The morning sun streamed into the windows of Class 9, but the atmosphere inside was anything but warm.
Mrs. Lee, the head teacher of the Alpha Stream, stood at the podium, her face twisted in a mask of righteous indignation. She slammed her hand down on the desk, the sharp sound echoing through the silent room.
"Mr. Gordon!" Mrs. Lee barked, her voice shrill. "I told you from the beginning that this student was a mistake! Wolven High is a place of excellence, not a breeding ground for delinquents who think they can solve everything with violence!"
The entire class held its breath. Everyone's gaze shifted to the back row.
Ren was sitting in her usual spot, leaning back against the wall with a book in her hand. She looked utterly unbothered, her expression calm and detached, as if the screaming woman at the front of the room was nothing more than background noise.
Mr. Gordon pushed his glasses up his nose, looking uncomfortable. "Mrs. Lee, please. This might be a misunderstanding. Ren is not an unreasonable student. We should ask for her side of the story first."
"A misunderstanding?" Mrs. Lee scoffed, her eyes flashing with contempt. "What misunderstanding could there be? She beat up a student from my class! A student whose father donated the library! Mr. Gordon, if you don't want to discipline your students, I will. I'm taking this to the Principal, and I expect her parents to be notified immediately!"
She turned to glare at Ren. "Ren! Stand up! Do you have anything to say for yourself? Or are you just going to sit there like a mute?"
Ren finally lowered her book. She looked up, her dark eyes meeting Mrs. Lee's furious gaze. There was no fear in them, only a cold, abyssal indifference.
"Mrs. Lee," Ren said, her voice raspy but clear. "You seem very concerned about your students."
"Of course I am!" Mrs. Lee snapped. "My students are the future Alphas of this city. They are here to study, not to be harassed by trash like you!"
"Is that so?" Ren stood up slowly. She didn't look aggressive, but there was a dangerous aura around her that made the students in the front row shrink back. She pulled out her phone and tossed it onto the desk with a clatter.
"If you want to talk to the Principal," Ren said, "you don't need to go find him. He's on his way."
Mrs. Lee froze. Then she let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "You expect me to believe that? The Principal is a busy man. He doesn't have time for the likes of you. Stop lying to save your skin!"
"What's all this noise?"
A deep, authoritative voice cut through the tension.
Mrs. Lee spun around. Her face went pale.
Walking through the door was Principal Xu. He was an old man, but his presence filled the room instantly. He wore a simple grey suit, but the aura of power radiating from him was unmistakable. He was one of the few people in the city who commanded respect from everyone, regardless of their Pack status.
Behind him walked Xavier, the Student Council President, looking as cold and distant as ever.
"Principal Xu?" Mrs. Lee stammered, her arrogance evaporating instantly. "I... I didn't know you were coming."
Principal Xu ignored her. His gaze swept across the room and landed on Ren.
Ren didn't bow. She didn't look nervous. She just nodded at him, a gesture of equality that shocked everyone in the room.
"Mrs. Lee," Principal Xu said, his voice calm but heavy. "I heard you were shouting. Is there a problem?"
Mrs. Lee swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. "Yes, Principal. This student, Ren... she assaulted a student from my class yesterday. It was a brutal attack. Parents are complaining. I was just telling Mr. Gordon that such behavior cannot be tolerated."
Principal Xu looked at Ren. "Is this true?"
Ren leaned against her desk, crossing her arms. "I did fight her."
The class erupted in whispers. She admitted it!
"See?" Mrs. Lee pointed a shaking finger at Ren. "She admits it! She's a danger to the school! She should be expelled!"
"Mrs. Lee," Ren interrupted, her voice cutting through the noise. "Since you care so much about school violence, why didn't you care when that same student, Jiang Han, was bullying Pan Mingyue for the past year?"
Mrs. Lee blinked. "What?"
"Pan Mingyue," Ren repeated. She pointed to a quiet girl sitting in the corner of the room. "Jiang Han has been extorting money from her, verbally abusing her, and threatening her in the dorms. Every. Single. Day."
Ren took a step forward, her eyes locking onto Mrs. Lee's.
"You knew, didn't you?" Ren asked softly. "But you didn't care. Because Jiang Han's father is rich, and Pan Mingyue is an orphan on a scholarship. Your 'concern' for students is very selective, Mrs. Lee."
The room went deathly silent.
Mrs. Lee's face turned a mottled shade of purple. "That... that's a lie! I never..."
"We can check the surveillance cameras in the hallway," Ren said calmly. "Unless, of course, they coincidentally malfunctioned?"
Principal Xu's expression darkened. He turned to Mrs. Lee. "Is this true?"
"I... I..." Mrs. Lee stammered, sweat beading on her forehead. She looked around for support, but even her own students were looking at her with doubt.
"If this is true," Principal Xu said, his voice dropping an octave, "then it is not Ren who is in trouble. It is you, Mrs. Lee. Negligence of duty and enabling bullying are serious offenses."
Mrs. Lee trembled. She realized she had walked into a trap. She had come here to humiliate Ren, but now she was the one standing on the precipice of ruin.
"I... I will apologize," Mrs. Lee whispered, her voice barely audible. "I didn't investigate thoroughly. Ren... I apologize."
"Don't apologize to me," Ren said, picking up her book again. "Apologize to your profession."
Mrs. Lee fled the room, her heels clicking frantically down the hallway. She didn't look back. It was a total, crushing defeat.
The bell rang for the break.
Joey kicked his chair back and let out a low whistle. "Damn, Ren. That was brutal. You just destroyed the head of the Alpha Stream without even raising your voice."
Ren sat down, opening her book. "She was loud. It was annoying."
Xavier stood by the door, watching her. He had seen many students try to stand up to teachers, but never like this. Ren didn't fight with anger; she fought with precision. She stripped away Mrs. Lee's authority layer by layer until there was nothing left but shame.
"Who is she?" Xavier wondered aloud.
Beside him, Faye clenched her fists. She had come to see Ren get expelled, not to see her become a hero.
"She's just lucky," Faye muttered. "Principal Xu happened to be passing by."
But deep down, she knew it wasn't luck. Ren had summoned him. And that terrified her.
**[Chapter 17 End]**