Chapter 57: Am I Important in Your Heart?

Her fingertips, hanging at her sides, were clenched so tightly they turned pale. She shrank back just a little, though her expression remained perfectly composed.

“I only just found out about Liu Yaojie’s situation myself. It has nothing to do with me. Ms. Sun, you’ve got the wrong person.”

Sun Xuemin seemed surprised by her immediate denial. After all, Tang Yu had always been the most obedient and timid girl. Just last semester, she had come to the office to talk about bullying at school. Sun Xuemin had brushed her off with a few easy phrases: “Why do you think they only pick on you? Think about it,” “If someone says something, just bear with it. Be more broad-minded,” “Your main concern now is the college entrance exam,” “Bear with it for now, once the exams are over, it’ll all be fine.” Tang Yu had gone along with it every time, never causing a scene.

But this time, she actually pulled away from her grip.

“Tang Yu, do you understand how serious it is to lie? Do you want to become a bad child?”

The girl’s trembling lashes lowered slightly. After a long pause, she lifted her head again. “Teacher, whether I’m a bad child or not isn’t for you to decide. Besides, I remember you once said that Zhou Xunwen, because he’s a top student, is a role model for everyone. Last time, I came in first place, even higher than him. By that logic, I’m also a role model. So, am I a bad child?”

What shocked Sun Xuemin more than Tang Yu breaking free was that she actually dared to argue with her. She was still that frail girl, yet there was a newfound brilliance and resolve in her eyes. There was an edge there—something had changed.

“Whether you’re a bad child or not isn’t determined by grades. You might have good grades, but if you do bad things, you’re still a bad child!” Sun Xuemin retorted.

Tang Yu’s lips drooped a little at that. “Ms. Sun, if that’s the case, then what about someone like Liu Yaojie, who has poor grades and bullies classmates? Isn’t he an even worse child? But I’ve never seen you drag him to the principal’s office and make him apologize to me, like you’re doing today.”

Sun Xuemin couldn’t keep her composure. “Tang Yu, right now I’m talking about you tying up Liu Yaojie and causing him to get hurt. Stop trying to change the subject.”

“But Ms. Sun, do you have any proof that I did it?” Tang Yu asked, looking her straight in the eye.

Sun Xuemin was momentarily speechless.

From her reaction, Tang Yu could almost be sure that Sun Xuemin had no evidence. If Sun Xuemin and Liu Yaojie really had proof, they’d be waving it in her face and Bai Yang’s, crushing them with it. They wouldn’t give her a chance to defend herself, let alone start by asking if she did it.

She remembered what Wang Qing had said: there were no cameras in the equipment room. That’s why Sun Xuemin was so eager to get her to admit guilt to the principal—then, evidence wouldn’t matter.

How laughable.

“If you have no evidence, Ms. Sun, how can you accuse a good student without reason?”

Sun Xuemin’s face shifted at that. After several rounds, Tang Yu had basically figured things out.

She lowered her head, her voice still soft and compliant. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go now. I hope you find the real culprit soon, Ms. Sun.”

For the first time, Sun Xuemin was left fuming by Tang Yu. She was sure it was her and Bai Yang, yet they refused to confess! But without evidence, without an admission, there was nothing she could do.

Sun Xuemin left in a huff.

Wang Qing, who had been hiding by the door, only came into the laundry room after Sun Xuemin had walked away. She saw Tang Yu bracing herself against the wall, her legs trembling so hard she could barely stand.

Where was that fierce spirit from before?

“Xiaoyu, are you alright? Here, let me help you!” Wang Qing took her arm. “I heard everything. You really surprised me—talking back to the homeroom teacher and leaving her speechless! You should have seen her face when she left—so dark it was almost glowing!”

Tang Yu’s composure had been pure pretense. She opened her palm to reveal several marks where her nails had dug in, her hand sticky with sweat.

It was her first time lying, and to such an aggressive teacher, no less. Her legs had nearly given out.

