Hearing those words, Su Ruanruan stiffened, a hint of irrepressible shock flashing through her watery eyes.
‘Gu Qingleng? A terrible personality? She likes bullying people?’
The figure of a girl who was always dignified, elegant, and aloof immediately appeared in Su Ruanruan’s mind. In her memory, Gu Qingleng was the school’s famous Flower on a High Peak. She was also the one who had extended the loan deadline and even waived the high interest.
‘Is Gu Hanyan’s description of her daughter a bit too extreme?’
Su Ruanruan instinctively wanted to argue, thinking that perhaps Auntie Gu had some kind of misunderstanding regarding her own daughter. However, looking into Gu Hanyan’s bottomless eyes, which were filled with warning, Su Ruanruan swallowed her words.
As the saying goes, a mother knows her daughter best. There was no need for Gu Hanyan to intentionally smear her own daughter’s reputation in front of a junior.
‘Could it be… the gentleness and kindness Gu Qingleng showed before was just an act?’
“I… I understand, Auntie Gu.” Su Ruanruan nodded obediently, shrinking behind Su Xiaoxiao like a startled little rabbit.
“CEO Gu, isn’t Qingleng a good child?” Su Rou still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. In her simple worldview, she really couldn’t imagine a beautiful young girl being “nothing good.”
Sensing that this topic was ruining the carefully crafted, ambiguous atmosphere in the car, the haze in Gu Hanyan’s eyes flashed and vanished. She did not continue explaining her rebellious daughter’s wicked nature to Su Rou.
She ended the topic naturally. The fingers resting on Su Rou’s thigh gave a firm squeeze, causing Su Rou to gasp and quickly swallow the rest of her sentence, her cheeks instantly turning as red as blood.
“Alright, let’s not talk about her. It’s too early to ruin the mood with such things.”
Gu Hanyan’s tone shifted. Her originally cold, hard voice softened instantly, returning to a state of elder-like concern and warmth. She looked at the two sisters in the front row, her tone as gentle as a spring breeze. “Ruanruan, Xiaoxiao, has your schoolwork been stressful lately? Is your allowance enough? If you have any difficulties at school or want to buy something, tell me anytime. Don’t be shy.”
It was hard to say how the two sisters felt about this show of concern, but the Lolita Mom’s eyes grew slightly warm with emotion as she listened.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoxiao, who had been tightly protecting her sister, only pursed her lips coldly. She turned a deaf ear to Gu Hanyan’s friendly gestures, the alertness in her eyes never fading.
After more than ten minutes, the smooth-running black business car slowly pulled over outside the gates of Shenghua High School.
“Go on, see you tonight.” Gu Hanyan rolled down the window, an elegant smile playing on her lips as she waved at the sisters.
“Thank you, Auntie Gu. Goodbye, Mom.”
Su Ruanruan gave a polite bow and was then immediately grabbed by the wrist by Su Xiaoxiao, who dragged her through the school gates without looking back.
As the car door closed and the window slowly rolled up, silence returned to the vehicle.
Gu Hanyan withdrew her gaze from the window and leaned her body slightly, quietly narrowing the distance between herself and Su Rou…
—
The campus of Shenghua High School was vast. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t let go of Su Ruanruan’s hand until they reached the fork in the road beneath the teaching building.
“Stay away from that woman named Gu. She has bad intentions.”
Su Xiaoxiao dropped those cold words and, without waiting for Su Ruanruan’s reply, shoved one hand into her pocket and walked toward the tenth-grade teaching building with a gloomy face.
“Oh…” Su Ruanruan nodded obediently. She rubbed her reddened wrist and, like a stray quail, walked alone toward the eleventh-grade hallway.
However, before she could reach her classroom door, her path was blocked by several girls dressed in flashy clothes.
Leading them was a short-haired girl wearing light makeup. She crossed her arms and looked down at Su Ruanruan. “Well, if it isn’t our busybee, Su Ruanruan. What, didn’t go out to work or pick through trash today? You actually have time to come to school?”
Su Ruanruan’s footsteps faltered. Her already soft, porcelain face turned a few shades paler, and even her breathing became ragged.
