Luna was so furious that she laughed. Wilson remained blindly biased toward Mia, in this instance and the last. Had it ever occurred to him whether she even wanted to listen to him? What right did he have to demand that of her?

“I believe the school will conduct a thorough investigation into whether Mia plagiarized or not. As for whether she insulted me online or had anything to do with what’s happening on the internet, I honestly have no idea,” she said, looking at Wilson indifferently. “Professor Hanley, it’s slightly unreasonable for you to ask me to explain things I’m not even sure about myself. What I want is a fair and transparent investigation from the school. After all, a young lady’s reputation is no small matter, whether it’s plagiarism or slander.”

“I’m sure Mia wouldn’t want to be haunted by these accusations either,” she added.

“You…” Wilson hadn’t expected Luna to be so determined. He was so furious that his face turned ashen. “So, you’re insisting that Mia plagiarized your thesis, right? Are you willing to apologize to her publicly in front of the whole school if the result proves otherwise? If not, don’t even think about throwing dirt on her name!”

Luna shook her head. “I never once said she plagiarized my thesis, and I never posted any accusations about her online. All I’ve asked is the chance to get the facts straight. Professor Hanley, why are you so desperate to prevent an investigation?”

“It could be resolved simply by finding out who’s stirring up trouble and laying everything out on the table. Why…” Every eye in the room turned to Wilson as her words trailed off.

“Professor Hanley, are you afraid of something?” Erin glared at him coldly.

Why does it have to be so hard?

The director of the Student Affairs Office, Howell Osborne, was worried they would start shouting, so he quickly intervened, saying, “Now that things have escalated this far, the school should step in to investigate. It’s not just to clear the names of the two students involved but also to restore a healthier atmosphere on the campus forum.”

“Professor Hanley, I think it’s best for the school to handle this from here. I can assure you that no student will be wronged. We’ll give both sides a fair and just outcome.”

Wilson glanced around the room and sighed slightly. “Mr. Osborne, it’s not that I refuse to investigate. It’s just that Mia has already suffered from depression because of the online rumors. The latest blow has made things even worse. She’s in a very fragile mental state. I’m just afraid that people who don’t know the full story will assume she plagiarized once word gets out about an investigation. I’m just worried she might not be able to handle it. Who knows what she might do? Believe me. I know my student. With Mia’s talent and intelligence, she doesn’t have to copy work from someone inferior to her. I’ve read both theses. The topic is the same, but their approaches and thought processes are completely different. I stand by my judgment as a professor that she didn’t plagiarize.”

Oh, please.

“So you’re vouching for her with your title as a professor?” Erin pulled the visibly shaken and red-eyed Luna behind her. “You call yourself a professor? You say Mia is your student. What about Luna? Wasn’t she ever your student, too? You’re so concerned about Mia being misunderstood and her doing something extreme. What about Luna? She’s the one who left the team when the plagiarism scandal broke. Have you ever thought that she could be the one misunderstood if no one clears things up? Have you ever thought that she might be the one who gets hurt, breaks down, and does something reckless? Or is it that you’ve never once considered her feelings? They were both your students. Why do I feel that Mia’s life matters, while Luna’s reputation and life mean nothing in your eyes, Professor Hanley?” Everyone’s faces flushed with anger as Erin’s sharp questions rang out one after another.

Howell frowned. “That’s enough. Both of you, stop arguing. Listen to me. The school will investigate this matter. We’ll get to the bottom of it and give everyone an explanation. I promise to uphold fairness and justice in this investigation as the director of the Student Affairs Office. There will be no favoritism!”