They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

In my past life, it wouldn't really matter. My colleagues and I frequented a chaotic place where almost no one was innocent. Everyone's interests were intricately intertwined.

But now, I'm just an "ordinary," "unremarkable" high school student. All my friendliness towards Ling Chuqing was ulterior motives, while she was ultimately just an ordinary junior high student. Some of my actions might indeed seem to have harmed innocent people.

Perhaps Chen Di's words also apply. My past life's experiences and way of life are in the past. If I want to be a normal high school student, I shouldn't revert to that state.

"I will do my best to resolve this matter, no matter what."

“There’s no need to dwell on it so much. After all, personality is shaped by experience. I’m just speaking from a position of privilege.” Chen Di sighed. “In fact, I’m quite surprised that you can reflect on yourself.”

"I just don't like to take charge of things, but I'll still deal with the trouble I cause myself," I said with dissatisfaction.

Chen Di smiled, didn't continue talking to me, and glanced down at his phone.

Then, he frowned.

"what happened……"

Just as I was about to ask a question, my phone rang.

"My sister?"

I don't know what Ling Qingxue might do lately, so to prevent Ning Ruoxin from being harmed again, I arranged for her to stay temporarily with Senior Wu Yuehua. Receiving this call suddenly makes me uneasy.

"elder brother!"

With anxiety and unease, Ning Ruoxin's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"What should I do? What should I do! I... I can't get in touch with Ah Qing!!"

"Wait, don't rush. She might just not want to answer the phone right now."

"No! No, brother!"

Ning Ruoxin's fear came through the phone to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I... I did arrange to meet her today. I wanted to have a serious talk with her, and she agreed!"

"But it's been an hour now, and she still hasn't come. I can't get through to her on her phone!"

"I asked other people, and they all said they'd never seen Ah Qing before!"

"What the hell."

I muttered to myself. Do I even need to guess who did it?

Damn, no normal person could predict what a madman would do. Who would have thought that Ling Qingxue's final act of madness would be directed at her own sister?

Did Ling Chuqing break some cardinal rule? Why is it that no matter who causes trouble, whether it's me or Ling Qingxue, the first person to punch her is always the one who gets in the way?!

Chen Di, who was next to me, looked up at me, her face also looking rather grim.

"Although it really was just a coincidence..."

"But I think I know where Ling Chuqing is."

[Next chapter preview: "But the high price isn't the store's problem, it's my problem..."]

"Hey, eating a meal and eating dessert are different, right?" An Yu tilted his head.

"...After all, I really hated him back then."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ling Qingxue said with a smile.

Interlude: The dessert shop is a battlefield for ladies.

In a dessert shop in the mall, a table of customers was attracting attention from all sides.

They were two lovely girls. One had short hair and wore a pale yellow long dress with a thin silk blouse draped over it. The other wore a short-sleeved shirt and a cool denim skirt, with a blue ribbon in her hair swaying gently in the air.

Whether it was passersby or the shop staff, they all kept glancing at that table. After all, those two strikingly beautiful young women really enhanced the atmosphere of the dessert shop.

"Well, I don't know what you like to eat, so I can only order according to what I like—let's start with this Basque cake. The cakes sold here are very fluffy, but they're a bit expensive."

"But the problem isn't the store's price; it's my problem..."

Ling Chuqing looked at the senior student in front of her who was smiling and looking at her expectantly as she brought the cake over. Somewhat bewildered, she scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

"The milk flavor is so strong, it melts in an instant."

"Right, right? That melt-in-your-mouth texture is one of the most charming aspects of the Basque Country~ Oh, and this durian mille crepe~ But my suggestion is to have a sip of their black tea first to avoid mixing flavors!"

An Yu pushed the black tea in front of him towards Ling Chuqing.

"Oh, okay, thank you, Sister An Yu..."

"Hmm, it has a mousse-like texture."

"Right, right! Even if the durian mille-feuille here is made fresh, it's kept slightly refrigerated to bring out the durian flavor even more! Oh, and by the way, they have strawberry, mango, chocolate, and matcha mochi here, junior, you..."

"Um! Sister An Yu, I have a dinner appointment with A Xin later, so I can't eat too much."

"Hey, eating a meal and eating dessert are different, right?" An Yu tilted his head.

"Is it that ladylike 'dessert in another stomach' trope? But I really can't eat too much dessert before lunch, sorry."

If Ning Ruoyu or Chen Di were present at this moment, they would probably shake their heads slightly.

How naive, child! This young woman in front of you isn't joking—she genuinely believes that desserts and main courses are different.

"Oh, that's a bit of a shame." An Yu clapped her hands as if she had thought of something. "Ah, then let's ask the waiter to pack it up for us later. You can take it with you and Xiao Xin to eat together~"

"But……"

Ling Chuqing hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She noticed An Yu glancing at the desserts every now and then and felt a pang of pity.

“I’ve already eaten today, so don’t worry about me.” An Yu realized this as well, and shook her head, looking away.

"Besides, consider this my apology..."

Ling Chuqing slightly tightened her grip on the fork in her hand.

"Sister An Yu, you actually already knew that Brother Lü Ning is Ning Ruoyu, right?"

An Yu lowered his head slightly and nodded gently.

"That makes sense, after all, you said back then that you and Brother Lü Ning had known each other since childhood—so Brother Chen Di should have known about it long ago, right?"

"Yes, we all know that," An Yu admitted directly.

"...So, I'm the only one who's been kept in the dark like an idiot."

Ling Chuqing smiled self-deprecatingly and put down her cutlery.

