"Damn it, class monitor, Teacher Gao just called Luo Hongli and Chen Ye away. You don't think something happened between them at their desk, do you?"
"Class monitor, why do you look so pale?"
*Click.*
The pencil tip in Cheng Ziwen's hand snapped, piercing right through his exam paper.
"Good luck with your final exams, buddy."
At the same time, Luo Hongli followed nervously behind Gao Xiaoqin and Chen Ye, her mind racing with thoughts of Cheng Ziwen seeing her holding hands with Chen Ye last night.
Had he really reported her for dating Chen Ye?
But she wasn't even dating him.
With her mother still sick, she had no heart for romance. If her father hadn't borrowed money from some kind-hearted uncle, she wouldn't even know how to pay for her mother’s dialysis this month.
Chen Ye, meanwhile, sensed something was off.
Gao Xiaoqin said someone wanted to see him, and she’d called Luo Hongli along, too? Neither of their families had any shared relatives. Could it be that clingy nuisance Su Lili acting up again?
Wasn't she supposed to have gone to get an abortion and take the next semester off?
"Teacher Gao, who exactly wants to see me?"
Gao Xiaoqin looked troubled. They were right in front of the office now, and she stopped. "It... it's Su Lili. Don't get worked up, Chen Ye. I know you haven't done anything, but she just showed up like this. The principal is afraid of a scene, so we had to calm her down. We've already called her parents to come pick her up."
"She specifically asked for you and Hongli. I'm sorry to have to put you two through this, but consider it a personal favor. Can you do this for me?"
Chen Ye sighed and looked at Luo Hongli.
Luo Hongli bit her lip and shook her head. "Teacher, I don't really know her. Can I just stay out of this?"
Gao Xiaoqin leaned in and whispered, "Hongli, I know, but she specifically asked for you. Can you do me this favor? You know I'm still new at No. 8 Middle School and juggling two classes as homeroom teacher, I..."
Before she could finish, Chen Ye interrupted. "Fine, let's just do it. It won't kill us to see her. This girl is endless; we really should have just called the mental hospital."
Gao Xiaoqin gave Chen Ye a look of gratitude.
The office was empty. With finals approaching, most teachers were busy printing and collating exam papers.
"Lili, I've brought them here for you. Say what you need to say."
Su Lili was sitting by a teacher's desk. Her hair was disheveled, and the moment she turned around, her face was deathly pale.
Chen Ye muttered "damn" under his breath, thinking he’d seen a ghost—her lips didn't have a drop of color.
"Teacher Gao, could you step out for a moment?"
Chen Ye nodded at his homeroom teacher. Since Su Lili was making such a request, it seemed she still had some shame left and didn't want to say certain things in front of a teacher.
Once the office was empty, Su Lili stood up and walked over to Chen Ye, tilting her head to look up at him, but Chen Ye remained expressionless.
Just as he was about to speak, Su Lili brushed past him to go straight for Luo Hongli.
Chen Ye immediately stepped back, blocking her way.
"What do you want? Just say it. If you're looking for a breakdown, I can treat you right here and now."
Su Lili gave a hollow laugh and asked, chin held high, "You never liked me, did you?"
"All that time you spent chasing me, you just wanted to sleep with me, didn't you?"
"When you were chasing me, you never looked at me like that!"
Chen Ye was stunned by her logic. "Are you finished? Then let me tell you now: I never had the slightest interest in you."
Su Lili asked again, "Because of her, right? You never took a good look at No. 8 Middle School's famous 'Ice Queen' before, but today you want to see her? Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid I'll eat her?"
Luo Hongli, hiding behind Chen Ye, suddenly stepped out—perhaps a screw had come loose in her head. "I didn't provoke you, so why are you calling for me? Want to look at me? Fine, look all you want! Look!"
"You betrayed Chen Ye, so why are you still clinging to him? He just told you he never liked you. Are you brainless or what?"
"When you were with that... that Wang whatever-his-name-is, Wang Qiang, did you ever stop to think Chen Ye might move on? Oh, now that things have gone wrong, you come back to him? Is he your father?"
"Besides, what do your problems have to do with him? Isn't this just being shameless? Chen Ye is such a good guy, how dare you keep coming back to him..."
It wasn't just Su Lili who was stunned.
Chen Ye was even more shocked.
Luo Hongli, if you're going to enter battle mode, fine, but why are you dragging me into this!
What does "what kind of good guy" mean?
What the hell did I do!
This is truly the greatest miscarriage of justice in the 21st century!
He hadn't expected Luo Hongli to be so good at roasting people; she was rattling off words like a machine gun. She was like a completely different person.
