Chapter 8

Shen Yu remembered that when she first entered the classroom, Bai Muyu and a few others were gathered together talking, their expressions and actions completely normal, without any signs of agitation or panic, nothing like someone who had just lost a necklace. But as soon as she sat down, they claimed the necklace was missing. It was clearly a spur-of-the-moment scheme specifically targeting her.
Why couldn’t these people just mind their own business and chat peacefully? Why did they have to stir up trouble? What was the point of all this? Wasn’t this outright bullying?
Feeling irritated, Shen Yu looked up at them and said, “Why are you accusing me of stealing? I just came in, everyone saw me.”
Bai Muyu crossed her arms and lifted her chin, adopting a haughty posture. “Who’s ‘everyone’?” she said mockingly, then turned to ask the others, “Did you see her come in just now?”
Everyone shook their heads. “We don’t know when she arrived.”
Shen Yu: “…”
If it were the original owner of this body, how would she have reacted? Would she have let them frame and bully her, accepted the blame, and ended up despised by everyone?
Was her existence just meant to entertain these people? Being bullied by Shen Xiao at home was bad enough, why did she have to endure it at school too?!
At that thought, a fire began to burn inside Shen Yu. As a transmigrator, all she wanted was a quiet environment where she could focus on studying. Even if people made snide remarks, maliciously isolated her, or mocked her appearance and figure, she felt she could endure it. After all, she wasn’t close to them, she could just ignore it. But now, with them viciously attacking her character and self-respect, she couldn’t sit still any longer. She couldn’t keep swallowing her anger.
Even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone an adult.
Looking up at Bai Muyu’s arrogant demeanor, Shen Yu stood up as well. At 1.7 meters tall, she was half a head taller than Bai Muyu. Combined with her larger build, once she straightened up, her presence instantly expanded, completely overshadowing Bai Muyu.
“You say I stole it, where’s the proof?” Shen Yu demanded, determined to settle this matter today. Otherwise, if Bai Muyu kept falsely accusing her of theft every day, it would drive her crazy!
Bai Muyu sneered, “Proof? You’re the poorest one here. If you didn’t steal it, who else could have?”
Her tone was so matter-of-fact that it immediately drew laughter from the others. It was clear they were all enjoying the spectacle. In truth, everyone present knew Bai Muyu was deliberately picking on Shen Yu, but no one stepped forward to defend her. She was just a poor, shabby girl, there was nothing to gain from helping her.
Shen Yu glanced around and let out a cold laugh. “This is utterly ridiculous.”
That cold laugh, however, caught Bai Muyu off guard. Before this, Shen Yu had always seemed weak, submissive, and dull in her eyes. But today, in this close confrontation, she couldn’t find any trace of those traits in Shen Yu’s gaze. Instead, what she saw was a firm and unwavering resolve.
Bai Muyu found it strange. Had Shen Yu taken the wrong medicine today? How dare she talk back to her like this!
She noticed that after Shen Yu stood up, she had to slightly lift her chin to meet her gaze. Annoyed, she said, "Cut the nonsense. You have to let me search you."
"Search for what?" Shen Yu frowned and retorted.
Bai Muyu rolled her eyes dramatically. "Of course, search your clothes. Since you claim you didn’t steal, let me search you. If I can’t find anything, then it proves you’re innocent."
Shen Yu instantly understood, this was Bai Muyu’s real goal. Frame her for theft, then publicly search her, and even if nothing was found, the humiliation would have been achieved.
Realizing this, Shen Yu naturally wasn’t going to sit back and take it. Suddenly, she frowned, lowered her head, and rummaged through her pants pocket. After a moment, she bent down to check her backpack. Just as everyone thought she had resigned herself to being searched, Shen Yu lifted her head, looking flustered and panicked, and exclaimed, "My platinum emerald bracelet is missing!"
Everyone: ……
What in the world was a platinum emerald bracelet?? How could a poor wretch like her have something like that??
Bai Muyu was so angry her nose twisted. Furious, she snapped, "Are you insane? You’re a pauper, where would you get a platinum emerald bracelet??"
