After the end of the class, Shirley immediately walked into Mrs. Harrington's cabin. Mrs. Harrington might be strict in class, but outside of class hours, she always maintained a warm smile. She believed in professionalism, and her demeanor reflected that.
So when she saw Shirley entering her cabin, Mrs. Harrington smiled and asked, "What brings you here, Shirley?"
"I think you already know why I'm here, Professor," Shirley sighed.
"Are you angry with your partner?" Mrs. Harrington asked.
"No, I'm not angry. It's just that I'm rather confused," Shirley shook her head. "You know that he lives in my home as a paying guest. I told him this morning repeatedly to bring his record to class since today was the due date for submission. He told me that he already placed the record in his bag last night. But since he's a 'Fool,' I personally checked his bag and found his record there. There's no way his excuse is believable to me. I feel like something is wrong."
"I know exactly what happened," Mrs. Harrington said with a sigh. She took out two record books from the stack of submissions and handed them to Shirley. "Take a look at the content inside the first book."
Shirley flipped the pages. She nodded and said, "This is my record book. That's definitely my handwriting."
"You're right," Mrs. Harrington replied. "Now, take a look at the second record book."
Shirley wasn't sure what was going on, but she did as the professor asked. She flipped through the pages of the second record book, observing the content carefully.
Suddenly, she was shocked. "This handwriting… How could I not know? This is the Fool's handwriting! Did he submit his own record? Then why is he lying?"
"Things aren't as simple as you think," Mrs. Harrington shook her head. "That is definitely the Fool's handwriting—how could I not recognize it? But look at the name on the cover of that record."
Shirley immediately opened the first page and was astonished. Written in her own handwriting, but with her name on the record book, was the unmistakable script of Kamanth.
"What?" Shirley almost shouted in shock.
"Now, look at the name on the record book with your own handwriting," Mrs. Harrington said calmly.
Shirley didn't hesitate. She immediately opened the second book filled with her handwriting and glanced at the owner's name. Again, she was stunned to see the word "Kurt" on the opening page.
"This… How is this possible?" Shirley stammered, "Could it be…?"
"At first, I was shocked as well. As my favorite student, I naturally opened your book for evaluation, and was startled to see the Fool's handwriting inside. I knew something was wrong and started to go through the other books. Your handwriting is very distinctive—a remarkable talent—so I quickly found another book resembling your style. I compared Kurt's previous submissions and noticed the handwritings didn't match at all. It didn't take long for me to figure out what happened," Mrs. Harrington shook her head and said, "Your partner sacrificed everything to protect your reputation. If I'm not mistaken, he is very much in love with you."
Shirley was silent, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.
Mrs. Harrington said, "I'm not a psychiatrist, but over the years, I've accumulated enough experience to judge people. And the Fool is one of the easiest to read. Today, his sacrifice showed me just how much he cares about you. It's obvious he truly loves you. But because of his lack of confidence—both in himself and in his appearance—he never dared to confess. He is afraid of being rejected. As your professor, and in place of your mother, my advice is not to lose someone like him. Honest, selfless people are rare these days."
Shirley didn't respond. Tears streamed down her cheeks, uncontrolled and silent.
Mrs. Harrington gently wiped away Shirley's tears and hugged her. "Silly girl! Don't worry. I'll fix the issue regarding the records. Go and handle things with the Fool. Make sure you're gentle with him. His self-confidence is already at rock bottom; he needs you now more than ever."
"Thank you, Professor," Shirley managed, wiping her tears. "I think I know what I should do now."
"Go," Mrs. Harrington encouraged her with a smile.
Shirley nodded and hurriedly left Mrs. Harrington's cabin. As she exited, she saw both Umang and Kurt loitering near the entrance. It was obvious they had been eavesdropping on the conversation. As partners in crime, they were obviously trying to stay out of trouble.
But before they could slip away, Shirley caught them red-handed. She had come out quicker than they expected and they didn't have time to hide.
Anger swelled up in Shirley's heart as she looked at both of them. Seeing the icy fury on her face, Umang wanted to cry. He knew he had made a huge mistake. The situation had spun completely out of his control. The relationship between them would never be the same.
"Shirley… I—" Umang tried to say something, desperate to convince her, but no words would come. Cold sweat drenched his forehead. He knew he was finished.
"Just wait. I will definitely settle the score with both of you. But I know what's important right now," Shirley said coldly, then left. Since Mrs. Harrington had promised to resolve the records issue, Shirley knew what mattered most at this moment.
She had always known that Kamanth loved her. But if he had proposed, she thought she would have politely turned him down, insisting they could only be friends.
Now she realized how naïve she had been. She never imagined that Kamanth would love her so much that he would risk his entire academic career to save her reputation.
She knew exactly what she should do now.