Leo comforted Nora again before hanging up the phone. He then booked a flight directly to the capital for tomorrow morning on his mobile.
At the art university in the capital, Lucy, with her hair tied in a ponytail, hurriedly made her way towards school while burying her head down. It seemed as though she was running away from something.
As soon as Lucy reached the school gates, several girls blocked her path.
“Lucy, why are you running so fast? Are you trying to make money by doing that kind of business?” one of them said mockingly.
“I can’t believe it! You’re supposed to be a good student in our teacher’s eyes but secretly doing such things,” another girl chimed in.
“If you need money, we can give you hundreds or thousands. Why lower yourself like this?” yet another girl added.
“Oh yeah! I heard your mom is working as a maid just so that she can support your education. That must be tough.”
These girls and Lucy were classmates, but their relationship was not very good.
Recently, rumors about Lucy had been circulating in the school, so they found an opportunity to kick her while she was down, hoping to use it to drive Lucy out of school.
“My mom’s occupation has nothing to do with you. Please step aside!” Lucy angrily said.
“Lucy, I advise you not to leave the school. The school is currently having a meeting regarding your situation. They might even expel you. If you leave during this controversy, it will confirm the rumors of being a prostitute,” one of the girls said.
“Yeah, you don’t need to be in such a hurry to make money. Wait until this blows over,” another girl added.
“Maybe she’s so poor now that she can’t even afford to eat without going out with clients. Is she going to starve herself?” someone else chimed in.
The group of girls mocked Lucy without restraint, their words filled with insults.
Lucy’s expression darkened. She knew she was being framed, and these rumors were completely baseless.
“Lucy, I have a video here. Do you want to take a look?” one of the girls took out her phone and opened a video.
Although there was some distance, Lucy could still see the content of the video.
The video showed her in the dormitory, changing clothes.
“If I were to upload this video on the campus internet, do you think it would cause a sensation?” the girl with the phone said with an evil smile.
Although the video was secretly recorded, if it were to be uploaded to the campus internet, her innocence would be completely destroyed.
Without hesitation, Lucy rushed forward to snatch the phone.
But before she could get close to the girl with the phone, another girl grabbed Lucy’s ponytail and pulled her to the ground.
“Lucy, look how pathetic you are. I’ll give you a chance. If you behave obediently, I’ll delete the video. How about that?” the girl with the phone said smugly.
“Okay, as long as you delete the video, I’ll do anything you want,” Lucy said with a pale face.
“That’s what you said. I didn’t force you.” The girl with the phone thought for a moment and said, “Kneel down, admit that you’re a worthless person, and let me take a photo. How about that?”
Lucy wasn’t a fool. Once a photo of her kneeling down was used by someone with ill intentions and posted online with a caption, her reputation would be ruined and she wouldn’t be able to clear her name from those rumors.
“Why are you doing this to me when we have no grudges? What did I do to deserve this?” Lucy asked.
“A worthless person like you is a cockroach that everyone hates. You’ve tarnished our school’s reputation. I’m just punishing you. Do I need any other reason?” The girl with the phone looked at Lucy with disdain. In her eyes, Lucy was nothing more than a lowly creature.
Lucy shook her head and sat helplessly on the ground. If she didn’t agree to their demands, the video would be spread on the internal network, and it would destroy her. But if she took a photo while kneeling down, it could also be used against her, preventing her from clearing her name.
What should she do?
Lucy felt the most desperate moment of her life because no matter what choice she made, her life would be plunged into the abyss.
As she sobbed with her head lowered, Lucy saw a pair of men’s legs approaching her.
After seeing the person’s face clearly, Lucy’s expression revealed a look of relief, as if a drowning person had seen a strong arm.
“Who are you, and what’s your relationship with her?” The girl holding the phone looked disdainfully at the newcomer.
She wanted a knight in shining armor to save her, but she should take a good look at herself first.
“Leo!” Lucy stood up from the ground and eagerly grabbed Leo’s arm.
Leo asked, “What happened?”
“She has a video of me changing clothes on her phone. She secretly filmed it,” Lucy pointed at the girl with the phone and said.
Leo’s gaze hardened, and he coldly said, “Give me the phone.”
“Who do you think you are? If I want to give it to you, I will. What can you do to me?” The girl raised her head arrogantly, displaying a defiant attitude.
Leo suddenly reached out and grabbed the girl’s throat, his voice icy, “Say it again. Give me the phone!”
The girl never expected Leo to get physical with her, especially in front of everyone.
“Y-you let go of me. Do you know who I am?” The girl squeezed out those words from between her teeth.
“Who you are doesn’t matter,” Leo pulled the girl towards him, snatched the phone, and threw it on the ground, smashing it under his foot.
“I’ll be at school today. If you have any complaints, you can find me anytime,” Leo left the girl with those words and walked with Lucy into the school.
“Leo, thank you for coming all the way here for my sake,” Lucy expressed gratitude and apology to Leo.
“Tell me, why did the school order you to leave?”
Lucy felt a wave of grievances when she thought about this matter, and tears couldn’t help but stream down her face. “I wanted to lighten my mom’s burden, so I took on a part-time tutoring job. The student was a second-grade girl.”
“Two days ago, when I went to her house for a lesson, only her father was home.”
“Her father made advances towards me, and when I refused, he said he would support me financially. When he was forcing himself on me, his wife happened to come home. He accused me of seducing him, and then his wife caused a scene at school, and the whole incident spread.”
Lucy paused for a moment and continued, “Now everyone in school says I’m a prostitute, and it’s affecting the school’s reputation. That’s why the school wants to expel me. They’re currently having a meeting to decide on this matter.”
Leo smiled and said, “It seems like I arrived at just the right time. Stop crying. Now that I’m here, I won’t let anyone falsely accuse you.”
Earlier this morning, when Leo arrived in the capital, he called Irene to inquire about the Capital Art University.
Interestingly enough, the Capital Art University was a private university fully funded by the Leighton family.
When Irene learned about Leo’s purpose, she immediately decided to help him without hesitation.