1TL: Hi! Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Apologies for only updating now hihi. Please accept this chapter as my apology and gratitude for your patience. Have a nice read ! XoxoRegarding the matter of going to Yan Ningchuan’s home, in which he insisted repeatedly, Xu Yin no longer refused, not wanting to make things awkward. Of course, they had to visit the electronics store again.
When buying a laptop and a graphics tablet, Wang Feifei curiously examined the tablet, but Yan Ningchuan only glanced at Xu Yin without a word. The three then visited Wang Feifei’s home, copied the four clean blank papers, and bid farewell to Wang Feifei before heading to Yan Ningchuan’s house.
Yan Ningchuan’s house was close to Wang Feifei’s, just a short walk through a major road. However, Wang Feifei’s side was a high-end residential area, while Yan Ningchuan’s was a cluster of villas.
It was already 9 PM, and the cooling wind greeted them. Walking side by side, they remained quiet, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
As they approached the villa area, Xu Yin finally asked, “Have you told your parents?”
“Yes, I called and told them,” Yan Ningchuan replied. After a few steps, seemingly lost in thought, he asked, “Do you want to share a room with me?”
Xu Yin was surprised, then couldn’t help but shake his head with a suppressed laugh. While he didn’t mind sharing a room with his Lao gong, academics were still a priority, so some things should be tolerated for the time being.
This was why he kept certain things in check when facing Yan Ningchuan. But, after Yan Ningchuan finishes his college entrance exam, Xu Yin will not show mercy.
He smiled with narrowed eyes, thinking about it.
Yan Ningchuan, with reddened ears, turned away, feeling somewhat awkward. He didn’t know why he asked that question.
Even when he was younger, he had never shared a room with anyone. Yan Ningchuan fell into a momentary daze, involuntarily turning his head to glance at the boy beside him.
Slightly shorter, slender, and delicate.
Even though he knew the other could handle three opponents alone, Yan Ningchuan still…
A car approached from behind.
He raised his hand, placed it on Xu Yin’s shoulder, and with a slight force, Xu Yin moved with his guidance, making way inside.
Yan Ningchuan’s fingertips moved.
He didn’t really want to let go of his hand.
…
As Yan Ningchuan had mentioned, his mother and father knew in advance that he would bring a classmate home, so they had enthusiastically prepared a guest room and warmly welcomed Xu Yin when they saw him.
Xu Yin wasn’t very clear about the situation at Yan’s house, but although this cluster of villas seemed low-key, the property prices were unimaginably high, something Xu Yin was aware of.
However, he had no interest in prying; for him, Yan Ningchuan was the most important.
It was late, and Yan’s parents didn’t disturb them much. After a brief chat, they urged them to wash up and rest.
All the bedrooms were on the second floor. Xu Yin was arranged in a room next to Yan Ningchuan, a room with its own bathroom.
Before taking a shower, Yan Ningchuan knocked on the door, bringing in a set of pajamas and… a pair of underwear, clearing his throat and saying, “Wear mine first. The underwear is new.”
Xu Yin nodded, took the clean clothes, and smiled, “I guess they might be a bit big.”
Yan Ningchuan: “…”
He stood still until Xu Yin walked to the bathroom door. Turning back, raising an eyebrow, and signaling him, Yan Ningchuan awkwardly turned his body and walked out of the room, closing the door.
The corridor was quiet.
Class leader Yan, blushing from head to toe.
In the room, Xu Yin chuckled.
…
Yan Ningchuan stood solemnly in the corridor for a long time until the heat on his body gradually subsided.
He moved, turned around, returned to his room, and wandered to the computer.
The page was still open on a forum.
Forum threads are densely populated, mostly revolving around… men and men.
Yan Ningchuan stared at the screen for a long time, stepped forward, solemnly closed the page, then lay down on the bed, closing his eyes.
Xu Yin finished bathing, and it was almost ten o’clock.
Wiping his hair, he looked at the wall beside the bed, behind which was Yan Ningchuan’s room.
He smiled, put down the towel, and sat at the desk.
Four sheets of paper lay in front of him, and Xu Yin sighed, “I’m even tempted to buy the smart fruits from the shop.”
018 popped a bubble: “Buy it, buy it!”
“No, let’s be rational about spending,” Xu Yin restrained the thought and suddenly asked, “What have you been up to this week?”
