Chapter 218: A Grand Feast of Gossip
The students of Class Eight were so shocked by this revelation that they couldn’t say a word. Their thoughts spun around several times before someone finally struggled to ask, “Then why didn’t you say this before?”
Ning Jianxian lowered his gaze, his tone calm. “Because Ning Siqi’s mother really was pitiful. Both my mother and I believe she was the most innocent one in all of this. Everything was that man’s fault.”
“It’s normal that he chose to rely on that man. After all, neither my mother nor I could ever accept him, and his maternal family isn’t exactly good people either.”
“So when he does small things here and there, as long as it doesn’t cause real harm, I don’t take it seriously. After all, those who truly understand me won’t be shaken by rumors.”
At this point, Ning Jianxian turned to look at his classmates. For once, a faint smile appeared on his otherwise expressionless face.
Several “melon-eaters” from Class Three almost started clapping, but just as they raised their hands, Jiang Chuchu swept them with a sharp look, and they obediently lowered them again.
Ning Jianxian turned back and continued, “But when you talk about ‘bullying,’ I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that. That man has long subjected my mother and me to psychological bullying. I don’t want to be labeled the same as him.”
Qian Xiaoyao blew his whistle. “Speech too long—keep it concise. Class Eight, any rebuttal?”
The students of Class Eight looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
After these two rounds of gossip, the surrounding students were practically stuffed. Just as everyone was wondering what new revelations might come in a third round, someone rushed forward.
“Wait!”
The person running over in a hurry was Ning Siqi.
Qian Xiaoyao looked at him like, oh, you finally showed up. “And you are?”
“I’m Ning Siqi,” he said nervously. “Since Ning Jianxian can participate, I should be able to as well, right?”
The second “main character” had arrived—and judging from the earlier rounds, he was the one who had told quite a few lies. Naturally, whispers spread among the crowd.
Even if he couldn’t hear clearly, Ning Siqi could tell from people’s expressions that the situation wasn’t in his favor.
Qian Xiaoyao nodded readily. “Of course. It’s Class One’s turn again—be ready to rebut.”
Ning Jianxian glanced at Ning Siqi but said nothing, stepping back as his classmates continued speaking.
With Ning Siqi personally “explaining,” from the third round onward, the gossip lost its flavor.
It wasn’t that there was no evidence. Rather, Ning Siqi always managed to twist things—either steering accusations into areas without proof or reinterpreting his past words in a different way.
This created an awkward situation—no clear conclusion could be reached.
Jiang Chuchu frowned. “He’s doing this on purpose, right?”
“At least it looks obvious to me,” Gu Qinghuan shrugged. “But since it’s all subjective interpretation, there’s no way to refute it.”
“What’s the point of that?” Yu Xin asked, puzzled. “Most people can see he’s just being unreasonable.”
Qinghuan gestured toward Class Eight. “As long as he can stabilize the people who already believe him, that’s enough.”
After all, Ning Siqi mainly interacts with his own class. Compared to outsiders, their opinions matter more.
And since Class Eight already leaned toward him, even if they wavered, it would still be easier to hold them.
“Even if they keep believing him, it won’t be as absolute as before, right? That voice message from Ning Jianxian was basically a finishing blow,” Jiang Chuchu said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Qinghuan waved it off. “At least now I have a legitimate reason to keep my distance from him.”
Previously, Qinghuan had to maintain her “uninformed” persona and continue interacting with Ning Siqi because of Jiang Chuchu’s task.
Now that the task was complete and she knew the truth, cutting ties was perfectly justified.
Even if the latter half of the gossip wasn’t as satisfying, the first half had been more than enough.
Class Three concluded that this was a highly enjoyable “gossip feast” and looked forward to the next one.
Qian Xiaoyao felt a bit regretful—the debate ended somewhat anticlimactically—but at least most people had seen Ning Siqi’s true nature.
He waved at both classes. “So, is this resolved?”
The students of Class One looked indifferent. They had never really cared about Class Eight anyway. Clearing Ning Jianxian’s name was enough.
Class Eight, on the other hand, looked conflicted. They hesitated, glanced at Ning Siqi, but ultimately said nothing.
Qian Xiaoyao couldn’t care less about their inner struggles. “Regardless of what happens next, the first two rounds already made things clear.”
“Ning Siqi’s lateness has nothing to do with Ning Jianxian. And his ‘congratulations’ weren’t necessary.”
“If you stir trouble again over these two issues, I’ll report it to Minister Sun and have you all publicly disciplined.”
By the end, the students were already shivering.
Thus, the grand gossip feast came to an end.
Over the next few days, the entire Mingde campus would surely be buzzing with this incident.
As for Gu Qinghuan—who had indirectly set all this in motion—after happily finishing the outing with her classmates, she went home and immediately flopped onto her bed.
Full of spirit, she called out:
“System! Settle Chuchu’s task!”
After the previous settlements, the system space had already brightened. Qinghuan could now see her own form inside it.
Before, it was only a vague outline—semi-transparent. Now, it had become much more solid.
“Feels like I went from coconut jelly to milk pudding,” she commented, examining her hands.
Then she blinked in surprise. “Oh—this time I can actually hear my voice. It’s not just mental communication anymore.”
The system ignored her imaginative comparison and explained:
“Out of 21 task targets, you’ve completed 4. Overall progress is approaching 20%, so noticeable changes are expected.”
Qinghuan looked around. “The space itself hasn’t changed much, though.”
“That’s because what I gain from your completed tasks is energy. Once ten tasks are completed, my energy will be fully restored, and I can travel to a new world to find the next host.”
Systems like it moved from world to world in this way, working with hosts to reshape destinies.
Qinghuan was surprised. “Only ten?”
Understanding her concern, the system clarified:
“That’s just the baseline required for inter-world travel and forming a new contract.”
“I know your goal is to change the fate of everyone in Class Three, so I will accompany you through your entire high school period.”
“That’s good.” Qinghuan let out a breath of relief. She didn’t want the system disappearing halfway through.
Even if its main function seemed to be information retrieval, the task progress allowed her to confirm that her classmates had truly escaped their worst fates—that was what really mattered.
The system asked, “Shall we begin Jiang Chuchu’s settlement now?”
Qinghuan took a deep breath.
“Let’s begin.”
