Chapter 48: Li Songsong

“A friend gave it to me,” Cheng Yuan said after a moment’s pause. “A pen pal.”

She had prepared this excuse in advance, knowing she’d need to explain things to Bei Xiaolin.

“Since when do you have a pen pal?” Bei Xiaolin asked, confused. “We’re together all the time—how come I’ve never heard about this?”

“All you ever think about is games,” Cheng Yuan shot back, rolling her eyes. “Would you even notice anything else?”

Though she was lying, her tone was confident. Their conversations rarely strayed from gaming, so she wasn’t worried about being exposed.

In the game world, separated by a network cable, she felt a sense of freedom. Her usual shyness melted away completely.

“I’ve been studying hard lately,” Bei Xiaolin muttered guiltily, dropping the topic.

“When are you going?” Yu Qing asked. “We don’t have any days off.”

“The 21st, Saturday,” Cheng Yuan replied. “We’ll take the last bus and arrive just in time.” She’d checked the schedule that morning. If they caught the earliest bus back, they wouldn’t be late for anything.

“So you’re planning to stay overnight in Hai City?” Yu Qing frowned. “That’s not safe. It’s too risky for two girls to be there alone.”

“What’s so dangerous about it?” Bei Xiaolin said quickly, worried that Cheng Yuan might change her mind. She was desperate to see Xia Wanwan and wouldn’t let Yu Qing ruin her chance.

“Don’t worry,” Cheng Yuan said calmly. “We’ll go straight from the station to the venue, watch the concert, stay near the station afterward, and take the earliest bus back. We’ll be back in time, I promise.”

She’d already come up with a foolproof cover story: she’d say she was at Bei Xiaolin’s house, and Bei Xiaolin would say she was at hers. That way, neither of their parents would suspect a thing.

Yu Qing still shook his head. “No way.”

He wanted to ask more about the tickets, but Cheng Yuan cut him off. “What, do you want to come with us? Aunt Yu would never let you. And you don’t even have an excuse.”

“Besides, we need you to cover for us,” she added with a sly smile. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to go, but Yu Qing wasn’t as carefree as Bei Xiaolin. If he didn’t meet her so-called pen pal, he’d definitely start asking questions.

And Cheng Yuan didn’t have any answers.

“Next time, when something like this comes up again, we’ll all go together, okay?” she offered, her tone softening. She looked at Yu Qing with pleading eyes. “Please help us out just this once. My pen pal went to a lot of trouble to get us these two tickets.”

Yu Qing: “……” Did he even have a choice?

Two days later, Cheng Yuan received the tickets. After chasing Xia Wanwan across two lifetimes, this would be her first time seeing the singer live.

“Yuanyuan, I love you!” Bei Xiaolin squealed when she saw them.

“Three hundred points,” Cheng Yuan reminded her firmly. “If you don’t get at least three hundred, you’re not going, even with the tickets.”

Bei Xiaolin stared at the two precious pieces of paper in Cheng Yuan’s hand, silently vowing to work harder. That night, she completed an extra mock exam without a word of complaint.

Both girls quietly looked forward to the 21st.

Meanwhile, since deciding to lose weight, Yu Qing had joined their morning runs and added push-ups to his nightly routine. He even resisted temptation when Aunt Yu made his favorite braised pork belly.

Concerned, Aunt Yu finally asked, “Xiao Qing, are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom. I’m just trying to slim down,” Yu Qing explained. “Even the doctor said that being overweight leads to more health issues.”

That explanation put Aunt Yu’s mind at ease.

One evening, Cheng Yuan noticed something odd. Li Liang was acting strangely—skittish, even. He would dart away the second he spotted her.

He’d always been a bit evasive, but this was over the top. And sometimes, when their eyes met, he looked… guilty.

After dinner, she cornered him. “Li Liang,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Why are you avoiding me? Did you do something you’re ashamed of? Or are you bullying other students again?”

She had warned him before—he better not go around picking on the weak.

“No!” Li Liang shook his head violently, avoiding her gaze. “Sister Cheng, I didn’t do anything!”

“Really?” Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

“Yuanyuan, he definitely did something wrong,” Bei Xiaolin chimed in. “He won’t even look you in the eye.”

Li Liang raised his head for a split second before quickly looking away again. “N-no, I really didn’t.”

“Li Liang.” Cheng Yuan leaned in, trapping him against the wall with one arm.

He looked like he was about to cry. He’d been dodging her for days, yet she’d still managed to corner him. Should’ve just called in sick, he thought bitterly.

“Spill it. What did you do?”

The scene looked like a classic kabe-don—except the roles were reversed. If Li Liang weren’t shaking like a leaf, it might’ve even been funny.

“I… I just took some protection money,” he stammered, eyes darting.

“Anything else?” Cheng Yuan’s voice turned cold. “If you want to keep your legs, tell the truth. What did Meng Yue ask you to do?”

Li Liang’s eyes widened. “You know?”

“I happened to see you two meeting.”

“I… she…” Li Liang was completely tongue-tied.

Bei Xiaolin stood frozen in shock.

Eventually, under Cheng Yuan’s relentless interrogation, Li Liang spilled everything. At the end, he added tearfully, “Sister Cheng, Grandma, I swear I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s why I’ve been hiding!”

He felt cursed. He used to walk around like a little tyrant. Now, he was the one being cornered and interrogated.

Cai Yufei and Liu Qiang were useless. He’d treated them to countless meals, but when the going got tough, they vanished like smoke.

“Li Liang, are you seriously telling the truth?” Bei Xiaolin’s eyes nearly bulged. “Meng Yue is really that ruthless?”

Everyone knew Meng Yue was pretty, rich, and pampered. She always looked like a refined young lady, but Bei Xiaolin had long seen through her act.

Still, she hadn’t expected this—hiring thugs to ruin Cheng Yuan’s reputation and then spreading it through the school. That was basically forcing her to transfer out of First High!

“You really can’t judge a book by its cover,” Cheng Yuan said calmly. “She’s done worse things before.”

In her past life, she’d even heard of Meng Yue getting beaten up for being a homewrecker. The wife’s screams still echoed in her memory—something about how Meng Yue had ruined her womb.

“That’s terrifying,” Bei Xiaolin whispered, drawing a sharp breath.

“Grandma, I’ve told you everything. Can I go now?” Li Liang pleaded. “I promise I won’t mess with you again.”

To him, Cheng Yuan was scarier than Meng Yue.