Chapter 4

I stood once again in the Dean of Students' office.

This time, Garrett stood beside me, along with Valerie, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

Valerie's eyes were red. The moment she saw the grease on Garrett's face, tears fell.

"Garrett, are you okay? Does it hurt?" She pulled out tissues, carefully wiping his face. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been... by this kind of person..."

She choked up and couldn't continue, looking heartbroken and guilty.

Garrett immediately comforted her:

"It's not your fault, Valerie. I'm useless—I couldn't properly teach this bastard a lesson for you."

The two of them acted out a drama of deep affection as if no one else was there.

The Dean coughed heavily.

"Garrett, although the other party struck first, fighting is still wrong. Go back and write a five-hundred-word self-criticism."

He glossed over it lightly.

Then he turned to me, his expression instantly becoming extremely stern.

"Rubio! You! Repeatedly refusing to reform! Extremely bad in nature! Must be dealt with severely!"

I looked at him, my voice somewhat muffled due to my cut lip:

"He surrounded and blocked me first with his people, and threatened me."

"I threatened you?" Garrett jumped up immediately. "Bullshit! I just wanted to 'communicate' with you, to get you to apologize to Valerie. You're the one who went crazy and dumped food on my head! Everyone saw it!"

"Right, Dean." Valerie spoke softly and weakly. "I heard that Rubio seems to have a big problem with me. Garrett just wanted to help resolve the conflict. He didn't expect Rubio to react so violently... Did I do something wrong to make him misunderstand?"

She looked at me, her eyes full of "sincere" confusion and grievance.

With one sentence, she pushed all the blame onto me.

I was making a big deal out of nothing, I overreacted, I was unreasonable.

The Dean clearly bought it. Looking at Valerie, his tone softened considerably.

"Valerie, don't overthink it. This has nothing to do with you. It's our school's management that has problems, admitting students with such poor character."

He looked at me again.

"The school has decided that given your short time here but already causing two serious incidents, creating an extremely bad impact on the school's reputation, we'll give you one chance. Apply for voluntary withdrawal yourself. Otherwise, you'll receive a major demerit, school-wide public criticism, and expulsion."

Expulsion.

Those four words fell like four mountains pressing down.

My dad had spent half his life's savings and pulled countless strings to transfer me here from a rural high school, all so I could have a better future.

If I got expelled, everything would be ruined.

Garrett and Valerie exchanged glances, both seeing triumph in each other's eyes.

This was the result they wanted.

To completely remove me from this school.

"Well? Have you decided?" The Dean urged impatiently.

I remained silent, saying nothing.

My silence appeared to them as despair and submission.

Valerie even "kindly" advised me:

"Rubio, the Dean is doing this for your own good. Voluntary withdrawal looks better on your record. You'll still have opportunities in the future."

I finally raised my head, my gaze sweeping over the three of them.

The Dean's bureaucracy and snobbery, Garrett's arrogance and stupidity, Valerie's malice and hypocrisy.

Looking at them, I suddenly smiled.

"Dean, before making a decision, I think you should probably watch a video first."

"What video? Stop being mysterious here!" Garrett shouted.

I ignored him, pulling out an ordinary-looking black smartphone from my pocket.

This phone—from the start of school until now—I had never used in front of anyone.

Everyone thought I only had that Nokia.

I unlocked the screen and opened a video file.

"Dean, did you know? In public places like cafeterias, although some surveillance cameras are just for show, there are always some corners where the signal is public."

I turned the phone screen toward him, my voice not loud but clearly reaching every corner of the office.

"I don't have many hobbies, but I like writing little programs. For instance, occasionally backing up certain public video streams under public WiFi. Very unluckily, this afternoon at lunch, I backed up a segment."