Chapter 282 | Chapter 283 | Chapter 284
Chapter 282: Alternative Motives
Gu Qinghuan had no idea Jiang Chuchu was internally gloating about winning a round; she was just listening intently to her introduction of the Yin family.
According to Jiang Chuchu, the Yin family belonged to the old guard whose fortunes were steadily declining. However, for a family like that to truly collapse, the heirs would have to actively court disaster; otherwise, they could easily sustain themselves for at least two or three generations.
As the old saying goes, a broken ship still has three thousand nails left. Moreover, the tides of fortune are unpredictable, and no one could say for certain whether the Yin family might catch a favorable wind and turn things around. Therefore, other prominent families wouldn’t dare look down on them just because the current generation was underperforming.
“Underperforming in this generation?” Gu Qinghuan caught that specific point.
Jiang Chuchu wore a slightly disdainful expression. “The current heir of the Yin family is pure window dressing. He looks decent enough, but in reality, he’s a total empty shell.”
“If Grandma Yin from the previous generation hadn’t arranged a exceptionally brilliant wife for him, and if his wife hadn’t been propping up the company’s affairs, he would have squandered the family fortune long ago.”
“Why would such a brilliant wife choose an empty shell?” Gu Qinghuan asked, curious.
“She was an orphan Grandma Yin sponsored since childhood. Rather than a daughter-in-law, she was more like the successor Grandma Yin actually chose,” Jiang Chuchu explained.
“That wife had an excellent relationship with Grandma Yin. It feels like she doesn’t care much about her husband; she’s mainly doing it to repay Grandma Yin’s kindness.”
“After they married, they had a daughter. The empty shell went off to play, while the wife threw herself into working for the company. My mom says the two of them live completely separate lives, completely independent of one another.”
Gu Qinghuan guessed that the daughter was Yin Xisheng. “Do you know anything about this daughter’s situation?”
“I’ll have someone look into that. I’ll try to let you know within the next couple of days,” Jiang Chuchu said, fixing her gaze on Gu Qinghuan. “This isn’t hard to uncover at all.”
Gu Qinghuan was bewildered. Why did she need to emphasize that it wasn’t hard to look into?
Jiang Chuchu made it even more blunt: “So it’s fine if I handle the investigation. You don’t need to ask anyone else.”
Especially don’t go asking Xia He! This time, it was her turn to display her capabilities!
“Oh.” Gu Qinghuan was a little puzzled. Anyone else? The person she had requested information from recently… was Chuchu talking about Xia He? Why was she suddenly trying to compete with him?
She muller over it for a bit, concluding that Jiang Chuchu probably viewed this as a demonstration of her own capability and wanted to show off her skills. So she didn’t think further on it, contentedly waiting for the file to arrive.
As it turned out, during that day’s lunch break, someone else contacted her first: [Gu Qinghuan, is there a guy named Xu Xinghe in your class?]
Looking at the message sent by Ning Fu, Gu Qinghuan was quite surprised.
Since the New Year’s Gala, Ning Fu had officially signed with Five Tones Entertainment under Bai Qingyin’s endorsement, becoming a true professional singer. However, her primary focus for now remained her studies, and she only attended the professional courses arranged by Five Tones Entertainment during her spare time.
Whenever Xu Xinghe followed updates on Bai Qingyin, he would incidentally pay attention to Ning Fu. According to him, Ning Fu was set to release a digital EP this summer break, which included a collaboration track with Bai Qingyin.
Gu Qinghuan’s interactions with Ning Fu were strictly limited to filming the program during the New Year’s Gala. Though they had added each other on WeChat, they rarely chatted.
Now that Ning Fu had proactively messaged her, and it was specifically about Xu Xinghe, Gu Qinghuan naturally needed to investigate thoroughly.
Gu Qinghuan: [Yes, he’s our class monitor for language and literature. Are you looking for him?]
Ning Fu: [No, nothing like that. I just heard his name from a friend of mine, and I vaguely recalled that he might be a student in your class, so I just wanted to ask.]
