The plot twisted so fast, like a tornado. Wen Hongyan collapsed onto the ground as the police escorted Shu Guobing into the car.
Shu Guobing finally panicked, shouting for Xiao Cai to save him.
Xiao Cai pointed to his phone. “Brother Shu, don’t worry. I’ll get the boss to help.”
Right, there was still Boss Cai!
With Boss Cai’s influence, he might just be able to outmaneuver Wen Dongrong.
Shu Guobing calmed slightly, shooting a venomous glare at Wen Dongrong. The police shut the car door, giving Shu Guobing no chance to continue his outburst.
Xiao Cai thought for a moment and went to help Wen Hongyan up.
Wen Hongyan hesitated, wanting to swallow her pride and beg Wen Dongrong for mercy. Xiao Cai steadied her. “We don’t know the full situation yet. I’ll have the boss look into it, and then we can plan our next move.”
Wen Hongyan nodded vigorously, tugging at Shu Lu’s sleeve.
“Let’s go, don’t embarrass yourself here!”
Shu Lu’s tear-streaked face hadn’t dried yet. Pulled by her mother, she got into the car.
She had no choice but to leave—too many people were watching at the school gate. Shu Lu couldn’t bear their pointing and whispering. Following Wen Hongyan into the car, she could still hear Wen Ying urging the onlookers—students and parents—to disperse.
“Everyone, stop staring. My cousin will feel embarrassed. My uncle’s involved in false accusations and framing, but my cousin is innocent. She’s young and can’t control what her father does. It’s the 21st century—do you still believe in sayings like ‘dragons breed dragons, phoenixes breed phoenixes, and mice breed sons that dig holes’?”
Believe it? Of course they did!
Those who could truly look past prejudice—whether students or parents—were few and far between.
With so many classmates from respectable families, why would anyone want to associate with a criminal’s daughter?
In the car, Shu Lu nearly ground her teeth to dust. Afraid Wen Ying might see the resentment on her face, she quickly lowered her head.
Wen Ying was doing it on purpose.
Deliberately isolating her, making it impossible for her to hold her head up at school!
Shu Lu composed her expression, lifted her head, and bit her lip. “Cousin, thank you for believing in me.”
“No need to thank me. Your father’s wrongdoings have nothing to do with you. I believe you’re kind,” Wen Ying said.
Reflecting on her past life, Wen Ying knew Shu Lu wasn’t a pretentious white lotus but a cunning green tea girl, skilled in manipulative sweet talk. Wen Ying could play that game too but usually couldn’t be bothered.
It depended on the person.
With someone like Shu Lu, Wen Ying had to strike first, saying what Shu Lu intended to say, leaving her no room to maneuver and forcing her to stew in silent frustration.
Of course, given Wen Ying’s mental age, dealing with Shu Lu was practically bullying a child… but, well, Wen Ying felt no shame. Instead, she found a twisted satisfaction in it.
No wonder so many people wanted to be villains.
Being a good person came with endless concerns, and being a saint was even more restrictive. But being a bad person? That was a straight path to gratification!
Wen Ying decided to strike a balance: be a good person normally, but when faced with villains or despicable people, cut off their paths first, leaving them nowhere to turn—without breaking the law. That was her bottom line. She constantly reminded herself not to cross it. If she did, she wouldn’t be punishing the wicked—she’d be sliding into the abyss.
“You’re still thanking her? Don’t talk to her!” Wen Hongyan snapped.
She just wanted to leave quickly, rudely rolling up the car window. Shu Lu’s tense body finally slumped in the seat. She was exhausted. If she kept acting, she’d surely crack.
“Uncle Cai, you have to help get my dad out. The two shops at Qingshi Bridge and Night Snack Street are about to open,” Shu Lu pleaded.
With those two shops, surely Boss Cai wouldn’t let her father stay in jail?
Shu Lu’s mind was sharp, quick to grasp key points. She knew that helping Boss Cai with business was the reason for Shu Guobing’s value.
But Shu Lu lacked real-world experience and only saw the surface. To Boss Cai, Shu Guobing wasn’t that important. Even if Shu Guobing had some ability, the money Boss Cai spent on him could easily hire someone else to manage the shops.
Shu Guobing’s usefulness to Boss Cai stemmed from the Wen family—specifically, Wen Ying.
Sadly, Shu Lu was unaware of this truth.
Shu Lu had some tact, but Wen Hongyan was utterly clueless. In the car, she urged Xiao Cai to contact Boss Cai, her words laced with complaints about Xiao Cai’s unreliability. “When Guobing made the report, didn’t you say it was fine? Now the police have arrested him! No, you have to get someone to free Guobing. That brat Wen Ying said he’d be sentenced—is she lying to me?”
Spreading rumors and badmouthing—wasn’t that common?
When did the police ever arrest someone for it?
Sentenced? Utter nonsense!
Xiao Cai, of course, denied responsibility. “I was just running errands for Brother Shu. How could I make decisions for him? He wanted to report, and he even had me investigate the Wen family’s assets. If I didn’t do what he asked, how could I justify my monthly salary? As for sentencing, it depends on what your second brother intends. If he insists on pursuing it, even Boss Cai might not be able to help.”
Xiao Cai was slick, deflecting all blame with a few words.
Wen Hongyan understood: Boss Cai could help, but there was no guarantee he could free Shu Guobing. The report hadn’t brought down Wen Dongrong, and now Wen Dongrong was retaliating. Even Boss Cai might not be able to stop him.
If Boss Cai couldn’t help, they’d have to beg Wen Dongrong for mercy.
