CHAPTER 833: CHAPTER 833: EXPEL

"But you’re not even hurt!" the other girl shouted.

Qiao Li tilted her head. "That’s not my fault. That’s just your skill issue."

The three girls looked like they were about to explode from pure rage.

And Qiao Li?

She picked up her bag, fixed her hair, and said coolly, "Next time you come after me, bring better logic. And maybe better training."

She opened the door and stepped out like a queen exiting a battlefield.

Behind her, the classroom was filled with groans and angry mutters.

But she didn’t care.

She was done being soft.

Lin Meimei stared at Qiao Li’s back with rage in her eyes and gritted her teeths,

"Qiao Li... you b*tch! Just wait! I will make you pay for all of your wrong deeds!"

Without hesitation, she took out her phone and wrote an article against Qiao Li using her second account.

To further back her article she posted the photos of their injuries.

...............................

The next morning, Qiao Li walked into school as usual.

But something was... off.

People were staring at her. Whispering.

Some students pointed at her as she passed by, their eyes wide with shock or judgment.

Qiao Li narrowed her eyes.

This wasn’t new. She had always been the center of gossip, and honestly, she had gotten used to it. People had posted things about her before, trying to drag her down. Most of the time, she ignored it. They came and went.

But this time, it felt different.

As soon as she entered the classroom, Yoyo ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"Don’t worry, Qiao Li," Yoyo whispered. "I’m on your side, no matter what."

Qiao Li raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Yoyo pulled out her phone and showed her a university forum post.

The title said: Qiao Li, the Real Bully? Below it was a dramatic story saying that Qiao Li had dragged three poor, innocent students into a classroom and beat them up for no reason.

There were pictures too—photos of bruises and scratches.

Qiao Li stared at the post. Her face didn’t change much.

"Seriously?" she said quietly.

Yoyo nodded. "It’s blowing up. People are calling you violent. Some even reported you to the Higher Education Committee. There’s going to be an investigation, and the principal wants to talk to you."

Qiao Li sighed. She didn’t feel afraid.

"I acted in self-defense. If they want to investigate, fine. I have nothing to hide."

But what she didn’t expect was what happened next.

Later that afternoon, she was called to the Higher Education Department. When she arrived, the principal was already there, along with ten other serious-looking staff members sitting in a row like judges.

Qiao Li sat down calmly.

One of the board members, an older man with glasses, looked at her with a disapproving frown.

"Miss Qiao Li," he began, "you have done something very disgraceful. Bullying students, especially a scholarship student, is an unforgivable act. We are prepared to expel you and report this to the media."

Another woman beside him added, "We have contacted a few news reporters already. This type of behavior cannot go unpunished. We will make sure the public knows what you’ve done."

Qiao Li’s eyes narrowed.

"Wait. You already made a decision? There was no investigation?"

The principal nodded. "We did investigate. We found records of you arguing with other students. There are signs that you’ve had a bad attitude for a while now."

Qiao Li crossed her arms.

"And who exactly are these ’victims’ you’re talking about?"

Another man said quickly, "We can’t tell you that. We are protecting the victims’ identities. You have too much influence. We don’t know what you might do."

Qiao Li gave a cold smile.

"Sounds fake. If I had that much power, would I even be sitting here?"

She was about to stand up when suddenly—the door opened.

Everyone turned.

It was Professor Ou Lin.

He walked inside with calm steps, his expression cool and serious.

The board members froze.

One of them gasped, "P-Professor Ou!"

Another immediately smiled. "Oh! What a surprise! We were just, uh, reviewing a complicated matter. Very difficult. Very gray area."

"Yes, yes," another said quickly. "We didn’t reach any decision yet. We were just... discussing options."

Ou Lin gave them a calm look.

"I heard you were planning to expel Qiao Li."

Silence.

He took one step forward.

"I’m asking if you’d like to reconsider that decision."

One of the women stuttered, "W-well, it’s just that... The evidence was very concerning... We have responsibilities to protect students..."

