"Yes, that's correct. You've blemished the school's reputation by raising doubt in society about our practices. Many parents have lodged complaints about this," said the Vice-principal sternly as he explained the gravity of the matter.

He had chosen to close one eye on account of the Principal, but he did not expect gossip to spread so rampantly on campus. Now it was impossible for him to cover it up.

"It's partly my fault. I thought it was inappropriate when the new school term started. If I knew it would cause such a commotion, I would never have... Sigh!" Wei Mingzhe exhaled with a look of remorse on his face.

Chen Yu glanced at Huo Yao as she stood among them, isolated and helpless. Although it was wrong to pull strings to get into the school, Chen Yu knew that Huo Yao had a great temperament and a positive learning attitude after getting to know her and observing her for so long.

This kid was the one who suffered suspicion, became the center of gossip, and kept getting judged by her peers.

After staying silent for a few seconds, Chen Yu said, "Since it has already happened, there's no point blaming anyone. We should focus on thinking about how to kill the gossip."

The Vice-principal sneered and asked her. "How can we make the gossip go away? Her parents have no choice but to write a letter of apology and remove her from the school."

The Dean of Students anxiously said, "No, didn't I just explain things to everyone? Huo Yao didn't enter the school using a backdoor. Why won't you believe me?"

Since they started discussing the matter of Huo Yao joining the school using a backdoor, he kept helping her clarify the matter. But the Vice-principal unexpectedly failed to believe him and insisted on calling Huo Yao over to the office.

"If Huo Yao didn't enter the school by using her connections, why is gossip spreading so wildly in school? How can you choose to continue covering up for the Principal now that things have come to this?"

The Vice-principal looked at the Dean bitterly and seemed disappointed by his attitude.

The Dean frowned when he heard his words. Then he said, "Cover up for the Principal? Sir, what are you driving at?"

"I always thought that the Principal was a fair and just man..." said the Vice-principal as he glanced at Huo Yao and sneered. "But I didn't think he would end up doing something stupid."

Although he didn't explicitly state that the Principal was the one who let Huo Yao enter the school, everyone present got his drift.

The Dean seemed to catch on too. Then he angrily burst out laughing as he said, "Sir, although the Principal isn't in town, isn't it wrong to slander him?"

The Vice-principal's expression froze. He had always loathed the Principal's lofty attitude. Now that the opportunity presented itself, he was certainly going to kick him hard, but he did not expect the Dean to be so blatant with his words.

"Hehe, am I slandering him? Do you think I've nothing better to do than to risk the school's reputation? Since I'm the vice-principal, do you think I can avoid accountability for it?"

The Vice-principal was furious.

In an instant, the atmosphere became awkward.

Wei Mingzhe looked at them both and pondered briefly. Then he said, "Sir, the Vice-principal isn't targeting the Principal. Weren't you the one who said Huo Yao was the Principal's relative on the first day of school?"

The Dean of Students looked at Wei Mingzhe perplexedly and said, "When did I ever say Huo Yao was the Principal's relative? Wei Mingzhe, you better watch your tongue!"