CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 96 ALL WITHOUT FALLING OUT

"Classmate An Yan!" Lin Jiahang, Song Yushu, and Sun Wenbin all spoke up one after another.

"Please, give us a chance too! From now on, we’ll do whatever you ask!"

"Yes, for the next four years, we’ll follow your lead and never oppose you again!"

"Classmate An Yan, we come from rural areas. Getting into Luocheng University was incredibly difficult for us. Please!"

An Yan appeared to be persuaded by them. "Since you’re so sincere, I’ll give you one condition. Fulfill it, and I won’t pursue your past actions."

"What condition?"

An Yan frowned. "This condition might be a bit hard to meet."

"Just tell us! No matter how hard it is, I can do it!" Ma Chao was desperate not to leave Luocheng University.

"Alright then, I’ll tell you. I want all of you to admit to your girlfriends that you are jerks, and then ask them to slap you."

"I’m not a jerk," Ma Chao protested. "I don’t even have a girlfriend..."

An Yan shoved her phone right in his face. The screen clearly displayed a photo of Ma Chao feeding a girl.

"Isn’t this your girlfriend?"

Ma Chao looked at the photo, then at An Yan. "How did you get this photo?"

An Yan put away her phone. "If I want to find something out, nothing escapes my notice. Of course, you can choose not to admit it. But if no one slaps you, then you’ll just have to leave the university."

With that, she ignored Ma Chao, twirling her phone as she turned to the other three. "What about you? Any problems?"

All three shook their heads simultaneously. "No!"

They were planning to break up with their previous girlfriends anyway. Admitting they were jerks and letting their exes slap them would not only end the relationships but also allow them to stay at Luocheng University. It wasn’t a bad deal.

"Then go get it done quickly!"

"I... I have no problem either!" Seeing the other three leave, Ma Chao hurriedly followed them out.

In the classroom, Chen Xiangyu hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Classmate An Yan..."

"That won’t work for you. If you want to stay, it’s not about asking your ex-girlfriend to slap you. Instead..." An Yan looked towards An Shimeng. "Chen Xiangyu, as long as you’re willing to slap An Shimeng, I can overlook your part in this too."

"You..." An Shimeng’s face turned pale with anger. But she didn’t dare challenge An Yan right now; she was afraid An Yan would divulge that she had been thrown out by the An Family. So, she could only put on a pitiful display for Chen Xiangyu, her eyes brimming with feigned, sorrowful tears.

Chen Xiangyu avoided her gaze and said, "Does this mean if An Shimeng wants to stay, *she* has to slap *me*?"

An Yan laughed. "Of course not! There’s no chance for An Shimeng to stay! So you better hurry. If she runs away, you won’t be able to slap her."

An Shimeng bit her lip, her face a mask of humiliation, as she looked resolutely at Chen Xiangyu. "Go ahead, hit me! As long as you can stay..."

By asking him to hit her, she could frame it as a sacrifice for Chen Xiangyu’s sake! If Chen Xiangyu actually grabbed her and slapped her, it would be far too humiliating!

Chen Xiangyu shook his head. "An Shimeng, I’ll stand by you! So what if we leave Luocheng University? I, Chen Xiangyu, am a man of my word. I’ll honor the bet!"

At that moment, he felt extremely manly.

An Yan felt nothing, merely offering a sincere parting word, "Then make sure you don’t regret this!"

"Of course!" Chen Xiangyu lifted his head, puffed out his chest, and took An Shimeng’s hand, ready to leave.

An Yan added casually, "Oh, by the way, Chen Xiangyu, An Shimeng has already been kicked out of the An Family. As for the 120,000 yuan she ’borrowed’ from you, she actually took out an online loan. Using your ID card!"

Chen Xiangyu was speechless. He didn’t believe it! He didn’t know if An Shimeng had really been kicked out of the An Family, but she would definitely not have used his ID to take out an online loan.

He hadn’t even left the classroom before he was proven wrong with lightning speed.

The loan company called. "Excuse me, is this Mr. Chen Xiangyu? The repayment rules for the loan you took from our company are as follows..."

Indeed, An Yan had messaged the loan company in Chen Xiangyu’s name, asking them to explain the repayment rules to him.

Chen Xiangyu’s face turned green. "Mengmeng, why would you..."

An Shimeng’s face turned white. She never imagined that An Yan, that bitch, would know about this too! However, at this moment, she couldn’t be bothered to figure out how An Yan knew; she just wanted to get as far away from Chen Xiangyu as possible.

So, she decisively twisted away, about to run.

Chen Xiangyu moved like lightning, grabbing her instantly, his hand raised high...

A smirk played on An Yan’s lips.

But in the next second, Chen Xiangyu lost his nerve. "Why did you do this?"

An Shimeng’s eyes were red. "I have my reasons for doing this! Chen Xiangyu, if you trust me, you should just trust me!"

’If you trust me, you should just trust me’? What kind of logic was that?

Yet, Chen Xiangyu was actually swayed by this illogical assertion. "How can I trust you? I just got a call from the loan company!"

"Do you really have to discuss this with me here, in front of everyone?" An Shimeng pleaded, on the verge of tears.

Chen Xiangyu relented. "Then let’s talk outside."

And so, they left, one after the other.

The crowd of onlookers was speechless. They were tempted to follow them out and watch the drama, but unfortunately, the teacher had already arrived.

Mu Enyu frowned and whispered to An Yan, "Is Chen Xiangyu an idiot? An Shimeng used his ID for an online loan, and he’s not even angry?"

"He’s not an idiot," An Yan replied. "He’s trying to prove his love for An Shimeng through shared adversity!"

His chances of staying were slim now anyway; he might as well cling to An Shimeng’s coattails. After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse! He probably figured he could get more out of An Shimeng. And An Shimeng had seen right through him long ago. They were both scheming, and in the end...

An Yan furrowed her brows. She had known An Shimeng would be up to no good, but she hadn’t expected her target to be their father—the man who had always treated An Shimeng so well!

But no matter. With her around, those two were doomed to fail! This was also a perfect opportunity to completely sever the last shred of affection her father held for An Shimeng and her mother!

After calculating the date they planned to make their move, An Yan set a reminder on her phone and attended her classes with peace of mind.

「In the blink of an eye, the morning passed.」

She had no classes in the afternoon, so after lunch with her deskmate, An Yan headed to her private lab.

First, she checked the materials in the Petri dishes and recorded the relevant data. Then, she moved to the blood sample storage area.

Upon opening the cabinet, An Yan froze. The blood sample from Li Tianyao that had been stored there was gone!

An Yan turned to the computer and pulled up the lab’s surveillance footage, only to discover that several of the lab’s surveillance cameras were malfunctioning—