The moment Du Liya’s gaze fell on Qin Jiao, her expression instantly changed.

She quickened her pace, and just as she was about to reach Qin Jiao, she raised her hand...

Indeed, she was used to getting her way. Never mind hitting Qin Jiao in front of Sun Guotao; she had even struck her own husband and son before.

Qin Jiao obviously didn’t want to be hit, but she also knew it was unrealistic for her to fight back.

So, the instant Du Liya’s hand went up, Qin Jiao spoke. "You must be Aunt Du, right? Grandpa Du mentions you all the time. He said it’s been a while since you last visited and that he misses you very much."

Du Liya’s hand froze in mid-air. The slap never landed. She looked at Qin Jiao suspiciously. "You know my dad?"

"Yes, I brought Grandpa Du some dumplings just a few days ago. He showed me your old school photos. You look exactly the same now as you did back then."

It was an indirect way of calling Du Liya beautiful.

Now, there was no way Du Liya could follow through with the slap. She lowered her hand, her expression softening slightly. "How do you know my father?"

"We’re neighbors."

Only then did Du Liya begin to scrutinize Qin Jiao. Her hair was in a ponytail, her eyes large and bright. She wore a blue-and-white school uniform, and on her feet were a pair of white sneakers. It was hard to make out the brand; they were a little old, but very clean.

The young girl gave off a very well-behaved, sensible, and refreshing impression.

Du Liya was filled with suspicion. "Are you Qin Jiao?"

In fact, as Du Liya was sizing her up, Qin Jiao was already calculating in her mind.

It was clear Du Liya had come looking for trouble today. ’For her to be this hostile toward me... This scene feels strangely familiar, like it happened in my past life. She almost slapped me then, too.’

’It was because Du Liya had found out that some female student was trying to seduce her son!’

Qin Jiao pretty much understood now. She had been set up. Someone had found a way to contact Du Liya and had pinned the blame squarely on her.

’So, who was it?’

’Was it Lin Nian... or Li Mei?’

’Either of them was possible, especially Li Mei. She had been in close contact with Du Liya before and had even taken money from her.’

As the atmosphere in the room eased, Sun Guotao spoke up. "Since you two know each other, this should be easier to handle. There’s been a misunderstanding here. Let’s all sit down and talk."

In truth, when Sun Guotao saw Du Liya about to hit Qin Jiao, he had nearly rushed forward. No matter what, he couldn’t just stand by and watch his student get beaten.

Thankfully, the conflict didn’t erupt, all thanks to that girl Qin Jiao’s quick thinking.

Sun Guotao also felt helpless; he hadn’t expected this Du Liya to be someone who would resort to violence at the drop of a hat.

Du Liya returned to her chair and sat down. Her tone was still unfriendly, but it seemed she wouldn’t impulsively try to hit anyone again.

She said, "I don’t know you, Qin Jiao, but I heard you’re trying to seduce my Xiao Yi. Is that true?"

The words were blunt and rude. Sun Guotao frowned and was just about to speak, but Qin Jiao beat him to it.

"That’s completely untrue! It’s a false accusation! Shen Yi and I are just regular classmates. Ma’am, has someone been deceiving you? Bring that person here. I’m willing to confront them face-to-face!"

After she finished, she added, "Mr. Sun can also testify that I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, then bring Shen Yi here. Bring all the students who were at the competition with us that day. Anyone can prove that I’m telling the truth!"

Seeing Qin Jiao speak with such righteous conviction, Du Liya hesitated for a moment.

Beside them, Sun Guotao chimed in at the right moment. "It’s true. The two kids have a perfectly innocent relationship, and they’re both excellent students in my class. Ms. Du, who exactly told you about this?"