Chapter 18
The next morning, the bus stopped at Century Square Station, and Lin Li boarded the bus, feeling the slight chill of early winter.
"Good morning." He greeted her as usual, his gaze falling on Tong Yao, who was sitting by the window.
Tong Yao simply hummed in response, her gaze remaining fixed on the open pages of the book.
Lin Li sat down next to her, rummaged through her bag, took out the familiar water bottle, and handed it over. "Here's your water bottle back. My clothes... they're still wet from washing." Her tone carried a hint of apology.
Tong Yao opened the book, silently took the water cup, and stuffed it into the side pocket of her backpack without glancing at him.
Lin Li noticed her winter school uniform jacket and couldn't help but ask, "Wearing a winter school uniform so early? Aren't you hot?"
Early winter in Yancheng isn't cold enough to warrant wearing a windbreaker.
Tong Yao finally raised her eyes and glanced at him indifferently. Her gaze was calm and unwavering, but Lin Li instantly understood the subtext—wasn't this all thanks to you?
He immediately felt a little embarrassed, touched his nose, and awkwardly changed the subject, pretending to rummage through his bag: "Um...did you bring any politics or history books? Can I borrow one to take a look?"
"Only history." Tong Yao's voice remained calm.
"Can I borrow it to take a look?"
"No."
"Why?" Lin Li asked, puzzled.
Tong Yao's gaze lingered briefly on his face before falling onto the closed book. Her voice was low but clear: "Someone who can be late for exams, what's the point of studying?"
Lin Li was stunned, his face instantly turning red with embarrassment. A month ago, he was the one who proudly declared himself a top student, and he was also the one who confidently vowed to get into Yucheng Experimental High School.
As a result, he almost missed his first formal exam after boasting so arrogantly, because he was playing around and forgot about the time.
"—You...saw it?"
Lin Li lowered her head in shame.
"I'm sorry..." he blurted out almost without thinking, his voice filled with genuine remorse.
Tong Yao didn't respond, but simply put the book into her bag and stood up, saying, "Excuse me."
Lin Li subconsciously stood in the aisle, watching her pass by and head straight for the back door.
The bus arrived at the station just in time, and as the announcement "Yancheng Middle School has arrived" was made, the doors opened, and the slender figure got off the bus without looking back.
Lin Li then realized what was happening, grabbed her schoolbag, and hurriedly chased after him.
"Tong Yao!" He caught up in a few steps. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to yesterday, I just didn't pay attention to the time..."
Seeing Tong Yao walking faster and faster, Lin Li couldn't help but reach out and grab Tong Yao's wrist.
Feeling the initial warmth on her wrist, Tong Yao stopped and looked at the apprehension on his face. "It's okay,"
Her tone was distant: "But you don't need to apologize to me."
Whether you're late for the exam or not has nothing to do with me, and you're not studying hard for me either, so you don't need to apologize to me or explain anything.
She paused, then added, "After all, we're just ordinary classmates."
The words "ordinary classmate" pierced Lin Li's heart like an icicle. He stood frozen, watching that figure walk away without a backward glance.
...Ordinary classmates?
He had always thought they were friends, even... he thought they could go further. It turned out, he had only been deluding himself.
The precognition that came with being reborn seemed so ridiculous at this moment. He always thought he could make up for the regrets of his previous life, but some things don't change their course just because they're given a second chance.
...
Lin Li stepped into the classroom expressionlessly, her gaze sweeping over that familiar spot.
Tong Yao was looking down at the table, seemingly unaware of his arrival.
He scoffed inwardly: Don't you even want to look at me?
Tong Yao sensed him the moment he entered, but when his gaze actually swept over her, she hurriedly lowered her eyes.
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them, not understanding how she could have said such heartless things.
At this moment, I am in complete confusion and don't know how to face this situation.
…………
In the afternoon, the political exam ended.
Lin Li walked out of the examination room with the crowd, feeling down.
"Hey, Lin Li, wanna play ball?" The boy he played ball with yesterday greeted him.
"No, maybe next time." He forced a smile and waved his hand.
He's not in the mood right now.
Returning alone to the empty classroom, I picked up my bag and prepared to leave, completely unaware of the hesitant gaze behind me.
After leaving the school gate, Lin Li glanced at the familiar alleyway next to her.
We got our hair cut together just a few days ago, and she was smiling so happily. We seemed to get along so well back then.
"I think Tong Yao likes you."
"Besides Cheng Yu and Tong Yao, you're the only one I get along with well."
The conversation I had with Tang Yue in the park that day echoed intermittently in my mind.
Tong Yao would lend me her textbooks, treat me to milk tea, ask if my hand hurt, and hand me some sweet soup when I collapsed in the infirmary.
Ordinary classmates?
Sometimes you shouldn't look at what someone says, but rather at what they do.
Lin Li murmured these words.
In my previous life, I had caused this consequence by getting stuck on trivial matters, and in this life, I almost repeated the same mistake.
Why did he always assume that Tong Yao didn't like him?
Looking back on all the moments spent with Tong Yao, would an ordinary classmate feel this way?
