Chapter 68: Caught

Lin Xinyuan and Qin Nanfeng walked ahead to lead the way, while Aunt Lin followed behind them, keeping some distance.

At this moment, the young girl’s heart was filled with mixed feelings about the young man’s unexpected arrival—she wasn’t sure if she was more happy or more troubled.

But no matter what, she still acted annoyed, muttering softly, “Didn’t you already leave last night? Why are you here again…”

Qin Nanfeng chuckled lightly and whispered, “You really want me gone that badly? Wasn’t it you who asked me to stay yesterday?”

“That’s not true… I…” Lin Xinyuan felt frustrated.

Before she could finish, Qin Nanfeng cut her off, “Last night, I couldn’t even get back to my dorm because I was coaxing you to sleep. So how could I have gone back? I just crashed at your place for the night.”

As he spoke, he puckered his lips and shook the plastic bag in his hand, “See? I even got you breakfast early this morning…”

No wonder…

But where exactly did he sleep last night? Did he sleep on the sofa? The place was so small; it must have been uncomfortable, and there were no blankets…

Besides, couldn’t he have just climbed over the wall to go back? Why insist on sleeping there?

Just as she was about to ask, Qin Nanfeng, as if anticipating her question, lowered his voice, “We’re here. Let’s not talk now—your mom’s coming.”

Lin Xinyuan was startled and realized they had already reached downstairs.

She glanced secretly at Aunt Lin who was approaching from behind and immediately fell silent.

But…

Why did Lin Xinyuan feel like that yellow-haired brat was dodging this topic?

If Qin Nanfeng could see what she was thinking, he would have smiled knowingly—after all, he did crash at the girl’s rental place last night…

And it was actually quite comfortable…

Even though Lin Xinyuan was confused, she didn’t ask anything since her mother was still behind them.

Forget it… the important thing now is how to face her mother.

From the moment they met, Aunt Lin had maintained a neutral expression, very calm.

It was hard not to say it matched Lin Xinyuan’s impression of her.

But the calmer Aunt Lin looked, the more anxious Lin Xinyuan became.

She began to ponder what to say, how to explain, and what attitude her mother might have.

The more she thought about it, the heavier the unease in her heart grew.

Behind the two, Aunt Lin quietly observed the tall and short figures ahead.

She didn’t know how to speak.

After all, anyone who found out their son had become a daughter would think it was absurd, right?

Of course, Aunt Lin didn’t believe Lin Xinyuan had undergone some surgery in Thailand.

Not to mention where the money came from, even if she had a sex change operation, it was impossible to reach such a level—to look completely like a different person…

She only had one son, and now Lin Xinyuan’s appearance resembled herself in her youth.

Even if Aunt Lin didn’t want to admit it, she had to accept this reality.

Though she didn’t know the exact reason, she accepted it quickly—perhaps because of the guilt accumulated over the years…

Because of past events…

She never liked this son since he was little; she even disliked him.

She treated him indifferently.

Coupled with working far away and being busy, the gap between mother and child was deep.

Her relationship with the nominal husband was even worse—almost like strangers.

With such a life, Aunt Lin had once thought of ending it all, but for some reason and because of the values she grew up with, she was shackled.

So even if she had thoughts, she never resolved to act.

Later, even when conditions allowed, she no longer had the energy to make changes.

As long as that person didn’t affect her life, she could live like that…

Years passed like this, and even the connection with family grew faint.

Gradually, she realized what she had done all these years and wanted to mend the mother-child relationship.

But the estrangement was too deep for either of them to break the silence, and her nature was cold…

Until yesterday’s phone call finally began to break through her inner wall…

Meanwhile, inside a dormitory at school, while everyone else was fast asleep, a sudden sharp knock broke the silence.

“Classmate, please open the door!”

The knocking was persistent, lasting several minutes as it battled with those inside.

“Who the hell is knocking so loudly next door?!” one boy finally lost patience, scratching his head in annoyance.

The voice was loud enough for those outside to hear, but they weren’t angry.

Instead, they said, “Classmate, please open the door. We are from the Student Affairs Office. We have something to handle—please cooperate.”

Another boy, still annoyed, but hearing that it was a Student Affairs teacher, reluctantly said, “Eh, go open it! It’s nothing big, just won’t stop knocking…”

“Alright, alright, I’ll get it—disturbing my sleep…”

The boy nearest to the door got out of bed and walked straight over.

