Everyone instinctively looked over, only to see Zhou Fu aggressively charging into the office and striding up to Principal Lin. His voice was cold and firm as he said, “I’m the one who scolded Su Zeyue in front of everyone. It has nothing to do with Lu Guixin, so there’s no need to get her involved.”
Principal Lin gulped hard when he saw Zhou Fu, and he hurriedly glanced at the screen. His worries melted away when he realized that the screen had gone black—the other party had already ended the video call. He didn’t want to be asked about the relationship between Lu Guixin and Zhou Fu when he had finally just solved the Su family’s problem. He wanted to protect Zhou Fu.
His gaze then returned to Zhou Fu as he said sternly, “Don’t you know how to knock before you enter?”
Zhou Fu, who was a whole head taller than Principal Lin, stared him down. “If you want someone to be held accountable for this matter, you can just expel me. Why expel Lu Guixin instead?”
“Nobody’s expelling Lu Guixin. She’s the victim here, so she’s naturally involved in this matter,” Principal Lin patiently said with a sigh.
Zhou Fu frowned in confusion. “Victim?”
Tian Rong came to a sudden brake at the doorway when he heard that. Everyone back in the classroom was saying that Lu Guixin deserved to be expelled and that Su Zeyue was the victim instead. Given the way the Su family works, they’ll definitely force the school to expel Lu Guixin. How did she turn out to be the victim in the end?
Principal Lin explained, “The posts on the school forum were posted by Su Zeyue. The school will give Su Zeyue a demerit on her disciplinary record, and the police will handle the slander case.”
“The police will be called in?” Tian Rong stared at the Su family in shock and disbelief. The upper-class families value their reputation and face the most, yet the Su family is allowing Su Zeyue’s academic record and case record to be marred? That would bring shame to the entire clan. Have they gone out of their minds? Did I even hear correctly?
Even Zhou Fu’s frown deepened.
Principal Lin gently said, “The members of the Su family are reasonable, and they know right from wrong. Su Zeyue is already an adult, so she naturally has to bear the consequences of her own mistakes.”
Su Cheng clenched his fists as he went purple in the face, but he could only suck it up since he knew that they were only getting what they deserved.
Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from the police station asking him to bring Su Zeyue over to assist in the investigation.
After ending the call, Su Cheng turned to Principal Lin and said with a slightly pale face, “I’m taking my daughter to the police station. I’ll get my assistant to handle the rest of the paperwork here.”
Principal Lin smiled and nodded. “Please take care, Mr. Su.”
Su Cheng tightened his grip on his phone. Things wouldn’t have reached this stage if Principal Lin had told me about Lu Guixin’s parents!
It was too late to say anything, though.
Su Cheng, who was filled with regrets, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to leave.
Tian Rong felt complicated as he watched the family leave. Are they really going to send their daughter to the police station?
“Alright, go back to your classroom now,” Principal Lin said to Zhou Fu and Tian Rong.
This was completely different from what Tian Rong had imagined before coming to the principal’s office. This is so weird. The way the school is handling this matter is just so righteous. What went wrong?
Zhou Fu found it strange, too. Before leaving, he scanned the inside of the office, and he fell into deep thoughts when he noticed how Mr. Dong and his form teacher were in shock.
Everyone present in the office earlier mentioned nothing about Lu Guixin’s background.
After ending the video call, Lu Chengzhou leaned back against the sofa and crossed a leg atop his other leg while lazily propping his face up with a hand. His dark eyes were focused on his wife as he asked, “Why do you seem even angrier than me?”
Gu Mang didn’t answer the question and simply drank a sip of water.
While playing with her fingers, Lu Chengzhou teasingly said, “This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. When you were still attending Ming City High School, you were indifferent to such posts, and you didn’t allow me to get involved. You had your fair share of scandals and love letters.”
“Oh,” Gu Mang looked at him with a poker face.
A smile formed on Lu Chengzhou’s face when he saw her expressionless face. “Why are you so angry this time when it’s just history repeating itself?”
Gu Mang narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze cold and aggressive. Her voice was frigid and dangerous as she said, “It doesn’t matter if it happens to me, but not my daughter.”
Lu Chengzhou raised his eyebrows. “Then why did you agree to let her go to Ming City?”
“I won’t interfere in their decisions.” Gu Mang slowly grazed a fair and slender finger against the glass cup.
She had never interfered in any of her children’s decisions before.
Lu Chengzhou nodded in understanding. “Aren’t you afraid that someone might abduct her?”
“Afraid?” Gu Mang lazily cocked an eyebrow. Isn’t he the one who’s afraid?
Lu Chengzhou didn’t respond to that. Instead, he showed the message he received from Lu Jilai to her. “They’ve looked into Zhou Fu’s background. Nothing special. He’s just the male protagonist of the rumors who our daughter pays no attention to.”
As soon as he said that, two messages appeared on his screen. They were sent by Gu Si. One was a photo, while the other was a line of words saying [Brother-in-law, your future son-in-law is rather handsome.]
The message was such a wet blanket to Lu Chengzhou that his expression suddenly darkened and his eyebrows became knitted together. He didn’t bother to see the photo as he stared at that line of words. Future son-in-law? Is Gu Si trying to rile me up? Did he think I didn’t see the posts on the school forum?
Although it was just said in jest, Lu Chengzhou didn’t like the words “future son-in-law” at all. He tugged the corners of his lips up mockingly as he tapped on the keyboard, [Pay attention to your health while you’re young. If you don’t feel well, you’re welcome to come to the capital to get a medical check from my wife.]
On the other side, Gu Si narrowed his eyes in annoyance when he saw the message. “I was kind enough to give him information. Never mind that he didn’t believe me, but he even indirectly called me crazy. Also, what’s with ‘my wife’?”
The corner of Lu Jixing’s lips twitched as he struggled to hold back his laughter. “Uncle, you’ve got a history of pranking my father. It’d be a wonder if he believes you.”
“Tch.” Gu Si put his hands behind his head and lazily leaned back against his seat, chuckling. “Fine, then I’ll just sit back and watch the show.”
Gu Mang took Lu Chengzhou’s phone and zoomed in on Zhou Fu’s photo. She raised her eyebrows when she saw how he looked. “He’s not bad-looking.”
Expressionless, Lu Chengzhou snatched the phone from her hands and calmly asked, “Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go out and eat.”
He then got up, grabbed her hand, and started to walk out.
As Gu Mang looked at his side profile, amusement shone in her eyes. “Don’t you trust Gu Si?”
“No.” After taking a few steps, Lu Chengzhou took out his phone to check the time. Seeing that it was currently his daughter’s break time, he video-called her.
Gu Mang smiled, but she didn’t say anything about it.
It was only when they had arrived and sat down at the restaurant that Lu Guixin finally picked up the call. The background was a small balcony of the academic building. And when she showed up on the screen wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Lu Chengzhou wasn’t quite used to it.
When he noticed her bloodshot eyes through the screen, he asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”
“I forgot the time while going through the many exam questions I couldn’t answer,” answered Lu Guixin obediently.
