After that... Shin-chan stayed in the hospital for a week.
From then on, You Ran began to carry pepper spray with her at all times.
There's a big wolf and a small wolf by your side; danger lurks everywhere, and you can't afford to be careless.
While Xiaoxin was hospitalized, You Ran thought she could relax a bit, but things didn't go as planned.
That day, while she was working in the library, she was called to the principal's office.
You Ran was both nervous and excited; it was the first time she had ever been so close to the school's top leader.
But as soon as he entered the principal's office, his relaxed and excited mood vanished instantly.
Inside sat a middle-aged woman with exquisite makeup, whom I recognized as Xiaoxin's mother. Also present was my tutor, Qu Yun.
"Li Youran, please have a seat." The principal was a chubby man with a round face, who looked very kind and approachable.
Even though the principal looks like that national treasure, You Ran's heart is still uneasy.
"Li Youran, I've called you here today to ask you to confirm some things," the principal said.
"I will tell the truth honestly, without resistance or concealment." You Ran knew the importance of not offending important figures, so she quickly sat up straight.
"Actually, this is a very difficult thing to bring up," the principal said.
He calmly clenched his fist.
“However, I still have to speak up,” the principal said.
Leisurely holding her breath.
“But no matter how I bring it up, it’s wrong,” the principal said.
Youran's bottom started to itch.
"How should I bring this up?" the principal asked.
Your hands are starting to itch, You Ran.
How could she possibly know how you bring it up?!
"So, whether or not to speak up is indeed a question," the principal concluded.
You Ran: "..."
Under the silent, threatening gazes of You Ran and Xiao Xin's mother, the principal finally got down to business: "It's like this, Long Xiang's mother, the lady next to you, came to me earlier and said some things about you. We want to know if these things are true."
You Ran quickly focused all her attention on listening to Xiao Xin's mother's slander against her.
"I heard you work as a hostess at a nightclub last night?"
"I heard you've had multiple abortions?"
"I heard you seduced the naive and innocent Long Xiang? And forced him to live with you?"
"I heard you forced Long Xiang's parents to give you 50,000 yuan as a reward for leaving Long Xiang?"
You Ran had to admit that Xiao Xin's parents were very good at making up stories, and their skill in distorting the truth was also top-notch.
Just as You Ran was about to deny it, Xiao Xin's mother cut her off, saying, "Don't try to deny it. You know what you've done."
You Ran laughed angrily: "Auntie, this is blatant slander. I can sue you for defamation."
"I'm framing you?" Xiaoxin's mother asked You Ran directly. "Are you saying that you and my son aren't together?"
You Ran was about to answer "yes" when she caught a glimpse of someone sitting quietly on the sofa next to her, leisurely drinking tea.
His posture appeared calm and collected, but You Ran sensed that his ears were perked up, waiting for her answer.
Actually, You Ran wanted Qu Yun to mistakenly believe that she and Xiao Xin were together, hoping that he could give up on her as soon as possible.
Therefore, You Ran couldn't deny it in front of him.
Therefore, I remained calm and silent.
"See? She admitted it herself," Xiaoxin's mother sneered.
"Our school doesn't have any explicit prohibition against students dating, so even if Li Youran and Long Xiang are dating, it's not a big deal," the principal said with a chuckle, like a peacemaker.
You Ran was so moved that tears streamed down her face. "Principal, you are like Maitreya Buddha!"
But before the emotion could last two or three seconds, the kind and gentle principal, with a round face like Maitreya Buddha, smiled and threw out the following questions: "Li Youran, in order for me to make a better judgment, please describe in detail the progress of your relationship with Long Xiang. For example, how far have you progressed? Do you think he is much better than your ex-boyfriend? If your ex-boyfriend comes back to you, will you never leave Long Xiang? Most importantly, if you have any harsh words about your ex-boyfriend, please feel free to say them."
After hearing this, Shin-chan's mother was speechless, You Ran was puzzled, and the blanket in the person's hand on the sofa made a "ding" sound.
Then, it shattered.
Facing the gazes of the other three who turned to look at him, Qu Yun explained casually, "Sorry, my hand slipped."
After saying that, he threw the broken pieces into the trash can and picked up a small purple clay teacup again.
Qu Yun, who is usually calm and composed and could probably remain unmoved even if a pile of dog poop fell on his head, was actually agitated.
You Ran felt it was a rare opportunity.
"Li Youran, could you answer my question?" The principal asked with a smile.
It was Shin-chan's mother who saved You Ran: "Principal, is this question related to this matter?"
"There is still a connection." The principal kept smiling, seemingly without any temper: "If Li Youran's ex-boyfriend is really a beast, then Li Youran's decision to leave him and instead date a promising young man like Long Xiang is quite wise, relatively correct, and quite farsighted. This move is more meaningful and valuable than waking up from a monopoly organization, escaping from a pyramid scheme, or fleeing from a black coal mine."
