Chapter 35
Chapter 35: She Won’t Go to No. 1 High School
Lin Yue’s temper ignited at the slightest spark. He slapped the table and shot to his feet. “Sis, I’m going to talk to Grandmother right now. None of us wants Ye Wan Lan coming to No. 1 High School.”
Lin Qin sat there, seething.
“Wait—something’s not right.” Lin Yue reached the door, then stopped and turned back. “River City has so many schools. Why does she have to come to No. 1 High School? Even if she wants a good school, wouldn’t an international school do?”
Ye Wan Lan had dropped out for three years. If she went back, she’d have to start over in tenth grade. And she didn’t even have the ability to study—so why enroll at all?
“Ah, Sis—I get it!” Lin Yue’s eyes widened as everything clicked into place. “You won that classical music exhibition award recently, and the main family finally remembered your name. She wants to ride your coattails back into the main family!”
Lin Qin had been thinking the same thing. “Not a chance. I won’t agree.”
She knew Lin Qing Wen and Madam Lin had been trying to curry favor with her, hoping to use her as a stepping-stone back to the main family in Yun Jing.
She loathed people like that—people with no real ability who tried to cheat their way up. Lin Qing Wen and his wife were like that. Ye Wan Lan was, too.
“Of course we can’t bring her,” Lin Yue said with a snort. “I’m just worried she’ll sweet-talk Grandmother until she’s dizzy, and then Grandmother will listen to anything she says.”
“And Mom’s soft-hearted,” Lin Yue added. “If she convinces the two of them, you won’t be able to refuse either.”
Lin Qin’s irritation only grew. She plucked a few harsh, aimless notes on her guqin.
“Forget it,” Lin Yue grumbled, dropping back into his seat. “I don’t even dare say anything bad about Ye Wan Lan in front of Grandmother. Last time Second Aunt said one sentence and got punished with kneeling in the ancestral hall. If it were me, I’d probably get family punishment. Tell me—what makes Grandmother so biased toward her?”
“It is strange…” Lin Qin’s brows knit.
Lin Wei Lan wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell right from wrong, and Ye Wan Lan’s behavior lately really was nothing like the past four years.
Lin Qin kept it to herself, but she made a quiet decision to watch Ye Wan Lan more closely.
—
Saturday morning, No. 7 High School in River City.
In the admissions office, Lin Huai Jin clasped his hands together as if he couldn’t thank the man enough. “Director, I really have to thank you. Otherwise, this kid wouldn’t have anywhere to go to school. I wouldn’t even know what to do.”
“Mr. Lin, you’re too kind.” The admissions director beamed. “You and the child trust our school, and we trust the child. It’s a two-way choice—and that means double the results!”
No. 7 High School was desperate for students. They’d missed their enrollment targets for three years running, and it had been giving him headaches.
“But, Mr. Lin,” the director continued, “for class placement, Miss Ye will need to take a test after she enrolls. Please make sure you tell her in advance.”
“No problem,” Lin Huai Jin said cheerfully. “Give her your hardest questions!”
She could score full marks on No. 1 High School’s mock exams. What kind of test could stump Ye Wan Lan?
The admissions director blinked.
Did this uncle have a grudge against his niece? Was he trying to set her up?
Lin Huai Jin walked out feeling light enough to float. As soon as he stepped outside, he called Lin Wei Lan.
“Mom, I’m letting you know—A Lan isn’t going to No. 1 High School anymore. I already confirmed things with No. 7 High School. She can enroll next week.”
Lin Wei Lan’s voice was calm. “That’s fine. It’s the same wherever A Lan goes.”
The call ended.
Lin Huai Jin took a few steps, then realized he’d never mentioned Ye Wan Lan’s physics level.
Then why would Lin Wei Lan say something like that?
Mysterious.
“A Lan, your enrollment is settled.” Lin Huai Jin nodded toward Ye Wan Lan, who was waiting outside the school gate. “Come on. Your uncle’s treating. We’ll go eat lunch.”
He drove them from the suburbs back toward the city.
“I’ll go order a cake first,” he said. “You go get your aunt and brother.”
“Got it, Uncle.”
Ye Wan Lan wore a straw hat pulled low, hiding half her face. Her long hair lifted and fell in the sunlight as she walked.
