Villain: Suppressing the Protagonist and Stealing the School Belle at the Start - Part 4

Chen Yang wanted to report last night's acquisition situation to Su Lin, but Su Lin gestured for him to wait until after class to talk. Then he turned his gaze toward the two girls chatting outside the window.

Xia Shiyu twisted the hem of her clothes, about to speak, when Lin Xiaowan cut her off.

"Xiao Yu, I think I already know what you're about to say. Can you hear me out first?"

Xia Shiyu paused, then nodded.

Lin Xiaowan brushed aside a few strands of hair and said, "Xiao Yu, actually, that two hundred thousand wasn't donated by me. Su Lin asked me to donate it on his behalf."

"Ah?" Xia Shiyu covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes full of confusion.

Seeing her like this, Lin Xiaowan sighed inwardly. She knew this would happen.

Anyone who learned Su Lin had donated so much money would widen their eyes in disbelief.

"Cla... Xiao Wan, are you saying that two hundred thousand was donated by Su Lin through you? That can't be."

"I've never even interacted with him. We've barely said a few words all semester."

Xia Shiyu looked through the window at Su Lin, who was currently reading a geography book. He wanted to learn about the geography of this world.

After reading, he was surprised to find that the countries' territories were mostly the same as in his previous life, just with different names.

Lin Xiaowan also followed Xia Shiyu's gaze toward Su Lin. She spoke up, "Xiao Yu, even though it's hard to believe, that's how it is. Su Lin came to me this morning, gave me two hundred thousand, and asked me to donate it for him."

"But... but... but why?" Xia Shiyu voiced the doubt in her heart.

"You want to know the reason?" Lin Xiaowan said with a strange look in her eyes.

Xia Shiyu nodded vigorously. She really wanted to know the reason.

Although she was pretty and had good grades, she wasn't the type Su Lin's former self liked.

Su Lin's target had always been Lin Xiaowan. Even though he never made it clear, that was the truth.

So the two of them basically had no interaction.

That was the source of her confusion.

Lin Xiaowan looked at Xia Shiyu and chuckled lightly, "Actually, we've all been fooled by this guy. He acts like he looks down on everyone, but he's very meticulous."

"The reason he asked me to help is simple: the college entrance exam is coming up, and he doesn't want rumors spreading around school. That would affect his reputation and his performance in the exam."

"But I think he's mostly thinking about you. This is two hundred thousand. If word got out, who knows what kind of storm it would stir up. For him, it wouldn't matter—at worst, it'd be the rich young master chasing the Cinderella story. But for you, it'd be different. You'd get attacked by a lot of people."

Tears welled up in Xia Shiyu's eyes. "But I barely know him, and he donated two hundred thousand for me. I can't repay that."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that. Su Lin's dad is one of the richest men in Jiangning City. It's easy for him to donate however much he wants."

"Two hundred thousand might be a huge sum to you, but to Su Lin, it could just be a reward for doing well on an exam."

Xia Shiyu watched Su Lin, who was still reading, and thought to herself, "So I was wrong about him all along. He really is a gentle person."

"But why does he have to act so arrogant and make things bad with his classmates?"

Xia Shiyu couldn't figure it out. She shook her head. This question could only be answered by asking Su Lin himself.

Seeing Xia Shiyu silent, Lin Xiaowan smiled and said, "Xiao Yu, I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why he always puts on that annoying act, right?"

Xia Shiyu looked at Lin Xiaowan in surprise.

"Heh, you're not the only one curious. I'm curious about that too. I really don't know what's going on in his head."

"How about we go ask him together?"

Xia Shiyu shook her head. "Better not. Su Lin must have his reasons."

"Alright then, I'll ask him myself later." Lin Xiaowan's eyes held a hint of inquiry.

"Ah~! Wouldn't that be a bit awkward?"

"What's awkward about it? I'm just asking. If he wants to talk, fine. If not, whatever."

"Alright..."

Xia Shiyu stared at Su Lin's face, her mind racing with how to thank him.

Before she could think it through, Lin Xiaowan beside her turned serious. "Xiao Yu, I think Su Lin's concern makes sense. This should stay between you and me. Don't tell anyone else, got it?"

Xia Shiyu hesitated for a moment, then thought about how thoughtful Su Lin had been for her. A sweet feeling rose in her heart.

"Xiao Wan, don't worry. Since Su Lin doesn't want anyone to know, I definitely won't say a word."

"Mm-hmm~!!"

For some reason, Lin Xiaowan didn't want anyone else to know about this hidden side of Su Lin.

Even though she had no special feelings for him at the moment, this thought was subconscious and irrational.

The moral high ground.

Looking at the two girls outside the window, whispers in the classroom never stopped.