Ning Fu: [What do you think of him as a person?]
Uh, it couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, could it? A name popped into Gu Qinghuan’s mind, but she quickly suppressed it.
Gu Qinghuan: [Tell me why you’re digging around first, and then I’ll decide whether to tell you based on the situation.]
Ning Fu had initially harbored some suspicion regarding whether Xu Xinghe was problematic, but reflecting on it carefully, Gu Qinghuan’s approach made perfect sense.
She and Gu Qinghuan weren’t exactly close, so if she blindly inquired about a classmate and Gu Qinghuan just blabbed, it would show a total disregard for her classmate’s privacy. Understanding her purpose first before deciding what to share functioned as an initial vetting process.
As for whether Gu Qinghuan would deliberately conceal anything bad, that came down to character—and as it happened, Ning Fu trusted Gu Qinghuan’s character implicitly.
Ning Fu: [It’s like this: my friend rarely associates with others. Recently, she suddenly asked me how Mingde was and even mentioned Xu Xinghe’s name.]
Ning Fu: [Her situation is rather unique. She hasn’t been to school in a very long time, and now that she’s suddenly developed an interest in going back, I’m a bit uneasy.]
Gu Qinghuan: [You’re worried she’s been tricked into going to school by Xu Xinghe, and that he harbors alternative motives toward her?]
When typing out the words “alternative motives,” Gu Qinghuan paused.
How should she put it? Xu Xinghe might actually harbor some form of alternative motives.
Ning Fu: [Yes! She experienced some pretty awful things in the past, so I’m worried she might run into a bad person again.]
There was absolutely no need to worry about that. Gu Qinghuan recounted some of Xu Xinghe’s behaviors she had witnessed to Ning Fu, keeping his personal privacy out of it.
For instance, he usually wore headphones to listen to Bai Qingyin’s songs, making him the number-one fanboy in class, though he was highly rational about it. His language grades were excellent, and his essays frequently scored full marks, often being read aloud by the teacher as model examples. He had rather high standards for written prose, having previously criticized a slogan for being poorly written.
In short, it was a highly objective evaluation without too much subjective color mixed in. However, it allowed Ning Fu to make her own independent judgment.
Ning Fu: [Looking at it this way, he seems like a pretty decent guy.]
Gu Qinghuan: [If he has any issues, I’ll be the first to beat him down.]
Ning Fu nearly burst out laughing. Thinking about it, that was true. The solidarity of Class Three was renowned across the entire grade. If a bad apple had managed to slip in, they would have sorted it out internally long ago.
She instantly felt much more at ease: [Hearing you say that gives me peace of mind. Thank you for telling me all this.]
In the end, Ning Fu never revealed who her friend was, nor why she was so fiercely protective regarding her friend’s social circle.
However, Gu Qinghuan was already ninety percent certain that the friend Ning Fu spoke of was Yin Xisheng.
Still, she hadn’t expected Ning Fu to be entangled in this as well. She recalled Bao Qingsong mentioning that Ning Fu’s family background was incredibly complex.
Gu Qinghuan scratched her hair, deciding it would be best to wait for Jiang Chuchu’s investigation results before trying to understand what was going on.
Jiang Chuchu worked exceptionally fast. By the following evening, Yin Xisheng’s file landed on her phone.
The fact that she could dig it up so effortlessly meant the Yin family had no intention of concealing it, but… Looking over Yin Xisheng’s file, Jiang Chuchu felt a rare headache coming on.
Even if the relationship between parents was strained, they shouldn’t take their frustration out on the child, right?
Neither of them paid any attention to the girl, and it was only after she suffered brutal bullying at school—to the point where she psychologically lost the ability to speak—that they suddenly sprang forth one by one, filled with bitter regret and desperately scrambling to make amends.
Isn’t this far too late? Where were they before?
Jiang Chuchu shook her head. She could already anticipate how furious Gu Qinghuan would be once she laid eyes on this file.