“Miss Ye! I finally found you!”
Bing He—who had been squatting by the gate, counting ants—lit up and sprang to his feet. “I was sent on Young—sir’s orders to deliver an enrollment gift.”
“What gift?” Ye Wan Lan lifted a brow.
Bing He hurriedly held out a box. “Sir said that if Miss Ye could call him after receiving it, that would be even better.”
Ye Wan Lan accepted the box with one hand and, with the other, dialed the counseling office’s landline.
The call connected after one ring.
A man’s voice came through faint static, slightly distorted—but warm and pleasant. “A small gift to congratulate Miss Ye on returning to school. I hope you like it.”
“Thank you,” Ye Wan Lan said with a faint smile. “But I’m going to No. 7 High School instead. I’ll only have time for counseling on weekends.”
“The counseling line is public,” the man said. “I’m private. Miss Ye can contact me anytime. I’ll always be waiting.”
On the other end, Yan Ting Feng set the receiver down and tilted his head. “No need to donate a building to No. 1 High School.”
Rong Yu shot up like he’d been burned. “What now, my young master? I just got everything arranged. Why are you changing your mind again?”
“She’s going to No. 7 High School.” Yan Ting Feng’s tone stayed lazy. “Donate the building to No. 7 High School instead.”
He added, as if he were discussing the weather, “Pack your things. You’re going to No. 7 High School too—as a psychological counselor.”
Rong Yu stared. “What?”
In Yan Ting Feng’s eyes, was he the same as a building—something that could be moved around at will?
He was going to lose it.
—
Meanwhile, at Madam Zhou Group’s headquarters, Sheng Yun Yi stepped into the general manager’s office after greeting a few familiar employees.
“He Chen, do you have time? Can you come with me to No. 1 High School to pick up my painting?”
“Of course.” Zhou He Chen smiled and took her hand. “What painting did you send to No. 1 High School this time?”
“The one for Gold Mountain Hotel. No. 1 High School borrowed it so the art students could study it. That’s a good thing. I wasn’t going to refuse.”
“You’re kind,” Zhou He Chen said. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
Thirty minutes later, the Maybach pulled up at No. 1 High School in River City.
It was class time. The campus was quiet.
“It’s in the art studio in the multipurpose building,” Sheng Yun Yi said. “He Chen, this way.”
They reached the third-floor studio.
“I’ll have to trouble you to help me deliver it to Gold Mountain Hotel afterward. I’ll treat you to dinner as—”
Clang.
The keys slipped from Sheng Yun Yi’s hand and hit the floor.
In the center of the room, the largest painting had been slashed into strips. It was ruined beyond recognition.
Sheng Yun Yi stumbled back, voice trembling. “My painting… It was fine yesterday. How could it…”
“Who’s been in here since yesterday afternoon?” Zhou He Chen’s eyes went cold. “Pull the surveillance footage. Now.”
The person in charge of the building panicked and bolted for the security room.
The multipurpose building was where students took electives and worked on projects. No. 1 High School cared deeply about student mental health, so it also housed a counseling office, a sandplay room, and more.
Zhou He Chen’s expression darkened by the second. “Well? Did you find it?”
“Mr. Zhou,” the person in charge said, wiping sweat, “the studio was just renovated. There aren’t any cameras installed.”
He swallowed. “We can only use the stairwell camera to see who passed by, but there are a lot of people. To check, we’ll have to—”
“Enough.” Zhou He Chen’s voice cut like ice. “You will find out.”
“Yun Yi!” Fang Qing Ya rushed in. “What happened? How did your painting end up like this?”
Sheng Yun Yi kept her head down, wiping tears without a word.
“Don’t worry,” Fang Qing Ya promised. “I’ll find out for you.”
Her gaze locked onto the monitor showing the stairwell feed—students in uniforms coming and going.
How were they supposed to pick one person out of that?
“Wait!” Fang Qing Ya’s eyes sharpened. “That’s Ye Wan Lan, isn’t it? She’s not even a student at No. 1 High School. What is she doing here?”
Zhou He Chen’s face turned ugly. “Bring Ye Wan Lan here. Immediately.”
It had to be her.