Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The next day at high school, the five morning classes ended at ten past twelve.

As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of class, students from all the teaching buildings rushed out of their classrooms like zombies released from their cages, bowls in hand, sprinting towards the various canteens.

In just a few minutes, the majority of the school's students had gathered in the canteens.

The fastest batch of students had already queued up for their meals; some planned to take their bowls back to the classroom to eat, but as they left the canteen, they were drawn by the red banner hanging in the square.

"Huh, was that banner there when we came over?" someone commented to their classmates.

Their classmates were equally puzzled: "I don't know. I don't remember seeing it. It's so eye-catching, if it was here, we should have noticed it... But then again, who pays attention to these things when rushing for food? It wouldn't be surprising if we didn't notice."

"True... But this banner is strange. 'Thirty and thriving... Happy Birthday Luo Hefeng?' Who is this? Is he a teacher at the school?"

"Do we have a teacher with that name? I don't recall, but the name is quite unique, like a character from a novel, hahaha."

"What teacher could get the school to hang a birthday banner? This has never happened before. Could he be the principal's son? But the principal doesn't seem to have that surname..."

"Hey hey, look, there's more writing behind it!!!"

"Holy crap, reporting early romance! And anonymously too, hahaha. It's the first time I've heard of anonymous reporting. Usually, it's real-name reporting, right?"

"Hmm... Anonymous report about senior high school students Luo Gongyou and Jiang Chengchen engaging in early romance, having an improper attitude towards learning, unclear learning objectives, suggesting expulsion... Hey, the words are flickering, I can't see clearly without my glasses. Is there an addition sign after 'Luo Gongyou' followed by a line of small print?"

"Oh yes, yes. With the small print, it should read 'Luo Gongyou's sister Luo Suiyun,' with a parenthesis saying 'Sorry for the initial typo.' So, it's implying that Luo Suiyun and Jiang Chengchen are in an early romance..."

"Heavens, isn't Jiang Chengchen that school bully who loves basketball? I remember Luo Suiyun; she's always at the top of the grade rankings, and she's pretty too. Luo Suiyun in an early romance? Early romance is one thing, but choosing someone like Jiang Chengchen... Although Jiang Chengchen is quite handsome, I remember he was once publicly criticized for fighting, right?"

"But honestly, Jiang Chengchen and Luo Suiyun, one handsome and the other beautiful, do make a good match, don't they!"

"The issue now isn't whether they match or not, someone reported them!"

"It's just early romance, not enough for expulsion, especially with college entrance exams coming up."

"What is the purpose of this banner anyway? First, it's wishing someone a happy birthday, then it's anonymously reporting something, and four names appear. Is Luo Gongyou Luo Suiyun's older sister? Who would know her older sister's name? What's the relationship between this Luo Hefeng and them? Frustrating, can't they explain it clearly! By the way, half the people eating instant noodles don't have seasoning packets!"

"But the calligraphy on this banner is really beautiful, it must be handwritten, right?"

"Looking at that addition sign, it's definitely handwritten."

"Did they add glitter too? How thoughtful."

"Hmm... Being so meticulous about an anonymous report is odd."

Not far away, Luo Qianjian looked at the red banner fluttering in the wind, quite satisfied.

Standing beside him was a cheerful seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy, also pleased: "Now my mom will surely be worried sick. Let's see how smug Jiang Chengchen can still be!"

Luo Qianjian chuckled softly.

This young man was named Jiang Shi. Though he had no blood ties with Jiang Chengchen, legally, he was Jiang Chengchen's younger brother.

As the protagonist in the current school setting, Jiang Chengchen had a melodramatic family background, which was quite normal – similar to Bai Yusheng, Jiang Chengchen had a scoundrel father who drank heavily and was abusive.

However, unlike the Bai family, Jiang Chengchen's biological mother cut her losses in time, divorcing even if it meant leaving her child behind. Moreover, Jiang Chengchen's biological father appeared decent on the surface and did not have gambling debts, so he remarried smoothly.

Jiang Chengchen hadn't seen his biological mother since he was five years old. One month after his parents' divorce, he gained a stepmother, who also brought along a son around his age.

This stepmother was carefully chosen by Jiang Chengchen's father; her personality perfectly matched that of a tragic drama heroine who could endure countless hardships and still end up making dumplings for everyone.

