The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 309

Chapter 309: Chapter 309 Gender Equality?
Hera was taken aback by the Dean’s demeanor, as he had always seemed approachable and friendly, often smiling and appearing easygoing. She had expected him to be impartial and conduct a thorough investigation before passing any judgment.

What Hera hadn’t anticipated was that one of Alice’s supporters would be the Dean’s niece. It was why he leaned in Alice’s favor; his personal connection made it evident why he harbored a bias against Hera.

After all, he had done a simple background check on Hera to see if he would be butting heads with an heiress of a powerful family or someone of significance. Instead, he found out that Hera was just an orphan who had earned a scholarship to the university. He knew he could easily give the scholarship to someone else if he expelled her. Besides, the majority of the institution’s directors just wanted him to handle the matter quietly to protect the university’s reputation.

If it were anyone else, they would do everything to protect a student with a bright future like Hera. Unfortunately, she offended someone she shouldn’t have. Once he took care of her, the directors wouldn’t even know she was a promising student who might become a leader in the future. He could silence her without consequence.

And they all left the punishment to him as he saw fit. Given this freedom, he could please his niece by expelling Hera and simultaneously satisfy the directors by removing the student who kept tarnishing the school’s reputation with constant negative publicity.

Little did he know, this would turn out to be the biggest mistake of his entire life.

“I have received word that you have been tarnishing our university’s reputation and dragging us through the mud,” the Dean sternly said before Hera could step into the office. The students who had stayed to support her overheard his words and quickly understood the implications behind them.

If only they had been as perceptive earlier, they wouldn’t have fallen into the trap of helping others slander their senior, blindly going along with the flow without considering the implications for others. This experience would serve as a valuable lesson to not let gossip and hearsay sway them and to always seek the full story before passing judgment.

Blindly following what others say without seeking the truth would bring great shame to their college degrees and their entrance into the most prestigious university in the country. If they fail to use their brains to think critically and allow themselves to be manipulated again, it would be a disservice to their education. This experience has indeed made them more aware of their surroundings and more discerning in the future.

But for now, the students standing behind Hera hoped the Dean would correct their mistake and help clear her name by launching a thorough investigation. However, they quickly realized they were wrong. The Dean seemed more eager to place Hera on the chopping block, showing no interest in listening to her explanation and immediately accusing her.

The way the Dean looked at Hera didn’t go unnoticed by most of the students either. That was why none of them left, even when Hera asked them to, especially Logan. He was extremely displeased and quickly urged Betty to find a solution to help Hera out of this sudden predicament.

“Dean, are you not even going to ask me what happened?” Hera asked, trying to maintain a calm and collected demeanor. Her voice, however, shook ever so slightly, sounding like a hurt animal trying to mask its pain while appearing tough on the outside.

“Why bother? Isn’t it already clear? You’ve been mired in negative publicity for a while now. I’ve been generous enough not to expel you immediately and instead gave you a chance to prove your innocence. But, as Dean, I’m bound by the board of Directors’ decision. They’re concerned that keeping you would only further damage the reputation of our prestigious university, dragging its long-standing legacy through the mud due to your alleged irresponsibility and promiscuity.” The Dean spat these words with little regard for their truth, more focused on making a public example of Hera to signal to the entire student body that the decision was final and beyond dispute.

“Besides, where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. It’s clear you’ve been seen publicly with multiple men—five, I believe, and they’ve admitted to it. Why should we investigate further? The information circulating on the campus forum is a reminder for us all to choose role models who uphold good morals and maintain a clean record. We don’t want someone in a prominent position who might lead our students astray.”

Hera was momentarily speechless, as the Dean’s arguments seemed convincing and he sounded quite authoritative. However, she and a few other students couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the situation than what he was presenting. His demeanor felt unusually prickly, almost as if there were a personal vendetta behind his harsh judgment.

“Dean, if having multiple suitors is considered promiscuous, doesn’t that also seem like an attack on women in general?” Hera asked innocently. “Even if we were to disclose it, I wouldn’t be the only one with multiple suitors, and we can’t always control who pursues us, even if we say no. What about men who have multiple girlfriends and treat relationships like a conquest? Isn’t that worse than simply having several suitors?”

Her words resonated with many women, who nodded in agreement, while some men shifted uncomfortably, feeling a bit defensive. They had often justified their own multiple relationships as youthful folly or a natural part of growing up, and Hera’s question struck a chord with their own experiences.

Hera’s comparison revealed a troubling double standard: it seemed as though gender discrimination was at play. It appeared that women were being unfairly judged and restricted, while men were free to have multiple partners, often celebrated for their conquests as if it boosted their ego and enhanced their appeal. In contrast, a woman with multiple suitors was labeled derogatorily, and her value was questioned. This disparity highlighted an inequality where men’s behavior was glorified, while similar behavior from women was condemned.

But in reality, what’s the difference? Is it because they are women, conditioned from birth to prioritize and accommodate men, that they are forbidden from doing what men can do? Even after centuries, true gender equality still seems elusive. This is the issue Hera wanted to highlight with the Dean’s words. As she spoke, many of the women who had followed her began to flare up in anger, feeling disrespected and demeaned by their own Dean.

“Also, Dean, wasn’t one of the Board of Directors a woman who had 2-3 suitors vying for her when she was young? Did she know that you considered her promiscuous? It was well-known at the time that those men were genuinely competing for her attention, and even today, there’s still some rivalry among them—one succeeded in winning her, while the other two were left bitter. Should I also ask the Director for her opinion on this and let her know what you’ve said?” Hera taunted innocently, as if the thought had just occurred to her and she was merely stating it harmlessly.