Chapter 39

Tao Shushu laughed cheerfully. "Wow, Zhang Zhou, your performance just now was brilliant. Good thing it was recorded."
Su Momo glared at Tao Shushu and Fang Le with ill intent, secretly wondering if they would release the recording to threaten her.
Zhang Zhou, on the other hand, was pleased to hear this. With the recording, wouldn't it prove that Tao Shushu had deliberately stepped on him? He was going to make her pay and see if people would still be deceived once they had the recording.
Enduring the pain in his toes, Zhang Zhou secretly bolstered his courage and instinctively glanced at his goddess, hoping to draw strength from Su Momo.
At first glance, Zhang Zhou noticed that Su Momo’s expression looked somewhat twisted. It must be the angle he was looking from, how could his gentle goddess appear so ferocious?
Zhang Zhou comforted himself. This time, he realized Su Momo was staring at Tao Shushu. Instantly, he found a reason for her fierce expression: the goddess was standing up for him!
Zhang Zhou said, "Alright, let’s play the recording and see whether Tao Shushu really stepped on my foot."
"I did step on Zhang Zhou," Tao Shushu said softly, a stark contrast to Zhang Zhou’s arrogance. "It’s all my fault. Why did I dodge the punch? If I had stood still and not moved, I wouldn’t have stepped on him."
Zhang Zhou was instantly furious. Stiffening his neck, he retorted, "You stepped on me on purpose. Let’s check the recording if you don’t believe me."
"I have no objections," Tao Shushu replied, then winked at Su Momo.
The Arts Department president grabbed Zhang Zhou. "Zhang Zhou, you look so full of energy, it doesn’t seem like you’re in pain at all. Stop making a scene." He had deeper concerns: the Student Council presidential election was approaching, and every department head was a potential candidate.
If the recording got out and created the impression that the Arts Department was bullying students from other classes by leveraging their authority, it would be detrimental to the election.
Zhang Zhou was indignant. "Can’t I seek justice when I’m injured?"
He turned around and saw Su Momo looking at him with concern. Emboldened, Zhang Zhou grew even more aggressive. Only the goddess cared about him, these people dared to disturb her. Now, he was on the side of justice and had to seize this opportunity to stand up for her. "Show the recording."
Fang Le wasn’t one to be pushed around either. "Well, our rehearsal tonight has already been disrupted enough. We can watch the recording, but if it turns out you’re falsely accusing us, the entire department must apologize, and the video will be posted online."
Tao Shushu nodded. "I stepped on Zhang Zhou, and I’ll take responsibility. I’ll call the school doctor right now."
She waved her phone.
Zhang Zhou assessed the pain in his foot. "Fine!"
He sat down on a chair, casting a confident, almost boastful glance at Su Momo.
Su Momo gave a faint smile. Perfect, someone was stepping up for her.
The projection equipment was readily available.
Under the watchful eyes of dozens of people, the video began to play.
It showed Tao Shushu walking normally when Zhang Zhou suddenly threw a punch. Tao Shushu frowned and dodged, but Zhang Zhou threw another.
Tao Shushu had no choice but to evade again, but she lost her balance, stumbled, and half her foot landed on Zhang Zhou’s shoe.
However, she moved quickly, shifting her foot away in less than half a second.
Even though she hadn’t fully regained her balance, she immediately bowed her head apologetically.
By this point in the video, everyone understood the situation perfectly.
The Arts Department president wore a grim expression. He had thought Zhang Zhou was confident, and as a man, he kept complaining about the pain in front of so many pretty girls because he really was hurt. But after watching the video, it turned out Zhang Zhou had only been lightly brushed, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
How embarrassing.
Just then, the school doctor arrived.
The doctor tapped Zhang Zhou’s instep. "Student, where exactly does it hurt? I’ve tapped, and there’s no reaction."
"Has Zhang Zhou’s foot gone numb from me stepping on it?" Tao Shushu leaned in, looking extremely worried.
"Huh?" Zhang Zhou was also puzzled. His foot suddenly didn't hurt anymore, but just moments ago, it had felt as if it were broken.
"Take a few steps and see?" the doctor suggested.
Surrounded by onlookers, Zhang Zhou walked a few steps like a monkey on display. Although he wasn't in pain, he still had to pretend something was wrong, limping as he went.
Tao Shushu clicked her tongue. "A bug just flew onto Su Momo's head."
"Where?" Zhang Zhou spun around swiftly, striding energetically. "Are you okay?"
A classmate from Class One mocked, "Oh ho, so someone's foot healed pretty quickly."
"Faking an injury to scam people, how heartless."
"Haha, how embarrassing."
Realizing he had been exposed, Zhang Zhou felt so awkward he could have dug a hole with his toes.
Su Momo, who had unwillingly become the center of attention because Zhang Zhou ran over to her, blushed with embarrassment.
The doctor walked over and tapped Zhang Zhou's instep with a bit more force this time. "There's a reaction, it's fine."
"Hmm, I guess love really does heal everything," Tao Shushu added quietly.
Su Momo glared at Zhang Zhou with disdain. What a useless fool, only someone like him could come up with such a stupid plan. Now he had failed in his scheme and ended up embarrassing her too.
The people around them watched Zhang Zhou and Su Momo with gossipy eyes.
After Tao Shushu's reminder, everyone realized it was true.