Wen Hongyan pulled out her phone, found the number, but didn’t dial immediately.
“Mum?” Shu Lu prompted.
“Let’s wait and see if Boss Cai has a solution before begging your second uncle,” Wen Hongyan said.
Having finally gained some face, begging now would mean losing everything.
If Boss Cai couldn’t help, Wen Hongyan would still bow her head. If Wen Dongrong refused to relent, she’d return to their hometown and stir up trouble, rallying family members to plead on their behalf. There were always ways.
With this thought, Wen Hongyan felt less panicked.
Shu Lu was convinced by her mother.
Begging, was it? The Shu family had done it so often that Shu Lu had practically mastered the art, accumulating plenty of experience.
…
With the Shu family gone, the air at the school gate felt fresher.
Wen Dongrong looked at Wen Ying, thoughtful. “You seem to know a lot about the law, understanding that false accusations and framing are crimes. And the start-up capital for your lobster business—didn’t you say you earned it by drafting agreements for someone? What kind of agreement could earn you a thousand yuan?”
When Wen Ying had revealed her hand, Wen Dongrong had been focused on exposing the flaw in the 40% share deal. He hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that Wen Ying’s 1,000-yuan investment had also been earned by her, listed as “agreement drafting” in the accounts. She hadn’t elaborated on what kind of agreement.
Now, connecting the two, Wen Dongrong sensed something off.
Wen Ying remained calm. “They show it all the time in Hong Kong dramas, don’t they? It’s basic knowledge. Dad, did I say something wrong? The agreement was a template I found online, tweaked a bit for someone to use. I didn’t expect they’d actually pay me.”
Learned from Hong Kong dramas… Wen Dongrong was speechless. Taking TV dramas at face value, she’d stumbled into luck not once but twice.
His curiosity to press further vanished.
Surprisingly, Chen Ru spoke up, addressing Wen Dongrong directly. “Can they really sentence him? If they come with soft words, you’ll go soft again!”
Wen Ying doubted her father would go soft, but he might be swayed by family ties. He could likely resist Wen Hongyan and Shu Lu’s tearful apologies, but he might not withstand pleas from other Wen family members.
“Family harmony brings prosperity” was a deeply ingrained belief most people couldn’t escape in their lifetime. Even if Shu Guobing was in the wrong, if things escalated, Wen family relatives would still hope Wen Dongrong would be magnanimous, letting bygones be bygones for the sake of a “minor” person.
The excuses were ready-made: if not for the adults, then for Shu Lu’s sake. With a father in jail, Shu Lu would struggle to pass background checks for certain jobs after university.
Whether “false accusation and framing” would lead to sentencing depended on the severity of the offense and whether the accused pursued it to the end.
Wen Ying wasn’t sure about a sentence, but Shu Guobing’s detention was certain!
The timing and location of the police arresting Shu Guobing, however, were suspiciously convenient.
Wen Ying suspected Old Man Wen had orchestrated it.
Beyond being domineering and stubborn, Old Man Wen had a cunning streak!
Sure enough, when Chen Ru questioned him, Wen Dongrong didn’t explain, only saying everything would follow legal procedures.
Chen Li, fearing another argument, quickly suggested they focus on registering Wen Ying.
Registration was straightforward. When it came time to pay, Chen Ru used the money Wen Ying had earned, which left Wen Ying feeling exhilarated.
The class assignments were out. As promised, Lin Lin placed Wen Ying in the experimental class—a stark contrast to her past life.
In her previous life, Wen Ying had underperformed in the high school entrance exam and relied on connections to enter the provincial key school. She started in a regular class and only made it to the science experimental class after the arts-science split in her second semester of high school. That was when Xie Qian transferred in.
Now, Wen Ying had entered the experimental class early—Class 16 of the 2004 cohort, the same class where she met Xie Qian in her past life.
The 2004 cohort had three science experimental classes: two slightly lesser ones and the top-tier Rocket Class.
Oddly, a top student like Xie Qian hadn’t chosen the prestigious Rocket Class. Thinking back, it was strange.
Perhaps because Lin Lin hadn’t taught an experimental class in her past life, Xie Qian had casually picked one, not fixating on the Rocket Class. This time, for some reason, Lin Lin was teaching an experimental class, allowing Wen Ying to enter Class 16 early.
As long as she stayed in Class 16, in half a year, Xie Qian would transfer in.
With this thought, while the adults talked with Teacher Lin, Wen Ying followed her memories to the classroom that had been Class 16 after the arts-science split in her past life.
The classroom was empty. On a whim, Wen Ying sat at the sixth-row seat by the window.
Based on grades, Xie Qian should have sat in the first row for the teachers’ close attention.
But Xie Qian was too tall, blocking the view of those behind him if he sat in front. Plus, his striking looks drew covert glances from girls during class. The teachers, noticing this, moved him to the sixth row.
By height, few girls sat behind the sixth row, so the window seat became Xie Qian’s exclusive spot. Classmates couldn’t openly turn to stare during lessons, but they’d sneak glances when entering or leaving the room.
By the start of senior year, no matter how many glances were cast, that seat remained empty. Xie Qian, who had appeared suddenly in Class 16, left just as abruptly. His fans, both girls and guys, were deeply disappointed.
Recalling these memories, Wen Ying couldn’t help but smile.
A tall, lean figure entered the classroom, casting shifting shadows in the light. Wen Ying looked up, locking eyes with the newcomer, and froze.
The boy was too striking, his appearance too sudden.
—In broad daylight, was she already dreaming?
