Yue Youyou's Conviction / Zhao Lei's Predicament

Bro, don't get so worked up. I didn't even touch you, why are you getting so agitated?

They continued to scribble furiously on sheets of paper, not caring what they wrote or whether it was legible. After each signature, they were all excited and thrilled, staring at the signature and grinning like idiots.

Why is there such a commotion? Why isn't the teacher here yet?

Ling Mengxue was a little confused and sensed something was wrong. She turned around and looked through the classroom glass, only to find that Lan Yuxin and Tang Ling were both "secretly" smiling at her.

Holy crap?! Who else could have done this if not these two?

Okay, okay, I'll remember this grudge!

Yue Youyou sat in her seat, watching the scene outside the corridor where Ling Mengxue and a little girl were surrounded by a huge crowd. She felt a deep sense of emotion and longing.

"Ling is so popular, just like his brother..."

Yue Youyou's eyes were filled with the simple envy of a little girl, but then she lowered her head, revealing a trace of sadness.

A girl like me, unloved and alone, is destined to hide in a corner by herself, right?

"No cutting in line, please. I appreciate your support, but if anyone gets hurt because of me, I'll be very sad."

"The goddess is right! I want to be a person of high quality!" a boy who was standing nearby shouted out, extremely excited!

After this incident, no one dared to push and shove anymore, and people began to be considerate of each other, which made the signing process much faster and more efficient.

Ling Mengxue and Lin Ruoxi finally breathed a sigh of relief when class finally started.

"Have you encountered this often before?" Ling Mengxue turned to Lin Ruoxi and asked.

Lin Ruoxi nodded, still smiling, "That's how it is after the school festival. It's mainly because you're so beautiful, sister. Anyway, it's not a big deal, and it makes the students happy."

Ling Mengxue paused for a moment, then simply patted her head. "Alright, little girl, why have you become so sweet-talking? Go back to class now."

"Hmm, isn't my older sister just a little girl too? And you're talking about me like that."

Before Ling Mengxue could react, Lin Ruoxi had already run downstairs as if fleeing, leaving everyone involved stunned.

In short... sigh... I'm so tired...

It's like one wave after another, and even the male students in her class were all teary-eyed, rushing over to ask for autographs!

Class is in session now!

The morning classes dragged on endlessly, and by the time the last class ended, Ling Mengxue collapsed onto her desk, utterly exhausted.

That's scary, sometimes being popular isn't a good thing...

"Ling... Ling, can I ask you a question?"

"Um?"

It was already after school when Ling Mengxue was startled by the voice beside her. She turned around and saw that it was her deskmate.

However, it seems the two haven't really talked much yet. Perhaps she's just not talkative, because Ling Mengxue hasn't tried to chat with her.

Just as she was about to speak, Lan Yuxin had already walked up to her.

"Mengxue, thank you for yesterday. How about I treat you to lunch at the cafeteria?"

Upon hearing that someone was inviting her to dinner, Ling Mengxue's eyes immediately lit up. She blinked once, then gave an OK sign, before glancing at her deskmate.

It was only at this moment that she suddenly realized she didn't even know the person's name.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Yue Youyou's Belief

"Uh... classmate, is there something you need?"

"I..."

Yue Youyou's body trembled violently. She had finally mustered up the courage to do this once, but as luck would have it, someone else came looking for her deskmate.

At this moment, Liu Yinxuan had already closed the front doors and windows and walked back. "Youyou, why haven't you left yet? School's over. You don't have to be the last one to leave every time. Do you like closing doors so much?"

"I'm... sorry..."

Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Yue Youyou became alert and quickly stood up. However, her Liu Hai were all over her glasses, so Ling Mengxue and the others couldn't see her face and had no idea what she was thinking.

Then she picked up her schoolbag and, like a startled fawn, hurriedly ran out.

Youyou? Is that her name?

Running down the long corridor, Yue Youyou bit her lip, clutching her books as she fled frantically, a tear glistening in her eye, her vision blurring.

Even when going down the stairs, she ran and stumbled...

She felt so much hatred, hating herself for not even having the courage to talk to her classmates.

Having lived in such a family environment, she was already somewhat depressed and developed a self-deprecating and timid personality, but she had tried very hard to restrain herself, and remaining silent was the best way.

