Chapter 25: Finding an Opportunity to Exonerate Oneself

"Looking at this problem, you are very smart, Zhou Lanfang, why have you not been able to improve your grades before, and why do you always fail to do your homework?"

Before, Chen Jie hadn't paid too much attention to Shen Mianmian, but today's incident made him see the bright spots in her.

Feeling trusted and affirmed, Shen Mianmian was very grateful. She knew this was an opportunity to clear her name. Her large eyes shone with sincerity, "Teacher, actually, I have always loved studying. It's just that my mom is biased and only cares about Zhou Siyu. She always has me do this and that after school and never gives me time to do homework. That's why I could never submit it on time. Sometimes, she even tears up my notebook."

Anyway, Zhou Lanfang just couldn't stand to see her study; she would always find some fault.

Chen Jie frowned, "Why does your mom act like this?" You pay for your child to go to school but don't let them study well; what kind of twisted psychology is that?

Li Qiumei snorted and interjected, "What kind of mother doesn't love her own daughter and only dotes on her niece instead? If there really is one, there must be some reason behind it." Li Qiumei had heard some things about Shen Mianmian being illegitimate.

Chen Jie didn't want to argue with Li Qiumei any longer and acted as if he hadn't heard.

The identity of an illegitimate daughter naturally couldn't be mentioned. Shen Mianmian blinked and thought of a reasonable explanation, "My mom doesn't want me to go to school, but she can't go against my dad's wishes."

Rolling up her sleeves, the bruises on her wrist became exposed to the air, and she continued, "She also likes to hit children. My arms are all bruised from her beatings. My mom hits me every now and then, and the pain is so severe that I can't focus in class."

"Adults hitting children's hands is mostly because the kids' hands are not clean, perhaps they took something they shouldn't have," Li Qiumei inserted again.

"As a teacher, to make such groundless accusations, do you think that's appropriate?" Chen Jie couldn't help but retort.

Li Qiumei spoke confidently, "Then let her say it herself, why does she only get hit on the wrist?"

Shen Mianmian let out a cold laugh, "Do you want me to strip here and show you the wounds on my body?"

Li Qiumei was left speechless and after a pause changed the subject, "Then you tell me, if you didn't have the energy to listen in class before, why do you suddenly have it now?"

Without waiting for Shen Mianmian to answer, she continued, "Just by sitting with Lu Siyuan you got a few long questions right, now you've also learned to cheat, haven't you?"

"Shen Mianmian didn't cheat, I have already checked," Chen Jie said.

Just as Li Qiumei was about to argue, the bell for class rang. She snorted and left the office with her box of chalk in hand.

Seeing this, Chen Jie said to Shen Mianmian, "You go back to class first. If there are things you don't understand in the future, come and ask me."

"Thank you, teacher."

Shen Mianmian bowed politely and turned to leave.

She and Li Qiumei entered the classroom one after the other, and everyone stared at her with curiosity.

Shen Mianmian ignored their gazes and went back to her seat with confidence. Lu Siyuan gave her a fleeting glance, then looked away with a hint of disdain.

The desk for one had become a desk for two, and he wasn't happy about it.

Throughout the class, Li Qiumei glared at Shen Mianmian no less than ten times and even made a special point to denounce plagiarism without naming names, telling the students not to take certain classmates as role models...

Shen Mianmian knew that probably only Lu Siyuan and Chen Jie believed in her in the whole class, but she didn't care and listened attentively to the lesson, desperately absorbing knowledge.

Time would open these people's eyes.