Chapter 159.1: Reconciliation? Not a Chance
When he thought about it, Shen Xiu’s brows furrowed slightly.
If the counselor really said what he suspected—that he should reconcile with Ling Yuanzhen—what would he say in response?
Just imagining that situation made Shen Xiu stop in his tracks. He wasn’t very good at turning people down. But he only paused for less than three seconds before continuing to walk forward.
After all… even though he wasn’t good at refusing others, the thought of calling the counselor to say he didn’t want to return to school made him feel fearful and resistant.
With unease in his heart, Shen Xiu walked toward the dormitory he hadn’t visited in a long time.
Seeing the familiar dorm entrance just ahead, Shen Xiu reached up and lightly tugged at the black mask on his face, feeling a bit suffocated.
He had walked back and forth to this dorm building countless times, but this was the first time Shen Xiu felt that simply approaching it was such a difficult decision.
Unable to make up his mind, Shen Xiu subconsciously slowed his steps to delay meeting the counselor.
People were constantly coming and going from the two dorm buildings facing each other. When they saw the tall figure and cold aura—even with a mask—they knew it was Shen Xiu.
Only after they were sure they were out of Shen Xiu’s earshot did they begin whispering in shock to the people around them.
“Shen Xiu?!”
“Did you see the PPT he posted? That was insane, damn. And Ling Yuanzhen, of all people to be jealous of, he picked Shen Xiu? Shen Xiu’s cool and proud, doesn’t care about anyone—now look how badly it’s backfired.”
“I just saw in the group chat that our department head, the vice dean, and a few other school leaders are all here. Tsk, tsk, Ling Yuanzhen is really in trouble now.”
“Why haven’t we seen Ling Yuanzhen?”
“His roommates said he’s still sleeping…”
“…Wow. Ling Yuanzhen’s got guts the size of the galaxy. Damn it, why couldn’t I have been in his dorm? Then I could’ve watched the drama unfold in person.”
“Do you think Shen Xiu came to the dorm all fired up to beat Ling Yuanzhen up?”
“What are you talking about? Shen Xiu wouldn’t bother to get his hands dirty. Besides, with the school leadership here, he definitely wouldn’t stoop to something that would tarnish his image.”
…
Although Shen Xiu deliberately slowed his pace, he couldn’t hear what the others were saying. But he could definitely see the way they kept sneaking glances at him as they passed by.
Shen Xiu: “…”
Well, he was already here. He might as well go up. Otherwise… walking this slowly like a turtle would only make everyone think he was acting weird.
With that thought, Shen Xiu resigned himself to his fate and started walking toward the dorm entrance not far ahead.
—
As an entertainer, most netizens knew that Shen Xiu lived at Yulin Banxia, and the counselor certainly knew as well.
So after ending his phone call with Shen Xiu in the office, and estimating that Shen Xiu would arrive at the dorm building he used to live in within fifteen minutes, the counselor—knowing the school leadership also planned to speak with the dorm supervisor—went ahead and brought them along.
Just a few steps past the main gate was the dorm supervisor’s office and rest area. Right now, the small room behind the dorm supervisor’s window was packed—not just with the supervisor and the counselor, but with school administrators as well.
The counselor had stepped out for some air, and as soon as he looked toward the gate, he spotted Shen Xiu outside.
Instantly excited, he raised his hand and waved, calling out, “Shen Xiu! Over here!”
Shen Xiu: “…”
Crap. He hadn’t even had time to gather his thoughts, and now he’d been spotted. There was no way out of it now.
“…Alright.” Shen Xiu responded stiffly, and under the counselor’s waving, forced himself to walk over.
At Jinghe University, counselors weren’t lecturers—they were usually either postgraduate students from Jinghe who stayed on temporarily as counselors, or graduate students from other schools. Still, out of courtesy, students would address them as “Teacher.”
As Shen Xiu reached the dorm entrance, just three steps away from the counselor, he opened his mouth to speak:
“Teacher, I…”
Before he could finish, the dorm supervisor’s door opened, and a familiar voice rang out from inside.
“Shen Xiu.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Xiu instinctively fell silent and turned his head. “Teacher Jiang…”
Standing there was Jiang Jinya, dressed in a qipao, exuding an air of scholarly elegance. Behind her stood four other school leaders—deans and vice-deans.
Shen Xiu was completely stunned.
“!”
Help. Someone please tell him—what the hell was this situation?!
As a student Jinghe University had high hopes for, a future star graduate, and a famously overachieving academic legend, Shen Xiu had already met all these university leaders before—thanks to Professor Jiang’s intentional introductions—and even had their contact info. He could match each face to a name in his head.
The moment he saw this group, Shen Xiu’s brain crashed on the spot.
The counselor hadn’t mentioned on the phone that this many school leaders would be here! And even his mentor, Teacher Jiang, was present!
Though Shen Xiu was still dazed, his hands acted out of habit—quickly removing the black mask from his face, while his voice, trained by years of discipline, instinctively came out to greet them:
“Dean Zhou, Dean Huang…”
While numbly and stiffly greeting them one by one, Shen Xiu’s mind was spinning in panic, frantically trying to review everything he had done recently that might have prompted a full delegation of school leaders to come looking for him.
