Chapter 216: A Good Deed
The reason the two groups started arguing was actually very simple.
Students from Grade 1 Class 8 arrived first. They kept to themselves, doing their own thing alongside Class 3 without interfering—so much so that Class 3 didn’t even realize they were from Class 8.
But soon, students from Grade 2 Class 1 showed up. The moment the two groups crossed paths, someone from Class 1 clicked their tongue in obvious displeasure.
That was all it took—Class 8 exploded like a punctured balloon.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Looking for trouble?”
“Just think it’s unlucky,” someone from Class 1 rolled their eyes. “This farm is so big, and we still run into people like you—defending an illegitimate child.”
And just like that, the argument broke out.
Xu Xinghe, with his good memory, recounted most of what had been said.
After filling in the details, Qinghuan asked, “Then how did this end up involving our class?”
The others avoided her gaze.
Her eyes sharpened instantly. “What did you all do?”
Lin Zhulu replied guiltily, “Well… when they started spilling everything, the gossip was just too juicy. We couldn’t help but chime in a little.”
“What did you say?” Qinghuan pressed.
“Nothing much,” Yao Shali said softly. “We didn’t want them to know we’d already investigated, so… whoever made a reasonable point, we just agreed—like ‘yeah’ or ‘exactly.’”
What a bunch of fence-sitters—expert instigators! Qinghuan was speechless.
With “bystanders” backing them up, both sides got even more heated, each trying to pull Class 3 into their camp.
Qinghuan was just thinking about how to extract her group when someone from the surrounding crowd squeezed through—it was a student council officer, probably drawn by the group message.
She raised a hand. “Hello.”
The person was Qian Xiaoyao, vice部长 of the Logistics Department.
Rounder even than Sun Qinglian—if Sun Qinglian only had a face like a New Year doll, then Qian Xiaoyao looked like a full-on Maitreya Buddha.
Among the student council, aside from Xia He and Bai Hanshan, he was the one who protected Qinghuan the most.
The reason was simple—in his eyes, Qinghuan was basically the God of Wealth.
Ever since she joined, Xia He had become generous with funding. Sponsorships were handled directly by him, saving the council a lot of effort.
Qian Xiaoyao greeted her eagerly. “Good afternoon! What’s going on? I came over as soon as I saw the message.”
Since the matter involved Ning Jianxian and Ning Siqi, it was somewhat awkward to explain openly.
But that was fine—the two groups were still arguing. After listening for a bit, Qian Xiaoyao quickly understood the situation.
“Tsk… the Ning family’s mess, huh…”
“You know about it?” Qinghuan raised an eyebrow.
He glanced around and lowered his voice. “My family has some business dealings with them. I’ve heard about this before.”
Qinghuan asked, “Do those two get along badly?”
“Hard to say,” Qian Xiaoyao shook his head. “At school, Ning Jianxian completely ignores Ning Siqi. Even if they pass each other, he acts like he didn’t see him.”
That attitude was understandable. A “brother” not born from his mother, a product of his father’s infidelity, someone who would take a share of resources—no one could accept that, emotionally or rationally.
“As for Ning Siqi, he seems eager to build a good relationship with Ning Jianxian. He always greets him when they meet, but it’s just one-sided—warm face, cold shoulder.” Qian Xiaoyao shrugged.
Qinghuan recalled hearing Class 8 students earlier say Ning Jianxian was arrogant and looked down on others.
“What about the Ning family’s attitude?” she asked.
“Ning Jianxian’s mother is similar—she doesn’t respond when people mention Ning Siqi, and she never brings him along to events. Only the father takes Ning Siqi to social gatherings.” Qian Xiaoyao replied.
“So the scumbag dad actually favors Ning Siqi,” a voice suddenly interjected, startling Qinghuan.
She turned to see Jiang Chuchu.
“I’m done resting. You didn’t reply to my messages, so I came to find you,” Chuchu said casually, then nodded toward the arguing groups. “And ended up catching some gossip.”
Qinghuan hesitated. “Uh… what do you think?”
Chuchu rubbed her chin. “Ning Jianxian and his mother’s attitude is normal. Honestly, if they got along well, that would be strange.”
“The key is Ning Siqi,” she continued. “It’s already the second semester of Grade 1, and he still hasn’t given up trying to get close to Ning Jianxian. That’s too deliberate.”
“If he really thought his existence was wrong, and the other party clearly rejects him, someone who truly feels guilty would avoid appearing in front of him—to avoid making things worse.”
“So in my opinion—Ning Siqi is very calculating. He’s deliberately acting submissive to win over sympathy from his classmates in Class 8.”
The students of Class 3 were convinced, nodding in agreement.
The system suddenly spoke up: “Wow, Jiang Chuchu’s task progress has reached 75%.”
Qinghuan froze, almost wanting to cheer.
It made sense—Chuchu had now truly accepted her role as a future successor to the family business. Even if her experience was still lacking, her way of thinking had matured significantly.
If she already saw Ning Siqi as scheming, then no matter what he did in the future—whether showing kindness or otherwise—she would analyze his intentions rationally.
And given her current impression, she was likely to view him negatively by default.
Qinghuan felt like shouting in triumph—this task was progressing far too smoothly.
The system, seeing her barely concealed pride, knew exactly what she was thinking.
At first glance, it seemed easy—but if Qinghuan hadn’t influenced Chuchu since the beginning of the school year, how could she have changed this much?
Not to mention the shift in Chuchu’s mother Zhu Qinglan’s fate—shaped by countless subtle changes.
Such is the nature of intertwined destinies—complex, unpredictable, and vivid.
In high spirits, Qinghuan decided to do a “good deed.”
She whispered something to Qian Xiaoyao, who nodded, then raised his voice loudly:
“What are you doing? Planning to fight?”
With his recognizable presence, especially to Grade 2 students, the Class 1 group immediately backed down a little upon seeing him.
“No, of course not! We wouldn’t fight!”
“I didn’t think so either,” Qian Xiaoyao said sternly. “Today is a school outing—you wouldn’t want to write a self-criticism, right?”
Everyone shook their heads rapidly.
At Mingde, self-criticisms weren’t just submitted—they had to be read aloud over the school broadcast.
Qian Xiaoyao nodded in satisfaction. “Good. But…” he dragged out the word, “if you don’t resolve this now, it’ll just happen again next time. How about this—I have a suggestion.”
Both sides listened attentively.
“The issue is simple—both sides think their own people have been wronged. So let’s lay it all out.”
“Split into your classes and take turns speaking. One side explains the grievance, the other rebuts it.”
“But,” he smiled, “your rebuttal must be backed by proof.”
“For example, if Class 8 says Ning Jianxian is too cold and hurt Ning Siqi, then Class 1 must prove either that his attitude isn’t cold, or that Ning Siqi wasn’t actually harmed.”
“Use facts that everyone present can accept—not your subjective feelings—to convince each other.”