The corners of Lu Chengzhou’s eyes twitched slightly just as his hand holding a pair of chopsticks froze. He pretended not to hear her, and he said, “You can always come back if you’re not happy there.”
“It’s fine.” Lu Guixin pushed up her glasses. “The teachers and students here are quite nice.”
The students there are quite nice? They were so nice that they ganged up and insulted her on the school forum? Although Lu Chengzhou knew very well that his daughter was highly adaptable, he couldn’t believe his ears when he heard what she said. He looked up, met her eyes squarely, and asked in a meaningful tone, “Is it the students that are nice or a certain someone?”
“A certain someone?” Lu Guixin repeated that last bit without flinching. After seemingly realizing who her father was referring to a couple of seconds later, she ah-ed and said with a laugh, “Are you talking about Zhou Fu, Dad?”
Lu Chengzhou didn’t answer her and instead put a small piece of pastry on Gu Mang’s plate.
Lu Guixin thus obediently explained, “It’s just some rumors on the school forum. Zhou Fu has already clarified the matter. We have nothing to do with each other.”
Lu Chengzhou calmly studied Lu Guixin’s face as he watched out for the slightest bit of change in her expression. After that, he gently asked, “Then what’s the deal about you wooing him?”
“You believe that?” Lu Guixin removed her glasses and moved the phone closer to her face. “Dad, look at the face you and Mom gave me. Is it pretty? Do you think I need to do that? It’s only the guys who woo me.”
Lu Chengzhou, who seemed to like what he was hearing, smiled. “What if you really are wooing him?”
“I’m telling the truth, Dad.” Lu Guixin then earnestly told him about the day when a few male students asked to add her on WeChat. “I didn’t even know who Zhou Fu was prior to that. Apparently, he’s quite famous in school. Everyone knows about him, except me. My deskmate even laughed at me for that.”
Lu Chengzhou believed this. Although his daughter appeared to be mild-natured and approachable, she was actually indifferent to everything, so it wasn’t a surprise to him that she didn’t show any interest in Zhou Fu.
It was at that moment that he suddenly felt that there was nothing bad about her emotional detachment disorder. At the very least, she wouldn’t be lured away by others.
Lu Guixin sighed and said in resignation, “I inherited my good looks from my parents, so it’s only natural that I have a bit more scandals.”
At that, Gu Mang quietly glanced at Lu Chengzhou. It was clear that, with just a few words from Lu Guixin, his mood had improved a lot.
“Alright, I’ll believe you for now.” Lu Chengzhou nodded and then said slowly with a smile, “But I’ll break his legs if you two turn out to be dating.”
It was obvious whose legs he was going to break.
Just then, the school bell rang.
“Go back to class.” Upon seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Lu Chengzhou added, “Don’t stay up too late to study. Make sure that you get enough rest. Results aren’t that important.”
“Got it, Dad.” After ending the call, Lu Guixin raised her eyebrows and said to her phone with a rebellious smile, “Mom was only in Year Three when you wooed her. I’m just following your example.”
The wicked glint in her pretty eyes when she smiled made her look much like her parents.
Lu Guixin then stuffed her phone and earphone into her pocket and put on her glasses to play her role of a good girl again. When she noticed a few figures on the far side of the road in her peripheral vision, she looked over and narrowed her eyes slightly.
In front of the Year Three’s academic building.
“What’s going on? Why is…” Xia Cheng looked at Su Zeyue, whose eyes were red and swollen, in disbelief, before looking at the latter’s parents. Her words trailed off when she saw the darkening looks on Mr. and Mrs. Su’s faces. Su Zeyue’s the one leaving instead of Lu Guixin?
Su Cheng angrily spat, “Since it’s her fault in the first place, she should be the one bearing the consequences of her own mistakes!”
Su Zeyue couldn’t help but feel humiliated when she recalled the message she had sent to Xia Cheng earlier. At the thought that she was about to go to the police station, another tear fell from her eyes. She was panic-stricken.
“Xia Cheng!” Mrs. Su cut her off and stared meaningfully at her while clutching onto her expensive handbag.
Xia Cheng was flustered to meet Mrs. Su’s eyes. “Yes, Auntie…?”
Mrs. Su hesitated to speak. In the end, she looked down and slowly loosened her fingers while saying weakly, “We still have things to settle. You… Take care.”
There wasn’t anything she couldn’t understand at this point. Although she didn’t have the energy to guess the relationship between Lu Guixin and Zhou Fu, it was obvious that the latter cared about the former.
It was also clear that Xia Cheng was using them to chase Lu Guixin away. Had Lu Guixin really been an ordinary student, they naturally wouldn’t mind Xia Cheng hiding the truth about the school forum incident and pushing the blame on Lu Guixin since they could easily get rid of her.
But it just so happened that Lu Guixin came from a family that they couldn’t afford to offend. The entire Su family was nearly destroyed because of that. If Mrs. Su hadn’t been friends with Xia Cheng’s mother for more than a decade, she really wanted to give Xia Cheng a tight slap across the face.
Mrs. Su then turned around and got into the car.
Upon driving out of Ming City High School, the sedan drove off in the direction of the police station.
When Su Zeyue realized that there was no turning around, her panic turned into resentment and hatred. “What’s the big deal about them?! Her parents are so smart and powerful, but they still ended up giving birth to a stupid daughter like her!”
“Shut it!” Su Cheng glared at her, but before he could say anything else, his phone rang. He retracted his gaze and answered the call.
It was unknown what the caller said to him, but he suddenly sat right up with sheer panic on his face while clutching onto his phone. “What did you say?! All of our projects with the capital are canceled?!”
Xia Cheng absent-mindedly returned to the classroom, and she remained distracted throughout the entire lesson.
When the teacher left at the end of the lesson, the classroom, which was usually quiet as the students seized the chance to rest, suddenly turned noisy.
“Holy crap! What’s going on? The school called the police? Does that mean the police were the ones who exposed Su Zeyue’s ID on the school forum to clear Lu Guixin’s name?”
“Whoa! Given the Su family’s fortune and influence, I didn’t think the school would be able to do anything to Su Zeyue. I thought Lu Guixin would surely be the one to leave as a show of warning to us all so that nobody would dare to talk behind Su Zeyue.”
“Yeah! Ordinary people can’t afford to mess with the rich. I didn’t know that Principal Li was so tough. Not only was he unafraid of power, he even stood up to them. How come I didn’t know the school was so righteous?”
“Principal Lin is the representative of justice!”
“Lu Guixin is actually the victim here. Although she’s not good at studying, she’s always kept a low profile. But she was suddenly targeted and was nearly expelled as a result.”
The classroom was filled with such talks.
The girls who helped Su Zeyue to insult Lu Guixin just now were furious, but they didn’t dare to openly sing the opposite tune in front of the entire class.
Xia Cheng couldn’t be more annoyed as she stared at the paper on her table while clutching the pen in her hand. The fact that Su Zeyue sent me a message just now proves that the principal must’ve made the decision to expel Lu Guixin. Why did the principal suddenly change his mind?
