An Hao wasn’t at all surprised by Xu Yinuo’s reaction; after having overheard her conversation with Gu Shuangshuang outside the door that day, she had understood her character and temperament.
Faint-hearted and timid, afraid to stand up for friends when it mattered most, this was the type of character that An Hao absolutely did not admire.
Standing to one side, Lei Linxuan and Zhang Juan exchanged glances and said to the instructor, "We have something on this afternoon, instructor, may we leave first? We didn’t see anything anyway, and we don’t know anything."
The instructor nodded.
On the playground, with only a few of them left, the instructor looked at An Hao, considering how to handle the situation, but heard her say, "Instructor, you’re not expecting me to prove my own innocence, are you? That’s something I simply can’t do! However, there’s something I must say, in an incident , you bear an undeniable responsibility!"
"I’m responsible? What responsibility do I have?" the instructor asked, frowning at An Hao with a look of great displeasure on his face.
"First off, there’s a problem with this game. It’s inherently full of uncertainties, and even if your intentions were good, you didn’t think things through. A game is just a game, it shouldn’t have any ulterior motive. You chose a highly competitive game for us, and even put something at stake. Besides, this kind of issue isn’t the outcome that everyone wants to see. Just like Gu Shuangshuang said, your actions have inadvertently sparked a war among us," An Hao said in one breath.
Gu Shuangshuang, upon hearing this, almost wanted to applaud for her; if it weren’t for considering the instructor’s face, she really would have loudly praised An Hao.
"Are you questioning the instructor? An Hao, whether or not you were the one who pushed Xu Yinuo, your words are clearly accusing the instructor! He’s been so good to us, wanting us to relax with a small game, who do you think you are? You’re showing no respect for the instructor!" Guan Kexin fanned the flames from the side, having taken a dislike to her long ago.
"Guan Kexin, stop playing the thief shouting ’catch the thief,’ it’s your fault!" Faced with such mud-slinging, An Hao absolutely could not back down.
She wouldn’t carry the blame for something she didn’t do!
The instructor felt that the situation was getting increasingly absurd, facing these girls, each more articulate than the last, he felt that continuing the discussion might only stir up more trouble: "Forget it. Anyway, An Hao, you should apologize to Xu Yinuo, after all, it was you who pushed her."
"Okay," An Hao quickly agreed, "That’s not a problem. I can apologize. After I apologize to Xu Yinuo, I’d also ask the instructor to have the person who tripped her apologize to me as well, whether it was deliberate or not."
"Who are you saying did it on purpose!" Guan Kexin glared fiercely at An Hao and said to the instructor, "Instructor, she has done something wrong, and isn’t sincerely apologizing, I suggest you punish her!"
"Oh yeah! Punishment is fine, let’s both be punished together, you and me, Guan Kexin!" An Hao was not at all conciliatory.
"Why should I be punished with you?" Guan Kexin certainly didn’t want to be punished.
"Why shouldn’t you be punished with me! On what basis do you ask the instructor to punish me!"
"Alright, alright! You’re giving me a headache with all this arguing." The instructor felt like he had stirred up a hornet’s nest— it was only a game, after all, and yet it had caused such troublesome issues, "Let’s just leave it at that! Xu Yinuo, since we’re all classmates, let’s not pursue this any further. I believe it wasn’t intentional."
As far as Xu Yinuo was concerned, it was better to have fewer problems: "Okay."