Not all students believed the accusations against Liza. Many quickly came to her defense: [Stop jumping to conclusions. What does a single photo prove?] [Exactly! Just because she stepped out of a luxury car, you're calling her a mistress? Not everyone’s desperate to latch onto a rich person like you seem to be.] [Isn't it obvious? That man’s just a driver. Look at where Master Ruby co got out—from the backseat. If she were a mistress, wouldn’t she sit beside him? Use some logic.] As the thread gained traction, it became a hot topic among the students. Within hours, the discussion had gone from a few hundred comments to thousands. While a minority still clung to the idea that Liza was involved in something scandalous, the majority dismissed the claims as baseless. They argued that someone as wealthy, talented, and beautiful as Master Ruby co had no reason to degrade herself.Meanwhile, the situation had reached the university's administration. Alarmed, the dean hurried to consult with the chancellor, only to find a large crowd of students gathering near the teaching building. “Sister Serena, is it true that your sister is someone’s mistress?” one student asked. Another chimed in, “I heard your sister grew up in the countryside. Is it common for country folk to act like this? She’s already famous as Master Ruby co, yet she’d still stoop so low for money?” “Serena, if what’s in the thread is true and Liza really is a mistress, shouldn’t you lecture her? After all, this reflects poorly on the Sinclair family!” Serena stood in the middle of the crowd, biting her lip as though she was struggling with a heavy burden. “My sister... My sister hasn’t been coming home recently,” she said hesitantly. “Father tried calling her several times, but she wouldn’t answer. Still, please don’t misunderstand her. My sister must have her reasons. The things written in that thread can’t possibly be true.”However, standing nearby, Judith wasn’t willing to let the matter slide. She raised her voice, taunting, “Serena, why are you still defending Liza? She’s just a country bumpkin from the countryside. Who would she even know in Li City? If she’s not staying with the Sinclair family, then where else could she be? It’s obvious—she’s a kept woman! She thinks she doesn’t need the Sinclair family anymore just because she’s hooked up with a rich man. That’s why she ignores your father’s calls!” Judith had a personal vendetta against Liza. Not long ago, Liza had publicly humiliated her backstage, nearly getting her expelled from the university. If it weren’t for her family’s influential connections, she wouldn’t have been able to stay enrolled. Her hatred for Liza burned brightly, and now that she had an opportunity to tarnish Liza’s reputation, she wasn’t going to let it slip by. The dean overheard the conversation as he approached the group, and his face turned pale. The tension in the air was palpable, and he could feel his scalp tighten with unease. Quickly stepping forward, he scolded the students. “What nonsense are you all talking about? Classes are about to start. Stop crowding around here and head to your classrooms!” But Judith wasn’t ready to back down. Puffing up her chest, she defiantly argued, “Dean, we’re not causing trouble. We’re going to speak with the chancellor. We can’t allow someone with such questionable character to teach at our university! We demand that Liza be dismissed immediately!” Before she could say more, Serena stepped forward, pretending to be flustered and concerned. “No, Dean, that’s not what we meant,” she protested, putting on an anxious expression. “My sister isn’t that kind of person…” Judith, however, wasn’t impressed by Serena’s half-hearted defense. Turning to her with frustration, she shouted, “What are you saying, Serena? Have you forgotten how Liza embarrassed you? She didn’t even tell you she was Ruby co and humiliated you in public, slapping you in the face with the truth. You treat her so kindly as your sister, but does she treat you the same way? She doesn’t care about you or your family!” Judith, her face contorted with anger, raised her voice again to stir up the crowd. “Liza hasn’t even been home for days, and we all know what that implies! Serena, you can’t keep defending her. This isn’t just about your family—it affects all of us in the design department! Imagine how humiliating it is to have a teacher with such questionable morals. People will look at us and sneer, saying, ‘Oh, those students? Their teacher, Ruby co, is a mistress. Students always reflect their teachers, so let’s stay away from them.’ It’s disgusting!” “I… I don’t know,” Serena stammered, feigning distress. She hesitated as though grappling with the situation. “Maybe this is all a misunderstanding. That man might not be what you think… Maybe he really is just her driver?” Judith’s eyes blazed with frustration. “Driver? Impossible! Liza is absolutely in an improper relationship with that man. Serena, stop making excuses for her! Haven’t you seen the thread on the university’s forum? Someone already exposed her anonymously!” The students, curious and eager for more drama, immediately pulled out their phones and opened the university’s official forum. A newly uploaded thread dominated the page: [Ruby co Exposed: Irrefutable Proof She’s a Mistress] The thread's content went beyond scandalous accusations—it dove into Liza’s past, painting her as a cold and manipulative person from a young age. According to the post, the reason she was sent to the countryside years ago was due to her supposed jealousy of her younger sister, Serena, and her refusal to accept her stepmother, Victoria. The thread claimed that Liza once went so far as to conspire with human traffickers to sell Serena. Supposedly, her motive was to monopolize her father’s love and attention for herself. The post alleged that this plot was discovered before it could be carried out. Outraged and disappointed, Mr. Sinclair couldn’t bring himself to punish Liza harshly, but he also couldn’t ignore her actions. To “reform her character,” he reportedly sent her to the countryside to be disciplined and looked after by others. The thread added that Liza had only recently returned to the Sinclair family. Once back home, the post continued, Liza appeared to have changed, but it wasn’t long before her “true nature” emerged. It accused her of targeting Victoria, creating constant trouble for her stepmother while pretending to be innocent. To add weight to these accusations, the thread included photos of Liza as a child, depicting her during her time in the countryside. While the images themselves didn’t show anything incriminating, their inclusion gave the claims a veneer of credibility. The students reading the thread were stunned. The comments section erupted as people reacted with a mixture of shock, skepticism, and morbid curiosity. “Is this for real?” “I knew there was something off about Liza. Who would’ve thought she had such a twisted past?” “Wait, these are just allegations. Where’s the proof? Anyone can post pictures and make up stories.” “Even if half of this is true, it’s horrifying. Why would the university allow someone like this to teach us?” The atmosphere around the teaching building grew increasingly tense as more students read the thread. Conversations buzzed with speculation, judgment, and doubt, while some still hesitated to fully believe the claims. Judith, however, looked triumphant, her satisfaction thinly veiled as she stood by Serena. The dean, catching a glimpse of the thread on someone’s phone, felt a cold wave of dread wash over him. This wasn’t just gossip anymore—it was a full-blown crisis. He clenched his fists and tried to steady his voice as he turned to address the students. “Enough! This is not the place for such discussions. I urge everyone to focus on your classes and leave this matter to the administration to handle. Now, disperse immediately!” But his words barely made a dent in the escalating chaos. Judith’s smug grin widened as she saw how the crowd was reacting, while Serena bit her lip, lowering her eyes in what appeared to be distress. Deep down, though, she and Judith shared the same thought: this was just the beginning.