The ever-calculating Mrs. Liu wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
The last ti Helian Yu visited the Liu family, he could already tell that this woman intended to use Liu Runxi’s marriage as a stepping stone for her own advantage.
Among Jingzhou’s upper-crust ladies, none held a more distinguished status now than Miss Yu.
Helian Yu’s sches were undoubtedly ticulous, but what a pity for Liu Runxi...
Gu Bichen set down his pen and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
If things really ended up that way, so be it.
But what if...
"Ring ring." The class bell sounded.
The students surged forward like a spell had been broken.
Yan Lu smiled and made plans with her usual friends to head to the cafeteria.
"Hey, Old Gu." Jiang Shengyao waved from the classroom door.
Gu Bichen got up and walked out. Jiang Shengyao’s gaze brushed past him to look towards sothing behind him, his brows knitted tightly.
"Your deskmate... is she alright?"
Gu Bichen glanced up briefly at him. "If you’re concerned, you can give her a call."
His eyes carried a knowing look, as though he saw through everything.
Jiang Shengyao awkwardly scratched his nose. "Wouldn’t that be a bit intrusive?"
He had stealthily gotten her number from Shen Huailu, but his relationship with Shen You’an hadn’t yet progressed to the point where he could call and check in on her.
Jiang Shengyao ruffled his hair in frustration.
"Apparently, there was a car accident."
"What? A car accident? What kind of idiot...?"
Jiang Shengyao cleared his throat lightly.
Gu Bichen shot him a glance, his expression seemingly saying: Stop pretending.
Jiang Shengyao, whose skin was only getting thicker with ti, urged, "Old Gu, you’re her deskmate. Wouldn’t calling to check on her be perfectly reasonable?"
Qin Xiangge happened to walk by and overheard Jiang Shengyao’s remark. She cast him a complicated look.
Jiang Shengyao was now blatantly displaying his feelings for Shen You’an.
Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched tightly. She walked more quietly, just catching Gu Bichen’s indifferent response: "Let’s go to the cafeteria."
With that, he brushed past Jiang Shengyao and walked off.
Jiang Shengyao stared at Gu Bichen’s departing figure and murmured, "I didn’t expect you to be so heartless."
With that, he chased after him, acting as though he hadn’t noticed Qin Xiangge at all from start to finish.
Qin Xiangge’s face darkened.
But recalling Gu Bichen’s words, for so reason, she secretly let out a breath of relief.
It seed like he didn’t have much regard for Shen You’an either.
It made sense. That fool Jiang Shengyao was always fixated on looks.
And Gu Bichen, raised in a wealthy and prominent family, naturally had far higher standards. Shen You’an, with her humble origins and crude manners, probably didn’t even register on his radar.
Qin Xiangge’s lips quirked into a small smirk as she raised a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
~
When Shen You’an got ho, Luo Wan was surprised to see her return at this hour.
"The physics competition is the day after tomorrow. The teacher gave two days off to prepare properly."
"Oh, oh, an exam? I’ll go to the market and buy so fish. For lunch, I’ll cook braised fish for you—you need to eat more fish, it’ll boost your brain."
Luo Wan grabbed her shopping basket and hurriedly headed out the door.
Shen You’an untied the jacket from her waist, letting the long sleeves drape down just enough to cover the injury on her knee.
Knowing her aunt’s nature, if she learned Shen You’an had been in a car accident, no matter how minor, she would be fretful and worried for days.
Better to just keep quiet about it.
Shen You’an headed back to her room and took out her physics competition workbook, ready to dive into practice problems.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
Shen You’an picked it up and glanced at the screen.
Liu Runxi had sent a WeChat ssage: [I heard you were in a car accident?]
Shen You’an wasn’t surprised that the news had spread—when she’d gone looking for ng Junzhu in the office earlier, the class representative from Class B had been present.
She replied: [I’m fine.]
[That’s good.] The ssage ca with a head-pat emoji.
Shen You’an stared at the sticker, the corners of her lips quirking up slightly.
[Get plenty of rest. Tomorrow, I’ll scout out the test venue for you.]
Just then, a push notification popped up, and Shen You’an squinted at the bold text.
—"Top Contestant of Youth Idol Accused of Bullying Teammates; Leaked Recording Sparks Scandal!"
Her finger, poised over the ssage box, paused, then tapped into the notification.
Although the gossip account hadn’t explicitly nad anyone, the "top contestant of Youth Idol" was a title only one person could claim.
The entertainnt blogger’s exaggerated exposé, combined with the leaked audio, instantly blew up online, topping the trending charts.
The comnts section was practically a cesspool:
—"Got cocky as soon as they gained so fa. Small-minded and short-sighted."
—"I can’t believe I genuinely liked him, voting for him every day. Turns out he’s this kind of person. I feel so betrayed."
—"Such scheming at such a young age—imagine what he’ll do when he’s older. The entertainnt industry is a ss because of people like this. Good thing he hasn’t debuted yet; he’s already neck-deep in scandal. Let’s see how fast he fades."
—"Why’s a middle school kid even participating in talent shows? Guess this is karma."
—"I trust Rong Xianning isn’t like that. There must be so misunderstanding here."
—"Fans, keep defending him. Ha! Birds of a feather."
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