After the reconstituted family was formed, in order to maintain "harmony," the stepmother disregarded her own biological son's wishes and proposed changing his surname to Jiang.

Thereafter, in daily life, to demonstrate her kindness and fairness as a stepmother, Jiang Chengchen's stepmother treated her stepson, Jiang Chengchen, exceptionally well, not hesitating to suppress and exploit her own biological son. Even though Jiang Chengchen never showed her any kindness, it didn't prevent her from greeting him with a maternal smile.

When Jiang Shi was young, he still had expectations for his mother, but after enduring for a few years, he finally accepted the reality that having a stepfather meant having a "stepmother." He was better off with Jiang Chengchen's stepmother than with his own biological mother, so Jiang Shi began to rebel as well, although no one cared.

Jiang's father did not change his habit of heavy drinking even after remarrying, often drinking through the night and not returning home. Jiang Chengchen's stepmother, who was also Jiang Shi's biological mother, dared not question him, so later on, Jiang's father died of freezing on a winter night street, unnoticed by anyone.

After Jiang's father's death, Jiang Shi's biological mother felt as if the sky had fallen, yet she resolutely and uncomplainingly took on the remaining mess, continuing to support Jiang's grandparents and taking care of her stepson Jiang Chengchen. She even treated the Jiang family better than before out of fear of gossip.

But the family's income was limited, so naturally, one side had to suffer when the other side received more. Thus, Jiang Shi, who was already living frugally, became even more impoverished, harboring greater resentment towards those "family members" around him.

When Jiang's father died, both Jiang Chengchen and Jiang Shi were in junior high school. Both brothers were rebellious in their studies and had poor grades, but in the last month before the high school entrance exam, Jiang Chengchen made a brief effort and barely passed into the city's key high school, while Jiang Shi only got into an ordinary high school.

After leaving the compulsory education stage, studying became more expensive. Coincidentally, that summer, Jiang's grandparents were diagnosed with cancer and urgently needed money, and they couldn't be left alone.

So, Jiang Shi's biological mother said to him, "Little Shi, the family has no money now, we really can't afford to send both of you brothers to school. Your brother has good grades and lost his parents at a young age. As his younger brother, you should let him have the opportunity. Let your brother go to school, and stay at home to accompany Mom, okay? Grandpa and Grandma are not in good health, you can also pour them a glass of water and take care of them at home, so Mom won't be under so much pressure..."

Jiang Shi was furious, but he still fulfilled his mother's wish.

It wasn't because he pitied his biological mother, but rather due to a rebellious mentality, holding a self-destructive mindset that she would eventually feel guilty towards him, as well as a competitive mindset that he was more mature than Jiang Chengchen and didn't need the family to spend money on him.

At the age of just graduating from junior high school, his understanding of academic qualifications wasn't so far-reaching, and his way of seeking temporary pleasure was foolish and childish.

Today, Jiang Shi is only seventeen or eighteen years old, and he can't say for sure whether he regrets it or not, but he is certain that he hates his entire family, especially Jiang Chengchen, who received all the benefits but acted as if he was the most wronged person.

In Jiang Chengchen's mind, he was abandoned by his biological mother when he was young, his biological father quickly married a hypocritical stepmother, who had a son who didn't get along with him. His biological father always sided with the stepmother, saying he was ungrateful. Later, his biological father died, and he had nowhere to go, forced to live under someone else's roof, enduring the cold stares of his unrelated-by-blood younger brother every day. The whole world had wronged him, and the reason for his bad temper, his aversion to learning, and his transformation into a feared school bully and underachiever was all because of this broken family!

Jiang Shi wanted to kill Jiang Chengchen, but he barely retained some rationality and didn't want to become a murderer, so he could only grit his teeth and hate him.

Therefore, this morning, when Luo Qianjian approached Jiang Shi for help, Jiang Shi immediately agreed.

Especially the last sentence on the banner, which made Jiang Shi's heart race – Expulsion! It must lead to expulsion!

Luo Qianjian also admired the banner, watching as more and more people saw it, until it finally alarmed the school authorities, who sent someone to take down the banner.

"Who did this?! Did anyone see anything?"

