Chapter 11 Invitation
Back in Class A5, Xu Qingyao sat in her seat, her eyes glancing towards the classroom door from time to time.
She never imagined that after so many years, she would finally be classmates with Lian Yi again, even if it was only for half a semester. She unconsciously scribbled on her notebook with her pen.
But whenever she thought of Lian Yi saying that she would be Xie Ling's deskmate, her seemingly thin and weak fingers gripped the pen, the pen tip piercing the paper, leaving a deep ink dot.
"Xu Qingyao! Someone's looking for you!"
A classmate walked into the classroom with a strange smile on his face, winking at her as she looked over, puzzled.
Xu Qingyao was annoyed, but she maintained a gentle smile and nodded to him, "Okay, thank you."
As I stepped out of the classroom, that striking red hair came into view.
The boy leaned lazily against the wall, his long legs crossed, head down, seemingly lost in thought.
People came and went in the corridor. Even though he had dyed his hair red for some time, the students passing by still found it novel and couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they passed by.
Xu Qingyao took a light breath, feeling annoyed by Xie Lingfan and even more annoyed by Gu Yiyu.
Remembering Lian Yi's request, she could only patiently walk to his side and softly ask in confusion, "Gu Yiyu, did you look for me?"
"...Hmm? Yes."
Gu Yiyu quickly stood up straight, and when he looked at her, the impatience on his face had lessened considerably, and his tone was no longer as arrogant and prickly as it usually was.
"Is Lian Yi not planning to come to school again today? Do you know where she is right now? I need to talk to her."
Xu Qingyao was taken aback. "Miss Lian Yi is at school, but she's busy with some things. Do you have something important to discuss with her? Or you could tell me first and I'll pass it on to you."
Gu Yiyu frowned and said, "Never mind, since she's already at school, I'll just tell her when she sees me in class."
"but……"
Xu Qingyao looked slightly surprised. "Didn't you know that Miss Lian Yi has transferred to another class? She will be attending class A5 today."
"What?" Gu Yiyu almost thought he had misheard.
His expression suddenly turned somewhat grim, and his voice deepened, "Did she do this because of what I said yesterday?"
"How could that be?" Xu Qingyao couldn't believe his thought process, and almost couldn't help but twitch her lips slightly. She explained, "Miss Lian Yi was just thinking that the college entrance exam is coming up soon, so she plans to give it her all..."
Gu Yiyu, of course, did not believe it. "If Lian Yi had such thoughts, she wouldn't be like this now."
Moreover, Lian Yi is rebellious by nature. The more you fear something she might do, the more likely she will do it. He has been poisoned by her countless times.
Only a kind and innocent girl like Xu Qingyao would think that Lian Yi wouldn't treat her life as a game.
Just as I was about to say something, two figures walked towards me from the distance down the corridor.
There were more than just these two people in the corridor, but their appearance and demeanor were so outstanding that they stood out from the crowd.
But what's most striking is the distance between the two.
One is Lian Yi, whom the students of Wanghai only dare to gossip about in private; the other is Xie Ling, whom they all look up to with awe.
These two people usually kept to themselves, and no one had ever seen them have any contact, let alone thought that there was any possibility of them having any contact.
But this time, Lian Yi walked ahead with a smile on her lips, swinging her schoolbag back and forth with her fingers.
Xie Ling, who always followed at a certain distance behind her, had no expression on his face as always, but not entirely. At least the earlobes that were faintly visible in his black hair had a suspicious blush.
The corridor fell into an eerie silence, as the two silently watched as they walked to the door of Class A5.
Xu Qingyao snapped out of her daze and was the first to speak, breaking the silence.
She smiled and went to greet her, saying softly, "Lianyi, Gu is here to see you. He said he has something to tell you. Let me help you with your schoolbag..."
She reached out her hand.
Lian Yi hooked her backpack to avoid Xu Qingyao's outstretched hand. The metal chain swung in the air due to inertia and hit Xu Qingyao's wrist with a snap.
She was slender, thin everywhere, and a red mark quickly appeared on her pale, thin wrist. The metal chain seemed to be hitting her hand bones, making a loud noise.
At least everyone present could hear it clearly.
Lian Yi was taken aback. It wasn't that she intentionally wanted to use Xu Qingyao to establish her own villainous supporting character persona. It was simply because in the sports equipment room earlier, she had forced Xie Ling to take off her tie.
It's in my bag right now. If Xu Qingyao takes it, I'll definitely have to open her bag and tidy it up for her later.
Who knows how much Xu Qingyao will cry when she sees the tie? Might as well keep it for herself.
