PTCQT Chapter 18

“Xu Ze, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I stole it? Do you have any proof?” Wang Pengcheng stood up and shouted.

“You did steal it!” Xu Ze stared at him and said. Once the words were out, it seemed he wasn’t quite as afraid of Wang Pengcheng anymore.

“Then tell me, who did I steal it from? You? You think you could come up with a plan like this?” Wang Pengcheng sneered, though he couldn’t quite hide the uncertainty in his voice.

Because the plan really had come from Xu Ze. Even though he couldn’t understand how someone who never dared to speak up could have written it, the moment Wang Pengcheng got his hands on it, he knew it would be praised.

“The plan isn’t mine. It was Shen Chun’s,” Xu Ze said, and as the words left his mouth, he felt a weight lift off his chest.

He had said it. He wasn’t a coward. He wasn’t that despicable.

But that one sentence drew startled looks from everyone around them. Wang Pengcheng’s eyes filled with panic, though he forced himself to stay calm.  “And what gives you the right to say that?”

Lu Tao turned to Shen Chun, who had been silent the whole time, and asked, “Shen Chun, is this plan yours?”

“It’s mine,” Shen Chun replied.

“That’s impossible! How could your plan end up with Xu Ze?!” Wang Pengcheng blurted out, and the moment he did, he knew he’d made a mistake. Sure enough, the way everyone was looking at him had changed, now their eyes were filled with shock and disgust.

“I knew it, this style is unmistakably Shen Chun’s. Wang Pengcheng’s past proposals weren’t even as good as mine.”

“So he stole it from Xu Ze, huh?”

“You don’t think the last time was stolen from Xu Ze too…”

The crowd buzzed with speculation. Lu Tao frowned and spoke sternly, “Quiet! Shen Chun, why was your proposal with Xu Ze? Do you have the original draft?”

Stealing a classmate’s proposal was no trivial matter. While it didn’t involve money, every proposal laid the foundation for future advancement within the student council. How capable you were determined how far you could go. And theft, no matter who did it, was a serious mark against one’s character.

If this had happened to someone else, the worst for Wang Pengcheng might’ve been getting kicked out of the Student Council. But because it involved Shen Chun, the nature of the incident changed completely. If word got out and things escalated, Wang Pengcheng could be expelled from University A, and once expelled from University A, no other school would take him.

“I sent it to Xu Ze because I wanted to exchange ideas with him,” Shen Chun said, removing a USB drive from his keychain. “The original draft is right here. The upload timestamp is earlier than when I sent it to Xu Ze. Just compare the time and content with Wang Pengcheng’s version, you’ll see the truth.”

Wang Pengcheng stared at the USB in Shen Chun’s hand, his face pale. He knew this might be the end for him, but still clung to the hope that he could stall things a little longer. Maybe Shen Chun was bluffing. “The timestamp on my draft…”

“The President saw me working on this proposal,” Shen Chun said calmly. “If you don’t believe me, we can call him over to confirm it.” He handed the USB drive to Lu Tao.

Lu Tao opened the file and compared it side-by-side with the one Wang Pengcheng had submitted, word for word, they were identical.

“No, no,” Wang Pengcheng looked around at the crowd’s scornful and disdainful gazes, then fixed his eyes on Xu Ze, who was standing there upright and unflinching. Suddenly, anger surged through him and he lunged forward. “Damn it! You set me up on purpose, fuck you!”

His sudden outburst knocked over several tables and chairs, causing the quietly seated students to instinctively stand and step back. Xu Ze, facing Wang Pengcheng’s flushed, angry face, also instinctively took a step back.

Since coming to this school and living in the same dorm, Xu Ze had always been bullied and humiliated by this guy. Even resisting was useless. He wasn’t without resentment, but there was nothing he could do. Deep down, he was still afraid. Instinctively, he grabbed the chair behind him.

Just as he was about to raise it, the fierce and aggressive Wang Pengcheng suddenly seemed to be pushed violently from behind. He crashed into a table and tumbled to the ground, groaning and unable to get up.

Behind him, Shen Chun stepped down and stood still, then glanced at Xu Ze’s hand gripping the chair. Xu Ze instinctively loosened his grip, his mind blank. He had been ready to swing the chair if Wang Pengcheng really attacked him. A chair could hurt someone badly or just a little, but if things went too far, his entire future would be ruined.

Although he disliked Wang Pengcheng, Xu Ze had no intention of hurting him, let alone causing serious injury or death.

Xu Ze shuddered from the close call, while Shen Chun looked to Lu Tao and asked, “Director, how should we handle this?”

“He definitely can’t stay in the Student Council,” Lu Tao said, his expression complicated as he looked at Wang Pengcheng lying on the ground. “As for everything else, I’ll report this behavior to the school.”