"No one saw anything, and there aren't any surveillance cameras around here... How about we call these two students over for questioning? It feels like the person who did this knows them. I reckon the perpetrator is quite familiar with this classmate Luo Suiyun. Look at the content of the banner, right?"

"Perpetrator? You make it sound like murder, talking about perpetrators... Oh dear, the college entrance exams are just around the corner, how could something like this happen now."

Jiang Shi listened to the school officials' conversation and couldn't help but look at Luo Qianjian.

"Hey, you're really Jiang Chengchen's older brother from his early romance, right?" Jiang Shi asked. "You've caused such a big scene; how will you explain this when you get home? In my opinion, your banner was too blatant. Saving money is one thing, but you didn't have to do it like this, making it so obvious that it's related to your family, did you?"

Luo Qianjian smiled faintly. "When doing good deeds, one must leave their name. I'm afraid they wouldn't know it was me if I didn't make it clear."

Jiang Shi felt puzzled.

Luo Qianjian said, "Don't worry about it. Are you really not scared about going to 'confess' later?"

"What am I afraid of? I'm not a student here; they can't expel me, can they?" Jiang Shi scoffed, then said with renewed vigor, "I'm determined to pin this on Jiang Chengchen! Rest assured, you've helped me vent some frustration, and I won't betray you. I may not have many virtues, but loyalty is a must!"

"It doesn't matter if you betray me," Luo Qianjian said indifferently.

Luo Qianjian was more than willing to personally handle matters concerning his family, but he didn't want to trouble himself unnecessarily. Hanging the banner without causing a commotion was a somewhat laborious task, so he needed someone to assist him. That's when he thought of Jiang Shi, who had a grudge against Jiang Chengchen.

Jiang Shi could not only hang the banner, but his enmity towards Jiang Chengchen transformed into fighting spirit, making him highly aggressive.

Luo Qianjian was lazy by nature and wasn't particularly enthusiastic about taking on the main fighting role. Having Jiang Shi around was convenient.

"After this matter is settled, don't continue clashing with Jiang Chengchen and your mother. It's a waste of time. Why not continue your studies instead?" Luo Qianjian calmly said to Jiang Shi. "I'll arrange a school for you and cover your tuition and living expenses for five years. What do you think?"

Jiang Shi stared at him in surprise, stuttering slightly when he spoke again. "B-but, you see, my grades... They're really bad, I..."

Luo Qianjian nodded, still composed. "Regardless of whether you can persist until the college entrance exams or how well you perform, I won't interfere. I don't have the time to monitor the future of a stranger. Even if you believe education is useless and prefer to use the money for other purposes, it's none of my concern."

Jiang Shi pursed his lips. "But... finding a school for me to study in would be very troublesome, right? And providing five years' worth of money, that's a lot... Jiang Chengchen also brought your sister into an early romance. Although Jiang Chengchen and I don't get along, his actions have nothing to do with me. But... I just hung the banner, I didn't do much... I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Anyway, why are you helping me?"

Luo Qianjian looked at a nearby tree and said softly, "It's not troublesome for me, and that amount of money is nothing significant. You came to help me today, and I find you agreeable. Moreover, I'm quite looking forward to seeing you surpass Jiang Chengchen in the future... They're taking the banner away, you should go over there quickly. I'll follow later to watch the show."

Hearing this, Jiang Shi glanced at the school officials walking away before hastily replying to Luo Qianjian. "Then... thank you. When I earn money in the future, I'll definitely pay you back. I'll head over there first."

Jiang Shi hurriedly ran towards the school officials carrying the banner, shouting from a distance, "Hey! What are you doing removing my banner!"

Luo Qianjian followed at a leisurely pace.

Luo Suiyun was still unaware of what had happened. Her lunch at school was delivered by a dedicated person from home, so she didn't eat in the cafeteria. She always ate alone in a pavilion outside the teaching building every day.

As for Jiang Chengchen, although he didn't go to the cafeteria either, he maintained his image as a poor but powerful school bully. To save money, he didn't buy meals from the cafeteria but relied on the "tributes" from his "underlings" within the school, ensuring a balanced diet through various sources.

The underlings who witnessed the banner in the cafeteria square naturally told him about it.

After hearing the news, Jiang Chengchen was startled and subconsciously wanted to consult with Luo Suiyun, but he feared that being seen together at this moment would only complicate things further.