Although everyone knew Xia Shiyu was probably thanking Lin Xiaowan right now, they felt it looked more like chatting than thanking.

"Our School Belle is way too calm. She donated two hundred and twenty thousand just like that. That's so much money—you could buy a house in Zhongjiang with it."

"Heh, that's the gap between ordinary people and the rich. Look at how carefree the School Belle is. Does she look like someone who just threw away two hundred thousand?"

"What a pity—my circumstances won't allow it, or I'd love to try throwing money around like dirt too." Feng Yifei stared at Lin Xiaowan's retreating figure, his eyes filled with infatuation.

There were few students at Jiangning No. 1 High School who didn't like Lin Xiaowan. He, Feng Yifei, liked her too, but he could only look from afar and never dared to pursue her, because he knew his own situation well. No matter how he compared himself, he fell far short of Su Lin.

If Lin Xiaowan couldn't even be bothered with Su Lin, what reason would she have to look at him?

Today, witnessing Lin Xiaowan's lavish spending spree, he finally abandoned any lingering thoughts.

A woman like that was definitely out of his league. But Xia Shiyu—she came from a poor family, had good character, was pretty, and had a pleasant personality. She was a decent choice.

However, Xia Shiyu often walked to and from school with Ye Feng, and the class rumor was that they were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together.

If he wanted to pursue Xia Shiyu, he'd have to deal with Ye Feng first.

Feng Yifei narrowed his eyes. Ye Feng was a coward; handling him would be easy enough.

As he mused, Xia Shiyu and Lin Xiaowan had already returned to the classroom, chatting and laughing.

As they passed the aisle, Lin Xiaowan looked at Su Lin sitting in his seat and asked, "Su Lin, have you collected all the homework?"

"Hm?"

Su Lin was startled, then remembered that he, as Vice Class Monitor, also doubled as the math representative.

Fortunately, everyone had formed the habit of turning in their homework. Aside from a few old-timers who slacked off, the others had already passed their work to the lectern.

"Let's go to the office together."

Su Lin already knew that Lin Xiaowan and Xia Shiyu had been chatting outside for a while. She was probably calling him along now because she had something to say.

Su Lin nodded. "Alright~!!"

The two of them carried the notebooks and headed toward the office.

Su Lin noticed with surprise that after leaving the classroom, Lin Xiaowan's pace had slowed considerably.

He glanced at her, waiting for her to speak.

Lin Xiaowan caught his look and said, "Su Lin, there's something I'm curious about. Would you mind clearing it up for me?"

Su Lin smiled. "Xiao Wan, you want to ask why I'm usually so aloof with my classmates, especially those from less well-off families."

Lin Xiaowan nodded.

She knew this curiosity was pointless, but deep down, she still wanted an answer.

Su Lin was silent for a moment. Having inherited the memories of his predecessor, he knew there was a reason this guy had turned out this way.

He said somberly, "Xiao Wan, are you sure you want to know? Some things—once you dig up the truth, you might end up bitterly disappointed."

"Don't keep me in suspense. Just tell me."

Su Lin let out a soft laugh. "Xiao Wan, I didn't expect you to be this impatient. I thought you were always that confident and composed person."

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Alright, alright. Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you."

Su Lin seemed to sink into recollection and sighed. "Xiao Wan, do you remember? Back when we first started high school, I had a lot of friends. The boys in class all liked hanging out with me. Wherever I went, I was surrounded like the moon with its stars—the center of attention."

Hearing Su Lin's words, Lin Xiaowan also fell into memory.

In their first year of high school, Su Lin really had been like that. Wherever he went, he had a crowd of followers, full of youthful vigor—much like Feng Yifei now.

"Sigh. Actually, before that year, I got along fine with everyone, pretty much like Feng Yifei does now. But in the second semester, my mother passed away. I was in a bad mood, and those classmates—just to get me to buy them drinks and snacks—kept dragging me out to play or play basketball."

"I didn't feel like going. Want to guess what they said?"

By now, Lin Xiaowan was absorbed in Su Lin's story. A faint sadness lingered on her face. "What did they say?"

"They said if I didn't want to go, that was fine—I could just lend them money to buy drinks instead."

"Heh. Aside from a few of us, most of the students in class barely had any money. The money they borrowed from me was never paid back. I didn't care about it before, never asked them to return it. But at that time, I was in a bad mood, so I didn't lend it to them."

"Then those few started spreading rumors, saying I was rich but heartless, that I looked down on poor people. Within half a day, almost the whole class knew."

"Since they were slandering me, I certainly wasn't going to let them keep getting away without paying me back. So I went to each one and demanded my money."

"And then those female classmates who thought they stood on the moral high ground stepped in, saying things like, 'Your family is so rich, they're so poor—you should just let it go, or at least let them pay you back later.'"