Chapter 3

[Whose dog is this? Why wasn't it secured during the dorm inspection?]

[Wow, that was incredibly reckless. The only things I dare keep at school are mosquitoes and flies.]

[Her roommates actually agreed to let her keep a dog! Now look what happened. The entire dorm is suffering!]

Netizens and students from our school were all criticizing the dog's owner. As Jessica watched the endless stream of hateful comments, she panicked and collapsed onto the floor.

Lily glanced at my storage rack before turning the conversation toward me.

"Chloe, you already bought a wire cage. Why did you cut it apart? If Honey had stayed inside, she wouldn't have been able to get out and attack anyone!"

I was so furious that I almost laughed.

They had once been eager to help me bend the cage apart, yet now that something had gone wrong, they were still trying to blame me.

Jessica seemed to seize on Lily's words and began crying pitifully.

"Exactly, Chloe. Did you deliberately destroy the cage just to embarrass me?"

I couldn't understand how she could say something like that.

They insisted over and over that Honey needed her freedom and had acted as though they wanted to lock me inside the cage instead.

Now that something had gone wrong, they still wanted to pin all the blame on me?

Mia, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.

"Chloe, you're partly responsible too. Jessica is a well-regarded student leader. Why don't you say the dog is yours? That way, her reputation won't be affected."

What an ungrateful wretch.

I had worried that the dog would frighten her and spent so much time reassuring her not to be afraid.

I even taught her all kinds of things about pet care.

Yet now, simply to protect Jessica's reputation, she wanted me to admit that I owned the dog.

I slammed my hand on the table.

"So what if she's a well-regarded student leader? Does that mean she isn't responsible when her dog bites someone? Whoever brought the dog here is responsible for it!

"If you're so worried about her, why don't you take the blame?"

Mia stammered, "This is such a serious matter. I'd definitely be disciplined, and I'm scared…"

She knew exactly how serious the situation was, yet she still wanted to push someone else forward to take the fall. It was ridiculous.

Lily looked furious.

"Chloe, why didn't you stop Honey when she was running loose? Now that someone has been hurt, you're obviously partly responsible!

"It's not as if this will affect your chances of receiving a school award, so why not step up and take responsibility?"

Mia quickly chimed in.

"Exactly! Your grades are so good that the teachers will surely go easy on you. Jessica has already failed three classes.

"If she gets a disciplinary record too, what happens if she can't graduate? We're roommates, at least. You can't be this selfish!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Lily, aren't you close to our academic advisor? Since you're so eager to help, why don't you say that you were the one who brought the dog to school?"

Lily fell silent.

That evening, I saw a long post on social media.

[I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson. Chloe Carter was the one who brought the puppy into our dorm. She even took apart the cage, which caused Honey to lose control and attack you.

[We warned her not to bring the dog back, and told her to keep Honey properly secured if she did, but she refused to listen and even accused us of meddling.]

[We tried to persuade her to come out and apologize, but she's too stubborn to admit her mistake. We had no choice but to apologize to you on behalf of our roommate, Chloe Carter.]

She also posted a photo of my desk.

Jessica got ahead of me and immediately portrayed me as Honey's owner.

"She posted a heartfelt apology and tagged several student council members, presenting herself as a responsible and respected student leader."

I, meanwhile, became an ill-mannered and irresponsible college student.

Jessica's post was quickly screenshotted and spread across the internet. My account soon became a trending topic.

That night, someone suddenly kicked open the dorm room door, which had been locked from the inside.

I knew the dorm supervisor's son had arrived.

This time, however, the one who was about to suffer was Honey's real owner—Jessica.