Chapter 1

I've been sponsoring a poor student named Sophie Martin who's about to drop out, allowing her to graduate from university without a hitch.

When Sophie confesses to me on graduation day, I firmly reject her advances.

I didn't expect her to slander me after her failed confession, accusing me of sponsoring her only because I want to keep her by my side for salacious reasons.

I'm thrust into the eye of the storm and forced to endure endless criticisms.

My university fires me to save its reputation. No other school dares to employ me.

I become depressed due to constant verbal harassment from the netizens. I barely survive as I hide in a dim basement every day.

One day, I see Sophie on the news by chance. She has become an inspirational microcelebrity and is enjoying a life of fame and fortune.

Infuriated, I seek her out and demand an explanation. But she pushes me off the building, leading to my death.

After I died, Sophie tells the public that I refused to give up and continued to harass her, claiming that's the reason why I slipped and fell off the building.

When I open my eyes again, I realize that I've been transported back in time to the day that Sophie tells me that she's going to drop out of school.

Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a female student standing before me, wearing a pitiful expression.

I took a good look at her and realized that it was Sophie Martin.

What was going on?

I wasn't dead?

I looked down and glanced at the time on my phone, confirming that I had been reborn.

"Professor Lorenzo?" Sophie called out to me tentatively when I remained silent.

Her voice snapped me back to my senses.

"I'm listening. Go on," I said.

"I won't be coming to the university anymore starting tomorrow. Mom told me that she doesn't have enough money to pay for my school fees. I wanted to thank you for taking care of me while I was still your student."

A few tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke.

In my past life, I was moved by Sophie's pitiful appearance. Feeling a sense of obligation to help her since I was her teacher, I decided to sponsor her school fees and living expenses. I also did everything that I could to fulfill her wishes.

I wanted her to focus on her studies so that she could live a better life through her own hard work in the future.

Unfortunately, Sophie repaid my kindness with betrayal. After I rejected her confession, she accused me of having salacious thoughts about her.

I was rendered speechless by her accusations.

Not only that, but she also posted a long message saying I had ulterior motives from the start, since it was highly unlikely I would have sponsored her simply out of the kindness of my heart.

There were plenty of other students who were struggling financially, so why did I specifically extend a helping hand to her? She accused me of having lecherous thoughts that couldn't see the light of day.

The rumors spread much faster than I expected. It got to the point where I would get criticized whenever I left the house. Some netizens even tracked down my family.

I tried to explain myself, but no one cared about the truth. They only wanted to believe what suited them.

I became mentally unstable after a prolonged period of depression.

When I sought Sophie out and demanded an explanation for why she backstabbed me, she ruthlessly shoved me off the building, causing me to fall to my death. She also told the public that I was the one who refused to give up and continued harassing her.

The blood in my veins turned to ice as I recalled the tragedy that befell me in my past life.

I refused to let history repeat itself.

"Alright then. I'll respect your decision since you've already discussed this matter with your parents."

Bewilderment flickered across Sophie's face. She seemed rather shocked by my response.

Seeing how she remained rooted to the spot, I asked, "Is there anything else? You can leave now if not."

I breathed a long sigh of relief as I watched her leave.

Disaster averted.

Chapter 2

The next day, Sophie still showed up at my 8:00 am class.

I frowned.

Didn't she say that she was going to drop out? What was she still doing here?

Although I was confused, I knew that I couldn't ask her directly.

"I'm not dropping out anymore, Professor Lorenzo," Sophie explained. "Jamie offered to help me once he learned of my predicament."

Jamie Yates?

I knew who he was. He had nursed a crush on Sophie for a long time. He was also her accomplice when she carried out her schemes in my past life.

When Sophie threw herself into my arms and made it look as if we were doing something questionable, Jamie swiftly snapped a photo of us before I could shove her away.

I couldn't clear my name because they had "photographic evidence" and an "eyewitness".

"Okay," I said simply before I rose to my feet, preparing to leave.

Sophie grabbed me and stopped me in my tracks.

I frowned, feeling rather disgruntled. "What's wrong?"

"Jamie's help has limits. He can only sponsor my school fees. As for my living expenses…"

She didn't finish her sentence, letting the rest of her words trail off into silence.

"You're an adult. There are plenty of ways for you to earn money to cover your living expenses. The university also has many work-study positions. I can help you apply for them if necessary."

Sophie bit her lip harshly and fixed a pitiful expression on her face.

"But the work is too tough."

"I've given you a few solutions. It's out of my hands if you don't want to accept them."

It was almost as if Sophie had a flashing neon sign above her head that read, "Sponsor me!"

"Please refrain from meeting me so much if you have nothing important to discuss with me. We have to maintain a certain distance as teacher and student."

Sophie had no choice but to leave when she noticed my frosty attitude and how I refused to play along with her.

