I couldn't help but wonder what kind of nonsense was going through Jiang Qingqing's head—was her brain filled with bean paste or something? How could she come up with such a ridiculous idea? I quickly explained, "No, really, there's nothing between me and Zhao Lin!"
She raised an eyebrow. "If you two aren't involved, why didn't she beat you up?"
"How should I know?" I shrugged. "She was about to, but then suddenly changed her mind. I'm just as confused as you are."
Jiang Qingqing tapped her fingers on the table. "That's exactly the point. She went through all the trouble of gathering people, but in the end, she didn't lay a finger on you. Do you know why?"
I shook my head. "No clue."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping. "Because she never actually wanted to hurt you in the first place."
"What?" I blinked. "She never wanted to hit me?"
Jiang Qingqing's words completely baffled me. If Zhao Lin hadn't intended to beat me up, why would she gather so many people? And her expression earlier—I saw it clearly. She was shaking with rage, looking like she wanted to kill me. How could that just be an act?
Jiang Qingqing studied me seriously. "Are you absolutely sure you're not involved with her?"
"Absolutely."
She nodded slowly. "Then I think I understand."
"Understand what?"
"Her real motive." She took a sip of her lemonade. "Zhao Lin was just trying to scare you. She couldn't bring herself to actually hurt you."
I frowned. "That doesn't make sense."
Jiang Qingqing's expression turned dead serious. Her fox-like eyes locked onto mine as she said, "Zhang Cheng, I think Zhao Lin likes you."
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. "Teacher Jiang, are you joking? How could Zhao Lin possibly like me? We've barely even interacted!"
She shrugged. "I don't know the details, but judging from her reaction, even if she doesn't like you, she definitely has some kind of interest in you."
Then her face hardened. "Remember what I told you before? Be careful with Zhao Lin. Don't get too involved with her."
"I remember."
"Well, now it's worse." She sighed. "If Zhao Lin has feelings for you, she's going to keep coming after you."
Jiang Qingqing continued, "Zhao Lin is beautiful—the school's top beauty. You know what they say: 'When a girl chases a guy, it's only a thin veil between them.' If she starts pursuing you, you need to ignore her. Otherwise, you'll get dragged into something that'll only hurt you in the end."
Her tone was unusually stern, almost jealous, which made me raise an eyebrow. Even though I had no intention of getting involved with Zhao Lin, why was Jiang Qingqing being so controlling?
Still, I nodded along, pretending to agree. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."
Eventually, Jiang Qingqing seemed to realize she'd said too much. She sighed. "Zhang Cheng, I hope you'll listen to me. I'm only looking out for you."
We parted ways after that. By then, it was already dark.
As soon as I got into a taxi, my phone rang—it was Yan She.
"Where the hell are you?" she demanded.
"Got held up. Almost got beaten up, actually."
"What?!" Her voice sharpened. "Where are you now?"
"Just got in a cab."
"Don't go home yet." She paused. "Meet me at Time Square. I'll take you out to eat."
When I arrived at Time Square, Yan She was already there, stepping out of her Volkswagen CC in sky-high stilettos. The moment she appeared, she became the center of attention—every head turned her way.
Completely unfazed, she hooked her arm through mine and asked, "What do you wanna eat?"
"Anything's fine."
"Italian, then."
As we left the restaurant, we ran into Xia Shi—with a guy slightly older than me.
"Zhang Cheng?" Xia Shi looked surprised to see me, especially with Yan She clinging to my arm. "You came here to eat too?"
"Yeah, with my cousin."
The moment I said that, the guy next to her—Li Delong, Li Dehai's older brother—glared at me.
"So you're Zhang Cheng?" His voice was hostile.
"Yeah. And you are?" I feigned ignorance.
"You beat up my brother. I haven't forgotten." He stepped closer. "You better watch your back."
I smirked. "Your brother had it coming. If he messes with me again, I'll make sure he doesn't even recognize himself."
Li Delong's face twisted with anger. "You little—"
Before he could finish, Yan She suddenly cut in, her voice dripping with sweetness:
"Oh my, he's absolutely right! Your brother is a bully. Why don't you teach him a lesson?"
Her tone was so seductive that even I felt a shiver. Li Delong, however, looked like he'd been hit by a truck—his face flushed, his stance wavering.
Yan She batted her eyelashes. "Come on, big guy. A real man doesn't wait to settle scores."
I shot her a look. "You want me to get beaten up?"
She giggled. "Of course not! I'd never let anyone hurt my dear cousin." Then she whispered, "But if you can't even handle him one-on-one, do you even deserve the Zhang family name?"
Before I could retort, Li Delong charged at me, his fist swinging.
Thanks to my reflexes, I dodged his grab and flipped him onto the ground in one smooth motion. Xia Shi rushed over, pulling me back. "Stop! He's not worth it!"
Li Delong scrambled up, his face red with humiliation. "You're dead, Zhang Cheng! Just you wait!"
I smirked. "I'll be waiting."
Then Yan She and I walked away, leaving him fuming behind us.
As we descended the escalator, Yan She grinned. "See? That's how you handle trash."
I rolled my eyes. "You just love stirring the pot, don't you?"
She winked. "What can I say? It's a family trait."