Chen Yang wanted to find Su Lin and report on last night's acquisition, but Su Lin gestured for him to stop and told him they could talk after school. Then he turned his gaze toward the two girls chatting outside the window.
Xia Shiyu pinched the corner of her clothes and was just about to speak when Lin Xiaowan interrupted her.
"Xiao Yu, I can probably guess what you want to say. Could you listen to me first?"
Xia Shiyu froze for a moment, then nodded.
Lin Xiaowan brushed aside a few loose strands of hair and said, "Xiao Yu, those two hundred thousand yuan weren't donated by me. Su Lin asked me to donate them on his behalf."
"Huh?" Xia Shiyu covered her little mouth, her eyes full of confusion.
Seeing her expression, Lin Xiaowan sighed inwardly. She had known it would be like this.
Anyone who learned that Su Lin had donated so much money would widen their eyes in disbelief.
"Class... Xiao Wan, you said those two hundred thousand yuan were donated through you on Su Lin's behalf? That can't be possible, right?"
"I've never even interacted with him. We barely spoke a few words throughout the entire semester."
Xia Shiyu looked at Su Lin through the window. At that moment, Su Lin was holding a geography textbook, trying to learn about this world's geography.
After reading it, he was surprised to find that the countries and territories were basically the same as in his previous life. Only their names were different.
Lin Xiaowan followed Xia Shiyu's gaze toward Su Lin and said, "Xiao Yu, I know you may find this hard to believe, but that's the truth. Su Lin came to see me this morning, gave me two hundred thousand yuan, and asked me to donate it for him."
"But... but... but why?" Xia Shiyu voiced the doubt in her heart.
"You want to know why?" Lin Xiaowan asked with a strange look in her eyes.
Xia Shiyu nodded fiercely. She truly wanted to know the reason.
Although she was pretty and did well in school, she really was not the type the previous Su Lin liked.
Su Lin's target had always been Lin Xiaowan. Although he had never made it clear, that was the truth.
So the two of them barely had any interaction.
That was why she was so confused.
Lin Xiaowan looked at Xia Shiyu and chuckled. "Actually, we've all been fooled by this guy. Don't be fooled by how arrogant he looks—he's actually very thoughtful."
"The reason he asked me to help was simple. The college entrance exams are coming up soon, and he didn't want rumors spreading around school. It would affect his reputation and his performance during the exams."
"But I think he was mostly thinking about you. This is two hundred thousand yuan. If word got out, who knew how much of a stir it would cause? It probably wouldn't matter to him. At most, people would say it was some rich young master pursuing Cinderella. But it would be different for you. A lot of people would attack you over it."
Tears welled in Xia Shiyu's eyes. "But we're not even close, and he donated two hundred thousand yuan for me. I can't repay that."
"You don't need to worry about that. Su Lin's father is one of Jiangning City's wealthiest men. Donating however much money he wants is easy for him."
"Two hundred thousand yuan may be an astronomical figure to you, but to Su Lin, it might just be a reward for getting good grades on an exam."
Xia Shiyu looked at Su Lin, who was reading, and thought, So I'd misunderstood him before. He's really such a gentle person.
"But why does he treat people so arrogantly and make his relationship with his classmates so bad?"
Xia Shiyu could not figure it out. She shook her head. She would probably only get an answer by asking Su Lin himself.
Seeing Xia Shiyu fall silent, Lin Xiaowan smiled. "Xiao Yu, I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why he usually acts so irritating, aren't you?"
Xia Shiyu looked at Lin Xiaowan in surprise.
"Hehe, you're not the only one curious. I'm curious about that too. I really don't know what that guy is thinking."
"How about we ask him together?"
Xia Shiyu shook her head. "I'd better not. Su Lin must have his own unavoidable reasons."
"Fine, then I'll ask him myself later." Lin Xiaowan's eyes held a probing look.
"Ah~! Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it? I'm just asking. If he wants to tell me, he can. If not, then forget it."
"Okay..."
Xia Shiyu looked at Su Lin's face, thinking about how she should thank him.
Before she could think further, Lin Xiaowan beside her said seriously, "Xiao Yu, I think Su Lin's concern is not without reason. It's enough if you and I know about this. Don't tell anyone else, understood?"
Xia Shiyu hesitated for a moment. Thinking about how thoroughly Su Lin had considered things for her, sweetness filled her heart.
"Xiao Wan, don't worry. Since Su Lin doesn't want anyone to know, I definitely won't tell anyone."
"Mhm, mhm~!!"
For some reason, Lin Xiaowan did not want anyone else to know about this unknown side of Su Lin.
Although she had no other feelings for Su Lin at the moment, this thought was subconscious and without reason.
The Moral High Ground
As they watched the two girls outside the window, whispers continued throughout the classroom.
