Don't Say You're Heartless (Modern Edition)

101 Reversal

The sudden interjection caused Principal Xu to freeze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. After a glance at Principal Wang, who nodded slightly from below, she said, "If you have something to say, come up and say it."

"Thank you." Shen Qiuhua flashed her a sweet smile. It was such a beautiful smile that it held everyone's gaze. It took Principal Xu a while to look away, cursing inwardly, "Enchantress!"

Sensing a showdown brewing, the teachers below sat up, suddenly energized. Since Shen Qiuhua joined the school, she has been known for her beauty, youth, and competence. But in other areas, she seemed rather average-unlike other newcomers who worked diligently to stand out.

Shen Qiuhua rose and walked to the front, her eyes sweeping over the crowd. The calm and poise she exuded were unfamiliar to her colleagues. Yang Qiong watched that gaze, a small smile playing on her lips-this was exactly the aura of Consort Kang from her past life.

A USB drive was plugged into the computer in the multi-function room, and the screen lit up. Shen Qiuhua finally spoke, "Thank you, Principal, for giving me this opportunity to explain the situation publicly. The whole matter started with a homework assignment. I did assign homework that day, but the students finished it at school. The assignment was to memorize classical texts, which are still in my office and can easily be checked. I thought it was a minor issue, but it escalated unexpectedly. Since it's blown up, it needs a different solution." She blinked and gave a faint smile.

The file on the USB drive was played-a recording. Principal Wang recognized the voice immediately as that of the parent who had filed the complaint.

The parent seemed to be chatting with someone. The recording began with a lengthy criticism of Shen Qiuhua, then compared her to the diligent language teacher of a neighbor's child, who assigned heaps of homework daily. The neighbor had told her that any teacher who didn't assign homework was just too lazy to grade it. How could such a teacher be any good?

In short, the parent had gotten more agitated by comparing the two teachers, which led her to complain at school. The neighbor further warned that if she confronted the school, they would retaliate against her child. Upon hearing that, she stormed into the school without even asking her child.

The recording, full of the parent's rambling, played for a full twenty minutes. By the end, everyone felt they understood the situation better. While the parent had been influenced by her neighbor, the recording did little to directly exonerate Shen Qiuhua.

"Does anyone question the authenticity of this recording?" Shen Qiuhua asked.

Most of the teachers didn't know the parents, so they couldn't judge its veracity. However, the homeroom teachers and the principals, who had dealt with her, nodded in confirmation.

Seeing their nods, Shen Qiuhua continued, "You can hear from the recording that this parent was incited by her neighbor. Now, why would that neighbor do such a thing?"

The story was becoming more suspenseful, piquing the curiosity of the teachers.

Soon, several photos appeared on the big screen. Shen Qiuhua pointed to a woman in the photos. "This is the neighbor of the complaining parent."

A teacher in the audience exclaimed in surprise. Shen Qiuhua's gaze fixed on the homeroom teacher, and her smile grew more pronounced.

"That person is the parent of one of my students," said the second-grade homeroom teacher, but her words trailed off as if she didn't want to continue.

It was hard to keep secrets in a school. This parent wasn't only known to her. Several people exchanged glances, seemingly grasping the situation.

Shen Qiuhua moved her mouse, hovering the cursor over an audio file. "Here's a recording of the second-grade parent. But I wonder, do I need to play it?" She looked at everyone, but she knew there was one person who would be particularly worried.