Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 58

When Shi Wangui returned to the classroom, the head teacher was just leaving. They ran into each other, and she simply explained that she had been in the restroom. The teacher didn’t suspect a thing, nodding and allowing her to return to her seat.

“You are so incredibly lucky,” Sun Yi said, looking like a survivor of a catastrophe. “The head teacher came by three minutes before class ended. I told him you were in the restroom, and then you walked in exactly three minutes later.”

Shi Wangui looked smug. “It means heaven is on my side.”

“But you missed some news,” Sun Yi added.

“What news? Did the teacher say something? The class seemed quiet when I was walking back.”

Sun Yi lowered her voice. “It’s not something the teacher said. It’s good news from me.”

Shi Wangui leaned in. “What is it?”

“Tsk.” Sun Yi frowned. “When you lean in like that, it feels like we’re doing something scandalous. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m betraying Wen Youren?”

“Hahaha!” Shi Wangui sat back up.

Sun Yi continued, “My cousin opened a milk tea shop and asked if we wanted to work there over the summer. She can hire three people.”

“Really?” Shi Wangui was excited, but then her expression fell. “Wen Youren and my aunt told me not to provoke Shi Qin for now. I don’t know what he’ll be planning by then.”

“They’re right,” Sun Yi said. “Wen Youren talked to me about it. Besides, no sane person would provoke him. If he gets unhappy, couldn’t he send you abroad in a heartbeat?”

“Then reserve a spot for me—no, for us. We’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

Opportunities to save money were hard to find. Shi Wangui intended to run away with Wen Youren. No matter how powerful Shi Qin was, if they were far away, of legal age, and determined, how much effort could he really spend trying to hunt them down?

“Deal! Oh, by the way, has Wen Youren left yet?”

“Mhm.”

“Then let me tell you some more ‘good’ news,” Sun Yi said. “The school system has changed. If a student doesn’t have their face scanned, they can’t get out.”

No. 1 High had implemented a major change this semester: facial recognition scanners at the gates to prevent students from skipping class.

Shi Wangui stood up immediately. “Why didn’t you say so sooner? I’m going now.”

“Wait!” Sun Yi grabbed her. “You need the head teacher to give you a hall pass, or the scanner won’t let you through.”

“…”

Left with no choice, Shi Wangui went to the office and headed straight for the head teacher’s desk. “Teacher, my sister who lives abroad is here to see me. Can I speak with her at the gate for a few minutes?”

Technically, Wen Youren was her sister. The teacher wouldn’t suspect anything since it was during class hours and Shi Wangui mentioned she was from abroad.

The teacher tore off a slip and scribbled: Only permitted within the school gate area. He handed it to her. “Come back quickly. Don’t go too far.”

“I will.”

Pass in hand, Shi Wangui sprinted to the gate, but there was no sign of Wen Youren. The entrance was deserted; not even a stray cat was in sight.

She must have climbed the back wall…

Dejected, Shi Wangui lowered her head and started to walk back. She had only taken a few steps when she heard a voice call out: “Shi Wangui.”

She turned back, her face lighting up. “How are you still here?”

“I couldn’t get out,” Wen Youren explained. “So I bought you some snacks and was going to head to your classroom. Sun Yi told me you came out to find me, so I came over here.”

“Look.” Shi Wangui waved the pass. “Entering and leaving is going to be a problem now.”

“Wait, how did you get in then?” Shi Wangui asked. If she couldn’t get out, how did she get in?

Wen Youren put her hands in her pockets and couldn’t help but chuckle. “When I came in, I told them I was your sister and was delivering something to you.”

“Tsk, taking advantage of our titles again.”

Since classes were in session, the campus was empty. Wen Youren wanted to stay longer to keep her company, but she had to leave before she was missed.

After leaving the gate, Wen Youren hailed a taxi and made it back to her classroom five minutes before No. 7 High let out. No. 7 High was chaotic; no one cared if you skipped, but Shi Qin had people stationed outside. She had to appear at the gate when school ended.

It wasn’t that she feared Shi Qin for herself, but he used Shi Wangui to threaten her.

When she arrived home, she saw the living room lights were on. She thought she had forgotten to turn them off, but upon opening the door, she found Shi Qin sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper.

Hearing the sound, Shi Qin didn’t look up. “You’re back. How is Shi Wangui?”

Wen Youren didn’t answer that. Instead, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“No respect for your elders,” Shi Qin said, putting down the paper and looking at her. “I am your elder. You should use a respectful tone.”

Wen Youren ignored him and simply stared.

“I’m here to give you some good news,” Shi Qin said. “Your mother and I have registered our marriage. She’s also four months pregnant. I had a check-up done; it’s a boy.”

Wen Youren remained silent.

