The next morning, the bell rang three times for the morning reading class, but Shen Yanlin's seat remained empty.
The homeroom teacher, Ms. Ma, stood on the podium, her hands resting on the lectern, scanning the entire class.
Her gaze swept over the empty seat in the last row, paused slightly, then, as if nothing had happened, addressed everyone in a serious tone.
"Students, time flies! There are only three months left until the college entrance examination. Every minute and second is precious. Make the most of your morning reading time. Don't be late, don't whisper to each other, seize the time to review, and strive for good results!"
She gave a few more instructions and then signaled to the English class representative to lead everyone in reading the English text aloud.
He did not inquire about Shen Yanlin's absence.
Following Ms. Ma, the other subject teachers also ignored Shen Yanlin's empty desk.
Shen Yanlin did not appear until the lunch break.
I doubt they'll come.
Today, Feng Linlin and Lin Xiaojuan both brought lunchboxes and ate with Ye Linchen.
The three of them were eating and chatting about today's homework when suddenly Ye Linchen heard several girls at the next table whispering something.
They also frequently cast gossipy glances at her.
Lin Xiaojuan has good hearing and immediately heard the three words "Ye Linchen".
She whispered to Ye Linchen, "They seem to be talking about you."
"Listen to what they're saying."
Feng Linlin made a shushing gesture.
The three of them stopped talking and listened intently to what was being discussed over there.
"Really? Ye Linchen bullied Meng Zihan? No way!"
Then I heard a girl ask suspiciously.
“That’s right. I heard that Ye Linchen was bullied by Meng Zihan to the point of running away from home. How could it be her who bullied Meng Zihan?” Another girl also expressed disbelief.
“But what if there’s something going on? Anyway, their relationship has never been good, so maybe something really is going on.” The third girl had a different opinion, “There must be a reason why Ye Linchen’s biological parents dislike her so much.”
Another girl laughed gleefully, "I heard that Ye Linchen always cursed Meng Zihan for not being a member of the Ye family. He told her to get out, and Meng Zihan didn't dare to breathe loudly at home."
Ye Linchen's relaxed expression gradually turned cold.
She slammed down her chopsticks, stood up, walked straight to the girls, and asked directly, "Where did you hear these things?"
The girls were startled when they realized the person had confronted them directly.
One of the girls hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "I...I heard it from a classmate..."
Ye Linchen's tone grew even colder as he pressed, "Which classmate?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting around the empty classroom, before finally speaking.
“Li…Li Li…”
Li Li...
Ye Linchen knew this girl; she was good friends with Meng Zihan. In her past life, she had often stood up for Meng Zihan and made things difficult for Ye Linchen in various ways.
Ye Linchen understood.
She said nothing, turned around and went back to her seat to continue eating.
Feng Linlin said angrily, "Xiao Chen, go find Li Li and ask her clearly! Why are you being falsely accused!"
Lin Xiaojuan calmly analyzed, "What could she possibly know? It must have been Meng Zihan who told her. Shen Yanlin is right, Meng Zihan is a treacherous little person who cries on the surface but schemes behind people's backs."
Ye Linchen said calmly, "Of course we need to find out the truth about this. I'll go find whoever said it."
After afternoon self-study ended, Ye Linchen got up and walked up to Li Li, asking her without any politeness.
"Li Li, why did you spread rumors that I bullied Meng Zihan?"
Why would Ye Linchen, this country bumpkin, be so reckless as to confront me in front of the whole class?
Li Li had never encountered anything like this before, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. She stood up in a panic, wanting to run away.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I need to go to the bathroom."
Ye Linchen reacted quickly, stepping forward to block her path and staring intently at her.
"Why are you leaving? Explain yourself."
The classroom, which had been in complete chaos, suddenly fell silent. The students who were about to go out all stopped and looked over curiously.
Li Li originally wanted to call Ye Linchen a country bumpkin, ignorant and making baseless accusations.
But when she looked up, she met Ye Linchen's eyes.
Those eyes were dark and deep, like a bottomless, icy pool, chilling to the bone.
All the vicious words I had prepared beforehand suddenly froze into stones, stuck in my throat, and I couldn't spit them out.
Li Li turned her face away, looking at Meng Zihan pleadingly, stammering, "Zihan...Zihan...you...you say something...I...I didn't...I didn't say anything wrong..."
Seeing that things were not going well, Meng Zihan, who was in the front row, stood up, walked over, and whispered to Ye Linchen.
"Sister, there might be some misunderstanding. Please don't make things difficult for Li Li."
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she spoke, glancing timidly at Ye Linchen, feigning fear.
It looked like Ye Linchen was about to raise his hand and hit her at any moment.
Ye Linchen felt annoyed when he saw her putting on an act again.
She ignored Meng Zihan and continued to target Li Li.
"If there's any misunderstanding, let's clear it up now. I hate people who gossip behind people's backs."
Feng Linlin stepped forward and said, "I also think it's best for everyone to talk things out. We'll be in the same class from now on, and we'll run into each other all the time. It would be awkward if there were any misunderstandings."
Seeing Ye Linchen's aggressive demeanor, Gu Yifei thought she was bullying Meng Zihan again.
He jumped up and stood behind Meng Zihan, comforting her, "Zihan, don't be afraid. We're at school now, Ye Linchen won't dare to do anything to you."
Lin Xiaojuan glared at him angrily: "Gu Yifei, you're wronging Xiaochen again. You don't know anything about this."
"How could I not understand? Look at her, where is her sense of friendship towards her classmates? It's like she's interrogating a criminal," Gu Yifei said irritably.
"Then what should we do? Let her spread rumors?" Ye Linchen stared coldly at Gu Yifei.
"How is this a rumor? Isn't it the truth?" Gu Yifei retorted.
"Okay, it's true. Then please tell me clearly and explicitly how I bullied Meng Zihan, one by one, so that the other students can judge whether I bullied Meng Zihan or not!"
She paused, looked around, and finally her gaze landed on Gu Yifei's face, with obvious provocation.
"If she does, I, Ye Linchen, can apologize to her in front of the whole class! If not, what will you do?"
Meng Zihan lowered her head, biting her lower lip tightly, secretly annoyed.
She knew that a direct confrontation with Ye Linchen would not yield any good results, so she wanted to use Li Li to spread rumors and ruin Ye Linchen's reputation.
Her original plan was to let the rumors fester and wait until everyone's impression of Ye Linchen worsened before taking further action.
Unexpectedly, Li Li was so useless; she exposed herself on the very first day.
It seems we have no choice but to find another solution.
Li Li got excited when she saw Gu Yifei speak up for her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com