Around 7:50, the students from one class had almost all arrived.
Huang Bin seized the opportunity while the teacher was still absent, walked to the podium, and tapped the desk to draw everyone's attention.
"Last night, something happened in our class, and I think it's necessary to mention it here," Huang Bin cleared his throat and deliberately glanced at Ye Qing before slowly recounting how his money had been stolen.
Of course, during this narrative, he also mentioned that he was the last to leave and Wang Tiezhu was the first to enter the classroom. Without a doubt, after hearing his words, everyone looked toward Wang Tiezhu. Almost unanimously, they concluded that Wang Tiezhu was the thief—after all, he was the poorest student in class and his shabby attire made him the most likely suspect.
Wang Tiezhu hung his head low, his face flushed red, feeling inferior and ashamed. In this luxurious city, in this nationally renowned educational institution, he had never felt a shred of camaraderie from his classmates, having grown accustomed to their contemptuous stares.
"Do we even need to say it? Of course, it was him who stole!" a student with long hair blurted out.
"Exactly, who else could it be?"
"I've had a few things stolen too, looks like it was him all along!"
Huang Bin stood on the podium, silent. This was the reaction he had hoped for.
"What are you all even talking about!" Lin Huayu was the first to object, indignantly stating, "You say he stole, do you have any evidence? Without evidence, that's just slander. I might as well say it was you who stole!"
No one dared to contradict Lin Huayu. Long Hair awkwardly smiled and said, "Miss Lin, isn't it obvious? Bin Zi was the last to leave last night, and Wang Tiezhu was the first here this morning. If it wasn't him who took the money, are you suggesting Bin Zi is deceiving us?"
Lin Huayu responded, "The way you put it, it's as if no one could have entered the classroom at night."
Long Hair replied, "Miss Lin, who among our classmates would need that small amount of money? Aside from Wang Tiezhu, who else would do such a thing?"
"Yes, we might not be as wealthy as Miss Lin's family, but two hundred yuan isn't something we'd fuss over."
"Exactly, Miss Lin, please don't compare us to that beggar!"
"Two hundred yuan, if thrown at me, wouldn't I even glance at it? Saying we stole, Miss Lin, are you treating everyone like beggars?"
The speakers were mostly girls, who held no real grudges against Wang Tiezhu. In fact, they were more envious of Lin Huayu. Now that they had the chance, they naturally took a few digs at her.
When it came to arguments, Lin Huayu, a pampered rich girl from birth, was no match for these girls who were constantly jealous and competed both openly and secretly. She grew furious from their remarks but didn't know how to retort.
"All this talk is meaningless, let's speak with facts!" Ye Qing stood up and said, "I've already called the police, and they will contact the university to review the surveillance near the academic building. If it wasn't Tiezhu who stole it, then surely someone else entered the classroom last night. Once we find out who it was, everything will be clear!"
Huang Bin hadn't expected Ye to call the police, and he was also taken aback. Was a matter over two hundred yuan worth calling the police?
Upon hearing Ye Qing's words, the class became even more uproarious.
"Right, we should call the police, we need to catch this thief!" a male student exclaimed while giving Wang Tiezhu a fierce look.
"People like that deserve legal punishment, catch him and then notify the university to expel him!"
"Yes, we need to drive this kind of person out of our university and restore peace!"
The crowd clamored loudly, all eager to catch the thief.
Ye Qing paid no attention to the uproar. After making his earlier statement, he had been observing everyone's reactions. His suspicions eventually settled on Long Hair, who had been the first to speak up. When Ye Qing mentioned calling the police, a flicker of panic crossed Long Hair's face. Although he hid it well, he couldn't escape Ye Qing's discerning eyes.
Moreover, Long Hair had quieted down a lot and wasn't targeting Wang Tiezhu as explicitly as before.
At that moment, Ye Qing was somewhat confident that Long Hair had stolen the money. However, he pretended as if he hadn't noticed anything, waiting for the noise to subside before adding, "Huang Bin's money was marked, which is a crucial piece of evidence."
The crowd grew even more agitated, now even more convinced they could catch the thief. Long Hair's complexion changed, and his right hand involuntarily reached into his pocket, confirming to Ye Qing where he had hidden the money.
"However, we are all classmates, and mistakes are sometimes inevitable. So, I hope everyone can give him a chance," Ye Qing paused, then continued, "I hope that by this evening, before school lets out, this classmate will return the money to Huang Bin's seat. If it is returned, we won't pursue the matter further. If not, we will have to let the police handle it."
"This person doesn't deserve a chance!" a girl protested angrily.