"It’s a small platinum loop with three emeralds set in the center. The largest one is one carat, and the back is engraved with the character 'Shen.' It was left to me by my mom, and I often wear it to school!" Shen Yu spoke with conviction and confidence, as if she truly owned such a bracelet.
But how was that possible?? She was so poor! She wore the same few clothes all year round, and her shoes were never replaced until they were worn out. Her hairstyle hadn’t changed in two years, it was exactly the same as when she first enrolled. How could someone like her possibly own a "platinum emerald bracelet"??
And she even claimed she often wore it to school??
Bai Muyu’s face turned livid. She glanced at the people around her, but they all looked just as bewildered, trying hard to recall if Shen Yu had ever worn such an expensive bracelet to school. No one could remember because they usually treated her as invisible, never even giving her a second glance. Who would notice if she wore a bracelet or not??
Seeing that no one spoke up in her defense, Bai Muyu fumed, "What does your missing item have to do with me? We’re here to search for my necklace!"
By responding this way, she inadvertently acknowledged that Shen Yu owned such an item. Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yu pressed on, "My bracelet was just here, but the moment you approached, it disappeared. For the sake of fairness, I should search you too, shouldn’t I??"
Bai Muyu’s eyes widened instantly, as if they might pop out of their sockets. "Shen Yu, are you asking for death?? How dare you think of searching me?? Why would I need to steal your things??"
Shen Yu replied, "If you suspect me of stealing from you, why can’t I suspect you of stealing from me??"
Bai Muyu was truly enraged now, nearly jumping out of her skin. "I, "
Before she could finish, Shen Yu cut her off, "In that case, for fairness, let’s search each other."
Bai Muyu: ……
Her original plan had been to use the search as an excuse to humiliate Shen Yu. She never expected to be outmaneuvered instead. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
Fortunately, she still had backup. Seeing Bai Muyu rendered speechless with anger, her friends chimed in one after another: "Shen Yu, don’t go too far! Bai Muyu’s family is wealthy, she wouldn’t even look twice at your things!"
"Exactly…"
Shen Yu lifted her eyelids and glanced at them, then after a moment’s thought, said, "Two valuable items going missing at the same time is a serious matter. There might be more than just two suspects, everyone present could be under suspicion. If we’re going to search people, then everyone should be searched together!"
Everyone: "…"
They had only intended to watch the drama unfold, never expecting to get dragged into trouble themselves. Shen Yu was truly toxic!
Before anyone could react, Shen Yu pulled out an old phone, the one Uncle Li had lent her, since her original phone had been smashed by Shen Xiao’s bodyguards during the ransacking of her room.
While dialing, she said, "To ensure fairness, I’ll ask a teacher to act as a witness." No sooner had she spoken than the call connected to their academic advisor.
Her actions were so swift that no one had time to stop her. They could only listen helplessly as she reported the situation to the advisor.
After hanging up, Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said to them, "Alright, the teacher will be here soon. Everyone, wait here, no one is allowed to leave the classroom!"
Bai Muyu, standing closest to her, was so furious she stamped her feet and gritted her teeth, wishing she could lunge forward and bite Shen Yu. "Shen Yu, are you insane?!"
Shen Yu looked at her calmly and replied, "If I am, it’s because you drove me to it."
Bai Muyu: "…"
A Tiffany necklace and an emerald bracelet had gone missing simultaneously in the classroom. When the academic advisor received the call, his legs went weak with dread. By the time he rushed to the classroom, Shen Yu and Bai Muyu were still standing off against each other like two fighting cocks.
After the advisor understood the whole story, he found himself in a dilemma. Both sides’ accounts sounded unreliable, was a body search really necessary?
Bai Muyu was feeling increasingly guilty. Her initial plan had only been to mess with Shen Yu a little, but she never expected Shen Yu to escalate the situation to the advisor with just a few words. Now, even she had no idea how to resolve it.
Shen Yu, standing to the side, remained composed and took the initiative to say to the advisor, "Since we can’t clarify things verbally, let’s proceed with the search. I’ll go first."
Everyone: "…"
Just moments ago, she had seemed ready to die rather than comply, and now she was volunteering to be searched? What kind of strategy was this?