Chapter 15

Liu Sihui held the expulsion notice in her hand and looked ingratiatingly at the balding, round-faced middle-aged man in front of her. “Uncle, you can’t just ignore me. I’m graduating this year. I can’t be expelled like this.”

The bald man was Xuanfeng’s director of academic affairs. It was precisely because Liu Sihui had this uncle, the director, protecting her that she had been able to throw her weight around at school without facing much blame.

“So you do know you’re graduating this year,” the bald man said. “Since you knew that, why didn’t you behave yourself? I warned you many times to keep a low profile and stop causing trouble.”

The bald man sat behind his office desk with one leg crossed over the other and shook his head. “It’s too late to say anything now. I can’t help you with this. Pack your things and go home.”

Liu Sihui tossed the expulsion notice aside, ran to his side, shook his arm, and acted spoiled. “Uncle, please help me think of another way. I know you must still have a way. As long as I’m not expelled this time, I’ll definitely stay quiet from now on. I absolutely won’t cause trouble ever again.”

The bald man pulled his hand back, his expression dark. “I’ll tell you the truth. A strict order came down from above. It’s not just you. Every one of those lackeys of yours will be dealt with too. Some will withdraw, some will be expelled. In short, not a single one will be left.”

Liu Sihui scratched her head full of green hair and said irritably, “What exactly does Zhong Yingzhi want? I hit her person, but didn’t she hit me too? Wasn’t that enough for her to vent her anger? Why does she keep clinging to me and refusing to let me go?”

Liu Sihui rolled up her sleeve and stretched her arm in front of the bald man. It was covered in marks from the stick. “Uncle, look. The wounds on my arm and body were all from Zhong Yingzhi beating me with a stick. I’m very wronged too.”

The bald man slapped the desk with a bang, as if he had reached the limit of his patience, and said angrily, “Wronged? What are you wronged about? I’m the one who should feel wronged. I was supposed to be promoted to vice principal next year, but because of this matter, my promotion has been postponed indefinitely. I’m not even sure whether I can keep my position as director of academic affairs. And your father too—your father’s company is about to go bankrupt. Do you know that?”

“What?” Liu Sihui’s eyes filled with shock. “The company was doing perfectly fine. Why would it go bankrupt? How is that possible?”

The bald man suppressed his anger. “What’s impossible about it? If Zhong Yingzhi wants to do this, your father’s small company is no unauthorized copydifferent from an ant. It can be crushed under one foot without even having the chance to resist.”

Liu Sihui stumbled back several steps, her eyes full of regret and helplessness. Why had she been stupid enough to provoke Mu Cheng? Now her uncle would not care about her anymore, and her father’s company was about to collapse too.

She had fallen straight from the heights into the depths. Everything had happened in an instant.

Liu Sihui was expelled, and the little lackeys around her were all forced to withdraw from school as well. That foul, chaotic delinquent gang was uprooted completely, and the students who had suffered under their bullying all broke into smiles, cheering over it repeatedly.

On the school track, several girls were gathered together chatting.

“Have you heard? Liu Sihui was expelled.”

“Not only was she expelled, but all those little lackeys around her were forced to withdraw too.”

“That really is good news. We suffered plenty because of them before. They threw their weight around at school and treated a chicken feather like an imperial decree. Now they’re suffering the consequences of their own actions. Serves them right.”

“Why were they expelled? I remember the school didn’t really manage them much before.”

“What else could it be? They offended Zhong Yingzhi. Didn’t you see it that day? When Zhong Yingzhi carried Mu Cheng to the infirmary, her face was so dark she looked like she wanted to kill someone.”

“What’s her relationship with Mu Cheng…”

Mu Cheng came over for her morning run, and the moment she arrived, she heard those discussions. She coughed lightly, interrupting their gossip.

Hearing the sound, the people talking all looked over. They immediately fell silent and scattered.

Liu Sihui had been throwing her weight around at school for a very long time. In the past, the worst punishment she received was a demerit. Now, she had actually been expelled outright. As for who had helped behind the scenes, that went without saying.

Mu Cheng’s gaze drifted toward Zhong Yingzhi, who was jogging.

Mu Cheng broke into a grin and hurried to catch up beside her. “Why didn’t you wait for me today? Didn’t we already agree before? We’re supposed to run together in the morning.”

Zhong Yingzhi swept a cool glance at her. “When did I ever agree with you?”

Mu Cheng giggled twice. “Then it’s not too late to agree now. You have to wait for me tomorrow.”

Zhong Yingzhi did not speak. No one knew whether she had agreed or simply disdained talking to her at all.

Zhong Yingzhi swung her arms in small movements, looking straight ahead, her breathing steady. Even after three laps, she still had energy to spare.

Mu Cheng had only run half a lap beside her before she started panting nonstop, exhausted beyond measure. Despite being tired, she still did not forget to ask, “Was Liu Sihui’s expulsion your doing?”

Zhong Yingzhi did not answer, and Mu Cheng did not care about her coldness either. She continued, “Next month, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Zhong Yingzhi stopped and turned her head to look at her. With [Read on BaiLianTales]a serious expression, she asked, “Are you asking me out?”

Mu Cheng froze at the question, then laughed in amusement. “What asking out? What direction are you thinking in again? I’m treating you to a meal to thank you. It’s basic human courtesy, okay?”

Zhong Yingzhi gave a soft scoff and continued jogging. “Aren’t you broke?”

Mu Cheng said, “That’s why I said I’ll treat you next month. Although I can’t afford shark fin or bird’s nest, a small restaurant or roadside stall is still no problem. Don’t look down on it either. You have to look at it from another angle. The gift may be light, but the sentiment is heavy…”

Mu Cheng was speaking politely, but Zhong Yingzhi was truly someone who did not understand polite talk.

