Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Yan Han exchanged a glance with Lin Jianlu, even wondering if this classmate had gone mad a long time ago. So, her time with Wei Ningxin during the summer was just a show for Lin Jianlu, to avoid putting pressure on him?
Judging from the timeline, Gong Yuxue and Wei Ningxin’s relationship did indeed occur after Lin Jianlu had spoken to her.
This… she seems to have watched too many melodramatic dramas!
Last semester, after Yan Han’s comment, Lin Jianlu finally realized that Gong Yuxue’s long-standing obsession and madness stemmed from him. However, because she had previously used others to do bad things, and her small team was very reliable, he couldn’t find any evidence immediately. Not wanting to cause further trouble, he just politely warned her.
If she truly understood right and wrong, she would stop.
Yan Han knew the content of Lin Jianlu’s conversation with Gong Yuxue; it was just a simple warning. For Lin Jianlu, regardless of the reason or who it was for, wrong was wrong. He didn’t mention anything about liking her.
But who would have thought that after the conversation, this classmate would realize something and immediately become self-satisfied?
After the conversation, Gong Yuxue did indeed behave herself; her clique disbanded, and she even abandoned the foundation she had built to come and study science.
She did this for two reasons: first, she wanted Lin Jianlu to notice her change and appreciate her; second, she was determined to jump to Class 9 and be classmates with Lin Jianlu again.
However, in the end, she did go to Class 9, but Lin Jianlu didn’t end up in the same class as she had hoped…
Since the plan to be classmates with Lin Jianlu back fell through, Gong Yuxue, though outwardly calm, went completely mad, becoming even more frantic in her desire for revenge, something Yan Han knew.
At the same time, to cheat and conveniently frame him, she didn’t hesitate to bribe the weekend construction team to tamper with the surveillance cameras, causing the entire third-floor surveillance system to malfunction, something Yan Han also knew.
But the reason she was with Wei Ningxin… even if you beat him to death, he would never have guessed.
Now that he thought about it, no wonder Wei Ningxin was so angry.
It turns out that Gong Yuxue wasn’t with him because she liked him, nor was it to spite the “clueless” Lin Jianlu. It was because she wanted to show Lin Jianlu before they became classmates again, to tell him that she had truly changed, that she never wanted to put pressure on him, even by being with others, and that she didn’t want him to know how crazy she was about him that led her to do those foolish and absurd things.
If everything went smoothly, she would probably even say that she and Wei Ningxin were just friends in name only, and that she did those things because she had made mistakes and didn’t want to put pressure on Lin Jianlu…
Sure enough, just as Yan Han was imagining this scenario, Gong Yuxue said again: “I never liked Wei Ningxin at all. We never even got together. I just… because I liked you so much, I teamed up with others and did some wrong things. I know you sensed it, but I didn’t want you to know…”
….
Yan Han: Okay, all correct.
In the empty office building, only three people stood facing each other. Lin Jianlu remained silent. He didn’t understand much about feelings other than his own for Yan Han. Even though he was very good at reading people, his mind still couldn’t explain Gong Yuxue’s actions. After all, from what he’d heard, deliberately dating someone else simply because she “didn’t want him to know she did something wrong because she liked him” seemed incredibly inefficient and disrespectful.
This deeply puzzled Lin Jianlu.
“Hey, it’s normal that you don’t understand,” Yan Han said, knowing what Lin Jianlu was wondering even before he spoke. “I don’t understand either! Besides, think about it, if everyone thought like you, there wouldn’t be so many criminals outside.” He patted Lin Jianlu’s chest twice, as a gesture of comfort.
Gong Yuxue’s expression changed again. His words had essentially compared her to a criminal.
And his gesture… no one could touch Lin Jianlu like that.
She couldn’t. Having grown up together, aside from Lin Jianlu’s dog, Gong Yuxue had never seen anyone touch him like this…
But under Gong Yuxue’s incredibly complex gaze, Lin Jianlu, because of Yan Han’s words, successfully gave up thinking.
Through his interactions with Yan Han these past few days, he had also learned that there was no need to painstakingly study everyone’s behavior, because humanity itself was a mystery, and ordinary people couldn’t see through everyone else.
Besides, his previous painstaking study of others’ behavior was merely to pretend to be normal and avoid loneliness.
But now he was no longer lonely.