She, who didn't need glasses, started wearing them and grew her hair long. Even in class, she tried her best to hide herself, to stay out of the spotlight, and to be invisible, ultimately ending her tragic life.

But now... she still has a wish that hasn't come true!

No matter what the final result is, if she doesn't get a chance to talk to him today, she'll try tomorrow; if that doesn't work, she'll try the day after tomorrow; and if that still doesn't work, she'll try the day after that! She refuses to believe that she won't even have a single opportunity to strike up a conversation!

"Was that... Youyou? I remember she wasn't very talkative, and she usually just sat here alone without chatting with her classmates." Lan Yuxin recalled thoughtfully after Yue Youyou left.

However, Lan Yuxin is quite something. As the vice class monitor, she only has a vague impression of Yue Youyou, who is practically invisible to everyone!

Tang Xiaohua left on her own, while Tang Ling, seeing the group discussing something, plopped down on a nearby chair, leaning back on the table, and muttered to herself.

"I remember I've never seen Youyou initiate a conversation since the first year of high school... She's so gloomy~ Why doesn't she like to talk? Chatting is so much fun, and she keeps such long Liu Hai ~ Can she even see people? Can she even see where she's going? What if we accidentally bump into each other?"

"I know what Xiaoling was talking about, but when I talked to Youyou last time, she kept saying she was fine and seemed to be hiding something, so I didn't insist. Also, the homeroom teacher talked to her, and then I don't know what happened, so it's just been left like this." Liu Yinxuan sighed and explained the doubts in their minds.

However, compared to Tang Ling and the other two, Ling Mengxue was completely bewildered throughout the entire conversation.

Yue Youyou? Is there such a person in our class? How come I have no idea?

Of course, Ling Mengxue only dared to think these words in her heart. Not to mention that she was a new transfer student, even before that, she didn't know that there was such a person in her class.

This is really awkward...

After two years of being classmates, I don't even remember their names? I guess I wasted my time studying...

Seeing the atmosphere starting to get awkward, Lan Yuxin quickly jumped off the table and grabbed Ling Mengxue's hand. "Let's go quickly. It's my treat today. What if the school gates close if we don't hurry to the cafeteria?"

"Aren't you a boarding student? You don't need to leave campus, right?" Ling Mengxue was a little confused by this sudden question.

"That was before. Now the three of us often live together." Halfway through her sentence, Lan Yuxin suddenly realized something was off. "Weren't you a transfer student? How did you know I used to live in the dorms?"

"Um... actually, Brother Ling Feng did tell me about your past..."

Is that so?

Lan Yuxin thought about it briefly but didn't suspect anything.

The group arrived at the school cafeteria, and as soon as they entered, the students eating inside looked up, their eyes filled with amazement...

Because they arrived quite late, the cafeteria was already quite full. Ling Mengxue and her group carried their trays and wandered around the cafeteria before finally finding a seat.

It must be said that the food in the Dragon Soaring Academy's cafeteria is quite good, with a standard four-dish-and-one-soup set meal to choose from. Who says school cafeterias are all terrible food?

Although the food in the school cafeteria when I was in elementary school was just barely edible, it can't compare to that nowadays.

The braised pork belly melts in your mouth, the soup dumplings are bursting with juicy goodness, the chicken and lamb chops are smooth and tender, the crispy fried pork is smooth and tender, and the taro rolls are soft, sticky, and sweet...

The school cafeteria receives government subsidies, but the average cost per person is still around 20 yuan, which is considered a bit pricey, but still affordable for ordinary families.

And they don't even look at what era we're living in; prices are rising at a rate that's like flying.

Unfortunately, with the rapid establishment of the market economy system, strong economic demand has led to rapid economic growth, and prices have also skyrocketed. School district housing near Dragon Soaring High School has now reached 40,000 yuan per square meter, and a house costs more than a million yuan, which is just a dream for ordinary people.

The four of them sat together, eating and chatting, but Ling Mengxue was the only one who didn't like to talk and just kept her head down eating.

Of course, if you don't like chatting, there's no need to be pretentious and try to get your attention.

Low-key and unassuming, that's the true nature of a person.

"Mengxue, do you not get along with us? I feel like you and your brother are alike, neither of you likes to chat much."