You Ran pondered these words and realized that the old principal meant that Qu Yun was even more evil than those monopolies, pyramid schemes, and illegal coal mines.
As expected of the principal, he has a high level of insight into issues.
Before she could finish praising him, You Ran heard a "ding" from Qu Yun's end.
Another small purple clay teacup was damaged.
"Sorry, my hand slipped again," Qu Yun explained as usual.
"Principal, can we talk about serious matters?" Shin-chan's mother was getting impatient.
"That's right, it's time to get down to business." The principal was still smiling, his cheeks bulging, making him look like a meat bun. "So, let Li Youran talk about just how despicable and shameless your ex-boyfriend was, how empty he was inside, how strange and awkward his personality was, that made people want to put him back into his mother's womb?"
As expected, with a "ding," the third small purple clay teacup was gone.
The principal's round face beamed with a warm, inviting smile: "Teacher Qu, did you slip up again this time?"
"No, it's just that the teacup is too fragile." Qu Yun chuckled and replied softly, "...as fragile as the bones of a middle-aged person."
Upon hearing this, the principal's round face cooled down a little.
"Principal, I've taken time out of my busy schedule to come here today, so you have to give me an answer," Xiaoxin's mother couldn't help but say.
"Rest assured, I guarantee that I will investigate as soon as possible, and if it is true, I will handle it impartially."
Satisfied with the assurance, Shin-chan's mother stood up with an air of dignified composure, glanced down at You Ran, and left.
Facing the principal's slightly wrinkled, round face, You Ran quickly raised her hand and swore: "I absolutely did not drink with someone, did not have an abortion, did not... do anything wrong that violates school rules."
Aside from secretly dating her counselor, there was no rule in the school regulations that prohibited this behavior.
“Although there’s no explicit prohibition against male and female students interacting, judging from what Longxiang’s mother said, it seems you’ve done things you shouldn’t have. This makes things a bit difficult,” the principal said.
You Ran hesitated. To clear her name, she decided to reveal the truth about her and Xiao Xin's innocence, but... Qu Yun was right next to her.
“Unless…” the principal relented.
You Ran was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Unless what?"
“Unless,” the principal smiled again, “you promise to completely forget your ex-boyfriend and believe from the bottom of your heart that he is not even as good as Long Xiang’s toes with athlete’s foot. More importantly, you swear that after graduation you will marry Long Xiang immediately and never look at your ex-boyfriend again, making him pay a heavy price for his arrogance.”
As he spoke, the principal was excited and exhilarated, as if he were seeing a wonderful new world.
With a "ding," Qu Yun ruined another purple clay teacup.
The sacrifice of the purple clay teacup was worthwhile, finally bringing about a serene epiphany.
No wonder the principal has been so hung up on her ex-boyfriend, no wonder she forced herself to speak ill of Qu Yun, and no wonder she let Qu Yun sit here and drink tea.
turn out to be……
“So, Principal, you…” You Ran suddenly stood up, pointed at the principal with a trembling finger, then looked back at Qu Yun, swallowed, and said, “You wanted to keep him as a mistress?”
With a "clink," this time it was the principal's teacup that shattered.
You Ran sees this as a kind of audible tacit agreement.
Yes, the principal has taken a liking to Qu Yun and wants him to follow him wholeheartedly.
His first step was to bring Qu Yun under his control—to become Qu Yun's boss.
The second step was to sever Qu Yun's connection with You Ran—by doing everything possible to make You Ran say that she had forgotten Qu Yun.
The third step is to push Qu Yun down, push her down again, and push her down once more.
Imagining that scene, I felt a chill run down my spine, mixed with a touch of excitement.
"The fat old man in front of you is my dad," Qu Yun said, not wanting You Ran to misunderstand.
Unexpectedly, You Ran's eyes gleamed: "Father and son, older man?!"
Qu Yun: "..."
They've gotten even more skewed.
"This little girl is quite interesting; I like her." The principal's smile widened even more. "So, you must cherish your life, stay away from Qu Yun, and never let him deceive you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the principal was grabbed by the collar by his own son, Qu Yun, and thrown out of the principal's office.
You Ran stared in disbelief at the dramatic turn of events, only realizing her precarious situation when Qu Yun closed the door.
Just as she was about to move, Qu Yun saw through her intention: "I just want to talk to you for a bit."
"Is the principal really your father?" You Ran asked.
"Yes." Qu Yun nodded.
“But your surname is Qu,” You Ran asked, though she clearly remembered that the principal’s surname wasn’t Qu.
"My mother is the head of my family, so I take her surname," Qu Yun explained.
The door was opened from the outside with a key, and the principal's round face peeked out from the crack in the door. He smiled and explained to You Ran, "Little girl, let me correct you. It's because these things that have happened over the past twenty years are all minor matters that I let his mother make the decision."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the old principal was cruelly thrown even further away by his own son.
After closing and locking the door, Qu Yun stood in front of You Ran again.