Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Frankly speaking, Ling Yun was not ugly. It was true that he was fat, but he was more plump than fat, a cute kind of fat. At the very least, whenever he smiled, his left cheek would flash a shallow dimple.
But in the past few years, he smiled too little. He was too weak, too boring, too lonely, and had a low self-esteem.
However, today he was arrogant, overbearing and was beaming with confidence. In this instance, all the students were surprised that Ling Yun actually had such a lovely side.
Even when he was quietly reading in a corner, Ling Yun’s gaze no longer displayed cowardice and weakness. Instead, it was replaced by one of peace, calmness, and confidence.
After defeating Gou Junfa convincingly in the fight, Zhang Ling saw some qualities in Ling Yun and praised him for being charming.
As Cao Shanshan stood there throwing her tantrum, Zhang Ling felt a wave of helplessness surging through her. If Cao Shanshan was to back out from dinner, Zhang Ling would be too shy to go alone.
At the tender age of seventeen, she was smart enough to know what was best for herself. When it came to Cao Shanshan, no one in school understood her better than Zhang Ling. Therefore, she could maintain a great influence over Cao Shanshan.
In fact, she had been a guest to Cao Shanshan’s home in Qingshui City, interacting with both of her parents.
In the entire Qingshui High, if someone were to categorise the students based on their wealth, Zhang Ling would belong in the middle. Although she was not as wealthy as Cao Shanshan, Xie Junyan, Gou Junfa, Zhuang Meina and those students born with a silver spoon, she was certainly not at the bottom. But compared to Wei Tiangan, there was definitely a world of difference.
Zhang Ling came from a good family background and an excellent educational environment. She knew that by maintaining a good friendship with Cao Shanshan, she would gain more than she stood to lose.
She was not trying to fawn on the rich and powerful, but it was only human nature to want more.
This could be explained by an old adage, “The type of people you surround yourself with greatly influences the type of person you become.”
Of course, things were not that simple. To start off, both people had to get along well and be compatible with each other. If both parties could not see eye to eye, naturally, everything would fall apart.
As Cao Shanshan sat there flipping her books in frustration, Zhang Ling noticed that her beautiful, oval face turned slightly reddish. This was a sure sign that she was furious.
Zhang Ling batted her eyelids and thought of a plan.
“Shanshan, are you afraid of Ling Yun after he bullied you?”
Cao Shanshan was momentarily surprised after hearing that question. She turned her head and replied furiously, “What did you say? I’m afraid? If he’s willing to meet me tomorrow night, I’ll show you how to deal with him!”
“Then why aren’t you heading to Savant’s Restaurant to eat?” Ling Yun replied jokingly, tilting her head sheepishly.
“Are you joking? Is this how you offer to treat someone to a meal? The way he walked was so arrogant. He didn’t even greet us!”
Of course, it was impossible for Cao Shanshan to express her true thoughts. Thus, she said something that she did not really mean.
However, this was also close to the truth. Countless people had failed in the quest to bring Cao Shanshan out for a meal. Yet, having been presented with this opportunity that many could only dream of, Ling Yun was unappreciative and displayed an uninterested attitude.
In Zhang Ling’s heart, she knew that was the real reason. Yet, she murmured, “That’s why we’re going to teach him a lesson, to get revenge for you! If we don’t, he’ll become more arrogant!”
“Who knows? He might have done that intentionally to intimidate us from showing up…”
Not only was Zhang Ling quick on her feet but being eloquent was also one of her strengths. As a result, Cao Shanshan started to have a change of heart.
“Right! Looking at his cocky face, he might have done that intentionally to p*ss me off!”
However, after giving it a thought, Cao Shanshan started to hesitate.
Zhang Ling sensed this opportunity and instigated further.
“Shanshan, since you’re going to teach him a lesson tomorrow night, why not deal with him today too? You can collect some interest! Don’t forget that he caused you to be hungry the whole afternoon…”
At this moment, Cao Shanshan could feel her empty stomach growl and rumble. She thought that Zhang Ling had a point.
However, as usual, the proud Cao Shanshan had lost her cool and said too much just now. Although ladies were supposed to be calm and soft-spoken, she was unable to let go of her pride and go back on her words.
While the both faced this dilemma, a beautiful silhouette appeared at the door. “Shanshan, Zhang Ling, why are you guys still not out? We’ve waited for a long time!” she exclaimed, grinning happily while her waving her hands.
It was none other than Ning Lingyu. She quickly figured the reason behind her brother’s treat. When she turned her back, she realized that the main guests were not coming along. As such, she took the initiative to head back and invited them to come along.
Ling Yun’s attitude was the exact opposite. Since money was hard to come by, having fewer people turn up would mean more money saved for himself.
Hence, he did not want his sister to go back but Ning Lingyu had a different thought.
Based on Zhang Dong’s vivid description, Ling Yun recited the entire lesson content during History class in the afternoon, not leaving out a single word. This left Ning Lingyu in awe.
Since when was my brother’s memory so good? It’s no wonder that he’s aiming to enter Yan Jing University!
After understanding the entire backstory, she immediately realized the importance of treating Zhang Ling to a meal.
Since this was something important that would affect her brother’s chance of entering university, Ning Lingyu was not going to let Ling Yun stop her. She sprinted back to the classroom and invited Cao Shanshan and Zhang Ling to head down together.
