Chapter 171: Punishment
Ning Li thought for a moment, before speaking seriously, “Mr. Sun, I believe I was being 110% sincere as I was making my clarification.”
She had stated everything clearly. She had apologized, admitted her mistake, and clarified all the details in front of the whole student body. That should have satisfied everyone.
Sun Quan sighed deeply with his eyes closed.
Geng Haifan hurriedly stepped in to ease the conversation.
“Mr. Sun, I don’t think Ning Li is to blame for this. She was… just fighting back. It was self-defense, right?”
“Ning Li, if someone was bullying you and you had evidence, you should have just come to us. The school would have definitely stood by your side. Now, with your little…”
Aside from Xue Xuan, the school would certainly expel Sun Huihui.
Ning Li raised a brow.
This was what she wanted.
Sun Huihui had repeatedly tested her patience, so all she wanted to do was remove the challenger.
“I am willing to bear all the consequences. Be it expulsion or some other punishment, I will accept it wholeheartedly.”
At that moment, Zhou Fei entered the office and frowned at what he had heard.
“Expelled? Who’s going to expel Ning Li? I’ll be the first one to say no!”
Zhou Fei had stayed up late yesterday to play games, so he had woken up late this morning.
He had missed the circulation of the video on the internet as well as the live clarification during the a.s.sembly.
He had only heard about what had happened when he had arrived at the school and had rushed to the office immediately.
He had come to the office to find out more details but had overheard someone talking about expelling Ning Li.
It must not happen!
Zhou Fei glared at Sun Quan.
“Mr. Sun, if I may? I think Sun Huihui should apologize to Ning Li. She was the one being bullied, so why was she the one who had to stand up in front of everyone to apologize?”
Sun Quan gave a wry look. He had not even given his verdict, yet Ning Li had already blurted it all out.
“When did I say that I was going to expel Ning Li?!”
This whole matter was serious, but at the end of the day, it was Sun Huihui who had started all this.
Even if they had to punish Ning Li, it would not be expulsion. Moreover, the school did not want to lose its best student.
“However, Ning Li did do something wrong too! What was she trying to achieve with that fiasco on stage? Turn the entire school upside-down?!”
Zhou Fei breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. The serious look on his face was replaced by a more light-hearted expression.
“Oh, are you talking about that? Ah, I know Ning Li is a little impulsive, so… why don’t we ask her to write a self-review report to clarify her own mistake?”
Sun Quan’s heart raced when he heard the word ‘clarify’.
He turned to Zhou Fei with a wry look. He had to calm down and fight his urge to scold Zhou Fei.
It was precisely because the school had allowed Ning Li to give her clarification in the first place that the fiasco on stage had happened.
They would never dare to ask Ning Li to do anything related to any kind of clarification in future.
…
Back in third-year first cla.s.s, the students were restless.
“Finally, I’ve witnessed something monumental with my own eyes! I didn’t know you could make a clarification in that way!”
“I knew the video in the morning looked weird. Who would have thought that it was a part 2 and that there was a part 1 looming in the dark? What’s wrong with Sun Huihui? Why would she do that to Ning Li? There was no point in that. Look what she has gotten herself into now?” Cheng Xiangxiang sneered.
“Ning Li had all the evidence, but she did not give them to the school. Instead, she chose to reveal it in front of everyone. It’s obvious that she was trying to get back at Sun Huihui. I have to say, Ning Li really knows how to scheme deeply.”
He Xiaochen grinned.
“Cheng Xiangxiang. Since you put it that way, are you implying that Ning Li forced Sun Huihui to attack and then arranged for someone from the outside to threaten her herself? Is that it?”
Cheng Xiangxiang was silenced.
He Xiaochen looked on contemptuously.
“If Sun Huihui was guilty, people would have found out soon enough. Ning Li only revealed the truth to us in its original form without any alteration. Why is that wrong?”
He Xiaochen suddenly thought of something.
“Oh, by the way, Ye Ci, didn’t Sun Huihui distract you so that you would leave Ning Li alone? I suppose she had done it to allow those friends of hers to gang up on Ning Li?”
Her words silenced the entire cla.s.s.
Usually, Ning Li and Ye Ci went home together. If Ye Ci had been with Ning Li that day, those people might not have caught Ning Li alone.
“He Xiaochen, what is the meaning of that? Sun Huihui had wanted to borrow Lil CI’s notes to be photocopied and Lil Ci was just kind enough to help her! As for Ning Li, what happened to her has nothing to do with Lil Ci!” Cheng Xiangxiang raised her voice.
He Xiaochen shrugged.
“That’s what I am asking. I didn’t mean anything else. What did you mean?”
Cheng Xiangxiang struggled to control her breathing.
Ye Ci tugged on Cheng Xiangxiang’s sleeve.
“Xiangxiang, stop it. It’s over now. It was a dangerous situation, but Sister Ning Li is okay. If something had happened to her, I…”
“She’s strong. What could possibly have happened to her?” Cheng Xiangxiang scoffed.
Thinking of the earlier video, she felt rather apprehensive.
She had also had a conflict with Ning Li before and had lost miserably in the horse race.
Back then, she had only felt Ning Li’s arrogance, but it was different now.
In the video, Ning Li had been like the grim reaper counting down someone’s death as she casually sat down. It was scary.
“Speaking of which, is it me or is Ning Li pretty… cool today?”
Lin Zhouyang subtly raised his hand, as he admired Ning Li’s actions on stage earlier.
“I’ve made a lot of clarifications and written a ton of self-review reports, but I was nothing like her. I’m too useless! Ning Li is really the BEST!”
Looking impressed, he gave Ning Li a big thumbs up.
Ning Li had somehow become Lin Zhouyang’s idol and role model.
There were other audacious students who would defy their school, but it rarely happened in Second High.
Ning Li’s situation was a little unusual as well. To be frank, all she had done was to clarify her actions.
Lin Zhouyang wished he could be as bold as that the next time he made a clarification, with the capability of leaving everyone speechless.
Ren Qian tapped his shoulder and said heavily, “Don’t stop there.”
He was amazed by Lin Zhouyang’s thoughts.
Lin Zhouyang chuckled. “What do you think the school will do to Ning Li?”
“Only G.o.d knows.”
It was then that Ning Li came back to the cla.s.sroom.
Her arrival silenced everyone.
Ning Li calmly returned to her seat. She took out a piece of paper and looked at Lin Zhouyang.
“3,000 words?”
Lin Zhouyang knew what it meant.
“My idol! Do you have to write another self-review report?”
Ning Li nodded. “One English test paper.”
Lin Zhouyang looked conflicted. “How about two?”
Ning Li nodded. “Deal.”
Lin Zhouyang tapped on the table. “Deal!”
He took Ning Li’s paper and added, “Actually, I only accept orders with three or more papers but since you are my idol, you are a regular—”
Ning Li then gave him another piece of paper.
“This self-review report has to be pasted on the notice board later. Try your best to make it look similar.”
Ning Li had never written that many words before, except for the essays in literature papers.
Lin Zhouyang was confused.
Ning Li had decided to give the boy a little bonus. “Three papers.”
Lin Zhouyang clenched his teeth before he clicked on his pen. “Deal!”
The others were stunned.
Ning Li’s punishment was a 3,000-word self-review report?”
More importantly, she had brazenly asked Lin Zhouyang to do it for her!
Then, Sun Huihui returned to the cla.s.s.
Her head was lowered but it was obvious that she had cried her eyes out.
She returned to her seat without a word and started packing her things. She did not even dare to glance at Ning Li.