As the sun sets, the sky is dyed a brilliant crimson.

Cheng Chu left Lin Qifeng’s house, and when she walked past his garage, she saw Uncle Wang walking out.

“Miss.” He greeted Cheng Chu politely.

She smiled slightly: “Hello, Uncle Wang. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, my wife and children are waiting to have dinner with me at home.” Uncle Wang smiled happily.

The two chatted some more and were about to say their farewells when Cheng Chu suddenly asked: “Uncle Wang, can you do me a favor?”

“Miss, there is no need for you to ask for favors. I will help you no matter what.” Wang Shu said with a smile.

Cheng Chu lowered her head, pondered for a moment, and said: “Can you help me investigate someone, and can you not tell my parents and brother? I promise that it’s nothing bad.”

Basking in the lights of a setting sun, the girl’s peach blossom eyes reveal pure sincerity and childlike anticipation.

Uncle Wang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He was an army soldier, so he had plenty of connections in the information department.

""

Cheng Chu did not expect Uncle Wang to be so skillful and efficient.

On Sunday afternoon, after she finished her piano lesson and went downstairs, Uncle Wang was already waiting beside the car door.

After she got in the car, he handed Cheng Chu a folder.

The refreshing, clean linen scent permeated from the car freshener.

Cheng Chu looked down and started reading Wang Yan’s information.

Both his parents died when he was three years old. Ever since then, he has been dependent on his grandmother.

When he was in middle school, he went astray and acted like a gangster for a few years.

But in the third year of middle school, his grandmother got terminally ill, so he adjusted his behavior for the better, and was admitted into Haishi Number One Middle School as a special sports student.

In recent years, Wang Yan’s grandmother has been confined to her hospital bed. To earn money, he spent all his spare time working part-time jobs, and that only covered a small portion of her medical expenses.

Suddenly last week, his grandma’s condition worsened and she was admitted to the ICU. Thankfully, she was cleared and transferred to the general ward a few days later, but her medical cost shot sky-high.

The desperate Wang Yan had to borrow from loan sharks, but their high interest rates were not something he could afford.

Cheng Chu’s trail of thoughts was a mess but from this information, she got an idea and the clouds looming over her eyes cleared at once.

***

On the following Monday, the weather was clear and bright.

At the end of the school orientation ceremony, students lined up and walked across the playground to the academic buildings.

The sunlight was dazzling, and the students enjoyed the breath of fresh air.

Cheng Chu and Luo Qian Qian walked slowly at the end of the crowd of students.

Amidst the students’ chattering and noises, Cheng Chu heard the class president talking about something.

She vaguely picked up the words “Gu Miao” and “punishment”.

Cheng Chu was shocked, and hurriedly stepped forward to grab the class president: “What punishment?”

Because he was suddenly tugged backward, the class president staggered and almost fell. The anger in his eyes reduced a little when he turned back and recognize it was Cheng Chu.

“Remember last week, when Gu Miao was involved in a fight? Wang Yan’s homeroom teacher was on a business trip and had only come back this week. We think they are discussing the boys’ punishments.”

There were several holly trees planted near where they are, still lush and bright even in winter.

Gu Miao walked at the back of the group, his cold eyes seemed to blend in with the winter snow. He stared blankly at the crowd of students in front, clearly ignoring the people around him who were gossiping about him.

""

According to school policy, the person who threw hands first would be punished more severely. If he has no good reason to hit Wang Yan, then it can be considered as an act of self-defense and Wang Yan would not be punished.

Song Xinyu, the initiator and the mastermind behind all this, has long been out of the picture.

In the morning sunshine, Song Xinyu, standing at the front of the group smirked at Cheng Chu.

Cheng Chu gritted her teeth, badly wishing to tear up her fake face.

And she has indeed found a way.

Back in the classroom, Cheng Chu took advantage of Gu Miao’s absence and asked Zhou Ran: “Was Gu Miao and Wang Yan’s parents both called to the teacher’s office last week?”

Zhou Ran nodded: “Yeah, Wang Yan’s family came almost immediately. A woman, who looks old enough to be his mom, came too.”

A silent cold breeze blew into the classroom and the book pages fluttered slightly.

Cheng Chu recalled that last Friday, she didn’t see Gu Miao’s family at the school gate.

The classroom was noisy and crowded in the background, but Cheng Chu was immersed in her memory of when she witnessed a boy on the hospital bed acting arrogantly towards Gu Miao.

Her heart twisted in pain and an indescribable feeling rose within her.

After school that day, Cheng Chu went to Wang Yan’s class and found him.

An eighteen-year-old teenager should be full of vigor and mischief, eyes brimming with curiosity to explore new things; but Wang Yan carried a mature demeanor, unsuited for his age.

He was big, 6’3 tall, and as strong as a mountain. He stood in the corridor full of the afternoon sunlight and cast a large shadow before him.

He wore a dirty extra-large school uniform; his chin was mapped with an unkempt beard, and his cheeks were bruised in blue and purple.

After listening to Cheng Chu’s words, he refused without a second thought: “Never! Song Xinyu has nothing to do with this matter. What splashed ink? I’ve never done anything like that.”

The money Song Xinyu gave was a life-saver. With this money, he can pay back the money his family owed to the hospital.

Song Xinyu approached him yesterday and said that if he doesn’t call her out, she would give him more money.

Thankfully his grandma is not in critical condition anymore, but the nursing fee and medicine cost will accumulate more and more. He is only a high school student, and he can’t spare more time working to earn money.

Wang Yan raised his eyes and saw the girl in front of him was staring at him with clear, unwavering eyes, as calm as a serene lake.

He felt ashamed that he met her eyes and he quickly glanced away.

He felt guilty toward Cheng Chu; she was but an innocent girl and did nothing wrong.

As for the person who fought him, perhaps he had done nothing wrong too.

Wang Yan knows that he deserves punishment.

The afternoon sun was dazzling to the eye, and Cheng Chu stretched out her hand to shield her eyes and said, “You know what you did. As for who ordered you to do it, I know too.”

She turned around, paused, and continued, “The people who came to school that day weren’t your parents, am I right? Your grandmother probably doesn’t know what you’ve done at school or that you’ve taken loans from a loan shark.”

Wang Yan’s grandma is still laying in the hospital ward, and according to Zhou Ran, a middle-aged woman was called to school that day.

“What do you want?” Wang Yan’s eyes sharpened and shouted.

Contrary to his uncontrollable anger, Cheng Chu replied calmly: “If you could confess who ordered you to do this, your grandmother would naturally never know about this.”

Wang Yan clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turned white, and his bruised face scrunched up in a grimace.

“Think about it, and come to me when you’ve decided.” Cheng Chu turned her head and left.

The afternoon sunlight poured in, casting shadows onto the stairway.

“Cheng Chu.” The boy suddenly called out to her.

Cheng Chu’s footsteps paused and heard his deep and exhausted voice saying: “I’ll do it.”

He couldn’t let his grandma know this. His grandma is an honorable and righteous woman. When he was in middle school, he went astray and did a lot of horrible deeds; after she heard about it, she suffered a heart attack and was rush to the hospital.

If she found out that he borrowed from a loan shark and even did something like that to an innocent girl for money…

Grandma is his only remaining relative. Wang Yan closed his eyes in pain, not wanting to imagine what would happen if she collapsed again.



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