Another man said quickly, "We really didn’t mean to act too fast. It’s just that... someone hired us. I mean, not hired exactly, more like... pressured."

"Pressured?" Ou Lin asked. His voice was still calm, but his eyes were sharp.

The board members swallowed.

"Yes, someone from higher up gave us the task to... deal with this case firmly. We were told to make sure Qiao Li was punished," one of them said.

Ou Lin nodded slowly.

"Alright. Then here’s a new task," he said. "Expel the person who gave you that order. Find out who it was, and remove them from the board."

The room went quiet.

The board members exchanged panicked glances.

"Professor Ou, that may be too drastic. We don’t want to cause a mess..."

Ou Lin’s voice turned colder. "If you want to stay on this board, you will do as I say. Or I will have all of you replaced."

Another man, sweating now, stammered, "You’d do that?"

"Try me," Ou Lin said.

The principal looked pale. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes. We will reopen the investigation. No decision has been made yet. Everything is still under review."

Ou Lin looked around. "And?"

One by one, the board members began to change their tune.

"Qiao Li, we apologize for the confusion," one woman said.

"There was a misunderstanding," another added.

"Yes, yes! Don’t worry. We will clear everything up," a third one said with a shaky smile.

"You’re a wonderful student, Miss Qiao Li. We admire your strength," someone else said.

Qiao Li blinked. She looked at Ou Lin.

He just gave her a small, quiet smile.

After all the chaos, it was the first time she felt someone truly had her back.

She gave a small bow to the board and turned to leave the room.

But just as she reached the door, a familiar voice called out.

"Qiao Li, wait. I want to talk to you."

It was Ou Lin.

She stopped and looked back, her expression unreadable. "I’m not interested," she said flatly.

Ou Lin smiled lightly, brushing the red slap mark still lingering on his cheek. "It’s important. Just give me a few minutes."

Qiao Li let out a tired sigh. "Fine. But if you say anything stupid, I’m leaving."

They walked down the hallway together in silence and entered an empty classroom. The door clicked shut behind them.

Inside, the light from the windows made the dust in the air sparkle. The room was quiet except for the soft creaking of a fan above.

Ou Lin leaned against a desk and chuckled. "You’re really brave, you know. Weren’t you scared I’d try something? We’re alone here."

Qiao Li rolled her eyes. "You’ve been a monk for twenty years. I’m more likely to get bitten by a mosquito than touched by you."

A glint flashed in Ou Lin’s eyes. He stepped closer.

Qiao Li didn’t move.

Closer.

Still, she didn’t move. But her eyes narrowed.

And then—just like that—Ou Lin grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. Before she could even react, he tilted his head and moved his lips toward hers.

For a moment, she stood frozen.

Then their lips met.

Qiao Li’s eyes widened. Her brain stopped working for a second. Her heart thumped loudly, like a bass drum. Her arms twitched, unsure whether to push or pull.

Then reality slapped her awake.

Literally.

She yanked herself free and slapped him hard across the face.

The sound echoed in the room.

Ou Lin didn’t flinch. He calmly adjusted his glasses, his face still serious despite the clear red mark now blooming across his cheek.

Qiao Li opened her mouth, then closed it. She crossed her arms tightly, feeling her face warm.

She had definitely enjoyed it.

That was the problem.

"You should act like you’ve been expelled," Ou Lin said suddenly, as if nothing had happened.

Qiao Li blinked. "Excuse me? After that, this is what you say?"

He smiled lightly.

"If you pretend you’re out of school, the person behind all this will drop their guard and come out. Right now, they think they won."

She stared at him. "It was Lin Meimei. We both know it."

Ou Lin shook his head.

"She posted the article, yes. But she doesn’t have the power to get ten board members to go after you. That’s someone else. Someone much stronger."

Qiao Li’s expression darkened. She had a feeling he was right. No matter how petty Lin Meimei was, she was just a student.