Maybe it would feel good to just slam my things down right now, throw out a “Who even wants to be in your crappy class? Screw you, get lost!” and storm out.
But why should I?
I worked so hard on all those copies of the Orchid Pavilion Preface. Why should I let all that effort go to waste just because I want a moment of satisfaction against this guy?
I originally wanted to join the calligraphy class to flirt with a handsome guy, but I’ve also gradually discovered that, like painting, writing calms the mind. I’ve found the charm of calligraphy while studying the copybooks.
Now, I want to get into B Class for that reason too. But regardless of my motives, I need a result. Getting accepted is a result. Getting eliminated is a result. But giving up because of this guy’s harassment is not the result I want.
Everyone else was looking at each other, not expecting Shen Yusi to be so tough.
A girl walked over with a brush. “Use mine.”
Shen Yusi’s expression softened slightly. “Thank you.”
Afraid it would affect her writing state, Shen Yusi decided not to continue arguing with him.
She walked straight past him, went back to her seat, and slowly started folding the grid lines onto the rice paper.
Li Yan was completely ignored, and his eyes, as they watched her, were filled with resentment.
Shen Yusi’s thoughts were clear. If Li Yan wanted to make things difficult for her, that was his problem. Right now, she was on his turf. If she started a real fight, she wouldn’t win. The best strategy was to ignore him and just write well.
Once she got out of here, she would settle accounts with him. She wasn’t going to let him off.
Shen Yusi quickly adjusted her mindset and began copying the text.
A female voice came from behind her. “You’re here?”
Shen Yusi looked up and saw Fang Chuning standing beside her. She smiled. “Mm. Hello, senior.”
Fang Chuning had just come back from outside and didn’t know what had happened in the office. She patted Shen Yusi on the shoulder. “Write well. I believe in you.”
“Mm.”
Shen Yusi sighed inwardly.
It’s true that idiots and angels coexist in this world.
She also felt a bit sorry for Fang Chuning. Having to work with someone like that until the end of the semester… she must feel like she’s going through a tribulation every day.
Fang Chuning returned to her seat and noticed the low atmosphere. She could also feel that Li Yan was in a bad mood, his words laced with thorns, and his grading was affected by personal feelings.
She never agreed with his habit of bringing his emotions to work. She could only try her best to prevent him from affecting innocent people.
The grading office was filled with occasional discussions about how to score the papers, along with a few arguments.
It wasn’t exactly a good exam environment.
Shen Yusi could only try her best to calm down and write.
If her guess was right, Li Yan was the grader who had questioned her results.
At first, she thought the makeup exam was to let her prove her skill. After all, she had exploited a loophole, so she accepted the challenge. She was confident in her ability. Writing it again would yield the same result.
But now she realized he was trying to mess with her head, make her perform poorly, and then get her kicked out.
If she was kicked out, who would take her spot?
Someone Li Yan knew? Or maybe someone who paid him off?
So hard to guess.
She was halfway through writing when the people at the long table all called out in unison, “Hello, President.”
Shen Yusi’s eyebrow twitched.
She hadn’t seen Lin Yingzhou since the last awkward dinner.
They were in different departments, and the campus was ridiculously large. The distance between the College of Fine Arts and the Medical School was huge. Without Shen Yusi making the first move, they never ran into each other.
Both Lin Yingzhou and Qi Yue had sent her messages these past few days. She was still feeling awkward about them knowing each other and not telling her, so she hadn’t replied to any of them.
Someone asked, “President, are you here to check on the grading?”
“Mm. I was passing by and thought I’d take a look.”
Shen Yusi kept her head down, writing, ignoring the commotion.
What’s it to me? It’s not like he’s here for me.
Just write your characters, Shen Yusi.
Lin Yingzhou walked over to the grading table. “Let me see the papers that have already been graded.”
Li Yan immediately put away his bad attitude and expression, quickly handing over the stack of paper. “They’re all here.”
“Mm.” Lin Yingzhou found an empty seat and sat down, examining each paper one by one to see if the scores were biased.
As he flipped through, a familiar set of ghostly scribbles caught his eye. Lin Yingzhou looked it over carefully, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly upward.
It’s actually improved a bit since the last assignment she sent me.
Lin Yingzhou adjusted his glasses and looked towards the small corner.
Shen Yusi was sitting with her back to him, hunched over, writing. The table was tiny, the stool was low. She had to rub her neck every now and then.
It looked very uncomfortable.
Lin Yingzhou furrowed his brow, stood up, and walked over.
Shen Yusi was sore all over. While rubbing her stiff neck and stretching, her mind still on the copybook, she forgot about the metal rack beside her. Just as her hand was about to hit it…
“Watch out.” A hand caught her wrist. The man’s hot body heat seeped through her thin skin.
Shen Yusi flinched as if burned, quickly pulling her hand back, her eyelashes fluttering.