Lin Li felt that given Tong Yao's personality, it was impossible. Perhaps... she liked her, and at least they could be friends.
He should find Tong Yao and ask her again. He doesn't believe that he is just an ordinary classmate to her, or even a friend!
Yes, I'll ask again!
Lin Li raised her head with renewed fighting spirit, her previous dejection completely gone.
Lin Li was stunned when she saw the familiar barbershop sign.
How did he end up here while he was walking?
So he immediately turned around and went back.
Just as I was about to reach the alley entrance, I saw a dark mass blocking the road ahead.
When Lin Li walked in and saw who it was, he froze, his heart tightening instantly—Cheng Yu and several shady-looking boys were standing at the alley entrance, their eyes all fixed on him.
One of them said something to Cheng Yu, and Lin Li vaguely caught the words "Him?" "It's agreed..."
Lin Li forced herself to remain calm and walked forward. She probably wasn't looking for me, was she?
Until I reached those people.
"Hey buddy, let's chat." The leader of the group gave him a shove with a forced smile.
Lin Li's heart sank. Knowing there was no way to escape, she could only be half-pushed and half-shoved into the depths of the alley.
Cheng Yu looked at Lin Li, who was surrounded, and a smug sneer appeared on her face: "Wang Ming, I've changed my mind. You hold him down, I'll handle it myself."
"Where's the money?" asked the boy who was leading the group, Wang Ming.
You won't be shortchanged!
Wang Ming gave a signal, and the two boys behind Lin Li immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arms.
Lin Li forced herself to calm down and fixed her gaze on Wang Ming: "Wang Ming, right? Do you know Lin Hu?"
Wang Ming paused in picking at his nails, then looked up at him and asked, "What? Trying to curry favor?"
"My name is Lin Li, and Lin Hu is my cousin."
The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Wang Ming and the others exchanged glances, their eyes conveying unspoken messages.
"It seems... I heard Tiger mention that he has a cousin studying here..."
"They do look somewhat alike..."
Wang Ming pondered for a moment, then waved his hand: "We won't make a move." He led the group back half a step, forming a subtle encirclement, but no longer held onto Lin Li tightly. "Anyway, this woman said she'll do it herself, we'll just watch."
Cheng Yu stomped her foot in anger: "You take the money and don't do the job?!"
"Cheng Yu, didn't expect this, did you?" Lin Li stretched her newly freed arm, her tone teasing.
"Slap!" A loud slap landed on Lin Li's face.
"hiss--"
The burning pain made him scream in pain. Lin Li touched his still-burning cheek in disbelief.
He felt the raised area of five finger marks and immediately roared in anger:
"Cheng Yu! Do you really think I wouldn't dare hit you?"
"Men don't hit women? Sorry, that doesn't apply to me."
Lin Li raised her hand high, then gently lowered it, patting Cheng Yu's face.
Seeing Cheng Yu close her eyes in fear, he immediately burst out laughing.
"Do you know how much I hate you! If it weren't for you, she and I wouldn't have missed each other in our past lives; at least we could still be friends!"
Lin Li didn't say the second half of the sentence; instead, he received a slap filled with all his strength.
Lin Li was quite strong; with one slap, Cheng Yu spun around.
"Ah~!" Cheng Yu shrieked angrily as she touched her swollen cheek.
"You really aren't going to do anything? You don't want your money back?"
Cheng Yu roared at the people behind Lin Li.
"What are you yelling about?" Lin Li got angry at her gruff voice.
He stared at Cheng Yu's swollen face and said mockingly, word by word, "Look at you now, you really live up to the saying—ugly people are always up to no good!"
As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Cheng Yu's soft cheek hard, then wiped his hands on the wall next to him with disgust, as if he had touched something dirty.
"Spending money to hire someone? Tsk, that's really wasteful. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be very effective."
…………
Not long after Lin Li left the classroom, Tong Yao quickly finished cleaning the classroom and followed her out.
She subconsciously searched for that figure, but found nothing, and a faint sense of disappointment crept into her heart.
As I passed the alleyway, I could faintly hear the sounds of arguing coming from inside.
Her heart tightened, and she peered out, only to see several young men dressed in a manner that did not resemble students blocking the way.
The next second, Lin Li's scream of pain came from the alley.
She immediately understood what had happened and turned to run towards the teaching building.
"Teacher Liu, Lin Li, he..."
The teachers' office was empty.
She suddenly remembered that the teachers might be grading papers together. What to do? That's right, Mr. Jiang from the physical education department might still be there!
She rushed to the sports office next to the playground and, sure enough, saw Teacher Jiang eating fried noodles in the office.
"Teacher Jiang! Lin Li is being beaten by a lot of people in the alley near the school gate."
"What?! You dare touch my student?!" Teacher Jiang stood up abruptly, threw down her chopsticks, took out her phone to call security while grabbing a teaching iron rod from under her desk.
"There's a fight going on in the alley near the school gate! Go check it out!" He hung up the phone, only to find that Tong Yao had already disappeared.
Tong Yao was the first to run back to the alley entrance and anxiously shouted inside, "Lin Li!"