Chapter 283: Shame
“Where were they before?!”
Just as Jiang Chuchu had anticipated, upon learning what had happened to Yin Xisheng, Gu Qinghuan hurled the exact same question.
“If these two didn’t know how to raise a child, they shouldn’t have given birth. Did anyone force them?” Gu Qinghuan found that as she delved deeper into her missions, she was encountering more and more people who desperately needed to be sent back to the factory for a total remodel.
Yet, looking at Yin Xisheng’s circumstances, Gu Qinghuan realized it was actually considered mild—compared to the Wei family, it was a total drop in the bucket.
Then again, you couldn’t really compare things that way. It wasn’t as if pain became nonexistent just because it wasn’t the absolute worst; everyone carried their own private agonies.
After thoroughly despising the behavior of Yin Xisheng’s parents, Gu Qinghuan began to mull over the situation.
Yin Xisheng’s past experience didn’t seem to involve actual illegal crimes, so Xu Xinghe’s mission should be simpler than Lin Zhulu’s, right?
She shook her head, telling herself not to leave things to chance. It was better to observe first.
Jiang Chuchu nudged her arm. “Speaking of which, why did you ask about the Yin family? Did you run into this Yin Xisheng?”
“The process is a bit complicated, and it’s not quite time to talk about it yet,” Gu Qinghuan replied.
“Then I won’t pry,” Jiang Chuchu nodded. “Just tell me when you feel the time is right.”
In any case, Gu Qinghuan wouldn’t deliberately keep secrets from her forever. If she didn’t know now, she didn’t know. She could just wait; she wasn’t in a desperate rush to consume this particular piece of drama.
Gu Qinghuan shelved the matter for the time being, refraining from proactively probing into Xu Xinghe’s situation, though she began subtly observing his state during their daily routine.
The students of Class Three possessed a miraculous trait forged from their extensive experience with gossip and trouble-making: no matter how wildly ecstatic they were during their breaks, the moment the bell rang, they would settle down and focus entirely on the lecture.
Consequently, the faculty’s evaluation of Class Three had always been exceptionally high—they were incredibly stress-free to teach.
Chen Zelin: This pack of marmots is actually very stress-free when they’re causing trouble—the heart attacks they induce are a separate matter entirely.
Precisely because of this, when their language and literature teacher, Lu Yezi, walked up to Xu Xinghe’s desk during class, picked up his notebook, snapped it shut, and carried it straight up to the podium, the entire class stood completely dumbfounded.
Lu Yezi acted entirely oblivious to their shock, calmly finishing the lecture as usual.
It wasn’t until the dismissal bell rang and she uttered a brief “Class dismissed” that she finally looked at Xu Xinghe. “I’ll hold onto your notebook for now. I won’t look inside. Come to my office to pick it up during the long recess.”
With that, she gathered her materials and walked back to the staff room.
The moment Lu Yezi stepped out, Lin Zhulu, who sat right behind Xu Xinghe, slammed her hands on her desk and stood up. “What on earth were you doing during class!”
Xu Xinghe had been panicking ever since his notebook was confiscated, and at her words, his head slumped completely down. “I’m sorry…”
Gu Qinghuan massaged her forehead. Sitting right next to Xu Xinghe, she really should have noticed it sooner. She had been careless.
Dropping her hand, she adopted a serious expression. “Were you writing that just now?”
The rest of the class was completely in the dark, but seeing that Gu Qinghuan clearly knew the story, everyone waited patiently for an explanation.
Xu Xinghe buried his head even deeper. “Yes…”
“Why did you choose to write it during class time?” Gu Qinghuan pressed.
Xu Xinghe hesitated before whispering, “I was afraid you guys would see me writing it during the breaks, and I’d be too embarrassed to say anything.”
“Then why didn’t you wait until you got home?” Gu Qinghuan pushed further.
“I… I wanted to finish it quickly so I could give it to her sooner…” Xu Xinghe’s voice grew incredibly faint.