018 was mostly talkative, occasionally quiet for a day or two, but being silent for an entire week was quite unusual. Even the recent fight Xu Yin had with others, something 018 usually loved to get involved in, didn’t elicit much response.
Upon mentioning this, 018 subtly maintained silence.
There was something fishy about this.
After some thought, Xu Yin said meaningfully: “Xiao A?”
018 immediately exploded: “What, what, it has nothing to do with him!!!”
Xu Yin asked: “Oh, did Xiao A tell you something again?”
As far as Xu Yin knew, since the last “meal appointment” in the previous mission world, 018 and Xiao A hadn’t met again. Xiao A seemed to have looked for 018, but 018 found it suspicious and pushed him away cautiously.
It wasn’t until the eve of Xu Yin’s jump to the mission world, for the matter of the soul transfer with Lao gong, that 018 went to find Xiao A again. The two systems only truly had a second chance to meet then.
018 stated firmly: “Nothing was said, nothing was done, absolutely nothing!”
Xu Yin teased: “Found another bug?”
“No, there can’t be so many bugs!” 018 replied, then seemed to realize he slipped up and cursed.
Xu Yin thought, oh well, 018 is “checking the body” again. Given 018’s intense reaction this time, it seems like besides checking the body, Xiao A did something else.
018 left with an embarrassed “I’m leaving, see you later,” and Xu Yin, in a good mood, picked up a pen, flipped through the four sheets of paper, and earnestly started doing the assignments.
Time moved forward slowly.
Until half-past twelve, Xu Yin, yawning, opened the door to get some water. On his way back, he met Yan Ningchuan, who was also coming out of his room.
Both of them looked at each other in surprise, then very discreetly observed the end of the corridor where Yan’s strict parents’ room was, behaving quite sneakily.
Yan Ningchuan noticed a black mark from the pen on the right side of Xu Yin’s hand and asked, “Still doing homework?”
“Yeah,” Xu Yin nodded, “Just finished the four papers early and left some time for revision.”
After all, the monthly exam is coming up on Monday, and Xu Yin didn’t want to perform poorly.
Yan Ningchuan paused, stepped out of the room, and gently closed the door behind him.
He nodded towards Xu Yin, who understood the signal. While opening his door and heading into his room, he curiously asked, “You’re not sleeping either? What are you coming out for?”
Yan Ningchuan lowered his gaze, recalling lying in bed for two hours earlier, devoid of sleepiness, with various images playing in his mind.
What am I coming out for?
Can’t sleep.
Someone’s on my mind.
Figured some things out.
And at a surprising speed, almost with a hint of joy, he accepted everything he had figured out.
What am I coming out for?
Yan Ningchuan raised his eyes.
The person in front of him had their back turned, entering the room.
Yan Ningchuan followed, seriously considered for a moment, and said, “To use the bathroom.”
Xu Yin: ?
Don’t think he doesn’t know that Yan Ningchuan’s bedroom also has a bathroom and a toilet.
However, the next second, Xu Yin’s steps faltered as if he understood something.
If everything Yan Ningchuan did before was unconscious, this sentence, at this moment, seemed deliberately thought out.
Xu Yin helplessly smiled, “Is the serious Class leader Yan starting to tell lies?”
“…” Yan Ningchuan, in a somewhat resigned manner, pulled over a small stool, sat at the desk, and stared deeply at Xu Yin, waiting for him to come over.
This appearance amused Xu Yin a bit.
Sighing, he walked over.
Aiya.
The warmth of summer lingered in the air, just the beginning of the semester. He really hoped that the final year of high school would pass quickly. Otherwise, he didn’t know which one of them would lose patience first.
Although this weekend was almost entirely immersed in revision, it passed quickly and, in a way, pleasantly.
On Sunday, Xu Yin and Yan Ningchuan returned to school together.
After the Monday morning self-study, the exams began directly. The exam room assignments were posted at the entrance of each classroom, based on the rankings from the previous final exams. Xu Yin was naturally assigned to the last exam room, Class 10 of the science department, while the remaining three classrooms were for students from the liberal arts department.
Wang Feifei and Lin Jia went to Class 9 for their exams. Before leaving, they made plans with Xu Yin, “Let’s go to the cafeteria together later.”
Xu Yin waved to indicate he understood, and only then did Yan Ningchuan, expressionless, turn and leave the classroom.