It was the creditors of the Original Owner.
These girls were all classmates the Original Owner had borrowed money from. Although the amount each person lent wasn’t particularly large, it was still a significant sum for the current Su Ruanruan.
“The… the money… I’ll pay it back…”
Su Ruanruan instinctively took half a step back, her slender fingers nervously clutching her faded backpack straps.
“It’s just… can you… give me a few more days? Once I get my wages, I’ll transfer it to you immediately…”
She kept her head down, her palm-sized face full of grievance. She looked like a soft bun that would burst into tears if bullied even slightly.
After all, it was natural to pay back what one owed. Even though the debt belonged to the Original Owner, she couldn’t bring herself to be firm in front of these creditors.
“A few more days? You’ve been dragging this out for months!” The short-haired girl sneered, closing in step by step. “Weren’t you quite tough when you rejected my confession before? It’s fine if you don’t pay the money back, as long as you…”
“I’ll pay her debt for her.”
A crisp, arrogant, yet slightly angry young girl’s voice suddenly cut in from the other end of the hallway.
Following that, Chu Youyu marched over aggressively in her exquisite leather shoes, looking like a little lion patrolling her territory. She grabbed the startled, rabbit-like Su Ruanruan and pulled her behind her back. Then, she pulled a stack of cash from her designer bag and slapped it directly against the short-haired girl’s chest.
“This is 50,000 Federal Coins. That should cover the principal and interest, right? Take the money and get lost. Stop being an eyesore to this Young Lady!” Chu Youyu tilted her chin up, her black twin-tails swinging in a dazzling arc.
The short-haired girl was stunned by the sudden movement. She looked at the money in her hand, then at the haughty Chu Youyu, and suddenly let out a mocking laugh.
“I wondered who it was; it’s the Young Lady Chu. What, here to be a cash machine for this mesugaki again? If I remember correctly, she was the one who made you cry back then.”
The short-haired girl didn’t leave. Instead, she looked the two of them up and down with an extremely mocking gaze, speaking in a sarcastic tone. “Chu Youyu, you don’t really think that if you pay her debt, she’ll actually like you, do you? People like Su Ruanruan are the easiest to handle. She’s just acting soft right now. This kind of mesugaki will act obedient for whoever gives her money. You really treat her like a treasure? She’s probably laughing at you behind your back for having more money than brains!”
“You — !”
Chu Youyu had been pampered since childhood; she had never endured such sharp, biting ridicule. Her originally fair, delicate face turned crimson instantly, and her twin-tails looked as if they were about to flare up in anger.
“What nonsense are you talking about! Who are you to comment on this Young Lady’s person!”
Exasperated and acting on impulse, Chu Youyu suddenly turned around and forcefully pulled the hiding Su Ruanruan into her arms.
Because she used too much force, Su Ruanruan crashed directly into a soft embrace filled with a high-end, sweet fragrance.
“She… of course she likes me! She already agreed to be my girlfriend!”
With a flushed face, looking like a proud little peacock protecting its food, Chu Youyu bit the bullet and announced loudly, “Right, Ruanruan?!”
Buried in the embrace, Su Ruanruan was completely bewildered. “Huh?”
She looked up blankly and met Chu Youyu’s gaze.
She saw that the Young Lady’s eyes were actually slightly red. Those beautiful, large eyes were filled with panic, shyness, and a faint, imperceptible, pitiful plea.
Su Ruanruan had been dazed by the sudden “relationship,” but seeing Chu Youyu’s appearance—acting tough while being soft inside, haughty yet pitiful—a soft spot in her heart was suddenly poked. Although Youyu’s words were sharp, she had truly been angry just now while trying to protect her.
Looking at the faces of the creditors who were waiting to see a joke, Su Ruanruan took a deep breath.
She didn’t push Chu Youyu away. Instead, she obediently reached out with her soft little hands and proactively hugged Chu Youyu’s slender waist.
“Mm…”
Su Ruanruan buried her face back into the crook of Chu Youyu’s neck. Although her voice was still soft and weak, it was exceptionally clear. “I… I am Youyu’s girlfriend. I like… Youyu the most.”