Lin Qing stood there blankly, watching Han Guangye disappear without looking back. After a few minutes, she suddenly chuckled and muttered to herself, "A child? Heh, a child... a child..."

Lin Qing let out a few abnormal, sinister laughs, and walked away unsteadily as if he had lost his soul. Shi Lan stroked his chin, frowned and pondered. It seemed that Han Guangye really valued the child. If the original owner had told Han Guangye the truth back then, perhaps his attitude would not have been so indifferent?

That doesn't make sense either. The original owner was just an insignificant person; even her classmates might not have noticed her. Why would Han Guangye, a prominent figure, dislike her so much? Their only connection was Lin Qing. Could it be that Lin Qing discovered Han Guangye's affair with the original owner, secretly erased the video, and then spoke ill of the original owner to Han Guangye, causing him to have a very bad impression of her? Later, when the original owner left heartbroken after failing to get help, Lin Qing might have either hit her or arranged for someone else to do so, resulting in her death.

Having made this conjecture, Shi Lan felt she had grasped the truth; only in this way could everything that had happened be explained.

In late autumn, a cool wind, carrying a chill, swept across the land, causing fallen leaves to swirl and fly high and low. Shi Lan turned up the collar of her school uniform, shook off the chill she had picked up from eavesdropping in the corner for so long, and jogged back to the teaching building.

In the following days, Shi Lan would go to Liu Ru's classroom every time school ended to take a look. Liu Ru never came. Then, one morning a week later, Shi Lan saw Han Guangye gently holding Liu Ru's hand, taking her from the school gate to the classroom, then putting his schoolbag on her seat, telling her to take care of herself before rushing back to Class 1 of Grade 11.

The students in the classroom were stunned to see the two of them so affectionate and inseparable. They didn't come to their senses until Han Guangye left, and then they curiously gathered around Liu Ru, who was smiling happily with her lips pursed.

Shi Lan, who had followed the two all the way, smiled slightly. It seemed that Han Guangye had figured it out and that Lin Qing would no longer be an obstacle between them.

Time flies, and the new year has arrived in the blink of an eye. School is closed for three days for New Year's Day. As it was nearing the end of the school day, a light snow began to fall. Shi Lan pulled her coat collar tighter, hunched her shoulders, and followed the crowd with her head down toward the school gate. Suddenly, she heard a boy's gentle murmur, "Be careful, the road is slippery, don't take such big steps..." Before he finished speaking, she heard a girl's soft cry. The boy sighed helplessly, "Oh well, never mind, take my arm, I'll lead you."

The girl's cheerful and sweet laughter echoed. Shi Lan looked up with a smile in her eyes as she looked at Han Guangye and Liu Ru walking side by side in front of her.

Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine as a strange gaze pierced through the crowd and glared at her fiercely. Hatred, jealousy, and unbearable anger were evident in the obvious emotional fluctuations that startled Shi Lan. She quickly looked around and finally fixed her gaze on a person in black wearing a woolen hat near the school gate. The figure looked familiar; although she was thinner, she could still vaguely make out that it was Lin Qing.

From the first day she arrived here, she replaced sleep with cultivation. After this period of effort, she has vaguely noticed the benefits. First of all, her memory is much better than before, and her senses are much sharper than ordinary people. Of course, the high quality of her sleep is negligible.

Shi Lan glanced at Lin Qing, then at Liu Ru, who was two steps ahead of her. Thinking about her previous guesses about Lin Qing, Shi Lan felt that this time the person she needed to get rid of was Liu Ru.

Liu Ru was completely unaware that she was in danger. At this moment, she was clinging to Han Guangye's arm, coaxing him to spend the New Year with her. Han Guangye looked helpless, his eyes filled with doting affection, but he reluctantly nodded as if he couldn't resist her pestering. Liu Ru didn't mind his feigned attitude at all and happily jumped and cheered, which startled Han Guangye so much that he hurriedly stopped her, his handsome face turning pale.

Outside the school gate, rows of private cars waiting to pick up students crowded the entire road. Liu Ru held Han Guangye's arm with one hand and pulled her hat brim with the other to shield herself from the swirling snowflakes. She looked around, trying to find the car that was supposed to pick them up in the sea of ​​cars.

"Brother Guangye, did you tell the driver to let school out early today?"

Liu Ru looked around but couldn't find the car at home, which was a bit disappointing. She then turned to ask Han Guangye.

"I notified Master Liu before the last class. I guess he was late and didn't stop around here," Han Guangye said anxiously. The weather was bad today, and Liu Ru was impulsive and always walked unsteadily. He was worried that something might happen to her.

Lin Qing, who was holding down her woolen hat with her hand not far away, listened to the intimate conversation between the two. Her pretty face was distorted. Han Guangye used to hate even talking to Liu Ru. How long has it been? He has actually become a dog that obediently listens to Liu Ru's orders.

No, she couldn't watch Han Guangye continue like this. In her eyes, he was a charming prince, and she couldn't watch him fall into such a state. She wanted to help him find himself again and let him know that only she could satisfy his pride and sense of accomplishment as a man. She was confident that, given the opportunity, she could definitely do it.

Thinking this, she prepared to do just that, and as Liu Ru turned to approach her, she ran and bumped into her.

Shi Lan had been following behind Liu Ru. When she saw Lin Qing rushing towards Liu Ru's chest and abdomen, she shouted, "Be careful!" and then pushed Liu Ru into Han Guangye's arms.

Lin Qing used all her strength, hoping to succeed in one go, but Shi Lan intervened and the expected collision missed. She herself staggered and fell heavily to the ground, the intense pain causing her to cry out in agony.

Shi Lan looked at the figure huddled on the ground and apologized, seemingly embarrassed, "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

Liu Ru, who was being tightly protected by Han Guangye, touched her pounding heart, pulled Han Guangye's arm to stand up straight, and turned to look at Lin Qing, who was slumped on the ground, groaning in pain. "How are you? Are you alright?"

Liu Ru meant well. The roads are slippery on snowy days, and it's not uncommon for pedestrians to slip and fall. Although that person almost bumped into her, she's alright now, so it's only right that she asks about her injuries. If they're serious, she can help take her to see a doctor.

"How about I help you up?" Shi Lan said, bending down to help Lin Qing up. As she withdrew her hand, she intentionally or unintentionally brushed the woolen hat off Lin Qing's head and easily pulled it off.

"Ah, I'm sorry... Lin Qing?"

Shi Lan's voice was quite loud, attracting the attention of other students who hadn't been paying attention to what was happening.

Liu Ru also looked over, and when she saw it was Lin Qing, her previously calm and concerned expression suddenly changed. "What are you doing here? Didn't you drop out of school? What are you doing here?"

Lin Qing could tell Liu Ru's tone was unfriendly. She touched her head, which was growing cold, and grinned. "What? Just because you dropped out of school doesn't mean you can't come here anymore? This place isn't yours, is it?"

Liu Ru paused, speechless, only tugging at Han Guangye's sleeve with her small hands.