In no time, other students assigned to this exam room gradually took their seats according to their assigned numbers. People entering the room couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Xu Yin, as he had become somewhat of a “celebrity” at school.
Undisturbed, Xu Yin calmly flipped through his notes.
Seeing him like this, some people sneered, sat down on their chairs, and started dozing off on their desks.
The preparation bell rang, the invigilator entered the exam room, and began distributing the exam papers.
After receiving the test paper, Xu Yin focused his attention and started scanning the questions.
Meanwhile,
In another part of the exam hall, Xu Ling sat and unconsciously touched his chin and the left cheekbone.
Tsk, it still hurts.
He quickly withdrew his hand. He knew from the night at the bar that he would have a bruise on his face, but he hadn’t expected it to be more exaggerated than he thought. Startled, he immediately bought a cheap concealer to cover it up. Now, if the concealer accidentally smudged, it wouldn’t be good.
His classmates in front turned around and handed him the exam paper. Noticing that Xu Ling’s face looked a bit strange, with a bruise on his chin and left cheek, they found it odd but didn’t speak up. They were in the middle of an exam atmosphere, not suitable for continuing the conversation. So, they turned back in silence, putting the matter aside.
The next morning,
After the first class ended, Ye Xunran went to the restroom, giving Xu Ling a chance to sneak a peek in the mirror. When he saw two pimples on his chin and left cheek, he almost cried out in frustration.
To cover these two dark marks, he even wore concealer while sleeping, not daring to remove his makeup. However, over the past two days, the concealer had surprisingly caused him to break out!
It’s all that old man Huang Li’s fault!
Moreover, these two pimples were still shiny. Xu Ling had tried his best not to touch them, but after one class, the pimples broke through the concealer, becoming more noticeable… and he looked extremely ugly!
Feeling wronged and resentful, Xu Ling took out the concealer, ready to apply it to his face, when he heard Ye Xunran’s curious voice, “What are you doing?”
Startled, Xu Ling applied too much force, leaving a large smudge of concealer on his chin.
Ye Xunran froze, “What’s on your face?”
A girl in the front turned around and looked, puzzled, “Xu Ling, are you using concealer?”
“Concealer?” Ye Xunran was surprised, “Is it because of pimples?”
As they spoke, several other students around also turned their heads.
Xu Ling’s face instantly turned red. His face had always been clear, and he had never had pimples before. Now, using concealer discreetly and being caught was embarrassing.
“No…” he stammered, awkwardly trying to wipe it off with his hand. However, he ended up wiping the wrong spot, revealing the greenish skin on his chin where the concealer was supposed to cover.
The concealer was indeed of low quality. With one swipe, Xu Ling managed to remove most of it, exposing the greenish skin on his chin.
Seeing something was off, Ye Xunran quickly pulled Xu Ling’s hand away, lifted his chin, and wiped it clean, revealing the entire greenish area.
The bruise had a strange shape, one on each side, on either side of his chin. They were particularly conspicuous, not resembling typical bruises.
Ye Xunran said solemnly, “What happened?”
After saying this, he finally noticed that Xu Ling’s left cheek was also abnormal. As he raised his hand to wipe it, another terrifying bruise emerged. Ye Xunran exclaimed, “Did someone hit you?”
Startled, Xu Ling quickly turned his head.
As Ye Xunran spoke, more people in the class paid attention.
At the front, Qu Yi “tsk”ed and turned back to continue napping on the desk.
After the incident in the physical education class, some students did change their attitudes towards Xu Ling, but there were still some who, unlike Ye Xunran, didn’t fully believe Xu Ling’s words. They thought Xu Ling had a moment of confusion only on that day in physical education class.
Isn’t it normal for people to have some dark thoughts occasionally, especially when someone like Xu Ling, who had been bullied by Xu Yin for a long time, occasionally had a bit of a dark mindset? It’s just human nature.
Besides, Xu Ling himself felt “very ashamed” and admitted his mistake, so their treatment of Xu Ling remained the same as before.
Now, seeing Xu Ling injured, several male students gathered around. Seeing the strange bruises on Xu Ling’s chin and left cheek, making his once beautiful face look somewhat disfigured, they widened their eyes, feeling both pity and anger.
“What’s going on? Xu Ling, were you beaten?”