As he hesitated, their homeroom teacher appeared at the classroom door, calling out sternly, "Jiang Chengchen, come out for a moment."

The other classmates in the classroom couldn't help but whisper and speculate, guessing that it must be related to the banner exposing early romance. The teacher's gaze swept over them, and they excitedly fell silent.

Jiang Chengchen was directly led by the homeroom teacher to the office of the head of the senior high school department.

Seeing Jiang Shi sitting inside, Jiang Chengchen was taken aback for a moment before his expression turned colder and more annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Jiang Chengchen questioned Jiang Shi bluntly in front of the head of the department and the homeroom teacher.

Regardless, his reputation as a school bully among the students and his image as a troublemaker among the teachers didn't matter to him.

Since Jiang Chengchen didn't care about his image, Jiang Shi naturally cared even less.

"I came to hang the banner, to publicize your early romance. How shameless you are! My mother worked hard to support you, her cheap son, in your studies, yet your grades are terrible, and you're involved in early romance. You deserve to be expelled!" Jiang Shi said fiercely.

Jiang Chengchen glared at him. "You were behind the banner!"

Jiang Shi glared back. "Yes! I chose the location myself and hung it up with my own hands! Do you want to take a look at the banner?"

As Jiang Shi spoke, he reached for the banner placed on the guest coffee table in the head of the department's office to unfold it.

The head of the department, already troubled, hurriedly intervened. "No arguing, no arguing. We called you here to solve the problem, not to deepen the conflict. Student Jiang Chengchen, this student claims to be your stepbrother, and it seems to be true, right?"

Jiang Chengchen reluctantly nodded.

"Good, but let's repeat the same thing: don't argue. I've already contacted Luo Suiyun's homeroom teacher, and once they arrive, we can sit down and discuss this properly," the head of the department said.

Upon hearing that Luo Suiyun had also been summoned, Jiang Chengchen genuinely became anxious.

Seeing his reaction, the experienced head of the department and Jiang Chengchen's homeroom teacher, Teacher Zhou, both wanted to sigh—early romance seemed inevitable.

The teachers were quite helpless.

Although they didn't support early romance, especially between a model student like Luo Suiyun and a problematic student like Jiang Chengchen, if it was discovered privately by the teachers, considering that the college entrance exams were only about a month away and they didn't want to disrupt the students' preparation mindset, the teachers would usually choose to turn a blind eye.

However, this incident had escalated due to the banner, likely making the entire school aware of it. Therefore, they couldn't simply ignore it anymore.

Since Luo Suiyun wasn't in the classroom, it took her homeroom teacher more time to find her and bring her over.

During the wait, the head of the department thought for a moment and kindly inquired about Jiang Shi. "Student Jiang Shi, you mentioned earlier that you're not from our school. Which school do you attend then? You should be in high school, right? Today is Monday, so why aren't you attending classes at your school? Also, how did you manage to enter our school grounds?"

The school wasn't a place for random entry. Logically, Jiang Shi should have been stopped by the security guards at the school gate before entering, as non-students without valid reasons weren't allowed in.

Not wanting to reveal Luo Qianjian, Jiang Shi confidently fabricated an excuse. "I just followed someone in!"

Before the head of the department could ask further, Jiang Shi continued. "I stopped attending school after junior high school, and I'm bored today! As for why I'm not in school, I owe it all to my brother Jiang Chengchen. Our family is poor, and my mother prioritized his education as her stepson over mine, her biological son. Isn't that funny, teachers?"

The head of the department and Teacher Zhou remained silent.

Jiang Chengchen gritted his teeth. "It was clearly because you didn't perform well on your own..."

"That I also got into a public high school! If it weren't for you, would my mom have stopped me from going to school? If it weren't for your paternal grandparents falling ill, would my mom have said something about me staying home to take care of the sick?" Jiang Shi scoffed coldly.

Jiang Chengchen wanted to say more, but the office door was knocked on—it was Luo Suiyun and her homeroom teacher, Teacher Qin, who had arrived together.

Luo Suiyun had already been informed by Teacher Qin about the latest developments on the way over, so she was rather irritable, still pondering and speculating about the connection between this incident and Luo Qianjian.

