### Chapter 187: Panic or Not?
“Hmm? Why do you think it’s the Jiang family?”
Lin Jie was genuinely intrigued by Xia Le’s conviction that this was all about the Jiang family, even though what he said didn’t match their findings.
Then, Xia Le glanced at Jiang Kekai again and said to Lin Jie, “Didn’t those guys say not to mess with their Young Lady Jiang? So, if it’s not the Jiang family, then who else could it be?”
Lin Jie: “…”
This guy really needed a mental checkup. But since they had been through tough times together, Lin Jie decided to explain: “It’s not the Jiang family. It’s some other family.”
“What family?”
“The ones from the capital. I don’t know which one. Yesterday, when we tried to dig deeper, the officials stopped us. We still haven’t got any results.”
“Oh, so what do we do now?”
Lin Jie couldn’t help but look at Xia Le again, unsure whether he should trust him with the plan. He initially approached Xia Le to deal with Jiang Kekai, who was staying in Xia’s house along with Jiang Hanhang. Why would he not know this?
He observed that Xia Le seemed to detest Jiang Kekai quite a bit. Lin Jie thought maybe this could be a chance for them to work together against Jiang Kekai, no more sneaking around.
So, Lin Jie whispered his plan to Xia Le, warning, “Though it’s not the Jiang family directly, they’re still connected somehow. They might be Jiang’s allies in the capital. So, always keep your guard up.”
Lin Jie was planting seeds of suspicion about Jiang Kekai and Jiang Hanhang in Xia Le’s mind, to make it easier later on if they had a chance to take action.
Sure enough, after hearing this, Xia Le nodded determinedly, agreeing to “always keep his guard up.”
Across the room, Jiang Kekai couldn’t help smiling. This was why Xia Le had been saying such things after coming home. Class time, and as expected, Gao Xiaotian hadn’t stopped playing his game for those initial seven minutes. Looks like class wasn’t ending soon.
The rest of the students were back in their seats, though the chatter didn’t stop, nobody moved in the aisles, waiting for teacher He Gongxing to start the lesson.
Gao Xiaotian panicked; if caught playing, the chances were high. But quitting felt like a loss.
He looked at Xia Yu, the quiet beautiful schoolgirl next to him, and came up with a cunning idea, “Bro, please switch places with me quickly. I promise to switch back once I’m done.” Xia Yu was speechless.
Seeing the surroundings, Xia Yu sighed, standing up helplessly. There was no way around this awkward situation.
Just then, Peppy Girl, sitting in front of Xia Yu, smirked at Gao Xiaotian, “I told you. Senior Class has started. Were you actually going to keep playing?”
“Whatever,” Gao Xiaotian muttered, placing his phone in the corner and continuing his game.
Disappointed with Gao Xiaotian’s antics, the Peppy Girl turned to Xia Yu, “Don’t help him. You should’ve stopped him from playing.”
Gao Xiaotian snapped back, “What do you mean? Xia Yu is my buddy, helping him is natural.”
“Yeah, Xia Yu is our buddy too. Why act like a boss? If you don’t stop, Teacher He will be here any second.” She nudged her deskmate.
Another girl chimed in, backing her up, “Yeah, Xia Yu is definitely our buddy.”
Xia Yu was speechless.
Just as he feared, the classroom suddenly fell silent. Nobody dared to speak loud again. It wasn’t normal unless He Gongxing was there, making the students wary.
As expected, when the two girls peered behind the door, He Gongxing stood solemnly with his book. Those girls turned swiftly, preparing themselves, and opened their books pretending to study.
Gao Xiaotian, still deeply engrossed in his game, was oblivious to the impending doom. Xia Yu had to prod him, getting him to cautiously stash away his phone and glance back.
His heart skipped a beat seeing He Gongxing right beside Xia Yu, looking straight at him.
Awkwardly, Gao Xiaotian’s eyes met with He Gongxing, immediately averting them.
Then, He Gongxing stretched his hand towards Gao Xiaotian and said coolly, “Hand it over.”
“What?”
No way he’d give it willingly. His phone symbolized his lifeline.
“Don’t play dumb. Last time, I saw. Hand it over.”
Impatient with refusal, He Gongxing pushed on.
School policy forbade devices, but students, including Gao Xiaotian, often sneaked them.
Unconvinced, Gao Xiaotian played ignorant, “I didn’t do anything. Just resting my eyes.”
Frustration building, He Gongxing hesitantly stepped closer—right into the crossfire of super troublemaker Xia Yu, who had psychological issues.
Sensing the risk, He Gongxing backed off, glowering at Gao Xiaotian and heading to the podium to continue teaching.
Collapsing on the wall, Gao Xiaotian was relieved—momentarily saved from certain d*ath.
Regaining composure, Gao Xiaotian grinned, “Thanks pal. Later, I’ll get you some spicy strips for PE class.” Xia Yu couldn’t care less.
Gao Xiaotian knew Xia Yu’s reserved nature well enough to understand his silence.
Now in class, Gao Xiaotian dared not risk being caught with his phone out, so he powered it down and picked up a storybook to pass the time.
After class, He Gongxing packed up, moving on. And unsurprisingly, Peppy Girls swarmed Gao Xiaotian, jeering, “Phew! Lucky you sat inside. You would have been in trouble.”
“Yeah? Who cares about your opinions? You’d be jealous if you were in Xia Yu’s shoes.”
With typical boyhood camaraderie, Gao Xiaotian instinctively draped his arm over Xia Yu, but Xia Ling arrived just in time, swatting Gao Xiaotian’s hand away, “What’s your move? Hands off!”
Gao Xiaotian was perplexed, thinking Xia Yu was male; why shun his company?
Xia Ling threatened nonchalantly, “Keep away from my sister, or you’ll regret it.”
“Yeah, keep your hands off Xia Yu; her sister will get you. Trust me.”
Jiang Hanhang agreed with Xia Ling.
Ignoring him, Xia Ling dragged Xia Yu off to the restroom, heading to the next class.
Gao Xiaotian’s head spun. Was he that bad? Why was everyone so cautious about Xia Yu?
Feeling a bit uneasy, Gao Xiaotian finally put his phone away and joined the rest, leaving the classroom. For him, carrying the phone was safety.
Using girls’ uniforms for the girls’ bathroom? He was used to it, but Xia Yu was still anxious and fearful someone would snitch. Bad luck, yesterday was smooth sailing; today, girls spotted Xia Yu with Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang at the restroom.
Predictably, they ran to He Gongxing. He asked straightforwardly, “Was she alone or with others?”
“With Xia Ling and Jiang Hanhang, but having boys in girls’ bathrooms is a big no, He-taichi.”
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