No One Knows [Rebirth] - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: You Look Like…

In both of her lives combined, Qin Yu had never had anything to do with the term “underachiever.”

In her previous life, even when she was working as an extra on film sets, she still attended classes, handed in assignments, and consistently ranked in the top ten of her class on final exams.

And do not underestimate that ranking.

At their school, which specialized in less common foreign languages, the college entrance exam scores of the students were incredibly close.

It was a gathering of top students from all over the country; no one was less ambitious than the next. It was a battlefield of intellectual giants. For Qin Yu to fight her way into the top ten amidst such a busy schedule was already quite an achievement.

Not to mention, she was also in a relationship at the time.

As everyone knows, falling in love makes one regress.

But now, Qin Yu had been called an underachiever to her face, and she couldn’t even refute it.

Because she really couldn’t solve the problems!

Qin Yu’s face flushed slightly. She put away her phone, paper, and pen, and stubbornly insisted, “I just didn’t sleep well last night. My brain feels a bit foggy.”

“Fine.” Zhang Huixue clearly didn’t believe her, but she didn’t call her out on it. “Did you have lunch?”

Qin Yu nodded.

Compared to Zhang Huixue’s cheerful enthusiasm, Liu Ying appeared much more composed. She first expressed concern for Tang Ruibai’s condition before bringing up the case in a businesslike manner.

They had already visited Wan Qing, who had expressed willingness to testify for Tang Ruibai.

However, when the police went to Dongfu Lane to arrest Tang Mu, he wasn’t home. By tracking surveillance footage, they discovered he had gone to the countryside on the outskirts of the city, so they had to postpone the arrest.

As for the group of students from Xinghai Vocational School and Wang Yang from Mingchao Middle School, they were all within the police’s surveillance.

Because they were still students, the situation was delicate. Liu Ying had already applied for arrest warrants to her superiors; once they were issued, the arrests could be carried out.

Hearing this, Tang Ruibai was quite taken aback. She had assumed this time would be like the past: the police would ask for every minute detail, only to have no follow-up afterward.

Raised high, let down gently.

That was the case for both domestic violence and school bullying incidents.

She never expected Liu Ying to actually apply for arrest warrants.

“It won’t be approved,” Tang Ruibai said pessimistically. “The impact on the school is too great. The school will definitely negotiate with the police on the grounds that they are minors…”

Before she could finish, Tang Ruibai’s phone rang.

It was a very old second-hand phone she had picked up at a street stall for fifty yuan.

Its functions were limited to making calls and sending text messages.

She answered, and it was her homeroom teacher, Chen Juan.

Chen Juan sighed heavily: “Ruibai, are you alright right now?”

“I’m in the hospital, not doing too well,” Tang Ruibai answered truthfully.

After a moment of silence, Chen Juan revealed the purpose of the call: “The teachers from Xinghai Vocational School are here and want to see you.”

Perhaps because she knew the damage this had caused Tang Ruibai was severe, Teacher Chen couldn’t bring herself to relay these words to Tang Ruibai the way the school administration had requested.

She could only subtly and indirectly remind her: “They are more inclined to settle this privately.”

Because Tang Ruibai’s family was impoverished, this method was the most “cost-effective” for them.

“How much are they offering?” Tang Ruibai asked.

Although Tang Ruibai hadn’t put the call on speaker, the receiver on her phone was quite loud, and the hospital room was quiet, so everyone could hear the other side clearly.

The next second, Qin Yu grabbed the hand Tang Ruibai had hanging over the bed, pressing down on her fingertips as they gently stroked the bedspread.

Tang Ruibai looked at Qin Yu, who shook her head slowly at her.

—No private settlement, no matter the price.

Qin Yu wasn’t short on money now.

There was silence on the other end for a moment. “The parents can pool together one hundred thousand yuan for you, Ruibai, you…”

“Too little,” Tang Ruibai said, making a bold demand: “If they give me one million, I might consider it.”

With that, she hung up the phone and turned it off.

A case could be defined as school bullying or as intentional assault; it all depended on how it was handled.

Tang Ruibai had checked relevant precedents, but she had only a superficial understanding of them.

However, touched by the firm look in Liu Ying’s eyes, she felt she shouldn’t “backstab” Liu Ying, so she was willing to give Liu Ying a chance.

And give herself a chance as well.

Zhang Huixue applauded from the side. “That’s right, be assertive. Little Tang, you did very well.”

Tang Ruibai curled the corners of her lips into a smile and nodded at her.

Liu Ying brought up the arrangements for Tang Ruibai: “I have a small place in the Junan District. You can move there recently. Once things are resolved, you can apply to live on campus, and I will actively help you apply for financial aid. You can consider your future after you graduate from high school.”

“That doesn’t seem appropriate,” Tang Ruibai said. “We aren’t related.”

“I promised to help you,” Liu Ying said calmly. “As long as you don’t back down and are determined to prosecute them, I will help you.”

After saying that, feeling as though she were pressuring Tang Ruibai, she pivoted: “Of course, if you want to return to a quiet life, I will support your decision. I will still do these things regardless.”

Qin Yu chimed in from the side: “Officer Liu, my mother has already invited Ruirui to stay at my house.”

As she spoke, she wrote down an address for Liu Ying. “This is my house, along with my phone number and my father’s. If you want to see Ruirui, you can come to me.”

