MNL Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Hidden Truth. No One Saw.

Chapter 80: Hidden Truth. No One Saw.

Every semester’s mid-term exams included a brutal physical test, causing the entire class to groan in misery. Especially the girls, upon hearing they had to run eight hundred meters, couldn’t even eat their lunch. They fidgeted anxiously until the afternoon’s physical education class.

While the boys were running, Gu Qianfang sat on the corner steps, clutching her stomach with a very pale face. Ye Lanshan noticed something was wrong and came over to ask, “Class Monitor, what’s wrong?”

“I have a bit of a stomach ache.”

Gu Qianfang’s voice was very weak. Ye Lanshan sat down next to her and said, “Are you having your period?”

“Yes.”

“Then ask for leave. Running when you’re so uncomfortable will only make your stomach hurt more later.” In the course of one sentence, Gu Qianfang had paused several times.

“It’s okay, if I don’t run today, I’ll have to test alone next time.”

“So what? I’ll accompany you next time.”

Gu Qianfang shook her head and said softly, “Thank you, no need.”

Seeing this, Ye Lanshan didn’t insist and went to the side to warm up.

After the boys finished running, the girls reluctantly shuffled over. Eight hundred meters had always been a nightmare for girls, especially standing at the starting line waiting. Their legs felt weak, their breathing rapid, and a feeling of helplessness and despair shot straight to the top of their heads.

Although Gu Qianfang looked delicate, her physical ability was excellent. Even under these circumstances, she still came in third. However, by the time she finished running, her stomach was so painful she had lost all feeling. She trudged towards a large tree in the corner of the playground, her brain seemingly still in a state of oxygen deprivation, her vision blurry.

The smell of blood rushed straight to her palate, filling her entire nasal and oral cavity. Gu Qianfang began to have trouble breathing. She was usually a loner and didn’t have any friends around. At this moment, relying on a little remaining consciousness, she thought of getting up to go to the infirmary, but before she could stand, she felt a wave of dizziness.

Just then, a pair of hands supported her.

In her blurriness, Gu Qianfang made out Liang Ge’s face. Liang Ge looked very awkward, appearing a little hesitant and timid.

Gu Qianfang subconsciously wanted to break free, but Liang Ge had already let go of her hands. The usually brash and carefree Northern boy lowered his head and said softly, “No one saw.”

Gu Qianfang was stunned for a moment and said, “Thank you.”

“You look very pale, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, I want to go to the school hospital.”

Liang Ge quickly said, “I’ll go with you!”

“No need… Can you trouble you to call Ye Lanshan for me and ask if she can accompany me?” Gu Qianfang never liked to trouble others, but now she really couldn’t hold on any longer.

Although Liang Ge was simple-minded, he understood Gu Qianfang’s meaning. He anxiously instructed, “Okay! Then wait here for a while, I’ll go call her.”

Listening to the hurried footsteps gradually fading away, Gu Qianfang squatted down and curled up into a ball, a complex emotion appearing on her pale face.

Because there was an exam in the evening, the boys stopped playing after two friendly matches. True to his word, Cha Fei’ang had to run to the supermarket to buy drinks for Shen Yan and Xu Jing’s team.

The two were sitting by the basketball court, basking in the sun, when a boy suddenly came over and shouted to Shen Yan, “Yan Shen, someone over there is looking for you.”

Only a hundred meters away from them, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes was standing and looking over here. The moment they made eye contact, Shen Yan’s expression instantly changed.

“I’ll chase him away.” Xu Jing was about to get up, but Shen Yan grabbed him.

“No need, I’ll go.”

After saying that, Shen Yan left. The boys on the side were a little confused by this reaction, but noticing that Xu Jing’s expression was also gloomy, they ultimately didn’t ask.

Shen Linzhi seemed very curious about the school, constantly looking around with a scrutinizing gaze. When he saw Shen Yan coming, he smiled and said, “Xiao Yan, when I came in just now, I saw your name on the honor roll. I heard you got first place in the city, that’s really impressive.”

Shen Yan said expressionlessly, “What is it?”

“I’d like to invite you to dinner this Saturday, is that okay?”

