CHAPTER 834: CHAPTER 834: ADMIRATION TO HATE

There was no way she could control such high-level staff.

Ou Lin looked serious now. "We don’t know who the real enemy is. But we can catch them today—if you play your part."

Qiao Li raised an eyebrow. "And what’s your plan? I pretend to be sad and useless while you spy on people?"

"Exactly," he said with a grin. "You’re good at looking proud. But today, you need to look broken. Let them think they’ve crushed you. Let them come to gloat. I’ll be watching. I’ll find them."

She paused. His plan made sense. As much as she hated acting weak, if it meant uncovering the truth...

She nodded slowly. "Alright. But just so you know, I hate this."

"I know," Ou Lin said.

They turned toward the door.

But then he spoke again, in a teasing voice. "Before you go... can I kiss you one more time and get slapped again? Just for balance."

Qiao Li turned red instantly.

"You seriously have no shame!" she said, trying not to laugh.

She stormed out of the room, shaking her head, but her lips were tugging upward in a reluctant smile.

Ou Lin stood there, watching the door, the red mark still on his cheek.

But his eyes were full of spark.

Qiao Li stepped out of the room, her head lowered and her expression cold and empty like someone who had lost everything. Her steps were slow. Her shoulders drooped. Anyone who looked at her would’ve thought she’d just been kicked out of the whole world.

And people did look. A lot.

Some students stared at her with wide eyes. Others whispered behind their hands. A few even smiled like they were happy about it. Gossip spread fast in schools, and right now, Qiao Li was the center of it.

"She looks... so different," someone murmured.

"Guess she got expelled for real," another said with a grin.

But Qiao Li didn’t say anything. She kept walking, looking like a statue that had cracked in the middle. Her plan with Ou Lin had started.

From a distance, Lin Meimei spotted her.

A wicked grin spread across Lin Meimei’s face. She rushed over, her heels clicking loudly.

"Well, well," Meimei said, loud enough for others to hear. "Look who finally paid for her sins."

Qiao Li stopped. Her voice was soft. "You know what you did, Meimei."

Meimei scoffed. "Oh please. Don’t act innocent now. Everyone knows you’re just a spoiled little princess. You’ve always had everything handed to you—money, teachers, grades. You think life is some fairy tale, huh?"

Qiao Li looked at her calmly. "I’ve never taken your scholarship. You pretend like you earned everything, but I’m still the one who ranks first in almost every class. You only got the scholarship because I turned it down."

Meimei’s face turned bright red.

Gasps came from nearby students.

"Wait, that’s true," one student whispered. "She really did turn down the scholarship offer."

"Yeah! I remember that. She said she didn’t need it and hoped someone else could benefit more."

"That’s... kind of amazing."

One by one, students began murmuring their agreement.

"She’s not a bully. She’s literally just smart and quiet."

"I feel bad now. The forum post might be fake."

Hearing the praise for Qiao Li, Lin Meimei’s hands balled into fists.

"You people don’t know anything!" she snapped.

She pointed her finger right at Qiao Li. "She’s just pretending to be kind! You think giving up some scholarship money makes her a saint? She only did that because she’s rich! It didn’t matter to her! It was just pennies compared to what’s in her bank account."

Silence fell.

Everyone looked at Qiao Li again.

But instead of getting angry, Qiao Li just smiled a little. She almost wanted to say, Fine. Next time, I’ll take the scholarship just to see you cry. But she stopped herself.

Instead, she said in a soft voice, "Now that you’ve got everything you wanted... will you let me go?"

Meimei gave a fake, dramatic bow and waved her hand like a performer. "Of course. I’m generous, after all. Go ahead. The path is yours."

Qiao Li walked past her slowly.

Meimei watched her go with narrowed eyes.

A few of her followers stepped closer.

"Wow," one of them whispered. "I can’t believe it worked. Just one post and she’s expelled."

But Meimei didn’t smile. Her face was serious.

"You don’t understand," she said quietly. "It wasn’t just the post. Someone else wanted her gone."

"Huh?"

