Eddie, looking thoroughly displeased. After all, for him, having his holidays taken away was worse than death.

With his severe myopia, he hadn't noticed the changes in Su Cheng.

"Please take it. This is my apology."

Seeing that Su Cheng wouldn't accept it, Eddie became anxious and quickly said with a sincere expression.

After all, for a commoner like Su Cheng, this money was an enormous sum.

"No need. An apology is enough."

Su Cheng shook his head, refusing calmly.

He didn't dare accept it. Who knew what kind of trap might be waiting for him?

"You go back. I'll handle this."

Eddie furrowed his brows, said something to the lawyer, then took the check. The lawyer nodded and left without looking back.

"Please accept it!"

"I said I don't want it!"

Su Cheng glanced at him coolly, then turned to walk towards the stairs.

"Stop right there, don't you walk away!"

Eddie immediately showed his true colors. He looked around, noticed some students watching the commotion, and sneered, "You'd better take this money."

Actually, he was doing this mainly on his father's instructions. Given the student council president's personality, when she returned, this matter would definitely be revisited. After all, there had been no substantial disciplinary action. If Su Cheng accepted the money, it would mean the involved parties had no objections, and his case wouldn't be pursued further.

Hearing Eddie's words, Su Cheng moved to a corner out of the camera's view: "Come here."

"What?"

Seeing Su Cheng move to a secluded spot, Eddie thought he was afraid of being seen by other students. A mocking expression appeared on his face as he walked over.

"Take it."

Eddie arrogantly offered the check to Su Cheng.

But before he could finish speaking, Su Cheng approached him, leaned close to his ear, and said in a low voice, "You're a f***ing idiot!"

Eddie was stunned.

This was the first time anyone had ever insulted him, calling him an idiot!

"You dare insult me?"

Eddie's eyes widened in anger.

Su Cheng nodded to indicate he was correct, then his lips curled into a sneer as he stepped past Eddie, brushing shoulders with him.

"Stop right there!"

Eddie was furious with embarrassment. He grabbed Su Cheng's arm: "Even my parents have never scolded me like this!"

Su Cheng's lips curved slightly upward.

He hadn't expected Eddie to dare use force right outside the student council office.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

Sure enough, the next second, student council members heard the commotion and ran over, surrounding Su Cheng protectively.

Eddie, blocked by people, stopped his impulsive action. He angrily pointed at Su Cheng's nose: "He insulted me!"

Hearing this, the student council members turned to look at Su Cheng, their eyes full of doubt and confusion. The vice president asked, "Is this true?"

"I... I..."

Su Cheng looked fearfully at Eddie's angry face, then at the vice president, seeming somewhat frightened as he shook his head. But suddenly, as if realizing something, he quickly nodded: "Yes... I did insult him. It was all my fault. Don't mind Eddie."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and started apologizing, looking like someone who had done something wrong. His demeanor was pitiful, weak, and helpless.

Especially those eyes, which conveyed a sense of grievance and innocence. Looking like this, anyone would believe that this young man had made a wrong decision out of fear of Eddie's retaliation.

"Su Cheng, don't be afraid. This is school!"

Sure enough, seeing Su Cheng's appearance, the vice president immediately turned to Eddie and reprimanded him: "It seems Eddie has shown no signs of remorse. If that's the case, this matter needs to be handed over to the school's legal team for further handling."

"I think this incident requires further investigation."

"I'm contacting the president now!"

Hearing the words of the student council members, Eddie immediately panicked but still tried to explain: "He really did insult me. Please believe me, believe me!"

"Yes. I insulted him."

Su Cheng raised his head, looking innocently at everyone.

"See, he admitted it!"

Eddie quickly said when he saw this.

"Su Cheng, don't be afraid. Tell us what happened!"

They looked at Su Cheng seriously, then turned to Eddie, their eyes filled with displeasure and anger.

"He was insisting on giving me money just now, and wouldn't let me leave when I refused."

Su Cheng explained, as if mustering up courage to raise his head. But inwardly, he was overjoyed.

"So that's what happened."

Hearing Su Cheng's words, the vice president immediately understood the situation.

He patted Su Cheng's shoulder and said in a gentle tone: "You can go now. Let's see if he dares to do anything to you!"