The scene of their intimacy almost drove Gong Yuxue to the brink of despair. Being blatantly ignored by the person she loved, she used the last vestiges of her upbringing to maintain her composure, trying her best to keep her facial expression from twitching.
Before she could even speak, Yan Han exposed all her pretense and explanations: “You could explain your past mistakes as momentary lapses in judgment, but why did you still try to frame me after Big Brother Lin warned you? You know that would cause him trouble.”
Gong Yuxue retorted, “That’s because I got to know about you two! If I don’t get rid of you, Lin Jianlu will never see me!”
Yan Han replied, “Oh, so it all boils down to yourself. And what’s strange is… you like Big Brother Lin so much, why are you saying all this now? Aren’t you the type to silently give?”
By the end, Yan Han’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm and mockery.
“All you’re doing now is clearly just trying to move yourself.”
How arrogant and self-important must someone be to toy with other people’s feelings so easily, even going so far as to personally frame someone to drive away their rival?
All these things suggest that Gong Yuxue has probably gone mad.
Yan Han concluded, “Whether it’s jumping to Class 9 or having a fake relationship with Wei Ningxin, frankly, you’re just trying to manipulate Lin Jianlu’s feelings. If you really liked him, you wouldn’t be acting like this.”
“What does ‘really liking someone’ mean?” Gong Yuxue retorted.
“If you really liked someone, you’d tell them directly. If they liked you back, you’d be happily together; if they didn’t, that’s fine, and you wouldn’t cause them any trouble.”
As Yan Han spoke, his gaze involuntarily shifted to Lin Jianlu again.
He hadn’t understood this principle before, only after Lin Jianlu confessed to him.
Because that’s how his older brother, Lin Jianlu, treated him.
Looking back, he realized he was a coward, too afraid to even let himself like someone, while the clueless Lin Jianlu had done just that.
This older brother was truly astounding; he had to admit defeat.
Gong Yuxue did not agree with what Yan Han said. In her opinion, Yan Han was just an outsider who had suddenly appeared, and she could not possibly understand Lin Jianlu better than she who had grown up with him.
Being lectured by the person she hated most for no reason, Gong Yuxue was furious. But thinking that this person knew nothing, her tone and attitude returned to arrogance, and she said with a contemptuous air, “You know everything now? You’re just good-looking. I don’t know what kind of luck you had to make Lin Jianlu look at you differently. It’s because Lin Jianlu likes you. If he didn’t like you…”
“Enough.”
Gong Yuxue’s words were abruptly interrupted. This was the first time Lin Jianlu had spoken since the confrontation began.
Not only did he speak, but he also pulled Yan Han back, shielding him behind him. Lin Jianlu then said coldly, “I like someone for a reason. It has nothing to do with his appearance or luck. Please take back what you just said and apologize to Yan Han.”
Perhaps realizing that she had insulted the person Lin Jianlu liked in front of him, Gong Yuxue’s eyes trembled violently a few times, and she felt a little regretful.
But then she remembered that she had come here to confront Lin Jianlu, and today’s complete failure not only made it impossible for her to maintain her footing at school, but also meant she would never gain Lin Jianlu’s favor or affection again.
So she decided she shouldn’t care about anything anymore.
There are always people in this world who want everything.
It was only because this time her target was the equally aloof and handsome Lin Jianlu that Gong Yuxue couldn’t suppress his arrogance, which was why she changed her tactics and pretended to be so humble.
But now, it seemed there was no need to pretend anymore.
Thinking of this, Gong Yuxue’s expression became indignant again. Of course, she wouldn’t apologize to that person. She only yelled at Lin Jianlu, “Then why don’t you like me? If it’s not about looks, what do I lack compared to her?! You only like her because you’re always with her! If you could accept me by your side, then I… But you’ve never given me a chance! It was the same when we were in the same class, we’ve grown up together since childhood! Why do you look at me the same way you look at everyone else?!”
….
The corridor fell silent again. Yan Han was so angry at this melodramatic scene that he got goosebumps, but Lin Jianlu remained unmoved.
His clear black and white eyes stared directly at Gong Yuxue, devoid of joy or sorrow, looking at her exactly the same way he looked at everyone else.
But the meaning in his eyes was clear: he knew that if he didn’t speak up now, Gong Yuxue would never give up and would never stop pestering him.
Finally, Lin Jianlu said in a calm voice, “Because from a very young age, I knew we could never be friends.”