Although everyone knew Xia Shiyu was probably thanking Lin Xiaowan right now, it did not look like a thank-you at all. It looked more like they were simply chatting.
"Our School Belle Lin is way too calm. She donated two hundred thousand yuan just like that. That's so much money—it could buy an apartment in Central River."
"Hehe, that's the difference between ordinary people and rich folks. Look at how calm School Belle Lin is. Does she look like someone who just threw away two hundred thousand yuan?"
"What a pity. If my circumstances allowed it, I'd also like to know what it feels like to spend money like dirt." Feng Yifei stared at Lin Xiaowan's back, his eyes full of infatuation.
There were few students at Jiangning No. 1 High School who did not like Lin Xiaowan. Feng Yifei liked her too, but he could only look and did not dare pursue her. He knew his own situation well. No matter how he compared himself, he was far behind Su Lin.
Lin Xiaowan did not even think much of Su Lin, so why would she ever like him?
After witnessing Lin Xiaowan's extravagant gesture today, he completely gave up on the idea.
A woman like that was definitely beyond his reach. Xia Shiyu, on the other hand, came from a poor family, had good character, was pretty, and had a good personality. She was a decent choice.
But Xia Shiyu often went to and from school with Ye Feng. There were rumors in class that they were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together.
If he wanted to pursue Xia Shiyu, he would have to deal with Ye Feng first.
Feng Yifei narrowed his eyes. Ye Feng was just a coward; dealing with him would be easy.
While he was lost in thought, Xia Shiyu and Lin Xiaowan returned to the classroom, chatting and laughing.
As they passed through the aisle, Lin Xiaowan looked at Su Lin sitting at his desk and asked, "Su Lin, have you collected all the homework?"
"Hm?"
Su Lin froze, only then remembering that as Vice Class Monitor, he also served as the math class representative.
Fortunately, everyone had already gotten into the habit of turning in homework. Aside from a few old hands, everyone else had voluntarily passed theirs to the teacher's desk.
"Let's go to the office together."
Su Lin already knew that Lin Xiaowan and Xia Shiyu had been talking outside for quite a while. Since she was asking him to go with her now, she probably had something to say.
Su Lin nodded. "Okay~!!"
The two of them carried the notebooks toward the office.
Su Lin was surprised to discover that after leaving the classroom, Lin Xiaowan slowed her pace considerably.
He glanced at Lin Xiaowan and waited for her to speak.
Lin Xiaowan noticed Su Lin's gaze and said, "Su Lin, there's something I'm very curious about. Would it be convenient for you to clear up my confusion?"
Su Lin smiled. "Xiao Wan, you want to ask why I usually ignore my classmates, especially those from average family backgrounds."
Lin Xiaowan nodded.
She knew this curiosity was meaningless, but she still wanted an answer from the bottom of her heart.
Su Lin fell silent for a moment. Having inherited the previous owner's memories, he knew there was a reason that guy had become this way.
He said in a gloomy voice, "Xiao Wan, do you really want to know? Some things, once you uncover the truth, may leave you deeply disappointed."
"Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me already."
Su Lin chuckled. "Xiao Wan, I never thought you could be this impatient. I thought you would always be so confident and composed."
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
"Fine, fine. Since you want to know so badly, I'll tell you."
Su Lin seemed to sink into his memories and sighed. "Xiao Wan, do you remember? When we had just started our first year of high school, I had a lot of friends. All the boys in class liked hanging around me. Wherever I went, I was surrounded by people, like the center of the crowd."
Hearing Su Lin's words, Lin Xiaowan also fell into her memories.
During their first year of high school, Su Lin had indeed been like that. Wherever he went, he had a group of followers around him, high-spirited and full of vigor, much like Feng Yifei now.
"Sigh, actually, before my first year of high school, I got along pretty well with my classmates. I was much like Feng Yifei is now. But during the second semester, my mother passed away. I was in a bad mood, yet those students in class insisted on dragging me out to hang around and play basketball so I could buy them drinks and snacks."
"I didn't want to go. Guess what they said?"
By then, Lin Xiaowan was already absorbed in Su Lin's story, a faint sorrow on her face. "What did they say?"
"They said I didn't have to go, but I had to lend them money to buy drinks."
"Hehe, aside from a few of us, most of the students in class had little money. They never repaid what they borrowed from me. I hadn't cared about it before and never asked them for it back, but I was in a bad mood then, so I refused to lend them money."
"As a result, those people started spreading rumors, saying I was heartless because I was rich and looked down on poor people. In less than half a day, nearly everyone in class knew."
"Since they were spreading rumors about me, I naturally couldn't let them keep refusing to repay what they owed. So I went to each of them and demanded my money back."
"Those female classmates who thought they stood on the moral high ground stepped forward then, saying that my family was so rich while they were so poor, so they shouldn't have to repay me, or at least should be allowed to repay me later."
Before you continue