“Did you ever consider the risk of getting caught? Teacher Lu didn’t read your writing and didn’t humiliate you in front of everyone; she was already being incredibly considerate,” Gu Qinghuan said.
“And now, everyone knows anyway. Your actions produced the exact opposite result of what you wanted.”
Xu Xinghe looked entirely dejected, unable to utter a single word.
“Whether you want to share the details with the class is one thing, but the most important thing right now is that you must apologize to Teacher Lu. She has always held you in high regard, and your behavior completely betrayed her trust.” Gu Qinghuan was rarely this unsparing.
As a language teacher, Lu Yezi was profoundly passionate about her subject. Her lesson plans were always meticulously prepared, and her teaching methods were highly diverse.
She had stated more than once in class that while exam-oriented education might restrict a student’s appreciation for literature, the long-term impact of the subject was far-reaching.
Material that was forcibly memorized while sitting in a classroom might trigger a profound, resonant realization at some random point years down the road.
Therefore, she focused heavily on nurturing her students’ intrinsic interest in literature. Even if a student’s answer diverged from the standard grading key, she would first analyze how to secure the technical points on the exam before firmly encouraging them to explore alternative creative interpretations.
She thought exceptionally highly of Xu Xinghe primarily because he wasn’t just capable of churning out full-mark exam answers; he also possessed original insights and would proactively engage her in intellectual discussions.
Now, her star pupil had actually been caught slacking off on another project right under her nose. Stepping into her shoes, the students felt as if the sky was falling! How did Teacher Lu even manage to keep her temper locked down!
Xu Xinghe’s voice was thoroughly thick with shame. “I’ll go find Teacher Lu and apologize.”
Lu Yezi had to teach another class during the next period, which was why she told Xu Xinghe to find her during the long recess.
However, Gu Qinghuan felt that the teacher also intended to give Xu Xinghe this window of time to properly reflect on his actions.
“We’ll leave Teacher Lu’s end of things aside for now,” Yu Xin spoke up. “Do you care to explain why you were slacking off in class?”
“I don’t mean to force you to expose your private life, but your behavior has become highly abnormal.”
They had known each other for nearly a year and had weathered so many storms together; they were all genuine friends. If you saw a friend veering off course and chose to do nothing under the guise of “respecting personal privacy,” then what kind of friends were you?
Of course, if Xu Xinghe was absolutely certain he could handle it on his own, everyone would choose to trust his judgment and back off.
Yet, to the current Xu Xinghe, he truly felt entirely at a loss.
He twisted his fingers, his mind a complete jumble of thoughts. Ultimately, he lifted his head and said hesitantly, “I think… I might be a little too intensely hyper-fixated.”
“Can you guys help me figure things out?”
He had made a mistake, yet his revered teacher had still chosen to show him grace and understanding. While feeling immense gratitude, Xu Xinghe had also begun to re-evaluate himself. He felt his mental state was indeed a bit off, and since he couldn’t resolve it through his own strength, the right move was to honestly ask his classmates for help.
Hearing Xu Xinghe open up, everyone’s expressions instantly relaxed significantly. Qin Yue bellowed, “Of course we can! We’re a gang, after all!”
Jiang Chuchu said bluntly, “Watch your mouth. What do you mean ‘a gang’? Are you a bandit?”
“While we might lack the one hundred and eight outlaws of Mount Liang, we still count as the twenty-two marmots of the melon patch!” Qin Yue stated with absolute righteousness.
“That phrasing makes it sound like we’re going to get rounded up and wiped out in a single sweep next second,” Ming Xiaolan complained.
Gu Qinghuan clapped her hands. “Alright, then I’ll just spill everything, including the situation I ran into on my end.”
The moment these words came out, Xu Xinghe, whose spirits had been rather deflated, snapped his head up. His face was a mask of utter astonishment. “What situation did you run into?”
Hadn’t he merely asked Gu Qinghuan to help proofread the contents of his letter? What else could have happened?
