CHAPTER 154: 153: GATHERING INFORMATION (SECOND UPDATE)

Zhang Zhenlian was startled when Zhou Haiying suddenly spoke to her. After all, she remembered clearly how Zhou Haiying treated her on the first day of school. It was Ye Ling who swapped her new washbasin to resolve the situation. Since then, Zhang Zhenlian had been avoiding Zhou Haiying, knowing she couldn’t afford to provoke her.

Today, seeing her speak so politely was indeed surprising. "No...nothing."

A flash of impatience passed through Zhou Haiying’s eyes as she leaned over the bed railing, looking down and laughing, "Come on, I’ve noticed you sitting there daydreaming. Is it because of Ye Ling? You two seem quite familiar, yet I don’t see Ye Ling being close to you often. Did you upset her somehow, making her keep her distance from you?"

Zhang Zhenlian realized she was curious about Ye Ling and relaxed her guard, smiling shyly, "Ye Ling’s father is in the military. Her sister and mother are with him, so she has always lived in the village with her grandmother. It was only after her grandmother passed away that she returned to the city. We haven’t seen each other for half a year, so there’s a bit of estrangement."

With just a few sentences, she explained half of Ye Ling’s situation.

Thinking more deeply, anyone could tell Ye Ling was not favored at home. Otherwise, why would her sister be brought to the city while she was left in the countryside?

Zhou Haiying immediately picked up on this, showing surprise, "I can tell Ye Ling doesn’t have a great temper. She didn’t socialize much with you in the village, did she?"

Zhang Zhenlian just smiled without saying anything, letting Zhou Haiying speculate all she wanted. Although Ye Ling’s character was none of her concern, today, because of Ye Ling, Si Daochen was bullied, which made Zhang Zhenlian feel uncomfortable.

Mostly out of jealousy. What makes Ye Ling better than her? Just having a father in the military, which gets all the boys in the courtyard to stand up for her.

Zhou Haiying, now gossiping from the next bed, acted like a good friend with Zhang Zhenlian, "I thought you two were good friends when I saw her stand up for you that day. But now it looks like she was just putting on a show, trying to act righteous and generous in front of everyone. Turns out, you aren’t that close at all."

Pursing her lips as if she couldn’t stand it, she continued, "Actually, that day I was in a bad mood, which was why I kept fixating on it. Thinking back now, I’m quite embarrassed, so don’t take it to heart."

"I won’t." Zhang Zhenlian smiled shyly, "I think your personality is quite good, straightforward and honest, which is better than those who smile with you but talk behind your back."

That comment pleased Zhou Haiying. Earlier, she only wanted to hear about Ye Ling from Zhang Zhenlian. But now, seeing that Zhang Zhenlian’s words were agreeable, she found her increasingly likable, "You’re right, I am that kind of person. Even my mom says I have no hidden motives, being nice without gaining true friends. I think you’re nice, too, let’s be friends."

Zhang Zhenlian replied happily, "Sure, just don’t mind if I’m not very eloquent."

Within an afternoon, the two became like one. Zhou Haiying came from a well-off family and whenever she was with Zhang Zhenlian, she would cover the meal expenses, making Zhang Zhenlian feel a bit embarrassed. Zhou Haiying noticed Zhang Zhenlian becoming increasingly grateful toward her, which also satisfied her vanity.

She got to know most of Ye Ling’s situation, as Zhang Zhenlian didn’t know much. Zhou Haiying sneered, "Look at her getting close to the boys in the class. Isn’t that strange? Why do boys like being around her? It’s not like she has anything special."

"I don’t know." Zhang Zhenlian shook her head, hesitating for a moment, "In the village, she wasn’t close to us either, mostly just good with Si Daochen. Later, due to her sister, she didn’t like Si Daochen either. When school started, Si Daochen invited her for noodles, saying he had given her some exam questions in the past, so they were even. Si Daochen was just being considerate, thinking they grew up in the same village and hadn’t seen each other for half a year. Her family’s hardship was rumored to be due to her sister’s illness. No one expected her to cut ties so cleanly, scared of being associated. But today, when Si Daochen said a few words, a boy from their shared courtyard heard and pushed Si Daochen."

Zhang Zhenlian spoke as if she cared about Ye Ling, but in others’ ears, it sounded different, portraying Ye Ling as arrogant, getting men to bully others. Zhou Haiying increasingly looked down on Ye Ling, once thinking there was something special about her to have put herself out there, but realized she was just this kind of person.

By the second day of school, rumors about Ye Ling having someone in the courtyard bully new students started spreading privately. Ye Ling didn’t know, and had no close friends to hear them from. Shao Guangli and Wan Lihao were inseparable, while Wang Xiaohong got along closely with Ji Hong, talking together all day. They had no idea what they were talking about. Dong Juan kept to herself and spoke little, as did Ye Ling. So any rumors concerning her were hard to catch from the girls.

During a break, Zhang Linong sat next to Ye Ling and recounted what had happened when Zhao Guodong had encountered Si Daochen, including the buzzing rumors, "...It’s not a big deal, you don’t need to worry."

Ye Ling truly didn’t care, but she didn’t expect someone like Si Daochen to speak behind her back, which surprised her. Zhang Linong watched her, "Are you close with Si Daochen?"

Ye Ling shook her head, "Not really. We didn’t talk much in the village. It’s just that out of an old favor, I let him copy some of my estimated questions."

Back then, when she and her grandmother were selling buns at the station, it was Si Daochen who heard the news that the team was telegraphing her father in the city and passed her the message, something Ye Ling was very grateful for.

Zhang Linong nodded. He knew Ye Ling didn’t like to owe anyone, but hadn’t expected Si Daochen to be that kind of person—using Ye Ling’s guessed questions to get into high school, without gratitude, and gossiping. After Dongzi spoke to him, he spread it around, privately belittling Ye Ling, revealing a narrow-minded character.

The matter became widely known, even among seniors. Xiang Weilai watched Liu Zhiyuan quietly and laughed, "I bet someone said something about Ye Ling, and Zhao Guodong overheard, causing this fuss."

"Let’s not meddle in Ye Ling’s matters anymore." Not knowing good from bad, Liu Zhiyuan previously felt some pity for Ye Ling, but after Ye Qian nearly got hurt, he began to feel that Ye Ling was too selfish. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)