Chapter 127: Expelling Lin Xiong from the Academy

"What?" Hou Tianlu’s face was etched with disbelief.

Could it really have been found on a student from his Ruwen Academy?

Lin Xiong began to wail, "This is impossible! This is impossible!"

The crowd turned their heads in unison, all witnessing the moment the page boy pulled the ink stick from Lin Xiong’s pocket.

An uproar erupted instantly.

"So he was the one who stole it!"

"Heh, the Ruwen Academy really has a knack for thieves crying 'stop thief'!"

"To think they even slandered us—this is truly outrageous!"

"Thief!"

Lin Xiong’s face turned deathly pale, and tears streamed down his cheeks in large droplets. "I’m not a thief! I didn’t steal anything! The one who was supposed to be the thief was Lin Yanbei! I clearly had already put the ink..."

"Shut your mouth!" Hou Tianlu snapped, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

If Lin Xiong were to reveal that he had been the one to orchestrate the scheme right in front of the people from Haixing Academy, he would be finished.

"Master Hou, why won't you let him finish?" Lin Sangqian asked coldly. "What, are you afraid he might say something he shouldn't?"

Hou Tianlu sneered, "What else is there to say? Very well, Lin Xiong, so you were the thief all along!"

"I’m not! I, it was clearly you—"

Before Lin Xiong could finish, a figure suddenly rushed in and shouted at him, "Lin Xiong, hold your tongue!"

Everyone looked over to see that it was Lin Shuimei.

In truth, Lin Shuimei had been lurking outside, listening and watching the whole time. When she heard Lin Sangqian’s voice, she knew things had taken a turn for the worse. However, she had never expected that the ink, which should have been on Lin Yanbei, would turn up on Lin Xiong instead.

But now, she could not let Lin Xiong reveal the truth! If he did, both she and Lin Xiong would be cast out by Hou Tianlu.

"Sister!" Lin Xiong cried out, feeling aggrieved.

"Why are you barging in here?" Hou Tianlu asked, glaring at her with displeasure.

The students of Ruwen Academy trembled in fear, while those from Haixing Academy watched the drama with great interest. The moment Lin Shuimei rushed in, Lin Sangqian knew that Lin Xiong was destined to be the scapegoat today.

However, that was precisely her goal. Although Lin Xiong was not the mastermind, he was the one who had carried it out. Since he wanted to frame Lin Yanbei as a thief, she would let him taste what it was like to be one himself.

"I, I heard that Lin Xiong was in trouble, so I rushed in to see..." Lin Shuimei clenched her fists. "Lin Xiong, he—he is still just a child! Please, forgive him this once!"

"Lin Shuimei, isn't that a bit rich coming from you?" Lin Sangqian countered. "He was being incredibly arrogant just a moment ago, completely refusing to admit he was wrong. If he is allowed to continue like this, what kind of person will he become?"

"Lin Sangqian, stop pouring oil on the fire!" Lin Shuimei retorted angrily. "You are neither from Haixing Academy nor Ruwen Academy; what right do you have to—"

"And you?" Lin Yanbei suddenly interrupted. "Which academy are you from?"

Lin Shuimei’s expression stiffened, and she was left speechless. She wasn't even married to Hou Tianlu yet; their relationship was nothing more than an illicit affair. Her position was even more precarious than Lin Sangqian’s.

To make matters worse, Master Huang let out a chuckle, pushing her humiliation to its peak, leaving her unable to find a retort.

Ignoring her, Lin Sangqian turned to the others. "Everyone from Ruwen Academy, think about it. If you have to live alongside a thief every day, can you truly be at ease? If he can steal ink today, he could steal something far more valuable tomorrow!"

"I didn't! I'm not—" Lin Xiong tried to protest, but a glare from Lin Shuimei silenced him instantly.

"The young lady is right!" Master Ge stated. "Master Hou, you surely wouldn't keep such a person in your academy, would you? If you do, I shall have to have a word with the parents of these children."

"You, you all!"

Hou Tianlu was furious, yet he could find no words to argue back. There was only one way out... he had to sacrifice Lin Xiong.

"Of course I will not shield a thief!" Hou Tianlu declared. "From this moment on, Lin Xiong is no longer a student of Ruwen Academy! I am expelling him, and he is never to set foot in this academy again!"

Lin Xiong was completely stunned. With tears still hanging on his face and his mouth agape, he looked both pathetic and comical. He was being kicked out of Ruwen Academy? How would he eat or sleep? Would he starve on the streets?

Lin Shuimei was consumed with resentment, but she had no choice. She could only glare at Lin Sangqian with hatred. It was supposed to be Lin Yanbei who was humiliated today! How did it turn into Lin Xiong?

She was unaware, of course, that Lin Sangqian had slipped the ink onto Lin Xiong while he wasn't looking. He was just a brat, so naturally, he hadn't noticed. And to make it worse, Lin Sangqian was still smiling at her.

In Lin Shuimei's eyes, that smile was blindingly sharp, and she was so angry she nearly lost her composure.

Hou Tianlu waved his hand, and two page boys immediately dragged Lin Xiong away. Lin Xiong kept looking back at Lin Shuimei for help, but she kept her gaze fixed elsewhere, pretending not to see.

"Oh my, I am so sorry. This little interruption has disrupted our plans," Hou Tianlu said with a forced smile. "Master Huang, Master Ge, shall we continue?"

"Wait a moment," Lin Sangqian said with a smile. "There is still one more matter to settle."

"You wretched girl, it's you again..."

Hou Tianlu wanted to lash out, but seeing the members of Haixing Academy staring at him with cold intensity, he swallowed his words.

"My little sister is right," Lin Yanbei said coldly. "Master Hou, you promised to kneel. That is not a matter that can be brushed aside so easily."

"Are you truly going to force someone to kneel!" Hou Tianlu’s face turned blue.

"Since you gave your word, you must fulfill it. Master Hou, we are all educators; surely you wouldn't want to set a bad example for your students?" Master Huang added.

"One way or another, you are going to kneel today," Master Ge said icily. "I don't mind lending you a hand."

Hou Tianlu instinctively stepped back. Master Ge’s expression was terrifying, as if he might pounce and force him to his knees at any moment. Between being forced to the ground and doing it himself, Hou Tianlu chose the latter.

Gritting his teeth, he knelt, but the moment his knees touched the floor, he scrambled back up.

"Are you satisfied now!" he spat through gritted teeth.

The members of Haixing Academy burst into loud laughter. Though it had been brief, it felt incredibly satisfying. That single act of kneeling would be Hou Tianlu’s lifelong shame and would become the laughingstock of the town.

It was unlikely that anyone would dare send their children to Ruwen Academy ever again.

Hou Tianlu’s face was burning red, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. He had truly humiliated himself beyond repair.