Chapter 109: Evidence! A Resounding Slap in the Face!

At that moment, all the parents turned their eyes toward Gu Ci, utterly perplexed.

One of them, a parent whose child had been bullied on the surveillance footage, arrogantly proclaimed, emboldened by the number of people behind her, “How do you intend to explain this to us? An apology? Let me tell you, it’s far too late for an apology now!”

Her words were met with nods of agreement from several other parents.

The school board members breathed a slight sigh of relief. If Gu Ci was willing to back down, it would be the best outcome.

Everyone assumed Gu Ci was about to apologize—everyone except the principal, who remained calm and measured, sensing that the situation was far more complicated.

In his experience, this little troublemaker was never one to swallow her pride quietly.

Gu Ci lowered her head, took out her phone, and opened a black app, then pulled up two audio recordings from different timeframes.

She played the first recording.

“Aren’t you just a bumpkin from the countryside? How dare you talk to us like that?”

“Sorry to break it to you, Gu Ci, but looks like you’ll have to wait until next week to taste the city’s famous salt-and-pepper ribs and squirrel fish.”

“Maybe you won’t get to taste it next week either! It’s quite sad—growing up without ever having tried salt-and-pepper ribs or sweet and sour mandarin fish!”

The familiar voices playing from Gu Ci’s phone turned some parents’ faces pale and flushed in rapid succession.

When they had questioned their children earlier, the accounts had been completely different.

Some parents who did not recognize these voices frowned. “Who are these people? Why are the students at No. 1 High School behaving like this? How can our children attend school peacefully under such circumstances?”

Immediately, the parents who recognized their children’s voices grew even more sullen.

Principal Ji smiled wryly. “This parent is right. We have indeed been negligent in the moral education of some students in Class 1.”

Hearing this, those parents still unaware of the full situation grew suspicious.

“Principal, are you sure there’s no mistake? We’re talking about students from Class 12—what does Class 1 have to do with this?”

Their own children were also in Class 1.

Feigning surprise, Principal Ji replied, “Don’t you know? The students you mentioned earlier are from Class 1. The ones being bullied are actually two students from Class 12—one of whom is Gu Ci.”

Upon hearing this, the parents’ expressions darkened further, and those who had been in the dark felt an uneasy flush rise to their faces.

This was a scenario they had never even considered.

Upon reflection, they realized that the arrogant voices in the recording had repeatedly mentioned Gu Ci’s name, clearly indicating they were not on her side.

Coupled with the surveillance footage, some parents could even lip-read and align the interactions between the two groups.

At that moment, Gu Ci played the second audio recording.

This recording corresponded to the incident where Gu Ci and others from Class 12 had cornered the students from Class 1 at the school building entrance.

To make the situation clearer, the corresponding surveillance footage was simultaneously displayed on the large screen.

As everyone watched a girl in the footage raise a video recording, the voice of Duan Jingyi came through.

“Sorry, Gu Ci. I apologize for what happened earlier… Please don’t make things difficult for the students in our class…”

“Sorry, it’s my fault for causing trouble…”

“Cousin, please don’t incite the students of Class 12 anymore… Just don’t target Jingyi and our classmates…”

Hearing Duan Jingyi’s weak voice in the recording, followed by Gu Ziran’s plaintive pleas, many parents instantly felt morally superior once again and began to reproach Gu Ci.

“We have video and audio evidence now. What excuse do you have left?”

“You say you’re not bullying anyone, so what are the videos and recordings showing?”

“You can’t claim she’s the one at fault, which is why she apologized, can you? Yet this girl is so weak—why can’t you forgive her? Typical bumpkin from the countryside, so petty!”

“Exactly! They’re classmates, yet you insist on being unreasonable! Inciting your own classmates to corner others—how can someone so young be so cruel?”

Hearing these accusations, the former disciplinary director’s face twisted with conflicting emotions.

He remembered that day well—the students had accused Gu Ci and Class 1 just as these parents were doing now.

As he thought it over, his expression shifted repeatedly, doubting his own decisions once again.

Gu Ci scoffed, ignoring the parents’ shouting, and continued playing the next recording.

This recording captured the events following Gu Ci’s call to Duan Jingyi, made from Gu Ziran’s phone.

The surveillance footage was synchronized with this part as well.

Suddenly, in the minds of all the parents, the voice of the once feeble girl rang out again from the recording.

But unlike before, her voice was no longer weak; it was filled with arrogance and triumph.

“Ziran, your plan really worked!”

“Is Gu Ci that bitch getting scolded by everyone?”

Hearing this, many parents felt their earlier goodwill had been utterly betrayed.

So this girl had been deceiving them all along?

Their heads buzzed, nearly overwhelmed with anger.

Meeting Gu Ci’s clear, cold gaze, they wished for a hole to hide in.

Yet, they had come to the school today, and there was no way they would allow a student to walk away without an apology.

Among those gathered, many held certain social standings; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare confront a century-old institution like No. 1 High School so boldly.

Their minds raced, quickly connecting the dots: their initial concern sprang from the school’s change in disciplinary director.

Then they discovered this troublemaker student in Class 12 and thought it fitting to have her expelled, providing their own children a better learning environment.

Regaining their confidence, the parents pressed on.

“Fine. We’ll set the student issue aside for now, but we certainly have the right to question the disciplinary director’s appointment, don’t we?”

“Why did the school replace the original disciplinary director and appoint the homeroom teacher of Class 12 instead? What kind of students is she supposed to produce? This is nonsense!”

Jin Jiejiao’s face twisted into a bitter smile.

She had planned to return the position to the original director after a while but hadn’t anticipated this turn of events.

However, as long as Gu Ci was unharmed, she no longer pursued other disputes.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward…