Chapter 43 Return to School
"If that's the reason."
Lian Yi's lips curled slightly upward, and she looked at him calmly, her gaze still filled with the fondness of appreciating beautiful things.
"Xie Ling, don't overestimate your importance in my heart. What you do in this matter is irrelevant to me. Put away your misplaced sense of justice and guilt."
Xie Ling's eyelashes trembled slightly, her voice soft, "Lian Yi, I'm sorry. I will take responsibility for my actions, but not just for this reason..."
"Let's talk again after this matter is resolved, okay?"
"Responsible?"
Lian Yi chuckled lightly, "What will you take responsibility for? Your good reputation or your achievements? Xie Ling, you don't really need to feel sorry for me. Of course, if thinking that way makes you feel better, then so be it."
She didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer. The most important thing was what Xu Qingyao had said to him that made him adopt such a humble attitude.
No matter how much ridicule or cold words were spoken, he always chose to endure it silently.
Lian Yi was almost certain that even if she said something like, "I like you and I did all that recently, but it was just because I thought you were having fun with me," it wouldn't have any effect on him at all.
For a moment, Lian Yi almost wanted to grab Xu Qingyao, pinch her face hard, and pull it taut.
"It's late and so cold, don't waste time." Lian Yi avoided his complicated gaze, her face, which no longer showed any smile, revealed a cold emotion. She said impatiently, "If it's not necessary, let's not meet again."
Let her think it over carefully and come up with a good way to make him completely hate her before we talk about it.
We can't let Xie Ling carry this guilt forever, dragging it out until the real heiress returns, and then have to make concessions and forgive her again and again because of that past guilt.
Thinking about the likely delay in her retirement, Lian Yi's mood worsened, and her expression became slightly irritated. "Anyway, this suits you just the way you want it."
She didn't care how Xie Ling would react, and after saying that, she turned around and entered the community as the security guard saluted her.
Xie Ling stood still, letting the cold wind blow her black hair, which was slightly ruffled. As Lian Yi's figure quickly disappeared from sight, her cool and aloof eyebrows gradually lowered.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of the cat he had when he was a child.
It adopts an arrogant attitude towards everything, yet it cannot hide its guarded and vigilant heart.
Every time he made a move or fed it, it would watch alertly, and only after confirming that there was no danger would it stretch its body and lazily jump down from the height.
Over time, it lowers its guard against him, gradually becomes trusting, and will show him its soft belly.
After her claws accidentally scratched his hand, she looked very emotional and helpless, hiding on top of the wardrobe and silently watching him.
Xie Ling knew that Lian Yi was not that cat.
Or rather, she was the 'self' who owned the cat, giving purely out of love, only to be scratched without her noticing.
And he's not a cat who knows nothing.
Xie Ling closed her eyes, feeling a sharp, tingling pain in her heart.
He no longer knew whether he was thinking about these things because of guilt, or whether he felt guilty because he was thinking about these things.
The figure that walked in when she kicked open the half-closed door of the private room, the arrogant look when she spoke those words under the ginkgo tree, that phone call, the image of her sitting on the table laughing heartily amidst the swirling dust in the sunlight during a meal in the sports equipment room.
That embrace, as if it were still before winter, brought life and vitality to that cramped and dimly lit living room.
Scenes from the past have never faded from Xie Ling's memory, yet at this moment, her heart pounded almost out of control, and a slight twitch appeared on her lips, a faint smile that seemed somewhat bitter.
He understood some things too late, and he no longer had the right to.
A hint of sadness appeared in Xie Ling's slightly lowered, aloof eyes.
But he... really regretted it.
...
Huang Qiang is a senior high school student this year. He has a serious imbalance in his subjects, and his English score is dragging down his overall score.
Since entering high school, he has changed his behavior from skipping classes to go to internet cafes in junior high school and has become a good child that his family is extremely proud of.
Feeling his parents' expectations, Huang Qiang naturally wanted to work harder in his studies, so he enrolled in an English tutoring class and started attending classes as soon as the final exams were over.
There were many classmates he knew in this tutoring class, so they could get together and hang out after class.
Huang Qiang wanted to go home and continue studying, so he declined his friend's invitation to play basketball. After leaving the building where the tutoring center was located, he waved goodbye to his classmates, slung his shoulder bag over his shoulder, and walked to the roadside to scan a shared bicycle.
"Hi, are you Huang Qiang?"
Hearing someone speaking to him, Huang Qiang looked over in confusion. Several men and women were squatting or standing by the curb, all with faint smiles on their faces, their eyes scrutinizing him as if trying to confirm something.
Although they were dressed in fashionable and trendy clothes, you could still tell that they were about the same age as him, and looked a bit young and inexperienced.
Huang Qiang vaguely sensed that these people belonged to the "not to be trifled with" type. Although he didn't know who they were, he still nodded blankly.
"Oh, are you free?" One of the boys stood up, walked over cheerfully, patted him on the shoulder, and placed his other hand on the handlebars of the shared bicycle that Huang Qiang wanted to scan.
He gestured towards the alleyway next to the building and smiled, "Let's go over there and talk."
"...Uh, what do you want to do?" Huang Qiang took a step back defensively, but the two boys grabbed his shoulders like brothers.
"Brother, I just wanted to chat with you."
He grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth. "Don't be afraid."
...
About ten minutes later, Huang Qiang emerged from the alley, grimacing. His shoulder bag was covered in footprints. He endured the pain, and his expression remained grim.
The boy followed behind him and caught up in a few steps. When he put his hand on Huang Qiang's shoulder, Huang Qiang was so startled that he trembled.
"I heard you were pretty arrogant in junior high, bro? But now..." The boy stepped back a little, glanced at him up and down, and grinned, "You've become a good student, bro!"
"...What exactly do you want? I haven't offended you, have I?" Huang Qiang's lips trembled, but he finally couldn't hold back and kept his voice very soft for fear of angering the other party.
"No, I just heard about your past reputation, Brother Qiang, and I was curious to come and see. You used to like doing this too, so what's wrong? Why aren't you laughing?"
The boy squinted and scoffed, "Brother Qiang, look at you, you've changed for the better so easily now, how come you've forgotten your glorious past?"
"..."
Huang Qiang's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He said in a low voice, "I was indeed... quite bad before, but I've changed. If I've hurt you or your friends in the past, I can apologize..."
"If you want monetary compensation, I'll try... and I don't have much pocket money."
"Hey, Brother Qiang, what are you saying? We're just here to have a friendly chat with you. What, you want to break the law or commit a crime?"
The boy smiled and hooked his arm around his neck. "There's just one thing. You changed your mind so easily, but what about the people you bullied?"
He led Huang Qiang to the roadside, waved behind him, and soon someone towed over a shared bicycle.
After thoughtfully doing all this, the boy stood in front of him and gently patted Huang Qiang's face.
"It's okay, Brother Qiang, take your time to think about it. Until we figure this out, we brothers will come to see you every day to keep in touch."
Huang Qiang's face turned ashen in an instant, but he only dared to lower his head and remain silent.
The boy didn't say anything more, but chuckled and beckoned his friend to the side of the road to open the door of a car, then drove off in a dashing manner.
As Huang Qiang watched the car, which he recognized as belonging to a luxury car brand, drive away, his expression grew increasingly grim. He simply couldn't understand how he could have offended someone from such a wealthy family.
It's even less likely that he was offended in junior high school. Back then, someone like him would have been a popular figure in school, with plenty of students flattering him.
Remembering that the other party had said they would contact him again, Huang Qiang quickly took out his phone, wanting to ask someone who these people were, but hesitated after opening the app.
After thinking about it, he decided to send messages to several old classmates he hadn't contacted in a long time.
Do you know if there was someone like this in our junior high school?
Huang Qiang described what the boy looked like, emphasizing what kind of car he was driving.
I thought that after sending these messages, it would take a long time to get a reply, or even disappear without a trace. After all, after entering high school, some people went to second- or third-rate schools, some went to vocational high schools, and some even dropped out of school.
