Chapter 39: Don’t You Think Gu Yang Is Scary? …
On the way back, Lu Ji kept replaying what had just been said in his head. He didn’t even realize he had already stepped into the classroom.
Xie Wu happened to look up and saw him. There was actually a bruise on Lu Ji’s face, and he looked completely out of it.
“What the hell were you doing?” he asked.
Since when had their school become this dangerous?
Lu Ji glanced at him and subconsciously blurted out, “I was following behind Gu Yang just now. I saw a bunch of thugs blocking him at the school gate, so I went up to help.”
The moment he said that, the other students—who had been minding their own business—looked up one after another.
Xie Wu and Yu Bai were startled.
Yu Bai quickly asked, “Are you guys okay?”
From the looks of it, aside from a scrape on Lu Ji’s face, he seemed fine. Gu Yang, meanwhile, could practically be described as completely unscathed.
They let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Chen and Lu Ran, however, focused on one particular phrase: Lu Ji had been following behind Gu Yang.
So he had quite a few thoughts of his own.
Who knew whether, during that time alone together, he had heard something from Gu Yang?
Lu Ran was clearly nervous.
He was afraid Lu Ji might have heard something he shouldn’t have—something that could tip the situation in Gu Yang’s favor.
Lu Ran’s expression darkened.
As long as Gu Yang was around, there would always be a sword hanging over his heart, never letting him rest easy.
But this incident had given him a reminder.
He had thought of a way to settle things once and for all.
He Ming’an stepped forward, placing both hands on Gu Yang’s arms and carefully inspecting him from head to toe.
Only after confirming everything was fine did his expression soften. “A-Yang, I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. He’s the one who took a hit with a stick.” Gu Yang lifted his chin slightly toward Lu Ji.
He Ming’an turned to Lu Ji. “Classmate Lu, how are you feeling? If you’re uncomfortable, I can take you to the hospital right now. Don’t push yourself.”
Lu Ji mechanically said there was no need.
He was still lost in thought.
“I already checked him. No bones are injured,” Gu Yang said lazily.
Hearing that, He Ming’an stopped insisting.
“What happened, A-Yang? Where did those thugs come from?”
“No idea. They suddenly surrounded me.” Gu Yang’s tone was light, as if the incident meant nothing to him. He didn’t even care to find out who was behind it. “If Lu Ji hadn’t been there, who knows what would’ve happened.”
By the end, there was even a faint smile in his voice.
“Classmate Lu, we really owe you,” He Ming’an said gently. “I wasn’t there earlier. If not for you, A-Yang wouldn’t have come back safely.”
“It’s nothing.” Lu Ji slowly lifted his head. His expression was somewhat strange. “I should be thanking him.”
After saying that, he walked to his seat, only to awkwardly trip over himself again, staggering and grabbing his desk for support.
Those words made Lu Ran’s heart turn cold. He stared at Lu Ji anxiously and resentfully, unable to discern anything from his expression. When he looked toward Gu Yang instead, he unexpectedly met He Ming’an’s smiling eyes.
Startled, he quickly lowered his head.
“I’ll have the school investigate this thoroughly,” He Ming’an said. “This is too serious. If we let it go, someone else might suffer next time.”
Though he said that, he already had a rough idea in mind.
The rest of the class had their own suspicions as well.
“By the way, why isn’t Nie Ying in class again today?” Xie Wu said coolly. “Is he just here to put his name on the roster?”
“He probably hasn’t recovered yet,” Xu Qingfeng said. “After something that big happened, he’s probably still licking his wounds in some corner.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Gu Yang walking toward him.
He nearly toppled over backward with his chair.
As a modern, upright young man, he generally believed in science.
It was just that his mother and grandmother were devout Buddhists. During holidays or before exams, he would also burn incense, so he held a flexible attitude on the matter.
If something went well, it was the Bodhisattva’s blessing. If something went badly, it was feudal superstition.
So far: Nie Ying, Lu Ran, Xie Wu, and Shen Mingjun—four votes. Ying Jiayi—one vote. Statistically speaking, better not get too close.
Thus, he had always maintained a respectful awe toward Gu Yang.
Gu Yang had only intended to return to his seat, but Xu Qingfeng shrinking back like a hamster was impossible to ignore.
He glanced at the doorway, then at Xu Qingfeng.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Under Gu Yang’s naturally cold gaze, Xu Qingfeng wished he could dig a hole on the spot and disappear.
In his heart, he was already praying to heaven and earth. He had never done anything wicked in his life. He just hoped his mom was truly his mom and his dad truly his dad—no hospital baby-swap drama, please!
After staring for a moment, Gu Yang’s inner voice rang out.
[The temple Xu Qingfeng’s grandmother donated money to build—didn’t the abbot run off with the donations in the end?]
[He wasn’t even a real monk. Drank and ate meat freely. At his last temple, he was kicked out for embezzling incense money.]
[He’s really not afraid of divine retribution.]
Xu Qingfeng: !
He slammed the desk and shot to his feet.
He knew that monk wasn’t a good person! And his grandmother had donated hundreds of thousands multiple times!
No way—he had to confront that scumbag monk while he was still around and get every last cent back. He would reclaim everything that belonged to his grandmother!
With remarkable efficiency, Xu Qingfeng rushed out of the classroom.
Lu Ran’s face turned even paler.
Gu Yang even knew something so trivial and random.
Then didn’t that mean… he was even more doomed?
Gu Yang hadn’t wanted to know about this either. But in the original novel, this matter had actually been described in detail for twenty or thirty chapters.
Families with seriously ill patients were always more likely to place their hopes in gods and Buddhas. During temple visits, Song Yinxing had met Xu Qingfeng’s grandmother a few times. He later helped her recover the swindled money and brought the fake monk to justice, forming a good karmic bond.