Xu Ling tried to cover it up, putting on a brave smile, “No, I wasn’t beaten. I accidentally bumped into something.”
However, with the bruises looking so severe, who would believe that? One of the boys spoke up indignantly, “You must have been beaten! There’s no need to hide it. Every time you smile like that, something’s up, and you’re keeping things from us!”
Xu Ling: “…”
No, even though he often used this kind of smile to act and play the victim, this time he really wasn’t trying to gain sympathy.
Xu Ling’s complexion kept changing, and the other boys were getting more worked up.
“Who did this to you?”
“They went too far!”
Xu Ling: “It’s not… really not…”
“You don’t need to hide it from us. You’ve been bullied more than once!”
“That’s right!”
“Speak up, who beat you up like this?”
One of the classmates who shared the exam room with Xu Ling said in confusion, “Didn’t you already have those bruises yesterday morning?”
“Yesterday morning? That was during the weekend, right?”
“Could it be your dad who hit you?”
“Impossible, Xu Ling’s dad is good to him!”
“Then it must be…”
The atmosphere among the group became subtly tense.
Xu Ling felt a bit suffocated, his thoughts in chaos.
The reason he used concealer was twofold: first, he wanted to hide the ugliness, and second, he was afraid of being questioned.
He was afraid his parents would ask, and he was afraid his classmates at school would ask.
Seeing these bruises, it was clear something was amiss. Xu Ling was also guilty about what happened between him and Huang Li. He feared that if anyone asked too much, he might reveal everything.
But he couldn’t possibly say that his dad hit him, or that it was caused by an older man!
In the former case, as soon as the teacher made a phone call, it would be exposed. In the latter case… if he said it out loud, would he even be able to continue studying at school?
Listening to the discussions among the boys around him, Xu Ling’s heart raced, feeling extremely frustrated with Huang Li!
He rapidly thought about how to smooth things over to silence the group of boys who seemed particularly “concerned” about him. Suddenly, one boy asked, “Xu Ling, it couldn’t be that Xu Yin beat you again, could it?”
Xu Ling’s mind was already in chaos, and hearing this question, whether it was a reflex or professional habit, a flash of inspiration struck his brain. Subconsciously, he lowered his head and fell into silence.
Once the reaction was done, Xu Ling was startled, feeling like something was wrong!
The group of boys instantly became indignant.
“It really is Xu Yin!”
“He accused Xu Ling of lying before, but now that it’s gotten this bad, it’s ironclad evidence, right?” One of them said to other classmates who pretended not to hear.
Those classmates, feeling awkward, observed Xu Ling’s face. The bruises on his chin and left cheek did seem quite severe.
Could it really be as Xu Ling claimed?
Did he only lie that one time during PE class? Most of the time, was it Xu Yin bullying Xu Ling?
As this group hesitated, on the verge of fury, Ye Xunran suddenly interjected, “But Xu Yin didn’t go home this weekend, did he?”
Xu Ling stiffened.
Several boys were taken aback, “Xu Yin didn’t go home this weekend?”
Ye Xunran looked subtly mysterious, “I heard Xu Yin tell Xu Ling to inform his family that he wouldn’t be going home for the weekend, staying in the dormitory instead.”
“That must be just bragging. He probably sneaked back home secretly, right?” A boy asserted matter-of-factly and then nudged Xu Ling with his elbow, “Right, Xu Ling?”
Xu Ling…
Xu Ling felt like he was suffocating.
At this point, it seemed like there was no turning back for him.
His mind went blank, and once again, whether it was reflex or professional habit, he shed a tear.
After this tear fell, he shook himself, completely petrified.
This body seemed beyond his control, entirely transformed into muscle memory!
As the tears fell, the group of boys was convinced.
“It’s Xu Yin!”
“This is outrageous! How much force did he use to cause such large bruises?”
“Why didn’t your dad mention Xu Yin? I saw him yesterday, and he seemed perfectly fine!”
“Damn it, let’s find Xu Yin!”
Xu Ling was startled, finally realizing the situation. He quickly grabbed the guy, forced a smile, and said, “Forget it, we’re about to have class.”
“What are you afraid of? We still have ten minutes.”
The break between the first and second classes was quite substantial.
After the guy finished speaking, with a sense of duty, he dragged Xu Ling up, saying, “Come on, you have us! What are you afraid of? Let’s go together!”
