Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

"How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan... You simply don't understand, that was a sacrifice I made for art..."

Looking at his group of friends laughing maniacally, Lu Yi said angrily.

He took out a piece of paper and pulled out a pen.

Since Director Yan insisted on a 1,000-word self-criticism, he would use this pen to denounce the injustice of this world.

"Shuashuashua——"

Lu Yi wrote furiously, his thoughts flowing freely.

Shen Hao, who was grinning broadly beside him, inadvertently caught a glimpse of Lu Yi's letter at the top of his head.

Upon seeing this, Shen Hao's smile instantly froze.

The first line of the letter read:

[To the respected Director Yan: The root cause of this cafeteria riot lies in Shen Hao's crude and deafeningly loud voice...]

"Holy crap?!"

Shen Hao's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He grabbed Lu Yi's sleeve and started cursing:

"Lu Yi, you motherfucker...! If you're going to write a self-criticism, fine, but the very first sentence is a direct accusation against me! Are we even brothers anymore?"

Lu didn't even look up, shaking off Shen Hao's hand, her tone gloomy:

"In the pursuit of truth, sacrifice is an inevitable part of the historical process; if you don't go to hell, who will?"

"You're talking nonsense! Cross it out right now!" Shen Hao said anxiously, trying to snatch the pen from him.

The front row was once again engulfed in a chaotic argument at an elementary school level.

……

at the same time.

In the senior high school teachers' office.

Old Li was sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the thick lesson plan.

His prized stainless steel thermos was lying to the side, the goji berry water inside had gone completely cold.

His mind was now filled with the image of the two plainclothes policemen taking Xie Wang away that morning.

"Suspected of stealing billions of dollars worth of trade secrets... What on earth does this all mean?!"

Old Li scratched his already thinning hair in frustration, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly.

That was his top science genius who scored a perfect score! He was his precious darling, the one he had pinned his hopes on for getting into Tsinghua or Peking University!

How did this kid suddenly get involved in such a sci-fi-like crime? What trouble did he get into outside?

Just when Old Li was so worried he was about to become a monk on the spot.

"Bang!"

The office door was suddenly pushed open.

Director Yan strode in with a dark expression.

"Director Yan?" Old Li quickly stood up, his heart skipping a beat.

Could it be that the police have issued a statement? Xie Wangzhen has been convicted?!

"Old Li! Look at the excellent students you've mentored!"

Director Yan walked up to Old Li's desk, slamming his hand on it in anger, his fingers trembling.

"This is utterly lawless! What kind of behavior is this! Xie Wang and Su Qinghe from your class are leading the way in mixing boys and girls in the cafeteria! They're leading the way in dating! They even brought their phones to school and openly video chatted!"

"Six people in total! I caught them red-handed, and they still dared to run away together!"

Old Li: "...Huh?"

Old Li was stunned; even a math teacher's brain couldn't process this information.

Dating? Playing on your phone? Skipping the cafeteria?

"No, Director Yan, wait a minute..." Old Li swallowed hard, interrupting him with a bewildered look, "You said you saw Xie Wang and Su Qinghe somewhere?"

"The cafeteria! The table by the window on the second floor! Six people carrying plates ran faster than rabbits!" Director Yan said angrily.

"They're back?!"

Old Li's eyes widened instantly, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Nonsense! Otherwise, what would I be seeing?!" Director Yan roared in exasperation.

"Old Li, I'm telling you, you have to give me an explanation for what happened today. Those little brats..."

"Whoosh—!"

Before Director Yan could finish speaking, Old Li was launched from behind his desk.

Only Director Yan was left standing there, his hands outstretched, completely bewildered in the winter breeze.

"Wait... Old Li, why are you running away? I haven't finished speaking yet!!"

……

[Classroom of Senior Three (1)]

On the throne in the corner.

Xie Wangzheng hid half of his body under the table and secretly took out his phone again.

He quickly placed an order for thirty cups of tea at BaWangChaJi near the Municipal Bureau on the food delivery app.

The recipient was Officer Wang Nan from the Criminal Investigation Team of Jiangcheng Branch.

The note reads:

Happy winter to all my friends who uphold justice! You've worked hard.

Hidden strength and name.

Xie Wang looked at the order display "Seller has accepted the order" with satisfaction, and was just about to put his phone back into his school uniform pocket.

"Bang!"

The classroom front door was suddenly kicked open.

Old Li rushed in, his gaze sweeping directly towards the last row of the classroom.