Besides, he and Chen Ziting got into a good school.
But soon a message pop-up appeared on the screen. Huang Qiang rubbed his aching arm and hissed as he opened the software. All five contacts had replied, with different tones but similar content.
[Damn! You got messed with by a group of people for no reason too?]
"..." Huang Qiang's unease gradually intensified, which brought back some memories he didn't want to recall.
Finally, the six of them created a group chat, and several messages appeared the moment the group chat was created.
Without exception, around the same time, they were approached by several seemingly wealthy and 'unapproachable' people and taken to a corner to have a chat.
What those people said was pretty much true.
After the six people in the group chat gradually came together to understand this information, they all fell silent.
Suddenly someone copied and sent Chen Ziting's essay from last night to the group chat.
Is this why she's targeting us again?
[I'm speechless. Is Chen Ziting out of her mind?]
There's nothing to deny about what we did in the past. To be honest, I really regret bullying Xu Qingyao back then. It was unnecessary, and I feel incredibly stupid... To be honest, she messed with us, and personally, I don't really feel wronged.
Indeed, I would be angry too if I saw what Chen Ziting posted, let alone her...
What should I do? I still want to study hard; there's only one semester left, and I don't want to fail to get into university.
Looking at the messages from his old classmates, Huang Qiang's sweaty face suddenly lit up with a look of sudden realization. He frantically tapped on his phone, replying at lightning speed.
Since everyone shares the same opinion, I don't think we need to take the blame for Chen Ziting. It's enough to admit wrongdoing. We were all young and immature back then; now that we're adults, we should be responsible for our actions.
You know what I mean, right?
Otherwise, she won't let us off the hook.
[Okay, so what should we do?]
[+1, anyway, let's get this over with quickly. I really can't stand it. Those people look like they're not to be trifled with; they're all rich and have plenty of time to cause trouble.]
[Damn it, I'm being threatened that I won't be able to find a car repair job in Yunhai anymore. Unbelievable! I studied cooking!]
Huang Qiang sighed, seeing their unanimous reluctance to provoke Lian Yi again, and simply squatted down by the roadside to carefully consider his thoughts before quickly typing out the message.
After finally squatting by the roadside and finalizing the agreement with them, Huang Qiang immediately opened a group chat of classmates who were discussing the gossip about Wang Hai. After seeing someone talking about Chen Ziting's short essay, he gritted his teeth slightly and clicked to reply.
I don't know if the gossip from @锵锵锵望海 is true or false, but none of what this person said is true.
【？】
How did you know?
[Wasn't Huang Qiang from that affiliated high school? Tell me more about him.]
Huang Qiang took a breath, wiped the cold sweat from his face, typed out a long message, and sent it out.
Then I opened another classmate group.
Meanwhile, Chen Ziting, who was strolling around the shopping district with her friend, was idly scrolling through her phone, while her friend, whom she had known since high school, was still vehemently criticizing that despicable person.
"Tingting, don't worry, if you ever encounter someone like that again, I'll definitely help you! Ugh, I promise you'll never run into that kind of trash again!"
Chen Ziting smiled, especially when she saw the messages on her phone, one after another expressing concern or sympathy for the enemy. She snorted smugly to herself.
My friend is right, Lian Yi is trash.
If her family weren't rich, would she be so arrogant?
"Hey, Tingting, that dress is beautiful, it suits you so well, let's go try it on." Her friend suddenly grabbed her arm.
Just as Chen Ziting was about to look up, her phone suddenly vibrated slightly. She glanced at it and saw that it was her mother calling. She answered the phone and put it to her ear.
"Mom, I'm out playing with my friends and I'm not coming home for dinner tonight. Why are you..." Before Chen Ziting could finish speaking, she heard her mother's voice on the other end, serious yet tinged with panic.
"Tingting, come home right now! Did you do something wrong? Why did someone send you a lawyer's letter saying that the case is already in the litigation stage and we have to wait for the summons?"
"..."