Xu Ling’s scalp tingled, “No, I don’t want to…”
Qu Yi, who couldn’t sleep anymore, sat in his seat and mocked, “What are you afraid of? You’ve got your buddies. Go, get your statement back!”
The boys, fueled with enthusiasm, had forgotten that Qu Yi had long left the “Xu Ling Defense Team.” They responded passionately, “Exactly, let’s go!”
On the other hand, Xu Yin had just broken off a piece of white chocolate, sharing it with Yan Ningchuan. They were discussing a question from yesterday’s exam when the commotion erupted in the corridor.
He was about to chew the chocolate when he heard the noise. Along with others in the class, he turned to look.
A group of boys from Class 7, with Xu Ling looking a bit stiff, stood outside the door, shouting unfriendly words, “Hey, Xu Yin, come out!”
Xu Yin took a couple of chews, swallowed the chocolate, and his tongue still lingering with the sweet taste.
He raised an eyebrow, wondering what this was about.
Wang Feifei was the first to throw a paper airplane onto the desk, asserting, “What’s going on? Are they here to pick a fight?”
The boys from Class 7 directly pushed Xu Ling to the forefront, pointing at his bruised face, and declared, “See what Xu Yin did again! He acts like he’s psychologically healthy at school, but at home, he beats his younger brother?!”
Upon seeing the substantial bruises and the unsightly pimples, the students from Class 12 were surprised.
Xu Ling was already in a daze, completely clueless about who he was, where he was, and what he was doing. The gazes around him made him want to crawl into the ground.
After finishing the chocolate, Xu Yin looked at Xu Ling’s face with interest and asked, “When did you get beaten?”
The boys from Class 7 widened their eyes, “You still ask? You beat Xu Ling during the weekend when he went home by himself. Now, you’re pretending to be innocent again?!”
Upon hearing this, everyone in class 12 looked at each other.
Wang Feifei exclaimed, “Xu Yin beats Xu Ling on the weekend, you say?!”
“So what?!” someone from class 7 asked angrily.
Wang Feifei: “…”
“Wasn’t Xu Yin at Yan ge’s house on the weekend? I got a call from them at that time.”
Class 7 was immediately stunned upon hearing what Wang Feifei said.
Yan ge?
… Yan Ningchuan?!
Ah? Xu Yin was at Yan Ningchuan’s house on the weekend?!
All eyes immediately went to look at the tall handsome guy next to Xu Yin, who was frowning.
Yan Ningchuan asked coldly, “Is there something wrong with that?”
Class 7: “…???”
Class 7 was stunned, but Class 12 exploded with excitement.
What? Xu Yin spent the weekend at Class leader Yan’s house? In that ridiculously expensive aristocratic villa area?!
Suddenly, those who were casually doing homework and munching on melon seeds all jumped up.
“Damn, the class leader took Xu Yin alone to his house!”
“I also want to visit that wealthy neighborhood!”
“Why didn’t he take us? We asked several times, but he refused, and now he secretly brings Xu Yin home. The class leader is biased!”
“That’s right!”
They expressed their dissatisfaction by banging on the tables, but a stern gaze from Yan Ningchuan made the whole class obediently close their mouths.
Xu Yin smirked, opened a second chocolate bar, and broke off a piece to hand it to Yan Ningchuan.
After Leader Yan withdrew his serious gaze, he obediently indulged in the chocolate. After finishing it, he solemnly stated, “My house can’t accommodate so many people.”
Nonsense! Class 12 collectively thought.
Class 7 was puzzled. Does this mean Xu Yin didn’t actually go home on the weekend?
But…
They turned their gaze to Xu Ling.
But when they mentioned this earlier, didn’t Xu Ling shed tears? Shedding tears implies that Xu Yin did go home and beat him, right?
Feeling the scrutiny of those around him, Xu Ling’s fingertips trembled slightly.
Xu Yin spent the weekend at Yan Ningchuan’s house? Wasn’t he supposed to stay in the dormitory?! If he stayed alone in the dorm, then this situation would be easier to confuse…
Xu Ling gritted his teeth.
But he had lowered his head, remained silent, and shed tears. How could he let others discover that he was lying when it came to the critical moment? Were all those reactions just his conditioned reflex?
He had already been exposed during the PE class before, and if exposed again, no one would believe him anymore!
