Chapter 220 - Chapter 220: Self-Blame and Shame
Chapter 220: Self-Blame and Shame
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Teacher, is there something you’d like to discuss?” Mei Yun asked uncertainly.
The homeroom teacher smiled and pointed to the report card. “Thanks to Mei Shu, our class has come together as a team, and everyone’s grades have improved significantly. Mei Shu deserves all the credit. Regardless of what people are saying about her outside, I want to emphasize that she has always been a rare good child in our class.”
Mei Yun, still feeling dazed, lowered his head to look at the report card once more. He suddenly realized what the teacher was trying to convey. The man in his forties was now showing signs of tearing up in front of all the parents.
“It should be me who thanks all of you,” Mei Yun stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. He bowed deeply to everyone and sincerely expressed his gratitude, “I know that my child has likely faced a lot of hardships at school. If it weren’t for your children’s support, I believe her school life would have been very difficult.”
“Mr. Mei, you mustn’t say that. Mei Shu has been a benefactor to our children.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The parents came forward to help Mei Yun up.
The teacher, feeling reassured, smiled and said, “Mr. Mei, 1 understand that you may not be able to believe that Mei Shu is truly innocent at the moment. However, 1 hope you can, like us, believe that the police will eventually clear Mei Shu’s name.”
Hearing the teacher’s words, Mei Yun felt a deep sense of shame.
As a father, he had failed to believe in his own daughter as much as the other parents did.
He had actually doubted Mei Shu would really engage in such misconduct!
Guilt and self-blame overwhelmed him. He had been so angry earlier, but now he felt equally ashamed.
The teacher sensed his emotions and calmly said, “Mr. Mei, when you go home, please comfort Mei Shu. She is the one who has suffered the most in this whole situation.”
“I understand,” Mei Yun sighed heavily, lowered his head deeply, and couldn’t find the words to speak.
When he returned home, he not only had to comfort Mei Shu but also needed to have a clear conversation with Wang Yue.
At the Mei residence.
Wang Yue sat on the sofa, eagerly waiting for Mei Yun’s reaction when he returned home.
She couldn’t believe that Mei Yun wouldn’t be furious upon learning about Mei Shu’s actions.
Once Mei Shu’s reputation was tarnished, her daughter would have a chance to turn things around.
The front door made a soft clicking sound.
Wang Yue immediately sprang up from the sofa, ready to greet Mei Yun. She wore an expression of innocence as if she knew nothing about what had happened.
“Honey, how was the parent-teacher meeting? How is Mei Shu doing at school recently?”
“Oh, she’s doing very poorly,” Mei Yun replied indifferently as he sat on the sofa. He requested, “Pour me a cup of tea.”
“Alright,” Wang Yue hesitated before handing him a freshly poured cup of tea. She inquired, “So, in what way is she doing poorly? Did she perform poorly in this recent exam and get criticized by her teacher?”
Mei Yun calmly lifted his teacup and said, “Yes, but her teacher was a bit strange today, always speaking ambiguously. The other parents were giving me strange looks too. I really don’t know what it’s all about. Could it be just because Mei Shu transferred from the countryside?”
Wang Yue sat down beside him, her heart pounding. She tried to probe, “Just because she transferred from the countryside? They shouldn’t look down on her for that. Maybe it’s because of something else?”
“I’ve heard some rumors, but I didn’t take them too seriously,” Mei Yun continued to sip his tea, seemingly uninterested in revealing what he had heard at school.
Wang Yue was growing impatient and revealed some cracks in her act. “Honey, could it be that Mei Shu has offended her classmates at school? Or perhaps she made some mistakes? Did you not ask the teacher in detail?”
“I did ask, but the teacher didn’t say much. He just mentioned that it wasn’t a big deal and advised me to have a good talk with Mei Shu,” Mei Yun put down his teacup and looked at her with a deep and steady gaze. “What’s wrong? Could it be that Mei Shu has actually committed a serious offense?”
“Not something serious, exactly.” Mei Yun’s reaction was somewhat unexpected to Wang Yue. She couldn’t believe that he, a selfish person, would place so much trust in Mei Shu. Shouldn’t his first reaction be to protect his own reputation if he thought Mei Shu had done something wrong?
“Tell me.” Mei Yun leaned on the sofa and looked at her solemnly.
Wang Yue hesitated for a moment and continued to provoke, “I heard from some parents in Mei Shu’s class that she seems to have unusual connections with some delinquents in society. They said those people often wait for her near the school gate, and on several occasions, they were seen behaving intimately with her.”
“Is that so?” Mei Yun responded casually, “Mei Shu isn’t that kind of person. This must be a rumor spread by those parents.”
Wang Yue was taken aback by Mei Yun’s response. She couldn’t believe that he, who was so selfish, would actually believe Mei Shu. Shouldn’t his first reaction be to protect his own reputation if he thought Mei Shu had done something wrong?
Feeling conflicted, she continued, “But they sounded quite serious and even mentioned that there is video evidence. 1 thought the teacher would have discussed this matter with you at the parent-teacher meeting..”