It then suddenly dawned on her that Zhou Fu had gone to look for Principal Lin. Could it be Zhou Fu…? No, that’s impossible. Zhou Fu’s just a student without parents. He doesn’t have such influence. Then what exactly happened back then?
When the last class ended at noon, Lu Guixin packed her things and took her thermos before asking Tian Lu, who was copying the solutions on the blackboard. “Hurry up, buddy. Let’s go for seafood hotpot!”
“Coming, coming. Give me ten seconds.” Tian Lu speedily moved her pen. “Have you finished copying your notes?”
Lu Guixin softly said, “No. Let’s go eat first.”
By then, Tian Lu was done. She threw her pen down and said, “I’ll let you copy my notes later.”
After packing up their things, the two quickly strode out of the classroom hand in hand, feeling excited at the thought of food.
The group of girls who disliked Lu Guixin and didn’t get along with her looked at her with disdain and threw their pens on the table. “What’s so special about her that Zhou Fu would help speak up for her… Even Su Zeyue, with such outstanding results, had to leave the school?”
“I can’t believe the school actually called the police just because she was criticized. Aren’t they making a mountain out of a molehill?”
“It’s easy for you to say when you’re not the victim.” A guy who couldn’t ignore what the girls said spoke up. “It’s easy to act generous and crack wise. You’re not the ones who were accused of having indecent relationships.”
“Exactly. Su Zeyue has obviously made personal attacks on Lu Guixin. Yes, Lu Guixin isn’t special, but that goes the same for Su Zeyue. She said so much nasty about Lu Guixin. I say she deserves to be expelled from school.”
“Enough with the jealousy, girls.”
Embarrassment and anger showed on the girls’ faces when they heard so many people speaking up for Lu Guixin. They angrily left the classroom as they were unable to come up with any retorts.
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu were eating at the World Restaurant that had specifically opened in Ming City High School. Even though the food there was cheaper, the variety of the seafood was just as much as at the outlet in Starlight Plaza.
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu sat down at an empty table.
“I’m in a good mood today, so this calls for a celebration.” Tian Lu, who was very satisfied with the way the school had handled the matter, took the tablet and scrolled through the menu. She clicked her tongue and said with incredulity, “I wasn’t expecting the school to be so righteous.”
Lu Guixin, with her face propped on her hand, smiled and quietly sipped on her black tea.
“Even if the school didn’t take any actions against her, someone would eventually have.” A clear male voice was heard from the side.
Tian Lu looked up and saw a tall figure standing in front of them. As her gaze shifted up, she saw a sculpted face with short black hair, bright eyes, a high nose, and a pair of slightly upturned lips. The person was dressed in a dark floral T-shirt with an expensive cold metallic chain hanging from his neck. He looked like a frivolous and unrestrained scion who could capture the hearts of most girls right away.
“Tan Ying, what are you doing in our school?” Tian Lu looked at the school uniform he was wearing. “And why are you in our school uniform?”
“It wasn’t difficult to get my hands on this uniform.” Tan Ying raised his eyebrows and looked at Tian Lu with curved eyes. “Do you know me, girl?”
Tian Lu didn’t answer the question. Duh, who doesn’t know the notorious flirt from Experimental High School who changes girlfriends even faster than he can change his clothes? He’s even dated a lot of girls from our school.
Tan Ying removed the jacket and casually placed it on the back of the chair. “Move in a little, Guixin.”
Guixin shifted to make space for him.
Tian Lu’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw how close they were. The campus belle of our school and the campus beau of the school next door know each other?
When Tan Ying sat down, Lu Guixin looked at him and asked, “What brings you here?”
“It was so noisy over at your school this morning that we could even hear it from our side.” Tian Lu took the tablet from Tian Lu and ordered a few dishes for himself while smirking. “I’m here to see who’s so bold to bully our little princess.”
Tian Lu’s eyes bulged even more. Little princess? What on earth is their relationship?
With a small smile, Lu Guixin gently said, “I’m fine. The school’s already settled it.”
“Yeah, I heard that. To think I even skipped class to come and save the damsel in distress, but the righteous Principal Lin got it all settled before I could even arrive here,” Tan Ying lamented.
The three of them looked over and saw a group of school leaders walking over in their direction. Principal Lin was looking a little awkward with a fist at his lips.
“Speak of the devil.” Tan Ying cocked an eyebrow and flashed a grin at Principal Lin in greeting. He put two fingers to the end of his eyebrows and said in a serious tone, “Good afternoon, Principal Lin and everyone else.”
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu stood up and greeted the school leaders as well.
Principal Lin nodded, his gaze lingering on Lu Guixin. He didn’t dare meddle with her affairs, and it wasn’t his place to say anything since the Lu family would certainly pay attention to her now that the name Zhou Fu had reached their ears. His gaze shifted to Tan Ying. “You skipped classes again to come here?”
Tan Ying sighed. “Well, the World Restaurant only opened a branch at your school.”
Too lazy to argue with him, Principal Lin said, “Go back to your school immediately after your meal.”
“Yes, sir.” Tan Ying paid him a serious bow, earning laughter from the other school leaders.
The mood was light and harmonious.
After the school leaders entered a private room, the trio sat back down, and the dishes were soon served.
While happily chatting away with the girls, Tan Ying put on a pair of disposable gloves and started peeling a few prawns for Lu Guixin. He then looked at Tian Lu, who was sitting across from him and passed her a plate of three peeled prawns. He flashed a wide, alluring smile. “Come, sweetie. Have a taste and see if the prawns I peeled taste better than the ones you peeled yourself.”
Sweetie… The cringy endearment sent Tian Lu shivering as she politely refused him, “Thank you, but I’ll just peel them myself.”
Tan Ying looked at her for a few seconds before chuckling quietly to himself and eating up the prawns on the plate. He then proceeded to peel crab for Lu Guixin. “I found a good Hunan cuisine restaurant last week. Would the two of you be interested in going there with me on the weekend?”
As a fan of spicy food, Lu Guixin’s eyes lit up slightly when she heard the words “Hunan cuisine.” “Sure.”
Tan Ying spent most of the meal taking care of Lu Guixin in a detailed and gentle manner.
Tian Lu had heard from the girls he dated before that he was especially gentle, considerate, and very good at taking care of them when they were dating. Even when they were breaking up, he would gently tell them, “I’m sorry. I can’t take care of you anymore.”
At the thought of that, she couldn’t help thinking, What a jerk!
She looked at Tan Ying and then at Lu Guixin before whispering, “Are you two… dating?”
Lu Guixin didn’t say anything, but Tan Ying raised his eyebrows, leaned closer to her, and asked half-jokingly, “Do you also feel that we’re a perfect match?”
“Uh…” Tian Lu was just about to say something when she saw a group of guys walking over from her peripheral vision.
It was almost one o’clock now, which was the Year Three’s staggered mealtime.
“Hey, Tian Lu, Guixin. You guys are here, too.” Tian Rong was surprised to see them here. His happy mood, however, was soured the next second when Tan Ying turned his head. His expression was filled with disdain as he said, “What are you doing here, Tan Ying? Stay away from my younger sister and our campus belle!”