Chen Ziting stopped in her tracks, somewhat flustered. Before she could explain to her friend, she quickly lowered her voice and said, "I didn't do anything. Did you deliver it to the wrong address? Or...is it..."
She suddenly realized something, and her panicked tone turned hesitant.
"Do you even know? It was a lawyer's letter sent by Sheng Yuan..."
"You go home right now. Your father is on his way home. No matter what you've done, you're not allowed to hide it, or your life will be ruined, you know?!" Chen's mother's voice became stern as she spoke.
Chen Ziting's eyes reddened with fright. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the other end of the phone had already hung up.
She bit her lip, stuffed her phone back into her pocket, and, suppressing her fear and the urge to cry, quickly walked towards the mall entrance.
"Huh? Tingting, what's wrong? What happened?" Her friend was stunned for a moment, then quickly ran after her. "Is your mom angry? Your aunt is a very nice person. Just tell her you came out to play with me."
"I'm sorry, something urgent has come up at home, and I can't explain to you right now. I'll message you again when I have time later."
Chen Ziting gave her a forced smile, hailed a passing taxi, and quickly got in.
My friend was still standing there, looking a little lost. After thinking for a moment, I took out my phone to send her a message, asking her to let me know when she got home.
But then she saw that someone had sent her a message.
[Tsk tsk tsk, I never expected Chen Ziting to be this kind of person. She used to be a tough girl!]
She stared at the screenshots of messages on the screen, each one incredibly persuasive, a testimonial from the person involved. Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time, motionless.
...
At the Lian family's dinner table tonight, only Lian Yi and Xu Qingyao were present.
Lian Yi didn't care about the progress of their project at all. She only asked where Sister Zui was. When she learned that she had flown abroad, apparently to discuss the purchase of crystal raw materials or something, she stopped caring.
She poked at the dessert in front of her listlessly.
I'm so worried, it's hard not to be worried.
She had a plan: to tease Xie Ling occasionally, enjoy the sight of the young man's good looks, and then, when he genuinely considered her at least as a friend, make him face reality.
How can a poor boy be worthy of being friends with a rich girl?
Anyone with a shred of self-respect would be utterly disgusted by her because of this, right?
Lian Yi smashed the perfectly crafted cherry-shaped dessert to pieces, letting out a long sigh in her heart. What was the difference between this and sleeping soundly over the weekend only to be interrupted by a phone call demanding she rush back to work?
It's truly disheartening.
She noticed Xu Qingyao glancing at her from time to time across the long dining table, and with a sharp look in her eyes, she said rudely, "Just eat properly, what are you looking at?"
"Oh..." Xu Qingyao pouted and responded weakly.
But she couldn't help but raise her eyes and secretly observe Lian Yi's expression.
She didn't know what Lian Yi and Xie Ling had talked about after she left last night. She certainly didn't dare to ask, so she could only guess in secret.
Looking at Lian Yi's current behavior, it's hard to say whether she's sad or indifferent.
Xu Qingyao frowned in distress, admitting that she had her own selfish motives for saying those things to Xie Ling.
Although she didn't want to see Lian Yi lower herself to Xie Ling again, Xie Ling always seemed helpless.
But she didn't want Lian Yi's efforts to go unseen, or even be misunderstood and viewed with prejudice.
Xu Qingyao could tell that Xie Ling wasn't indifferent to Lian Yi, and she wasn't surprised at all. Who in this world wouldn't like Lian Yi?
It's fine if you have it, it's just tasteless stuff.
"Miss Lianyi, have you eaten?" She had thought Xie Ling would open up to Lianyi, regardless of whether Lianyi forgave him or not, but it seemed... this was not the reaction she expected.
Lian Yi snorted and put her fork aside. "I can't eat anymore! Don't waste food, you can have this."
She tapped the table, and the butler waiting beside her bent down slightly, picked up the plate, and presented the untouched, mangled dessert to Xu Qingyao.
Xu Qingyao couldn't resist the urge to pout. Touching her slightly protruding belly, she sighed and resignedly picked up the spoon.