I mulled over my thoughts as I stared at her retreating back. My gut told me this issue wasn't going to end so easily.

The class representative sent me a message, informing me that not only did Sophie miss the 8:00 am class, but she was also missing from her dormitory.

No one could get a hold of her.

A loud buzzing noise echoed in my ears.

What the hell was she planning now?

Being unable to contact a student was enough to send any teacher into a panicked frenzy. The feeling was intensified when the student in question was someone with malicious intentions like Sophie.

I was on the verge of pulling my hair out in panic when I suddenly recalled a certain place. I hastily pulled out the student registration records and searched for the address of Sophie's old home. I then rushed to my car and sped toward the location.

However, Sophie and her family were nowhere to be found.

As I wondered where else Sophie could have gone, I received a call from Leon Carter.

"You need to hurry back, Professor Lorenzo. Sophie's mother just showed up. She's causing a fuss in Mr. Walter's office."

Discarding all other thoughts, I rushed back to my car.

Just then, a middle-aged woman stopped me.

"You must be the person who's buying the Martin residence. They specifically told me to look after you if you dropped by to look at the house. They'll be back soon."

I was briefly stunned.

"You've got the wrong person, ma'am. I'm not here to look at the house."

Perhaps my ignorance stoked the flames of the woman's nosiness, but she began chattering to me with much enthusiasm.

"The Martins are so lucky that somebody wants to buy their house when it's in such a sorry state. They even claim that it's some sort of livestream sanctuary? I don't really understand, but I do know that they asked for a hefty price for it. Meanwhile, they're going to move to the city and into a big house soon."

If the woman's words were true, it meant that Sophie had been lying all along about struggling financially.

Chapter 3

I hopped into my car and rushed back to the university after bidding farewell to the woman.

I had just entered the building when I saw Sophie's mother, Rachel Doyle, exiting the principal's office with a big smile on her face.

I didn't approach her. Instead, I ducked into the emergency exit in the stairwell.

"See? The school won't take you seriously unless I make a fuss," Rachel said. "Didn't you tell me that your professor is a good man? You said that he would definitely sponsor you if you told him that you couldn't afford to pay your school fees."

She scoffed before continuing, "It seems that he's not as wonderful as you make him out to be. In the end, I still had to make a personal appearance.

"We can move to the city once we sell off the old house. Be careful. Don't give the plan away. We can save a lot of money if I don't have to pay for your school fees and living expenses for the next four years. We should save as much as we can."

"I understand."

It turned out that all the Martins were in on the plan.

Seconds after Sophie and Rachel left the building, I was summoned by the principal, Howard Walter, into his office.

"What's going on, Matthew?" Howard asked. "Why did the situation escalate to the point that your student's mother felt the need to show up at the school personally? The university's going to be under review soon. If you don't deal with this issue properly, you can also kiss your commendation goodbye."

Howard had always placed a great deal of trust in me. I knew that he was only questioning me for my own sake.

"I understand, Mr. Walter," I said. "I'll definitely deal with this properly."

Howard sighed and said, "It's obvious that they're intentionally causing a fuss. I already told them that the university will do everything in its power to help them. I'll leave it up to you regarding how you'll resolve this problem."

I nodded before leaving the office. I then pulled out my phone and called Sophie.

"Come to Classroom 12-01."

I chose that particular classroom because it was the only one with functioning surveillance cameras.

Fury burned in my heart when Sophie was late, but I made sure to maintain a mask of calm on my face.

"You can actually apply for a student loan," I said. "If you don't know how to do it, I can ask the other students to help you."

Sophie still looked rather hesitant.

"But I would need to pay back the loan."

"What are you trying to say?" I demanded, my tone taking on a stern edge. "Do you just want to cruise through life without putting in any effort of your own? Is that it?"

"That's not what I mean, Professor Lorenzo. It's just that it's a lot of pressure to take on a 5,000-dollar loan. I'm worried that I won't be able to pay it off in the future."

Tears streamed down Sophie's face as she spoke.

It seemed that crying had become her signature move.

When I furiously turned around to calm myself down, I spotted Jamie lurking in a corner.

It seemed that the stage was set for history to repeat itself.

However, I was determined to make Sophie and Jamie pay for the consequences of their actions this time around.

"Can you sponsor me, Professor Lorenzo?" Sophie asked. "I'll definitely pay you back after I start earning money in the future. I'll also be eternally grateful to you for your kindness."

"Who needs your gratitude?" I thought to myself.

Sophie mistakenly assumed that she had a chance when I remained silent. She continued, "I'll have to return to my hometown to get married if I can't study. I'm still so young. I don't want to waste my life away by getting married, Professor Lorenzo."

"There are plenty of ways for you to earn money while you're studying," I said patiently, hoping to convince her. "But you're insisting on waiting for someone to save you instead. I already promised you that I would help you apply for a student loan and a study-work position."

