The Unattainable Flower Pulled Down from the Pedestal by Universal Dislike – CH31

Chapter 31

Zheng Yu did not return to the dormitory overnight. The next day, He Qingrui took Tan Ning to the counselor’s office to explain the situation.

Since Zheng Yu was the class monitor of Law Class Three and had more contact with the counselor, and everyone knew about Tan Ning’s withdrawn personality, plus He Qingrui had just transferred in a few months ago, the counselor was skeptical upon hearing that Zheng Yu was bullying and ostracizing Tan Ning in the dormitory.

He Qingrui said, “Teacher, if you don’t believe me, you can ask our roommate Xu Qingyang or the people from the neighboring dorms. Zheng Yu is inherently malicious and two-faced. He’s been bullying Tan Ning since freshman year. Even though I’ve only been here a short time, I’ve heard him verbally abuse Tan Ning several times.”

The counselor still seemed doubtful and turned to ask Tan Ning, “Tan Ning, why have you never told me about this?”

Tan Ning glanced at He Qingrui, who mouthed, “Don’t worry, we have Lin Song’an.”

Tan Ning suddenly felt like laughing.

He was amusing when he tried to act powerful by association.

Not knowing how to respond to the counselor, He Qingrui answered on his behalf, “Because Zheng Yu has been threatening to make him change dorms. Tan Ning felt isolated and didn’t dare to speak up.”

Tan Ning remained silent throughout, which lowered the counselor’s trust a bit. She only said, “Alright, I understand. I’ll verify the situation with Zheng Yu later.”

As they left the counselor’s office, He Qingrui complained while walking, “This counselor is so biased! She’s clearly siding with Zheng Yu. But it’s okay, Tan Ning. I have chat records on my phone where Zheng Yu badmouths you. We have plenty of evidence, so we don’t have to be afraid.”

Tan Ning kept quiet, walking calmly ahead.

After He Qingrui finally stopped talking, Tan Ning looked up at the various shapes of clouds in the sky.

“Hey? Tan Ning, you smiled just now.”

Tan Ning stiffened and quickly lowered his head.

He Qingrui chased after him, bumping his shoulder. “You did smile! I’ve never seen you smile before.”

Just now, Tan Ning had curved his lips slightly—a barely noticeable movement—but He Qingrui had sharp eyes.

Tan Ning quickened his pace, and He Qingrui jogged to keep up.

They were on the familiar tree-lined path between the dormitory and the library. This time, He Qingrui called out loudly, “Tan Ning! Wait for me!”

People who had heard of Tan Ning turned to look, unable to recognize the person walking ahead with his hair tied up, revealing his neck and profile, looking relaxed—the famous ‘autistic’ student from the Law School.

Something seemed different.

When they returned to the dormitory, Xu Qingyang told them, “Zheng Yu just came and took his things.”

“Where did he go?” He asked.

“Not sure. Maybe to his uncle’s staff apartment or back home. His family doesn’t live far from here anyway.”

He Qingrui crossed his arms and said, “He gave up just like that? I’m a bit disappointed.”

Xu Qingyang laughed, “Come on, you feel disappointed? You’ve turned our dorm upside down since you arrived.”

“I’m restoring normal order.”

Xu Qingyang handed out the snacks he had just ordered to Tan Ning and He Qingrui. “Well… let’s eat together.”

Now, whenever he saw Tan Ning, Xu Qingyang awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Tan Ning accepted a bag of potato chips and said, “Thank you.”

Cucumber-flavored Lay’s potato chips.

As He Qingrui and Xu Qingyang chatted about Zheng Yu, Tan Ning stared blankly at the bag of chips. This was the first time since junior high that a classmate had shared snacks with him. He thought such sharing was never meant for him and believed he would never receive kindness from others.

Turns out it wasn’t that difficult after all.

That evening, he went to the supermarket and bought a big bag of fruits. After giving some to He Qingrui and Xu Qingyang, he still had plenty left. He Qingrui asked, “Why did you buy so much imported fruit?”

Tan Ning replied, “I’m going to visit a younger brother who just differentiated.”

“You have relatives in Ningjiang?” Xu Qingyang asked.

Tan Ning paused and nodded ambiguously.

“What did your brother differentiate into?” Xu Qingyang tried to ease the relationship by joining the conversation.

“An omega. Is there anything I should be cautious about in the first few days after differentiation?” Tan Ning, inexperienced, held the bag and walked over to Xu Qingyang, asking, “Are there any fruits that omegas shouldn’t eat?”

Xu Qingyang waved his hand, “No, it’s not that exaggerated. It’s not like giving birth, haha. The day after I differentiated, I went out for barbecue with my brother.”

Tan Ning felt relieved, grabbed his backpack, and headed out.

Watching the door close, Xu Qingyang whispered to He Qingrui, “Actually… Tan Ning is quite easy to get along with.”

He Qingrui raised an eyebrow, “You were brainwashed by Zheng Yu before!”

Tan Ning took the subway to Lin Qi’s house.

Lin Qi had somewhat recovered physically and was daily acting spoiled, saying he felt unwell and didn’t want to go to school. Mrs. Lin, doting on her child, had no choice but to ask Tan Ning to come over on weekends to tutor him. Not knowing about Tan Ning’s relationship with Lin Song’an and fearing Tan Ning would refuse due to time constraints, she even increased his hourly wage.

Sitting on the subway, holding the fruits, Tan Ning wasn’t sure if it was too presumptuous for a tutor to bring fruits to visit a student. But he thought of Lin Qi calling him ‘sister-in-law’—a term that made him feel strange every time he recalled it. His left hand unconsciously rubbed the back of his right hand.

At Lin Qi’s home, Mrs. Lin warmly welcomed him in. “Teacher Tan, only you can handle our little rascal. Come in and have something to eat first.”

