A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

Wei Jing's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. Under the curious gazes of his classmates, he got up and walked out.

In the corridor, Wang Mingyu stood by the window and lowered his voice, "Wei Jing, what happened? Did you offend Professor Kong?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jing's anger from that morning resurfaced.

His face darkened. "I didn't cause any trouble! That person made a mountain out of a molehill! I just wanted to say a few words to my girlfriend, I didn't even run into her, but Professor Kong scolded me without even asking what happened, and now he insists on coming to you!"

"Girlfriend?" Wang Mingyu frowned. "The one who studies dance?"

"Yes," Wei Jing said irritably, "she's throwing a tantrum at me right now..."

"I don't care about your romantic entanglements!" Wang Mingyu interrupted him. "The key is Professor Kong! Do you know who Professor Kong is? He's the patriarch of the Faculty of Arts, with excellent scholarship and deep experience. But that's not all; the key is that his family is an academic dynasty, with students and old friends all over the world, in cultural circles, and even in political circles..."

Wang Mingyu subtly pointed upwards with his finger.

"They're all very influential! He usually seems amiable, but he's extremely protective and principled! Now he's insisting that you harassed female students, disrespected teachers, and had a terrible attitude, demanding that the department take serious action and that the matter be reported to the student affairs office!"

Wei Jing was stunned.

He hadn't expected that the seemingly ordinary old man had such a powerful background.

Wang Mingyu was also quite angry. "Wei Jing, I know you're wronged, but Professor Kong saw it with his own eyes, and there are security cameras in the classroom. He's very angry, and his words were very harsh. Besides, putting aside your girlfriend for now, you tried to get close to a female classmate in Professor Kong's class and showed no respect for him. That's enough for him to hold a grudge against you! That girl is less important, do you understand? My suggestion is that you come with me to the School of Literature this afternoon to sincerely apologize to Professor Kong and settle this matter—"

Wei Jing pursed his lips.

Apologize?

Apologize to that old man?

Wasn't he humiliated enough this morning?

"Professor Wang, I did nothing wrong, I won't apologize." Wei Jing's tone was firm. "This isn't ancient times anymore. Everyone is equal. Professor Kong shouldn't abuse his authority as a teacher. Let him report it to the student affairs department if he wants. I believe the school will investigate thoroughly."

Seeing his stubbornness, Wang Mingyu shook his head in exasperation: "Wei Jing! Don't be so stubborn! This matter could be a big deal or a small one! If Professor Kong takes this seriously, you'll suffer!"

"My future depends on my own abilities, not on apologizing to unreasonable people."

Wei Jing said proudly, "Teacher Wang, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to class now."

Before Wang Mingyu could say anything more, he turned around and went back to the classroom.

Wang Mingyu watched his retreating figure and sighed heavily.

The bell rang, and Wei Jing packed up his things. Xie Qingyang also came over, his face showing just the right amount of concern.

"Teacher Wang was looking for you earlier... Are you alright? He didn't look too good."

"fine."

Wei Jing didn't want to mention what happened that morning in front of Xie Qingyang, and he especially didn't want to talk about Jiang Chu getting out of the luxury car.

Whether it's true or false, it will make you look incompetent.

"It was just a small misunderstanding."

He said calmly.

Xie Qingyang looked at him and said gently, "Wei Jing, we are friends. If you encounter any trouble, you can tell me."

Wei Jingdian nodded.

Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything more, Xie Qingyang had no choice but to say, "Shall we go to Professor Li's place together later?"

Wei Jing was taken aback. "What?"

Xie Qingyang: "Didn't Professor Li message you, asking us to go to his office after class to discuss the details of next month's modeling competition?"

Wei Jing shook his head, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the professor's office together.

Professor Li was the instructor for this competition and is also a highly respected professor in the department.

When the two knocked on the door and went in, Professor Li was looking at documents. When he saw Wei Jing, his expression was a little strange, not as enthusiastic as usual.

"Professor Li, we've arrived," Wei Jing said. "But I didn't receive your message—"

Professor Li gestured for them to sit down, then paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words.

Xie Qingyang keenly sensed that something was amiss. "Professor, what happened? Has the topic changed?"

Professor Li adjusted his glasses. "Wei Jing, there's something I need to tell you. Regarding the mathematical modeling competition, we just received a notification from the organizing committee that your spot might be subject to change."

Wei Jing frowned. "Changes? What changes?"

"That's right," Professor Li seemed a little embarrassed to say, "someone on the organizing committee made a suggestion. Taking into account factors such as teamwork and past performance, the final list includes three people from our team: Qingyang, Zhou Zixu, and... Chen Tao."

"Chen Tao?!"

Wei Jing couldn't believe it.

Chen Tao is another top student in their class. He is introverted and quiet, and almost never participates in any social activities.

This person has an average appearance and comes from a modest family; he is the type who buries himself in his studies.

In terms of achievements, he and Wei Jing are about the same.

But in terms of talent and aptitude, Wei Jing believes he is far superior to Chen Tao; and in terms of competition experience and awards, Chen Tao is no match for him.

Moreover, Chen Tao never tried to curry favor with the professors and was quite distant from them.

Why?

Wei Jing's voice trembled slightly with shock and anger. "Professor Li, you know my abilities! Chen Tao... he has absolutely no experience. How could the organizing committee choose him and not me? This doesn't make sense!"

Professor Li looked somewhat embarrassed: "Well... we're not entirely sure about the organizing committee's considerations. Perhaps they felt Chen Tao had a more solid foundation and better consistency? Or maybe there were other comprehensive evaluations? In any case, the list has been finalized. I tried to get it done, but this is the final decision."

Wei Jing was struck dumb, sitting there in a daze.

In the morning, he was publicly humiliated by Professor Kong, and in the afternoon, he was inexplicably kicked out of the crucial competition team, replaced by Chen Tao, whom he had never thought much of.

A chilling coldness slowly crept up his spine.

As he left Professor Li's office, the bright lights in the corridor shone on Wei Jing's face, making him appear even paler and more listless.

His steps were unsteady, and his mind was buzzing.

This competition is highly prestigious and is a key element in his plan to add a significant highlight to his resume.

Of course, he already has many achievements that make him stand out among his peers, so even if he doesn't participate, he won't suffer any major loss.

but--

He felt miserable whenever he thought about being replaced by Chen Tao, someone from a poor family with an average appearance who had never been considered a rival.

Xie Qingyang stood beside him, and seeing his devastated state, her eyes flashed. "Wei Jing, don't be too sad."

Wei Jing turned to look at her.

"...There might still be room for maneuver in this matter."

"Hmm?" Wei Jing's eyes lit up. "Qingyang, you mean...?"

Xie Qingyang smiled slightly and said calmly, "My family has some dealings with some people in the organizing committee and the organizers of the competition. We can try to communicate with them under the guise of recommending outstanding reserve team members and providing supplementary information. Perhaps we can get some clues and have a chance to salvage the situation."

Her words were subtle, but the meaning was clear—she could use the Xie family's influence to try and mediate for him.

Wei Jing's heart raced instantly, a complex mix of gratitude, excitement, and a sense of "I knew it!" welling up inside him.

Yes, how could he forget that the person in front of him was the little princess of the Xie family!

The Xie family is such a behemoth, with such far-reaching connections and influence in all walks of life. Solving this little matter of his might really just be a matter of a single sentence.

The frustration I felt at Professor Kong's place this morning seems to have found a way to vent and retaliate.

What can those so-called old scholars with some connections do in the face of real power?