Chapter 16: Confrontation and Denial

“I thought I’d be the first one here…”

“You’re… Yu Gong?”

Yu Gong snorted, walked in from the door, went to her seat to put down her bag, then came toward Yaqi. She crossed her arms and leaned on the desk next to Yaqi’s row.

“Didn’t expect you to remember me… I thought you’d forgotten.”

“Haha… how could I? After all, you guys cornered me in the bathroom yesterday, haha…”

“Mm… true. You’re not mad?”

“Well… at first I was a bit scared, but I didn’t feel angry. Why do you ask?”

“Heh… you’re pretty strange. Didn’t wear that old-fashioned uniform today?”

“Uh haha…”

“What era was that uniform from? Middle school?”

“Yeah.”

“Heh, don’t wear that anymore. It’s too tacky. The outfit you have now is fine. Looks good.”

“Oh… thanks.”

Yu Gong curiously looked Yaqi up and down, her gaze like she was examining some novel little animal. But Yaqi hadn’t dressed up much, just a white T-shirt and a light pink knee-length skirt. Quite ordinary overall.

“Your name is Tang Yaqi, right?”

“Yeah.”

“How old are you?”

“18. You?”

“You’re older than me. I’m 17.”

“Oh, okay.”

Yu Gong hesitated and spoke softly:

“Um… sorry. After I went home and thought about it, I might have gone too far yesterday…”

“Ah, oh, it’s fine.”

“But about what I said, don’t think I was picking on you. I was trying to help.”

“You should understand that whenever a rule is made, there’s a reason behind it.”

“Rule? You mean the seat?”

“Right.”

“I see…”

(Actually, Liu Ya did say she was popular at school, and it was the kind of popularity where people liked her…)

Yaqi slowly lifted her head to stare at Yu Gong, her cheeks gradually turning red…

“Huh? Why are you blushing?”

“Ah! No… it’s just… um…”

“Uh… are you thinking something dirty?”

“No… not at all…”

“Then just say what you want.”

Yu Gong raised her voice a little. Yaqi flinched, caught her breath, and asked quietly:

“Yu Gong… do you like Liu Ya?”

“Huh?”

Yaqi stared at her shyly, her eyes full of curiosity. Yu Gong gave her an exasperated look, rubbed her forehead, and let out a long sigh.

But seeing Yu Gong’s reaction, Yaqi thought she had been too blunt and quickly explained:

“Um… I’m not saying anything about you! Don’t misunderstand!”

“It’s just… I’m not really okay with that kind of thing… but I’m not saying that kind of feeling is wrong… it’s just… um…”

Seeing Yaqi floundering, Yu Gong cut her off.

“Stop, stop! Why are you going on by yourself?”

“Geez! Who likes that kind of person? I’m straight, okay? Don’t slander me.”

“Straight?”

“Huh? You don’t even know that?”

Yaqi shook her head blankly.

“Seriously… sigh. Aren’t you back from abroad? Are you out of touch with the times? Not knowing this? Really…”

“Mm… why does everyone say that?”

Yaqi complained pitifully, her voice soft, like a little pushover.

“What’s wrong with coming back from abroad? This stuff is beyond the scope of even aliens…”

Seeing this, Yu Gong felt like she’d punched cotton. She shook her head helplessly.

(Really, what kind of person is this? An idiot who studied abroad?)

(Seriously… she’s so clueless, she’ll become Liu Ya’s toy again.)

“Sigh. Anyway, just remember this…”

Yu Gong straightened up and said seriously:

“I’m not saying this because I like her! But Liu Ya is indeed very popular at school, and that’s why all these troublesome things happen…”

“Troublesome things?”

“Let me finish first. I don’t know how close you are with Liu Ya, but judging from her reaction yesterday, she definitely doesn’t have good intentions!”

“Huh?”

“Asking you to change seats is for your own good. Don’t go looking for trouble. Liu Ya seems friendly and approachable, but if you cut her open, she’s definitely dirty and black inside…”

“That’s too much!”

Yaqi interrupted her angrily.

“How can you say that about Liu Ya? You don’t even know her!”

Seeing Yaqi getting worked up, Yu Gong sneered disdainfully and said calmly:

“Heh, so you’re saying you know her well?”