What are you doing? Trying to get fresh?
Only when she saw the metal rack beside her did she understand. Her voice was a little unnatural. “Thanks.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the hand hovering in the air, loosely clenched into a fist, the veins forming a restrained river beneath his pale skin.
Lin Yingzhou said quietly, “That’s uncomfortable. Write at the big table.”
Shen Yusi followed his pointing finger and looked towards the table by the window. The one Li Yan wouldn’t let her sit at.
She said sarcastically, “I wouldn’t dare. If I sat there, someone might say I’m not worthy of the calligraphy class.”
“That’s my desk. No one dares to say anything.”
Shen Yusi rolled her eyes.
Ha. So it’s your desk. No wonder that bootlicker Li Yan wouldn’t let anyone sit there.
Shen Yusi’s voice was cold. “I’m not going.”
She wanted to sit there before, but wasn’t allowed. Now that she’s being told to sit there, she has to go?
That’s not how it works.
She’s not going.
Shen Yusi hadn’t even looked up at Lin Yingzhou once. She found him standing beside her annoying. “I’m writing just fine here. Don’t talk to me and distract me.”
Lin Yingzhou sighed helplessly. “If you keep your head down like that, it’s bad for your neck. And you might even get neck lines.”
He’d heard that concept from Lin Wanxia.
He knew Shen Yusi cared about her appearance. She would definitely mind.
Sure enough, Shen Yusi’s expression flickered slightly.
Lin Yingzhou patiently offered her a way out. “To avoid neck lines.”
He took a step closer, his tone soft. “Would you be willing to move to a different table for me, hmm?”
Fine. Since he’s put it that way, I’ll give him some face. She finally relented, and as she stood up, she felt the stiffness and soreness all over her body.
Shen Yusi cursed inwardly.
Damn Li Yan. When I get back, I’m not letting you off.
The grading table was a distance away from Shen Yusi’s spot. A few people were keeping an eye on the scene from the corner of their eyes, unable to hear what was being said, but sensing something was odd.
Why did she suddenly switch tables?
And why is Lin Yingzhou handing her ink and paper?
Wow, he’s even letting her use his brush.
Lin Yingzhou stood by, looking like he was at her beck and call, which made everyone’s mind race.
Then, they all turned their gazes to Li Yan, their expressions a mix of schadenfreude and sympathy.
Thought you were picking on a weakling? Turns out she’s got a powerful backer.
Serves you right for bullying the weak!
Li Yan swallowed hard. It couldn’t be. If they were really something, why would Shen Yusi have taken those three exams fair and square? Getting into B Class would have been as easy as a word from Lin Yingzhou.
And why would she have come all the way back on a weekend for a makeup exam? Besides, she hadn’t used Lin Yingzhou as a shield when they clashed just now.
Lin Yingzhou often helped out students he didn’t even know. This was probably the same.
So, there was definitely nothing between them.
Li Yan tried to comfort himself.
Lin Yingzhou returned to the grading table. He put aside a few papers where the scores didn’t match the actual skill level and demanded they be re-graded.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound, all thinking the same thing: What’s he doing here so long today? Why hasn’t he left?
Shen Yusi, now comfortable with a proper table and stool, felt much more relaxed. Fifty characters wasn’t too many or too few. She finished writing in no time.
Being cautious, she took a picture with her phone for documentation, then walked to Fang Chuning’s desk and placed her paper there. “Senior, I’m done.”
Fang Chuning gave it a quick look. “Mm. Good. You can go back now. Sorry for the trouble today.”
“Mm.” Shen Yusi picked up her bag and left the office. The first thing she did was contact someone.
Lin Yingzhou reached over and picked up the paper from Fang Chuning’s desk. After scanning it, he asked, “Do you still have her previous running script paper?”
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Fang Chuning quickly pulled the old paper from her drawer and handed it over.
Lin Yingzhou placed the two sheets of paper side-by-side for comparison.
She had been in a good state during the exam, her brushwork smooth and fluid. The connecting strokes in the characters were subtle yet present, the layout varied and well-proportioned. As she had said herself, she had truly surpassed her usual performance.
This makeup paper was noticeably inferior. Facing scrutiny and hostility, and in a noisy environment, it was hard to maintain a good state.
But regardless, Shen Yusi had held her ground. This work was still good enough for B Class.
“Li Yan.” Lin Yingzhou put down the paper. “Can you tell me your reasons for suspecting she cheated?”
Suddenly called out, cold sweat broke out on Li Yan’s forehead. He quickly pulled out Shen Yusi’s cursive script paper and repeated his previous argument.
He rambled on about how Shen Yusi’s scores were inconsistent, and that as graders, they must be fair and not let such an anomaly slide. That’s why they had to call her in. Now that she had proven she didn’t cheat, everyone could be happy.