Recalling Luo Qianjian's recent radical behavior, she finally broke free from her preconceived notions about her third brother, feeling suffocated and short of breath—her third brother had said he would come today to help her deal with breaking up with Jiang Chengchen, but surely he didn't handle it like this!

Arriving at the principal's office, Luo Suiyun saw the banner and her heart sank.

It was definitely Luo Qianjian's doing, she was sure.

Although she didn't recognize Luo Qianjian's handwriting, she remembered that her third brother had indeed practiced calligraphy and wrote quite well.

While Jiang Shi insisted it was him and claimed the calligraphy was done by a street vendor, he couldn't explain why the banner contained content wishing Luo Hefeng a happy 30th birthday, or how there could be a "slip of the pen" writing Luo Gongyou's name.

The principal and the two homeroom teachers intended to make a big issue small and a small issue even smaller, although there were still doubts, they didn't want to investigate further. Luo Suiyun didn't want to complicate matters at school either, so she didn't press the issue.

Jiang Chengchen didn't care and was intent on interrogating Jiang Shi to get to the bottom of things, but seeing Luo Suiyun's expression, he "compromised" and held back for the time being.

Jiang Shi scolded Jiang Chengchen thoroughly, then questioned the principal and the two homeroom teachers, "What will your school do about my report? Can early love lead to expulsion?"

He was very focused on expulsion.

The principal sighed, "Not really..."

Jiang Shi frowned, "But there should be a reprimand, right? With such a big fuss they've made, you have to give the other students an explanation, don't you?"

Jiang Chengchen gritted his teeth, "Isn't it because of you that it became such a big deal!"

Jiang Shi snorted.

The principal was somewhat worried, and the two homeroom teachers were also helpless; according to their thoughts, it was best to keep things small and not affect the students' mindset for the college entrance exam, but this Jiang Shi was too persistent. It seemed that if the school didn't give him a satisfactory explanation, he might continue sneaking into the school to hang banners.

The first time it happened, the other students took it as a joke and moved on, but if it happened again, students' extracurricular lives were already dull, and this matter would be harder to let go.

Luo Suiyun hadn't expected things to develop to this point either; if she had known, she would have broken up with Jiang Chengchen directly herself!

"We're not in early love," Jiang Chengchen suddenly said.

Everyone was taken aback, including Luo Suiyun.

Jiang Chengchen looked at the tears in the corner of her eyes again and continued through gritted teeth, "Who said we're in early love? Just because of Jiang Shi's banner, does what he says count? He's the child my stepmother brought with her, and we've never gotten along since childhood. He's trying to deliberately harm me!"

The principal and the two homeroom teachers fell silent—it was true that Jiang Shi hadn't presented any substantial evidence so far.

However, none of them were inexperienced new teachers; based on Jiang Chengchen and Luo Suiyun's reactions and postures just now, it was clear whether they were or not.

Especially since Jiang Chengchen and Luo Suiyun hadn't denied it at all, which was already telling. The teachers didn't directly ask "Are you in early love?" to save them face, but unexpectedly, Jiang Chengchen now suddenly denied it.

Although lying wasn't good, but...it must be said, this made it easier to handle.

"Is that so, student Luo Suiyun, what do you say?" The principal looked gently at Luo Suiyun.

Luo Suiyun glanced at Jiang Chengchen and nodded, "Yes, teacher, I'm not in early love with this Jiang classmate. I...I was stunned by the sudden situation earlier and forgot to refute it...I'm sorry, teacher."

"It's okay, since you both say no, then the teacher believes you. School is a place for learning, and I believe you both prioritize learning above all else, especially now that the college entrance exam is so close, you wouldn't possibly be distracted." The principal sighed.

Then she looked at the informant, Jiang Shi, and still said kindly, "So, Jiang Shi classmate, looking at the current situation..."

Jiang Shi shrugged, "If they don't admit it, then there's nothing I can do. But since I hung this banner, so many students in your school have seen it, there should be an announcement to clarify, right? Saying that Jiang Chengchen and Luo Suiyun have no early love relationship."

The principal was very troubled; if the school issued an announcement about this, it would be too much of an overreaction.

Jiang Chengchen clenched his teeth, "Jiang Shi, do you have to do this?"

Jiang Shi raised his chin to look at him.