The school leaders, for their part, watched as Shen Xiu calmly removed his mask upon seeing them, and greeted them all in an orderly and composed tone.
They had originally chosen not to let the counselor tell Shen Xiu that they would also be present for this meeting—but judging by Shen Xiu’s current reaction, whether he had been told or not didn’t seem to make much difference.
From the way he carried himself now, it was likely that from the moment he decided to make and publish that PPT to clear his name and expose the rumor-maker, Shen Xiu had already anticipated this exact outcome.
He had known the school would come to him—and yet, here he was, utterly calm.
For someone as young as Shen Xiu, this level of composure was rare. But the school leaders present didn’t find it strange or out of place.
In fact, they found themselves echoing what so many netizens had said online: “Oh, it’s Shen Xiu? Then never mind.”
As if anything that happened involving Shen Xiu just… made sense. As if no matter how unusual the situation, once it was Shen Xiu at the center, it was somehow no longer surprising.
While Shen Xiu finished greeting them, he also quickly ran through everything he’d done recently.
And he found—he really hadn’t done anything wrong.
Realizing that, the unease in his chest slowly began to settle.
With his panic gradually calming, Shen Xiu suddenly noticed something odd: after he’d greeted everyone, none of them had replied. Instead, they were all simply raising their eyes slightly, quietly making eye contact with him—saying nothing.
Shen Xiu: “……”
Why… weren’t they responding? Had he spoken too softly? Or… had he missed someone and forgotten to greet them?
Help—what unforgivable sin did I commit?!
Being silently stared at like that, with no idea why, Shen Xiu had the strong urge to turn and run away.
But faced with so many school leaders all at once, his legs were weak—emotionally and physically.
In other words, he was basically welded to the floor.
Even if he wanted to run, he couldn’t move.
Unable to run and not daring to, Shen Xiu had no idea what mistake he might have made to warrant this full lineup of school leaders. His mind buzzed, a chaotic mess—he didn’t know what to say, or rather, didn’t dare to say anything recklessly. After all, the more you say, the more likely you are to say something wrong.
So, Shen Xiu could only remain silent, waiting for the school leaders to speak first.
After Shen Xiu politely, yet with clear emotional distance, greeted them, the school leaders simply pressed their lips into thin lines and continued to stare at him with expressionless faces—met by Shen Xiu’s equally cool, unwavering gaze.
Originally, they had intended to ask Shen Xiu to take down his post and quietly let the incident fade away.
But faced with Shen Xiu’s indifferent, unbothered demeanor—and the way he clearly wasn’t fazed by their calculated silence—they suddenly didn’t know how to bring it up.
To put it bluntly, Shen Xiu wasn’t even slightly affected by their unspoken pressure.
His current expression was cold and severe—he didn’t look like someone who was in the mood for negotiation.
The counselor and the dorm supervisor auntie stood nearby, watching Shen Xiu stand silently on one side, facing down the school leaders at the door in a tense silence. The two of them exchanged a subtle glance and instinctively lowered their breathing, not even daring to sigh.
They were truly pitiful—caught between both sides of the standoff, unable to offend either party. Just standing there felt awkward beyond belief.
As an onlooker, Teacher Jiang Jinya finally raised her hand and let out two light coughs to break the oppressive silence.
“Ahem, ahem…”
She hadn’t originally planned to come—but once the principal personally called her, she came out of courtesy.
Even so, she had made it clear to the principal beforehand: she was only coming to observe. When it came to persuading Shen Xiu to “let it go” and downplay the situation, whether it was Shen Xiu’s decision or the school’s, she would not get involved.
Hearing Teacher Jiang’s cough, Shen Xiu instinctively looked over with concern.
“Teacher, are you coming down with a cold?”
Jiang Jinya smiled and waved her hand. “No.”
Hearing that, Shen Xiu quietly let out a breath of relief, though his eyes remained fixed on Jiang Jinya with concern.
Dean Zhou, seeing that their silent pressure had no effect, glanced at the counselor. The counselor quickly smiled and said, “Since everyone’s here, let’s head upstairs.”
“Mm.”
“Let’s go, then.”
“Alright.”
…
Hearing the school leaders’ voices, Shen Xiu instinctively felt that as a student—and a junior—he shouldn’t interrupt when the “adults” were talking. Besides, he doubted the counselor would ask for his opinion on whether or not they should go upstairs. So, he remained silent.
The counselor and the dorm supervisor walked ahead to lead the way. The school leaders, almost reflexively, followed.
Jiang Jinya, however, didn’t move. She turned her head slightly toward Shen Xiu and said, “Give me a hand, will you? I’m getting old—climbing seven flights all at once might be a bit much for me.”
This third-year dormitory building was one of the older ones—eight floors in total, and unlike the newer buildings, it had no elevators. Everything had to be done the old-fashioned way—on foot.
Hearing Jiang Jinya’s lighthearted tone, the tension in Shen Xiu’s chest eased significantly. He immediately reached out and gently supported her arm. “Of course.”
The school leaders walking ahead: “…”
Wait a second.
Weren’t you just here to observe?
Why does it feel like your neutrality is… slipping?
