However, due to the chaos at the thesis defense, a new post on Nanyang Medical University's campus forum sparked another heated wave of discussion.
Undeniably, the goddess image Jiang Yi had carefully maintained for four years completely collapsed that day.
At the Academic Affairs Office, Director Duan Yuanhui led the three others into his office. The faculty present inside took the hint and quietly filed out one by one.
The spacious office was clean and well-lit, with a calligraphy painting on the wall that read: "A teacher is measured by knowledge, a model by virtue."
With her hands in the pockets of her jeans, Li Qiao followed behind Duan Yuanhui at an unhurried pace, her demeanor indifferent, as if none of this had anything to do with her.
Once the office door was firmly shut, she strode over with her long, slender legs and sat down directly on a single-seat sofa.
Duan Yuanhui glanced at her helplessly, then turned to the flustered Jiang Yi and the still-dazed Lu Wen. "You two sit down as well."
Jiang Yi cast a wary glance at Lu Wen before quickly claiming another single-seat sofa.
Lu Wen gathered herself and sat down on the long sofa near the door. She smoothed her hair and looked at Duan Yuanhui. "Excuse me, you are…?"
Duan Yuanhui leaned back against the desk, one hand casually in his pocket. "I'm the director of the Academic Affairs Office at Nanyang Medical University. I've heard a bit about what happened today. As for your disruption of a student's thesis defense, we'll need to address the impact it had."
He paused, then continued in a measured tone, "We're also deeply sorry and sympathetic about the issues in your marriage. But until the truth is fully understood, I ask that you remain calm."
Though Lu Wen was not yet thirty, faced with Duan's calm and commanding presence, her earlier arrogance diminished significantly. "Director, your university's so-called good student seduced my husband. I need an explanation too."
Duan Yuanhui nodded slightly, his tone neither warm nor cold. "Of course. If there's any misconduct by a student during their time at the university, we won't shy away from responsibility."
"Then tell me—how are you going to handle this?" At his words, Lu Wen straightened her posture and shot a fierce glare at Jiang Yi.
If it weren't for her, Lu Wen wouldn't have made a complete fool of herself in front of the entire school.
Duan Yuanhui turned slightly and picked up the insulated mug from his desk, turning it slowly in his hands. "No rush. Your husband should be arriving soon."
Lu Wen's eyes widened. "You notified my husband?!"
Duan Yuanhui didn't reply. Instead, he cast a subtle glance at Li Qiao, a flicker of helplessness once again flashing in his eyes.
Indeed, someone had notified Lu Wen's husband—but it wasn't the school.
So, what was Li Qiao doing at this very moment?
This little firecracker was lounging comfortably with her long legs crossed, casually sending a WeChat message to Shang Yu.
Since she'd added him on WeChat the previous week, they hadn't messaged each other once.
Their chat screen still sat on the smiling emoji she'd sent right after they became contacts.
Just now, she'd typed a simple message:
"Not happy…"
But before hitting send, she frowned. It felt too whiny, almost like she was pouting.
She quickly deleted the line, then typed another:
"What's Master Yan up to?"
That felt wrong too—like she was prying into his personal life.
After three full minutes of typing, deleting, and second-guessing, Li Qiao gave up and just sent a single emoji:
A [wilted rose].
As the message went out, she leaned her head on one hand and stared at the screen, unmoving.
Roughly ten seconds later, her phone buzzed.
The silence in the chat finally broke.
Shang Yu: What's wrong?