Ning Li was scrolling through the comments for a while, and the number of comments just kept increasing. Even the number of shares surged rapidly.
The comments were furious and there were a lot of nasty vulgarities. Some of them were even starting to lynch her through the internet.
Since school bullying was involved and there was video ‘evidence’, a few related keywords quickly climbed up the search trend.
#YunzhouSecondHigh
#YunzhouSecondHighSchoolBullying
#NingLi
Ning Li stared at the hashtag with her name for a few seconds. A cold glint flashed across her eyes.
Pop.
Another message appeared.
[Sister Li, something is not right. Is someone buying out your name in the search trend?]
Something was indeed not right.
The video was released half an hour ago and the uploader only had a little more than 300,000 fans. However, when several verified accounts shared the video, the video had garnered more than 10,000 comments in a very short time.
Then, her name appeared in the search trend.
The snippet only revealed half of her face and it was shot from a lower angle a distance away. Besides those who knew her that could tell it was her, the others would not be able to.
Even if someone mentioned her name in the comments, her name should not top the search trend so quickly.
[Sister Li, who did this to you?]
Who could it be?
Second High was a big school, so it was possible that someone coincidentally caught her in the act and took the video.
However, only a handful of them could afford to spend money to put her name on the search trend.
The video was short as it only captured the moment when Ning Li was trying to scare the girl. Since it was shot from afar, the video did not capture any sound at all.
Anyone who saw the video without knowing the context would assume that it was a violent case of school bullying.
[These people know nothing! Sister Li, stop watching! I’ll get someone to hack the account!]
Ning Li finally replied.
[Leave it.]
After a moment of silence, Ning Li was replied with a bunch of question marks and exclamation marks.
[Leave it?! Sister Li, are you serious? These people’s comments are nasty!]
The people knew nothing of the truth. Instead, they jumped to a conclusion, judging and convicting her based on one short video.
It felt like if they were any later, they would not be able to get justice for the poor girl.
Ning Li thought it through before she added. [Just find out who took the video and leave the rest.]
After sending that message, she put her phone away and left the canteen under everyone’s judgmental gaze.
…
The classroom was usually quiet during the afternoon break.
Yet today, it was unusually lively and noisy.
The students sat in groups and stared at their respective smartphones, gossiping in excitement.
When Ning Li returned to the classroom, the lively atmosphere immediately plunged into silence.
The class all knew about Ning Li beating up the girl, but most of them had never seen it with their own eyes. Moreover, since Sun Quan had intentionally shoved it under the rug, the incident was left idle and everyone eventually moved from the topic.
Unfortunately, this was not the case now.
The video online clearly showed Ning Li beating the girl. Even though it was just a video, anyone who saw it could feel her coldness and ruthlessness.
It looked like Ning Li was really going to push the girl off the rail.
It was unlike any common school fights. The slightest mistake and someone could have died from the incident.
Ning Li seemed immune to the gazes. She simply returned to her seat, pulled the chair out to sit, and tidied her uniform before she laid down on her arms for a nap.
“Is she afraid?”
Cheng Xiangxiang looked at Ning Li in reverence. Her eyes were filled with disgust and contempt.
1
“Lil’Ci, she’s really going to stay in your house from now on? That’s too dangerous! Who knows what she would do to you if she’s having a bad day? Why don’t you talk to Uncle Ye? Tell her to move out from your house.”
Ye Ci shook her head. “She’s my mother’s daughter as well.”
Cheng Xiangxiang widened her eyes in disbelief. “Are you not scared? Look at her, this is definitely not the first time she has engaged in such a violent act!”
Ye Ci tugged Cheng Xiangxiang’s hand and shook her head gently, indicating for her to keep it down.
“Sister Ning Li has a rough past, so don’t say that about her.”
Everyone around her heard what she said, and they looked at each other in silence.
Ning Li’s background was not news anymore.
They understood that a kid who grew up in such harsh conditions would be different. If she were not fierce enough, she would not be where she was now, unharmed.
Cheng Xiangxiang grunted. “You defend her and treat her so well, but I don’t think she’ll appreciate your effort.”
A slight pause later, she covered her mouth and chuckled. “Anyhow, this incident is getting bigger on the internet. Even if Uncle Ye doesn’t do anything, the school would certainly do something. Second High would never tolerate a stain in their reputation.”
…
Yunding Fenghua, Lu Huaiyu’s luxurious mansion.
Cheng Xiyue was sitting in his car when he glanced at his watch.
It had been half an hour, yet the young master had not shown up.
He rubbed the center of his brows and accepted defeat. He got out of the car and walked into the mansion.
Yunding Fenghua was a three-story mansion with a minimalistic design concept, so it was rather plain at first glance.
Cheng Xiyue headed straight to the master bedroom on the third floor.
Under normal circumstances, he would never visit the mansion at this hour, considering Lu Huaiyu’s condition. However, he had made an appointment with Dr. Gu yesterday and it was almost time, yet Lu Huaiyu was still a no-show.
He could only force himself up there.
Right before he could knock on the door, he realized the door was not closed.
“Second Master Lu?”
He walked after he opened the door and looked around. Only then did he see a vague figure sitting at the study room’s balcony that was connected to the bedroom.
He walked over.
Lu Huaiyu was leaning on the rattan chair with his legs extended comfortably. He had a book in his hand.
He must have just woken up because his black hair was still messy.
The sunset painted the sky with a rosy-red color and outlined his silhouette as though he had a layer of glow around him.
His brows were sharp, his nose was tall, and his lower jaw was prominent. His cold and noble presence made him admirable yet distant enough to keep others away.
When he noticed Cheng Xiyue’s presence, Lu Huaiyu shut the book and looked around.
Cheng Xiyue had a vague feeling that Lu Huaiyu had slipped something between the pages when he shut it. However, because he did not get a clear look at it, he assumed that it was just a bookmark and was not overly concerned.
He tapped his watch and said, “Second Master Lu, we’re going to be late. Can you please do me a favor and meet the doctor for once?”
Lu Huaiyu was in a decent mood, so after some thought, he stood up.
He put the book back on the top of the rack.
“Half an hour.”
Cheng Xiyue sighed a breath of relief and followed him downstairs.
The two of them got into the car and the car sped out of Yunding Fenghua.
Lu Huaiyu took his phone out to reply to some messages.
After sending some texts, he did not keep it away. Instead, he played with it, spinning it around as if he was waiting for something.
A while later, when he realized that it was a Tuesday, he rubbed his brows and wanted to keep his phone away.
1
A news notification suddenly popped up.
[Round up for the school bullying incident at Yunzhou Second High! Exposing the fake rich darling in the bully!]
Lu Huaiyu stared at his phone for a second before tapping on the notification.
After a quick look, his presence turned cold.
“Turn around. We’re going to Second High.”