Gu Qinghuan said solemnly, “To put it simply, you just underwent a background check for political clearance, and I was the character reference interviewed.”
Xu Xinghe: ???
The marmots: Ah, yes. This is the exact, pure flavor of top-tier drama!
Chapter 284: Familiar Words
Gu Qinghuan recounted the events in chronological order. By the time she finished, Xu Xinghe wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
As it turned out, he had already been “vetted” by Yin Xisheng’s friend without even knowing it!
And right after Gu Qinghuan had given him a highly objective evaluation—leaving the other party with a great impression—he had gone and slacked off in class, showing a total lack of respect for his teacher.
Xu Xinghe collapsed onto his desk, thoroughly mortified.
Qin Yue nudged his head. “Stop wallowing in regret. With that kind of time, you’d better start thinking about how to apologize to Teacher Lu during the long recess.”
Xu Xinghe behaviorally pushed himself back up. “I’m already on it. I’ll give her a proper apology and beg for her forgiveness.”
The regular break between classes wasn’t long, after all. Once everyone grasped the situation, the bell for the next period rang.
The marmots packed away their gossip-loving minds to focus on the lecture. When the long recess finally arrived, Xu Xinghe headed off to apologize to Lu Yezi, while the rest of the marmots huddled up to discuss his predicament.
“He definitely likes that girl named Yin Xisheng, doesn’t he?” Ming Xiaolan pushed up her glasses, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Several people nodded in profound agreement.
Yu Xin raised an objection: “I don’t think it’s that clear-cut. We need to find out what Xu Xinghe is actually thinking first; he might still be in a rather ambiguous blur phase.”
Ouyang Wushuang joined the front row, participating in the topic with rare enthusiasm: “I—I agree with the Class Monitor for Academics’ point of view!”
“Yin Xisheng’s situation naturally invites sympathy, and Xu Xinghe only met her because he stepped in to help. He might be unconsciously viewing protecting Yin Xisheng as his own responsibility, which is why his concern crossed the line.”
Yao Shali let out a long “Oh~” of realization.
She whipped out her little notebook, swiftly recording the material. Romance was her weak point, and Ouyang Wushuang’s perspective was highly inspiring.
Murong Tianjiao, on the other hand, cast a thoroughly complicated look at Ouyang Wushuang. This girl had recently been obsessed with a certain anime ship, using almost identical logic to tear into the opposing ship’s fans online.
In short: Your ship’s moments are all fake; my ship is the only real one!
However, Murong Tianjiao refrained from exposing her at a time like this. After all, what if Ouyang Wushuang actually guessed correctly?
Gu Qinghuan unconsciously became the referee again, calming everyone down. “We don’t need to rush to a judgment. We’ll have to hear Xu Xinghe’s own side of the story for the specifics.”
“However, given how anxious Xu Xinghe was to contact Yin Xisheng, I suspect something must have gone wrong on her end.”
“If we can’t resolve Yin Xisheng’s trouble, even if we restrain Xu Xinghe this time, there’s no guarantee he won’t lapse again next time.”
Everyone agreed completely with this point. They actually had nothing against Yin Xisheng; slacking off in class was Xu Xinghe’s own issue and had nothing to do with her. Hearing Gu Qinghuan describe her circumstances, the students of Class Three felt she was quite pitiful too.
If it was a solvable matter, they didn’t mind lending a helping hand.
When Xu Xinghe returned clutching his notebook, he was instantly pinned into his seat by Qin Yue on his left and Ai Ning on his right.
“Spit it out. What exactly is going on with Yin Xisheng that made you so frantic?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
“You guys aren’t going to ask me about Teacher Lu?” Xu Xinghe was somewhat dazed.
“Since Teacher Lu gave the notebook back to you, it means she forgave you, right? We aren’t the ones involved; knowing the final outcome is enough,” Gu Qinghuan shrugged.
Everyone nodded. The person Xu Xinghe needed to apologize to was Teacher Lu, not them. Since Teacher Lu had already received his regretful and apologetic words and chosen to forgive him, there was no need to keep harping on it.