“No can do.” Tan Ying deliberately placed his arms around Lu Guixin’s shoulders. He looked especially arrogant with his leg crossed atop the other.
Lu Guixin quietly glanced at Zhou Fu, only to unexpectedly meet his cold and aloof gaze. She didn’t know if he had heard what Tian Lu said just now, so she boldly stared at him to find any changes in his expression.
Three seconds later, Zhou Fu calmly averted his gaze and shifted it to the nearby empty table, which was just right next to Lu Guixin’s table. He slipped a hand into his pocket and walked over to take a seat. It appeared that he was indifferent to the scene in front of him.
Lu Guixin’s gaze flickered slightly as Tian Rong agitatedly advised her, “You should stay away from this scumbag, Guixin. I bet he has ulterior motives for getting close to you!”
“Of course not,” Tan Ying retorted before saying in all seriousness, “I’m sincere about her.”
He then made a heart gesture with two of his fingers and a “piu piu piu” sound, which amused Lu Guixin.
On the other side, Zhou Fu took the tablet that the waiter had handed to him and started ordering his food. An imperceptible frown formed on his forehead when he added a few wrong dishes in a row, and he canceled them all before ordering his food again.
Tian Rong was speechless by Tan Ying’s reaction. “That was cringy!”
“None of your business.” Tan Ying raised his eyebrows. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cringy, as long as I can make my princess laugh.”
Tian Rong shot him a look of disgust.
The loud commotion on this side attracted a lot of attention from the other students, and soft conversations could be heard. “Is Tan Ying chasing Lu Guxin?”
“By the looks of it, they’re probably already an item…”
“That’s so bold of them. The school is so strict about dating that the students usually do it in secret. Nobody dares to do it so openly like them. Besides, the school leaders are right inside that private room. Aren’t they afraid that their parents would be called in?”
The voices immediately ceased. Everyone looked over in the direction of the sound, only to see Zhou Fu slam the tablet on the porcelain table in irritation.
It was dead quiet in the restaurant, save for the bubbling sound of the hotpot.
Zhou Fu turned around and met Lu Guixin in the eyes. With a poker face, he said without a trace of emotion, “Your name was just cleared this morning. Don’t tell me you want to see your name on the front page of the school forum again?”
There were many people watching them. As Tan Ying was also a popular figure, the number of people paying attention to him was no less than the ones paying attention to Zhou Fu.
Lu Guixin softly explained, “No. Tan Ying and I are just friends. He heard about this morning’s incident, so he came to see me.”
“Don’t bother to explain to me.” Zhou Fu sounded indifferent. “I just wanted to remind you to watch out and not to get yourself into trouble.”
Tan Ying narrowed his eyes. “Who are you calling trouble, Zhou Fu?”
Before Zhou Fu could say anything, Tian Rong said, “Don’t you know it yourself?”
“That’s right. We’re talking about you,” Tian Rong interrupted. “Just go after the girls in your school.”
“Yeah. Our campus belle is a good girl. Please let her off, Tan Ying.” Another guy patted Tan Ying’s shoulder.
The corners of Tan Ying’s lips twitched. I should’ve brought my buddies here too. They’re all ganging up on me. How am I supposed to out-talk them alone?
Lu Guixin looked at Zhou Fu and nodded. “I got it. I’ll make sure to keep my distance from him in the future.”
She then brushed Tan Ying’s arm away from her shoulder and shifted to the side a little to widen the gap between them.
Tan Ying was rendered speechless.
“Mm.” Zhou Fu narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw the empty plate for rubbish right next to Lu Guixin’s hand and Tan Ying’s overflowing plate of shells.
Tan Ying laughed and asked in a meaningful tone, “Zhou Fu, why are you so concerned about Guixin? Are you interested in her?”
Hearing that, Tian Lu immediately looked at Zhou Fu out of curiosity while sucking on a straw.
“I’m the president of the Student Union, and I’m in charge of the school forum. There were so many malicious articles and comments about her recently. What’s wrong with me asking her to be careful?” said Zhou Fu coldly while slowly leaning backward. He looked especially imposing in this position with his legs wide open and his bony wrists placed on the table.
Tan Ying smirked. “Why would you, a Year Three, be concerned about a Year One? I didn’t know you were so kind-hearted.”
Zhou Fu looked right into Tan Ying’s eyes while arrogantly cocking an eyebrow. He smirked back at him. “Well, I am now.”
Tian Rong’s eyes widened in shock as he secretly glanced at Zhou Fu. Why does it seem like he’s behaving more and more oddly? He was just a president-in-name. I was the one doing all the work.
It was strangely quiet in the restaurant with a spark of tension in the air. It was only until the canteen bell rang that the tension eased somewhat.
Tian Lu hesitantly said, “Uh, you won’t have enough time to eat if you keep this up.” Our break time is short enough as is.
Lu Guixin, Tian Lu, and Tan Ying finished eating first and left the restaurant. Tan Ying then took them to the supermarket and bought them their favorite snacks before taking them away to the milk tea shop. After placing their orders, the trio stood at the entrance and waited for their drinks.
With one hand in his pocket and one hand holding onto the school jacket, Tan Ying asked, “Guixin, how did you get involved with Zhou Fu? I’ve never heard you mention him before.”
Lu Guixin pondered over the question for two seconds before gently saying, “We didn’t know each other at first. We only knew each other through the school forum incident.”
Tan Ying’s eyes widened in surprise. “For real…?”
Tian Lu burst out chuckling. “That’s what you call ‘connected online.'”
Knowing that people would eventually believe the rumors once they got out of hand, Tan Ying agreed with what Zhou Fu said about not letting rumors go on the school forum.
Once their orders were ready, Tan Ying carried their drinks and walked them back to the Year One’s academic building before handing them their drinks. “There’s still some time before your next lesson. Go up and get some rest. Guixin, call me if anything happens.”
While looking at Tian Lu, Tian Lu thought to herself, He sure is a capable and gentle jerk who knows how to take care of people.
Tan Ying rubbed Lu Guixin on the head and watched them go out before turning around to leave. It was only after he had taken a few steps that he suddenly remembered that he came over for a reason, but Lu Guixin was gone by the time he looked back. He thus took out his phone and texted Lu Guixin, [It’s my great-grandfather’s birthday this Friday. I’ll come and pick you up in the evening.]
Standing far away in front of the railing of a balcony at the Year Three’s academic building was Xia Cheng, who was watching everything with an intense look. Lu Guixin knows Tan Ying, huh?
The Tan family was initially a family of scholars, with the most famous member being Tan Xicheng, who had once served as the Minister of Education. However, the family started to go into politics and business from Tan Ying’s father’s generation onwards, and they successfully made a name for themselves in both sectors. Word had it that the Tan family had the support of a big family from the capital. Given their status, even the current mayor had to treat them with respect.
Xia Cheng’s grip on the railing tightened slightly. No wonder Su Zeyue had to leave. It’s all because Lu Guixin knows Tan Ying.
