Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

As darkness fell, Fan Tong walked back to his dormitory, looking dejected, and slumped down in silence.

He knew he had been misunderstood and initially tried to explain himself, but no one listened and instead berated him.

After several such encounters, his anger flared up, and he got into a heated argument with these people, nearly coming to blows, but ultimately had no choice but to return home helplessly.

This emotional rollercoaster, from panic to anger, and now to utter despair, left him speechless with disillusionment.

"Little Fan!" A hand suddenly patted him heavily on the shoulder.

Fan Tong looked up and saw Gao Zhao looking at him with concern. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stood up to explain, "That woman, I really don't know her..."

"No need to say more!" Gao Zhao interrupted him before he could finish speaking, her tone incredibly sincere and resolute: "I believe you!"

A warm feeling welled up inside Fan Tong, and his heart warmed. His eyes showed gratitude, but when he opened his mouth, he felt a tightness in his throat and could not speak.

"Brother Gao, you're just too kind!" Su Mian poked his head out from the cubicle and sneered, "He'd even betray his own fellow villagers to curry favor with others, and you still believe him?"

Fan Tong's face fell. He suddenly realized why no one was willing to believe him despite all his explanations today!

It turns out that all my previous actions had been seen by others. Although they didn't say anything on a daily basis, they actually looked down on me.

Perhaps they didn't all really believe they had an affair with the woman, but they preferred to believe that rather than believe they were innocent!

He knew that the path he had chosen would be looked down upon, but he didn't expect the price to come so quickly; he wasn't prepared!

This left him speechless and unable to defend himself!

"Brother Su, don't say that!" Gao Zhao spoke up again, his tone firm. "Although I haven't had much contact with Xiao Fan, I believe he wouldn't do such a thing!"

Fan Tong's eyes lit up again as he stared blankly at his classmate, with whom he had previously had some disagreements. He hadn't expected that under the circumstances today, the other party would speak up for him one after another.

Gao Zhao patted Fan Tong's shoulder heavily again and continued, "Little Fan is indeed a bit arrogant and not very close to everyone, but that's just his pride, not his true nature!"

"If I had his talent, I think I would be even more arrogant than him! After all, we've all studied the classics, and even if we differ in our philosophies of life, the most basic principles of being a decent human being are still sound! So, I believe in him!"

Gao Zhao's words were resounding and powerful, each word striking Fan Tong's heart like a heavy hammer, leaving him unable to calm his thoughts for a long time.

He understands me!

At that moment, Fan Tong had only one thought in his mind: to express his gratitude. However, he felt as if there was a lump in his throat, and before he could utter a sound, tears streamed down his face.

[+1 in gratitude from Fan Tong]

Gao Zhao's eyes lit up immediately. It's that simple! I really am a genius!

Seeing Fan Tong sobbing uncontrollably, he quickly comforted him, "Young Fan, a man doesn't easily shed tears, why are you crying!"

Fan Tong, however, paid no attention to anything else and just kept crying!

Gao Zhao then said, "Don't cry. I think something's strange about what happened today. You and that woman clearly didn't have anything going on, so how can they be so sure you had an affair with her?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Tong calmed down and, between sobs, pondered, "You mean someone is spreading rumors about me behind my back?"

"Definitely!" Gao Zhao said thoughtfully, then whispered, "I suspect it was Zhai Changqian!"

Fan Tong and Su Mian were both startled upon hearing this.

Su Mian asked doubtfully, "That can't be, right? The headmaster used Fan Tong to take the blame before, and now he feels guilty and is trying to avoid him like the plague. Why would he harm him?"

Fan Tong nodded thoughtfully, clearly not quite believing that it was the head of the study who did it.

"You're thinking too simply!" Gao Zhao smiled slightly, his words enigmatic. "The headmaster's actions last time were unfortunate for Fan Tong, and he feels guilty towards him. So how do we eliminate this guilt? The most effective way is to prove that Fan Tong is a bad person!"

Su Mian suddenly realized, "I see! As long as he can prove that Fan Tong is a bad person, his guilt will be eliminated. Apologizing to a bad person actually proves that he is a good person!"

"Not bad!" Gao Zhao greatly appreciated the straight man's performance and looked at the two of them, saying, "This is called victim blaming!"

Seeing how profound his words were, and how he even came up with a new term that sounded impressive but incomprehensible, the two nodded repeatedly!

"I'm going to find him and get to the bottom of this!" Fan Tong's pent-up frustration from the day suddenly erupted, and he turned to rush out.

Gao Zhao quickly pulled him back, advising, "What's the point of asking him now? How can he possibly admit it? The right thing to do is to find an opportunity to teach him a lesson!"

Fan Tong's courage, which he had just mustered, dissipated again. He was still in the dormitory and couldn't easily break ties with the headmaster!

Gao Zhao saw through his cowardly thoughts, so he didn't say anything more. He offered a few more words of advice and then went back to his own cubicle, lay on the bed, and opened the control panel.

Name: Gao Zhao

Gratitude Points: 10

Intelligence: 69+/100

Strength: 43+/100

Physical fitness: 52+/100

Agility: 42+/100

Skills: Calligraphy (Beginner), Martial Arts (Introductory Level)

After several days of hard work, I finally accumulated enough points and added them to my constitution without hesitation. My whole body was filled with a warm current, and I could faintly feel my body being strengthened.

Gao Zhao was full of hope for the future!

One day, I, Gao Zhao, will use my strengths to astound the world!

That night, Gao Zhao had a dream in which he was drunk and whipping his famous horse, enjoying poetry and wine while he was young, how wonderful!

Just as he was about to spur his horse into the gallop, Su Mian woke him up again. Looking at the sky, he realized it was time for class roll call!

Happy times always seem so short. I don't know why, but every time we're about to get to the point, we get interrupted. There must be some reason for that!

Today's lecture will cover the Book of Poetry, using "New Interpretations of the Three Classics" as the teaching material.

Gao Zhao was familiar with the Book of Songs and could recite a few lines, such as "A fair maiden is the object of a gentleman's affection."

But it was really hard to listen to. Wang Anshi used the Zhou rites to interpret the Book of Poetry, and the whole book was full of exegesis and textual research, which made Gao Zhao drowsy.

During the break, he ran to the corner again but didn't encounter the old man. Instead, he ran into the student who seemed to be waiting for someone...

Gao Zhao ran away in a hurry!

Three days passed without Gao Zhao encountering the old man, and he couldn't help but worry that the old fellow might be dead!

Wouldn't that mean I'd have no stories to hear? How could I possibly endure such a dull and tedious place like Biyong?

On the fourth day, the old man appeared.

"Today I will talk to you about righteousness and profit!"