Chapter 41 Tainted Reputation

Qu Wanqing stared at the heavily altered and unrecognizable thesis, so furious she felt like performing a chest-boulder-breaking stunt right on the spot.

This was no academic discussion; it was a public execution!

She could practically picture the mastermind lurking in the shadows, letting out a villainous, triumphant cackle.

"Want to mess with me? You didn't even check who your grandma is!" Though a raging fire of revenge burned within her, on the surface, Qu Wanqing maintained an elegant smile. After all, a qualified villain never easily exposes their emotions.

"This move is truly something else, practically twisting the knife in my heart," Qu Wanqing complained wildly in her mind, while outwardly merely furrowing her brow slightly into an expression of "I am deeply hurt, but I shall endure."

She knew better than anyone that this was not merely an issue of a single thesis; someone wanted to permanently nail her to the pillar of shame and leave her with no footing whatsoever in the academy.

What worried her even more was that this matter would implicate Jiang Yu.

She could vividly imagine Jiang Yu being accused by the crowd, his clear eyes clouded with a layer of shadow...

No!

She absolutely could not let such a thing happen!

"Calm down! I must stay calm!" Qu Wanqing took a deep breath, fighting hard to suppress the churning emotions inside her.

Now was certainly not the time for sentimentality; the top priority was to unearth the mastermind and catch them off guard!

However, where was the evidence?

Where were the clues?

Everything seemed shrouded in a thick fog, making it impossible to see the direction.

Just at that moment, a figure quietly approached her.

"Madam..." the maid's voice carried a trace of trembling, "I... I think I know something..." After stammering for a long time, the maid haltingly revealed that she had once seen Student Lin skulking around the female protagonist's study.

"Student Lin?" Qu Wanqing raised an eyebrow. This kid usually loved tagging along behind her, chattering away and blowing flattery horns to the heavens. She had simply thought the boy was a pure fanboy, never expecting him to be an "undercover agent."

"Madam, this servant feels there is definitely something fishy about this!" The maid clenched her small fist determinedly, "Student Lin even secretly asked this servant before where Madam keeps her thesis..."

"Well, well, straight up stealing from home, are we? This kid has got some moves." Qu Wanqing sneered internally, though outwardly she remained calm, comforting the maid with a few words and telling her to continue keeping an eye on Student Lin's movements.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu had also obtained some intelligence from Zhao Shutong.

Though Zhao Shutong had left the academy, he still maintained contact with his former classmates, and he could learn of any ripples within the academy at the very first moment.

"Student Lin has been getting very close to Instructor Zhang recently..." Jiang Yu mused for a moment. "It seems this is a premeditated operation."

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of theoriole behind? Tsk tsk, this play is getting more and more fascinating." A flash of cunning light crossed Qu Wanqing's eyes.

Instead of choosing to expose Student Lin directly, she and Jiang Yu discussed a "trap the beast in the enclosure" plan.

They deliberately leaked some false information to make Student Lin mistakenly believe they had grasped concrete evidence.

Student Lin took the bait just as expected.

He began to grow restless and anxious, spinning around like an ant on a hot pan.

At an academy gathering, Student Lin finally slipped up.

Everyone was discussing academic matters at the time, and to show off, Student Lin prattled on endlessly, expounding his grand opinions.

Perhaps due to being overly nervous, he accidentally let slip a crucial detail regarding the tampering of the thesis!

"Wait, what did you say?" Scholar Wu keenly captured the loophole in Student Lin's words, staring at him with a torch-like gaze.

Student Lin's face turned deathly pale in an instant, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

The surrounding students also reacted one after another, finally realizing that Student Lin, who had all along pretended to be innocent, was the true mastermind!

"Student Lin, you... you actually did such a thing!" "So despicable! And to think I always treated you as a friend!" Accusations rose one after another, and Student Lin was spurned by everyone like a street rat.

Qu Wanqing and Jiang Yu exchanged glances; everything went without saying.

Jiang Yu gently took Qu Wanqing's hand and said softly, "It's over now." Qu Wanqing squeezed his hand back, her cheeks flushing slightly.

The surrounding air was filled with a subtle, ambiguous atmosphere. The students tactfully averted their gazes, leaving the two of them to quietly enjoy this fleeting moment of tranquility.

Young Master Chen stood outside the crowd, watching this scene with a gloomy look in his eyes... He clenched his fists tightly.

Young Master Chen looked at Student Lin's pathetic state and cursed "useless trash" inwardly.

He had originally intended to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, waiting for the two of them to beat each other to a pulp before coming out to clean up the mess. He never expected Student Lin to be so utterly incompetent, getting resolved by Jiang Yu in just a few moves.

"Brother Jiang," Young Master Chen said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Your evidence seems rather thin. To conclude that Student Lin is the mastermind based merely on unilateral words is far too rash, wouldn't you say?" He simply refused to believe Jiang Yu could actually produce any solid, smoking-gun evidence.

Jiang Yu's expression remained unchanged, even carrying a trace of faint mockery: "Does Young Master Chen find it thin? Then perhaps you'd like to take a look at this." He drew a letter from his sleeve, the envelope clearly bearing the name of Instructor Zhang.

"This letter was written by Instructor Zhang to Student Lin. It details their plan on how they tampered with Wanqing's thesis, and even records the details with crystal clarity, including how they utilized Student Lin's 'fanboy' identity to approach Wanqing, gain her trust, and so on." With every sentence Jiang Yu spoke, Young Master Chen's face grew a shade uglier.

Young Master Chen felt as though his face was being slapped repeatedly. This Jiang Yu really did have a trick up his sleeve!

He had originally hoped to use this opportunity to step on Jiang Yu, only to be counter-attacked instead.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he could say nothing at all.

In the end, he could only slink back to his seat, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Scholar Wu stroked his beard, a flash of appreciation in his eyes.

He had long since perceived that Qu Wanqing was no ordinary individual, and this incident had only served to demonstrate her wisdom and courage to him.

"Everyone," Scholar Wu's voice was resonant and powerful, "I believe in Qu Wanqing's character and scholarship. This incident is clearly a deliberate frame-up by someone! I hope you will not be blinded by rumors and will trust the truth!"

Scholar Wu held a position of high respect and moral authority in the academy, and his words undoubtedly served as a shot of adrenaline for Qu Wanqing.

The surrounding students also expressed their support for Qu Wanqing one after another, and the previous voices of doubt vanished instantly without a trace.

Qu Wanqing bowed gratefully to Scholar Wu, and the heavy stone in her heart finally fell to the ground.

However, just when she thought the matter was over, she suddenly felt a palpitation in her heart, as if some terrible event was about to occur...

Deep in the quiet of night, a shadowy figure slipped stealthily into the academy's library collection pavilion...

"Everything is ready, waiting only for the good show to begin," the shadow muttered in a low voice, its tone brimming with chilling malice.