"Think about it," Meimei said. "We made a post. Sure. It got some attention. But do you think that alone could get her in front of the principal and ten board members in less than a day?"

Her followers looked at each other.

"That’s... true."

Meimei’s voice dropped. "Someone bigger was behind this. We just lit the match. But someone else used it to burn her down. A mastermind."

A chill ran through the group.

"Wh-what if that person comes after us next?"

Meimei shook her head. "We’re not important enough. They already used us. We were just tools."

Once Lin Meimei had finished her angry rant, she turned away. But her face didn’t hold the same proud smile it usually did.

Instead, it looked... confused. A little sad.

As she walked, she glanced back at Qiao Li’s figure disappearing into the hallway.

For a moment, she remembered the very first day of university.

Qiao Li had walked into the classroom, calm and confident, her long hair flowing, her head held high. She wasn’t loud. She didn’t need to be. She had a kind smile and quiet strength that made people admire her.

Even Lin Meimei had liked her back then.

She admired how smart Qiao Li was. How polite. How graceful. She had even wanted to be her friend.

But then, everything changed.

It started with a rumor that Qiao Li had bullied a scholarship student. Lin Meimei didn’t see it herself, but she believed it. It felt true—because Qiao Li had everything, while people like her had to work for every tiny thing.

Then, one day, Meimei overheard Qiao Li in the bathroom, talking to someone.

She had laughed softly and said, "That scholarship money? It’s nothing. I don’t need it. I gave it up because it doesn’t mean anything to me."

That sentence pierced through Lin Meimei’s heart like a thorn.

She had looked up to Qiao Li, had even written her a letter once, pouring out her feelings, telling her how she felt about the scholarship, about justice, about fairness.

But the next day, Qiao Li just looked at her with a cold face and said, "Don’t send me disgusting letters again."

From that day forward, Lin Meimei believed something with her whole heart:

Qiao Li was fake. A rich girl playing the part of a kind person. A fake angel.

Now, watching everyone praise Qiao Li again, Lin Meimei clenched her fists. She whispered to herself, "I served justice. I did nothing wrong."

With that, she turned and left.

At the same time, Ou Lin was hidden nearby. He had been watching everyone closely.

He had seen Lin Meimei’s anger, her pride, and even the strange sadness in her eyes. But she wasn’t the one he was looking for.

He scanned the crowd. Watched every face.

Nothing.

No one suspicious.

He was just about to give up when—

He noticed someone slipping away.

A girl. Qiao Li’s best friend.

She looked around nervously and walked quickly toward an empty classroom.

Ou Lin’s eyes narrowed.

He followed her quietly, staying in the shadows.

The girl stepped inside the classroom, shut the door softly, and checked both sides like she was making sure no one was nearby.

Then, she took out her phone and called someone.

Ou Lin stood just outside the door, listening closely.

Inside, the girl’s voice was excited. Too excited.

"She’s been expelled," she whispered, almost giggling. "Yeah. For real. It’s finally done."

A voice spoke from the other side of the call, too muffled for Ou Lin to understand.

But the girl nodded quickly. "Yes, yes! I’ll make sure she gets kidnapped tonight, like you said. I’ll lead her to the spot. You just have the people ready."

Ou Lin felt like a lightning bolt had struck his chest.

His eyes went wide.

Kidnapped?!

He almost kicked the door open right then and there.

But he forced himself to wait. To breathe. To listen.

The call ended a few seconds later.

The girl turned off her phone and let out a happy sigh, like she’d just done something amazing.

That’s when Ou Lin moved.

Click.

The door shut behind him.

The girl froze.

Her body went stiff like a statue.

Slowly, she turned around, and when she saw him standing there, her face turned pale. Her eyes widened in horror.

"P-Professor Ou..."

She tried to fake a smile.

"I-It’s not what it sounds like. I—I was just—"

Ou Lin’s voice was low and calm, but sharp like ice. "Give me the phone."

The girl quickly hid the phone behind her back. "I don’t know what you mean. It’s just a normal call. I was talking to my cousin."