So what exactly happened last night, and why did Lian Yi take her anger out on her?
When Lian Yi walked out of the restaurant, she saw Li Xilai admiring a painting at the end of the corridor.
She was already heading towards the living room, and continued in the same direction.
"This painting..."
Li Xilai's eyes showed appreciation. "I really like the use of color. Although the style is a bit gloomy, it gives me a sense of vitality, like a butterfly about to emerge from its cocoon. I've never seen this in your house before. Whose work is it?"
Lian Yi raised her eyelids and glanced at the painting that Li Xilai had mentioned.
To be honest, she didn't know how people could interpret so many profound and unfathomable contents from these abstract paintings composed of different colors of paint.
"It was drawn by Jiang Yu, around the time he was sixteen?" Lian Yi scratched her head and recalled.
"The housekeeper found this in the storage room this morning. Since the antique painting we ordered hasn't arrived yet, we might as well hang it up as decoration for now."
"oh."
Li Xilai glanced at Lian Yi without showing any emotion. Seeing that Lian Yi's expression was normal, she naturally explained her purpose, "My uncle's people have screened the list and confirmed it with the people under Attorney Chu."
"The lawyer's letters are all ready, fresh off the press. I'll have your housekeeper have someone pick them up from my trunk later."
"Hmm, I trust you to handle things." Lian Yi turned away without comment and walked towards the living room.
"Here's something interesting. After Song Qiqi woke up in the hospital, her good friend, oh, I mean Zhao Yannan," Li Xilai said, following behind her with a smile, "it seems they have a good relationship; she's been waiting for her."
“Indeed, she even came to me to complain about Song Qiqi.” Lian Yi raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Interestingly, Zhao Yannan said something to her privately, and afterwards Song Qiqi was very agitated because the ward was full of her relatives and our people couldn't get in."
Li Xilai took an orange and peeled it in her hand. "But I still managed to find out some information, such as that she wants to see you."
"Let's talk about something else useful." Lian Yi's smile deepened.
"After leaving the hospital, Zhao Yannan was quite aware of counter-surveillance. She took a bus and then the subway, and then met someone at a coffee shop in an alley in the west of the city."
Li Xilai raised an eyebrow at her, broke off half of an orange and handed it to her, not keeping her in suspense, "It's quite interesting, he's Cai Dongming's cousin."
“That makes perfect sense.” Lian Yi took the orange, her gaze lowered slightly, a playful smile playing on her lips.
"You think there's a problem?" Li Xilai had known Lian Yi for a long time, and seeing her expression, she knew that Lian Yi probably had other ideas in mind.
"No problem. Your uncle's people are probably still keeping an eye on him. Since they can't find out if there's still a thread tied to him, then this whole thing must be his doing," Lian Yi said nonchalantly.
She carefully peeled off the white pith from the orange, her gaze somewhat nonchalant.
"What kind of business does the Cai family do? Let's stop here. First, find out who Zhao Yannan is and give Song Qiqi an explanation. As for the Cai family... to be honest, I'm too lazy to even bother with that 'pleading guilty' act."
"You mean..." Li Xilai frowned slightly. The Cai family was involved in trade with Hong Kong, but—
A flurry of thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, and she was shocked and incredulous.
Lian Yi smiled and said, "Don't make wild guesses. This matter probably has nothing to do with my uncle. No matter what kind of person he is, he would not use such low-class methods against a junior, especially since the two elders in the family are watching."
"But it's a family matter." She peeled off the thin membrane of the orange, put the pulp in her mouth and gently sipped it, letting the juice flow between her tongue and palate.
Lian Yi didn't mind the infighting within her family, but the fact that such methods involved other people made her quite unhappy.
There's no need for Li Xilai to know these things.
"Are you sure you want to resolve this when we go back to school to pick up our report cards tomorrow?" Li Xilai tactfully brought up another topic, her expression becoming somewhat expectant and excited.
However, he still tried to persuade her rationally, saying, "You should think this through. Seriously, don't end up becoming famous for dealing with them instead of for this incident."
