After returning from Class 27, Grade 11, Zhu Yaya was immediately cornered by her deskmate Xu Baoying with questions. The surrounding classmates also put down their books one by one, inching closer to them, pricking up their ears to listen.
Gu Tao also came over from the back rows to gossip: "Minister Zhu, is the rumor true? Did Ling Yiming really confess to you?"
"False, false, all false!" Zhu Yaya said irritably. "How can a big guy like you be so gossipy?"
"Hehe." Gu Tao chuckled sheepishly.
Afraid they wouldn't believe her, Zhu Yaya carefully recounted what had just happened in detail. She concluded, her tone firm and resolute: "So, Ling Yiming's confession is fake!"
"Then why would he do that?" a curious classmate raised his hand timidly.
"How should I know? Maybe his brain suddenly short-circuited!"
Actually, Zhu Yaya had already guessed Ling Yiming's intention. It was nothing more than wanting to protect Xu Chun from harm by his fanatical fans and pursuers, so he just randomly pulled a girl to confess to, using her as a shield for Xu Chun.
What a familiar plot!
If this were between the male and female leads, it would be a classic setup for a dramatic "chasing-wife-into-the-crematorium" trope!
Zhu Yaya carefully thought about the plot in "The Dominant Him, The Pure Love" again and indeed discovered a detail she had previously overlooked:
The supporting male character Ling Yiming fell in love with the female lead Xu Chun, but his good buddy Murong Beichen also fell for her and had already made a grand, school-wide known confession to Xu Chun. Torn between love and friendship, Ling Yiming was in agony, so he drowned his sorrows by eating countless packs of spicy strips produced by the Ling family company every day.
To conceal his feelings for Xu Chun and to protect her from his fanatical fans and pursuers, Ling Yiming chose to randomly confess to a passing, unfamiliar girl. Later, that unnamed girl committed suicide due to suffering school bullying.
No way! It couldn't be that because that girl's name didn't appear in the plot, they're now using her, a nameless bystander, as a replacement!
Zhu Yaya's heart was pounding with panic, then she thought indignantly, damn that Ling Yiming had gotten her into deep trouble. It seemed she needed to cling tightly to Yan Heng's coattails recently!
Even their homeroom teacher, Chang Wen, had heard the rumor and called Zhu Yaya to the office for a "chat."
After repeatedly explaining herself, Zhu Yaya finally left the office with a belly full of tea.
That girl Ling Yiming confessed to was driven to suicide by school bullying!
She slumped gloomily on her desk. Even during class, there were always a few girls in the hallway outside Class 1, Grade 10 giving Zhu Yaya malicious stares from the back door. Zhu Yaya felt creeped out and almost sick to her stomach. The key was this went on for several days in a row. When she walked in the hallway, people would also intentionally bump into her hard.
At lunch in the cafeteria today, Zhu Yaya couldn't take it anymore. While handing her finished tray to Yan Heng, who was still working his part-time job there, she casually vented to him about it.
Yan Heng's face immediately darkened.
As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved. After venting to Yan Heng, Zhu Yaya actually felt somewhat more relaxed.
But this afternoon, after the first class ended, the school broadcast system, which was almost never used except for English listening exams, was suddenly switched on.
Every classroom in the school had a speaker. First, a burst of static came from the broadcast, followed by a clear, cold male voice—"Testing, testing..."
Zhu Yaya, who had been about to get up and go upstairs to find Yan Heng, froze in her seat.
Wasn't... wasn't that Yan Heng's voice?
Yan Heng seemed to be testing the mic for a moment. After confirming it worked, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor came through the broadcast.
"Ouch~" Another male voice sounded.
Zhu Yaya raised an eyebrow. If she wasn't mistaken, that was the voice of that social butterfly, Ling Yiming.
Sure enough, the next moment, that male voice continued from the broadcast—
"Um... I'm Ling Yiming from Class 27, Grade 11. I am here now to... to apologize to Class 1, Grade 10 student Zhu Yaya. Las- (sound of swallowing), last time, I, I, that, ouch~, stop hitting me, why do you keep punching my face! I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll talk, alright..."
Zhu Yaya sat back down in her seat. The whole class looked at her. Her deskmate Xu Baoying nudged her with an elbow: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Zhu Yaya shook her head, but she understood in her heart. Something inexplicable was growing wildly inside her.
Yan Heng!
She silently recited his name in her mind.
The broadcast continued: "That, last time, I was playing Truth or Dare with Murong Beichen, and I, I lost, so I chose dare. The dare was to confess to the first girl who came in through the back door. That, just then, Zhu Yaya came in through the back door, so, so I confessed to Zhu Yaya."
"That confession was just part of the game. I, I also explained it to Zhu Yaya afterwards. But, but I didn't know some people with ill intentions would, would maliciously spread the false story about me confessing to Zhu Yaya all over Scote High. I, I hereby offer my sincere apologies to Zhu Yaya. At the same time, my fans and pursuers, please don't be misled by those malicious spreaders. Don't disturb the innocent Zhu Yaya anymore. Your Young Master Ling will always only love you all."
After he finished speaking, static crackled again, and the broadcast was cut off.
Xu Baoying, who knew about Zhu Yaya's recent troubles, sighed with some emotion: "With Young Master Ling saying that, probably no one will bother you anymore."
"Yeah." Zhu Yaya nodded.
During the second class in the afternoon, her phone in her backpack vibrated lightly.
Zhu Yaya stole a glance at the teacher writing on the blackboard, fished out her phone from her bag, opened it under the desk to look, and quickly turned off the vibration.
It was a QQ message from Li Hao—
"Junior, you heard it just now too, right? Brother Yan beat up Ling Yiming and dragged him to the broadcast room to explain to the whole school. Hahaha, he deserved it! But, Brother Yan got punished by Director Zhou. Seems like his financial aid application form got rejected."
After reading Li Hao's QQ message, Zhu Yaya stuffed her phone back.
Xu Baoying next to her noticed Zhu Yaya's expression was a bit off and poked her with a pen cap: "What's wrong? We're in class!"
Zhu Yaya remained silent, sitting in her seat lost in thought.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a tall, handsome young man with a straight posture was standing in punishment outside the head teacher's office.
Director Zhou was somewhat exasperated: "Tell me, what's going on with you? Why provoke Ling Yiming again? The Ling family is behind him! Luckily, Old Master Ling isn't blaming you this time either. However, your financial aid is gone!"
Director Zhou knew about Yan Heng's family situation and softened his tone: "Given your family's current situation, how can you manage without financial aid! Thankfully, the principal waived your three-year tuition when he recruited you. If you have any difficulties with living expenses now, come to us teachers. We'll try to find a way to help you."
Yan Heng's lips parted, initially intending to refuse, but after a thought, he changed his reply: "Thank you, teacher."
Director Zhou gave a slight nod.
