Yue Shanni’s eyes darted nervously.
The man beside Xie Qian, dressed in a suit and tie, was stern and unsmiling.
The suited man began dialing, switching the phone to speaker mode. The sound of the call waiting shattered Yue Shanni’s psychological defenses.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! It was Wen Ying’s cousin, Shu Lu. She said Wen Ying has a lot of pocket money now and told me to get money from her, ideally scare her into transferring schools. She promised to pay me if I pulled it off!”
Despite her height and mature appearance, Yue Shanni wasn’t particularly clever.
In junior high, she had a few lackeys, and bullying the meek Wen Ying was a breeze. Under the guise of “friends sharing,” she never failed to get money from Wen Ying.
It wasn’t that Wen Ying feared them; she just lacked friends.
When Yue Shanni recently tried to “borrow” money from Wen Ying, she planned to use the same trick. But seeing Wen Ying had made new friends like Li Mengjiao in Rongcheng, Yue Shanni knew she wouldn’t get a cent.
Shu Lu suggested teaching Wen Ying a lesson. Without her own crew in Rongcheng, Yue Shanni turned to Sister Xi.
Thinking of Sister Xi, Yue Shanni fumed.
She was the one who brought Sister Xi in, so why did Sister Xi turn on her?
She hadn’t lied—Wen Ying *was* loaded, carrying twenty thousand in cash!
Xie Qian wasn’t surprised by Yue Shanni’s confession. It only confirmed Wen Ying’s sharp judgment once again.
There was nothing odd about it—outside of academics, Wen Ying was just smarter than most.
The suited man, sent by Xie Yuping, mentally sorted out the relationships. The round-faced girl was Wen Ying, who had a cousin named Shu Lu. Shu Lu had instigated the delinquents to harass Wen Ying, aiming to force her to transfer schools.
—High schoolers these days had such tangled dramas!
The man understood the situation but was puzzled by Xie Qian’s involvement. It didn’t align with what he knew about Xie Qian.
Those close to Xie Yuping knew how much he valued Xie Qian. Studying Xie Yuping’s preferences inevitably involved Xie Qian, and the suited man had heard enough to know Xie Qian wasn’t one to meddle.
Unless Xie Qian wasn’t just casually acquainted with the round-faced girl.
The man quietly noted this.
Yue Shanni’s initial infatuation with Xie Qian had turned to fear. Seeing him silent, she whispered, “I’m telling the truth. I’ve said everything I know. Can I go now?”
Shu Lu was the mastermind.
But the bruised girl on the ground wasn’t innocent either.
One schemed, the other acted—both harbored malice toward Wen Ying.
Wen Ying always tried to protect him.
If not for him, she wouldn’t have crossed Zhao Dong.
Xie Qian’s expression grew colder, “Whether you can leave is up to the police.”
The suited man understood and redialed the interrupted police call.
Yue Shanni felt like vomiting blood. This wasn’t a heavenly brother—it was a devil in an angel’s skin!
If she didn’t confess, he’d call the police. If she did, he still called the police. Why had she even bothered talking?
Yue Shanni wanted to jump up and fight Xie Qian, but he was done with her, pushing his bike away.
With Xie Qian gone, only the suited man and Yue Shanni remained in the alley.
The presence of an adult male unnerved her. She pressed against the wall, slowly standing, and blustered, “If you touch me, I’ll report you for rape!”
The suited man laughed, exasperated, and handed her the connected phone, “You can tell the police yourself. Don’t worry, I won’t run.”
Though Xie Qian hadn’t explicitly instructed him, the man would handle this.
If everything needed spelling out, Xie Yuping wouldn’t have sent him to deliver documents to Xie Qian. Delivering them was a gesture of closeness, as was dealing with Xie Qian’s troubles.
…
Wen Ying actually took the delinquents to get milk tea.
She bought large cups for each of them but didn’t drink herself. Sister Xi, sucking pearls through her straw, glanced at her, “Why aren’t you drinking?”
All that talk of friendship, but she still looked down on people like them.
Sister Xi understood but didn’t care.
She had no real intention of befriending Wen Ying. A girl like Wen Ying, attending a top Rongcheng high school from a wealthy or influential family, lived in a different world.
Wen Ying’s milk tea offer was a way to let Sister Xi save face, and Sister Xi wouldn’t bother her again. They both knew it.
Sister Xi gave a self-mocking smile: *Since it’s clear, what am I expecting?*
But Wen Ying answered seriously, “You’re all slim, but I’m chubby. I’m dieting, so I don’t dare drink milk tea.”
“What…”
The answer was so brutally convincing.
The lackey who’d insisted on extra sugar and toppings paused, unsure whether to swallow her milk tea. Sister Xi nearly choked on hers.
This place was no longer safe.
If she stayed, Sister Xi feared she’d actually like this round-faced girl and want to be friends, despite their different worlds. Wen Ying was oddly to her taste!
