Forced into a Secret Marriage with the Villain, We Now Have a Child - Chapter 38

Summer nights are often more beloved than summer days.

On her bus ride home, Jian Chun watched the streets teem with people dancing, strolling, or simply seeking a cool breeze in the alleys. She was in a wonderful mood, as if an invisible burden had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

This sense of lightness lasted until she returned home. Even the sight of her stepmother, Yan Shan, and her younger brother lounging on the sofa watching television couldn’t dampen her spirits; she even greeted them cheerfully. Seeing this, Yan Shan offered a few insincere words of concern about her well-being.

After a refreshing shower, Jian Chun retreated to her room to study. In the recent quiz, her chemistry grade had improved enough to pass. While that was nothing special for her class, it was a massive leap forward for her. She spent her mornings memorizing English and Chinese and used every spare moment to learn vocabulary. For her science subjects, she relied on the experience gained from grinding through practice papers.

When it was time for bed, she began reciting chemistry formulas in her head, using the repetition to lull herself to sleep.

The Interrogation

While Jian Chun slept soundly, others did not.

Jing Ge and Leng Yujie had been caught and hauled to the Grade Director’s office late at night. Both of their homeroom teachers, who hadn’t left yet, were summoned as well.

Unlike Leng Yujie, who was thick-skinned and playful enough to joke around even in front of the Grade Director, Jing Ge was a nervous wreck. She desperately tried to explain to her teacher, Mr. Ke, that she was not in a “premature relationship” with Leng Yujie.

Usually, such incidents resulted in a warning. Since Jing Ge was a senior, the teachers generally preferred to minimize the impact to avoid distracting her from the College Entrance Exams.

However, Leng Yujie insisted that Jing Ge had been the one to ask him out—multiple times, in fact. He claimed he was perfectly innocent and had only shown up to reject her and tell her to focus on her studies.

Leng Yujie’s homeroom teacher, Ms. Li, knew her student’s playful nature well. He hadn’t caused any unforgivable trouble before, so she usually turned a blind eye. But with Leng Yujie’s current testimony, the teachers found it hard to believe that an academically excellent girl like Jing Ge would do such a thing.

The problem was that Jing Ge remained silent. She had no evidence and could only repeat that she “didn’t do it.”

“Sister Jing Ge,” Leng Yujie said bluntly, “don’t try to throw me under the bus just because we got caught. Dating is boring; I want to focus on my studies.”

Jing Ge bit her lip, her heart filled with a mixture of disappointment and absolute hatred for him.

“Ms. Li,” Leng Yujie added, looking aggrieved as he turned to his teacher, “I have the chat logs right here. She really was the one who asked me out. I never had any intention of saying yes.”

Seeing him reach for his phone, Jing Ge panicked. “Don’t!” she shrieked.

Leng Yujie spread his hands helplessly. Seeing her reaction, the teachers stopped doubting Leng Yujie and turned their collective gaze toward Jing Ge. She lowered her head, her face flushed with shame and regret, unable to look anyone in the eye.

She chose silence. If the chat logs were exposed, everyone would see she had used Jian Chun’s name to set up the meeting. People would assume she had used Jian Chun as a cover to confess her own feelings, or worse, that she had intentionally tried to frame Jian Chun.

The best way to handle this, she decided, was to let it end here and swallow the bitter pill.

Rumors and Reversals

The next morning, the school atmosphere was electric. During the morning exercise break, the Grade Director’s voice boomed over the speakers.

“I have two announcements,” the Director said. “First, last night I caught certain students engaging in a romance on campus. You are seniors; you need to focus. I won’t name names this time, but let this be a warning. Second, regarding the use of mobile phones…”

The crowd erupted in hushed whispers.

“Who was it? Did anyone hear?” “I bet it was someone from the standard classes.”

Jing Ge’s heart finally settled back into her chest. As long as she wasn’t named, she could survive this. However, rumors began to mutate.

In the class group chats, “informed sources” claimed that the person caught was Jian Chun. They had seen the Director heading toward the small woods and assumed Jian Chun was the target.

“It’s Jian Chun!” “Then who was the other person? Feng Xue? Ling Zheng? Or… Yu Siyi?”

Speculation ran wild. Some pointed out that Yu Siyi had left shortly after Jian Chun the previous night, even ditching her friend Zhu Feifei. That was “evidence” enough for the gossip-mongers.

Zhu Feifei, hearing the rumors, was annoyed. “Why are they dragging you into this?” she asked Yu Siyi.

Yu Siyi looked up with a faint, unreadable smile.

“You’re actually smiling?” Zhu Feifei grumbled.

“Should I cry instead?” Yu Siyi replied playfully.

The rumor was short-lived, however. Leng Yujie, unhappy that “his” Jian Chun was being slandered and that Yu Siyi was being grouped with her, decided to set the record straight. He went public with the truth:

Jing Ge had used Jian Chun’s name to ask him out. He claimed he was a victim who had been dragged to the office and scolded for no reason.

Suddenly, the tables turned. The girls in class began questioning Jing Ge.

“So you like Leng Yujie from the junior year?” “I thought you and Leng Yujie were friends, why would he say that about you?” “Did you really use Jian Chun’s name to…?”

Jing Ge felt the gazes of her classmates—some mocking, some curious—closing in on her like monsters. She discovered, to her horror, that she didn’t dare say a word in her own defense.

The Mask Falls

Jian Chun ignored the chaos and focused on her English and Chinese homework. She noticed that the class’s attitude toward her had shifted.

“No wonder Jian Chun is so calm,” people whispered. “Even if it was her, she’s used to being caught. But Jing Ge… why would she use her friend’s name like that?”

The general consensus was forming: they would rather deal with an “honest” troublemaker like Jian Chun than a “hypocritical” friend like Jing Ge.

At lunchtime, as Yu Siyi and Zhu Feifei prepared to leave, Jian Chun followed them. As she passed Jing Ge’s desk, she tapped it lightly.

“Want to go out for lunch together?” Jian Chun asked with a pleasant smile.

Jing Ge looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She stared at Jian Chun’s smile, finding it terrifying—like the smile of a demon dragging someone to hell.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Jing Ge’s voice rose to a hysterical shriek. “It was you! You did this to me! You ruined me!”

The students heading for the door stopped to watch the “dog-eat-dog” spectacle.

“What did I do?” Jian Chun asked calmly.

“Stop acting! You bitch, you framed me!” Jing Ge lunged forward to grab Jian Chun, but Jian Chun was faster, pushing her back.

Jing Ge staggered, steadying herself against the desk.

“You should get your head straight,” Jian Chun said coolly. “I don’t have time to frame you. And I certainly didn’t force you to go on a date.”

Seeing that Jing Ge had no intention of maintaining their “friendly” facade, Jian Chun didn’t bother saying more. Some people were experts at plotting against others but couldn’t handle it when their own schemes blew up in their faces.

Jian Chun looked at Jing Ge with a neutral expression. She had originally thought they could maintain their “plastic sisterhood” for a little while longer, but it seemed the act was officially over.