Chapter 57: Unwanted Attention and a Disappearing Student

After the commendation ceremony, little had changed for Lin Qing.

Although the students at school harbored a certain curiosity about him, this sentiment did not linger for long before their attention was drawn elsewhere.

Lin Qing once again resumed his mundane school life.

Yet, Liu Hong, who had previously ignored him, now seemed like a completely different person.

His sudden displays of warmth and concern bewildered not only Lin Qing, but also left the rest of the class utterly dumbfounded, jaws practically hitting the floor. No one could fathom what had transpired between Liu Hong and Lin Qing.

It was well-known that Liu Hong’s notoriety throughout the school was legendary.

Now, to see him acting so friendly and solicitous towards Lin Qing, to such an odd extent, was truly perplexing.

Girls who typically enjoyed reading BL novels watched Liu Hong and Lin Qing with sparkling eyes. In their minds, millions of words of epic tales were already unfolding—a saga of love and hate between the school bully and the inconspicuous student.

While Lin Qing remained oblivious to these romanticized imaginings, Liu Hong’s persistent clinging certainly created considerable trouble for him.

The attention that had faded due to Lin Qing’s reserved nature seemed to have reignited, thanks to Liu Hong’s relentless pursuit.

‘This cannot continue!’

Regarding Liu Hong’s sudden change in demeanor, Lin Qing knew in his heart that it all stemmed from Su Yao’s words the previous day.

Her words had been deliberately ambiguous.

She had actively led him down the wrong path.

As a result, Liu Hong had misinterpreted the situation, believing that Lin Qing and Su Yao were relatives.

In reality, however, he shared no blood relation with Su Yao.

[Liu Hong is seriously impacting my daily life. I need to tell him the truth directly.]

During Chinese class, while the teacher passionately lectured from the podium, Lin Qing propped up his textbook. Behind it, he diligently typed out a message on his phone.

Once finished, he immediately selected a contact.

–Bad Woman–

Moments later, after the message successfully sent, a reply arrived almost instantly.

Its swiftness surprised Lin Qing, yet he didn’t hesitate to open it.

[Alright! *smile.jpg*]

Lin Qing’s brows furrowed as he read Su Yao’s reply.

Su Yao didn’t seem concerned in the slightest.

If he truly revealed the truth to Liu Hong, the subsequent developments would inevitably implicate Su Yao as well.

This was precisely why Lin Qing had chosen to inform her via message, rather than silently dragging her into the mess.

He wanted to avoid any potential retaliation from Su Yao.

However, seeing Su Yao’s indifferent attitude, Lin Qing realized there was no need for him to hesitate further.

‘Just tell him directly!’

Lin Qing would much rather endure Liu Hong’s harsh words than suffer his constant entanglement.

Beyond being the center of unwanted attention, it made Lin Qing profoundly uncomfortable.

“Lin Qing, what are you doing? Playing on your phone during my class, neglecting your studies? Go stand outside!”

Just as Lin Qing was steeling his resolve, the Chinese teacher’s irate voice suddenly rang out.

His act of sending messages on his phone had been discovered!

With nothing to explain, Lin Qing promptly stood up and obediently walked towards the corridor outside the classroom.

To him, one place was as good as another.

When it came to academics, Lin Qing was no genius. Having been imprisoned for ten years, he had fallen significantly behind in his studies.

Resuming his education now would demand not only immense effort but also enrollment in supplementary classes.

He had no intentions of attending university.

After graduating from high school, he might learn a trade—something that would allow him to survive in this society. That would be enough.

As for his current presence at school, it was merely because Lin Qing needed time to re-adapt to society.

Also, his student status enabled him to receive relief funds.

Otherwise, Lin Qing would have long since secluded himself at home, avoiding any further contact with Su Yao.

The thought of Su Yao made Lin Qing, now standing in the corridor, sigh involuntarily. He wondered when he would finally be rid of her.

“Teacher, I was playing on my phone too! I’ll voluntarily go stand outside as punishment.”

No sooner had Lin Qing finished sighing than he heard a voice from inside the classroom, making him want to sigh all over again.

Liu Hong had followed him out.

‘Perfect, then. I can clarify everything at once!’

Soon, Liu Hong appeared before him, exuding an air of camaraderie, treating Lin Qing like anything but a stranger.

He was practically ready to sling an arm over Lin Qing’s shoulder.

This prompted Lin Qing to realize he couldn’t delay any longer; he had to resolve this quickly.

“Liu Hong, everything Su Yao said yesterday was false. I have no relation to her whatsoever.”

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Qing spoke earnestly, his solemn expression far from joking.

He directly clarified his relationship with Su Yao.

Liu Hong froze, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

His eyes darted around instinctively.

Then, a smile slowly crept back onto Liu Hong’s lips as he began to speak.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t say a word about your situation. You don’t have to worry.”

The moment Lin Qing saw the smile on Liu Hong’s face, he had a premonition. Now, hearing Liu Hong’s words, he knew his hunch had been correct.

Liu Hong had completely misunderstood him.

“I really am not—”

“I know, I know! Can’t you trust me? My lips are sealed when it comes to school matters; I’d never leak anything.”

At that moment, looking at Liu Hong’s smiling face, Lin Qing finally understood why Su Yao hadn’t been worried at all.

No matter what he said, Liu Hong simply wouldn’t believe him.

He was utterly trapped by Su Yao’s lie.

No one but Su Yao herself could possibly undo it.

“Oh, by the way, Lin Qing, do you know where Wang Fanran went?”

Just as Lin Qing was pondering his next move, Liu Hong suddenly interjected. Hearing Wang Fanran’s name mentioned, Lin Qing immediately looked at Liu Hong with a puzzled expression.

After Wang Fanran’s failed attempt to instigate Li Dong to commit violence, which resulted in Wang Fanran himself being beaten by the school delinquents, there had been no news of him, aside from his mother causing a scene at school.

Given such a significant incident, he certainly wouldn’t continue attending school here.

He must have transferred to another school.

However, if that were the case, what could Liu Hong’s question possibly imply?

Had another troubling development occurred?

“I don’t know.”

Lin Qing considered these possibilities internally, but outwardly, he showed no sign of it. He merely shook his head at Liu Hong, indicating he had no idea where Wang Fanran had gone.

“We wanted to, uh, *visit* Wang Fanran yesterday,” Liu Hong began, “but he wasn’t home. His parents said he seemed to have run away, and they asked us to help look for him.”

Liu Hong didn’t draw out the suspense. Yet, his words caused Lin Qing to frown in confusion.

‘Wang Fanran ran away from home?’

‘How could that be possible!’

Although Lin Qing and Wang Fanran had only been desk mates for a short period, he knew Wang Fanran wasn’t the type to impulsively run away.

He recalled the last time he saw Wang Fanran, whose face had been contorted with a venomous glare, like a malevolent spirit ready to devour someone.

A bad feeling settled in his gut.

“I activated my network, but I found nothing,” Liu Hong continued. “However, my informants were evasive, which made me suspect something was amiss. After thinking it over, I believe Wang Fanran might have gone to find Chen Sen.”

Liu Hong’s explanation wasn’t over. Hearing the name Chen Sen from his lips immediately piqued Lin Qing’s curiosity.

He had heard that name several times now. Who exactly was this person, and what did they do?