"Most importantly, are you sure the principal won't go to your old house and wail with your parents?"
"Hey, what does this have to do with me?" Lian Yi said innocently. "I'm just trying to clear up the rumors for myself, and by the way, I'll sue the people who love to spread rumors. I can't help it, I'm rich, I can sue a lot of people, and I don't mind losing money."
"As for other things, I can only say that they were just incidental."
Li Xilai looked at her, her smile growing even wider. When she heard the last sentence, she nodded in agreement.
"Hmm, what a convenient side effect."
"Miss Lian Yi!"
Before even seeing Xu Qingyao in the corridor leading to the restaurant, one could hear her strange voice drifting over.
Lian Yi glanced over there slightly, and Xu Qingyao hurriedly ran towards her, holding up her phone.
Then, without having time to get around to the front, I just leaned against the back of the sofa.
She bent down, her long, black hair falling down, her beautiful face bearing a complex expression, neither happy nor sad, as she turned her phone screen toward Lian Yi, her misty eyes fixed on her.
"Chen Ziting keeps sending me friend requests and apologizing to me desperately."
She sniffed, as if laughing, "She really said a lot of things, some of which I had actually forgotten. She even said she was willing to settle out of court. Ms. Lian Yi, do you know, she didn't even receive a summons..."
Lian Yi raised her eyes, looked at her calmly, then smiled and reached out to touch the top of her head.
"Okay, I understand."
Xu Qingyao still felt like crying, but she held back. There were still many things to face in the future, and what she needed to do was stay by Lian Yi's side and assist her.
She needs to be able to control her emotions, instead of being so easily influenced by them.
Feeling the gentle pressure and warmth of the hand stroking her head, Xu Qingyao felt as if something was blocking her throat.
"Ms. Lianyi, please ask that lawyer to withdraw the case," she said softly.
"Why?" Lian Yi's smile remained unchanged, her expression showing no doubt, as if she hadn't asked the question herself.
"Chen Ziting is now facing pressure not only from our lawsuit, but also from those people who betrayed her back then, all of whom are now coming forward and insisting that they were instructed by her to do those things."
Xu Qingyao lowered her eyes slightly, her tone gradually becoming calmer, "It has reached this point, which has already met my expectations. Compared to the final result, I feel there is no need to invest any more manpower and resources in her."
Lian Yi's smile turned slightly surprised. She hadn't paid attention to her for a while, and her little Xu seemed to have really grown a lot.
“Your thinking has changed a lot; you're prioritizing interests over personal feelings,” she said calmly.
"But Xu Qingyao—"
Lian Yi tilted her head slightly to look at her and smiled.
Xu Qingyao lowered her eyes to meet Lian Yi's gaze. Although it was clearly her looking down at Lian Yi, it gave the illusion that the other party was in a superior position.
"When you can buy happiness with money, don't wrong yourself. You might feel that it's unnecessary, or... you've let it go?" Lian Yi propped her face up with one hand, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"I feel that she is facing a critical moment in her life right now. Hmm... you are no longer on the same level as her, so you can let it go and not hold a grudge."
But—
Lian Yi said calmly, "If it weren't for me, who would have forgiven you for what you did back then?"
"Either do something at all, or do it to the extreme. Kindness is used to disguise yourself or to safeguard your most basic conscience, but if you are not ruthless enough, your kindness will only become a source of complacency for your enemies."
"Do you understand?" She tilted her head. "Hmm?"
...
After several days of shifting public opinion and fermentation, many students at Wanghai can assure you that this is absolutely the moment they have been most looking forward to returning to school to receive their report cards.
Song Qiqi definitely won't show up, but what about Lian Yi?
Everyone is really curious. This matter can't just be left unresolved, after all, Song Qiqi is still lying in the hospital, and it also involves Xie Ling.
Because they were going back to school to pick up their report cards, most people seemed relaxed, gathering in small groups on campus and discussing the hottest topics of the past two days.
For them, their entire high school life was dull and uninteresting, with not many stories to tell.