Earlier, the reason everyone had stayed behind was because they were waiting for Su Momo. It was Zhang Zhou who suggested staying, and it was Zhang Zhou who forbade anyone from disturbing Su Momo while she was creating, what a devoted protector.
Then, Zhang Zhou had even faked an injury.
More like losing his mind for love.
Just as Su Momo was about to quietly distance herself from Zhang Zhou, the usually amiable department head spoke with a dark expression, "No more nonsense from anyone. This time, it's our Arts Department's fault. Lately, the atmosphere in our department has been getting worse. I won't allow anyone to use the department's name to curry favor with girls."
The department head glanced at Su Momo and Zhang Zhou, pausing for a moment before saying, "I will post an apology on the campus forum."
"Zhang Zhou, you are expelled from the Arts Department."
"Su Momo, having a piano solo as the grand finale is too monotonous. You may pause your rehearsals."
Su Momo's face turned pale with shock as she stared disbelievingly at the heartless department head.
How could he just cancel her performance like that? Wasn't she playing well enough?
Hadn't he been listening to her playing with fascination before? Everyone around had praised her piano skills, raising their hands to insist she must perform on stage. So why had they all changed their minds now?
Zhang Zhou hadn't expected this outcome either.
Seeing Su Momo's distress, his own heart felt like it was breaking. "Department Head, Momo has been practicing for the school celebration performance for a long time. You can't cancel her act..."
"The internal affairs of the Arts and Entertainment Department are none of outsiders' concern." The department head's expression was grim. If it weren't for Su Momo and Zhang Zhou, such an embarrassing incident would never have occurred, he still aspired to become the student council president.
Knowing that every move he made now would impact the election, the Arts Department head said impartially, "I feel the previous selection was too hasty. From now on, we will choose programs through fair methods. Student Su Momo can compete based on her abilities."
Su Momo bit her lip and glared fiercely at Tao Shushu.
Yes, it must be Tao Shushu!
Ever since Tao Shushu appeared, her life had been nothing but setbacks. Just moments ago, everyone was listening to her performance, but Tao Shushu had to come and disrupt it.
Before Su Momo could voice her grievances, she overheard the surrounding discussions: "Really, it's just a piano piece. Is there anyone in the Arts Department who can't play one? It's too bland."
"Why did I ever think a piano solo was unbeatable?"
"Same here. My taste has been off lately, I need to attend a few concerts to improve it."
"Exactly. I passed the highest piano level in third grade. I’m not just familiar with playing Beethoven; I can compose too. But before..."
The Arts Department members, carrying props, filed out of the auditorium in small groups.
The department head walked at the rear and smiled at Fang Le. "Classmate, I’ll give you an explanation for today’s matter. Could you not post the video?"
"Sure. But I want Zhang Zhou to sincerely apologize to Shushu. If it weren’t for the recording, Shushu would have been framed."
"Agreed." The department head nodded. "Thank you. I’ll encourage everyone to vote for Tao Shushu as the school belle."
"Deal." Fang Le laughed heartily. "Since you have such good judgment, I won’t make a big deal out of it."
On the other side, Su Momo, unsteady on her feet, stared at Tao Shushu. How could she let her life fall apart like this? And now she even wanted to snatch the school belle title? She wouldn’t allow it.
But before Su Momo could reach Tao Shushu, she suddenly clutched her head and ran off.
[Interesting.] Tao Shushu watched Su Momo’s fleeing figure with amusement. She didn’t believe Su Momo’s headache was natural.
[An abnormal energy fluctuation was detected just now,] the system chimed in. [You already saw the recording, didn’t you?]
[Yes.]
When Fang Le took photos with the flash on, Tao Shushu noticed immediately. Then she saw Fang Le set up a tripod and camera equipment.
As for stepping on Zhang Zhou, it was revenge for Fang Le.
Fang Le had been pushed for no reason. If someone nearby hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen from the stage edge, the consequences could have been severe.
Tao Shushu, having fought fiercely in the apocalypse, calculated the angle precisely. She made Zhang Zhou’s nerves ache temporarily, leaving no marks and causing no real harm.
If Zhang Zhou had spoken politely, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a humiliating situation.
Tao Shushu leisurely checked her assets. [Only three Primary Clarity Cards used? That’s surprisingly few.]
[The influence of the female protagonist’s halo vanished the moment you confronted her on stage.]
Tao Shushu pondered. [Will the female protagonist face punishment if she loses her halo?]
[I’m not sure about other systems.]
Tao Shushu blinked. She could explore that herself.
As she mulled over her plans, Fang Le tugged at her. "Shushu, you look absolutely stunning in this photo."
"So impressive, absolutely stunning," a girl exclaimed in awe.
Tao Shushu leaned over and saw that Fang Le had already uploaded the photos to the forum, accompanied by a bold statement: "Side-by-side photos taken in the same lighting and location, this is what fairness looks like."
Fang Le even posted the camera settings to prove the images weren’t edited.
The problem was, the candid shot she captured happened to show Su Momo with a slightly distorted expression.
"Shushu, everyone likes you," Fang Le said.
The campus belle contest was generating a lot of buzz, and there were already numerous comments under the photos, all praising Tao Shushu.
"I like myself too," Tao Shushu replied with a laugh.
Rehearsal time had already been delayed, so Fang Le decided to wrap up early for the day.
Amid laughter and chatter, the students headed out together.
Tao Shushu trailed along in the lively crowd, happily pulling out her phone and opening a game.