Chapter 31: Who Turns Their Back Faster?
Chapter 31: Who Turns Their Back Faster?
Liang Shanming felt a little like crying. He was very upset.
After all, he was considered a talented student of Zongwu Academy. It was already humiliating enough to become an old woman’s lover for resources, but to be seen by the absolute last person who should have witnessed it…
He had originally thought that since everyone was in the same boat, no one should laugh at anyone else. But the woman by Ling Yi’s side was too beautiful!
Why could you, a gigolo, find a stunningly beautiful woman, while I…
In the end, he couldn’t suppress the jealousy and hatred in his heart. After being ignored, he couldn’t help but complain a few words in front of the woman, badmouthing Ling Yi to make himself feel better.
He never expected this woman to completely disregard his feelings and not care about his face at all.
Sweetheart?
Sweetheart your mother!
If there was a crack in the floor right now, he wished he could immediately crawl into it.
But thinking of the benefits this fat old woman had given him, he could only let out a long sigh in his heart, cursing a couple of times… that he would get revenge one day.
“Sis… that’s all in the past, let’s not talk about it anymore, it’s too embarrassing…”
Liang Shanming’s face flushed red. He stammered for a long time before speaking in a low voice.
He knew very well that the things he just said to badmouth Ling Yi were simply not presentable.
What kind of occasion was this?
Once those words left his mouth, even if Ling Yi disdained to refute them, he would definitely be laughed at by others.
Things like Ling Yi relying on being the adopted son of the former principal to act arrogantly and bully others at the academy; being arrogant and lawless; using his deep connections to forcibly charge fees for mentoring students and privately demand benefits starting from his sophomore year…
It was fine to say such things in private, but if brought into the open, they would be exposed in seconds!
After all, none of these things were true.
Even though him being injured by Ling Yi was a solid fact, that was also because of the disgusting thing he did to suck up to the new school leadership.
He could fool others, but he couldn’t fool himself!
The reason he could appear by this fat woman’s side today was also because the aftermath of that incident had kept Zhao Tianping and his group so busy that no one paid any attention to him.
Only after clearly feeling he had no future hope left at Zongwu Academy did he ultimately take this path.
These matters… how could he talk about them?
What was there to say?
“What can’t be said? Just say what you just told me, say it all to them! We are the ones who were wronged. Since when do the wronged have to swallow their grievances? In my life, what I can’t stand the most is this!”
The fat woman’s voice was coarse and loud. She could probably go up and be an auction host without needing a microphone…
As more and more people walked in, she didn’t tone down at all. Instead, she became even more self-righteous.
Her eyes fixed on Qin Jiuyue: “Make your people give an explanation! Why did they bully my sweetheart!”
Qin Jiuyue’s expression remained cold and aloof. She was utterly annoyed by this fat woman.
She had finally managed to become friends with Ling Yi, and now this vile person jumped out to stir trouble. Truly, an ugly person makes more trouble.
Ling Yi stood up. He looked at the self-righteous fat woman, then glanced at Liang Shanming, whose gaze was somewhat evasive. He sighed and said, “Liang Shanming, wasn’t bringing humiliation upon yourself once enough of a lesson? Must you do it again and again?”
“Remember I once told you, don’t be too eager for quick success and instant benefits.”
“Today, I’ll teach you another principle: when facing anything, don’t be in a hurry to draw conclusions. That not only fails to show your brilliance, but only makes people think you are restless and ridiculous!”
“You read only one chapter of a book and curse it as trash; you glance at a person and say they’re no good; you hear only a few words about a matter and spout nonsense.”
“Are you a god? Can you deduce everything about a matter based only on one side?”
“Back then, you misjudged the situation, kicked me when I was down at my lowest point. What was the result?”
“Do the people you wanted to please still pay any attention to you now? Do those who were once close friends with you still dare to be your friend?”
“I thought after going through such a lesson, you would become a bit more mature. But you’re still the same, with no improvement at all.”
Ling Yi’s tone was plain, his expression very calm. His slightly magnetic voice gave people a comfortable feeling. His words were clear and precise, his Great Qin official language very standard.
Although up to this point, the people present still didn’t know what past grudges existed between the two, their respective behaviors were like clouds and mud—completely different.
The gap was simply too big!
The fat woman immediately wouldn’t have it. She widened her eyes and just wanted to shout with her loud voice, but was cut off by Ling Yi’s words.
“And you, this elderly aunt, whatever you love to do, that’s your freedom. But this is a public place. Even if you don’t care about your own image, you should consider other people’s feelings. President Qin and I are just ordinary friends, here to attend a high-end auction. I am not one of her people. Don’t force your standards onto others, and there’s no need to deliberately act so lowly. It’s useless.”