Lin Qi was lying horizontally on the sofa. Hearing Tan Ning’s arrival, he quickly sat up, clung to the sofa back, and waved at him.

Feeling awkward and unfamiliar, Tan Ning handed the fruits to Mrs. Lin. “I… I brought some fruits.”

Having grown up without parents around, and with no one to accompany him during holidays to visit relatives, he had no role models to learn from. For a moment, Tan Ning didn’t even know how to phrase this polite remark.

He felt that his three years of studying law were wasted—he could solve problems but couldn’t speak properly.

Fortunately, the family’s nanny helped him out, “Oh dear, Madam, Teacher Tan even brought fruits.”

Mrs. Lin noticed and quickly said, “You shouldn’t have! Lin Qi, see how much Teacher Tan cares about you.”

Just then, a middle-aged man came downstairs. He had a tall and commanding presence. The previously slouching Lin Qi straightened up upon hearing his footsteps. Tan Ning looked over and instantly knew he must be Lin Qi’s father, Lin Yecheng.

The younger brother of Lin Yexun, Lin Song’an’s uncle, and the Vice President of Tianhe Group.

Tan Ning thought that when Lin Song’an grew older, he might be even more imposing than his uncle.

“Yecheng, this is Lin Qi’s tutor, Mr. Tan. I’ve told you about him—he has excellent teaching methods.”

“Hello,” Lin Yecheng nodded slightly at Tan Ning.

Tan Ning politely responded, “Hello, Mr. Lin.”

Not paying much attention to the tutor, Lin Yecheng sat on the sofa and frowned at Lin Qi, “You’re being too willful—not wanting to attend classes whenever you feel like it. Who allows you to behave like this?”

Lin Qi pouted.

“Are you upset because you differentiated into an omega? You’re always throwing tantrums at others and refusing to go to school. In a couple of years, you’ll go abroad by yourself. No one will manage you then; you can act however you like.”

“Hmph! I’m not going abroad. Cousin didn’t go abroad either.”

“I wish you were half as worry-free as Song’an,” Lin Yecheng said, exasperated. “Your cousin is genuinely talented, progressing steadily step by step. He didn’t go abroad so he could take over the company sooner. He’s never had a rebellious phase and balances study and work. The family has arranged a marriage for him—you see, your cousin is only a few years older—”

Lin Qi suddenly turned to look at Tan Ning.

Tan Ning was eating freshly baked cookies handed to him by Mrs. Lin, appearing indifferent and detached.

With an outsider present, Lin Yecheng didn’t want to say more. He tapped Lin Qi’s head twice and went back upstairs to his study.

Mrs. Lin hurried Lin Qi to start studying. This time, Lin Qi didn’t dawdle and closely followed Tan Ning, tugging on his sleeve, “Sister-in-law…”

Tan Ning glanced at him.

Lin Qi corrected himself, “Teacher Tan…”

“Don’t listen to my dad’s nonsense. I don’t believe Cousin would let the family control him.”

Tan Ning put down his backpack and took out his notebook.

“That aunt of mine is quite difficult. She’s very controlling. Every time I go to their house, she criticizes me for being picky with food. I can’t stand her.”

“My aunt never listens to others. She always thinks she’s right. Whenever my mom goes to company events or organizes charity activities, my aunt comes over to interfere, saying my mom is doing this or that wrong. It clearly has nothing to do with her.”

“Although she doesn’t seem harsh and speaks politely, if you don’t conform to her ideas, she’ll immediately put on a cold face. It’s hard for Cousin to have grown up normally.”

Tan Ning’s mood grew heavier.

“Teacher Tan, are you really with my cousin?”

Lin Qi’s question broke Tan Ning’s train of thought. He looked nervously toward the door, not answering.

“Seems like it’s true!”

Lin Qi shook his head happily, “I support you! Teacher Tan, you can definitely outmatch my aunt!”

Tan Ning smiled helplessly.

Midway, Mrs. Lin brought them two bowls of noodles. Lin Qi pouted, not really wanting to eat.

Mrs. Lin patted his head and said to Tan Ning, “It’s a common problem in the Lin family—they refuse to eat noodles”

Tan Ning was stunned.

After Mrs. Lin left, Tan Ning tentatively asked Lin Qi, “Does Lin Song’an not like noodles either?”

“He doesn’t eat it. I learned not to eat it from him since I was little.”

But every time Tan Ning went to accompany Lin Song’an on weekends, to save time, he always made noodles or pancakes. Lin Song’an ate happily and never showed any picky behavior. He even pestered Tan Ning endlessly for a bowl of simple shredded pork noodles with pickled mustard.

He had almost forgotten that Lin Song’an was a young master who had been pampered all his life.

Lin Song’an’s humble and accommodating behavior toward Tan Ning was never about the noodles.

Tan Ning curved his lips into a smile but, fearing Lin Qi would see, turned away to wipe his mouth with a napkin.

Not long after, after Tan Ning had helped Lin Qi review math and English concepts, they heard Mrs. Lin Song’an calling from downstairs, “Lin Qi, your Cousin Song’an is here.”

Lin Qi winked at Tan Ning, smiling mischievously, “And you say you’re not my sister-in-law.”

He stood up and walked out. Driven by some impulse, Tan Ning also stood up and slowly followed.

Eager to see Lin Song’an.

At the stairway corner, as he looked down, he met Lin Song’an’s gaze.

But this time, Lin Song’an’s eyes lacked the usual tenderness and affection because his mother, Fang Jin, was beside him.

Lin Qi also stopped on the stairs.

The three of them fell silent as Mrs. Lin introduced, “This is Lin Qi’s tutor, Teacher Tan. He’s a classmate of Song’an.”

Fang Jin’s gaze swept over Tan Ning without lingering.