Occasionally, the only things people would talk about were how amazing a certain classmate was, what awards they won, what kind of university they were admitted to, or who was dating whom. Of course, there was also Lian Yi, and who was unlucky enough to offend her and had to slink away the next day.
Now, a wealthy heiress, having taken a liking to their famous, unattainable beauty by the sea, orchestrated a scheme that led a girl to suffer from gossip and ultimately commit suicide.
Such a highly topical event greatly stimulated their senses.
"...Hey, speaking of which, does anyone know what that row of cars outside the school gate is for?" Similar questions kept popping up in the crowd.
Seven identical black minivans were parked quietly outside the school gate. Although they were separated by a road due to traffic control, their presence was still quite eye-catching.
"Who knows? It's not important. I'm just curious about one thing: will the school investigate Lian Yi? Or will they just let it go?"
"Investigate her? Pshaw, how could that be? Do you even know who her father is? If you're not happy, you can just build another school right next to ours."
"Don't be silly, this has blown up so much, if Lianyi's dad finds out he'll break her leg!"
"...Hey hey hey, holy crap, Lian Yi actually came to school!!"
From the spacious school gate all the way to the point where the teaching building was visible, Lian Yi could feel an unprecedented gaze upon her face.
Those scrutinizing gazes were too direct.
Perhaps because everyone else was watching, driven by herd mentality, more and more people stared at her more and more brazenly, with whispers piling up everywhere.
Lian Yi was accompanied only by Li Xilai and her two friends. Xu Qingyao was going to a bidding meeting today, so Lian Yi simply helped her pick up the results sheet.
This is the first time since high school.
All the stares and noise were kept outside the classroom until Lian Yi walked into Class A5.
In the classroom, no one dared to look her in the eye.
Lian Yi's reputation may have been intimidating in the past, but it mostly stemmed from her being the kind of person who was "not to be messed with" in school, in short, a school bully. People would avoid her on the surface and occasionally complain about her in private.
But now, the rumors make it seem like she could be caught and thrown into the sea to be eaten by sharks if you even glance at her.
When Lian Yi sat down in her seat, the seat next to her was empty.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Ling has now become an extremely difficult problem to deal with. His guilt and change in mentality have made Lian Yi realize that even if he were to be trampled into the mud, Xie Ling would probably still think that this is the result he should bear.
Even if you manage to drive them away, if all else fails, you can cripple their legs...
Lian Yi rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Of course, she wouldn't do anything illegal or disorderly. Besides, even if she did, given Xie Ling's personality, he would still persevere and grow to the position he deserved.
Then one day in the future, they suddenly appear to repay the favor.
"Sigh..." Thinking of this, Lian Yi felt increasingly annoyed.
Xie Ling walked into the classroom side by side with the homeroom teacher, who helped him carry some things. As soon as he entered the classroom, his eyes subconsciously turned to his seat.
Almost immediately, Xie Ling noticed Lian Yi's absent-minded posture, resting her chin on her hand. She found it slightly amusing and could guess how impatient Lian Yi was, probably feeling bored sitting there.
He only looked away when he heard his homeroom teacher say something beside him. After answering seriously, he stepped down from the podium.
Facing everyone's gaze except hers, she sat back down in her seat with a sense of unease.
“Lian Yi…”
"Don't talk to me."
Xie Ling had only spoken her name when Lian Yi interrupted her in a lazy tone, preventing her from saying anything further.
"...I don't mean to bother you, I just want to talk to you about something. Regarding the rumors targeting you, I asked some classmates and I think I found out who spread the rumors." His voice was low, and his clear black and white eyes were fixed on her intently.
"Oh, that's amazing." Lian Yi still looked uninterested, as if this matter had nothing to do with her.
Xie Ling's eyes dimmed slightly. He paused, "The evidence we have now is not enough, but I think we should let you know first, and then decide what to do next..."
"Xie Ling, don't you think this is ridiculous?"
Lian Yi's lips always had a slight upward curve, but at this moment her eyes showed no emotion, only a faint impatience.
