CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: EVIDENCE

"Y-Yue Ning." Huo Fei whispered, fear flickering in her eyes.

Yes — it was Yue Ning. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she strode forward, every step echoing in the suddenly silent cafeteria.

Before anyone could react, smack!

The sound of the slap reverberated through the room. Gasps followed.

"I dare you to say that again!" Yue Ning’s eyes blazed as she glared down at the girl clutching her cheek in disbelief.

"But I wasn’t the one..." Huo Fei stammered, her voice fading when Yue Ning’s piercing gaze met hers. She stumbled back, trembling.

"So what if you weren’t the one who said it? You instigated it, didn’t you?" Yue Ning’s tone dripped with disdain.

"Who do you think you are, causing a scene here?" the girl from earlier sneered, her voice thick with arrogance.

Yue Ning turned her icy glare on her. "I’m Huo Yan’s Sister-in-law. Do I need another reason to be here?"

Laughter erupted from the group.

"Did you hear that, girls? She’s that slut’s Sister-in-law. No wonder she’s here — birds of a feather, right?"

Yue Ning’s jaw clenched; her hand twitched at her side, ready to strike again.

But then—

"Don’t talk about my Sister-in-law that way!"

The voice from the entrance cut through the air like a blade.

Huo Yan marched forward to the group and once again — before anyone could react, she had slapped the leader of the group.

"I dare you to talk about my Sister-in-law that way again, and I assure you, your cheeks won’t be the only thing being slapped."

"You—" the girl pointed at Huo Yan who stared at her boldly.

Yue Ning’s lips curved upwards. This was the first time she’d seen Huo Yan taking a stand for herself, and it honestly filled her heart with joy.

’Technically, she’s doing it for you.’ The system cut in..

"I don’t care. I just love this side of her I’m seeing." Yue Ning replied mentally, chuckling as well.

’Well, you are here for more pressing matters. You need to clear her name.’

Right — there were more pressing issues.

"Song Yun, what did you find in the video?" Yue Ning asked, folding her arms as she swept her gaze over every single student. She made sure that Huo Yan stayed behind her to avoid being targeted.

"Mrs. Huo, the lady in the video has a heart-shaped birth mark on her neck. But Yanyan doesn’t have any birth marks."

Gasps erupted as the students began to whisper. That was an important detail. They were smart. It didn’t take long for them to piece the puzzles.

Huo Yan looked at Yue Ning who was defending her and a bittersweet taste appeared in her mouth. She had caused so much trouble for Yue Ning ever since they knew each other.

Huo Fei, on the other hand, tightened her grip on her skirt. ’How is that possible?’ She thought to herself, her face pale and a fine sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"That’s right," Song Yun added, taking out his phone and connecting it to the large screen in the cafeteria. "If anyone still doubts it, watch closely."

The video began to play again. It was the same scandalous clip that had shaken the campus. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as the audio filled the air.

"Pause," Song Yun commanded. He zoomed in on the woman’s neck. The faint heart-shaped mark was clear as day.

"You can see it, right?" Yue Ning’s voice was calm but her eyes were filled with inexplicable danger. "That mark doesn’t belong to Huo Yan. However—" she paused, her gaze sweeping over the students before landing on Huo Fei — "someone here does have one exactly like it."

Dozens of eyes turned in Huo Fei’s direction.

Huo Fei froze. Her legs felt like they were made of lead and she was unable to move. "W-what are you talking about? I—I don’t know what you mean."

"Oh? Then you wouldn’t mind showing us your neck, would you?" Yue Ning’s tone was polite, but the glint in her eyes was lethal.

"I don’t have to prove anything!" Huo Fei snapped, taking a step back.

"Then why are you so nervous?" Yue Ning took a deliberate step forward. "We only need to see your neck." The air grew heavy. Everyone could sense that the tables had turned.

Huo Yan’s eyes, once filled with fear, now gleamed with quiet fury. "Huo Fei, just admit it. You wanted to ruin me, but you ruined yourself instead."

"That’s not true!" Huo Fei shouted, her voice cracking. "She’s lying! They’re all lying!"

"Enough!" Yue Ning’s sharp voice silenced her. "Do you really think we wouldn’t check? That we wouldn’t trace the upload back to you?"

Song Yun held up his phone. "The school’s tech team confirmed it. The account that posted the video was linked to your student ID and your device, Huo Fei."

The cafeteria erupted. Shocked whispers spread like wildfire.

Huo Fei’s face went white as paper. Her lips trembled. "No... that’s impossible. It was supposed to be untraceable..." she whispered without realizing it and that was all it took.

"You just admitted it," Yue Ning said quietly.

Cold derisive laughter burst out among the students. Huo Fei’s body swayed as if the ground beneath her had vanished.

Suddenly, two uniformed guards stepped into the cafeteria. One of the professors followed behind them, his face grim.

"Huo Fei," he said sternly, "you’re being taken in for violating the school’s conduct code and spreading explicit falsified content. You’ll await disciplinary hearing."

"No! No, please! You can’t do this to me!" Huo Fei screamed as the guards took her arms. Her eyes darted to her brother, who stood near the doorway, silent and unflinching.

"Huo Mingjie!" she cried, her voice breaking. "You’re my brother! Help me!"

But Huo Mingjie didn’t move. His gaze was cold, almost pitying. "I warned you this morning, didn’t I? I warned you not to do anything stupid, Huo Fei."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled against the guards. "This isn’t fair! I’m a Huo! You can’t treat me like this!"

"Then act like one," Huo Mingjie said quietly.

As she was dragged away, Huo Fei’s shrill cries echoed down the hallway. It was a pitiful reminder of her fall from grace.

Silence filled the cafeteria for a moment before Yue Ning finally turned to Huo Yan. "It’s over," she said softly.

Huo Yan nodded, her eyes glassy with relief. "Thank you, Sister-in-law."

Yue Ning smiled faintly. "You don’t have to thank me. Just remember this, never let anyone define your worth with lies again."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Huo Yan smiled back.

Outside, the sunlight streamed through the glass windows, warm and golden, a quiet sign that the storm had finally passed.