“As for what exactly happened between me and the person by your side, I suggest you ask him properly in private later. Let’s not occupy other people’s venue here, waste time, and make a spectacle.”
As Ling Yi spoke, he looked at Liang Shanming: “Junior schoolmate, lies are things that are too easily exposed. I suggest you lie less in the future and be more honest. Even if you’re someone’s little sweetheart, you should be an honest one. Don’t you think so?”
A wave of low laughter spread through the hall. Liang Shanming’s face flushed red, like a boiled shrimp.
Qin Jiuyue sat to the side, her expression very strange. She wanted to laugh but felt she shouldn’t. Her cold, beautiful face was forcibly kept rigid.
At the same time, she lamented in her heart: It’s over… I won’t be able to look directly at the term “little sweetheart” in the future…
The “Ling Yi incident” that happened at Zongwu Academy was actually only a few days ago. Although the male lead of the incident, Ling Yi, had never shown up, some people had still seen his photo.
They might not have recognized him at first, but as Ling Yi scolded Liang Shanming, some people finally recognized his identity.
Then, word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred. Soon, almost everyone in the auction hall knew the identity of this handsome and steady young man.
The fat woman had a fiery temper. How could she listen to such words?
She glared angrily at Ling Yi on the spot, stretched out her bread-like fat hand, and pointed her finger at Ling Yi… Unfortunately, her hand was too fat, like Doraemon’s. If you didn’t pay attention, you couldn’t even tell she was pointing at someone.
“You little brat, who are you being sarcastic with? This is how I am! What’s it to you?”
Saying this, she gave a cold glance at Liang Shanming beside her. She didn’t call him sweetheart anymore. Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped Liang Shanming heavily across the face.
Her voice was extremely icy as she demanded: “You lied to me just now?”
“You dare lie to me?”
“Do you know, in my whole life, what I hate the most are liars!”
Fiery and arrogant as she was, a woman who could build a big business, and an overweight woman with a very ordinary appearance at that—how could she be brainless?
Her intention to disgust Qin Jiuyue today was deliberate and had a reason. If she had the chance, she even wanted to provoke Qin Jiuyue.
Then, just as sleepiness met a pillow, it turned out Liang Shanming actually knew the handsome guy next to Qin Jiuyue, and there was bad blood between them!
So she immediately came up with a plan, preparing to thoroughly provoke Qin Jiuyue.
That way, during the upcoming auction, with just a little more prodding, Qin Jiuyue would be very likely to make a mistake!
They were competitors. If you made a mistake, I would have an opportunity!
Her universal values were just that simple and unadorned, and she had been repeatedly successful with them.
But after she made her move, not only did Qin Jiuyue not take the bait, that incredibly handsome guy she secretly drooled over instead parried and struck back. What seemed like a plain but actually vicious slap was thrown right back at her.
She almost had a triple health crisis!
How could she swallow this anger?
“I thought you, a top student of Zongwu, young and handsome, with good skills too… I quite liked you. I never expected you to actually lie to me? Dare to deceive me? What kind of thing do you think you are? Get out!”
Liang Shanming covered his face, completely stunned by the slap.
He himself was the type to turn his back faster than flipping a page. But he never expected that this old woman, who just a second ago was affectionately calling him sweetheart and swearing to get justice for him, could the very next second slap him across the face and tell him to get out.
Actually, with Liang Shanming’s strength, if he slapped back, this fat old woman opposite him would probably lose half her life even if she didn’t die.
But looking at that ugly, twisted face, the anger that had just surged from deep within him was extinguished in an instant.
Liang Shanming knew that if he dared lay a finger on this woman today, tomorrow his corpse might be found in a garbage dump.
“What are you still doing here? You disgust me! Get out!” the fat woman roared furiously.
Liang Shanming lowered his head. He didn’t even glance toward Ling Yi again. He hurriedly walked out.
The fat woman snorted, completely indifferent to the strange looks around her. She looked at Ling Yi, who had already sat back down, and pointed her fat finger again: “Handsome guy, we’ll see about this.”
Then she plopped down onto a chair, which creaked and groaned.
Those who could attend such an auction were almost all people used to social situations. Faced with this scene, everyone soon went about their own business, acting as if nothing had happened.
Qin Jiuyue looked at Ling Yi, sighed, and said softly, “I’m sorry, I…”
Ling Yi sighed somewhat helplessly: “It’s not your fault. That person already had a grudge against me. It’s actually that fat woman… she wanted to provoke you, right?”
Qin Jiuyue nodded and said, “Don’t pay any attention to her.”
After a while longer, the auction finally began.