Compared to spectating Xu Xinghe’s embarrassment, they wanted to help him resolve Yin Xisheng’s issue as quickly as possible, ensuring he wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
Xu Xinghe felt his throat grow a bit dry. He gave a couple of coughs, clearing the stifled sensation from his throat before speaking solemnly, “Then I’ll have to trouble you guys.”
“Why are you being so polite?” Qin Yue shook his arms in exaggeration, shrieking, “That’s so mushy it’s giving me goosebumps.”
Jiang Chuchu waved her hand. “Utilize your strength as our number-one language student and summarize it briefly. Don’t drag it out until the next period starts.”
Xu Xinghe blurted out immediately, “It’s simple—the person who previously bullied Yin Xisheng and caused her to lose her voice is still pestering her.”
The entire classroom fell dead silent.
Gu Qinghuan slammed her desk and stood up. “Chuchu!”
“I’ll have someone look into it right now.” Jiang Chuchu pulled out her phone, preparing to call Jin Jubao.
Bao Qingsong chimed in, “Once the Discipline Committee Member gets the name list, I can start looking into the people around them to gather detailed intel.”
Song Yi was rearing to go. “Sis, I have experience from teaching Yu Yuan last time. I can get Yin Xisheng to master vital-striking techniques even faster!”
“No, she lost her voice, so she probably finds it very difficult to face her bully, right? Let’s just beat the bully down until they don’t dare come back,” Tao Shenxing said seriously.
Shen Jianwei massaged her forehead. “Tao Shenxing, can your behavioral style live up to your name for once?”
Yu Xin looked at Xu Xinghe, stating sternly, “Don’t even think about handling this kind of matter on your own. Look at that frame of yours—who could you even beat in a fight?”
Xu Xinghe scratched his cheek. “Hold on, you guys, I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
Everyone quieted down again to look at him.
He hesitated before saying, “Actually, her family already assigned bodyguards to her and banned that jerk from approaching her, but…”
“But what?” everyone asked in unison.
“In this day and age, a person doesn’t need to physically meet to make contact. That jerk keeps trying to add her as a friend, using the verification notes to apologize to her,” Xu Xinghe said, looking a bit headached. “And even if he gets blocked, he constantly switches to alternative accounts to send private messages to her social media. Aside from apologies, it’s all sorts of sweet-talking…”
At this point, Xu Xinghe paused. “In the beginning, Yin Xisheng said it was terrifying and asked me for help. I suggested she switch accounts so he wouldn’t find her.”
“But judging from the last letter she sent me, she seems to be starting to accept that jerk.”
“Huh?” Qin Yue found it utterly bizarre. “What do you mean by accept?”
“She didn’t go into detail, but I suspect she accepted his friend request and started communicating with him. She even defended him, saying he didn’t actually mean to hurt her and that he had his own difficulties…” Before Xu Xinghe could finish his sentence, Lin Zhulu cut him off.
She cast a thoroughly complicated look at Xu Xinghe. “Don’t you think those words sound incredibly familiar?”
Gu Qinghuan added cryptically, “People who endure long-term domestic violence and psychological abuse often say the exact same thing.”
Jiang Chuchu stood straight up. “I’d better hurry up and investigate. A piece of garbage like that is best thrown straight into an incinerator as early as possible.”
Gu Qinghuan, meanwhile, fired off a message to Ning Fu. Since they were friends, Ning Fu should know who was pestering Yin Xisheng, right? Maybe she could even deal him a harsh blow?
Xu Xinghe scratched his hair. Watching everyone spring into action with such fiery intensity, he suddenly felt his previous anxiety was a bit foolish.
As a member of the trouble-making squad, he had actually forgotten to leverage the strength of his classmates—what an absolute waste!
He covertly opened his notebook, tore out the pages he had written earlier, shredded them into tiny pieces, and tossed them into the trash can.
It seemed he needed to reconsider exactly what content he should write next.