Sophie's face twisted in frustration when I refused to change my mind. She pulled out a small knife and sliced it across her arm.

Everything happened too quickly. I couldn't react in time. I hastily stepped forward and grabbed her hand, stopping her from whatever she planned to do next.

Just then, I spotted Jamie snapping photos of us from the corner of my eye.

I didn't expose him. Instead, I rushed Sophie to the infirmary.

Fortunately, the nurse declared that the cut wasn't too deep after she gave Sophie a checkup.

Sophie spoke to me in a hushed voice when we were alone, saying, "I think that I've dropped enough hints, Professor Lorenzo. Are you sure that you're not going to sponsor me?"

"I'm sure," I answered firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

"Fine."

The corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile.

Chapter 4

The university's website exploded the next day.

A post by an anonymous user had rocketed to the top of the university forum's trending chart.

"Professor Matthew Lorenzo from the Department of Business Communications tried to keep a female student by his side by using the excuse that he was going to sponsor her. He raised his hand against her when she rejected his advances. The female student ended up cutting her wrist to protect herself.

"I think that the impact of this case will be extremely severe. I hope that the university will prioritize this incident and give everyone a proper explanation and also explain how they're going to handle this."

A photo was attached to the post.

I couldn't deny that the photo was taken from the perfect angle.

Although I was the one who stopped Sophie from hurting herself further, the framing of the photo made it seem like I was forcefully restraining her. On top of that, you couldn't see the knife or the cut from the angle that the photo was taken.

It would be a shame if the photographer didn't put their talents to good use in the future.

I didn't need to look at the post to know that Jamie was behind it.

I was surrounded by a swarm of students the moment I stepped out of my apartment.

"Is the post real, Professor Lorenzo? You look so prim and proper. I can't believe that you would commit such heinous acts in private."

"You're supposed to be an educator. Do you still think that you deserve to be a professor?"

A few of my students defended me.

"Professor Lorenzo isn't like that! The truth of the matter hasn't been revealed yet. Why are you already causing such a fuss?"

"He's right! How dare you question Professor Lorenzo when you don't even have the whole picture yet? You're behaving preposterously!"

Neither side was willing to give in.

Some of them even looked like they were on the verge of getting physical since they couldn't reach an agreement.

In the end, the security guards arrived to break them up.

Howard also summoned me to his office.

"Didn't I tell you to deal with this properly, Matthew?" he exclaimed. "What on earth is going on? This isn't even about the review anymore. The university's reputation is in jeopardy! Do you have any idea how much of an impact this is going to cause?"

"I understand, Mr. Walter. Please trust me. I'm being framed," I said.

"It doesn't matter even if I do trust you! What's important is that the public doesn't trust you. What you have to do now isn't to gain my trust. You need to find proof to shut everyone up."

I prepared my counterattack once I assured Howard that everything was under control.

Jamie was using the university's internet when he uploaded that post.

I hired a tech specialist to track down the origin of the post. As I expected, it was posted from Jamie's phone.

I interrogated Jamie in front of all the teachers and students.

"You're the one who took the photo, am I right? Since you took it, you must have seen the entire encounter. Why don't you tell us exactly what happened?"

Jamie steeled his nerves and said in a righteous tone, "Of course, I saw what happened. I wouldn't have made that post if I didn't. I just couldn't stand to see you pretend to be a gentleman any longer."

"You need proof to back up your accusations," I said. "You need to take responsibility for your words."

Hesitance flickered across Jamie's face when I pressured him.

However, Sophie suddenly appeared below the stage, saying, "Stop bothering Jamie, Professor Lorenzo. He's just too righteous. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, so you can stop scaring him now."

It seemed that she expected me to fall to my knees in gratitude for her generosity.

Jamie became even bolder at Sophie's appearance.

"You don't have to be scared of him, Sophie! Justice will always prevail. We'll just wait for the university to make a decision. He can kiss his career as a professor goodbye."

I chuckled.

Jamie was right. Justice would prevail.

Since Jamie's post had spread like wildfire, many people knew that Sophie was struggling financially. As a result, they organized a fundraiser for her and ended up collecting over 100,000 dollars.

I couldn't deny that everyone was very kind-hearted.

"Why do you want to frame me, Sophie?" I asked, looking at her. "Do you have the guts to swear in front of all the teachers and students that you're not lying?"

"I didn't lie!" she exclaimed.

The determination in her voice sounded so genuine that even I would have been fooled by her if I wasn't the victim of her scheming.

Truth be told, I didn't understand why Sophie was so fixated on me. If she just wanted to find someone to fund her lifestyle, she could have just switched targets when she realized that her tricks weren't going to work on me.

Why was she wasting her time on me?

Everyone was beginning to become emotional, which meant that it was time for me to bring out the surveillance footage.

"If that's the case, I have something that I want to show everyone."