Taking a deep breath, Xu Ling, with a determined mindset, asked, “Were you at Yan Ningchuan’s house for the past two days?”
“No,” Xu Yin sat in his seat, smiled, very candid, “I only went to Yan Ningchuan’s house on Saturday night.”
Xu Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t know what was going on between Xu Yin and Yan Ningchuan, his mind was chaotic at the moment. Bluntly organizing his thoughts, he decided that this matter could only be blamed on Xu Yin.
He adjusted his state, remained silent, and then used a questioning gaze to silently stare at Xu Yin.
The implication of his gaze was: Are you still going to pretend?
Class 7’s students understood Xu Ling’s words and the look in his eyes. So, they continued to curse, “So you did go home and hit Xu Ling before this, right? And now you want others to cover for you!”
“What the hell,” Wang Feifei couldn’t hold back, “Xu Yin was at school dormitory before. He met me and Yan ge after dinner in the cafeteria, okay?”
“That’s what he told you, right? How do you know what he did before meeting you guys?”
“He-,” Wang Feifei was about to say something when he suddenly stopped.
Class 7’s students thought they had found a loophole and immediately started clamoring, “What’s wrong? What was he doing? Why did he suddenly stop talking? So you also know, right? You guys are all hiding something!”
“Yan Ningchuan, are you also helping Xu Yin lie? You can do such things and still dare to boast about being an excellent student in school!”
Yan Ningchuan’s good family background, excellent grades, and handsome appearance had already sparked jealousy among many boys. At this moment, they began to take advantage of the situation.
They sarcastically jeered:
“What kind of person would be friends with someone like Xu Yin? Just think about it!”
“Pretending to be upright…”
Coordinating with the class’s performance, Xu Ling pretended to sob and shed tears.
As the words became more and more hurtful, the students from Class 12 were also finding it hard to stay seated, and one by one, they were about to stand up.
Yan Ningchuan, with an expressionless face, was about to speak when suddenly he heard a rough sound of chair legs scraping against the floor beside him. This sound made the accusations from Class 7 abruptly stop.
Turning around to look, Xu Yin had his hands in his pockets, staring directly at Xu Ling. Although there was still a faint smile on his face, it wasn’t the amiable and carefree smile from before.
This smile didn’t reach his eyes, even causing some people to shudder and swallow hard.
“Xu Ling,” he spoke, his voice slow.
Xu Ling felt a slight numbness on his scalp, and subconsciously wanted to take a step back but quickly restrained himself. In a choked voice, he replied, “What?”
Xu Yin’s tone was gentle, each word deliberate, “Do your parents know about those bruises on your face?”
Almost forgetting about this, Xu Ling was momentarily stunned.
The students from Class 7 found it confusing.
“Don’t change the subject!”
“Speaking of which, your dad doesn’t know about you secretly beating up Xu Ling, right? Otherwise, how could he let you come to school so peacefully?”
“Why didn’t you tell your parents at home that you were beaten? You are too kind, Xu Ling!”
Kind-hearted Xu Ling was about to break down. His face was crying so much that it looked terrible.
Tilting his head, Xu Yin, with a smirk that was not quite a smile, said, “Yeah, getting beaten and hiding it from your parents isn’t a good idea. Do you need the teacher to help make a call to your home?”
“You- ! Xu Ling, call your parents now!” The students from Class 7 immediately demanded.
Cold sweat started pouring down on Xu Ling. His heart suddenly contracted. He forcefully interrupted Xu Yin’s words, with teary eyes, “I don’t want to trouble my parents with our issues again! Don’t you understand?”
As he spoke, he wanted to step back, forcefully ending this matter. “Everyone, go back. Don’t make this issue bigger!”
“How can we let it go? What are you afraid of?” The students from Class 7 were puzzled. “I’ll go find Teacher Liu!”
Xu Ling: “???”
Xu Ling was on the verge of fainting. “No!!!”
Xu Yin blinked. “I can go get the teacher for help.”
Xu Ling shouted, “Xu Yin!!”
This coarse and angry shout startled the students from Class 7. Everyone stood there, stunned, and the entire corridor fell silent.
When had they ever seen Xu Ling lose his composure like this?
At this moment, his face flushed, eyes wide, nose wrinkled—his expression was almost ferocious.
After Xu Ling’s shout, he belatedly realized and felt a sudden “clank” in his heart, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him.