Sister Xi waved her crew to leave. Wen Ying called out, writing her phone number on a slip of paper and offering it to Sister Xi. Sister Xi didn’t take it, but Wen Ying smiled, “Isn’t it normal for friends to exchange contact info?”
Normal, my foot! They couldn’t actually be friends!
Sister Xi couldn’t figure out Wen Ying’s game, but since Wen Ying only gave her number without asking for hers, refusing would seem cowardly.
Sister Xi pinched the paper with two fingers, stuffing it into her jacket pocket.
“You can call this number anytime.”
Wen Ying grinned. Sister Xi tossed her head and strutted off, flanked by her crew.
She had no plans to call.
Not only that, to avoid Wen Ying, Sister Xi decided to steer clear of the area around the provincial key school. Extorting here risked running into tricky situations like this.
She no longer trusted “reliable” sources either. Friends screwed friends over—just thinking of Yue Shanni’s deception made Sister Xi want to turn back and beat her again!
“Sister Xi, we’re just letting it go?”
“Does milk tea not shut you up?”
“No, just one cup…”
“Shut it! You’re so tough, why don’t you be the boss?”
The lackeys bickered, fading from Wen Ying’s view.
Xie Qian stopped his bike beside her.
“You like this Sister Xi.”
His tone was certain.
Wen Ying didn’t deny it, “She’s pretty smart. I like dealing with smart people, and she might come in handy. By the way, did you get anything out of Yue Shanni?”
With Xie Qian’s face and height, Wen Ying could spot him from a mile away.
She knew that once she left the alley with the delinquents, Xie Qian would “question” Yue Shanni. As for how, Wen Ying wasn’t worried—Yue Shanni’s wits were no match for Xie Qian.
“It was Shu Lu.”
Wen Ying wasn’t surprised.
In her past life, Yue Shanni only “borrowed” money from her. This time, she brought people to extort her. Something had changed.
Shu Lu had been quiet for so long—causing trouble now fit her perfectly.
“What about Yue Shanni?”
A fleeting smile crossed Xie Qian’s face, “She deeply regrets what she did to you and decided to turn herself in at the police station. She’s probably there now, getting a lecture.”
Yue Shanni, regretful?
Sure, if Xie Qian said so. He must’ve had a way to make Yue Shanni walk into the station herself.
It was a good move, very much Wen Ying’s style.
She’d never considered hiring delinquents to retaliate against Yue Shanni or Shu Lu. They weren’t worth breaking the law for.
With this detour, Wen Ying and Xie Qian went together to settle the final payment for Shrimp King’s surveillance. By the time Wen Ying got home, it was late. Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong were there, both yanking off their cassette player earphones when they saw her. Wen Dongrong’s denial was masterful—he’d wrapped his English book in a cover, as if that hid his tutoring from Wen Ying!
Thinking of Yue Shanni’s “self-surrender” at the station, which would surely reach her parents, Wen Ying brought it up, “Mum, do you remember Yue Shanni, my junior high classmate?”
Chen Ru’s expression stiffened, “The one who always asked you to hang out on weekends? You’re still in touch?”
Chen Ru didn’t know Yue Shanni had treated Wen Ying like an ATM. She disliked her because Yue Shanni and her group didn’t care for studying and dragged Wen Ying out to play.
After the high school entrance exam, Wen Ying was hospitalized with a fever for a week. After discharge, she went to Rongcheng for tutoring. Yue Shanni had called their landline a few times, but Chen Ru never told Wen Ying.
When Wen Ying mentioned Yue Shanni, Chen Ru thought they’d reconnected and that Wen Ying was about to confront her.
Wen Ying shook her head, “We weren’t in touch. A few days ago, she showed up at school asking to borrow money—a thousand yuan. I didn’t lend it. She didn’t give up and ambushed me after school today with a few people, demanding protection money and threatening me with a knife.”
Chen Ru shot up from her chair.
“They used a knife?!”
Even Wen Dongrong put down his book, checking Wen Ying to confirm she was unharmed, and said they should call the police immediately.
Such people couldn’t be spared. Leniency would only embolden them. Wen Ying got lucky this time, but next time might not be so safe.
As for whether reporting Yue Shanni would ruin her future, what did that have to do with Wen Dongrong? Yue Shanni’s actions stemmed from poor parenting. He wasn’t a saint to worry about someone else’s daughter.
Chen Ru pulled Wen Ying closer to check. Wen Ying assured her she was fine—someone had saved her.
“I already called the police. Yue Shanni’s probably still at the station. After she was subdued, she said Shu Lu told her to extort me. I don’t know if she was lying.”
Wen Ying said this while staring at Wen Dongrong. Chen Ru’s gaze turned icy, landing on him like a blade.
Under his wife and daughter’s stares, Wen Dongrong knew his next words were critical.
Answer right, and his wife and daughter were still his. Answer wrong… heh.