“Shanshan, look! Even Ning Lingyu came down personally to invite us… Hurry up! I’m so hungry…”
Just as Cao Shanshan considered letting go of her pride, Ning Lingyu’s presence changed everything. After all, Ning Lingyu was the brightest student in school. She had to give her some face.
As the three pretty girls left the classroom, all the students in the classroom reluctantly recalled their eyes of admiration and jealousy and returned to gossiping.
“Ling Yun is so awesome! He bashed Gou Junfa, took nine thousand dollars from him, and proceeded to dine with the two prettiest girls in school…”
“Needless to say, this Ling Yun is no longer the Ling Yun of the past. He easily became the center of attention in school today…”
“If he wants to be useless then he’ll be the most useless. If he wants to be strong, then he’ll be the strongest… This Ling Yun can become anything!”
“Things never stay the same. Us mere mortals better stick to studying hard into university…”
When Ning Lingyu, Cao Shanshan, and Zhang Ling arrived, Ling Yun, Tang Meng and the rest of the group were nowhere to be seen.
The three beautiful silhouettes, which included two of the school’s prettiest girls, immediately became the most eye-catching view on campus.
“Look! Isn’t that Ning Lingyu and Cao Shanshan? Why are they walking side by side?”
“Needless to say, it must be because of Ling Yun. Didn’t you see Ling Yun, Tang Meng and his group walking in front?”
“Wow, so the rumor from this morning is true? But why isn’t Cao Shanshan angry at all?”
“Not angry? You’re too outdated… In the afternoon, Ling Yun took one thousand dollars from her. She was so furious that she didn’t even have lunch…”
“He’s so stubborn. So, what’s happening now?”
“How the hell would I know?”
All these discussions made Cao Shanshan feel bitter. However, these rumors were often groundless accusations. In fact, she even started some of them herself. Therefore, her only choice was to stay quiet.
Ning Lingyu was witty and smart. She sensed Cao Shanshan’s discomfort and she started a new topic, deliberately diverting her attention.
“Shanshan, your results are so outstanding! Which university are you planning to attend?”
Cao Shanshan tilted her head to look at Ning Lingyu and replied shyly, “Lingyu, your results are the best in our school. Are you digging at me?”
Ning Lingyu suddenly realized that Cao Shanshan was not as proud and arrogant as she thought. She smiled, “We’re all the top five students in the Arts and Science streams. What difference does it make?”
“Furthermore, my family’s financial situation isn’t great. I have no choice but to study hard in order to get into a good university and improve the situation. You’re different. As long as you can enter your ideal university, how well you do wouldn’t really matter, right?”
Ning Lingyu was undoubtedly a very good lobbyist. By lowering her pride, all she needed was just one sentence to win over Cao Shanshan and Zhang Ling’s favor.
Cao Shanshan and Zhang Ling could not help but look at each other. They were secretly impressed by Ning Lingyu’s eloquence. At the same time, they flashed a look of distaste at the arrogant Ling Yun.
“Oh, you’re right. No matter my grades, I’ll still study at Yan Jing University…”
Ning Lingyu was right, Cao Shanshan did not really care about her academic performance. Banking on her family background, she did not need to prove anything with her grades.
But of course, it was true that based on Cao Shanshan’s grades, it would have been a piece of cake to qualify for Yan Jing University.
“Really? I’m also aiming for Yan Jing University! If I’m successful, we’ll go back to being schoolmates!” Ning Lingyu replied excitedly, flashing a smile that came from the bottom of her heart.
Looking at Ning Lingyu’s genuine smile, even Cao Shanshan became slightly mesmerized. It’s such a pity that she can’t afford to dress up. With some help, she will definitely be the prettiest girl in school…
Although Ling Yun exaggerated rather often, he never batted an eye to the countless beauties that stood before him. However, Ning Lingyu was different. She was a natural beauty, one that emitted a fresh, natural fragrance. In this regard, even the nice smelling Cao Shanshan came in second.
“Lingyu, entering Yan Jing University shouldn’t be a problem for you! How about your brother Ling Yun?” Zhang Ling asked curiously after regaining her attention.
Ning Lingyu smiled back. She then tilted her head downwards and replied sheepishly, “He also wants to enter Yan Jing University… My brother loves to talk big…”
That was not how Ning Lingyu felt. Inside her heart, she was actually quite proud of her brother. She believed in him. Instead of avoiding the question, she gave an answer that her brother himself was not quite certain of.
She had expected Cao Shanshan to burst into laughter. However, what greeted her was a stern expression from Cao Shanshan and Zhang Ling. There was not even a slight laughter.
“I don’t think he’s talking big. If he keeps up this hard work, he will definitely achieve his target.” Cao Shanshan replied in a serious tone.
“What?” Zhang Ling stared blankly at Cao Shanshan. She was not surprised at Cao Shanshan’s reply. However, she remained bewildered by Cao Shanshan’s attitude.
Even if Cao Shanshan knew that Ning Lingyu was not lying, Zhang Ling expected her to not hold back and cynically dismiss Ling Yun’s ambition.
Not only did she not ridicule him with her usual sarcastic remarks, Cao Shanshan even replied with her honest opinion.