“I was scared to death,” Tang Yu admitted, still shaken.

Luckily she hadn’t confessed, or Sun Xuemin would have had her cornered.

Wang Qing supported her out of the laundry room, asking, “But that thing… was it really you?”

Tang Yu’s eyes flickered, and she shook her head. “No, I don’t know who did it.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Tang Yu nodded.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Wang Qing, but the fewer people who knew about this, the better—it would only drag her into trouble.

“I thought so. The teacher was so aggressive, practically forcing you to admit it. She’s just awful! Honestly, our math classes in Class One and Two should be taught by Mr. Hou, the grade director—he’s in charge of competitions and is a provincial-level outstanding teacher. Sun Xuemin isn’t even a key teacher and has never won any awards in the city or province. I really don’t know how she became the top class’s homeroom teacher…”

Everyone had complained about it before, but what good did it do? All they knew was that Sun Xuemin had connections: she was assigned to Qingyuan right after graduation, then rose quickly, and was leading the advanced class at a young age.

Tang Yu said nothing, though she could guess it probably had something to do with Liu Yaojie’s family.

After Wang Qing had seen her to room 406, she left.

Tang Yu made her bed, picked up her toothbrush to wash up, and heard her phone buzzing inside her bag.

She took it out and saw several missed calls and WeChat calls—all from Bai Yang.

Scanning the room, she saw her roommates were either on their phones or working on assignments, not paying her any attention.

Tang Yu clutched her phone and slipped out to the balcony, carefully closing the door behind her before answering.

Softly, she asked, “Bai Yang, what’s up?”

“Little Tang Yu, not answering the boss’s call is a bad habit,” came the lazy, casual drawl from the other end.

Tang Yu covered the mic and lowered her voice. “I didn’t mean to miss your calls—I just saw them. Ms. Sun just came to find me.”

She continued, “It was about Liu Yaojie.”

Bai Yang wasn’t surprised. He put his phone on speaker beside him, a laptop balanced on his knees. His eyes stayed on the computer screen as he scrolled through research materials, replying slowly, “Oh? What did she ask you?”

Tang Yu gripped the railing, her toes rubbing the floor. “She asked about Liu Yaojie, if it was me who did it.”

“And what did you say?”

“I didn’t admit it. I said I didn’t know anything.”

Bai Yang’s fingers paused on the keyboard, then he chuckled quietly. “Little Tang Yu, you’re getting clever. Well done.”

“Why aren’t you surprised?” Tang Yu blinked. “Did Ms. Sun talk to you, too?”

“Bingo. Ran into her at the school gate, with the principal. Some people just dig their own graves—the rain was pouring and he just had to be there. The more I think about it, the more I feel we did a good job.”

Tang Yu couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

Bai Yang caught the sound and raised his brows. “What are you laughing at?”

Tang Yu cleared her throat, her voice soft and gentle. “It was my first time lying to a teacher. My legs went weak with fear, and my palm was sweaty the whole time. I was terrified she’d see through me. Luckily, I reacted quickly… I knew that if I confessed, you’d get dragged in too, so I just pretended nothing happened…”

At this, Bai Yang pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, a hint of amusement in his tone. “So you lied to protect me?”

Tang Yu bowed her head, a stray lock of hair falling across her cheek. “At first, I was going to admit it. I mean, my grades are good—even if I confessed, the school probably wouldn’t expel me at this point. At worst, I’d get a disciplinary warning or have to give a public apology under the flagpole. But then I thought, if I did confess, the principal would keep digging and eventually you’d get involved. So I figured it was better to just lie.”

That feeling of being protected, so unexpected, was strangely sweet.

The sweetness seemed to pour straight into Bai Yang’s heart.

With a teasing, mischievous smile, Bai Yang replied, “Little Tang Yu, you’re even willing to break your principles for me. Does that mean I’m pretty important to you?”