When he truly saw Xie Wang and Su Qinghe sitting there unharmed.

Old Li's eyes welled up with tears, and he let out a long breath, feeling the heart that had been hanging in his throat fall back into his stomach with a "thud".

He strode over.

Xie Wang was still clutching his phone and hadn't had time to hide it properly when he saw Lao Li approaching menacingly, and he thought to himself, "Oh no."

Oh no, I got caught with my phone by the homeroom teacher. Now I have to write a 2,000-word self-criticism.

However, when Lao Li walked to his desk, he didn't even glance at the phone.

"Xie Wang! Qinghe!" Old Li, panting heavily, leaned on their desks, looking at them anxiously.

"You two are finally back! What happened? Did the police give you a hard time this morning? That multi-billion dollar case..."

Xie Wang was stunned for a moment.

He felt a warmth in his heart when he saw the beads of sweat on Old Li's forehead and the pure concern in his eyes.

He casually slipped his phone into his pocket and smiled reassuringly:

"It's alright, Lao Li. It was just a misunderstanding. The police have verified that the evidence was fabricated and they've already arrested the mastermind. We're all safe and sound."

Su Qinghe nodded and softly echoed, "Yes, teacher, I'm sorry to have worried you."

"It's alright...it's alright!"

Old Li patted his chest, feeling relieved.

His heart rate had been like a rollercoaster all day, but seeing his two precious children sitting here safe and sound made him happier than if he had received a year-end bonus.

But this feeling of being moved only lasted for thirty seconds.

Once the students' personal safety was confirmed, the homeroom teacher's own set of rules immediately regained control.

Old Li straightened up, and the worry on his face disappeared.

He cleared his throat:

"It's good that you're back safe and sound. But—"

Old Li drew out his words, his pointer clapping loudly on Xie Wang's desk:

"Do you know that the city-wide final exams are only a few days away?! This is the most important diagnostic test for us in the second semester of our senior year!"

The entire class held their breath instantly, not daring to make a sound.

"I just heard Director Yan say that some people were having a lot of fun playing cat and mouse in the cafeteria at lunchtime?"

Old Li sneered:

"Leading the way in using your phone? Sitting in the same seats as everyone else? And wanting to race the head of student affairs in a 100-meter dash?"

"Which ones were caught red-handed by Director Yan this afternoon?"

The voice just fell.

Xie Wang, Su Qinghe, Shen Hao, Xu You, Lin Lu, and Lu Yi all lowered their heads in tacit agreement.

It wasn't us, it wasn't us.

Their movements were so practiced it was heartbreaking.

However, embarrassingly...

All the other students in the class turned around in unison, and dozens of pairs of eyes looked at them.

Xie Wang lowered his head, roaring wildly in his heart:

Hey! What are you all looking at?! Stop staring! Look down at yourselves! We're all in the same class, what happened to our friendship?!

Su Qinghe had never been criticized to her face before, and her face immediately turned red.

Old Li snorted coldly and strode into the corner.

"Thump!"

A solid flick to the forehead landed precisely on Shen Hao's forehead.

"Ouch!" Shen Hao cried out in pain, clutching his head.

"Thump!"

The second flick on the forehead made a crisp sound.

Lu Yi closed his eyes in anguish: "This is the fate of those who are martyrs for truth..."

Old Li walked up to Xie Wang, looking at this troublemaker whom he both loved and hated.

Xie Wang resignedly closed his eyes, bracing himself for a sharp rap on the head.

"Thump."

The sound was much softer than the previous two.

After Old Li finished tapping, he glared at him irritably:

"Your phone is confiscated! Come to my office after school this afternoon to get it! If there's a next time, I'll smash it in front of Director Yan!"

When they walked up to Su Qinghe, Lin Lu and Xu You.

Old Li raised his hand, looked at the three obedient girls with their heads down, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.

He simply tapped their desks lightly twice with his pointer.

"Girls too! Don't go fooling around with those boys! If you drop in grades on the final exams, you'll get double the homework over winter break!"

"Alright! Everyone, take out your papers! Let's start studying!"

Old Li walked back to the podium with his hands behind his back.

Xie Wang rubbed his forehead, turned his head to look at Su Qinghe, and muttered in a low voice:

"Teacher Su, Old Li's double standards are too severe."

Su Qinghe blushed, turned her head to look at him, and snorted.

He raised his hand and flicked Xie Wang's forehead again.

"It's all because of you, Xie! Classmate!"

"Oh dear, Ms. Su, you're hitting me too!"