After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 42.3

The principal repeatedly urged the Qins to calm down while explaining the facts, then called in the parents of the boys involved.

What followed was pure chaos.

Faced with parents who were more assertive and clearly from more influential backgrounds, the bullies’ parents lost their usual bluster. At most, they grumbled a little before forcing their sons to apologize and offer compensation.

Aside from the initial verbal assault, Yan Guiqiu remained a background presence throughout the ordeal.

With the Qins taking the lead, the other parents didn’t dare demand compensation from Yan Guiqiu.

After all, both girls were injured, while their sons only suffered minor bruises, nothing serious. They were clearly in the wrong.

Yan Guiqiu stayed silent the entire time, and Qin Xiangxi didn’t utter a word either, keeping her head down unless her parents spoke to her.

It was probably from that moment on that Yan Guiqiu began to feel a certain aversion toward her.

After leaving the principal’s office, Yan Guiqiu was worried that Song Anchen, who had sneaked over to eavesdrop, was also seething with anger. She felt that the girl had no conscience, she had listened to her parents scolding her savior from the very beginning and hadn’t even bothered to explain.

Adults might assume a child was too frightened to speak up, but children wouldn’t see it that way.

“Let’s not play with her anymore!” Song Anchen said indignantly to Yan Guiqiu. “And don’t help her again in the future.”

She repeated this line over and over, almost wearing out Yan Guiqiu’s ears.

Naturally, Yan Guiqiu replied with, “Okay, okay, okay.”

She didn’t like Qin Xiangxi’s personality to begin with, and later, Qin’s parents didn’t even think to thank her. Only after the principal reminded them did they offer a perfunctory “Sorry for misunderstanding you.”

Although Yan Guiqiu hadn’t helped for the sake of gratitude, their arrogant and indifferent attitude still left a bad taste.

But despite agreeing so readily, some time later, Yan Guiqiu happened to stumble upon Qin Xiangxi being bullied again.

This time, however, it wasn’t just extortion or a fight several older boys were even trying to tear off Qin Xiangxi’s clothes.

Qin Xiangxi was crying hysterically, clawing at the ground until her fingers bled. Yan Guiqiu couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

The boys were taller and stronger, and Yan Guiqiu estimated she couldn’t take them on. With no one else around, she ran to find a public phone to call the police.

But as she waited nearby, listening to the heart-wrenching sobs, she couldn’t hold back any longer. Shouting, “The police are here!” she grabbed a brick and charged in.

The boys were genuinely startled. In their moment of confusion, one of them ran off, and Yan Guiqiu seized the chance to grab Qin Xiangxi and flee.

Just as they were nearing the alley entrance, the remaining boys snapped out of it. Enraged, they picked up stones from the ground and hurled them while giving chase.

Yan Guiqiu, slowed down by dragging the slower Qin Xiangxi, unfortunately took a stone to the head, bleeding profusely, and was struck hard with a blunt object.

Luckily, Song Anchen, who had been waiting for Yan Guiqiu at the school gate, grew anxious when she didn’t show up and brought a passing teacher to investigate.

After that, Yan Guiqiu remembered nothing. It was said that the boys were caught, and under questioning, they admitted their accomplices. They had only been trying to scare Qin Xiangxi, imitating methods from movies, and were ultimately reprimanded and given serious demerits at school.

However, since the incident could harm Qin Xiangxi’s reputation, it wasn’t publicly disclosed. The official story was that they had extorted money, and Yan Guiqiu had ended up in the hospital after fighting to rescue her.

All Yan Guiqiu remembered was waking up in the hospital. This time, Qin’s parents did remember to bring fruit and visit, even offering a large red envelope, but Madam Meng refused it.

Madam Meng was furious about her daughter’s injury and hospitalization. As the guardian, she knew the truth that her daughter had been saving someone, and the bullied girl was pitiable. After repeatedly confirming with the doctor that Yan Guiqiu wouldn’t suffer any lasting effects, she restrained herself from taking her anger out on the other party.

But aside from the initial fruit basket, she rejected all the condolences sent by the Qin family and didn’t allow them to see Yan Guiqiu again.

When Yan Guiqiu returned to school, only a few people were aware of the incident. At most, they teased her as a modern-day heroine who had fought with a boy to protect a classmate.

As for how exactly she had protected the classmate, no one could say for sure. Yan Guiqiu always brushed it off vaguely.

Qin Xiangxi never once sought out Yan Guiqiu on her own, not even to say thank you, as if she had completely forgotten about the matter.

The homeroom teacher, who knew the details, worried that Yan Guiqiu might hold a grudge. Fearing that Yan Guiqiu might angrily reveal the truth and embarrass Qin Xiangxi, the teacher seated them as far apart as possible.

