After class, Ryder came out of the classroom with a frown.
Seeing him, I instantly became much more obedient and apologized to him first, "I'm sorry, sir."
Ryder stared at me with dissatisfaction. "This is your first warning. If you mess up again, don't bother showing up to my class—just plan on retaking it."
"Yes, sir." Watching Ryder leave, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Amelia came out of the classroom and, seeing my distressed expression, immediately asked, "How did it go? What did Ryder say? Did he punish you?"
I shook my head. "He just warned me. If I make another mistake, I'll have to retake the class."
Wesley snorted, "Serves you right. Who told you to be late for class?"
I was left speechless by his remark. This was partly Howard's fault. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have lost track of time and been late.
Not in the mood to argue with Wesley, I hooked my arm around Amelia's shoulder and whispered pitifully in her ear, "Amelia, do you have any food? I'm so hungry."
Seeing my pitiful look, Amelia raised her hand to ruffle my hair and smiled. "Let's go. I have a piece of bread in my bag. You can't be late for the next class."
I immediately nodded and followed her into the classroom.
I didn't tell Howard that Luna had come to see me, but I didn't expect her to be so persistent. The next day at noon, when I saw her in the infirmary, I was both surprised and helpless, thinking she was really persistent.
I paused at the door, standing there without entering.
Then Howard looked at me with a cold gaze. "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come in quickly."
I glanced at Luna and whispered, "It's okay. I'll wait for you outside."
Just as I was about to leave, Howard strode over and pulled me into the room. "Just come in. It's so cold outside. What if you catch a cold?"
Howard's care made me feel warm inside, but Luna seemed to be unable to stand it. She deliberately said loudly, "Dr. Smith, I'm still here."
Howard didn't even bother to look at her, his tone indifferent and devoid of any emotion. "I already examined you. You're not sick at all."
Luna seemed not to have expected him to expose her so directly, and her face showed a hint of embarrassment. "Am I not aware of my own discomfort? As the school doctor, how can you be so negligent in your duties?" Her tone had already become somewhat arrogant.
I knew she was displeased with me, but Howard was getting caught in the crossfire.
"Forget it, you should go check on her. Don't offend her." To avoid making things difficult for Howard, I pushed him gently and whispered.
"Don't worry about her. It's my break time now." Howard said.
Seeing that Howard was still standing with me at the door, Luna became very angry. She suddenly stood up from her chair and pointed at Howard. "Do you know who my uncle is? How dare you treat me like this? I'll make sure my uncle gets you fired."
Luna's uncle was the dean of our school . I had heard this from others gossiping. Her uncle really had the power to get Howard fired.
Howard looked at her indifferently. "Do as you please."
"Fine, just you wait." Luna had never been so humiliated. She couldn't take it and screamed, then rushed past me and ran out of the infirmary.
I was almost knocked over by her, but fortunately, Howard caught me, preventing me from falling. His expression was a bit tense. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head, suddenly feeling that we might have gone too far; after all, Luna hadn't really done anything. "She won't really let her uncle get you fired, will she?"
Howard shrugged indifferently and sat down by the chair. "I don't care."
After finishing my meal in the infirmary, I hesitated before asking about Matthew. "Tomorrow makes it three days. Do you think Ivy will figure it out?"
I was a bit unsure; Ivy didn't seem like someone to mess with.
Seeing Howard's strange look, I quickly explained, "I'm just worried. Don't overthink it."
Seemingly satisfied with my explanation, he snorted, "Don't worry. If she doesn't figure it out in three days, I'll make the decision for her."
I immediately gave a thumbs-up and showered them with praise. "Great. With you around, I don't have to worry at all."
Howard could never resist my compliments. He raised his hand to ruffle my hair. "Take a nap on the bed in the infirmary for a bit; otherwise, you'll be too wiped out for the afternoon classes."
I nodded and rested in the infirmary before heading to the classroom.
However, as soon as I entered the classroom, I would hear some shocking news.
Amelia saw me and quickly walked over, pulling me to a corner. "Karena, is Howard okay?"
I was taken aback and asked, "What happened? He was fine when I left."
Seeing that I was clueless, Amelia stomped her foot in frustration. "At noon today, a girl attempted suicide after her confession was rejected, and now she has been taken to the hospital."
I was immediately startled. "Who is it?"
"Luna. She even left a suicide note, which involves Howard. I thought you came from infirmary and would have seen the school's investigation team." Amelia said.
I was shocked by this unexpected news. "What does this have to do with Howard? If she confessed and Howard didn't accept, is that his fault?" Perhaps my voice was a bit too loud, for people around me began to cast their gazes in my direction.
Amelia tugged on my arm, signaling me to lower my voice. "Howard is working in the school. With such a big incident, the school will definitely give him trouble."
This was the sort of incident that universities feared most; Howard found it impossible to offer a satisfactory explanation this time.
I couldn't help but get a bit angry. I had thought Luna would use some underhanded means to force Howard to resign, but didn't expect her to use this tactic. If public opinion stirred up, it would definitely be detrimental to Howard.
"He's completely innocent in this matter; how could the school respond in such a way?" I asked, feeling a surge of anger welling up within me.
"If the school doesn't find a scapegoat, this thing could blow up. Once the cops start investigating, the administration is definitely going to face some heat." Wesley said calmly.
Hearing his words, I finally understood the school was looking for a scapegoat.