Jiang Chengchen said bitterly, "Fine, isn't it just that you want to make me uncomfortable? Without needing the school to issue an announcement, I'll write a clarification myself and post it on the bulletin board, okay?"

Jiang Shi reluctantly nodded, "Well, that's fine too. You can write it here."

Jiang Chengchen clenched his fists.

In order to resolve the matter quickly, Jiang Chengchen still wrote it, and the content was consistent with his school bully personality—"Who said I'm in early love? That kind of prudish bookworm, I wouldn't even look for her if I was in early love! Anyone who spreads rumors about me again, watch out, I'll find you!"

The principal and the two homeroom teachers had complex expressions, and Luo Suiyun bit her lip.

Although she knew Jiang Chengchen did this to draw a line, and writing like this was consistent with his public persona, Luo Suiyun was still stung, feeling uncomfortable inside.

"Teachers, since it has nothing to do with me anymore, I'll leave first," Luo Suiyun spoke coldly and stubbornly.

After receiving a nod from her homeroom teacher, she left the office without looking back.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Luo Suiyun stepped out of the office, she saw Luo Qianjian standing in the hallway outside.

Luo Qianjian smiled faintly and greeted her politely, whispering softly, "Suiyun."

Luo Suiyun's face was terribly pale, and she didn't respond, turning around and walking away.

However, after walking a few meters away, Luo Suiyun realized that Luo Qianjian had no intention of following her to explain, instead, he remained where he was and continued eavesdropping on the situation inside the office.

Unable to resist, Luo Suiyun stomped her foot and quickly walked back quietly, "Third Brother, let's talk somewhere else."

But Luo Qianjian pointed to the office, "Jiang Chengchen and Jiang Shi are still arguing."

Luo Suiyun was about to cry in frustration, "Third Brother!"

Luo Qianjian sighed, "Alright, you lead the way."

Luo Suiyun brought Luo Qianjian to the pavilion where she had her lunch and then aggressively questioned him, "Third Brother, why did you do this? Didn't you promise me that you would help me handle this matter properly! You guaranteed that you wouldn't tell the family about it!"

Luo Qianjian sat down calmly and was surprised as he said, "I didn't tell the family."

"But you had a banner put up! That's as good as telling the family directly! You... you deliberately wanted to embarrass me! Third Brother, how could you do this? Don't deny it, that banner was used during Eldest Brother's birthday, and those calligraphy strokes, they even wrote Second Sister's name on it. It could only have been you!" Luo Suiyun became increasingly distraught, "That Jiang Shi, no matter how much he dislikes Jiang Chengchen, he couldn't possibly have come up with that banner! It was you, Third Brother, who did this with him!"

Luo Qianjian looked at Luo Suiyun helplessly, seemingly not understanding why she was so agitated, but he still chose to be accommodating and answered gently, "Isn't this better now? Jiang Chengchen will deny your early relationship to the whole school, and you two can break up naturally."

Luo Suiyun experienced firsthand the frustration her parents, eldest brother, and second sister felt when dealing with Luo Qianjian recently.

"Third Brother, stop pretending to be clueless, okay? If you have any issues with me, can't you just say them straight out! If you disapproved of my early relationship and didn't want to help solve this matter, you could have refused from the start! You could have even reported it to the family directly, but why did you choose to make a scene at school!" Luo Suiyun felt like smashing something.

Unfortunately, her hands were empty, and there was nothing to smash.

Luo Qianjian still responded nonchalantly, almost bewildered, "I didn't refuse to help you, and I certainly wouldn't report it to the family. I promised you that I wouldn't tell the family, and I remember that. Did I do something wrong again? Well, the process isn't important, as long as the goal is achieved. You and Jiang Chengchen have broken up smoothly."

Luo Suiyun was exasperated, "How can this be considered a breakup? I wanted a real breakup! Although he denied our early relationship now, he must think it's just a temporary tactic. When he meets me again, he will definitely act as if we haven't broken up! Don't you understand, Third Brother?!"

Luo Qianjian looked innocent, "Sorry, I've never been in love, so I really don't understand these complicated matters."

Luo Suiyun was speechless.

Luo Qianjian continued unperturbed, "But, Suiyun, look at it this way. Didn't you say before that you still have feelings for Jiang Chengchen? You were just afraid that his obsession would affect your college entrance exams. But now that this happened, he will definitely avoid meeting you at school to avoid suspicion. You can focus on your exams now."

