Chapter 15

After class, the students in Class A eyed Eleanor with unrestrained curiosity and mixed emotions. Their expressions ranged from hatred and disdain to indifference and anticipation, expecting her to respond in some way. However, Eleanor remained indifferent, as if she were not the one at the center of the controversy. Rumors about Eleanor being "taken care of" grew more intense, spreading from the campus Bulletin Board System to various classes. Class A was enveloped in a gloomy atmosphere - everyone except Eleanor and James, who was sleeping soundly. Eventually, some students couldn't hold back their complaints. "It's so embarrassing! Why would someone so shameless even come to university?" "Exactly! Class A's reputation has been completely tarnished." "If I were her, I'd drop out right now. She's truly shameless." "She's ruined our class's reputation. Why is she even here?" As murmurs of discontent spread, the class representative approached Eleanor. "Eleanor, as you can see, this situation has a significant impact on our class. As the cause of this uproar, don't you think you should address it? "I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I care?" Eleanor replied calmly. Her nonchalant attitude left the class representative speechless, unsure of how to respond. Just then, his friend spoke up. "You claim you didn't do it, but the evidence says otherwise. If you can, prove your innocence." "Class representative, there's no reasoning with someone like her. She probably doesn't even understand what shame is." "She grew up in a village, uneducated and unrefined. I really don't want to share a class with her." "It's infuriating. Our class has always been prestigious, and now she's tainted it. She's a disaster." The voices of dissent grew louder. Eleanor coldly observed her classmates, who seemed eager to judge her without knowing the full story. They were quick to accuse her, not bothering to seek the truth. "Oh, the hypocrisy of people," she thought. Just then, someone in the classroom shouted, "Why don't we write a petition to have her expelled from our class?" "Yes, I agree!" "Count me in!" "I couldn't agree more!" The whole of Class A began writing a petition. The class representative held the pen as the other students lined up to add their signatures. Eleanor watched with a cold smile but remained silent. "Just wait and see," she thought. "Soon, they'll realize how foolish they are."