Seeing her cover her hands, purse her lips, and remain silent, Lian Yi's mind raced, and she immediately understood and put on a nonchalant expression.
"Hold on a sliver of hope, it's a haute couture bag, I'm afraid you can't afford to pay for it."
Sure enough, just as Xu Qingyao opened her eyes wide in astonishment, the red-haired man was the first to bristle.
"Lian-yi"
He stepped forward and, with restraint and gentleness, pulled Xu Qingyao behind him, looking down at Lian Yi, "Is this how you raise yourself to bully others?"
Lian Yi clicked her tongue and glanced at him impatiently. "My manners are none of your business. Xu Qingyao said you wanted to see me? Hurry up and let me go. Class is about to start, don't disturb my studies."
"..." Xie Ling, who was silently watching this scene from behind, frowned almost imperceptibly.
Gu Yiyu wanted to stand up for Xu Qingyao, but the girl behind him tugged at his sleeve. He frowned and turned to look at Xu Qingyao, only to see her shaking her head frantically at him.
"Please don't make things difficult for Lian Yi, I'm fine."
"You call this red nothing?"
"Please... and Lian Yi already apologized, what more do you want from her?" Xu Qingyao just wanted to end this inexplicable argument as soon as possible.
It's always the same; even though Lian Yi hasn't done anything, there's always someone who jumps out to condemn her.
It's one thing if they mean well, but no matter how she explains, they always act like they understand, and in the end, they don't believe her at all, only willing to believe their own self-righteous judgment.
Lian Yi looked at them with amusement, but still clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Gu Yiyu, if you really like playing the hero and rescuing the damsel in distress, why don’t you just contact my butler and name a price to invite Xu Qingyao and her parents to your Gu family home?”
Upon hearing this, even Xie Ling, who was standing behind Lian Yi, frowned.
His gaze toward Lian Yi's retreating figure grew increasingly cold.
Gu Yiyu's eyes were sharp, but his sleeve was tugged lightly, and he could feel Xu Qingyao's helplessness and despair at this moment.
He paused for a moment, then said stiffly, "Uncle Lian and Aunt Wu are returning to China at 7:30 tonight. My parents have invited them to dinner at Wangjiang Tower, and they asked me to invite you over."
"That's all?"
Lian Yi, who had just learned that her parents had returned to China, smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
She ignored the three people in front of and behind her and walked straight into the classroom.
Gu Yiyu glanced at her departing figure without hesitation. The question he had subconsciously wanted to ask since hearing the news of her class transfer ultimately remained unasked.
As for Xie Ling, he didn't pay any attention to her at all from beginning to end. He turned to look at Xu Qingyao, who was still covering her hand and frowning slightly, and said in a deep voice, "I'll take you to the infirmary to see if there's any medicine."
Xu Qingyao was stunned. Before she could refuse, the red-haired boy grabbed her arm and led her away.
Xie Ling lowered his eyes, observing the farce with a cold eye, his heart unmoved. Compared to this minor incident, the fact that Lian Yi was now in the same class as him was clearly more concerning.
As he entered the classroom, he saw Lian Yi sitting next to him, ignoring the curious glances from the crowd, leaning back in her chair and happily twirling a pen.
That pen is his.
Xie Ling pursed her lips and walked to her seat. Asking the other person why at this point would seem a bit ridiculous.
Children who receive a new toy will always hold it in their hands and play with it again and again.
"If you're free tonight, come with me to Wangjiang Tower for dinner."
He had just sat down when he heard Lian Yi's clear, laughing voice beside him.
She glanced to the side and smiled slightly, "You'll have time, right?"
Xie Ling's voice was cold and clear, "Wangjiang Tower... is a dinner party arranged by your parents and Gu Yiyu's parents."
"So what?" Lian Yi asked in return.
"I am not suitable to appear in this kind of occasion."
Xie Ling knew she would be angry, but she still insisted on refusing.
Clearly, he underestimated the extent of Lian Yi's unconventionality, and was even less aware of how she had firmly established herself as the "Little Tyrant of Jiangbei" since childhood.
Lian Yi opened her schoolbag, picked up the tie that the boy had been wearing around his neck not long ago, and twirled it in front of Xie Ling as if to show it off.
"I thought you already knew very well that for a long time, you had no right to say no to me. What should I do, Xie Ling? What do you think I should do?"
Xie Ling's expression was icy. He knew that at this moment, almost everyone in the class was focused on him and her.
They might not have noticed the missing tie around his neck, but only if Lian Yi didn't take it out of his bag.
He had no doubt that Lian Yi would dare to do it; there was nothing she wouldn't dare to do.