"No, no, no, what I just said was wrong. Actually, many people don't know this, such as Xiao Xin, Ling Qingxue, Lanlan, Xiao Dan, the president, and senior Chu Guyin!"

"...Senior Sister Chu Guyin probably doesn't know, right?" An Yu muttered to himself, seemingly unsure.

"No, Sister An Yu, what I mean is, I was actually being completely fooled by others."

Seeing An Yu replying to her so earnestly, counting on his fingers, Ling Chuqing was both amused and exasperated.

"I just felt like I was a complete idiot. He must have thought I was so childish and funny."

"...Such words are extremely rude to both Ning Ruoyu and yourself."

An Yu put down his fingers and said very seriously.

"As someone who works with Ning Ruoyu, perhaps I have no right to say this—but, Xiao Qing, whether you were Lu Ning or Ning Ruoyu, after spending so much time with him, do you really think he was just toying with you?"

Ling Chuqing opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.

"...Although I don't really understand everything Ning Ruoyu did, there's at least one thing I do know."

"That guy!"

"—Super lazy."

"what?"

Ling Chuqing had expected An Yu to say some very nice compliments, but she never expected her to say something that didn't sound like a compliment at all...

"Ultimately, that guy wouldn't play pranks on others just for fun or as a joke. I don't understand his reasoning. After all, if something happens, he'll most likely only tell Chen Di. I have no idea what they're doing..."

An Yu's muttering tone sounded somewhat resentful.

"But a negative attitude is not acceptable. Although he finds it troublesome and doesn't want to get involved, he has never really thought about hurting or abandoning anyone. In fact, the first person he thinks of hurting or abandoning is always himself."

"Although I don't know why he did this, it must be because he had to! Oh, maybe it's for Xiao Xin! Anyway, someone as lazy as him must have a special reason for going through all this trouble!"

"There's only one thing I feel I have to say. Otherwise, it's just too pathetic. That's what makes that guy so infuriating... so infuriating!"

Ling Chuqing blinked as she looked at the girl in front of her who had started muttering to herself.

"Sister An Yu, could it be that you and Ning Ruoyu have really known each other since childhood?"

“No, that’s really not true.” An Yu stirred his black tea with a metal spoon. “He and I only got to know each other last semester, or maybe two or three months if you really want to. But we’ve been through a lot of pretty outrageous things.”

"Last semester? We were classmates..."

"Well, so that guy is really easy to misunderstand." An Yu smiled a little embarrassedly. "Oh, I almost forgot, that..."

She sat up straight and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry, I cooperated with Ning Ruoyu to lie to you."

"However, if it happened again, I would still side with him. Because I believe he must have his reasons for doing so—and honestly, as an observer, I think concealing your identities is a necessary prerequisite for you to get along amicably."

"...After all, I really hated him back then. It was because of him that Ah Xin had such a hard time."

"Right, right? -- Ah, I got carried away again. Cough cough, I'm sorry, please at least understand this level of apology."

"...I understand. I accept your apology, Sister An Yu."

"But I have a feeling that you came to see me today to plead for Ning Ruoyu."

"It's not just about that. I also want to find someone to try the new products at this store! I've invited Ning Ruoyu several times, but not only did he not come, he also stopped replying to my messages and completely ignored me. That's really unfair!"

An Yu grumbled on and on, then added something as if she had just remembered something.

“I didn’t come to you on my own initiative. I also told Chen Di, and he asked me to apologize on his behalf.”

"So you two are both speaking up for Ning Ruoyu? I feel a little envious of him, having such good friends who always think of him."

"Xiao Xin will get jealous if you say that~"

"Oh right, Xin also asked me to dinner—there's still an hour until then. I feel like after talking to you, Sister An Yu, I should be able to face Xin calmly. But sorry, Sister An Yu, I have to go now!"

"Um, ah, well, if Ning Ruoyu can calmly face Xiao Xin, he..."

"As for him, I'll have to talk to him in person before I consider whether I want to call it even."

Holding the dessert box handed to her by An Yu, Ling Chuqing pulled the chair back to its original position and said with a smile.

"Goodbye, Sister An Yu, my sister's here to pick me up!"

After saying that, with a ding-a-ling, Ling Chuqing opened the door and went out.

At the same time, An Yu's face turned pale, and even his gray-blue pupils dilated slightly.

"Sis, sis?...Hey! Wait, Xiao Qing!"

An Yu picked up her phone, paid the bill, and hurriedly followed him out.

The ride-hailing car in the distance had its back door open, and Ling Qingxue saw An Yu rushing out, giving him a friendly and elegant smile.

"Um! Sorry, I'm actually going the same way, so can we ride together?"

At this moment, An Yu didn't care about anything else and casually made up a lie full of loopholes to Ling Qingxue.

“Of course, no problem.” Ling Qingxue even waved, gesturing for An Yu to sit in the back row.

"Sister An Yu?"

Ling Chuqing, who was already seated, tilted her head in confusion behind the driver's seat.

"Hehe, that dessert shop is a bit pricey..."

"So we really are splitting the bill, right?"

"No need, no need! I'll just shamelessly hitch a ride for a while! Besides, I have something to return to Ning Ruoxin later, so we can go together!"

While An Yu was speaking incoherently, he was also typing on the screen.

Xiaoqing still doesn't know her sister's true colors! But for some reason, her sister suddenly came to pick her up, and I was a little worried, so I followed her.

[I'll keep location sharing enabled! If it's just me overthinking things, then don't bother Ning Ruoyu. But if something happens, class monitor, I'll have to trouble you!]