Elementary school students naturally lacked the mindset for conspiracy theories. Besides, the two had never been particularly close, so the matter passed without causing much of a stir.

Yan Guiqiu, of course, didn’t dwell on it deliberately but grew completely indifferent toward Qin Xiangxi.

In the end, the incident faded away quietly.

Yan Guiqiu had long since put it out of her mind.

After all, Qin Xiangxi had caused her plenty of trouble over the years. She had no desire to recall each and every incident in detail, simply labeling them all under the tag of “jinx” and wishing to keep her distance.

Later, Yan Guiqiu transferred schools and moved cities twice, partly because of Qin Xiangxi.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help much.

By the time she reached university, Yan Guiqiu had resigned herself to her fate.

Song Anchen hadn’t remembered the events clearly back then either; otherwise, she wouldn’t have later misunderstood Yan Guiqiu as having a crush on Qin Xiangxi.

But now, as Yan Guiqiu brought it up, everything came rushing back to her.

This time, she didn’t suspect Yan Guiqiu of being driven by “deep affection.” Instead, she spoke with gritted teeth, filled with resentment.

“Just thinking about her parents’ arrogant attitude makes me furious,” Song Anchen said bitterly. “As if having a bit of money makes them special, who doesn’t have money? Such nouveau riche pettiness! They don’t even understand basic human decency! No wonder they raised a daughter like that!”

The female lead turning out that way was mostly the fault of the plot.

Yan Guiqiu silently grumbled to herself.

But seeing Song Anchen so indignant, Yan Guiqiu felt a sense of detached helplessness.

“Calm down, calm down. It’s been over ten years,” Yan Guiqiu said, glancing at the three bystanders beside her. She suddenly regretted putting the call on speaker and could only urge the person on the other end to cool off.

“That’s why I’ve always said there’s nothing between us. We didn’t even exchange phone numbers, how close could we be? If Teacher Zhang hadn’t suddenly brought it up, I would’ve almost forgotten about her.”

Including the matter of the plot.

Thinking about the plot, Yan Guiqiu felt a dull ache in her head.

How could it be such a coincidence?

Just as Qin Xiangxi asked the teacher about elementary school, both Song Anchen and she recalled those events.

But at the same time, a faint unease stirred within Yan Guiqiu.

Was the so-called “plot” powerful enough to interfere with memories?

Were those events…

truly things that had happened?

Including now, Jiang Xuehe reached out and took Yan Guiqiu’s hand.

Yan Guiqiu froze for a moment. Jiang Xuehe seemed to sense her unease and gently pressed her palm, the touch light, like a tickle.

It instantly pulled her thoughts back to reality.

The wound still throbbed faintly, definitely not an illusion.

The important memories in her mind remained vivid and steadfast, like solid rocks: her parents holding her hands as they walked her to the school gate, her little sister calling “Jiejie” with a lisp through her missing teeth, the friends who gathered around her one by one, that fireworks display, those kisses.

Including the warm sensation in her palm at this very moment.

How could she let those insignificant memories shake the foundations of what was truly important?

The subtle movements across the table went unnoticed by others. Jiang Xuehe’s expression remained calm, tinged with a hint of concealed concern.

Yan Guiqiu responded with a reassuring, faint smile.

Beside them, Gu Yuyin frowned, also finding the story infuriating.

Yan Guizhou, seated the farthest away, was already grinding his teeth.

“Good thing you didn’t fall for her,” Yan Guizhou snorted, his gaze sweeping past Jiang Xuehe beside him, the frustration in his expression easing slightly.

After all, that person surnamed Qin had nothing to do with their family. Jiang Xuehe and Yan Guiqiu had already confirmed their relationship, and her sister was definitely not the type to be fickle. Naturally, she wouldn’t spare another glance at that Qin Xiangxi in the future.

With someone as gentle and considerate as Jiang Xuehe right in front of her, her sister probably wouldn’t be so blind as to fall for that unreliable old classmate again.

In fact, she might even keep her distance even more.

If Yan Guizhou’s enthusiasm for Jiang Xuehe had previously been at five out of ten, it had now risen to at least seven.

“It’s really great that your standards are so high,” Yan Guizhou remarked sincerely.

“Of course,” Yan Guiqiu replied without a hint of embarrassment.

Yan Guizhou glanced at Jiang Xuehe, who stood nearby with a gentle and unreadable expression, and after some thought, still felt a little uneasy.

She looked at Yan Guiqiu, then at Jiang Xuehe, and then at the bystander Gu Yuyin, who was watching the scene unfold.

It seemed there were no other obstacles left.

“So, when are you two planning to get married?” Yan Guizhou asked, feeling it was the perfect time to bring it up.

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