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Chapter 579: A tiny bit of regret! Oh well, I'll just have to coax him.

As soon as Master Li left, the schoolhouse erupted in chaos.

The students whispered amongst themselves, their gazes towards Gu Qingchen filled with awe and fear.

"She actually managed to drive Master Li away!"

"This is terrible, the headmaster will definitely find out."

Gu Qingchen stood there, watching Li Fuzi's disappearing figure, and then glanced at the scattered books on the ground. For some reason, the triumphant feeling in his heart had faded considerably.

She just wanted to argue him out of trouble; she never intended to drive him away.

Qian Zhenyun walked quickly to her side, his face tense, and pulled her sleeve to lead her outside.

"Sister, come with me!"

He led Gu Qingchen to the sycamore tree, where there was no one else around, only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

"You've gone too far!" Qian Zhenyun released his grip, his usually calm face now filled with anxiety and a hint of reproach. "Master Li is old, how could you upset him like this!"

Gu Qingchen felt a little guilty, but refused to admit defeat: "It's his own fault for being petty. I was just stating the facts, and he couldn't argue with me. How can you blame me for that?"

"Reason?" Qian Zhenyun's voice rose several decibels. "You're not being reasonable; you're deliberately making things difficult for the teacher!"

"I didn't!" Gu Qingchen retorted stubbornly.

“You did!” Qian Zhenyun looked directly into her eyes, his gaze filled with a seriousness and disappointment that Gu Qingchen had never seen before. “Sister, do you really think that when I secretly brought you food while you were locked in that little room, the teacher really didn’t know?”

Gu Qingchen was stunned, blinking: "How did he know?"

"The first night I went to deliver steamed buns to you, I had just turned around when Master Li called me back." Qian Zhenyun took a deep breath and recounted the events of that night in detail.

"The teacher asked me what I was hiding in my bosom. I dared not lie, so I took out the steamed bun. I thought the teacher was going to punish me, and I was already prepared to be slapped." His voice lowered. "But the teacher didn't. He gave the steamed bun back to me and told me to keep it."

Gu Qingchen's stubborn expression gradually froze.

Qian Zhenyun looked at her and, mimicking Master Li's tone, said, word by word, "The Master said, 'That girl may have a bad temper, but she's still just a child. How can she reflect properly on her actions on an empty stomach?'"

“He also said,” Qian Zhenyun’s eyes were a little red, “‘The rules can’t be broken. If there’s anything next time, you can come directly to me.’”

It turns out that when she thought she was isolated and helpless, and at odds with the entire private school, Master Li, whom she regarded as an "old-fashioned" and "bad person," secretly condoned it all.

He wasn't unaware; he was just pretending not to know.

Gu Qingchen felt as if something had clenched his heart, leaving him with a sour, swollen, and indescribable feeling.

The arrogance that had finally risen was instantly extinguished, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it from head to toe.

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting her sash, without saying a word.

Seeing her like this, Qian Zhenyun's tone softened, carrying a hint of pleading.

“Sister, Master Li is just a strict man, but he is a good person. We’ve only been here for two days, and you’ve already made him so angry. You…you shouldn’t treat him like this.”

A breeze blew by, and a few sycamore leaves drifted down.

Looking at the fallen leaf in front of his toes, Gu Qingchen felt for the first time that he might have really made a mistake.

The mistake wasn't in quoting scriptures or challenging authority, but in using her sharpest thorn to stab someone who actually had good intentions.

For the first time, a clear sense of reluctance arose in her heart.

Under the sycamore tree, Gu Qingchen's head drooped lower and lower, like a defeated little rooster.

She gently rubbed the fallen leaves on the ground with her toes, making a soft rustling sound.

It turns out that when she was swaggering around, thinking herself incredibly clever and leaving the teacher speechless, she was actually the most foolish one.

They didn't take her talking back as a child to heart at all; on the contrary, when she was being punished, they were concerned about whether she was hungry.

"Then...where is he now?" Gu Qingchen's voice was muffled, with a barely perceptible nasal tone.

Seeing her expression soften, Qian Zhenyun breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to a row of quiet courtyards behind the school.

“Master Li has his own study, where he goes to correct assignments or when he is feeling down. I suppose... he should be there now.”

Gu Qingchen raised his head, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Should she apologize? In all her life, she had never properly bowed her head and admitted her mistake to anyone.

But when she thought of Master Li's bright eyes and Qian Zhenyun's words, "After all, he's still just a child," she felt a lump in her throat.

"Never mind." She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and her face regained some of its radiance, but the previous arrogance was gone, replaced by a more solemn expression.

"I think I'll go and try to appease that stingy Mr. Li."

Qian Zhenyun was a little worried: "Sister, please don't make him angry again."

"Okay!" Gu Qingchen waved his hand and walked towards the study first. "I promise I won't upset him this time!"