"Okay."

So Su Cheng obediently said okay, then turned his back to the student council members, facing Eddie. He mouthed the words: "You're a big f***ing idiot!"

After doing this, the corners of his mouth curved up into a Nike swoosh, and then he left without looking back.

"You!"

Eddie was so furious he could barely speak, his heart almost bursting with anger. But he had no way to react and didn't dare make any move, as all the student council members were watching him.

Now that the student council was clearly siding with this guy, he realized that whatever he said would be useless.

"Just a mere commoner..."

Eddie gritted his teeth inwardly, turning to stare at Su Cheng's retreating figure for a few moments, his eyes flashing with malicious light.

This time, he would definitely make Su Cheng pay a heavy price!

"Well, I'll be going now too!"

Eddie turned to the student council members and said with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

"Please, come inside."

However, the vice president invited Eddie to stay, clearly not intending to let him off.

Eddie sensed trouble but had no choice. He reluctantly walked into the student council office.

"Alright..."

Eddie nodded unwillingly and entered the student council room.

Meanwhile, the student council members went to another conference room to discuss the recent commotion.

The vice president shook his head with a sigh: "Eddie is the son of Director Eddie, but his behavior is simply too atrocious. I've already reported to the president. His actions show extreme disrespect and defiance towards the student council and school regulations."

Everyone agreed with the vice president's viewpoint.

Eddie sat alone in the empty conference room for a while, feeling bored, looking left and right.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Delivering the school newspaper. Oh, is no one here?"

A male student pushed open the door and, upon seeing Eddie, placed a newspaper on the student council table with a strange expression on his face before quickly turning to leave.

Eddie realized the person was a student from his class and felt puzzled, but since they had already left, he turned his attention to the campus newspaper and began to read.

As soon as he saw the headline, he froze in shock, his face filled with disbelief and his eyes wide with astonishment.

"This... how is this possible?!"

Eddie was stunned; this couldn't possibly be true.

His father had already established good relations with the Publicity Department, so anything related to him should never have made it onto the academy's network, let alone be published in the newspaper. It was simply impossible for this to happen.

"Why...?"

Eddie muttered to himself, unable to accept the situation.

"Am I... am I dreaming?"

Eddie pinched his cheek hard.

"Ouch!"

The pain shot through his head, instantly snapping Eddie back to reality.

"What's going on?"

Eddie's mind was filled with confusion, his face contorting: "How did this happen? How is this possible?"

The newspaper boldly displayed all of his misdeeds, even including his photograph. More importantly, there was a completely fabricated accusation of him threatening and forcing Su Cheng to confess her feelings.

In that moment, fear, terror, and anxiety surged through Eddie's heart.

He had never imagined something like this could happen. His heart sank to the bottom, and all his hopes were shattered.

In this situation, there was no way to salvage things.

He had always been extremely concerned about his reputation, and now that everything had been exposed and the entire school knew about it, he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Why is this happening?"

He cried out internally, filled with resentment and anguish, but no matter how much he struggled, it was futile. His face grew increasingly pale, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

...

Broadcasting Room

"I just saw Eddie in the student council room when I was delivering newspapers, and he was the only one there," a male student hurriedly reported to a female student.

"That's great news. I was just wondering whether to use the all-school broadcast," Xuan Ying said, her face lighting up with excitement as she pressed the button for the student council broadcast.

...

"That's right, I should call Dad. He'll definitely have a solution," Eddie thought, suddenly feeling a glimmer of hope. He quickly took out his phone to dial his father's number, but just as he did so, the student council broadcast suddenly came to life: "Hello... hello..."

A girl's voice suddenly came through the speakers, startling Eddie.

"This is the lost and found. Someone has picked up an unsigned medical record. Hmm... it says it's about prostatitis caused by excessive indulgence in traditional practices. Pfft—"

At this point, a stifled laugh could be heard through the broadcast.

"That voice sounds familiar," Eddie said, puzzled.

"Ahem... The doctor's recommendation is to practice moderation, otherwise it may lead to infertility in the future. Oh, wait, there seems to be a name after all."

"Hmm... It belongs to Eddie from Class 2, Year 1, student number '44'. Please come to the lost and found to collect this medical record as soon as possible. Hahahahahaha!"