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Everyone instinctively looked over, only to see Zhou Fu aggressively charging into the office and striding up to Principal Lin. His voice was cold and firm as he said, “I’m the one who scolded Su Zeyue in front of everyone. It has nothing to do with Lu Guixin, so there’s no need to get her involved.”
Principal Lin gulped hard when he saw Zhou Fu, and he hurriedly glanced at the screen. His worries melted away when he realized that the screen had gone black—the other party had already ended the video call. He didn’t want to be asked about the relationship between Lu Guixin and Zhou Fu when he had finally just solved the Su family’s problem. He wanted to protect Zhou Fu.
His gaze then returned to Zhou Fu as he said sternly, “Don’t you know how to knock before you enter?”
Zhou Fu, who was a whole head taller than Principal Lin, stared him down. “If you want someone to be held accountable for this matter, you can just expel me. Why expel Lu Guixin instead?”
“Nobody’s expelling Lu Guixin. She’s the victim here, so she’s naturally involved in this matter,” Principal Lin patiently said with a sigh.
Zhou Fu frowned in confusion. “Victim?”
Tian Rong came to a sudden brake at the doorway when he heard that. Everyone back in the classroom was saying that Lu Guixin deserved to be expelled and that Su Zeyue was the victim instead. Given the way the Su family works, they’ll definitely force the school to expel Lu Guixin. How did she turn out to be the victim in the end?
Principal Lin explained, “The posts on the school forum were posted by Su Zeyue. The school will give Su Zeyue a demerit on her disciplinary record, and the police will handle the slander case.”
“The police will be called in?” Tian Rong stared at the Su family in shock and disbelief. The upper-class families value their reputation and face the most, yet the Su family is allowing Su Zeyue’s academic record and case record to be marred? That would bring shame to the entire clan. Have they gone out of their minds? Did I even hear correctly?
Even Zhou Fu’s frown deepened.
Principal Lin gently said, “The members of the Su family are reasonable, and they know right from wrong. Su Zeyue is already an adult, so she naturally has to bear the consequences of her own mistakes.”
Su Cheng clenched his fists as he went purple in the face, but he could only suck it up since he knew that they were only getting what they deserved.
Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from the police station asking him to bring Su Zeyue over to assist in the investigation.
After ending the call, Su Cheng turned to Principal Lin and said with a slightly pale face, “I’m taking my daughter to the police station. I’ll get my assistant to handle the rest of the paperwork here.”
Principal Lin smiled and nodded. “Please take care, Mr. Su.”
Su Cheng tightened his grip on his phone. Things wouldn’t have reached this stage if Principal Lin had told me about Lu Guixin’s parents!
It was too late to say anything, though.
Su Cheng, who was filled with regrets, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to leave.
Tian Rong felt complicated as he watched the family leave. Are they really going to send their daughter to the police station?
“Alright, go back to your classroom now,” Principal Lin said to Zhou Fu and Tian Rong.
This was completely different from what Tian Rong had imagined before coming to the principal’s office. This is so weird. The way the school is handling this matter is just so righteous. What went wrong?
Zhou Fu found it strange, too. Before leaving, he scanned the inside of the office, and he fell into deep thoughts when he noticed how Mr. Dong and his form teacher were in shock.
Everyone present in the office earlier mentioned nothing about Lu Guixin’s background.
After ending the video call, Lu Chengzhou leaned back against the sofa and crossed a leg atop his other leg while lazily propping his face up with a hand. His dark eyes were focused on his wife as he asked, “Why do you seem even angrier than me?”
Gu Mang didn’t answer the question and simply drank a sip of water.
While playing with her fingers, Lu Chengzhou teasingly said, “This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. When you were still attending Ming City High School, you were indifferent to such posts, and you didn’t allow me to get involved. You had your fair share of scandals and love letters.”
“Oh,” Gu Mang looked at him with a poker face.
A smile formed on Lu Chengzhou’s face when he saw her expressionless face. “Why are you so angry this time when it’s just history repeating itself?”
Gu Mang narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze cold and aggressive. Her voice was frigid and dangerous as she said, “It doesn’t matter if it happens to me, but not my daughter.”
Lu Chengzhou raised his eyebrows. “Then why did you agree to let her go to Ming City?”
“I won’t interfere in their decisions.” Gu Mang slowly grazed a fair and slender finger against the glass cup.
She had never interfered in any of her children’s decisions before.
Lu Chengzhou nodded in understanding. “Aren’t you afraid that someone might abduct her?”
“Afraid?” Gu Mang lazily cocked an eyebrow. Isn’t he the one who’s afraid?
Lu Chengzhou didn’t respond to that. Instead, he showed the message he received from Lu Jilai to her. “They’ve looked into Zhou Fu’s background. Nothing special. He’s just the male protagonist of the rumors who our daughter pays no attention to.”
As soon as he said that, two messages appeared on his screen. They were sent by Gu Si. One was a photo, while the other was a line of words saying [Brother-in-law, your future son-in-law is rather handsome.]
The message was such a wet blanket to Lu Chengzhou that his expression suddenly darkened and his eyebrows became knitted together. He didn’t bother to see the photo as he stared at that line of words. Future son-in-law? Is Gu Si trying to rile me up? Did he think I didn’t see the posts on the school forum?
Although it was just said in jest, Lu Chengzhou didn’t like the words “future son-in-law” at all. He tugged the corners of his lips up mockingly as he tapped on the keyboard, [Pay attention to your health while you’re young. If you don’t feel well, you’re welcome to come to the capital to get a medical check from my wife.]
On the other side, Gu Si narrowed his eyes in annoyance when he saw the message. “I was kind enough to give him information. Never mind that he didn’t believe me, but he even indirectly called me crazy. Also, what’s with ‘my wife’?”
The corner of Lu Jixing’s lips twitched as he struggled to hold back his laughter. “Uncle, you’ve got a history of pranking my father. It’d be a wonder if he believes you.”
“Tch.” Gu Si put his hands behind his head and lazily leaned back against his seat, chuckling. “Fine, then I’ll just sit back and watch the show.”
Gu Mang took Lu Chengzhou’s phone and zoomed in on Zhou Fu’s photo. She raised her eyebrows when she saw how he looked. “He’s not bad-looking.”
Expressionless, Lu Chengzhou snatched the phone from her hands and calmly asked, “Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go out and eat.”
He then got up, grabbed her hand, and started to walk out.
As Gu Mang looked at his side profile, amusement shone in her eyes. “Don’t you trust Gu Si?”
“No.” After taking a few steps, Lu Chengzhou took out his phone to check the time. Seeing that it was currently his daughter’s break time, he video-called her.
Gu Mang smiled, but she didn’t say anything about it.
It was only when they had arrived and sat down at the restaurant that Lu Guixin finally picked up the call. The background was a small balcony of the academic building. And when she showed up on the screen wearing gold-rimmed glasses, Lu Chengzhou wasn’t quite used to it.
When he noticed her bloodshot eyes through the screen, he asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”
“I forgot the time while going through the many exam questions I couldn’t answer,” answered Lu Guixin obediently.
