Chapter 5

Summer POV

That afternoon, the school posted an announcement on the campus website and bulletin board suspending my student loan.

I stood in front of the campus bulletin board, hands clenched into fists, biting my lower lip hard.

Without the student loan, scholarship money alone couldn't cover my tuition and living expenses, plus the $100,000 my grandmother had borrowed from neighbors to support my education.

It was the height of summer, but I felt cold all over, the chill seeping from my skin into my bones.

Behind me, gleeful classmates passed by, whispering.

"Still playing the victim! Shameless!"

"She sold so many things to make money, but still pretends to be a needy student to scam financial aid. What an eye-opener!"

Various insulting words filled my ears. I collapsed, covering my ears and running away.

Ethan saw my crying figure running away from a distance. His foot lifted slightly, his palm unconsciously tightening.

Sophie beside him took in his expression.

"Are you worried about Summer?"

Ethan was silent for a moment before a cold snort came from his nose. "How could I be? She's just a money-grubbing woman."

I sat by the campus lake for a long time, writing an appeal letter on my phone and sending it to the school office.

Just then, a figure rushed up to me, shouting.

"Summer! Your academic advisor Mr. Cooper is looking everywhere for you! You need to go to his office right away!"

My face changed dramatically.

Why would Mr. Cooper be looking for me?

I casually wiped the tears from my face and went to the office.

Inside, Mr. Cooper looked grave. Sophie stood to one side, eyes brimming with tears, looking aggrieved.

Seeing me arrive, Mr. Cooper questioned me sternly. "Summer, confidential data was stolen from the school lab. The school checked the access records. Only you and Sophie entered the lab yesterday. Sophie says she never touched the data."

His tone became heavier. "You need to understand, this experimental data relates to the school's research progress, to the competition between NYU and Columbia. This cannot be lost. If the school finds out who did it, it won't just be a disciplinary mark. In serious cases, the school will pursue legal action!"

My brow jumped sharply. I clenched my fists and answered firmly. "I did enter the lab yesterday. The professor asked me to record some key data for him. But I absolutely did not leak any experimental data. And-"

As if remembering something, I took out my phone and showed Mr. Cooper my chat history with my professor.

"When I entered the lab yesterday, I specifically started a video call with my professor. If you just contact him, you'll know that after I finished recording the data, I shut down the computer..."

Mr. Cooper looked at the clear time stamps in the chat history. The balance of suspicion in his mind tipped toward Sophie.

"Sophie, what were you doing in the lab? The computer backend keeps records of all operations. We just need to check and it will be clear who it was!"

The stern words made Sophie's face turn deathly pale, her hands and feet going numb.

I also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just then, the office door was pushed open forcefully. A familiar figure walked in holding a flash drive, his voice clear and cold.

"Mr. Cooper, No need to check."

Ethan strode to Sophie's side, shielding her behind him, and handed the flash drive to Mr. Cooper.

"I already found this flash drive with the lab's confidential data in this girl's backpack. I can testify for Sophie. Yesterday I personally saw Summer holding this flash drive, acting suspiciously while making some kind of deal with someone. I kept an eye on it and intercepted the flash drive."

Mr. Cooper opened the flash drive. Inside was indeed the missing experimental data!

I froze in place, looking at him in disbelief.

After I returned to my dorm yesterday, I never left. How could I have made a deal with anyone?