CHAPTER 155: 154: THE CIRCLE THAT CAN’T BE APPROACHED (THIRD UPDATE) REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS

Xiang Weilai glanced at Liu Zhiyuan with a faint smile and didn’t say much more, but Sun Mingjie brought up that Liu Rui had also been assigned to that class.

"It’s best to let Xiao Rui know to stay away from Ye Ling, she’s quite the troublemaker." Sun Mingjie had never liked Ye Ling.

Xiang Weilai gave him a glance without saying anything, but the smile on his face faded quite a bit. By noon when school was out, Liu Zhiyuan and a few others were indeed waiting outside the freshman class. Liu Zhiyuan was recognized as one of the good-looking guys in school, and standing there, he couldn’t help but attract the surprised attention of the new freshmen, who kept sneaking glances at him. However, in this era, people were more reserved and didn’t express it openly.

Liu Rui came out of the classroom and saw her older brother. She walked over with a smile, "Brother, didn’t I tell you to wait for me at the school gate? Why are you here?"

Liu Rui didn’t want her classmates to know that the beloved prodigy Liu Zhiyuan was her brother. But now it seemed impossible to keep it a secret.

"Liu Rui, is that your brother?" Both Ji Hong and Wang Xiaohong had a look of disbelief.

Only then did Liu Rui introduce them two, and Liu Zhiyuan just nodded slightly to them and then asked his sister to go home with him. After leaving the school and parting ways, Ji Hong pulled Wang Xiaohong aside and asked, "Who’s that guy next to Liu Rui’s brother who’s always smiling?"

Wang Xiaohong, though ignorant about other things in school, had a clear take on this, "I think his name is Xiang Weilai. I heard he’s nice to everyone."

"I really didn’t expect Liu Rui to keep it so tight, even though that’s her brother, she didn’t say anything." Ji Hong suddenly remembered something, "You said Ye Ling also went to middle school at this school, so does she know Liu Rui as well?"

"She’s just an ordinary person, while Ye Ling is a child of a military family. How could they know each other? I heard the kids from military families have quite an ego and they always form their own groups, never interacting with people like us."

Ji Hong felt a bit down hearing this, "But Liu Rui doesn’t seem like that kind of person."

"I don’t know about that." Wang Xiaohong didn’t dare suggest that maybe Liu Rui found it hard to refuse, all because they were the ones who approached her first.

With a gentle appearance, dressed well and polite, such a girl clearly had a family with good conditions. Ji Hong always felt her family was wealthy and disdained associating with those less well-off, so she categorized Liu Rui as part of the wealthy class and befriended her. As for Wang Xiaohong, it was only because they shared a dormitory, and Ji Hong felt lonely that she also befriended Wang Xiaohong, whom she only ever treated as a little follower, never as a true friend.

Having learned about Liu Zhiyuan, Liu Rui became more popular among the girls when she came to class in the afternoon. After class, numerous people gathered around her, asking her all sorts of questions, but Liu Rui just smiled quietly without saying much. Eventually, the curiosity wore off, and Liu Rui’s life returned to normal.

Meanwhile, Zhou Haiying found out from Zhang Zhenlian that Ye Ling was also from a military family and quietly spread this news. Everyone was surprised, as Ye Ling was known for being a loner who never interacted with others, so it seemed unlikely she was from a military family. However, the truth was confirmed through Zhao Guodong.

Apparently, during a class break, Si Daochen accidentally knocked Zhao Guodong’s book to the ground and was immediately punched by Zhao Guodong. Seeing the fight, their classmates quickly pulled them apart, or rather held Zhao Guodong back, as Si Daochen’s cheek was already swollen.

"I told you to stay away from me. Didn’t I?" Due to the rumors, Zhao Guodong had been displeased with Si Daochen for a while.

Si Daochen knew Zhao Guodong was picking a fight. He hadn’t touched the book, it was Zhao Guodong who pushed it to the ground as he walked by, and then punched him without a word--wasn’t it intentional? Seeing Zhao Guodong act like this, Si Daochen suddenly thought of Ye Ling. Was all this orchestrated by Ye Ling and passed on to Zhao Guodong?

Despite being hit by Zhao Guodong, Si Daochen didn’t look at him. Instead, he turned to glare at Ye Ling, who happened to look back to see what was going on. As Ye Ling met his gaze, Si Daochen gave him a fierce look. Ye Ling raised an eyebrow, recalling what Zhang Linong told him, and understood.

At this moment, Zhang Linong stood up and grabbed Zhao Guodong, "Dongzi, let it go."

Zhao Guodong glared coldly at Si Daochen, "You better behave yourself from now on."

Originally, Si Daochen didn’t want to say anything. They had the numbers and were from the city, while he was an outsider who naturally didn’t dare argue. But seeing Ye Qian suddenly appear at the door, Si Daochen didn’t want Ye Qian to see him being so cowardly, so he shouted, "Zhao Guodong, don’t go too far. Don’t think everyone in the class fears you, I’m not afraid. Let me tell you, this isn’t the military compound or your home. This is school, a place for learning, not for gang formation and bullying."

The noisy class instantly fell silent.

Everyone looked at Si Daochen, this usually quiet guy, revealing that he too had his breaking point—it seemed he had truly been pushed to the edge.

"Do you really think I won’t hit you?" Zhao Guodong pushed Zhang Linong aside and stepped up again.

Ye Qian had originally come to find Liu Rui, and seeing this scene, couldn’t help but speak up crisply, "Stop."

The sudden female voice drew all eyes her way again.

Ye Qian bit her lip shyly, and meekly said to Zhao Guodong, "Brother Guodong, Si Daochen and our family used to be from the same village. If there’s any misunderstanding, it should be talked out, for my sister’s sake, you shouldn’t have hit him. Back in the village, Si Daochen and my sister got along well."

Ye Qian was clearly trying to mediate, but she had brought Ye Ling into the conversation.

Si Daochen believed all of this was caused by Ye Ling, so he wasn’t pleased to be tangled up with her, "Ye Qian, there’s no need to say more, I’m not familiar with Ye Ling, nor do I need any favors from him. I have done nothing wrong, even if reported to the teacher, I’m not in the wrong."

Hearing it was related to Ye Ling, the crowd was once again startled. Some looked over at Ye Ling, finally confirming that she really was from a military family. After all, Zhao Guodong and his peers were known to be from the military family class. Now, asking Zhao Guodong to view it as a favor to Ye Ling, how did Ye Ling know Zhao Guodong? Upon recalling rumors about Ye Ling asking someone from the compound to bully new students, everyone grasped the situation.

Zhao Guodong, having initially calmed down from Ye Qian’s words, saw Si Daochen belittling Ye Ling and kicked without saying another word, causing chaos in the class. (To be continued. If you like this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)