Chapter 13: The Truth Revealed
He Fei’s internet café was always packed, and about a third of the customers were students skipping school.
As soon as the discipline officers entered, chaos erupted. The café turned into a battlefield of panic.
Inside a private room, He Fei had his hands all over Wu Li Hong when the uproar outside caught his attention. Enraged, he slammed the table and roared, “Who the hell dares to make trouble in my place?!”
Wu Li Hong’s face paled. “Could it be Chen Xue Wen?”
He Fei was stunned. “No way. That punk wouldn’t dare step foot in here.”
Before they could make sense of the situation, one of He Fei’s lackeys burst in. “Brother Fei! We’ve got trouble! Discipline officers from multiple schools are raiding the café to catch students!”
He Fei shuddered. “Damn it! Why now?”
His internet café was an illegal operation, but until now, nobody had interfered. With this many discipline officers barging in, the authorities might get involved. That was the last thing he needed.
Quickly, he grabbed a few packs of high-end cigarettes and a stack of cash. “Let’s go check it out.”
Wu Li Hong started to follow, but as she reached the door, she spotted Director Wang—her former school’s discipline officer.
Her face turned ghostly white. She immediately shrank back. “I… I’m not going.”
Back in school, Director Wang had disciplined her countless times. She wasn’t about to run into him now, even if she had dropped out.
He Fei nodded. He didn’t want her attracting any unnecessary trouble. With a few of his men, he went out to smooth things over with the officers.
Meanwhile, the captured students trembled in fear, standing silently as they awaited their fate.
With everyone focused on the unfolding drama, Chen Xue Wen stealthily slipped through the café and entered He Fei’s private room.
Wu Li Hong, peeking from behind the door to monitor the situation, was oblivious to the danger creeping up behind her.
In a flash, Chen Xue Wen grabbed her, covering her mouth with one hand and pressing a Bone Cutting Knife against her throat with the other.
“Make a sound, and you die,” his voice was chilling.
The blade nicked her pale skin, and crimson dripped down her neck.
Wu Li Hong’s eyes filled with terror. She trembled but nodded submissively.
Keeping the knife pressed against her, Chen Xue Wen wrapped an arm around her shoulder, making them appear like a couple. With the knife hidden against her waist, he led her silently through the back exit.
If she dared resist, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.
Whether it was fear or resignation, Wu Li Hong didn’t fight back. Chen Xue Wen had no trouble smuggling her out of the internet café.
By then, night had fallen. Sticking to the shadows and avoiding crowded areas, he led her through dimly lit alleys until they reached the abandoned brick factory.
Finally, he exhaled in relief.
He threw Wu Li Hong onto the ground and loomed over her, gripping the Bone Cutting Knife tightly.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked darkly.
Wu Li Hong slowly sat up, gasping for breath, her chest rising and falling.
But Chen Xue Wen’s gaze held nothing but hatred.
“I asked you a question. Answer me!” His voice turned colder.
Wu Li Hong let out a bitter laugh. “We were classmates for five years. How could I not know you?”
Chen Xue Wen stiffened. “Five years?”
Wu Li Hong looked at him intently. “Have you forgotten? Three years in primary school. Two years in high school.”
Chen Xue Wen frowned. He barely remembered his primary school days. But hearing her words only fueled his rage.
“Five years as classmates, and this is how you repay me?” he snarled. “You sold me out. Framed me. Sent me to prison!”
Wu Li Hong laughed bitterly. “You think I framed you?”
She shook her head. “Chen Xue Wen, do you really believe I have the power to pull that off?”
“Seven witnesses, each bribed with at least twenty thousand. That’s one hundred forty thousand total.”
“And that’s just the start. Buying off the right people, covering everything up—it took at least six to seven hundred thousand.”
“If I had that kind of money, do you think I’d still be working in a sleazy internet café?”
Chen Xue Wen’s eyes darkened. “Then who set me up?”
Wu Li Hong sighed. “Forget it, Chen Xue Wen. Even if you knew, you couldn’t do anything about it.”
“You managed to escape. Just run far away. Live your life. If you keep digging, you’ll end up dead.”
Chen Xue Wen let out a cold laugh. “You think I care about my life?”
“My parents are dead. My future was destroyed. Even if I survive, what’s the point?”
“The only thing keeping me going is revenge!”
Wu Li Hong looked at him deeply and sighed. “Since you’re so determined, I won’t hide it anymore.”
“The one who framed you… was Zhou Hao.”
Chen Xue Wen froze. “Zhou… Zhou Hao?”
“Which Zhou Hao?”
Wu Li Hong scoffed. “The same Zhou Hao from our class. The one whose father is a wealthy businessman in Peaceful City.”
Chen Xue Wen’s expression darkened.
He knew Zhou Hao. The guy had always been a rich, arrogant brat, throwing his weight around school. But they had barely interacted.
“I never crossed him. Why would he frame me?”
Wu Li Hong sighed. “It wasn’t intentional. Do you think he wanted to waste six to seven hundred grand on ruining your life?”
“It was just… bad luck.”
Chen Xue Wen narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Wu Li Hong hesitated, then spoke. “Do you remember that night you got drunk and confessed to the School Beauty?”
Chen Xue Wen’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Wu Li Hong continued, “She was already with Zhou Hao. He even got her an apartment outside of school.”
Chen Xue Wen’s heart twisted.
He had admired the School Beauty for three years, never knowing she was already someone else’s woman.
Wu Li Hong sighed. “That night, after the party, she went to find Zhou Hao. But he was entertaining some out-of-town guests—rich second-generation brats.”
“They were drunk. They were also addicts. And that night… they played too rough and killed her.”
Chen Xue Wen was stunned. “What…?”
Wu Li Hong sneered. “Do you really think she was some innocent angel? She was just another toy to Zhou Hao. He had dozens of girls like her.”
“The people he entertained that night paid high prices. She agreed to be with them voluntarily.”
“But they went too far and killed her.”
Chen Xue Wen staggered back, his worldview shattering.
The School Beauty he had loved so dearly… was nothing like he had imagined.
It took him a long moment to recover. He took a deep breath. “Then… why was I blamed?”
Wu Li Hong looked at him. “Someone had to take the fall. You were just the unlucky scapegoat.”
“You had just confessed to her that night. You were drunk. It was easy for them to spin a story of a rejected lover turning violent.”
“They drugged you, set up the crime scene, and bought off the witnesses.”
Chen Xue Wen clenched his fists.
Finally, he understood everything.
Zhou Hao. It was all his doing.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation