Chapter 200
The reason Eliana hadn’t mentioned it earlier was simple: the search took time. Someone might have wiped off the shimmer from their fingertips if she had brought it up sooner amidst the confusion. That was why Eliana had kept quiet until now.
Eliana said, “I think it’s best if everyone raises their hands and we check individually.”
The advisor nodded. “You’re right. Alright, everyone, raise your hands now!”
In the corner, Willow froze in shock. She hadn’t expected Eliana to have this backup plan. She lowered her head and glanced at her fingertips.
She hadn’t noticed it before, but when she looked at her fingertips, there was indeed a faint layer of shimmer and gold dust. It was hard to spot in dim lighting, but the powder’s reflection was clearly visible under bright light. It was the highlighter’s unique effect.
Damn it. I didn’t expect Eliana to be so cunning,‘ she thought.
Stella’s suspicions were dispelled entirely, as there was no shimmer or gold dust on her fingertips. That meant the money in her bag must have been placed there by someone else.
Stella looked at Eliana with gratitude, her eyes reddening slightly. “Eliana, if you hadn’t thought of this, I wouldn’t have been able to clear my name no matter what I did.”
Eliana smiled faintly at her. “It’s okay. If you haven’t done anything wrong, no one can wrongfully accuse you.” Eliana had already guessed–it was another one of Willow’s schemes.
When Willow randomly nominated her as the class leader, Eliana knew something was off. Willow was the type to crave the spotlight, yet this time, she had deliberately given that opportunity to Eliana.
It could only mean she had something to gain. If it weren’t for a hidden agenda, Willow wouldn’t have so willingly nominated Eliana to be the leader.
Although Eliana wasn’t interested in being the leader, she was very curious about what Willow was planning next. Hence, she went along with it, wanting to see what Willow would do.
Eliana had already guessed Willow would target the class funds, so she had left the highlighter on the envelope in advance. Now, she was waiting to see how Willow would try to escape this situation.
Everyone raised their hands, and it became self–evident when someone didn’t. “Willow, why aren’t you raising your hand?” The advisor asked.
Willow’s expression stiffened slightly. “Is this method effective? It seems too stupid.”
The advisor replied, “If Stella didn’t steal the money, then this is a serious matter, which means someone framed her. We need to get to the bottom of this. Eliana was smart and left a clue. You’re not raising your hand because there’s a highlighter on your fingers, right?”
Willow’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained composed. “What are you talking about? I was questioning whether this method would work.
The people around them started to complain as well.“Yeah, raising our hands feels like we’re the criminals. We didn’t steal anything, so why should we be treated like suspects?”
“Don’t let this end up embarrassing if nothing comes of it.”
Hearing the crowd’s complaints, the advisor clapped his hands. “Alright, alright, everyone, stop complaining. We won’t know if we can find anything until we check. Since everyone’s here, it’s the perfect time to do it. Willow, raise your hand quickly.”
Willow’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she slowly raised her hand. But just as she did so, the fire sprinkler in the changing room suddenly activated, and water began to pour down.
“Ah!”
“What’s going on?”
“Why is it spraying water?”
Everyone exclaimed in surprise and quickly lowered their hands, covering their heads to shield themselves from the water.
Taking advantage of the situation, Willow quickly rubbed her fingers with water, causing the shimmer and gold dust to slide off and disappear. Seeing this, Eliana rushed over and grabbed Willow’s hand.
Willow’s gaze was sharp. “What are you doing?”
1/2
3.13 PM
Chapter 200
Eliana said coldly. “Why did you rub your fingers just now? You washed off all the highlighter!
Willow retorted, “I didn’t rub my fingers! Stop making baseless accusations!”
Eliana said, “I saw you rubbing your fingers just now!”
The two began arguing in the misty changing room. The advisor walked outside and adjusted the valve, discovering that someone had triggered the switch outside, activating the sprinkler. After turning off the switch, the water inside stopped.
In that brief moment, everyone was soaked to the bone. The shower valve system was initially designed to detect smoke and serve as a fire safety measure. However, it was unclear whether someone had accidentally triggered the switch. Now, everyone was drenched.
Seeing Eliana and Willow still arguing, the instructor stepped forward and separated them. “Alright, enough! Stop fighting.”
“Eliana, I will continue to investigate this matter. Willow, let me see your hand,” he said.
Willow had already rubbed off the highlighter carlier, and without hesitation, she held out her fingers. “There’s no highlighter,” she said.
“She rubbed off the highlighter with water just now!” Eliana exclaimed. She had initially thought there wouldn’t be any surprises, but now an unexpected turn had occurred. Someone accidentally triggered the shower valve outside, intending to help Willow.
Eliana lowered her gaze, smoothing her wet hair, and looked at Willow. “Willow, people may try to deceive, but heaven is watching. You got lucky this time, but there won’t be such good fortune next time.”
Willow feigned innocence and said, “Eliana, I hope you don’t make baseless accusations without evidence. I’ve already shown my fingers to the advisor. On what grounds are you suspecting me? The money isn’t with me; it’s in Stella’s pocket.”
Stella spoke up, “I was the first to check if there was highlighter on my fingers. Also, if I had stolen the money, why would I put it in my own pocket? That would be admitting to it!”
Willow smiled and said, “How would I know what you’re thinking?”
Seeing that they were about to continue arguing, the advisor couldn’t stand it any longer and interrupted. “Alright, alright! Stop arguing. Everyone change your clothes. If anyone doesn’t have spare clothes, go to the office to borrow a hairdryer and dry your hair. Don’t catch a cold.
“You can all leave now!”
The changing room was soaked, and now the school’s maintenance ‘staff must clean it up.
Overall, today was incredibly frustrating. However, at least the class funds were recovered. If the money had been lost, with this kind of incident happening in class, the advisor wouldn’t have been able to escape responsibility.
As everyone dispersed, the advisor privately approached Eliana and asked about the situation earlier. Eliana replied, “I saw Willow rubbing her fingers with water. She has the most suspicious behavior.”
The advisor’s expression grew serious. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Eliana, but he was cautious about jumping to conclusions. After all, without seeing the evidence firsthand, making a rash judgment could upset Willow and cause further complications.
He couldn’t help but sigh once again. ‘Being a worker is tough,‘ he thought.
2/2