She forced herself to remain calm and said to Wang Ming and the others who were blocking the road, "I've already told the teacher, they'll be there soon!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ming and the others' expressions changed slightly. "Let's go!" The group exchanged glances, instantly ran to the roadside, and the three of them rode away on their will-o'-the-wisps.
Hearing Tong Yao's voice from inside the alley, Lin Li turned around in surprise: "What are you doing here...?"
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp pain suddenly exploded from his lower body!
"Ugh—!"
He let out a short, painful scream, and instantly curled up and knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
It was Cheng Yu! Taking advantage of Lin Li's momentary distraction, she used all her strength to kick out fiercely!
Tong Yao covered her mouth in horror.
Teacher Jiang and the security guards, who rushed to the scene, witnessed this "childless" kick. Several grown men involuntarily felt a phantom pain, and their mouths twitched.
"This...it might hurt a bit," a security guard murmured.
Looking at the riot fork and baton in the security guard's hands, Teacher Jiang asked in confusion, "What are you going to do with these?"
"Didn't you say it was going to be a group fight? We're just worried about losing control of the situation..."
Tong Yao rushed to Lin Li's side, crouched down, and her once calm voice was now filled with panic: "Lin Li! Are you alright? Lin Li!"
Lin Li was in so much pain that her vision blurred, her face turned deathly pale, and she couldn't speak at all.
After kicking the person, Cheng Yu noticed Tong Yao and the teachers and security guards who had rushed over. A look of panic flashed across her face, and she turned and ran wildly towards the other end of the alley.
"Stop!" Teacher Jiang shouted, and he and the security guard immediately gave chase.
Although Cheng Yu was fat, he ran incredibly fast when he was escaping, and it wasn't until he reached the corner of the alley where the barber shop was that Teacher Jiang grabbed his arm.
"Cheng Yu? It's you!" Teacher Jiang exclaimed in disbelief upon recognizing her.
“He hit me first! Look at my face!” Cheng Yu struggled, pointing to her swollen cheek as she protested, “I…I was acting in self-defense.”
Teacher Jiang frowned deeply as she watched the farce unfold before her.
Inside the medical room.
"Lin Li, how are you now?"
Teacher Jiang glanced at the boy lying on the bed and said.
"Hmm, much better."
Lin Li answered listlessly.
After Teacher Jiang caught Cheng Yu, she called the security guards to help carry Lin Li to the infirmary.
Jiang Shui breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Lin Li say that he was much better.
The infirmary staff had long since left work, but Jiang Shui hadn't put down the iron rod in his hand. He struck Cheng Yu with the rod, saying, "Confess honestly later."
After saying that, Jiang Shui walked to the small room behind the infirmary.
He took out a few ice packs and tossed them to Lin Li.
"Let's apply ice first."
Tong Yao stood by Lin Li's bedside, filled a water glass with water, and prepared to give it to him.
Lin Li took the ice pack, thinking, "Ice pack..."
Seeing that Lin Li didn't move, Tong Yao said, "Teacher Jiang is calling you Bing..."
Tong Yao glanced at the spot Lin Li was covering and her expression immediately turned unnatural. She silently turned her head away.
I put the water glass on the bedside table and then took a few steps back.
He also helped Lin Li pull the curtain down.
Jiang Shui, of course, didn't miss this scene. He twirled the iron rod in his hand and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
The sound of crying rang out.
Jiang Shui turned his head and saw Cheng Yu.
Because her face was swollen, and then she cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, it looked extremely disgusting.
I quickly pulled two sheets of paper from the table and gave them to her.
Lin Li, who was inside the curtain, heard it too and snorted coldly: "Why are you shedding crocodile tears?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu immediately stopped crying, took a tissue, and wiped her face clean.
Seeing that she had stopped crying, Jiang Shui went back and got an ice pack, handing it to Cheng Yu: "You should put this on your face too."
"Alright, tell me what exactly happened."
...
"Yes, so Cheng Yu colluded with outsiders to violently assault his classmates, right?"
After Jiang Shui found out what had happened, he went out and made a phone call.
As I reached the door, I glanced at the sky, which was gradually darkening.
"Tong Yao, I need to deal with Cheng Yu's matter now. Your family will worry if it gets late. Go home first."
"Um."
Tong's mom isn't working today, so it won't do if she gets home late.
Helpless, before leaving, Tong Yao glanced worriedly at Lin Li, who was sitting by the bed.
Lin Li smiled and waved, "Let's go, I'm fine."
Tong Yao pursed her lips before leaving.
After Tong Yao left, Lin Li noticed the familiar cup on the bedside table and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
How did it end up back in his hands again?
When Jiang Shui returned after making the call, he was surprised to see Lin Li still smiling.
"Cheng Yu's parents will be here soon. Should we notify your parents?"
Lin Li shook her head first. Lin's mother had gone to her sister's house in the provincial capital for her nephew's one-month celebration and hadn't returned yet.
On second thought, Cheng Yu's parents must be quite shrewd to have developed this kind of personality, and they're probably worried that if Cheng Yu's parents came, they, as a student, would suffer.
He thought for a moment, then said a number to the river.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