Zhong Yingzhi said, “Since the gift is too light, you might as well not give it at all.”

Mu Cheng did not argue with her and laughed. “I have an even lighter gift. I’m going to buy water. Do you want me to bring you a bottle? A two-yuan gift. Is that light enough? Do you want it?”

Zhong Yingzhi returned once again to her mode of ignoring people.

Mu Cheng shrugged and ran to the convenience store to buy two bottles of water.

When she came back, Zhong Yingzhi’s morning run had already ended, and after exercising, she was doing stretches to relax.

Mu Cheng held the two bottles of water and ran up to her cheerfully, handing one over. “I bought this for you. Drink it.”

Zhong Yingzhi did not take [Read on BaiLianTales]it. She said lightly, “You shouldn’t drink water within half an hour after exercise.”

Mu Cheng clicked her tongue and withdrew the bottle. “Don’t drink it, then. I’ll take it back and give it to Pear.”

Zhong Yingzhi’s brow furrowed. She pressed her lips together, raised her hand, and snatched the water away.

Mu Cheng looked at her now-empty hand, froze for a moment, then smiled. “Didn’t you say you weren’t drinking it?”

Zhong Yingzhi said, “I said I’m not drinking it now. I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it half an hour later.”

After finishing their run, the two of them walked side by side toward the dorm. Mu Cheng chattered to her nonstop the whole way. Throughout it all, Zhong Yingzhi remained expressionless and did not reply with a single word, as if she had not heard anything Mu Cheng said at all. Even so, Mu Cheng still spoke with great enthusiasm.

As she talked, Mu Cheng suddenly hooked her arm around Zhong Yingzhi’s.

This was Mu Cheng’s habit. Once she was on slightly better terms with someone, she would instinctively link arms when walking together. Such a gesture was very common between friends.

When her arm was hooked, Zhong Yingzhi’s body stiffened. She immediately stopped walking, lowered her head to look at Mu Cheng’s hand, and frowned.

Mu Cheng clicked her tongue twice. “Look at how stingy you are. Letting me hold your arm won’t make you lose a piece of flesh.”

Zhong Yingzhi pulled her arm back and pushed Mu Cheng a little farther away. She said coldly, “Don’t stay so close to me.”

Mu Cheng spread her hands and smiled helplessly.

When they reached the dorm building, they happened to run into Xiao Xiaoli, who was also heading back to the dorm. Mu Cheng greeted her and, out of habit, hooked her arm around Xiao Xiaoli’s.

Zhong Yingzhi stopped in place. Her expression darkened, her eyes turned cold, and her gaze fixed firmly on their linked arms.

Seeing Zhong Yingzhi standing still, Mu Cheng asked, “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you walking?”

Zhong Yingzhi walked forward as if it were perfectly natural. Instead of taking the wide road, she insisted on walking between Mu Cheng and Xiao Xiaoli. Only after she squeezed apart their linked arms did she stop, finally satisfied.

Mu Cheng did not pay much attention. She turned around and hooked Xiao Xiaoli’s arm again.

A nameless fire rose in Zhong Yingzhi’s chest. Once again, she acted as though it were natural and squeezed between them, separating their linked arms again. After that, she even turned her head and glared at Mu Cheng.

After glaring, she left, leaving only Xiao Xiaoli and Mu Cheng standing there in a daze.

Mu Cheng looked at Zhong Yingzhi’s retreating figure and asked in confusion, “What is she doing? The road is this wide. Why did she keep insisting on passing between us? She even squeezed through twice.”

Xiao Xiaoli shook her head. “No idea. Weird.”

…

As Mu Cheng passed by Zhong Yingzhi’s desk, she caught sight ​bailiantales.com​of Zhong Yingzhi’s ID card lying on top of it.

Mu Cheng’s eyes shifted. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and looked at it.

Mu Cheng thought to herself, ID photos are usually especially ugly. I have to secretly take a look at hers.

But the moment she picked it up and glanced at it, she curled her lip. Who said ID photos were especially ugly?

The person on the ID card had golden hair, blue eyes, deep-set features, and sharp contours. She looked so beautiful it was like an artistic portrait. If there was one flaw, it was probably that there was no smile on her face. She looked cold and icy.

Mu Cheng was about to put the ID card back in disappointment when she accidentally caught sight of the birth date.

The ninth.

Her birthday was on the ninth. September ninth.

Mu Cheng’s heart shook.

Was it a coincidence? The first time she transmigrated nine years into the future had been on September ninth. After that, she transmigrated once on the ninth of every month.

The ninth. Why the ninth? And why nine years later? It seemed every number was connected to nine.

Mu Cheng had always been curious why it was not some other date. Why not the first, the second, or the third? Why did it have to be stolen content the ninth? Only after seeing Zhong Yingzhi’s birthday did certain strange guesses surge into her heart.

Zhong Yingzhi walked over and asked, “Why are you holding my ID card?”

Mu Cheng answered with an unrelated question. “Your birthday is on the ninth?”

Zhong Yingzhi snatched the ID card back. “Whether it’s on the ninth or not, what does that have to do with you?”

Mu Cheng sank into thought. Chaotic guesses flooded into her mind. The time she transmigrated matched Zhong Yingzhi’s birthday. Every time she transmigrated, she always saw Zhong Yingzhi. Everything was connected to Zhong Yingzhi.

Could it be that the reason she had gained the ability to transmigrate had something to do with Zhong Yingzhi?

What exactly was the relationship between her future self and Zhong Yingzhi nine years from now?