Ye Linchen's gaze fell on the girl who was running towards him.

Tang Xiaoyi, her classmate, is a local from Jiangcheng.

Tang Xiaoyi is short for a girl, with a small frame, and looks delicate and frail.

But her personality is completely opposite to her appearance.

She was known as the "little sun" in the class, radiating boundless energy.

If anyone in the class has a headache or fever, or has any difficulties with their studies, she is always the first to rush up and lend a hand.

She speaks very quickly, like popping beans, crisp and clear.

She walks like a whirlwind, her small figure weaving through the crowd, as if she always has something to do.

But she was very popular; even the most introverted classmates were willing to talk to her.

After Tang Xiaoyi stopped, she wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with the cuff of her sweatshirt before smiling at Ye Linchen.

“Class monitor,” she caught her breath, her voice still a little out of breath, “I was talking to some classmates over on the playground when I saw Xuemei asking around about the flyers, so I came over to check it out.”

Ye Linchen greeted her and got straight to the point: "Xiaoyi, Xuemei said, do you know how these things got out?"

Tang Xiaoyi's smile vanished, and she nodded heavily, her expression turning serious.

“Squad leader, I saw these flyers three days ago.”

"It was originally posted on the bulletin board by the playground, I don't know who put it up."

"Later, there were more and more of them, on tree trunks, at the entrance of the cafeteria, and some people even stuffed them into the gaps between the chairs in the study room."

"I glanced at it and was puzzled."

"I thought to myself, who is this? Their imagination is too rich. They make up stories just like the romance dramas on TV."

She frowned as she spoke and lowered her voice.

“My friend told me that this story has spread like wildfire at school. The version I heard is that Wang Lina met a young man who works in a steel factory at a social event organized by the drama club. He was said to be good-looking, from a good family, and highly educated. They fell in love at first sight and got together quickly.”

"Then, Wang Lina even brought this boyfriend to eat with her roommates. Unexpectedly, you fell for him. During the winter break when Wang Lina returned to Shanghai, you would frequently visit him, showering him with attention and trying every means to get close to him. You managed to snatch him away from Wang Lina."

At this point, Tang Xiaoyi glanced at Ye Linchen's expression and lowered her voice even further.

"Then, during this school term, Wang Lina had just returned to school when she bumped into you and her boyfriend with their arms around each other at the school gate. She was furious and rushed over to hit you. Bystanders took photos of the incident, and now they've been turned into flyers..."

She finished speaking in one breath, then seemed to realize something was wrong and suddenly looked up.

“Class monitor, my first reaction when I heard that was that it was nonsense! Although I don’t know you well, I know you’re not that kind of person. I immediately argued with my friend and asked him where he got the information. He said that it was first spread by people in the roller skating club, and some people said they saw you having a meal at a Northeastern restaurant before the holiday, and that they saw Wang Lina hitting that guy.”

"But that photo... I don't know who took it. Anyway, I heard that no one has seen the original photo. They're all talking about it based on the flyer. I asked him who in the roller skating club was spreading it, but he couldn't say."

Tang Xiaoyi rattled off all the versions and clues she had heard, her eagerness to stand up for Ye Linchen evident.

Ye Linchen's eyes turned cold after hearing this.

She politely thanked Tang Xiaoyi: "Xiaoyi, thank you. These clues are so important to me. They really helped me a lot."

Tang Xiaoyi waved her hand and said straightforwardly, "No need to thank me. We're classmates, this is nothing. Don't worry, if I hear any more rumors, I'll tell you right away!"

"Okay, then I'll trouble you." Ye Linchen nodded.

"My friend is still waiting for me, so I'll go now. I'll contact you later."

Tang Xiaoyi waved and turned to walk to the other side of the playground.

No sooner had Tang Xiaoyi left than Lin Xiaojuan and Feng Linlin came running over, panting.

"Xiao Chen!" Lin Xiaojuan waved as she ran, "We're back! Linlin has heard about it too!"

"Really?" Ye Linchen hurriedly went to greet her. "Linlin, what did you hear?"

Feng Linlin nodded, steadied herself, patted her chest and took a few breaths before saying, "I heard about it from some students in the literary society chatting in the library a couple of days ago."

She paused, then continued, "Rumor has it that you and a male employee at the steel mill were childhood sweethearts, growing up together since they were little. It wasn't until you went to university that you two started dating."

"But that guy was good-looking and had a bright future because he was the vice director. Wang Lina had her eye on him. She was determined to get involved and secretly started flirting with him while you were away from school during winter break."

"When you came back from your vacation, you caught them secretly meeting near the school. You were furious and started fighting. You said you hit Wang Lina and that guy too."

As Feng Linlin spoke, she frowned.

“I heard from the students in those literary societies that this rumor first came from the reading club.”

“I thought it was ridiculous at the time. Besides, you’ve been busy teaching Zhao Yutong, writing reports, and preparing for the start of the semester. How could you have time for something like this? I thought the rumors would eventually die down on their own, but I didn’t expect it to escalate so much that it even turned into flyers…”

Lin Xiaojuan stomped her feet in anger, saying, "This is outrageous! It's even more absurd than a TV drama!"

Ye Linchen didn't speak, but narrowed his eyes slightly.

Although the two versions differ in details, they share the same central theme.

The man's identity, and the scene where she and Wang Lina fought over him.

Both the roller skating club's version and the book club's version revolve around the same "script".

She already had a general idea in her mind, but she couldn't make a hasty conclusion yet.

We must first find Wang Lina and thoroughly sort out the whole story.

“Wang Lina should still be rehearsing,” Ye Linchen glanced at the sky. “Her play is almost over. I need to go find her and ask if she has any ideas.”

“We’ll go with you,” Lin Xiaojuan immediately offered.

“Yes, how can we let you go alone at a time like this?” Feng Linlin nodded in agreement.

Lin Xuemei stepped forward and said decisively, "I'll go too, we'll go together."

Looking at the three people in front of him, Ye Linchen felt a warm current welling up in his heart.

In this time of rampant rumors and gossip, it is truly rare to find someone willing to stand by her side and support her.

She nodded gently: "Okay, let's go together."