What unsettled Lu Tao even more was the strength behind Shen Chun’s kick and the cold, expressionless look on his face in that moment. It wasn’t the gaze of a fellow student disgusted by a peer, it was more like looking at a lifeless object with complete indifference. It sent a chill through Lu Tao’s heart.

This junior, Shen Chun, was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

“Alright, Director, you handle it,” Shen Chun said with a slight smile. “I don’t think today’s meeting will continue. I’ll be heading out.”

“Okay, everyone, let’s wrap it up,” Lu Tao said.

Lu Tao let out a quiet sigh. Today’s incident wasn’t something that could be easily covered up. Wang Pengcheng… was finished.

In fact, things turned out exactly as Lu Tao had feared, if not worse.

Shen Chun was extremely popular at University A, with a wide network of connections. Any news involving him spread quickly, especially something as serious as having his proposal stolen.

Not to mention students from University A, people from other schools also expressed extreme disgust at Wang Pengcheng’s behavior.

“Stealing someone else’s proposal and claiming it as your own, how did a person like that even get into University A? Did they cheat on the entrance exam or something?”

“Looks like a high education level doesn’t necessarily mean high moral standards.”

“Having people like that at University A is a slap in the face to the school. And this was just the ones who got caught, there are probably more who didn’t. Honestly, expulsion would be the best solution.”

“If University A doesn’t take action, all we can feel is disappointment.”

“I always knew student councils were messy organizations. I thought it was just our school, but turns out University A is no different.”

“You can’t generalize though, at least this time the truth came out.”

“Really a rotten apple, ruining the whole bunch.”

“I heard he even cracked the password of a dormmate’s computer to steal it.”

“A high-tech crime, huh? If a person like that learns even more, imagine the trouble they could cause society.”

The controversy only kept growing, attracting attention from outside the school as well. The university responded quickly.

Expulsion.

The reason: violation of personal privacy, with extremely serious consequences.

This outcome satisfied everyone, and amid a chorus of insults, Wang Pengcheng dragged his luggage and left University A’s campus.

At the same time, a knock sounded on the door of Dorm 306 where Shen Chun lived. Xie Baiyuan paused his writing, exchanged a glance with Shen Chun, and got up to open the door.

On either side of the door, Xie Baiyuan and Xu Ze faced each other. Xu Ze was cautious, even more nervous upon seeing Xie Baiyuan’s figure. “…President.”

“Is there something you need?” Xie Baiyuan frowned as he looked at the young man standing before him.

Ever since he declined to accompany Xu Ze last time, the young man still appeared around him from time to time. Sometimes it was just a few seats away in the library, other times relaying messages between departments, or quietly finishing his meal and giving up his seat in the cafeteria when there was nowhere else to sit. None of it felt like intentional intrusion.

Xu Ze wasn’t the only one behaving this way, and Xie Baiyuan didn’t have much to say about it. Before he had a partner, such actions didn’t bother him. But now, with someone special in his life, he didn’t want his life disturbed, nor did he want others wasting time on him. That’s why his tone was especially cold when he spoke.

Xu Ze was taken aback by Xie Baiyuan’s cold tone and became even more cautious. Reminding himself that he wasn’t here to bother Xie Baiyuan, he raised the bag in his hand and forced a smile. “President, I’m here to see Shen Chun, to thank him.”

Xie Baiyuan, of course, had heard about what happened. But before he could say anything, Wang Pengcheng had already been disciplined by the school, and naturally, Xu Ze was involved. Shen Chun’s actions were clearly meant to help the person standing before him.

Almost instinctively, Xie Baiyuan stepped aside to block Xu Ze’s gaze from reaching Shen Chun. But before Xu Ze could turn away, someone pressed down on his shoulder from behind, and a familiar voice sounded in his ear: “Looking for me?”

The two of them stood together, both dressed in comfortable, loose clothing and slippers. Shen Chun’s arm rested intimately on Xie Baiyuan’s shoulder. Standing next to Xie Baiyuan, who always kept his back perfectly straight, Shen Chun appeared relaxed and casual, but without a trace of laziness.

Just as many people said, when they stood together, it was definitely more than just one plus one.

Xu Ze felt a little awkward. “Right, I came to thank you for helping me last time. Here, this fruit is for you.”

He was used to being frugal. Even though getting into University A came with plenty of rewards, he still didn’t spend money on luxury items like other students. He didn’t understand those things and always felt food was a better value. But even when giving fruit as a gift, he chose only the best.

“Helping you? You mean that time you brought mooncakes to the President?” Shen Chun glanced at Xie Baiyuan’s tightly pressed lips and smiled softly as he asked.

Xie Baiyuan’s slight irritation instantly shifted to a sense of guilt.

He didn’t know why he felt guilty… he just did.

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