“I…”

Yaqi wanted to retort but hesitated and lowered her head…

“I used to know her… but now…”

“Sigh, you really… people change, you know? What they were like before doesn’t mean what they’re like now.”

“And do you know what she’s like now? What she’s done?”

“I… don’t know…”

Yaqi shook her head weakly. Yu Gong pointed to the empty seat next to Yaqi’s. Yaqi turned to look.

“I won’t say much. Just take one thing: see that seat next to me?”

“Yeah. But yesterday I saw no one there. It was empty, right?”

“It’s not that no one sits there. The person who sat there was forced to drop out because of Liu Ya.”

“Huh? Dropped out? How is that possible!”

Yu Gong frowned, her expression darkening. She was silent for a moment before speaking slowly:

“Her name is Lin Xinyu. She was my friend. She was supposed to be in this class with me.”

“But back in freshman year, that idiot confessed to Liu Ya.”

“Con… confessed?”

“Yeah. Actually, I knew she’d liked Liu Ya all along. But I never expected something like that to happen…”

Yu Gong’s expression became complicated, hard to tell if it was sadness or anger. A mix of emotions seemed to gather on her face. But Yaqi could clearly feel that even the air around her had become stifling.

“What… what happened?”

“…I don’t know the details, but I only found out after I saw the photo.”

“Photo?”

Yu Gong hesitated, lowering her head. But seeing Yaqi’s incredulous expression, she clenched her fist and forced herself to continue:

“It was… Xinyu, blindfolded in the bathroom, standing in just her underwear, holding Liu Ya’s hand…”

Yu Gong couldn’t bring herself to say it. She raised her hand and made a gesture in front of her chest, and Yaqi understood what she meant.

“How… how could that be…”

(Liu Ya… but… why? Liu Ya doesn’t even like girls! But what Yu Gong said doesn’t seem false…)

“Did Liu Ya do this? Really?”

“Within days, the photo spread almost everywhere in the school. What do you think?”

Yu Gong said irritably, but seeing Yaqi meekly lower her head, she calmed herself and continued:

“Sigh… it’s true. But I don’t know who took it.”

“Although the teachers stepped in and controlled the spread, Xinyu never came back to school…”

“I tried to contact her, but she never replied. When I asked the teacher, they just said she wasn’t feeling well and nothing more.”

When Yu Gong finished, Yaqi said softly:

“But… it should be the person who took the photo who’s wrong. It’s not Liu Ya’s fault…”

“How is it not her fault!”

Yu Gong shouted, stepping forward and pressing Yaqi down. She whispered angrily:

“Never mind who took it, but if she hadn’t done that kind of thing, how could that photo exist!”

“And Xinyu is not that kind of girl! She’s been shy and introverted since childhood. How could she do something like that!”

“But ever since freshman year, people have confessed to Liu Ya. She just plays with them and then ignores them! She enjoys the feeling of being worshipped and then toying with others!”

“Xinyu must have been seduced by her! Otherwise, would Xinyu be crazy enough to do that herself?”

Yu Gong’s teeth were clenched, the corners of her eyes twitching, faint tears glistening.

Yaqi had just been defending Liu Ya, but after hearing Yu Gong’s words, she lost her momentum. She was cowering in the corner like a little rabbit, after being shouted at.

“Yu… Yu Gong, don’t be angry… Maybe there’s a misunderstanding…”

“What misunderstanding!”

Yu Gong was about to continue, but seeing Yaqi’s distressed expression, she paused, realized she had lost her composure, slowly straightened up, sniffled, and stepped back to the side of the desk.

“I’m… sorry. I lost my temper…”

“It’s… it’s okay…”

The two were silent for a while. Then Yu Gong spoke:

“I’m not targeting you! I just want to tell you not to be so gullible with her. I’m afraid she’ll bully you too…”

“After all, that’s what happened to Xinyu. If she hadn’t been so naive, she wouldn’t have been played so badly…”

“Mm… I know you mean well. But I still…”

“Oh! You two are so studious? Here so early!”

Liu Ya appeared at the door, leaning against the doorframe, grinning at them.

With that, Liu Ya walked straight between Yaqi and Yu Gong, took off her bag, and threw it onto the desk inside. The strap accidentally hit Yaqi’s face.

