Seeing that Grace still remained so composed and unruffled, acting as if nothing had happened, Eric's mum made as if to charge forward and vent her anger on her son's behalf before anyone else could speak.

  Fortunately, the quick-witted Dean beside her quickly stopped her: "Mrs. Dylan, please calm down first. Let us understand the situation; we will definitely handle this matter properly!"

  "Haven't I made myself clear enough? What more is there to understand!" Eric's mum's eyes were wide with fury, her finger trembling slightly as she pointed at Grace. "She seduced my son! She agreed to break up with me to my face, but behind the scenes, she kept pestering him without letting go! And now she's caused my son to get injured and hospitalized!"

  "If your school dares to shield and protect a student like this, I will absolutely not let it rest!"

  Then she turned to look at the Principal: "Principal, you've seen the contents of the medical report. Tell me, what kind of girl could do such a thing? Isn't it absurd? Has she no shame?"

  The principal sighed upon seeing this. First, he gave Grace a displeased look, seemingly blaming her for offending Mrs. Dylan and causing trouble for the school.

  But as the Principal, since the matter had landed before him, he still had to deal with it.

  "Mrs Dylan, please don't be agitated. First, regarding the relationship between student Grace and student Eric, I believe that as a school, we have no right to interfere. The freedom to date is their basic right as adults. I think even if you oppose it, you cannot pin the 'crime' on student Grace. Dating itself is not a crime, and a term like 'seduction' should not be lightly imposed on a female student."

  "But my son's injury..."

  The principal raised his hand, signalling Eric's mum not to be impatient, then continued: "If Eric was truly injured by Grace and hospitalized because of it, then we will definitely handle this matter, and handle it seriously!"

  Hearing the Principal's words, Eric's mum immediately gained confidence. She took a step back, straightened her clothes, and said smugly: "She can't deny it. I even found the surveillance footage from when the incident happened."

  The principal looked at Grace and asked: "Student Grace, is Eric's injury and hospitalization related to you?"

  He expected Grace to be afraid or to try to explain and excuse herself first, but instead, she directly nodded expressionlessly and admitted: "That's right, it's because of me!"

  "Principal, look at her attitude!" Eric's mum flared up on the spot upon seeing this.

  "Mrs. Dylan, please don't interrupt. Let the Principal clarify the details," the Dean said, trying to placate her with a helpless expression.

  Seeing Grace admit it so readily, the Principal's expression also darkened: "Since you've admitted it, the school will definitely deal with this matter seriously."

  "Principal, this incident happened off-campus. Does the school have the right to interfere?" Grace asked softly.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  The principal took a deep breath. "Your child... The school is stepping in to handle this by giving Eric and his parents an explanation. Why bring up on or off-campus at a time like this? If we really treat it as an off-campus incident, do you want the other party to call the police?"

  Hearing the words "call the police," Grace didn't look scared; instead, Eric's mum's eyes lit up.

  Right! Why hadn't she thought of calling the police?

  This is intentional injury!

  "If you don't expel her, I'll call the police!" Eric's mum immediately cried out, her tone full of threat.

  Only then did the Principal realise he might have said the wrong thing. How did this make things more complicated? He hurriedly said: "Mrs Dylan, our school understands your feelings very well. But although Grace is at fault, expelling her directly would make the school seem too impersonal. As an elder, could you give Grace a chance?"

  "Rest assured, the school will give her a major demerit and have her personally visit Eric in the hospital to apologize to him!"

  Who knew that this last sentence seemed to touch a nerve in Eric's mum, provoking her to shout: "No! Absolutely not! My son cannot see her again!"

  "Then she can apologize to you. How about that?" The principal offered again.

  "I don't need her apology! I want you to expel her! Right now, the mere thought of my son studying in the same school, the same department, even the same class as her makes me lose my appetite." Eric's mum's attitude was firm. She turned to look at Grace viciously: "In short, if you don't expel her, I'll call the police and have her arrested!"

  She thought this threat, leaving no room for retreat, would make Grace afraid. But Grace hadn't shown any reaction from start to finish. She stood there straight, hadn't even glanced at Eric's mum, and hadn't shown a trace of apology for having done something wrong.

  Only at this moment did she turn her head towards Eric's mum, who was standing behind the Dean, and then suddenly laughed.

  Her laugh even carried a slight scoffing sound from her throat, causing everyone present to be momentarily stunned.

  Advisor Lee was already sweating profusely from anxiety due to the other party's aggressive attitude and the seemingly inevitable major demerit for Grace. Grace's laugh scared him silly.

  Ahem... ahem...

  Advisor Lee quickly pretended to clear his throat, wanting everyone to think the sound had come from him.

  But Grace's laugh just now couldn't be covered up. It directly stimulated Eric's mum's emotions to collapse again: "Principal, look at her! She actually has the nerve to laugh! A student who shows such disregard for you and the school, and your school still doesn't want to expel her?"

  "No expulsion, right? Then I'm calling the police right now!"

  As Eric's mum spoke, she made a move to take out her phone. The Dean quickly tried to stop her and reason with her: "Mrs Dylan, don't be hasty. Aren't we just..."

  "Dean, don't stop her. Let her call the police." Having watched the 'mother monkey show' for quite a while, Grace finally spoke up with an air of casual ease.

  As she spoke, she even proactively took out her own phone. Looking at Eric's mum, she said: "Shall I help you report it? I happened to call the police a few days ago because of a property dispute. The nearest police station is very close to the school."

  Her unexpected words and actions once again bewildered everyone present.

  Seeing this, the Principal said sternly: "Student Grace, stop making trouble. You've admitted the matter is related to you, so receiving punishment and apologizing is what should happen."

  The Dean also said anxiously: "Girl, why is your character so stubborn? How dare you add fuel to the fire at a time like this? Hurry up and apologize!"

  Only Advisor Lee, who had been Grace's academic advisor for a year and knew her somewhat, understood that she would absolutely not hurt others for no reason.

  Now, seeing her look so fearless, unafraid even of calling the police, he believed there must be a cause and hidden details to the story.

  He hurriedly stepped forward and asked: "Grace, Eric's injury is the result of this incident. Since you're here, why not explain the cause and process of the event in detail? That way we can understand it more clearly!"

  Grace nodded slightly and spoke: "Simply put, Eric forcibly hugged me without my consent. According to Article 237 of the Criminal Law, acts that violate another person's will and use forceful means to insult a woman constitute the crime of 'forcible indecency'!"