On a bed in the corner of the dorm, Ai Shishi was wide awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling deeply uneasy.

Student Affairs Office…

No way.

He thought his plan was flawless.

How could it have been discovered? He had always been fine until now.

Impossible, impossible…

He kept reassuring himself wildly, hoping it was all just a false alarm.

But would it really go as he wished?

The door opened, and three people entered, standing imposingly like the “Yuexia Three Brothers.”

The leader was a young male teacher who squinted and swept his eyes across the dorm, “Who is Ai Shishi?”

His voice was serious, and his stern expression made everyone uneasy.

Especially hearing it was Student Affairs, one boy even thought he was caught watching foreign action movies on the roof and was about to be arrested.

He was shocked and speechless.

Only after hearing they were looking for Ai Shishi did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“Teacher… I’m here. What’s this about…”

Though unwilling, Ai Shishi poked his head out.

The young teacher smiled, but it was an awkward smile, “Ai classmate, we’ve received multiple reports accusing you of spreading rumors, verbally attacking classmates, and being involved in illegal transactions. You need to come with us.”

His words were blunt, but he added quickly, “Don’t worry, if it’s false, the school will give you a fair judgment.”

Anyone not foolish could tell there was more behind this.

Without evidence, no one would dare to just arrest someone.

This was just to save face for Ai classmate.

With that, Ai Shishi was taken away, leaving five people in the dorm confused.

“Damn! Someone next door got taken away!”

Back in room 308 next door, Xu Wentao came back and shouted loudly.

“Bro, seriously? It’s so early, can a person live…” Chen Ze rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Xiong Wei and Wen Yuanshan also woke up but stayed silent.

Their looks at Xu Wentao clearly said: you better have a good explanation or don’t come back tonight.

Seeing this, Xu Wentao hurried to explain, “I was filling my water when I saw next door—someone from our class, Ai… what was it…”

“Ai Shishi?”

“Yeah, taken away by Student Affairs teachers! Said something about spreading rumors and personal attacks!”

“So what does that have to do with us?” Chen Ze’s eyes widened.

Before Xu Wentao could answer, the usually silent Wen Yuanshan was the first to react, “You mean Ai Shishi might be connected to that ‘Old Six’ incident? That’s the biggest topic on the forum right now.”

“No wonder. Our top student Wen is smart,” Xu Wentao praised, then looked disdainfully at Chen Ze, “Unlike some people, the ultimate fool~”

Chen Ze suddenly snapped awake and cursed, “Screw you!”

He got out of bed, ready to argue, but was stopped by Xiong Wei.

“Hey, stop it. Take it outside if you wanna fight.”

Chen Ze calmed down and looked at Xu Wentao; they grunted at each other.

Xiong Wei shook his head helplessly, thinking, “This must have been Old Three’s doing… I’ll ask…”

Others nodded in agreement.

That was their guess too, as only Qin Nanfeng had the motive and power to investigate so quickly.

Xiong Wei sent a message to Qin Nanfeng, who replied quickly.

He smiled and looked up at the other three, “Yep, it was Old Three who ordered it.”

As he spoke, his phone beeped again.

He paused, then continued, “Old Three also said Ai Shishi is being manipulated by someone behind the scenes.”

“Who?”

“Involved in illegal transactions… no wonder.” Xu Wentao nodded knowingly.

“It’s been confirmed. You all know this person—we even fought him last week.”

“So that’s who! Damn, I knew it! Look at that smug face.” Xu Wentao scolded, “Daring to mess with my brothers? Gotta teach him a lesson.”

“But… Old Six’s situation is like that… can we still call him a brother?” Chen Ze interjected awkwardly.

The room fell silent.

After a while, Wen Yuanshan tentatively said, “Sister?”

Xu Wentao waved it off, “Ah, no matter what, brothers and sisters—we’ll expose him on the forum. Make it real!”

“Yeah!”

“And Old Five… don’t be such a jerk next time, you’re ruining the mood and deserve a beating.”

Xiong Wei and Wen Yuanshan nodded in agreement, while Chen Ze smiled sheepishly, “Haha… I’ll try, I’ll try…”