Shi Qin continued, “Your mother is a good woman, and I won’t mistreat you. Your brother will inherit my business one day, and we will all be a family. I forgive what happened between you and Shi Wangui. You’re young and don’t understand love; perhaps your attraction to the same sex was just curiosity. As long as you can return to being sisters, I don’t mind you continuing to associate with each other.”

Wen Youren closed the door, her palms clenched. “And if I don’t agree?”

“Do you two realize you are minors? Do you know the extent of my influence?” Shi Qin asked casually.

Shi Qin was a famous entrepreneur. He might not love his family, but he had status. If he wanted to separate them, he had plenty of methods. However, he admired Wen Youren’s capability; he knew her grades and her potential.

“You have a son now,” Wen Youren said. “He will inherit everything. I don’t want a cent. I only ask that you don’t sacrifice Shi Wangui’s life for your own interests.”

Shi Qin dismissed the sentiment. “Her mother and I were a marriage of convenience. There was no love. After we married, I did my thing and she did hers. If she didn’t play along, that was her own stupidity. What kind of feelings come from an alliance? To her own family, her mother lost her value the moment she married. Look, does anyone care about Shi Wangui?”

“If I find her a wealthy husband, she can live however she wants afterward. Technically, I’m looking out for her.”

Wen Youren grew more furious the more she listened. Her nails dug into her skin, but she kept her composure. She couldn’t let her temper ruin Shi Wangui’s future. “You didn’t come here just to say that.”

“I wasn’t wrong about you. You are smart,” Shi Qin said, getting to the point. “In all my planning, I didn’t expect the Zhang family to investigate Shi Wangui at school. I certainly didn’t expect your little ‘affair’ to be public knowledge. Now they all know I’ve raised a lesbian daughter.”

Wen Youren let out a mocking laugh. It was fate; the very thing she had feared people knowing had ended up creating an opportunity for her.

“What are you laughing at? Or was this part of your plan too?” Shi Qin asked.

“You really give me too much credit,” Wen Youren sneered.

“I admire your ability. Being at No. 7 High is a waste of your talent. If you make a deal with me, I’ll agree to let you return to No. 1 High.” Shi Qin stood up.

“What kind of deal?”

At that moment, Shi Qin’s phone rang. Wen Youren caught a glimpse of the caller ID: Wen Yiyue. Shi Qin simply hung up, sat back down, and silenced the phone as if she were a nuisance.

“You return to No. 1 High, get into University A, and major in Management. After you graduate, you will help your brother manage the company. However, you will have no shares and no power; everything must go through me. You must provide value to the company. If you don’t, I can have Shi Wangui married off at any time.”

He was getting older. Wen Yiyue was pregnant, meaning the child wouldn’t be ready to take over for at least twenty years. He couldn’t wait that long, and his health wouldn’t allow it.

“And if I refuse?” Wen Youren countered. “You said yourself that people know Shi Wangui is gay. I know your marriages don’t require love, but they do require children.”

She was gambling—gambling on the limits of Shi Qin’s social circle.

Shi Qin smiled. “Changing her mindset is easy. A year in a conversion center, and I’m sure she won’t have any more thoughts about girls. I’m even more certain she would become an excellent mother.”

He had been considering this since he found out about her orientation. But now he needed a puppet—someone he could use—and Wen Youren was the best fit.

He had married her mother, and soon they would all be on the same household registry. Wen Youren loved Shi Wangui; with Shi Wangui as leverage, he didn’t have to fear betrayal. A manager with no power and no shares could only create value for the company without being able to take it away.

Wen Youren was horrified. She hadn’t realized Shi Qin could be this depraved. Conversion centers were illegal; she had assumed someone of his status wouldn’t stoop to such things. She had been wrong.

Her voice was tight, like someone drowning. “She is your daughter. Your own flesh and blood.”

Shi Qin mocked her naivety and the innocence of young girls. “I’m giving you exactly one minute to decide. You have two choices: become the Shi family puppet and Shi Wangui’s sister, or watch with your own eyes as she is sent to a conversion center.”

He looked at his watch. “The clock starts now.”

Without needing the full minute, Wen Youren spoke. “I choose the first one.”

Shi Qin gave her a contemptuous look. He picked up his suit jacket from the sofa, walked over to her, and patted her shoulder. “Your mother will be back next week. Have her handle your transfer. Since your records were never officially moved, it won’t be much trouble. Remember, we are a family now. Those little ideas you and Shi Wangui have, stifle them.”

With that, Shi Qin left. He had come merely to issue a notice; he already knew what the answer would be.

The room fell into a heavy silence. Wen Youren collapsed onto the floor, covering her ears and gasping for air, unable to calm her heart for a long time.

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