Gu Yang had nearly fallen asleep reading those long, tedious chapters.
If this were a physical book, he would’ve torn out those irritating pages with a cold face while reading.
—
After school, everyone in the class packed up to go home. It was Friday, so there was more to bring back.
Yu Bai stepped out midway to take a phone call.
It was his father.
“What am I doing? I’m at school.” Yu Bai leaned against the railing. “Oh, you’re going on a business trip to Nancheng? Bring back some roast duck from there when you return—I love it.”
He listened to his old father ramble on—asking how school had been, how his social life was going.
He knew his dad was probably bored in the car, but he chatted patiently.
“The proposal you had someone make last time? Yeah. Gu Yang hasn’t checked the file yet, but he said it was good. He probably forwarded it to himself to read later.” Yu Bai sounded uncertain.
His family ran an internet talent agency company. It hadn’t been established for very long. He had worried their work wouldn’t impress an old-money family like the Gu Group.
But Gu Yang had said it was fine.
Surely he wouldn’t cause trouble over something that would be presented to elders and senior executives at home… right?
Besides, the proposal had been crafted by their company’s planning director and an excellent team.
Yu Bai reassured himself. His father praised him for knowing how to handle things—this was how classmates should help each other.
If they hadn’t known the young master of the Gu family, they wouldn’t have even gotten the contact information for that independent brand studio’s partner, much less discussed collaboration.
Sometimes, just having an intermediary provide contact information was already building a bridge. The introduced party would be willing to give face.
His father grew more and more pleased, telling him to keep an eye out for classmates in need and seize opportunities to lend a hand—so he could achieve “a father rising through his son.”
Yu Bai smiled coolly.
Difficulties aside, after these days, he had already grasped plenty of people’s weak points.
Just a pity he didn’t have the fate to use them.
As he finished saying goodbye, an arm slung around him from behind.
Yu Bai stiffened.
Who else lacked boundaries like this besides Ye Chen?
“Xiao Bai, you and your dad are really close,” Ye Chen remarked half-jokingly.
Yu Bai forced a smile.
“How many kids are in your family?”
“I have an older sister.” That wasn’t a secret. They were classmates; no need to make things awkward.
“Oh?” Ye Chen said meaningfully. “Sure it’s only one sister?”
Yu Bai’s face changed. His smile vanished. “What do you mean?”
“Why react so strongly?” Ye Chen grinned. “Isn’t this kind of thing common? Are you really so sure your dad hasn’t messed around outside?”
“Impossible,” Yu Bai said firmly. Aside from company matters, his dad spent all his time with family—basically following his mom wherever she went.
Seeing his expression, Ye Chen teased further. “So your mom’s strong-willed? Or her family background powerful?”
Yu Bai dropped all pretense. He slapped away Ye Chen’s arm and turned to leave.
“Haven’t you ever been afraid?” Ye Chen asked. “Gu Yang knows everything. He knows what kind of man Ying Jiayi’s future husband is. He knows Nie Ying is the housekeeper’s son. He even knows about Xu Qingfeng’s grandmother getting scammed.”
“He knows so much. Isn’t that scary?”
Seeing Yu Bai pause slightly, Ye Chen continued, “It’d be one thing if only he knew. But we all hear those things too. Your secrets have nowhere to hide. Is it really good to keep someone like that around, living in fear every day?”
“After all, who doesn’t have something shameful?”
Yu Bai turned around.
His face was unusually cold, his expression subtle.
“Because of Gu Yang’s inner voice, Jiayi could escape a miserable marriage ahead of time. Xu Qingfeng can recover his losses sooner. As for Nie Ying…”
He paused. He truly didn’t want to associate himself—even verbally—with troublesome people. But since it had come this far: “I don’t see how being a housekeeper’s son is shameful. He earns money with his own hands. He’s not the son of a murderer. If he thinks it’s beneath him, that’s his own issue.”
From the moment he could hear Gu Yang’s thoughts, it was like falling into a melon field—gorging on gossip until he was numb.
Even the entertainment news he used to scroll through had lost its appeal. The drama around him was far more fascinating.
With a personality as twisted as Ye Chen’s, it would be strange if nothing had ever happened to him.
“So, Ye Chen,” he asked, “do you have some shameful secret you’re afraid Gu Yang might reveal?”
Ye Chen’s face darkened instantly.
After Yu Bai left, his expression showed no signs of improving.
Failing to stir trouble, he clicked his tongue and turned away.
Meanwhile, that vague idea in his heart grew clearer and more solid.
—
At the front gate of Guanli School, Uncle Huang was already waiting as usual. When Gu Yang approached, he stepped out and opened the rear car door.
“The matter you asked me to handle has been arranged. That student will come tomorrow.”
Gu Yang had only mentioned it recently, yet it was already taken care of.
The man, now past fifty, looked gentle and kind. He had watched Gu Yang grow up, carrying a kind of elder’s affection.
He rarely heard the boy make requests, so when he did, he naturally tried his best.
After confirming the target, he sifted through his network, asked acquaintances to pass along the message, and discreetly concealed their side’s identity to reduce the chance of rejection.
—
Song Yinxing had hesitated when a middle-aged woman downstairs stopped him.
She introduced a tutoring job—apparently a distant relative she worked for had asked around, and since his grades were so good, she thought he’d be suitable.
The student he’d tutor was his age. Quiet, not very talkative, but kind-hearted, fond of small animals—they’d definitely get along.
Listening to her enthusiastic praise like a matchmaker, Song Yinxing felt something subtly off.
But the job did sound easy. After each session, the employer would arrange a car to send him home. The pay was also generous.
He really needed the money.
So in the end, he decided to check it out first.