Su Lili was so stunned she turned even paler. "So that's the type you like. So that's the kind of school beauty you are. Don't worry, I came here today to officially say goodbye to the past."
"Chen Ye, I'm leaving. My dad is taking my stepmother to the north to start over. I just couldn't accept it, I just wanted to see what I lost to."
Chen Ye should have realized Su Lili wouldn't be able to stay in Shancheng anymore. Her causing such a scene at No. 8 Middle School was well-known, and no matter what school she transferred to, she’d be pointed at.
It was just a pity he hadn't managed to make this woman who betrayed him in his previous life truly regret it.
In the end, his rebirth and awakening had changed the course of events.
But it seemed there might still be a way.
"Su Lili, as long as you stop pestering me, I'll be grateful. Did that Wang Qiang give you any compensation? The Wang family is so powerful in Shancheng; have you thought about marrying into it? If you still haven't gotten rid of what's in your belly, I suggest you fight for your maximum rights. Of course, I'm just being kind. If you don't want to hear it, forget I said anything."
As Chen Ye spoke, he carefully watched the changes in her expression.
He saw her eyes light up more than once.
It was working!
She’d screwed him over so badly in his last life, and she thought she could just walk away? Not a chance. And as for the Wang family—he couldn't touch them himself yet due to his lack of power, but having a lunatic break into the Wang household would certainly be interesting.
Luo Hongli gave Chen Ye a frustrated, pointed glare. *You idiot!*
*She treated you like that, and you're still helping her?* She felt a tightness in her chest—it felt like her sports bra had shrunk. Being too well-endowed really was a nuisance; it was so hard to hide.
Su Lili asked skeptically, "You really want me to do well?"
Chen Ye sighed. "You know me, I just like being helpful."
When "helpful" came out, Luo Hongli almost laughed out loud. She suspected Chen Ye was up to no good—for the past half-month they’d been spending together, whenever Chen Ye was planning something devious, he always liked to say he was being "helpful."
"I was too harsh before, but actually, ending things cleanly is the best solution. Though we never really had a beginning, we at least knew each other, right? My suggestion is, whatever you did at No. 8 Middle School, you could try doing it again at the Shancheng Heavy Industries Group—if you've still got the 'evidence' in your stomach."
Su Lili shook her head. "Wang Qiang's father calls all the shots in his family. Aside from running around and bullying people, he can't decide anything. I've already tried."
Chen Ye shook his head. "Sometimes, you have to broaden your thinking. If you don't risk the bait, you won't catch the wolf. What's the point of just threatening them? You need to climb to the top floor of Shancheng Heavy Industries. You need to invite media outlets that dare to report the truth. Once you make a scene, if Wang Tianlong can't handle it, their stock price will plummet. That loss would be far more than just a few million."
"If you aren't ruthless, you won't stand firm."
"I'm just saying it off the top of my head, take it or leave it. Anyway, I hope you have a good life. Your stepmother isn't good to you anyway."
The more she listened, the brighter Su Lili's eyes grew. Why hadn't she thought of the media, TV stations, and stock prices? She didn't understand the market, but it sounded like it would have a huge impact on the Wang family!
She just wanted to live the life of a wealthy heiress. Was that wrong?
Chen Ye was right; if you aren't ruthless, you won't stand firm!
He was so good to her—he was truly too kind. It was a shame she had treated him the way she did, but there was no going back now.
"Chen Ye, thank you. Luo Hongli, if you don't treat him well, I'm coming back to take him!"
With that, Su Lili walked out the door. Fortunately, she hadn't gotten rid of the child yet; even after starving herself for a few days, the baby shouldn't be dead yet. With that thought, she even bowed to Gao Xiaoqin on her way out.
Luo Hongli gave Chen Ye a light punch in the back. "You’re playing her, aren't you?"
Chen Ye clicked his tongue, reached out a large hand, and ruffled the hair of the "combat-ready" little carp. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm just very helpful. Unlike you, acting like a mother hen protecting her chicks just now."
"Hmph! If I'm a mother hen, then you're a little rooster! Why don't you call me Mom!"
"Taking the fight to me? That’s it, you’re asking for it, prepare to be—"
Gao Xiaoqin walked back in, ready to ask what had happened—why was Su Lili leaving so happily?
Instead, she saw Chen Ye reaching out his claw, ready to "attack" Luo Hongli!
"Chen Ye!"
"Here!"
Involuntarily, Chen Ye shouted "Here" with a powerful, resonant voice. At the same time, he tucked away his playful attitude. Some things, he realized, were truly impossible to forget.