Chapter 87: Your Days of Good Fortune Are Over

Shen Chutang fixed her gaze coldly on Shen Tingting. "I suggest you remember one thing: here, I am your teacher. Do you need me to teach you how to show proper respect?" Her voice was sharp. "If you dare speak to me again with that attitude, I’ll make you stand under the national flag and deliver a public apology every Monday from now on."

As she spoke, Shen Chutang’s eyes swept over Qian Zihan and the others nearby. "Would you all like to join her?"

The group shrank back at once.

These girls, all top students from Class A and B, had only come along with Shen Tingting to watch the commotion. Now, confronted with Shen Chutang’s words, a flicker of fear crossed their faces.

They had always been high achievers; when had they ever stood under the national flag to be criticized in front of the whole school?

A few of the more timid ones immediately apologized to Shen Chutang. "Sorry, Teacher Shen!"

Beside them, Shen Tingting gritted her teeth in frustration. This was school—the principal would surely cover for her. Still, she was eager to see just how long Shen Chutang’s authority would last.

When Shen Chutang entered the office, she found several teachers huddled together, whispering over a phone.

"Impossible! Shen’s always so quiet—how could she do something like this?"

"Don’t be fooled by appearances," someone else muttered. "Some girls are two completely different people in public and private."

Zhu Yongmei lowered her voice. "I always thought Teacher Shen wasn’t as gentle as she seemed. Did you see her face when she handled that student conflict? Tsk, tsk—no way she’s some delicate young lady."

As soon as Shen Chutang walked in, the conversation died abruptly.

She frowned, and before she could even sit down, the principal summoned her to his office.

The principal looked at Shen Chutang, hesitating as if unsure how to begin.

Impatient, Shen Chutang broke the silence. "Just say it. What happened? I have work to do."

At last, the principal handed her his phone. "Teacher Shen, this…"

Unable to continue, he simply passed her the device.

On the screen, the school’s forum showed several photographs. Sensitive areas were pixelated, but Shen Chutang’s face was perfectly clear.

The thread had already surpassed a hundred thousand views, with the number climbing steadily. The headline was sensational: "Shocking! The Dark Side of Our School’s Female Teacher!"

Worse yet, the post claimed Shen Chutang had used her looks to secure a position at the school, landed a guaranteed job through backdoor connections, and was being shielded by the principal. It mentioned that parents had once protested to have her removed, but the principal protected her, allowing her to tyrannize students. The post insisted that Shen Chutang wasn’t even a subject teacher, yet enjoyed a high salary—the very bane of education.

The forum was filled with text and images, stopping just short of outright cursing her by name.

Shen Chutang read through it all, finally realizing that Shen Tingting had set this trap for her.

The principal looked troubled. "Teacher Shen, these photos…"

The images showed little sign of tampering. The principal, unsure whether these were truly from Shen Chutang’s private life, hesitated to comment.

Shen Chutang pushed the phone back to him. "Both the article and the photos are fake. You can call the police."

Relief washed over the principal’s face, and he tried to sound conciliatory. "That’s good. But, Teacher Shen, the IP address shows the posts were sent from the school’s computer lab. They’re just kids. Perhaps we should treat this as a minor issue and have the student council delete the post."

"Besides," he added, "the school anniversary is in a few days. It wouldn’t look good if this escalated."

Shen Chutang looked at him. "Are you sure it can be kept minor?"

Meeting her gaze, the principal suddenly felt unsure. "It… it should be possible."

Shen Chutang let out a soft laugh. "If that’s what you want, I have no objection. But if things spiral beyond your control, you’ll have to answer for it."

She hadn’t argued—quite the opposite, she had agreed readily to his request. And yet, the principal couldn’t shake a chill down his spine.

After Shen Chutang left his office, the school’s official account quickly blocked the forum post and urged all students to "avoid rumors and not believe gossip."

But this response only fueled speculation among some: the principal and Shen Chutang must be hiding something. Otherwise, why not investigate the poster? Why simply ignore it?

Watching the growing number of questioning posts on the forum, Shen Tingting’s smile grew more triumphant.

Shen Chutang, your good days are over!

She still had the original, uncensored photos. When the school anniversary arrived, with all teachers, students, and parents present, she would reveal Shen Chutang’s scandal to the world. Let’s see if the principal can protect her then!