A boy shook his head and said, "I think Ye is right. We are all classmates; why should we be so ruthless? Making mistakes in a moment of impulse is unavoidable. Acknowledging and correcting a mistake is the right approach."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and while most people agreed with Ye Qing's actions, a small minority did not. However, Ye Qing did not care about these discussions, as he was intently watching Long Hair, making sure he didn't transfer the money elsewhere.
Long Hair seemed uneasy, and it looked like he had likely taken the money.
The second class was held in a large lecture hall, and halfway through it, Ye Qing noticed Long Hair, taking the opportunity while others weren't paying attention, to quietly slip out the back door.
Ye Qing patted Lin Huayu on the shoulder and also slipped out quietly through the back door, unnoticed by others. He followed Long Hair, who sneaked back to their department's classroom looking suspiciously around before slipping in. Seeing no one around, he sneaked into the classroom, went up to Wang Tiezhu's desk in the corner, and shoved two hundred yuan inside it.
He was clever enough to use tape to stick the money under the desk, making it hard to find unless one searched thoroughly.
Ye Qing, who followed behind, witnessed the whole process, his expression growing gradually colder. Actually, if he had searched Long Hair before the morning class, he could have found the money on him. Ye Qing had not done so because he wanted to give him a chance to realize and correct his mistake.
Unbelievably, Long Hair not only did not reform but also intensified his tactics by hiding the money in Wang Tiezhu's desk, obviously intending to frame him.
In Ye Qing's eyes, theft was not an unforgivable crime. However, stealing and then trying to frame someone else was unforgivable.
Luckily, Ye Qing had borrowed Lin Huayu's phone, which had a camera feature, and he had recorded Long Hair's actions. Before Long Hair noticed anything, Ye Qing returned to the large lecture hall, and throughout the entire process, hardly a few people knew he had left.
After sorting everything out, Long Hair also slipped back into the lecture hall, looking utterly relieved. He seemed to believe that he was completely disconnected from the incident now.
Before the first class in the afternoon when most students had arrived, everyone was still buzzing, and more people were asking Huang Bin whether the money had been returned. On receiving a negative reply from Huang Bin, most were indignant and clamored to harshly punish the thief.
Among them, Long Hair was the loudest, clamoring to cut off the thief's hands. Now, feeling no guilt with the stolen goods not on him.
Ye Qing coldly observed him, his impression of Long Hair plummeting to an all-time low. Framing others was bad enough, but being so brazen about it was even worse!
"Since everyone is so eager to find out who the thief is, let's find him right now!" Ye suddenly stood up and strode toward Wang Tiezhu.
All the classmates watched Ye Qing, with some beginning to whisper, "Look, I told you it was him, Ye is going over to him."
"If not him, who else could it be? Who in our class needs that little amount of money?"
"I really didn't expect it, after how much Ye trusted him!"
"Pshaw, do you think Ye is some kind of saint? He makes mistakes in judgment too."
The crowd constantly discussed, having mostly concluded that Wang Tiezhu was the thief. Wang Tiezhu's face flushed with surprise as he looked at Ye Qing approaching, completely unaware of what was happening.
Ye Qing did not speak, but bent down and tore the money taped under Wang Tiezhu's desk.
Seeing this money, the class gasped in shock, and some even stood up, angrily exclaiming, "I told you it was him!"
"Call the police! This needs to be reported to the police!"
"Expel him from the school, such people don't deserve to be in our Shenchuan University!"
The noise continued relentlessly, Huang Bin even more smug, casting a sideways glance at Ye Qing. Today, both Ye Qing and Lin Huayu had backed Wang Tiezhu, but now that the money had been found with him, he was curious to see how Ye would explain this.
Wang Tiezhu was even more stunned; he knew he was innocent. Yet, he never imagined that the money would be found in his own desk. What... what was going on?
Ye Qing took the money to Huang Bin and asked, "Is this your money?"
Huang Bin inspected the money and angrily declared, "It is my money, it really was him who stole it!"
As this was declared, the class erupted in uproar. Long Hair, more agitated, grabbed a chair and pointed it at Wang Tiezhu, bellowing, "Beat him!"
A few people by Wang Tiezhu stood up, staring at him with hostility. Most in the class bore the same expression, looking ready to pounce and beat Wang Tiezhu the moment someone led the charge.
"Go, beat him!" Long Hair, taking the lead, grabbed the chair and rushed forward.
He had only taken a few steps when Ye Qing suddenly reached out, grabbed his collar, and slammed him down onto Huang Bin's desk.
"What are you doing?" Long Hair exclaimed in surprise, loudly protesting, "You're still protecting him at this time? What, are you in league with him?"