There was a moment of silence, and everyone looked at each other.
Xu Ling opened his mouth, looking a bit flustered.
Suddenly, a loud and carefree voice rang out, “Make way, make way! Why are you all gathering here? You’re making it hard for me to find my big brother…”
A short guy with a few strands of blond hair dyed over his forehead, his face covered in several band-aids, and faint traces of red and yellow marks in some places—evidently, his face had recently suffered some “heavy blows.”
He squeezed into the crowd, but halfway through, he found it too crowded to proceed. Frowning, he stood there with his hands on his hips. Then, when he raised his head, he was startled.
“Fvck, Xu Ling!”
As this voice sounded, Xu Ling was momentarily bewildered. When he focused…
Xiao Long?
He looked bewildered, and Xiao Long, more surprised than him, asked, “Xu Ling? Is it really Xu Ling?”
He tugged at the young brother next to him. “Take a look to see if I’m seeing things!”
The young brother calmly said, “You are not seeing things. It’s Xu Ling. Also, big brother is right to your left. Just turn your head and see.”
Long Xiaolong turned his head, saw Xu Yin in the classroom, and his eyes lit up. He immediately leaped onto the windowsill, startling the classmates by the window.
Xu Yin also didn’t expect to suddenly see Xiaolong here, and a not-so-good premonition arose in his heart. Right after that, Xiaolong lifted a scroll-like red thing, and with a loosened grip, the scroll unfolded downward.
A bright red banner came into everyone’s view, with the words “Righteous and Brave, Noble Character” written on it, stunning the entire audience!
Xu Yin: “…”
No, he just wants Lao gong to be with him in every world, not this banner!
Xiaolong shouted, “Big brother, thanks for sacrificing yourself to save me last Saturday. I dedicate this banner to you!!!”
Full of vitality, breaking through the clouds, echoes resounding.
The corridor fell silent once again.
Xu Yin smiled and stood up. Immediately, Yan Ningchuan held him down. “Calm down.”
In an instant, the corridor erupted.
“Huh?”
“Who is this?”
“Why does he have a banner?”
“Is this a gangster? How did he get in with dyed hair…”
“What’s this about sacrificing himself?”
“Wait, Saturday?”
“Saturday?!”
Finally, someone realized something was wrong. “On Saturday, were you also with Xu Yin? Do you know about Xu Yin beating Xu Ling?”
Long Xiaolong was dumbfounded. He turned back, naively asking, “Huh?”
Class 7 students quickly pulled the bewildered Xu Ling over, pointing to Xu Yin in the classroom. “It’s him. He’s Xu Yin’s brother! Xu Yin beat him last Saturday. Do you know about it?”
Long Xiaolong was a bit uncertain seeing Xu Ling, but upon hearing this, he followed the person’s gesture to look at Xu Yin and Xu Ling. He was utterly shocked!
His big brother was actually Xu Ling’s brother?! This, this, this…
After the shock, Xiaolong turned around again and scrutinized Xu Ling’s face. He said in a subtle tone, “You’re saying my big brother hit his face?”
Big brother?
Oh, Xu Yin?
Class 7 students, perplexed, nodded. “Yes, yes.”
Xiaolong, looking confused, said, “What’s this? Didn’t his face get messed up by Huang Li? It happened during their date at the bar on Saturday!”
Class 7 students were stunned. “Bar? Huang Li? Date?”
Xu Ling’s face turned pale. He blurted out, “No, I don’t know. It was done by Xu Yin.”
Xiaolong’s face stretched. “The bar’s surveillance is still there. Your chin was pinched by Huang Li. The injuries on your face are from hitting that ornament, right? Don’t talk about surveillance, Xiao Li saw the whole thing! You’re trying to lie and blame my big brother!”
“No-,” Xu Ling wanted to refute.
Long Xiaolong continued subtly, “I haven’t mentioned it yet. Aren’t you 24 years old? The first time you entered the bar, my brother asked you. The bar doesn’t check IDs, but by the rules, they don’t allow minors. Yet, you’re a student? How old are you exactly? Why did you lie? Why are you blaming my big brother for the injuries that were obviously caused by Huang Li?”
Class 7 students were dumbfounded, and those who were supporting Xu Ling let go, each looking bewildered.
Xu Ling swayed.
Long Xiaolong loudly questioned again, “Why, why, why?!”