“Why?!” Gong Yuxue shook her head, indicating she didn’t understand and didn’t agree with this statement.
Lin Jianlu had no choice but to continue, “Do you remember how you and the others treated me when we were little?”
Upon hearing this, Gong Yuxue shook her head violently, while Yan Han couldn’t help but look at Lin Jianlu.
From his angle, he could see half of Lin Jianlu’s handsome profile and his straight neck and back.
He seemed invincible.
But Yan Han clearly remembered that Lin Jianlu’s childhood was lonely.
No relatives were there to guide him, and he had no friends to play with.
So the question arises: why didn’t Lin Jianlu, who came from a prominent family, have any friends?
The answer was obvious here.
Although the two were childhood sweethearts, they also played with a large group of children. Gong Yuxue had always enjoyed being the center of attention; she was very talented in this area, seemingly born to win people over, so the group of children revolved around her.
But back then, Lin Jianlu wasn’t very popular.
His thinking was different from other children; he didn’t quite understand how to interact with others, which made him slow to react as a child.
Of course, he wasn’t as handsome as he is now when he was younger; in fact he looked quite ordinary, at least not worthy of Gong Yuxue’s attention.
It wasn’t until he grew older that Lin Jianlu revealed more talent, more unique qualities, and became more handsome and extremely aloof… all of which became tools to attract others, such that even Gong Yuxue wasn’t immune.
But the bad things she and her gang did as children could never be erased.
Years later, this was the first time Gong Yuxue had heard Lin Jianlu mention this incident.
From the moment Lin Jianlu spoke, her expression turned panicked. “Jianlu… I, I didn’t mean it, I was ignorant back then…” she tried to explain.
Later, she and Lin Jianlu attended the same school from junior high onwards. Since he never mentioned their childhood, she naturally assumed that Lin Jianlu knew she was too young and ignorant back then.
Or perhaps she was tacitly accepting that someone like Lin Jianlu wouldn’t hold grudges, and that he had ultimately forgiven her.
At this moment, Gong Yuxue said pleadingly, “I really didn’t mean it back then. You know, we were so young… what did I know… I…”
She was eager to explain, and her arrogance vanished the moment Lin Jianlu mentioned it, showing that she knew how outrageous her actions had been.
Lin Jianlu didn’t mention it simply because he disdained to. Gong Yuxue’s thoughts were both right and wrong— he wasn’t a vengeful person, but he wouldn’t let those childhood memories be so easily erased from his mind, as if nothing had happened.
Yan Han couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. He scrutinized Gong Yuxue for a long time before finally asking, “How did she bully you when you were little?”
Yan Han felt he should reconsider his punishment of Gong Yuxue.
Lin Jianlu didn’t listen to Gong Yuxue’s explanation, but directly answered Yan Han’s question: “It’s nothing. She just didn’t include me in her games.”
“Hmm.”
Having been a leader among children since childhood, Yan Han didn’t really understand this aspect, but if someone dared to form a clique in front of him without including him… he’d probably beat them to a pulp.
“But everyone has their immature moments when they’re young, right? I did some mischief when I was little too.” It wasn’t to excuse Gong Yuxue; Yan Han just felt that while he remembered, Lin Jianlu wouldn’t hold such a grudge about things that happened when he was a toddler…
“But she’s different from you,” Lin Jianlu said.
“How so?” Yan Han asked.
Gong Yuxue listened silently.
Lin Jianlu didn’t mince words: “When you see children being bullied at the orphanage, you stand up for them, take responsibility for them, and donate the little money you have to them. That’s the only difference.”
“…”
The contrast was stark. Although Yan Han initially went to the orphanage to complete a mission, but ignoring the mission itself, he treated the children, including Ji Changdong, with utmost kindness and compassion.
Gong Yuxue, however, was different; she went there merely for show.
Therefore, this person who uses charity to achieve her own ends can never be compared to Yan Han.
Even so, under normal circumstances, Lin Jianlu wouldn’t say such things so openly, whether in public or private.
His good manners meant he would never comment on others’ actions in this way, much less compare himself to Yan Han. The fact that he said it today could only mean one thing: he was genuinely annoyed by Gong Yuxue’s harassment.
Or perhaps Gong Yuxue’s words had successfully provoked him.
Having explained everything that needed explaining, and made everything clear, Lin Jianlu said to Yan Han, “Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
“Okay.”
Yan Han had no objection, and the two readily agreed, turning and leaving together.
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