“Ah…”

“Ah! Are you okay, Sister Yaqi? I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s… it’s fine…”

Liu Ya quickly reached out to gently stroke Yaqi’s cheek, looking at her tenderly. But facing that familiar, soft hand, Yaqi felt uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and turned away, avoiding her gaze.

“…”

“Excuse me! Liu Ya, do you have something to discuss? Tang Yaqi and I are talking! Can you not interrupt us!”

Yu Gong interrupted them, her words full of provocation. Liu Ya paused and turned to look at her.

“Heh, talking? About what? Can I listen?”

Liu Ya put her hands behind her back, looking a bit playful, but her eyes were fixed on Yu Gong. The relaxed, elegant smile on her face began to turn cold and ugly.

“Sorry, I don’t think you can!”

“Oh, is that so!”

Yu Gong sneered contemptuously, got up, and walked toward Liu Ya, pressing her against the edge of Yaqi’s desk. She looked down at her disdainfully.

“What’s wrong, Liu Ya? Your smile is a bit off?”

“Could it be that you have some plan? Am I getting in your way?”

“…”

Liu Ya was silent for a moment, then said calmly:

“Haha! What plan?”

“I just came to find Yaqi about something. I don’t want to waste time on trivial matters. After all, as the student council president, I have a lot to do!”

“Oh. Then I hope I’m not interfering with the student council president’s business. I wouldn’t want to get my name written down and be invited to the student council for tea.”

“Haha, how could that be! The student council only deals with students who break the rules. You’re so obedient, Yu Gong, what would I write down?”

“Heh!”

“And isn’t that a stereotype, Yu Gong? Who said you can only come for tea when you’re caught? You can come anytime you want!”

“But at least come when I’m here! Then I’ll personally brew tea for you!”

“Heh! Then I’ll thank you in advance! I’ll definitely come often!”

“I’ll be waiting anytime!”

“…”

“…”

The classroom fell silent. The two stared at each other without a word. The atmosphere was so tense that Yaqi felt she could barely breathe.

Inadvertently, Yaqi caught a glimpse of Liu Ya’s hands behind her back. Her fingers were tightly interlaced, trembling slightly, and her nails were white from the pressure.

Yaqi reached out and gently tugged at Liu Ya’s clothes.

“Um… Liu Ya. You wanted to talk to me, right?”

“Yeah. Let’s talk on the way, okay?”

“Okay.”

With that, Liu Ya took her hand and led her out the door. But at the entrance, Yaqi suddenly stopped and turned around.

“Well… Yu Gong, I’m going now…”

“Don’t talk… just go…”

Before Yu Gong could respond, Liu Ya muttered softly, pulling Yaqi away.

“…Wait!”

Yu Gong immediately chased after them, but some classmates arrived and greeted her, blocking her in the classroom. Seeing this, Yu Gong had no choice but to return to her seat, staring at the door and letting out a heavy breath…

(Liu Ya, I won’t let you get away with it this time!)

On the other side, Liu Ya pulled Yaqi along, walking faster and faster. They passed classmates along the way, but Liu Ya pretended not to see them.

Yaqi didn’t know what to say, so she just kept up with her pace. She felt the hand holding hers getting tighter and tighter.

The building where the student council room was located was behind the main teaching building. Usually, few students or teachers came here.

Almost the entire building was used for club activities. It only got lively during the daily club activities after school.

In the hallway, Liu Ya let go of Yaqi’s hand and walked ahead on her own. Yaqi obediently followed behind…

“Do… do you believe it, Sister Yaqi?”

Liu Ya said weakly, her voice trembling.

“Huh? …What?”

“What… was just said…”

“Oh…”

“So… do you believe it? What she said…”

Yaqi hesitated, then answered with some difficulty:

“Honestly… I… I don’t know…”

Hearing this, Liu Ya slowly lowered her head and stopped walking. But Yaqi quickly added:

“But! Liu Ya… you didn’t bully Xinyu, did you?”

“I did not!”

Liu Ya didn’t hesitate. She turned around and said loudly. Seeing this, Yaqi smiled slightly, relieved.

“Mm. Then I believe you!”

“Mm…”

Liu Ya turned back again, raised her hand to wipe her face. Yaqi tilted her head to look from behind…

“Liu Ya, are you…”

“Don’t talk. Just walk.”

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