"After the college entrance exams and leaving school, if you don't want to see him, he won't be able to find you, and he won't be able to bother you anymore. Even if I followed the original plan and helped you break up with him privately, he would still continue to bother you, right? It's better to make a scene like this. And since you two didn't have a falling out face-to-face, if you want to reconcile in the future, there's still room for that."

Luo Qianjian seemed quite satisfied with his reasoning, but Luo Suiyun was about to explode.

However, seeing Luo Qianjian's calm expression throughout, Luo Suiyun sat down helplessly, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have asked you for help. You only cause trouble..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qianjian expressed disappointment, "This time, I spent a lot of effort to help you. I didn't expect you to say such things, Suiyun. At first, I said I couldn't help, but you insisted... Forget it, I really won't get involved with the family's affairs anymore."

After saying this, Luo Qianjian got up to leave.

"Third Brother..." Luo Suiyun hurriedly called out to him, "This matter isn't over yet. You can't just abandon it. You have to help me explain to the family..."

"I can't handle it. I'll only cause more trouble." Luo Qianjian didn't turn around, slowly raising his hand to wave dismissively behind him.

Luo Suiyun was truly in tears now. She didn't know how to face her classmates and teachers next or how to explain to the family!

And what should she do when she encounters Jiang Chengchen again! Jiang Chengchen must have noticed the connection between the banner and the Luo family!

Luo Qianjian not only failed to help her solve the problem practically, but he also created more trouble!

...

In the afternoon, Luo Hefeng met with business partners for a conference. After the meeting, both parties, who were in high spirits, prepared to have dinner together.

On the way to the restaurant, the business partner joked, "Nowadays, kids are getting more and more rebellious, right? Chief Luo has several younger siblings, so you must understand this well?"

Luo Hefeng sensed that something was off and probed further, eventually getting an honest response from his partner.

The business partner took out his phone and opened the chat interface with his sister, laughing, "Actually, it's not a big deal, probably just some kids playing pranks. I have a younger sister who gets along very well with me, her older brother. She happens to attend the same high school as your younger sister. After seeing this, she couldn't resist sharing it with me..."

On the chat interface were two photos, which Luo Hefeng carefully examined, forming the front and back of a banner.

On the banner, the name of the Luo family's eldest son, as well as Second Miss Luo Gongyou and Fourth Miss Luo Suiyun, were clearly displayed, neatly arranged.

Luo Hefeng: "…"

At the same time, Luo Gongyou learned about this incident from friends in her circle.

"Hey, You You, did your sister Suiyun tell you about this? My brother attends the same school as your younger siblings in their final year of high school. He just sent me a few photos, banners and bulletin boards, and all. I thought he was showing off some honor he received, but it turns out it's all related to your family... Damn! I just realized, my damn brother was playing with his phone in class! I'm going to squeeze some pocket money out of him!"

Luo Gongyou saw the photos amidst her friend's amusement, her face darkening. She felt like this matter had nothing to do with her, but she was dragged into it regardless.

The Luo family was once again notorious in the circle for gossip—

Early relationships weren't a big deal, but being suspected of having a family member put up a banner was interesting.

It had to be said that family members knew each other best. Upon recognizing the content on both sides of the banner, the Luo family immediately thought of Luo Qianjian.

When they inquired at home and confirmed that Luo Qianjian had indeed requested the banner and calligraphy tools from Luo Hefeng's birthday banquet, there was no doubt about it.

Luo Chen was furious, while He Ruyan was worried. Despite their different schedules, the two returned to the Luo residence one after the other and confronted Luo Qianjian.

Luo Qianjian was lounging on the terrace, looking lazy.

His responses were lackluster.

He nodded carelessly, "I did it all. The reason is simply because I felt like it."

Luo Chen was livid, "Luo Qianjian! What kind of attitude is this!"

Luo Qianjian closed his eyes, appearing so calm that it made Luo Chen seem like a clown.

"Don't scold me. I don't like listening to it," Luo Qianjian said slowly, "If I'm unhappy, I might say something inappropriate, and that would annoy me too. I don't like talking much anyway."

Luo Chen and He Ruyan were speechless.