She had completely cast herself as Tang Ruibai’s spokesperson.

Liu Ying took the paper, glanced at it, and looked at Tang Ruibai: “Is that so?”

Tang Ruibai pulled at the corners of her lips, caught in a dilemma.

She didn’t want to go to Qin Yu’s house, and she certainly didn’t want to live at a police officer’s house.

She hated owing people things, especially favors.

After weighing her options, Tang Ruibai hummed: “I promised Auntie Wen; she will take good care of me.”

Determined that Tang Ruibai was volunteering, Liu Ying continued: “They will definitely continue to find you later. Besides bribery, they might also use intimidation. If you encounter such situations, you can contact me or Officer Zhang, and we will help you.”

As for the matter regarding Tang Mu, Liu Ying said she would apply for legal aid for her, asking for a pro bono lawyer to handle the lawsuit.

There were precedents for such cases. As long as she was determined to break away from Tang Mu, Liu Ying would find a way to help her with everything that followed.

After Liu Ying and Zhang Huixue left, Tang Ruibai stared at the door for a long time, unable to snap out of it.

Qin Yu asked: “What are you looking at?”

“I’m wondering, is this a dream?” Tang Ruibai smiled self-mockingly: “To think there would be such responsible police officers.”

“Don’t lose faith in our country’s judicial system,” Qin Yu said. “You will get the result you want.”

In her previous life, Tang Ruibai had managed to remove herself from Tang Mu’s household registry and safely go to Northern City to develop her career.

Meeting her in this life, this little butterfly had drawn out two responsible police officers willing to do their best to help Tang Ruibai overcome her difficulties.

It showed that everything was moving in a better direction.

Besides, she would protect Tang Ruibai.

“I’ll take your word for it.” After Tang Ruibai said this, she lay back down, looking sickly.

Qin Yu went back to doing her math problems. Her direct admission to college was looking hopeless, so she decided to search for textbooks online and start learning from scratch.

Things that used to be so simple for her felt like listening to a foreign language when relearned so abruptly.

Qin Yu’s brain was full of question marks—Did I really learn this stuff before?

The next morning, Mrs. Wen came to pick Tang Ruibai up from the hospital, holding a bouquet of tulips.

A very ceremonial meeting.

Mrs. Wen had thoughtfully prepared a wheelchair for Tang Ruibai. Qin Yu marveled at her mother’s considerateness from the side, quietly praising her: “You’re too amazing, Mom.”

“You’re such a flatterer.” Mrs. Wen gave her a side-eye. “Push Little Tang; let’s go home.”

Tang Ruibai’s complexion was slightly pale. Because of her rib injury, she could only sit in the wheelchair, letting Qin Yu push her.

Qin Yu hadn’t expected it to be so smooth to live under the same roof as Tang Ruibai. She could only say that having a mother who knew how to handle people and situations made things so easy.

She was just like a roundworm in her belly; she took care of things without Qin Yu even having to say them out loud.

If Mrs. Wen knew she was thinking this, she would definitely tap her on the head and call her undutiful.

Qin Yu pushed Tang Ruibai directly into the elevator, curling into a corner to shield her from the crowd.

When the elevator door opened, she waited for others to step out first before pushing her out.

The car was a spacious SUV; Mrs. Wen went straight to the passenger seat.

The driver helped fold the wheelchair and put it in the trunk, while Qin Yu and Tang Ruibai sat in the back.

Along the way, the scenery kept receding, and Qin Yu saw many familiar buildings.

Since being reborn, she had only spent half a day at school; the rest of the time was spent in the hospital.

It wasn’t until the car pulled into their courtyard that she felt a sense of nervousness, a feeling of “getting close to home.”

“What are you looking at? Don’t recognize your own house?” Mrs. Wen stood outside the car door, one hand shielding her forehead from the sun. “Hurry and bring Little Tang down. I had Sister Zhang clean up the guest room; let her go see if she’s satisfied with it.”

Qin Yu’s house was a detached villa; this entire area was a villa complex.

Three floors with a small garden, and the surrounding environment was quiet.

When President Qin bought it back then, it was for the peace and quiet, suitable for Mrs. Wen to recuperate.

But after the Qin family went bankrupt in the previous life, the company still owed debts after liquidation, so they had to sell this house.

Even so, they still owed employees two million in wages.

Qin Yu naturally couldn’t dodge this debt, so she started life after high school graduation with a million in debt.

It wasn’t until her junior year of college, after she took a supporting role in a play, that the money she earned finally paid off the debt.

Later, she heard that this house was bought by a wealthy merchant, and not long after, a murder occurred there, causing the price to plummet.

Once Qin Yu had money, she had considered buying it back, but when she made time to ask, she was told it had already been sold.

The buyer didn’t live there, nor would they sell.

Qin Yu simply stopped thinking about it.

Now, returning to the old place, with her family alive and her lover also present, she felt a sense of fulfillment and happiness.

However, before she could finish reflecting in her heart, she heard Tang Ruibai say coldly from the side: “Are you dead?”

The happy smile on Qin Yu’s face froze. She turned her head stiffly to look at her: “…Huh?”

Tang Ruibai sat in the wheelchair and said faintly: “You look like someone who has been dead for a long time and has come back to revisit the place.”