The corners of Lu Chengzhou’s eyes twitched slightly just as his hand holding a pair of chopsticks froze. He pretended not to hear her, and he said, “You can always come back if you’re not happy there.”
“It’s fine.” Lu Guixin pushed up her glasses. “The teachers and students here are quite nice.”
The students there are quite nice? They were so nice that they ganged up and insulted her on the school forum? Although Lu Chengzhou knew very well that his daughter was highly adaptable, he couldn’t believe his ears when he heard what she said. He looked up, met her eyes squarely, and asked in a meaningful tone, “Is it the students that are nice or a certain someone?”
“A certain someone?” Lu Guixin repeated that last bit without flinching. After seemingly realizing who her father was referring to a couple of seconds later, she ah-ed and said with a laugh, “Are you talking about Zhou Fu, Dad?”
Lu Chengzhou didn’t answer her and instead put a small piece of pastry on Gu Mang’s plate.
Lu Guixin thus obediently explained, “It’s just some rumors on the school forum. Zhou Fu has already clarified the matter. We have nothing to do with each other.”
Lu Chengzhou calmly studied Lu Guixin’s face as he watched out for the slightest bit of change in her expression. After that, he gently asked, “Then what’s the deal about you wooing him?”
“You believe that?” Lu Guixin removed her glasses and moved the phone closer to her face. “Dad, look at the face you and Mom gave me. Is it pretty? Do you think I need to do that? It’s only the guys who woo me.”
Lu Chengzhou, who seemed to like what he was hearing, smiled. “What if you really are wooing him?”
“I’m telling the truth, Dad.” Lu Guixin then earnestly told him about the day when a few male students asked to add her on WeChat. “I didn’t even know who Zhou Fu was prior to that. Apparently, he’s quite famous in school. Everyone knows about him, except me. My deskmate even laughed at me for that.”
Lu Chengzhou believed this. Although his daughter appeared to be mild-natured and approachable, she was actually indifferent to everything, so it wasn’t a surprise to him that she didn’t show any interest in Zhou Fu.
It was at that moment that he suddenly felt that there was nothing bad about her emotional detachment disorder. At the very least, she wouldn’t be lured away by others.
Lu Guixin sighed and said in resignation, “I inherited my good looks from my parents, so it’s only natural that I have a bit more scandals.”
At that, Gu Mang quietly glanced at Lu Chengzhou. It was clear that, with just a few words from Lu Guixin, his mood had improved a lot.
“Alright, I’ll believe you for now.” Lu Chengzhou nodded and then said slowly with a smile, “But I’ll break his legs if you two turn out to be dating.”
It was obvious whose legs he was going to break.
Just then, the school bell rang.
“Go back to class.” Upon seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Lu Chengzhou added, “Don’t stay up too late to study. Make sure that you get enough rest. Results aren’t that important.”
“Got it, Dad.” After ending the call, Lu Guixin raised her eyebrows and said to her phone with a rebellious smile, “Mom was only in Year Three when you wooed her. I’m just following your example.”
The wicked glint in her pretty eyes when she smiled made her look much like her parents.
Lu Guixin then stuffed her phone and earphone into her pocket and put on her glasses to play her role of a good girl again. When she noticed a few figures on the far side of the road in her peripheral vision, she looked over and narrowed her eyes slightly.
In front of the Year Three’s academic building.
“What’s going on? Why is…” Xia Cheng looked at Su Zeyue, whose eyes were red and swollen, in disbelief, before looking at the latter’s parents. Her words trailed off when she saw the darkening looks on Mr. and Mrs. Su’s faces. Su Zeyue’s the one leaving instead of Lu Guixin?
Su Cheng angrily spat, “Since it’s her fault in the first place, she should be the one bearing the consequences of her own mistakes!”
Su Zeyue couldn’t help but feel humiliated when she recalled the message she had sent to Xia Cheng earlier. At the thought that she was about to go to the police station, another tear fell from her eyes. She was panic-stricken.
“Xia Cheng!” Mrs. Su cut her off and stared meaningfully at her while clutching onto her expensive handbag.
Xia Cheng was flustered to meet Mrs. Su’s eyes. “Yes, Auntie…?”
Mrs. Su hesitated to speak. In the end, she looked down and slowly loosened her fingers while saying weakly, “We still have things to settle. You… Take care.”
There wasn’t anything she couldn’t understand at this point. Although she didn’t have the energy to guess the relationship between Lu Guixin and Zhou Fu, it was obvious that the latter cared about the former.
It was also clear that Xia Cheng was using them to chase Lu Guixin away. Had Lu Guixin really been an ordinary student, they naturally wouldn’t mind Xia Cheng hiding the truth about the school forum incident and pushing the blame on Lu Guixin since they could easily get rid of her.
But it just so happened that Lu Guixin came from a family that they couldn’t afford to offend. The entire Su family was nearly destroyed because of that. If Mrs. Su hadn’t been friends with Xia Cheng’s mother for more than a decade, she really wanted to give Xia Cheng a tight slap across the face.
Mrs. Su then turned around and got into the car.
Upon driving out of Ming City High School, the sedan drove off in the direction of the police station.
When Su Zeyue realized that there was no turning around, her panic turned into resentment and hatred. “What’s the big deal about them?! Her parents are so smart and powerful, but they still ended up giving birth to a stupid daughter like her!”
“Shut it!” Su Cheng glared at her, but before he could say anything else, his phone rang. He retracted his gaze and answered the call.
It was unknown what the caller said to him, but he suddenly sat right up with sheer panic on his face while clutching onto his phone. “What did you say?! All of our projects with the capital are canceled?!”
Xia Cheng absent-mindedly returned to the classroom, and she remained distracted throughout the entire lesson.
When the teacher left at the end of the lesson, the classroom, which was usually quiet as the students seized the chance to rest, suddenly turned noisy.
“Holy crap! What’s going on? The school called the police? Does that mean the police were the ones who exposed Su Zeyue’s ID on the school forum to clear Lu Guixin’s name?”
“Whoa! Given the Su family’s fortune and influence, I didn’t think the school would be able to do anything to Su Zeyue. I thought Lu Guixin would surely be the one to leave as a show of warning to us all so that nobody would dare to talk behind Su Zeyue.”
“Yeah! Ordinary people can’t afford to mess with the rich. I didn’t know that Principal Li was so tough. Not only was he unafraid of power, he even stood up to them. How come I didn’t know the school was so righteous?”
“Principal Lin is the representative of justice!”
“Lu Guixin is actually the victim here. Although she’s not good at studying, she’s always kept a low profile. But she was suddenly targeted and was nearly expelled as a result.”
The classroom was filled with such talks.
The girls who helped Su Zeyue to insult Lu Guixin just now were furious, but they didn’t dare to openly sing the opposite tune in front of the entire class.
Xia Cheng couldn’t be more annoyed as she stared at the paper on her table while clutching the pen in her hand. The fact that Su Zeyue sent me a message just now proves that the principal must’ve made the decision to expel Lu Guixin. Why did the principal suddenly change his mind?