Shen Linzhi’s voice sounded a little weak. Shen Yan coldly observed him for a few moments and noticed that Shen Linzhi’s complexion wasn’t good. On closer inspection, he had a haggard look, as if he were recovering from a serious illness.

“No need.”

“Regarding your plans to go abroad—”

“I said after the college entrance examination.” Shen Yan interrupted impatiently.

Shen Linzhi was silent for a while, then said softly, “It’s just a simple dinner, and after that, I promise not to bother you within the agreed time.”

Why did he always appear in front of him as a pitiful victim, as if he had committed an unforgivable crime? Shen Yan sneered inwardly while feeling utterly disgusted.

“Yan Shen, why are you here?” At this moment, Cha Fei’ang came over with a large bag of drinks. His dog-like nose immediately detected the tense atmosphere in the air. He stood next to Shen Yan and said, “Who is this?”

“Hello, I’m Shen Yan’s father.”

Cha Fei’ang sized Shen Linzhi up and down, not being fooled by his refined appearance. Instead, he found the man’s smile unsettling. He frowned and said, “Is that so?”

“Thank you for taking care of Shen Yan usually. I’ve invested in the arcade and high-end restaurants here. Would you like me to give you some membership cards?”

“Nouveau riche.” Cha Fei’ang’s tone revealed sarcasm.

The smile on Shen Linzhi’s face froze.

“You’re Yan Shen’s father, how come I’ve never seen you at parent-teacher conferences before?”

Shen Linzhi explained, “I’m quite busy with work.”

“Oh, but you and Yan Shen don’t seem very alike.”

“In terms of appearance?”

“No.” Cha Fei’ang laughed and said, “It’s the aura. Our Yan Shen looks upright and aboveboard, as for you, you’re completely different.”

Shen Linzhi obviously heard the sarcasm in those words, but he wouldn’t bother arguing with a young whippersnapper. He narrowed his eyes, ignored Cha Fei’ang, and said to Shen Yan, “Xiao Yan, I’ll come pick you up then.”

After hearing that, Shen Yan left without looking back. Cha Fei’ang, who had been tugged by him, hurriedly followed, but after only a few steps, he turned back and gave Shen Linzhi the middle finger.

Leaving Shen Linzhi with a dark face in the wind.

“Yan Shen, catch.” Cha Fei’ang took out a bottle of mineral water from the bag. Seeing that Shen Yan was a little absent-minded, he quickly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll pretend I don’t know about what just happened, I definitely won’t blab it out.”

Shen Yan took the water and said, “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, but is he really your father?”

Shen Yan didn’t answer, and Cha Fei’ang had his answer in his heart. He cursed under his breath, “He doesn’t look like anything good.”

Shen Yan said in a flat tone, “Is that so? Then I’m not anything good either.”

Cha Fei’ang quickly waved his hand, he didn’t mean to express that children are like their parents, he was just giving an objective assessment.

“How could that be? Yan Shen, you’re the recognized male god of No.1 High School. You’re handsome, have good grades, and excel at basketball and games. You’re awesome.”

Shen Yan glanced at Cha Fei’ang, who quickly gave him an incredibly sincere smile.

Although Cha Fei’ang wasn’t good at keeping secrets, he kept his promise this time. When distributing drinks, no matter how the people around him asked, he didn’t say a word. Regarding Shen Linzhi’s matter, Xu Jing could never get the truth out of Shen Yan. He had originally wanted to learn about things from Cha Fei’ang, but he didn’t expect this guy to actually keep his mouth shut at this critical moment.

Taking advantage of Shen Yan’s trip to the restroom, Xu Jing coldly coughed again.

Cha Fei’ang turned around, raising his hands in surrender and begging for mercy, “Brother Jing, let me go, I promised Yan Shen, I definitely won’t mention this matter to anyone else. Or why don’t you go ask him?”

“Nonsense, why do you think I came to ask you?”

“But I’m a man of principle.”

“Money or homework answers?”

“I’m a man of principle!” Cha Fei’ang repeated, raising his voice.

“Dreamy Girl Anniversary Limited Edition.”