Xie Ling closed her eyes wearily. The bottom line always tends to drop again after the first concession, doesn't it?
"Okay, I'll go with you."
As for what humiliation and ridicule she would suffer at this banquet, Xie Ling opened her eyes, her clear black and white pupils as deep and dark as an ancient well.
If this is what Lian Yi wants to see, then let's grant her wish.
Until the rich young lady finally lost interest in the game and casually threw away the toy she had grown tired of playing with.
…
"Ah—I was really looking forward to horseback riding, why was it changed to a shooting lesson at the last minute?"
"If you want to ride horses, you can come to my family's horse farm on weekends."
The locker room was noisy, but the scene was clearly divided.
The specially recruited students changed into their shooting uniforms in silence, their faces showing little expectation.
Jingyun does not require students to participate in extracurricular activities, but there are certain requirements for extracurricular points if they want to receive certain scholarships.
The easiest extracurricular courses to get into are so popular that they can't get a spot. Courses like shooting, fencing, and horseback riding are the only options for them.
Meanwhile, the other students had already changed their clothes and were chatting with their friends.
"And I heard that the reason today's class was changed to shooting at the last minute—" The short-haired girl who spoke glanced at the corner.
There sat a girl sitting there, head down, writing and drawing in her notebook. She was the most talked-about student today, yet she kept a low profile.
She whispered, "It's said that some people in the student council specifically changed them."
"Huh?"
These slightly provocative words clearly excited everyone.
Some people scoffed dismissively, "They're really being boring. Not everyone has ever handled a gun or bow and arrow. Trying to intimidate her with this kind of thing won't be impressive even if they win."
This explanation resonated with the crowd, who had initially been quite enthusiastic and eager to see a good show.
"Yeah, I suddenly feel so bored."
"If that's the case, then I can only say that these people are the clowns."
"If you ask me, the fact that she was chosen as a student representative already shows how outstanding she is. If they dare to cause trouble later, I will definitely speak up for this pretty girl!"
"It's hard to say, really. Those people in the student council have always been pretty arrogant. They wouldn't do something so rude."
The short-haired girl watched them discuss for a while, then smiled mysteriously and said, "Yes, they did come up with a plan. I don't think it's too much. It just depends on whether this student representative dares to take the challenge."
These words immediately aroused the curiosity of the girls around.
But no matter how they asked, the short-haired girl kept her mouth shut and refused to reveal a single word.
As the distinctive bell rang, students who had changed into their shooting uniforms poured out of the changing rooms on both sides of the corridor, walked out of the building, boarded the school buses that were already waiting outside, and headed towards the shooting range.
Meng Er put away her notebook; Delia's office had just sent another email.
The other party agreed to let her buy Delia's lunch for £100,000.
This kind of operation was commonplace for Meng Er, but in Delia's eyes, it was an incredibly clever idea that would greatly help him enhance his reputation.
Even though many people know that dining with celebrities comes at a price, it is still an unspoken rule that everyone keeps quiet about.
But now, he is the first to break this unspoken rule.
By adding a portion of that £100,000 to charitable purposes, Delia could already foresee that such a gimmick would elevate her reputation to a new level.
Even though he is hated by many investors and has a reputation as a hyena, he still needs to present an approachable and interesting image to the public.
As expected, he was a magical Easterner who could single-handedly revive a band that was on the verge of collapse. Delia even couldn't help but want to persuade this mysterious Easterner to join his team.
As for what the other party will say during this meal...
Perhaps we could present him with a seemingly promising plan and get him to invest?
Or should I just ask him which stock he recommends?
Delia did not care about this.
Meng Er got into the car and casually found an empty seat. She had expected the other party to agree to the banquet, and she didn't intend to attend the banquet herself.
To fleece people, all we need to do is send someone over.
She believed that Mr. Delia, who had been cut, would understand, but whether he would be furious afterward was not her concern.
"Hello... Meng Er?"
When someone sat down next to him, Meng Er didn't pay much attention until the car started moving, when suddenly a hesitant voice rang out.
Meng Er looked over, and the other person subconsciously avoided her gaze, but quickly looked up again.
“I just heard in the locker room… there might be someone trying to target you during shooting class, but I don’t know what they’re planning. Anyway, be careful.”
Her eyes, hidden behind her thick bangs and black-rimmed glasses, blinked nervously. In the end, she couldn't withstand the pressure of being stared at directly by Meng Er, so she lowered her gaze and shut her mouth.
"I see—"
Meng Er paused for a moment, then remained calm. "I understand, thank you."
The girl blushed slightly and pursed her lips.
After a while, he whispered, "You're welcome."
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