It then suddenly dawned on her that Zhou Fu had gone to look for Principal Lin. Could it be Zhou Fu…? No, that’s impossible. Zhou Fu’s just a student without parents. He doesn’t have such influence. Then what exactly happened back then?
When the last class ended at noon, Lu Guixin packed her things and took her thermos before asking Tian Lu, who was copying the solutions on the blackboard. “Hurry up, buddy. Let’s go for seafood hotpot!”
“Coming, coming. Give me ten seconds.” Tian Lu speedily moved her pen. “Have you finished copying your notes?”
Lu Guixin softly said, “No. Let’s go eat first.”
By then, Tian Lu was done. She threw her pen down and said, “I’ll let you copy my notes later.”
After packing up their things, the two quickly strode out of the classroom hand in hand, feeling excited at the thought of food.
The group of girls who disliked Lu Guixin and didn’t get along with her looked at her with disdain and threw their pens on the table. “What’s so special about her that Zhou Fu would help speak up for her… Even Su Zeyue, with such outstanding results, had to leave the school?”
“I can’t believe the school actually called the police just because she was criticized. Aren’t they making a mountain out of a molehill?”
“It’s easy for you to say when you’re not the victim.” A guy who couldn’t ignore what the girls said spoke up. “It’s easy to act generous and crack wise. You’re not the ones who were accused of having indecent relationships.”
“Exactly. Su Zeyue has obviously made personal attacks on Lu Guixin. Yes, Lu Guixin isn’t special, but that goes the same for Su Zeyue. She said so much nasty about Lu Guixin. I say she deserves to be expelled from school.”
“Enough with the jealousy, girls.”
Embarrassment and anger showed on the girls’ faces when they heard so many people speaking up for Lu Guixin. They angrily left the classroom as they were unable to come up with any retorts.
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu were eating at the World Restaurant that had specifically opened in Ming City High School. Even though the food there was cheaper, the variety of the seafood was just as much as at the outlet in Starlight Plaza.
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu sat down at an empty table.
“I’m in a good mood today, so this calls for a celebration.” Tian Lu, who was very satisfied with the way the school had handled the matter, took the tablet and scrolled through the menu. She clicked her tongue and said with incredulity, “I wasn’t expecting the school to be so righteous.”
Lu Guixin, with her face propped on her hand, smiled and quietly sipped on her black tea.
“Even if the school didn’t take any actions against her, someone would eventually have.” A clear male voice was heard from the side.
Tian Lu looked up and saw a tall figure standing in front of them. As her gaze shifted up, she saw a sculpted face with short black hair, bright eyes, a high nose, and a pair of slightly upturned lips. The person was dressed in a dark floral T-shirt with an expensive cold metallic chain hanging from his neck. He looked like a frivolous and unrestrained scion who could capture the hearts of most girls right away.
“Tan Ying, what are you doing in our school?” Tian Lu looked at the school uniform he was wearing. “And why are you in our school uniform?”
“It wasn’t difficult to get my hands on this uniform.” Tan Ying raised his eyebrows and looked at Tian Lu with curved eyes. “Do you know me, girl?”
Tian Lu didn’t answer the question. Duh, who doesn’t know the notorious flirt from Experimental High School who changes girlfriends even faster than he can change his clothes? He’s even dated a lot of girls from our school.
Tan Ying removed the jacket and casually placed it on the back of the chair. “Move in a little, Guixin.”
Guixin shifted to make space for him.
Tian Lu’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw how close they were. The campus belle of our school and the campus beau of the school next door know each other?
When Tan Ying sat down, Lu Guixin looked at him and asked, “What brings you here?”
“It was so noisy over at your school this morning that we could even hear it from our side.” Tian Lu took the tablet from Tian Lu and ordered a few dishes for himself while smirking. “I’m here to see who’s so bold to bully our little princess.”
Tian Lu’s eyes bulged even more. Little princess? What on earth is their relationship?
With a small smile, Lu Guixin gently said, “I’m fine. The school’s already settled it.”
“Yeah, I heard that. To think I even skipped class to come and save the damsel in distress, but the righteous Principal Lin got it all settled before I could even arrive here,” Tan Ying lamented.
The three of them looked over and saw a group of school leaders walking over in their direction. Principal Lin was looking a little awkward with a fist at his lips.
“Speak of the devil.” Tan Ying cocked an eyebrow and flashed a grin at Principal Lin in greeting. He put two fingers to the end of his eyebrows and said in a serious tone, “Good afternoon, Principal Lin and everyone else.”
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu stood up and greeted the school leaders as well.
Principal Lin nodded, his gaze lingering on Lu Guixin. He didn’t dare meddle with her affairs, and it wasn’t his place to say anything since the Lu family would certainly pay attention to her now that the name Zhou Fu had reached their ears. His gaze shifted to Tan Ying. “You skipped classes again to come here?”
Tan Ying sighed. “Well, the World Restaurant only opened a branch at your school.”
Too lazy to argue with him, Principal Lin said, “Go back to your school immediately after your meal.”
“Yes, sir.” Tan Ying paid him a serious bow, earning laughter from the other school leaders.
The mood was light and harmonious.
After the school leaders entered a private room, the trio sat back down, and the dishes were soon served.
While happily chatting away with the girls, Tan Ying put on a pair of disposable gloves and started peeling a few prawns for Lu Guixin. He then looked at Tian Lu, who was sitting across from him and passed her a plate of three peeled prawns. He flashed a wide, alluring smile. “Come, sweetie. Have a taste and see if the prawns I peeled taste better than the ones you peeled yourself.”
Sweetie… The cringy endearment sent Tian Lu shivering as she politely refused him, “Thank you, but I’ll just peel them myself.”
Tan Ying looked at her for a few seconds before chuckling quietly to himself and eating up the prawns on the plate. He then proceeded to peel crab for Lu Guixin. “I found a good Hunan cuisine restaurant last week. Would the two of you be interested in going there with me on the weekend?”
As a fan of spicy food, Lu Guixin’s eyes lit up slightly when she heard the words “Hunan cuisine.” “Sure.”
Tan Ying spent most of the meal taking care of Lu Guixin in a detailed and gentle manner.
Tian Lu had heard from the girls he dated before that he was especially gentle, considerate, and very good at taking care of them when they were dating. Even when they were breaking up, he would gently tell them, “I’m sorry. I can’t take care of you anymore.”
At the thought of that, she couldn’t help thinking, What a jerk!
She looked at Tan Ying and then at Lu Guixin before whispering, “Are you two… dating?”
Lu Guixin didn’t say anything, but Tan Ying raised his eyebrows, leaned closer to her, and asked half-jokingly, “Do you also feel that we’re a perfect match?”
“Uh…” Tian Lu was just about to say something when she saw a group of guys walking over from her peripheral vision.
It was almost one o’clock now, which was the Year Three’s staggered mealtime.
“Hey, Tian Lu, Guixin. You guys are here, too.” Tian Rong was surprised to see them here. His happy mood, however, was soured the next second when Tan Ying turned his head. His expression was filled with disdain as he said, “What are you doing here, Tan Ying? Stay away from my younger sister and our campus belle!”
