POV:{Aliyah}
The hallway outside the Academic Senate chambers was eerily quiet, like the stillness before a typhoon. She could still hear the echo of their whispers — hushed, poisonous syllables dripping with judgment.
"Ethics violation." "Improper affiliation." "The Golden Orchid Girl…"
Cowards.
She didn't knock when she entered professor Jing's office.
The mahogany door swung open to reveal him, calmly seated behind his desk, a steaming cup of chrysanthemum tea untouched at his side. His tie was loosened. His silver-rimmed glasses sat lower than usual on his nose. And his gaze…
Blank. Cold. Controlled.
"You filed it," she said.
He didn't look up. "Yes."
Just that. One word. No defense. No apology.
No shame.
"You told them Yichen had an inappropriate relationship with Chen Wei?" Her voice cracked with disbelief. "You know that's not true."
"I stated what I observed." He looked at her now ,straight into her soul. "She received favors from the CEO of a sponsoring conglomerate. He publicly defended her. Protected her. Offered to marry her."
"That's not grounds for professional misconduct!"
"It is when it influences academic standing. When it creates perception of favoritism. When it puts the university's reputation in question."
"You mean your reputation," she snapped. "You mean your pride. Your wounded little ego that can't handle rejection."
That got to him.
He stood slowly, eyes narrowing, and came around the desk with a deliberateness that chilled her.
"You think I'm doing this out of jealousy?" he asked, his voice soft like the calm before a blade is drawn. "You think I risked my own tenure committee seat just to ruin a girl over feelings?"
She stared at him, fury trembling beneath her skin. "Didn't you?"
There was a pause. Then a scoff.
"You've always been naïve, Aaliyah."
"No. You've always been a snake."
He moved closer. Too close.
"I warned her," he said, quietly now. "I told her not to accept that scholarship. Not from Chen Wei. I told her not to draw attention. She didn't listen. And now the university is crawling with speculation."
"You could've protected her," she said, her throat thick. "You should've protected her."
His jaw clenched. Something flickered in his expression — regret? Guilt?
Or worse; self-righteousness.
"She wanted to climb too fast," he said. "Now she'll learn what the fall feels like."
A beat of silence. Her pulse roared in my ears.
Then she whispered, "You didn't file that complaint to protect the university. You filed it to punish her."
He said nothing.
Didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it either.
But in that silence, she understood everything.
This wasn't about love. It wasn't about truth.
It was about control.
And professor Jing had just declared war.
She turned without another word and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
But her mind was already racing.
If he wanted a war, fine.
He'd get one.
But he forgot something crucial.
Yichen isn't alone anymore.
Not with Chen Wei moving like a shadow behind her, not with me guarding her blind side, and not with the whispered support of students who still believed in truth.
The next move was theirs.
And she intended to make it count.
---
POV:{ Lin Yichen}
The clouds hung low, like they, too, were unsure whether to weep or hold back. Her thoughts were worse than the weather. Tangled. Heavy. A little betrayed.
She have never felt the weight of her name like she do now.
Li Yichen. A name that once meant something bright, something pure. Something her mother whispered over cradle songs and her father carried like a badge of dignity. But today, that name trembles beneath rumors she didn't start, and decisions she didn't make.
The corridors of the University feel tighter than usual—like the walls themselves are listening, waiting for me to fold. Every time she pass a group of students whispering, her spine straightens out of instinct, and she hold her head high.
But even pride feels heavy today.
There's something you lose when people stop giving you the benefit of the doubt. Your silence becomes guilt. Your stillness becomes arrogance. And in this place where reputation is currency and your name is your future—she suddenly found herself bankrupt.
She didn't want to think of Professor Jing's name again, but it kept echoing through her mind.
He did this.
But why?
She didn't have the answer, and she hated not having answers
But Professor Jing... he wouldn't just do this to her.
Would he?
He was the only one who ever saw her beyond her past. When her father's debts swallowed their family whole and people stopped making eye contact, it was Professor Jing who pulled her aside after a lecture and said, "Don't let shame choke you, Yichen. Let it fertilize something better."
That man wouldn't sell her out. Not unless...
Unless he's trying to protect her.
The realization hit her so fast she almost dropped her folder.
She remembered what he said last week, in that low tone he always used when the walls had ears. "Keep your head down. Focus. Sometimes, to clear your name, someone has to stain it first."
Could this be one of his calculated moves?
Could he be trying to draw attention away from someone else... or distract the Board from something bigger?
Maybe this wasn't an accusation.
Maybe it was a decoy.
Still, that didn't stop the sting. She felt it when her department head avoided hee gaze this morning. When Genwai passed her in the hallway without a word, as if the very sound of her name would infect her.
Genwai...
She pressed her lips together, pushing the thought away. That's another wound she don't have the courage to probe just yet.
"Yichen!"
Aaliyah's voice pulled her out of her spiral. She was hurrying toward her,eyes wide with concern. Always the caring one.
"Yichen," Aaliyah caught up with her just before the administrative block. She always had this gentle way of saying her name—like it was a promise not to judge, even when the world did.
She turned, trying to keep the fatigue out of her eyes. "Don't tell me you've heard it too."
She nodded slowly, her brows drawn with concern. "It's spreading like wildfire. They're saying you falsified research data. That Professor Jing reported you to the Academic Board himself."
A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Do you believe it?"
"I don't," she said quickly. "Are you going to the disciplinary hearing?" Aaliyah asked, hesitating.
"I don't have a choice," she muttered. "But I'm not walking in there to beg for mercy. If this is a strategy, I need to play along…but I'll do it on my terms."
"Did you talk to Professor Jing?"
She hesitated. "No. I don't think I could even look him in the eye right now without saying something I might regret."
Her face softened. "Yichen, come home with me. Stay with us for a few days. Mama will be glad. You'll get to sleep properly, eat something that isn't instant noodles, and breathe. You don't have to deal with this alone."
That offer sat warmly in my chest—like a blanket fresh from the sun. But warmth can be suffocating when your mind's trapped in a snowstorm.
"Thank you, Aaliyah. Really," she said, forcing a smile. "But I think I need to be alone for a bit. You know... to think."
She didn't push. She never did.
"Alright. But I'm checking in later. You know I will."
"I know."
As she turned toward the hostel, her chest tightened. She wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from something else.
It would've been easy to say yes. Too easy.
But if she couldn't face the situation alone, then who was she becoming?
Still… She couldn't help but wonder again.
What if this was all a misunderstanding?
The thought unnerved her. Because if it was true…if he really filed that request to protect her—then this storm wasn't punishment.
It was a shield.
But if that was the case… who, or what, was he trying to protect her from?
Her hand brushed hers, just barely, respectfully as Aaliyah whispered, "I believe in you. Don't forget who you are. Will you be okay?"
She nodded, holding that small warmth in the coldness growing around her.
They stood in silence for a beat before she walked away, glancing back twice. She watched her friend's figure grow smaller against the concrete path until she disappeared into the crowd of students.
She wonder where professor Jian is ...
He sents a note of quotes and then...disappears?
She really dose not know why she was getting angry at his absence. He doesn't owe her anything.
It wasn't his fault they were seen together...
But still...
Anyways, whatever this was—accusation or strategy, she would walk through it with her head held high.
Because she is Li Yichen.
And she doesn't run.
Next Chapter Sneak Peek:
Hello... How have you been, Lin Yichen?