Lan Yuxin took a sip of soup and asked casually.

As soon as she said this, Ling Mengxue paused for a moment, slightly flustered, then speechless.

Because it's the same person, how could they not look alike?

However, I didn't expect such a small detail to be discovered. It seems I need to be more careful in the future and not expose too many flaws.

With three people staring at her like that, she didn't know how to eat.

Ling Mengxue glanced at her phone; Zhao Lei had already replied. She scanned the message briefly, her gaze momentarily blank for half a second, but she hid it well before regaining her composure.

If what he said is true... no, what if the message wasn't sent by Zhao Lei himself?

The other party's request was very simple; they just wanted me to call my younger sister over to "play"?

Holy crap?!

Isn't this guy involved in organized crime? Could he have been kidnapped by someone? Knowing Zhao Lei as Ling Mengxue does, he would never make such a request without a reason...

However, if something really happens to Zhao Lei, she can't just stand by and do nothing.

"Mengxue, is something wrong? Let us know if there's anything we can do to help. It's only right for classmates to help each other."

Seeing that something was wrong with her, Liu Yinxuan offered a concerned reminder.

Chapter 54 Zhao Lei's Dilemma

"It's... it's Zhao Lei. My brother told me he's run into some trouble and asked me to go help him."

Ling Mengxue frowned. She didn't directly reveal the contents of the message, mainly because she was worried that the girls would worry about her.

"Zhao Lei? Let's go help you. I can try to persuade him again. There's no third time's the charm. If he still doesn't change his ways, then I, as the class monitor, will have done my best."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yinxuan immediately became interested, as guiding every unruly student back to the right path was her job.

Of course, if she doesn't succeed in the end, she has already done her best. Doesn't she need to study? Fortunately, it was only one or two cases like that. If it were all like that, she wouldn't need to study at all.

You can't really hold a knife to his throat and force him to comply, can you?

Lan Yuxin and Tang Ling both nodded. As for them, they didn't care about Zhao Lei; what happened to others was none of their business.

The main purpose was to help Ling Mengxue, and incidentally, to fulfill the class monitor's wish; that's all.

"It'll be after school this afternoon at a bar on East City Street. Let's go there after school."

Ling Mengxue smiled faintly, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and rushed out of the cafeteria.

Actually, she didn't want these girls involved, but then she remembered that they were Magical Girls with extraordinary fighting power. If they really wanted to deal with some thugs, it would be a piece of cake.

"Brother Tian, the message has been sent, but the other party hasn't replied!"

At that moment, in a somewhat dirty and messy rented room, several shirtless men with tattoos on their backs were sitting around a table, drinking beer and eating peanuts.

"It's alright, we'll just wait. If this kid hadn't refused to talk even at the cost of his life, I wouldn't have bothered using such methods."

A man grinned maliciously, took a big gulp of beer, and turned to look at Zhao Lei, who was tied up in the corner and had been beaten black and blue. His face showed a hint of anger.

They originally wanted him to just call the girl out, but the kid was quick-witted and figured out their plan, refusing to make the call no matter what.

He was even about to take out his phone to report it on the spot? And this is all he does now?

Why don't you just make a phone call obediently? Do you really enjoy being tied up and gagged?

He had only seen a picture of the new girl at Dragon Soaring High School once on Douyin, but ever since then, he had been unable to sleep at night, completely captivated by her.

He could have restrained himself somewhat, but the girl's beauty was enough to tempt him to commit a crime. Plus, Zhao Lei happened to overhear them talking about it and told them all the details. It turned out she was his brother's sister.

At first, it was a small matter to trick Zhao Lei into inviting him out for a meal, but who would have thought that the kid would discover their intentions, which led to this situation.

"A-Qiang, go patrol the area first. Kidnapping is no small matter. Be careful. The long arm of the law will catch you!" The man called Brother Tian gestured with his lip toward the thugs below and urged them on with a cold face.

Immediately, Huang Batian stood up, a cigarette dangling from his lips, a gleaming dagger in his hand, and walked towards Zhao Lei. He pulled out the months-old socks stuffed in Zhao Lei's mouth and coldly reprimanded him.

"I'll give you one more chance. Either call them out, or I'll show you what it means to be stabbed in the back!"