Chapter 90: The Threat

Chapter 90: The Threat

Li Meiru had just stepped out of the campus when a black SUV pulled up near her, just outside the gate. Before she could get a good look at the luxury vehicle, a hand reached out and yanked her into the car.

"Mmph..."

Li Meiru panicked and struggled.

A nonchalant voice drifted from the front seat: "Don't scream. I just want to talk to you. If you make any more noise, I can't guarantee you'll walk away unharmed."

The man in the passenger seat turned slightly, revealing his sharp features.

Li Meiru's eyes widened, but her struggles lessened.

It was him—Lu Hanchuan!

The man in the back seat released her at a signal.

Li Meiru's voice trembled, "You... you're kidnapping me! This is a crime! If I..."

"Hah!"

A disdainful laugh came from the front. Lu Hanchuan's voice was as cold as the snow in December, "If what? Send another anonymous tip?"

Li Meiru's body froze.

He knew about it!

"You're not even twenty yet. Do you know what real crime is? If I weren't in uniform, do you think you'd still be in one piece?"

Lu Hanchuan's gaze fixed on Li Meiru, "I'm here to warn you today. Cut out the petty games. Keep your head down, and everyone stays safe."

Li Meiru was already terrified. The air in the car was thick with tension, and the man in front of her was like a venomous snake, his gaze coiling around her.

"You made it into Jinghua University, so you must be a decent student. You wouldn't want to lose out on awards, job placements, or welfare subsidies, would you?"

Lu Hanchuan's words alone shattered Li Meiru's last defense.

Li Meiru came from a modest background and had worked hard for a better future.

Now, a single mistake could cost her everything. She was on the verge of breaking down.

"I'm truly sorry. It wasn't intentional... I'll apologize."

Lu Hanchuan's voice was lazy, "Don't push your luck. Get out of the car. Smart people know when to stay silent.

If there's a next time, it won't be just a conversation."

Lu Hanchuan gave a look to the man in the back seat.

The man opened the car door and roughly pushed the distraught Li Meiru out.

"Brother Lu, are we really letting her go like this?"

Lu Hanchuan leaned back in his seat, "What else? I'm a glorious active-duty soldier. Can I do illegal things?"

The man: "..."

Lu Hanchuan: "Drive. Let's go to Han Xing's place."

As Li Meiru staggered back to campus, the SUV slowly drove off from the school gate.

...

"Bang!"

The dormitory door was pushed open, and Li Meiru walked in, looking completely out of sorts.

Everyone in the dormitory turned toward the door.

Wang Jiao, who was painting her nails, was so startled that she smudged the polish: "What’s with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!"

But Li Meiru wasn’t in the mood to argue and just sat down at her seat.

Ye Xiaoxiao, who had been reading a book, turned her head to look at Li Meiru and noticed that she looked very pale.

He Jing asked considerately, "Didn’t you just go out to take care of something? Did something go wrong?"

"No!"

Her voice came out unusually sharp, betraying her agitation.

Li Meiru took a deep breath and then shook her head, gesturing that she was okay. "I just ran too fast."

He Jing said softly, "You should get some rest."

Wang Jiao muttered, "Weirdo."

After calming down, Li Meiru felt a wave of relief. The man who had grabbed her in the car was clearly trained, and she couldn’t put up a fight.

If he had really tried anything, she would have had no chance to escape.

Thinking this, Li Meiru became even more determined to stay away from Ye Xiaoxiao, though she didn’t dare to try anything else.

Li Meiru wanted to lie down and rest.

Because of the previous ankle-twisting incident, Wang Jiao had claimed the lower bunk without a second thought.

Wang Jiao suddenly called out to Li Meiru, "Here’s the money you paid for the medicine. I’m not one to take advantage."

Li Meiru: "You don’t have to."

Wang Jiao: "Just take it. It’s only a couple of bucks."

Wang Jiao’s sudden change in demeanor made the others uneasy.

But no one questioned it. The dynamics in dorm 206 were already on thin ice, and no one wanted to make things worse.

Although Ye Xiaoxiao thought Li Meiru was acting odd, she glanced at her a few times and then looked away, returning to her book.

The military training had ended, and Ye Xiaoxiao needed to set aside a day this week to meet with Duan Lei and the hard-to-deal-with Xu Jianli.

But she didn’t want to head back to the compound yet because it was too close to the "female lead," and many people there knew her, but she didn’t know them, which could easily blow her cover.

So, it was better to meet Duan Lei and the others outside.

Ye Xiaoxiao closed her book and stepped out to make a call.

...

Sunday was Ye Xiaoxiao's only day off from classes.

That morning, she headed to a private restaurant near the school to meet Duan Lei and Xu Jianli.

They both showed up right on time. As soon as Duan Lei entered, he muttered, "Why do we have to eat out here?"

"I only invited you out because you said you’re leaving Beijing soon. If you keep whining, I’m out of here."

Ye Xiaoxiao knew she couldn’t give in, or else someone would push their luck.

Duan Lei quickly clammed up.

Once they were seated, Ye Xiaoxiao told them to order.

Duan Lei was about to say something, but after a quick look at Ye Xiaoxiao, he asked, "Xiao Xiao, you transferred my money to me. Do you still have enough for your living expenses?"

Ye Xiaoxiao replied, "Don’t worry about it. I don’t spend much at school, and I get student subsidies."

Duan Lei bit back what he was going to say.

Looks like there was no way to give Xiao Xiao money.

At least she seemed to be doing okay.

Ye Xiaoxiao certainly wasn’t short of money. Song Guangjing kept his word and gave her a hefty red envelope after she got into Jinghua University.

That alone could cover her living expenses for three years.

Ye Xiaoxiao asked Duan Lei, "When do you report to the army?"

Duan Lei sighed, "In a few days. I was thinking if you didn’t reach out, I’d come find you at school."

As the dishes were served one after another, Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Well, safe travels then. Consider this meal an early send-off."

Duan Lei said, "Thank you..."

Wuwuwu… He still didn’t want to go.

Ye Xiaoxiao then looked at Xu Jianli, "You’re in high school—how are you so free?"

Xu Jianli calmly replied, "I’ve already mastered all the high school stuff, so it doesn’t matter if I go to class or not."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "..."