Chapter 10 Bring in a Lawyer

• The head of the Disciplinary Office looked stern.
• Madeline had just explained their argument, saying that they had a disagreement and Noelle pushed her in anger.
• "Teacher, Noelle probably didn't mean to..."
• The head of the Disciplinary Office glanced at Madeline's disheveled state, then at Noelle, his expression turning disappointed. "Why did you push your classmate?"
• Noelle looked him straight in the eye. "I didn't push her."
• Liam, standing nearby, spoke coldly, "Didn't? And you didn't slap her either?"
• Noelle met Liam's gaze, speaking slowly and clearly, "I slapped her because she framed me. I want to know, did you see me push her?"
• Liam hesitated. He hadn't seen Noelle push Madeline, but he didn't need to; he knew Noelle's reputation.
• But since he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Liam stayed silent.
• The head of the Disciplinary Office asked again, "Why were you two arguing?"
• Madeline spoke softly, "Noelle is my cousin. I heard she has been bullying Nelson, constantly ordering him around, so I wanted to talk to her."
• Nelson was the top student in the entire grade. Despite his poor family background, he was excellent in both attitude and academics and a favorite of the teachers. Hearing that Noelle had been bullying Nelson made the head of the Disciplinary Office even more disappointed. He immediately called for Nelson to come.
• Soon, Nelson knocked and entered.
• The head of the Disciplinary Office asked him directly, "Madeline says Noelle has been bullying you, making you do chores. Is this true?"
• Madeline glanced slightly at Nelson... Nelson remembered the favor he owed her.
• After a moment's pause, Nelson spoke, "She paid me."
• This essentially confirmed that she had been making him run errands.
• The head of the Disciplinary Office's face darkened. He slammed his desk, pointing at Noelle, "You bullied a classmate and even paid him to do chores? Noelle, where did you learn such bad behavior? Go home and write a reflection immediately. Also, have your parents come to school. We must deal with this seriously!"
• The head of the Disciplinary Office was furious. Madeline stood there, appearing somewhat at a loss, but with a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
• At this point, Noelle looked up and asked seriously, "Which specific incident are you referring to, teacher?"
• The head of the Disciplinary Office surprised she would dare ask, became even angrier. Before he could speak, Noelle continued, "I didn't push Madeline. If the school intends to punish me for this, please provide evidence. Otherwise, I won't call my parents; I'll bring in a lawyer."
• The head of the Disciplinary Office was stunned.
• A lawyer?
• Is a student threatening to bring a lawyer?
• He slammed his desk again, "You dare threaten a teacher?"
• "I'm sorry, I don't mean to threaten. But if the school cannot uncover the truth, I have to protect myself legally."
• Noelle pressed her lips together and continued, "If it's about Nelson, I paid him for his work. It was a fair transaction agreed upon by both parties. Unless Nelson thinks it was unfair? Weren't you willing?"
• Noelle turned to Nelson.
• Though she appeared calm, her heart was racing. These three people were the ones who had crushed Madeline in the story.
• She didn't want to antagonize them, but Madeline had chosen to target and frame her. What she couldn't tolerate was being falsely accused.
• Nelson, seeing Noelle's composed but slightly tense expression, felt a flash of ridicule. But the next moment, he nodded, "Teacher, she didn't force me."
• The head of the Disciplinary Office was momentarily speechless.
• Madeline, biting her lip, soon relaxed.
• She didn't need to prove Noelle pushed her; no one could prove she hadn't either.
• As long as the incident spread, and the film crew found out, it would be enough...
• Thus, Madeline stepped forward, "Teacher, I'm sorry. I share the blame for this. I won't pursue it further. Can we leave it at that?"
• The head of the Disciplinary Office looked stern and gave Noelle a hard look before speaking in a serious tone, "You all go back to class. I will carefully consider how to handle this matter."
• Noelle was the first to turn and leave without looking back...
• When she returned to the classroom, the lesson was already halfway through.
• After announcing her return, she walked in. Everyone looked at her, their gazes filled with various emotions, and some whispered among themselves.
• She ignored them, quietly taking her seat.
• Her deskmate, one of her fake friends, scooted away from Noelle in disdain as she sat down.
• Noelle pretended not to notice and didn't react.
• A moment later, the girl couldn't hold back and whispered, "Are you jealous of how Liam treats Madeline, so you're always against her?"
• Noelle pursed her lips, then slowly turned to look at her. "Keeping silent about things you haven't witnessed is the basic wisdom of being human."
• The girl was taken aback, then huffed and looked away, ignoring her.
• Noelle didn't say anything else...
• That evening, when she got home, she didn't mention anything to Lindsey. She had long been used to facing everything alone.
• After taking a shower and lying on her bed, her phone buzzed with a message. It was Nelson sending a screenshot of his game level.
• He hadn't reached level 85 yet; he was just updating her on his progress.
• Nelson also apologized, saying he needed to take care of his mother in the hospital for the next few days and asked if they could postpone their leveling up in the game.
• Noelle agreed and tentatively asked about his mother's illness, mentioning she knew some doctors who might be able to help.
• Nelson didn't take this online friend's words seriously. However, because this friend, named FateChanger, had always been kind, a tiny spark of hope flickered in him. He shared his mother's condition.
• He knew there was a doctor in Yumera who was an expert in this field and had successfully performed several surgeries similar to his mother's case.
• But he couldn't afford to take his mother abroad for treatment. Even selling their small home wouldn't cover the expenses.
• The costs of traveling and treatment combined were astronomical.
• Then he saw a message from FateChanger: I know Dr. Lawrence. My dad knows him. Let me ask my dad if he can persuade him to come over... Dr. Lawrence has always wanted to visit our country for research.
• Nelson was momentarily stunned, then laughed to himself.
• This person's dad knows Blake Lawrence and can invite him over.
• He wondered how old this online friend was... only a child would boast like this.
• Nelson didn't take it seriously. He thanked her politely and quickly logged off, losing interest in further conversation.
• For the next two days, Noelle's situation at school became even more awkward.
• First, her elegant image was shattered. Then, she was repeatedly seen bullying the well-liked Madeline... everyone believed she was jealous and was deliberately targeting Madeline.
• Everywhere she went, she encountered strange looks. The girls in her class were all isolating her.
• Noelle felt bad, but she didn't show it. She didn't even mention her situation when contacting her father about Blake.
• She told Lewis everything was fine at school, and he agreed to arrange for Blake to come as soon as possible.
• What Noelle didn't know was that after hanging up, Lewis made another call.
• "Arrange for someone to stay close to Avril. I want to know everything about her."
• Avril Norman was another name for Noelle.
• Previously, Lewis had been worried about upsetting his daughter, so he only had people watch her from a distance to ensure her safety. But now, his little princess was suffering.
• She didn't even want to tell him.
• The usually calm and composed man's eyes grew cold at the thought.
• Even if his little princess got angry or lashed out at him, he couldn't bear to see her suffer...