His voice was soft but firm.
His voice rang out extra clearly in the quiet office.
Ning Li felt an imaginary breeze by her ears, tickling her and numbing her senses.
‘Our Ning Li…’
Ning Li glanced at Lu Huaiyu.
The profile of his face was perfect. He lifted his head slightly, showing off his well-defined jawline; his eyes were calm and steady.
He was not trying to argue with Geng Haifan but he was merely making a statement.
Pei Song blinked several times when he heard Lu Huaiyu.
His statement sounded a little…
Geng Haifan was stunned. He had not expected Lu Huaiyu to deny the facts even after being shown the picture.
“But Mr. Lu, both Ning Li and Pei Song traveled to Jingcheng and back together—”
“You guys went to Jingcheng together?”
Lu Huaiyu turned to Ning Li and asked.
Ning Li shook her head.
“No, we came back on different flights.”
She looked into Lu Huaiyu’s eyes and added, “We never even met while in Jingcheng. Due to the heavy rain, the flights were delayed and we ran into each other at the airport.”
Lu Huaiyu nodded.
“You heard Lili, Mr. Geng. If you don’t believe her, I can ask someone to bring me the flight schedule so that you can verify it yourself.”
Geng Haifan was skeptical.
Both students had applied for leave on the same day and appeared at the airport together. It would be difficult to convince him to believe otherwise.
However, as Lu Huaiyu said, he would be able to find out the truth just by searching for the flight schedule. Ning Li had no reason to lie about this.
If they were both really in a relationship, surely they would have gone there on the same flight.
“As for this picture…”
Lu Huaiyu smiled and looked at the phone.
“It was raining in Jingcheng yesterday and the temperature had dropped drastically. As a friendly classmate, wouldn’t lending her his coat be something normal?”
Geng Haifan agreed with what Lu Huaiyu said but…
“Mr. Lu, both Ning Li and Pei Song are amazing students. The school thinks highly of them. It was for that reason that we tried to get to the bottom of this. Ning Li applied for leave on Friday and told me that she was going back to Lincheng.
However, her picture had been taken in Jingcheng. Even after I questioned her, she refused to reveal her reason for being there. If not for her stubbornness, I wouldn’t have called you either. What do you—”
Lu Huaiyu had a glance at Ning Li.
“Friday?”
“Yeah.”
Ning Li averted her gaze. She felt as if Lu Huaiyu could see her thoughts.
A moment later, Lu Huaiyu said, “I would like to talk to Lili alone. May I have this room for a moment?”
Geng Haifan believed it would be a good way to get the truth out of the girl.
She might not want to reveal the truth to her teacher but she might come clean to her second brother.
“You can use the office next door. It’s used to store documents so no one is inside. If you don’t mind, it’s that way.”
Geng Haifan pointed at the door.
Lu Huaiyu got up and headed out.
Ning Li was stunned.
At the door, Lu Huaiyu turned around to glance at her and said, “Lili.”
Ning Li took a deep breath and reluctantly walked out.
…
The document room was not big by any means. Other than a desk and a chair, all three walls were filled with document racks.
There were also boxes on the floor filled with paper. The place was packed and could not hold more than two people at once.
Lu Huaiyu leaned against the desk and crossed his legs slightly before looking at Ning Li.
Ning Li closed the door and managed to secure a tiny spot for herself.
They stood about one step away from each other.
“Tell me, why did you go to Jingcheng?”
Lu Huaiyu got straight to the point with his unique lazy voice.
Although his tone was normal, his gaze was sharp and made Ning Li feel as if there was nowhere for her to escape.
She pursed her lips.
She had not cared when Geng Haifan questioned her, but for some reason, she felt guilty when Lu Huaiyu asked her the same question.
“To deal with something.”
After a slight pause, she finally gave a vague answer.
Lu Huaiyu suddenly laughed.
“You were going to tell me the other night. What happened? What changed your mind?”
Ning Li’s heart skipped a beat and looked at him. Her charming eyes were as wide as golf balls.
That night, she had intended on telling Lu Huaiyu about the Jingcheng trip. However, she had been so hesitant that she eventually gave up.
How did Lu Huaiyu find out?
She quickly reacted and said, “You saw it?”
Lu Huaiyu did not say a word but the silence was an obvious answer.
Ning Li was left speechless.
She regretted her hesitation back then. She should not have typed and deleted the message repeatedly.
Even though it had been brief, Lu Huaiyu had somehow seen the typing in the chat.
Frustrated, she accepted defeat and said, “I went to see a friend and have a little getaway.”
A groundless answer.
Lu Huaiyu said lightly, “A friend? Is it Pei Song?”
“No!” Ning Li denied and frowned.
“What I said back there is the truth. There’s nothing between us. I don’t even know if he was in Jingcheng for the weekend as well. We just happened to run into each other at the airport.”
After a slight pause, she added, “Dr. Gu can prove that.”
If Gu Tinglan was involved, Lu Huaiyu would believe it.
Lu Huaiyu widened his eyes slightly in realization. He looked at her intensely and said, “Oh? Gu Tinglan is also involved?”
…
Jingcheng, King’s One.
Gu Tinglan was arranging one of his old photo albums.
The edges of the album were worn out due to its age and repeated use.
He turned a page and suddenly sneezed.
He rubbed his nose and grumbled, “Someone is talking bad about me…”
…
“It’s also a coincidence.”
Just as the words escaped her mouth, Ning Li realized that the more she tried to explain, the more complicated it became.
Even she herself was fed up with the word ‘coincidence.’
However, considering Gu Tinglan’s credibility, she had to bring the man into the conversation.
Lu Huaiyu was silent as he contemplated the situation.
It seemed like he had gotten an explanation for the other night.
However, the girl was still hesitating on revealing any further details.
“What did you say last time? You even vowed never to lie again.”
Ning Li said softly, “I didn’t lie and you didn’t ask.”
Lu Huaiyu scoffed.
Who would have expected that Ning Li would go to Jingcheng on a weekend?
The girl did not sound guilty but her demeanor somehow resembled someone.
“I didn’t ask, so you didn’t plan on telling me?”
Ning Li was confused. ‘Duh, why would I tell you? I didn’t even tell Su Yuan about it.’
She was not obliged to tell Lu Huaiyu her whereabouts but she also dared not tell Lu Huaiyu to stay out of her business.
After a slight hesitation, she said, “Second brother, you can call Dr. Gu and ask him about it. I’m telling the truth.”
“It’s okay.”
He knew Gu Tinglan went back to Jingcheng on the weekends. He had even spoken to the man yesterday.
However, Gu Tinglan had not said a word about Ning Li.
Ning Li did not know how to continue the conversation either, so she kept quiet.
The room was already small enough. With the two of them inside, coupled with Lu Huaiyu’s brazen stare, Ning Li felt as if the room was closing in on her.
A while later, Lu Huaiyu said softly, “Is Jingcheng cold?”
Confused, Ning Li said, “What?”
Lu Huaiyu thought of the picture.
The picture had been taken at the airport lobby. The rain was visible through the window and it was dark outside.
Some passersby wore a trench coat, some of them even had blankets around them and many people were seen to be walking around.
The girl in the picture wore only a white hoodie while carrying a simple bag.
She looked thin and lonely.
“It was raining at the airport. Were you cold?”
