Chapter 15: It was Xia Mi La who sent people…

She said she was showing him around, but she actually wanted to chat with him.

The two of them hadn’t spoken much since the start of school.

After all, she was the one who brought Jin Can from Busan, and he was quite well-behaved and obedient, so Xia Mi La felt a sense of responsibility for him.

“How have you been these past two days?” she asked. “Are you adjusting to the school?”

“I’m fine,” Jin Can replied.

To be honest, it was much better than his previous school. The environment was good, and besides Zhao Taihe, no one else had bothered him.

“That’s good,” Xia Mi La said.

The two chatted idly as they slowly walked upstairs.

Jin Can finally saw the legendary lounge.

The double doors, made of black walnut wood, were very grand.

“Actually,” Xia Mi La said to him, “there’s another lounge in this building.”

The two of them walked to the top floor together.

Half of the top floor had been converted into a small auditorium, so the lounge was a bit smaller than the two downstairs.

If not for this reason, Jin He and Zhao Taihe would have fought tooth and nail for the top floor.

It had the same grand double wooden doors, and a plaque hanging to the side read “Vermilion Bird Hall.”

The two walked to the door, and Xia Mi La reached out and gave it a push.

The door was unlocked and swung open.

The unused lounge was usually empty and had now basically become a storage room. Piles of what looked like expensive decorative furniture were stacked inside, covered in a thin layer of dust.

Xia Mi La walked in with great interest. “The last time I was here was in my first year, right after I started school.”

In fact, both she and the original owner preferred this place. It had ample light and a better view, but Jin He thought the one downstairs was bigger and could be furnished with more facilities…

She took a few more steps forward before Jin Can reached out and grabbed her.

The weather wasn’t cold, but the air conditioning was always on indoors. Xia Mi La was wearing a long-sleeved school uniform shirt with a matching knit vest.

At that moment, she felt his hand gently grasp her wrist, the warmth of his palm passing through the thin fabric.

Xia Mi La turned back to look at him.

“Don’t go in,” Jin Can said. “It’s dirty.”

She was wearing a pair of black Hermès loafers, the toes of which were already stained with some dust.

Xia Mi La followed his gaze, then obediently stopped.

Jin Can didn’t let go immediately. Meeting her eyes, he felt there were some things he wanted to ask her.

For example, about the sponsored student who had been receiving so much attention since the start of school. Or how, even though they were in the same class, her interactions with Jin He seemed very ordinary… What kind of engagement did they have? How was she feeling right now?

Although he was a transfer student, he didn’t have many questions about his new school life. Instead, he found himself worrying about the things happening around her.

Xia Mi La looked into his eyes, seeing their focused and earnest gaze, which held a faint hint of concern.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him with a smile. “Is there something you want to say to me?”

Jin Can was silent for a moment before letting go of her hand. “No.”

He felt he was overstepping his bounds.

Perhaps he should try to understand their lives more instead of just asking questions.

As it happened, Xia Mi La also had something she wanted to say to him.

She stood up straight, tilting her head up slightly to look at him. “I should have been the one to show you around the school. It’s not that I was unwilling. It’s just that, in my opinion, if someone else volunteered, it would help you integrate into school life faster.”

Interacting with more people was definitely much better than just having her show him around.

She also hadn’t mentioned the so-called class factions before, as she didn’t want to burden him as a new student before school even started.

Jin Can hummed in acknowledgment. “I know.”

He really was very obedient.

An unconscious smile appeared on Xia Mi La’s face. “There’s a party this weekend. Why don’t you come with me?”

She wanted to take him to meet some other people.

He would have to enter this circle sooner or later, so Jin Can nodded in agreement again. “Okay.”

After a pause, he didn’t forget his gentlemanly manners. “I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay.”

The two chatted for a few more moments before walking out of the unused lounge.

As it turned out, they ran into Cui Zhe, who was coming out of the auditorium on the other side.

Cui Zhe clearly hadn’t expected to run into these two together, especially not coming out of an abandoned lounge.

He froze for a moment before remembering to greet them.

At school, Jin He treated Jin Can as if he were invisible. As Jin He’s best friend, Cui Zhe still maintained a sense of decorum. Not only did he greet them, but he also asked with concern about the wounds on Jin Can’s face.

The three of them said their goodbyes at the entrance of the Azure Dragon Hall.

Xia Mi La bid farewell to Cui Zhe.

“Aren’t you going in?” Cui Zhe asked.

“No,” Xia Mi La replied. “Acan and I are heading back to the classroom.”

Cui Zhe nodded, watching the two of them walk downstairs.

He hadn’t expected A He’s younger brother to be on such good terms with Mira. But considering Xia Mi La had brought Jin Can from Busan, it was understandable.

Still, Cui Zhe felt a little strange.

In the past, at school, Xia Mi La would always be by Jin He’s side at times like this… This semester, she didn’t seem to be clinging to Jin He as much. Instead, she seemed closer to Jin Can.

This was not a good sign.

