There were so many people here. In theory, Qin Haiyue couldn’t do anything to her.
But that fear had already been carved into her bones, refusing to go away.
That was exactly why her first instinct was to run away.
However, Qin Haiyue suddenly grabbed her wrist.
She tried to break free, but Qin Haiyue was very strong. Not only did she fail to escape, but her wrist was painfully gripped.
Seeing this, Qin Haiyue frowned.
“Hold her down. I’m not going to do anything to you. You, come over and hold her down.”
“Me?”
Seeing Qin Haiyue turn her head, Lin Ziyan pointed at herself in disbelief.
“Yes, who else could it be?”
Lin Ziyan almost instinctively wanted to refuse. It went against her initial intentions.
But seeing Ye Xingmian’s reddened wrist and the fear on her face, along with the lingering infatuation in her own heart, those words she had just spoken, though meant to push Ye Xingmian away, were they not also her true feelings?
Lin Ziyan lowered her head.
“Hurry up, don’t dawdle.”
“Okay…”
She slowly walked over to Ye Xingmian and forced a very gentle smile.
Seeing this expression, Ye Xingmian saw such a gentle smile on her face for almost the first time, though it seemed a bit forced.
“Sister… can you give me your hand? Please, I’ll be gentle, just don’t move.”
Seeing her like this, Ye Xingmian’s fear actually eased a little. She widened her eyes in slight surprise.
‘Why… Was Lin Ziyan’s earlier attitude just an act? Or was this the act? To win my trust? In such a short time, she completely changed her face.’
Ye Xingmian resisted and only wanted to run. But after struggling a couple more times, Qin Haiyue grew impatient.
“She told you to give her your hand, didn’t you hear?”
Startled by Qin Haiyue, Ye Xingmian was at a loss.
She cautiously glanced at Qin Haiyue, thinking that as long as she didn’t go with her, it should be fine.
So Ye Xingmian timidly extended her hand and gave it to Lin Ziyan.
It felt warm, and really gentle, much better than Qin Haiyue.
‘But why is Lin Ziyan with Qin Haiyue? Could she be in some kind of trouble?’
Ye Xingmian had been through it. She knew what it felt like to be entangled by Qin Haiyue.
Therefore, perhaps out of sympathy for someone in the same boat, her feelings toward Lin Ziyan became complicated.
Lin Ziyan noticed her gaze and smiled at her again.
‘Is this… a sign not to be afraid?’
‘Strange… I was supposed to be the older sister… No, there’s no blood relationship between us. And even getting along has become difficult. I can no longer refer to her as little sister.’
But somehow, Ye Xingmian suddenly thought of that day’s scene.
‘Whether from fact or emotion… Lin Ziyan said she likes me… Is this a confession?’
Ye Xingmian had received a confession for the first time in her life, but it was under those circumstances. Naturally, she didn’t take it seriously, only thinking that Lin Ziyan saw her as some kind of toy or tool for gratification.
Naturally, she never regarded Lin Ziyan as a suitor.
‘But now… has she really changed a little? Even if only a little, Ye Xingmian could feel it.’
“Hey, I’m asking you: you’re not living with the Lin family anymore, are you? Where are you living now?”
Qin Haiyue suddenly spoke.
Ye Xingmian froze when she heard this. After realizing, she remained silent.
‘She didn’t want to answer this question. If Qin Haiyue found out she was now staying at Liu Yinuo’s house, would she cause trouble for the Liu family? Or come to pick a fight? Either way, it would be extremely annoying.’
“Huh? Don’t want to talk?”
Qin Haiyue crossed her arms and frowned.
“…What does it have to do with you…”
Anyway, making her angry would just result in a beating, which was much better than the consequences of telling her. Ye Xingmian was unusually assertive this time.
“What did you say?!”
Qin Haiyue’s tone rose several notches, carrying a threatening edge.
As if Ye Xingmian’s answer displeased her and she was about to get angry.
This time Ye Xingmian didn’t answer. She remained silent.
Lin Ziyan, standing nearby, spoke weakly:
“Um… Qin Haiyue… class is about to start. Should we go back?”
“Hah, no way. Little bastard, are you itchy for a beating? Drag her over here. We’re going to the equipment room!”
Ye Xingmian’s body trembled violently, and fear appeared in her eyes.
Lin Ziyan took in her reaction completely. She lowered her head and didn’t move.
“Huh? Didn’t you hear me?!”
“Qin Haiyue, your voice is too loud. People will notice.”
Lin Ziyan reminded softly.
Quite a few people were already paying attention to Qin Haiyue. Her blonde hair was already conspicuous in the crowd, let alone her current actions. Anyone with eyes could tell this scene was likely school bullying.
Lin Ziyan even thought that someone might have gone to call a teacher. Qin Haiyue wasn’t afraid of teachers, but she was.
“Notice? Hah, so what if they notice? I told you to take her away, didn’t you hear?”
Lin Ziyan pressed her lips together, her arms trembling slightly.
Ye Xingmian was a bit surprised, looking at Lin Ziyan with her head down.
‘Is she hesitating? Maybe if this continues, Lin Ziyan will eventually give in and drag Ye Xingmian away with Qin Haiyue.’
But just then, another person came from not far away.
It was Liu Yinuo. She was holding two exercise books. It was obvious she was so late not only because she went to the restroom, but probably also because she went to the teacher’s office.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
She stood not far away, frowning as she looked over.
Lin Ziyan looked up and glanced at her. In her eyes, it was unclear whether it was relief or pain. She lowered her head again, burying all those dark emotions in her heart.
Unlike her, Ye Xingmian let out a sigh of relief as if she had found her backbone, while Qin Haiyue frowned, looking annoyed.
“Oh, I see. These past few days, you’ve been staying at her house, right?”
“No… that’s not…”
Ye Xingmian instinctively wanted to refute.
“So what if she is? Yes, that’s right! She was kicked out by her foster parents, and my family is temporarily taking her in. What, do you want to cause trouble?”
“Let me tell you, Qin Haiyue! This isn’t your one-man show. You can’t just do whatever you want! Do you think having a bit of dirty money makes you so great? What, do you want to come to my house too?”
“Let me tell you! My house doesn’t welcome you!”
Liu Yinuo walked straight over to Ye Xingmian and pulled her over.
Lin Ziyan wisely let go and silently held her own arm.
Qin Haiyue looked displeased, but surprisingly had nothing to say.
By now, it was almost time for class to start. She wasn’t afraid of teachers coming, but if a teacher informed her mother about this, she would be in trouble. As for her father, he didn’t have many days left to live anyway, so she didn’t care much.
She snorted coldly, glared at Ye Xingmian, and walked away on her own.
Lin Ziyan was startled for a moment, then quickly followed her.
During this process, many people glanced at her. Qin Haiyue didn’t care, but she was in torment.
She felt like a rat crossing the street, being watched by everyone, constantly humiliating herself.