The night self-learning program in Yunzhou Second Senior High School ended at 9:00 p.m. The Ye family’s mansion was located less than half an hour’s drive away from the school. The journey would not take more than 40 minutes even if one were to travel on a public bus.
However, it was now past 11:30 p.m.!
It was only Ning Li’s first day at school yet she had already come home late. How could Su Yuan not be upset?
She simply reacted to the latter’s rage with nonchalance.
“Something came up all of a sudden.”
Then, she turned around, intending to head upstairs.
Su Yuan jumped to her feet.
“Something came up all of a sudden? Do you mean you went out with a hooligan?!”
Ning Li looked over her shoulder to throw the woman an indifferent glance.
A shudder passed through Su Yuan instantly.
However, this feeling was immediately replaced by the fury rising inside her.
People at the Ye family’s mansion grew concerned when Ning Li was not home at the expected time. It was not until Ye Ci made a few calls to her friends that they learned Ning Li had left with a hooligan on a bike after the night self-learning program ended.
“You’re mixing with such bad people at this young age. Is this how your grandma raised you?!”
Ning Li wrapped her fingers around the bag strap over her shoulder. Her beautiful eyes exuded an oppressing indifference instantly!
“You out of all people can’t say that.”
3
Everyone else could criticize Ning Li on her upbringing, but not Su Yuan!
The latter coughed drily all of a sudden. She felt suffocated being placed under that intense, piercing stare.
She pointed a shaking finger at Ning Li.
“You!”
Footsteps were heard shuffling upstairs.
Ye Ci walked out of her room dressed in a pure cotton nightgown.
She poked her head over to look at what was happening downstairs. Upon seeing Ning Li’s silhouette, she heaved a sigh of relief and spoke in a soft voice.
“Big Sister Ning Li, you’re finally back. Mom has been waiting for you all night in the living room.”
Her gaze swept past Ning Li and landed on Su Yuan.
“Mom, what matters is that Big Sister Ning Li is safe. Please don’t get upset.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Ning Li questioned.
Hearing that, some might think that she was out doing horrible crimes.
“Was it you who said I’ve been out spending time with a hooligan?”
Ye Ci pursed her lips.
“Big Sister Ning Li, I didn’t say that.”
“Ning Li! Don’t shoot the messenger!” Su Yuan took a long inhale. “Were you planning to keep lying if Lil Ci hadn’t asked around?!”
Ning Li felt like laughing out loud.
“I didn’t plan to keep anything from anyone. Even though it looks like Ye Ci didn’t find out about the whole picture.
“I’m not bothered by what you say about me, but the Ji family probably isn’t going to be pleased to hear you calling Ji Shu a hooligan.”
Both Su Yuan and Ye Ci froze.
“What? What do you mean?!”
Confusion washed over Su Yuan’s face.
Ji Shu? From the Ji family?
That powerful and influential Ji family of Yunzhou?
Ji Shu was the family’s only son, and he was infamous for being arrogant and wild.
How would Ning Li get to know him?
Thinking that the girl must be lying, Su Yuan scoffed.
“Ning Li, do you think you can get out of this by using his name? Does he even know who you are?!”
Ye Ci silently grabbed onto the stair’s railing for support.
She heard from a friend that Ning Li was picked up by a young man in a motorbike after school.
Her informant had no idea who the young man was and Ye Ci did not enquire further either.
Unexpectedly, Ning Li claimed that young man to be Ji Shu?
However, she remembered that Ji Shu did like riding a motorbike…
Besides, Ning Li, who was new in town, would not have said the man’s name if they did not actually know each other.
Ning Li was uninterested in their reactions.
She was too tired today to waste her breath arguing with these two.
If bringing up Ji Shu was not convincing enough…
She lifted her eyes to look at Ye Ci, who now appeared tense.
“Besides Ji Shu, I was also accompanied by Cheng Xiyue and Lu Huaiyu,” she simply said.
1
A pin-drop silence fell upon the entire villa.
If the women were not persuaded before, surely mentioning these two names would change their minds.
Most importantly, these two men had visited the Ye family’s mansion not long ago, hence they actually knew Ning Li.
She would not be foolish enough to lie about these men.
Su Yuan parted her lips.
Thanks to Ye Cheng, she now shuddered each time at the sound of Lu Huaiyu’s name.
Ye Ci suddenly recalled the elegant, nonchalant look on that man’s face the other day as he leaned casually against the doorframe.
He seemed like someone way out of her league.
However, Ning Li just said that they had spent time together?
An inexplicable feeling materialized in her heart as she clenched her hands into fists subconsciously.
She asked tentatively, “Big Sister Ning Li, I heard the two of them have such busy schedules that many people have to wait months to meet them. Did you just bump into each other by chance?”
The innocence on her face made it look like she had simply asked out of curiosity.
Ning Li narrowed her eyes before replying, “I can make a call if you don’t believe me.”
Then, she retrieved her phone and dialed into it a series of numbers.
…
Ring, ring.
The phone began vibrating.
Lu Huaiyu was resting in the front passenger seat with his eyes closed.
His handsome face frowned slightly. The unrest between his brows hinted that he might be having a nightmare.
The noise interrupted his restless sleep. His eyes opened gradually.
A hint of redness could be seen hidden deep beneath his deep-set eyes. Not unlike a rose that was struggling out of its cage in the dark. It was extremely dangerous, yet exuded a fatal attraction from within that lured others in subconsciously.
He fished out the phone from his pocket. It showed an unknown number.
Cheng Xiyue appeared surprised at the sight.
“Who’s this person calling your private number?”
Lu Huaiyu had two numbers. One that he gave out to the public and the other which he kept private.
Only the few closest to him knew about the private number.
He made an effort to save those few people into his contacts.
Evidently, he was not familiar with this number.
Lu Huaiyu looked at the number for a few seconds before accepting the call, almost out of a hunch.
In the next second, a young girl’s voice sounded from the speaker.
“Hello? Second Master Lu?”
For some reason, her voice sounded exceptionally sweet over the phone.
All of a sudden, he felt something softening in his heart.
He straightened up in the seat. The frustration and dangerous intention between his brows vanished silently, and so did the redness beneath his eyes.
“Hmm?” he replied casually. His hoarse voice was laced with patience.
Ning Li explained the situation briefly.
He chuckled.
“Alright. Pass the phone over to her.”
She handed the phone over to Su Yuan.
The latter remained skeptical. She accidentally pressed the loudspeaker button while receiving the phone.
Lu Huaiyu’s low, lazy voice sounded loud and clear.
“Madam Ye, it’s true that Lili was with me tonight.”
5