But as he spoke, his tone was much milder than when he had argued with Fang Chuning. He always adjusted his attitude based on who he was talking to.
“Just that?” Lin Yingzhou’s voice carried a chill. “You don’t need to come anymore.”
Li Yan was stunned. “Why?”
He was just exercising his right to question a student’s grades.
Even if his methods were a bit extreme, even if he was a little bit wrong, it didn’t warrant being fired.
Being selected as a leader in the calligraphy class was a testament to his ability. Performing well in a large-scale event at a top-tier school was a highlight he could add to his resume.
Li Yan’s knuckles were white as he clenched his fists. He didn’t want to lose this opportunity. He was about to say something more when Lin Yingzhou cut him off.
“This is the decision of President Lin. You don’t need to go to the Calligraphy Association anymore either. Clean up your things and leave.”
A ringing sound filled Li Yan’s ears. The rustling of paper from around him was all he could hear. Everyone else held their breath, looking down, afraid to be caught in the crossfire.
No one present had expected Lin Yingzhou, who usually seemed indifferent to everything, to suddenly intervene in calligraphy class matters and even expel Li Yan.
Connecting this to the leniency Lin Yingzhou had just shown Shen Yusi, many began to suspect there really was something between them. Was he doing this to stand up for her?
Li Yan’s jaw clenched so hard it ached. Finally, filled with bitterness and unwillingness, he left the office.
After giving his instructions, Lin Yingzhou didn’t linger.
As he stepped out, Fang Chuning followed him. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly. “Thank you, Senior.”
Lin Yingzhou looked puzzled. “For what?”
Fang Chuning spoke softly. “About… Li Yan.”
When Shen Yusi had arrived, Fang Chuning wasn’t in the office. She had been outside calling Lin Yingzhou. She didn’t want Shen Yusi to lose her chance at B Class because of Li Yan’s malicious targeting.
Fang Chuning could see that Shen Yusi had a talent for calligraphy. She genuinely liked this girl and wanted to help her. She also wanted to report Li Yan’s behavior. Since the dean was away on a business trip, Lin Yingzhou was her only hope.
She hadn’t expected him to actually come because of her call, and even kick Li Yan out of the group. She would never have to deal with him on Calligraphy Association work again.
Her nemesis was perfectly dealt with. How could Fang Chuning not be grateful to Lin Yingzhou?
Lin Yingzhou said flatly, “There had been multiple complaints about him long before yours. I was just following procedure.”
Ever since Li Yan became the vice-president of the Calligraphy Association, many people had disliked his bureaucratic style.
After becoming the deputy leader of the calligraphy class group, he used his position to throw his weight around. Relying on his grading authority, he put on airs all the time, constantly making things difficult for candidates, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. He had long since caused widespread discontent.
When Lin Yingzhou said he was following procedure, he meant that this matter had already been brought to Lin Yunzhi’s attention.
Even without Fang Chuning and Shen Yusi, Li Yan would have been dealt with.
The only personal involvement was that Lin Yingzhou hadn’t needed to get involved.
But he came anyway.
Shen Yusi didn’t know what had happened in the office after she left. She knew her performance this time was far inferior to the last.
If she was eliminated because she genuinely wasn’t good enough, she would accept it.
But to be deliberately targeted, causing her to perform poorly and lose a spot she rightfully earned? For what?
And did Li Yan really think she was easy to bully?
If Li Yan was doing this to achieve some goal, like her previous guess of making room for someone else, then his actions were fraudulent.
If her guess was correct, Li Yan was guilty of malpractice. She would gather the evidence and report him. She wanted to see how the school, which valued this calligraphy class so highly, would handle it.
For Shen Yusi, getting information on an ordinary student was just a matter of a phone call.
After making the call and arranging everything, she thought to herself.
Hmph. Messing with me is like kicking a steel plate.
Just as she was contemplating the consequences Li Yan would face, her phone rang. It was an unknown number.
“Hello?”
A gentle voice came from the receiver. “Hello, Classmate Shen. This is Fang Chuning, the supervisor of the calligraphy class. Due to a disagreement within our group during the grading, some individuals in charge abused their authority by requesting you to take a makeup exam on the weekend, and the way you were treated during that exam caused you inconvenience and distress. We sincerely apologize. The relevant personnel have been dealt with. The class assignments will still be based on the results of your previous running script exam. This was our fault. We hope this doesn’t affect your love for calligraphy.”
Shen Yusi was a bit dizzy from this long speech. “What do you mean by ‘dealt with’? How were they dealt with?”
A string of useless official jargon. ‘Dealt with’ could just be a verbal warning to brush her off.
“He has withdrawn from the supervisory group. Additionally, he has been removed from the Calligraphy Association.”
Shen Yusi was stunned. Before she could even make a move, Li Yan had been fired?
He was kicked out of the Calligraphy Association too?
What’s going on?