“No can do.” Tan Ying deliberately placed his arms around Lu Guixin’s shoulders. He looked especially arrogant with his leg crossed atop the other.
Lu Guixin quietly glanced at Zhou Fu, only to unexpectedly meet his cold and aloof gaze. She didn’t know if he had heard what Tian Lu said just now, so she boldly stared at him to find any changes in his expression.
Three seconds later, Zhou Fu calmly averted his gaze and shifted it to the nearby empty table, which was just right next to Lu Guixin’s table. He slipped a hand into his pocket and walked over to take a seat. It appeared that he was indifferent to the scene in front of him.
Lu Guixin’s gaze flickered slightly as Tian Rong agitatedly advised her, “You should stay away from this scumbag, Guixin. I bet he has ulterior motives for getting close to you!”
“Of course not,” Tan Ying retorted before saying in all seriousness, “I’m sincere about her.”
He then made a heart gesture with two of his fingers and a “piu piu piu” sound, which amused Lu Guixin.
On the other side, Zhou Fu took the tablet that the waiter had handed to him and started ordering his food. An imperceptible frown formed on his forehead when he added a few wrong dishes in a row, and he canceled them all before ordering his food again.
Tian Rong was speechless by Tan Ying’s reaction. “That was cringy!”
“None of your business.” Tan Ying raised his eyebrows. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cringy, as long as I can make my princess laugh.”
Tian Rong shot him a look of disgust.
The loud commotion on this side attracted a lot of attention from the other students, and soft conversations could be heard. “Is Tan Ying chasing Lu Guxin?”
“By the looks of it, they’re probably already an item…”
“That’s so bold of them. The school is so strict about dating that the students usually do it in secret. Nobody dares to do it so openly like them. Besides, the school leaders are right inside that private room. Aren’t they afraid that their parents would be called in?”
The voices immediately ceased. Everyone looked over in the direction of the sound, only to see Zhou Fu slam the tablet on the porcelain table in irritation.
It was dead quiet in the restaurant, save for the bubbling sound of the hotpot.
Zhou Fu turned around and met Lu Guixin in the eyes. With a poker face, he said without a trace of emotion, “Your name was just cleared this morning. Don’t tell me you want to see your name on the front page of the school forum again?”
There were many people watching them. As Tan Ying was also a popular figure, the number of people paying attention to him was no less than the ones paying attention to Zhou Fu.
Lu Guixin softly explained, “No. Tan Ying and I are just friends. He heard about this morning’s incident, so he came to see me.”
“Don’t bother to explain to me.” Zhou Fu sounded indifferent. “I just wanted to remind you to watch out and not to get yourself into trouble.”
Tan Ying narrowed his eyes. “Who are you calling trouble, Zhou Fu?”
Before Zhou Fu could say anything, Tian Rong said, “Don’t you know it yourself?”
“That’s right. We’re talking about you,” Tian Rong interrupted. “Just go after the girls in your school.”
“Yeah. Our campus belle is a good girl. Please let her off, Tan Ying.” Another guy patted Tan Ying’s shoulder.
The corners of Tan Ying’s lips twitched. I should’ve brought my buddies here too. They’re all ganging up on me. How am I supposed to out-talk them alone?
Lu Guixin looked at Zhou Fu and nodded. “I got it. I’ll make sure to keep my distance from him in the future.”
She then brushed Tan Ying’s arm away from her shoulder and shifted to the side a little to widen the gap between them.
Tan Ying was rendered speechless.
“Mm.” Zhou Fu narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw the empty plate for rubbish right next to Lu Guixin’s hand and Tan Ying’s overflowing plate of shells.
Tan Ying laughed and asked in a meaningful tone, “Zhou Fu, why are you so concerned about Guixin? Are you interested in her?”
Hearing that, Tian Lu immediately looked at Zhou Fu out of curiosity while sucking on a straw.
“I’m the president of the Student Union, and I’m in charge of the school forum. There were so many malicious articles and comments about her recently. What’s wrong with me asking her to be careful?” said Zhou Fu coldly while slowly leaning backward. He looked especially imposing in this position with his legs wide open and his bony wrists placed on the table.
Tan Ying smirked. “Why would you, a Year Three, be concerned about a Year One? I didn’t know you were so kind-hearted.”
Zhou Fu looked right into Tan Ying’s eyes while arrogantly cocking an eyebrow. He smirked back at him. “Well, I am now.”
Tian Rong’s eyes widened in shock as he secretly glanced at Zhou Fu. Why does it seem like he’s behaving more and more oddly? He was just a president-in-name. I was the one doing all the work.
It was strangely quiet in the restaurant with a spark of tension in the air. It was only until the canteen bell rang that the tension eased somewhat.
Tian Lu hesitantly said, “Uh, you won’t have enough time to eat if you keep this up.” Our break time is short enough as is.
Lu Guixin, Tian Lu, and Tan Ying finished eating first and left the restaurant. Tan Ying then took them to the supermarket and bought them their favorite snacks before taking them away to the milk tea shop. After placing their orders, the trio stood at the entrance and waited for their drinks.
With one hand in his pocket and one hand holding onto the school jacket, Tan Ying asked, “Guixin, how did you get involved with Zhou Fu? I’ve never heard you mention him before.”
Lu Guixin pondered over the question for two seconds before gently saying, “We didn’t know each other at first. We only knew each other through the school forum incident.”
Tan Ying’s eyes widened in surprise. “For real…?”
Tian Lu burst out chuckling. “That’s what you call ‘connected online.'”
Knowing that people would eventually believe the rumors once they got out of hand, Tan Ying agreed with what Zhou Fu said about not letting rumors go on the school forum.
Once their orders were ready, Tan Ying carried their drinks and walked them back to the Year One’s academic building before handing them their drinks. “There’s still some time before your next lesson. Go up and get some rest. Guixin, call me if anything happens.”
While looking at Tian Lu, Tian Lu thought to herself, He sure is a capable and gentle jerk who knows how to take care of people.
Tan Ying rubbed Lu Guixin on the head and watched them go out before turning around to leave. It was only after he had taken a few steps that he suddenly remembered that he came over for a reason, but Lu Guixin was gone by the time he looked back. He thus took out his phone and texted Lu Guixin, [It’s my great-grandfather’s birthday this Friday. I’ll come and pick you up in the evening.]
Standing far away in front of the railing of a balcony at the Year Three’s academic building was Xia Cheng, who was watching everything with an intense look. Lu Guixin knows Tan Ying, huh?
The Tan family was initially a family of scholars, with the most famous member being Tan Xicheng, who had once served as the Minister of Education. However, the family started to go into politics and business from Tan Ying’s father’s generation onwards, and they successfully made a name for themselves in both sectors. Word had it that the Tan family had the support of a big family from the capital. Given their status, even the current mayor had to treat them with respect.
Xia Cheng’s grip on the railing tightened slightly. No wonder Su Zeyue had to leave. It’s all because Lu Guixin knows Tan Ying.
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