Milady's Fine Gentleman 253 SACRIFICIAL LAMB

Overnight, the video recording, photo and video confession of the girl that was allegedly harassed by Xue Guangxi were completely wiped out from the campus website. It was such an enigma to the student body just how fast the action was performed to take it down. Some even commended the efficiency of the management. They thought the management took it down.
When in fact, it was Chen Linyun's doing.
Regardless, the issue still persisted.
The next morning, Xue Guangxi attended his classes like any random school day. However, the condemning gazes of the majority ostracizing him in a public trial were putting him down. No matter how confident he originally was, when put under the painstaking negative limelight, no amount of confidence would keep his sanity and conviction intact. Despite that, he walked chest erect and chin up. His soul and conscience were both clean.
While he walked by, some affected students could not help but sneer at him in disgust. "It must be beneficial to have a strong familial background at trying times. Look how fast the management took down the post from our campus website."
"Yeah, justice is really tainted when mixed with status."
"No matter how high up there a person is in society, nothing can ever conceal the blemish in that person's record for doing such lowly hideous monstrous acts."
"Or maybe they can very well spend their money specifically to sweep the dust under the rug."
"Anyway the rich famous people don't just air their dirty laundry out in public."
"But it's still there."
"Precisely."
"I pity the girl."
"Me too."
The spectators speculating and intentionally attacking Xue Guangxi verbally were looking at him all this time while spitting nonsense at him.
The Second Young Master closed his bloodshot eyes instantaneously and took a sharp deep breath. Then he raised his right hand and turned around to face the crowd. He slightly waved his raised right hand to call their attention.
He smiled kindly to them while saying, "The truth will be revealed later at lunch the same way this scandal broke out – through the campus website. So for those who are monitoring this issue, stay tuned. Nothing is more refreshing than the truth."
Murmurs erupted from his little announcement. As for him, he continued his saunter towards his next class.
Just like that, word spread about his announcement. Throughout the morning, the students could not concentrate in their respective classes as they wait for lunchtime, not to eat their meals, but for Xue Guangxi's retaliation and response.
"Does it mean he's not guilty?"
"He looks confident."
"What if he really isn't, then we owe him an apology."
"It's too early to tell."
"Oh, waiting for lunchtime has not been this grueling!"
The students were discussing in small groups with their peers about the announcement.
As usual, from their respective classes, Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi met up in front of the cafeteria for lunch. It had been an unwritten, unofficial rule that the two will eat their lunch together. As usual, like any other random day, Xue Guangxi carried Kang Sola's bag for her.

Finally, lunch time came.
While the best of friends peacefully lined up to get their meals served at the counter, the most interested students about the Second Young Master's scandal delayed getting food and instead prioritized accessing their campus website.
As promised, Xue Guangxi posted using his casual account his own retaliation and response to the issue in a form of a… a photo?
But it was not just a simple photo. The photo said Xue Guangxi's statement. After all, what do people say, a picture paints a thousand words? This time maybe two.
The photo was actually a compound photo which depicted two similar images beside each other. It was similar to the children's game of spotting the difference in two similar photos.

"What is the meaning of this!"
The photo that Xue Guangxi's side uploaded has a description, a caption, which says, 'original photo is on the left and tampered edited photo is on the right'.
"It says the right has tampered photo!"
"Does it mean…"
"No way…"
"But the left photo, the original one… it looks believable. It's the day of our intramurals, I can remember clearly, yeah I saw them together. Definitely, the first photo on the left is authentic!"
The students conducted their own investigation based on a piece of newfound evidence while the main suspect and alleged assailant were busy eating his meal heartily while joking around with his precious best friend, Kang Sola, just like any other day.
Just the day prior, Butler Lee also informed Xue Guangxi of the further development – the video of the same confession as the recording, but the girl's face was censored beyond identification. He also told him about the picture of him and a girl together. "What about the photo?"
"It's the same photo that the paparazzi took of you and Miss Kang Sola. The ones that we confiscated."
Xue Guangxi looked at the uploaded photo of him with the censored girl and checked it himself. "Certainly it's the same photo, but certainly it's not Sola. Even with the censoring pixelating effect, I'm so sure it's not Sola. The features are different, and the hair length is different too. Her purple highlights are gone too. It's as if it's really a different person."
"Clearly this is a premeditated attack against me!!!" He flared.
Today, Butler Lee informed him first thing in the morning that the IP address where the post was first uploaded had already been traced. It was in a computer shop near the university. It seemed that the perpetrator was not careful enough, or better yet, was not knowledgable enough on how to ensure there would not be left traces of him or her.
That was a welcome slip for Xue Guangxi's side.
Regarding the edited photo of Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi, the lad discussed his plan with Kang Sola.
"Sola, I will be needing your support and permission. Only with your consent will I push forward with my plan."
"Hmm? What's your plan? What has it got to do with me?" She tilted her head, her face scrunched in a frown for not understanding Xue Guangxi who was talking in puzzles.
He showed her first the photo uploaded in their campus website of him and the censored girl. "I've already seen that." She commented.
"Just wait." Xue Guangxi retrieved the camera that they confiscated from the paparazzi from Butler Lee who was handing it to him. He clicked some buttons before passing it on to Kang Sola beside him. They were inside the car at the time. It was parked in front of Kang Sola's dormitory. Butler Lee rejoined them after their trip from the outskirts from where Su Jingjing was staying.
Kang Sola studied the photos. She scrolled up and down and up and down again. She tore her gaze from the camera and looked at the expectant Xue Guangxi. "My plan is to upload the original photo side by side with the scandal photo. But it means you will be there too, in the original photo. You'll get dragged into this, Sola."
"That's why I need your consent first."
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. You don't have to sacrifice for me or for anyone else."
Kang Sola hooked one arm around Xue Guangxi's shoulders. "Didn't I say I'll help you clear your name? Of course, I'll help. Gladly. You have my consent. Let's do it."
Out of gratitude, Xue Guangxi squeezed Kang Sola in a tight hug. "Thank you. Thank you, Sola."
Kang Sola was getting uncomfortable with the physical closeness as her face turned reddish purple from embarrassment. Yet, she didn't say a word and allowed him for that particular moment. She felt like crying too, for everything her best friend had been under these past days. 'Of course, I'll help.' She returned the hug. 'So much injustice in here.'

Chapter end

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