Cui Zhe had grown up with Jin He and was absolutely on his side. With Jin Can’s appearance, Jin He suddenly had a younger brother, and Cui Zhe felt even more pressure than Jin He himself.

In a situation like this, Jin He should cherish his fiancée even more. He absolutely could not let Xia Mi La side with Jin Can.

He decided to have a serious talk with Jin He about this when he saw him later.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

Picking it up for a look, Cui Zhe’s gentle and handsome face instantly darkened.

Inside the Azure Dragon Hall lounge, Xu Lian Yi and Song Ya-yun were also looking at their phones.

“What’s this,” Xu Lian Yi said, a little glum. “How come Mira went out and didn’t come back?”

“Really?” Song Ya-yun said casually. “Did she go back to the classroom first?”

“Yeah,” Xu Lian Yi closed the magazine in front of her. “She left.”

She planned to go back to the classroom to find Xia Mi La.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Song Ya-yun grabbed her wrist. “Look at this.”

A video of Pei Duo Xing being bullied had been sent in the group chat.

She was forced into a corner, drenched with water, and then had a basin of flour dumped on her head. Her hair and face were caked with it, a truly miserable sight.

Xu Lian Yi frowned as she watched. “These people are so boring.”

Song Ya-yun was unfazed. “No one knows what Pei Duo Xing’s relationship with Jin He is, but his attitude towards her is clearly different, which makes everyone bring up Mira whenever they talk about them. So I think Pei Duo Xing deserves it. She should be taught a lesson and learn to be more honest.”

Xu Lian Yi didn’t argue; she felt that what Song Ya-yun said was right.

But after a moment’s thought, she still snorted. “If I had the power, I’d give Jin He a good beating. He has a fiancée but still gives special treatment to another girl, completely disregarding his fiancée’s dignity. He’s really…”

Really a scumbag!

“Omo,” Song Ya-yun covered her mouth. “You really dare to think that.”

Beating up Jin He… How could she even dare?

Xu Lian Yi shot her an annoyed glare. “I’m going back to the classroom. Are you coming or not?”

“Of course,” Song Ya-yun hurriedly gathered her things. “What am I going to do here alone if you all leave?”

The scumbag Jin He was searching the entire campus for Pei Duo Xing.

He had told her to wait for him in the classroom after school at noon, but when he went, she was gone. He sent her a message but got no reply.

It seemed like she was deliberately trying to avoid him.

This made Jin He both irritated and worried. He felt that Pei Duo Xing was too naive. If he wasn’t by her side, who knew what this group of people at school would do to her.

Sure enough, the video was circulating in group chats and had even been posted on the school forum.

Those! Damn! Punks!

Filled with rage, Jin He searched all the way.

Finally, he saw the barely conscious Pei Duo Xing lying against the back wall of the art hall.

He walked over and swept her up from the ground.

He remembered the first time they met.

It was in Han Lin’s building. At that time, Pei Duo Xing had just lost her father. She stood with her back straight, her eyes stubborn. Although she had nothing, she seemed to possess a kind of resilience they lacked. Back then, she was like a tenacious and lush weed.

But now, she was slumped in his arms, so delicate, so fragile, as if she might fall asleep and never wake up.

A dense pain bloomed in Jin He’s heart.

“Who was it?” He suppressed his anger, but the fury in his heart could still be heard in his slightly trembling voice. “Who did this?”

No one had expected Jin He to be this angry. Seeing that the situation was bad, the perpetrators had long since scattered.

“It was… Xia Mi La.” Pei Duo Xing gently tugged on Jin He’s sleeve.

She had already mentally prepared herself. She had long been ready to face the bullying that might come.

It was just a self-pity ploy.

However, when she truly faced it, when the flour mixed with water stuck to her face, sealing her eyes and nostrils and making it almost impossible to breathe, an endless wave of fear and hatred still surged through her.

At that moment, only one name surfaced in her mind Xia Mi La.

She had just run into Xia Mi La, and then this group of people had surrounded her. Therefore, it must have been Xia Mi La!

“It was…” Her voice was as faint as a thread as she clutched Jin He’s sleeve tightly. “It was Xia Mi La who sent people to do it.”

Saying Xia Mi La’s name brought her a sense of satisfaction.

She had thought Xia Mi La was truly gentle, kind, and untainted, and had even worried she wouldn’t do anything to her. She hadn’t expected her to be just as hypocritical.

So this time, she would let Jin He see her true colors!

Jin He took Pei Duo Xing to the school infirmary.

Cui Zhe arrived soon after, holding a change of clothes for Pei Duo Xing.

He was equally furious and worried.

“Who did it?” he asked. “Who ordered it?”

Not only did they do it, but they also filmed a video to document it.

Flour caked the girl’s face, and water soaked her school uniform. The white uniform shirt turned transparent, clinging tightly to her body… Her dignity and privacy were trampled at the same time.

It was an extremely despicable act.

Jin He looked at him, his face expressionless. “Xia Mi La.”

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Author’s Note:
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Mira: Meow meow meow? I was just passing by, okay?
No update tomorrow, meow meow meow