This was something Xie Ling had never seen in her eyes before. Many times, even when she was impatient, she would act like a kitten, hooking a corner of her clothes and pulling out a thread, just to get attention.
"You presumptuously dislike me, yet you presumptuously feel guilty towards me. I admit that I like you, even now."
Lian Yi glanced at him sideways and said, "After all, you know you have a good appearance, a nice voice, and a decent figure."
"You're just feeling guilty, so you're romanticizing my behavior and thinking I'm a girl who's not so bad at heart. Besides, I have feelings for you, and I don't expect anything in return for my efforts."
She spoke directly and harshly.
Xie Lingqing frowned slightly. He opened his mouth, but under Lian Yi's slightly mocking gaze, he pursed his thin lips and fell silent.
“Once this guilt wears off, you’ll find that we ultimately have different beliefs.” Lian Yi sighed, feeling bored.
"Actually, you don't need to feel sorry. After all, the time and money I spent on you are just a tiny bit of what I have."
Xie Ling stared at her blankly with her usually cool and calm eyes.
Seeing this reaction, Lian Yi felt a faint sense of anticipation, hoping that he would come to terms with reality.
"Yes, I've always been very arrogant."
Amidst the surrounding noise, Xie Ling's cool voice, like an ice cube, was clean, deep, yet clear, and rang out as she stared intently at her without wavering.
"But I don't think my current views on you, and my inner thoughts, are solely based on guilt. Lian Yi, perhaps you don't need it, and I don't have the right to say these things."
"But right now, all I want is to avoid seeing you go through all of this alone."
That night, Xie Ling felt as if she were dissecting her own heart and examining it.
He clearly understood that if Song Qiqi's ordeal had nothing to do with him, even when the rumors were rampant, he would simply restrain himself and not join in this malicious 'carnival'.
Xie Ling thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile that he was not the 'excellent student' that people described.
At the same time, Xie Ling also clearly saw it.
Even though Lian Yi's involvement in the public opinion storm was not his fault, as he calmly made this assumption, he still felt an uncontrollable sense of worry growing within him.
At that moment, Xie Ling sat in the dark room, unable to see the expression on her face.
He suddenly realized that his concern for Lian Yi was not just out of guilt.
"Xie Ling—"
Lian Yi called his name softly, as if sighing. Her slightly rounded amber eyes were still clear and sparkling in the gloomy winter day.
She looked at the boy's handsome features, his pale face down to his jawline, where he was dressed in a meticulously tailored school uniform.
Of course, what's hardest to ignore is the seriousness and focus in his clear black and white eyes, as well as a hint of sadness that's almost imperceptible.
What is he sad about? Is it her current situation, or her change in attitude?
Lian Yi thought with some regret that if it weren't for the inevitable ending, she might have been willing to play along with him until she lost interest. But life is full of regrets.
"Although I don't know how you found out, the name you know is Zhao Yannan, right?" She looked at Xie Ling and said calmly.
"Hmm." Xie Ling wasn't surprised that Lian Yi knew; the information he could find was even easier for Lian Yi to obtain.
“Besides this, I also have some classmates who can prove that she intentionally spread chat logs about Song Qiqi’s experience at the time.”
“These things are not important. I have better ways to deal with her, and with this matter, and with all those involved. I will not let any of them get away with it.”
Lian Yi smiled, her eyes curving slightly. "Xie Ling, you will see what kind of person I really am. You will see very soon."
"As for how credible your words are, let's wait until I've dealt with them. If by then you still think I'm the kind of person you believe me to be."
She hummed in agreement and chuckled softly, "I believe you."
"Okay." Xie Ling stared at her intently for a moment, then nodded.
Lian Yi's smile seemed to warm up, and for a moment, it was as if there was no barrier between her and Xie Ling.
She didn't believe it.
How could someone like Xie Ling possibly agree with such a grand spectacle?
"We'll see then." Lian Yi leaned closer and whispered, "After you get your report card, remember to go watch the show at the school gate."
She was going to be there, challenging the so-called bottom line of unspoken rules—
They executed those people without restraint.
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