Chapter 110 I felt so sorry for her at that time
That night, Lin Yan clearly noticed that Xing Yu was in a bad mood.
But no matter how she asked, Xing Yu just brushed it off by saying that he was too tired from flying and that was the end of it.
He held her in his arms and slept all night, but Lin Yan knew that he didn't seem to sleep at all.
The next day, after she went out to work, Xing Yu asked Cheng Qing out.
They made an appointment to go to the same coffee shop where they met last time.
Cheng Qing arrived later than him and rushed over panting.
"Xing Yu, I'm sorry. I asked my husband to help look after the kids for a while, but he complained that I was too busy and had an argument with me. So, I was delayed for a while and came late."
"It's okay, I understand."
The woman sitting in front of him was wearing a loose T-shirt, her hair was loose and unkempt, and her face was without any makeup, leaving only a tired look as if she had been eroded by life.
With her soft features and simple attire, there is absolutely no sign of aggression in her.
"What would you like to drink?" Xing Yu asked.
"It will be all right."
Xing Yu casually ordered two lattes.
"Xing Yu, what's the matter with you asking me out this time?" Cheng Qing speculated, "Is it about Yanyan again?"
Xing Yu didn't show much emotion: "Yeah, yes."
Cheng Qing seemed very happy: "Ask, what do you want to ask?"
Xing Yu didn't respond, but took out his phone and opened the photo album.
Pushed the phone in front of Cheng Qing.
"Tell me, what's the story with this photo?"
Cheng Qing's eyes seemed to be nailed shut as he stared blankly at the lit screen of his mobile phone.
The corners of his mouth, which were raised just now, suddenly became stiff.
The silence lasted for a minute.
Xing Yu took the phone back and looked at her with a colder look in his eyes.
He continued, "Cheng Qing, as Lin Yan's friend, can you explain to me what's going on with this photo?"
Cheng Qing stared down at the table, her voice trembling slightly as she asked, "Where did you get this photo?"
"It's not important." Xing Yu's tone was calm, but his tone was pressing: "Answer me."
In just a few seconds, Cheng Qing's eyes turned red.
The movement of raising her head seemed to have exhausted all her strength.
She looked back at Xing Yu: "If I say I took this photo by accident, would you believe me?"
Xing Yu: "Go on."
Cheng Qing's gaze became increasingly distant, and with a sigh, she slowly spoke.
"I still remember it clearly. It was a weekend in my first year of high school. The weather was exceptionally clear and sunny. My classmate and best friend Gao Yun and I planned to go out for some fun near school."
"Gao Yun comes from a wealthy family, and her father had just bought her a camera. We were on our way to a popular photo spot. As we passed the playground, Gao Yun said the sun was shining brightly and she wanted to try taking a test shot. She asked me to stand there and I casually snapped this photo."
At this point, the coffee was served.
She took a sip from the cup and continued.
"When we returned from our trip, we were sorting through photos on our computer at night. We kept scrolling through that photo and noticed a person kneeling behind him. We enlarged the photo and looked at it several times, never expecting to accidentally capture that scene..."
"Lin Yan was the monitor of Class 1, Grade 1 at the time. She had excellent grades and was ranked first in the grade. Everyone knew her. So I immediately recognized the person in the photo as her. Gao Yun and I hesitated about whether to give the photo to the teacher, but...we were worried about getting into unnecessary trouble, so..."
"Trouble?" Xing Yu asked, "What trouble?"
Cheng Qing held the coffee cup in both hands, rubbing his thumbs on the cup.
"Because everyone was spreading rumors at the time, Lin Yan had a very bad reputation throughout the entire high school. Everyone said... she had fallen in love prematurely, was kept by a wealthy man... and... was a mistress. So no one liked her... She became the object of disgust for almost everyone in our department..."
"We also heard that, for some unknown reason, she had offended many students from other schools, and that boys and girls would often come to the school gate to block her... We suspect that those people from other schools were responsible for her being tied up and forced to kneel on the playground that day."
"Gao Yun and I didn't want to meddle in other people's business, and we were also afraid of offending those people, so we kept this matter to ourselves and didn't tell anyone..."
There was no change on Xing Yu's face at all times.
"You said the photo was taken accidentally, so why did you point behind you?"
"It's a matter of angle." Cheng Qing was sincere, his eyes not avoiding at all.
"Xing Yu, take a close look at that photo. My hand wasn't pointing backwards, but vertically toward the sky. Gao Yun said the weather was nice and the clouds were beautiful, so I subconsciously made that gesture. But when the photo was taken, the perspective changed to one where I was pointing directly at Yanyan. Believe it or not, that's the truth."
Xing Yu was silent for a while, then continued in a cold voice, "Since you didn't interact with her in high school, why did you take the initiative to approach her in college?"
Cheng Qing lowered his eyes again, his voice becoming hoarse.
"Actually, after that incident, I often secretly observed her... I noticed that several times after evening self-study, she was dragged away by people outside the school by her hair. I often saw classmates who were prejudiced against her locking her in the bathroom and slapping her..."
"But she never fought back, never argued, and never even told the teacher. She always... walked around alone with her head down, her face bruised..."
Cheng Qing's voice began to choke.
"At that time... I felt so sorry for her... but I didn't dare to be the first to stand up and help her, for fear that everyone's hatred for her would be transferred to me. Now that I think about it, I really was such a coward..."
"When I was in college, I never thought I'd get into the same school as her. I recognized her the moment I reported to freshman year, and just like in high school, I couldn't help but keep an eye on her."
"She was still like she was in high school, living alone, neither happy nor angry, and not making friends. Perhaps it was out of guilt and sympathy for her, or perhaps it was a desire to understand her true character. So, I applied to move into the dorm next to hers and slowly began to approach her..."
"Later, over a period of nearly a year, she gradually let down her guard against me. After becoming friends with her, I understood two things: first, you can't just believe what others say; you have to treat others with your heart; second, the deterrent power of rumors is truly terrifying."
"Yanyan is actually a thoughtful, gentle and kind girl. When she sees a stray cat at school, she stops and gives it a cardboard box to use as a nest. When she encounters an elderly beggar on the street, even if she herself is in dire straits, she will hand over a few yuan without hesitation..."
"When I was sick with a cold, she would quietly buy medicine and leave it on my desk in the dorm...When I was down, sad, she would sit quietly by my side...She wasn't good at expressing herself, rarely spoke, and didn't even know how to comfort others. However, her actions showed me that she cared deeply about me as a friend..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