“I—what the heck?” Cha Fei’ang was stunned, and said in disbelief, “Are you talking about the one that collaborated with War God 2 last year and sold out instantly?”

“Yeah, deal?”

On one side, brotherly principles, on the other, a limited edition model. Cha Fei’ang felt like he had never been so troubled in his life.

Xu Jing said impatiently, “Hurry up, Shen Yan is coming back soon.”

Cha Fei’ang gritted his teeth, “Fine!”

By the time Cha Fei’ang had briefly recounted the events, Shen Yan had returned. Because he was too guilty, Cha Fei’ang twisted his neck while turning his head, causing him to grimace in pain. He didn’t bother the two people behind him for the rest of the day.

After that, Gu Qianfang took two days of leave in a row, and no one replied to her messages. By the weekend, Liang Ge was really worried and stubbornly wanted to drag Cha Fei’ang along to visit Gu Qianfang’s home. Cha Fei’ang expressed great incomprehension, arguing with his still-unhealed neck, “No, if you want to go, just go. What are you bringing me, this third wheel, for?”

“What third wheel? We’re concerned about our classmate.”

“Have you ever seen two boys visiting a girl’s house out of concern?”

Liang Ge was stunned, and said, “What should we do then?”

“Nonsense, find a few more people, preferably girls.”

However, they had hardly ever seen Gu Qianfang getting close to any girls in class. It was then that the two felt something was strange. Later, Liang Ge could only ask Ye Lanshan to come along. Fortunately, Ye Lanshan didn’t refuse.

That day, Ye Lanshan was wearing a black baseball jacket and striped overalls. Her figure and posture were less like a girl and more like one of them. Cha Fei’ang thought, this is bad, when their parents see her, they might think Gu Qianfang is not studying well at school, and three boys visit her as soon as she gets sick.

However, when they arrived at Gu Qianfang’s house, the three of them were a little shocked. The entrance was an extremely narrow alley, dark and damp, with hardly any sunlight. The houses inside were small and dilapidated, and the nearby residents were mostly elderly people. They understood one thing from this: Gu Qianfang’s family was not well-off.

Just as Liang Ge was hesitating whether to knock on the door, an old woman leaning on a cane suddenly came out of Gu Qianfang’s house. The old woman was skinny and thin like a piece of paper. She also seemed to have bad eyesight. Liang Ge quickly stepped forward to support her.

“Grandma, hello, we are Gu Qianfang’s classmates, is she at home?”

Gu Qianfang’s grandmother laboriously raised her head and said, “Qianfang has gone out to dinner with her father.”

“I haven’t been able to contact her these past few days, has anything happened recently?”

Although the old woman shook her head, her expression became a little painful.

Seeing this, the three of them felt that something was wrong. Ye Lanshan said, “Grandma, we are all Qianfang’s good friends. If there’s anything, you can tell us, and we can help her.”

The old woman lowered her head and was silent for a long time before murmuring, “Qianfang is a filial child, I’m the one who’s holding her back. My health is not good, so her father is using this to threaten her, wanting her to get married early and use the money to treat my illness.”

The three said simultaneously, “What?!”

“Damn, how could this be?” Liang Ge said with a worried face, “So today isn’t just an ordinary dinner, is it?”

The old woman shook her head, her voice almost despairing, “Her father took her to see that man, it’s all my fault, it’s all my fault, I’m already so old, there’s no use in living, I should have died earlier!”

She became more and more agitated, and began to beat her thighs hard, her eyes muddy, and tears trembled.

“Then do you know where they went to eat? We’ll go find her.”

The old woman choked and said, “It’s no use.”

“It is useful.” Liang Ge said in a deep voice, “Please tell me.”

“I heard Qianfang say the place was called Liangchen something, but my ears aren’t very good, I’m not sure—”

Before she could finish speaking, Liang Ge had already turned and left. Ye Lanshan followed closely behind, and Cha Fei’ang said goodbye hastily and ran out after them.

“Why are you running so fast, do you know where that place is?” Cha Fei’ang asked, panting, to Liang Ge’s back.

Liang Ge said without turning his head, “Nonsense! My family owns it.”