"So Miss Chen, what is your decision?"
That was the first thing Mr. Zhu asked after his returned. Chen Rou Jiao wo focused on the dean since he camee back, nodded hesitantly. She clenched her fist tightly on her lap and she took a deep breath.
Yu Yao waited anxiously for her resolution beside her. His heart pounded crazily but the girl next to her seems afraid to speak out her mind. She kept murmured herself and bit her lower lips, Yu Yao quickly patted her shoulder, put a smile on his face, to keep her calm.
"It's okay. Say it." he said softly. He believed Chen Rou Jiao will choose to stay. She already spent almost 4 years here, to grab a scroll of graduation, and he knew, Chen Rou Jiao a smart girl who will not let this mere problem to destroy her effort.
Chen Rou Jiao replied his smile by curled the end of her lips upwards. She now looked straight at Mr. Zhu. The determination on her eyes made Mr. Zhu smirked and anticipated what will she say.
"I.. I decided to leave." Chen Rou Jiao felt the burden in her heart magically lifted. She was relieve by that but not for Yu Yao. He was stupefied with her decision and almost yell at Chen Rou Jiao as his smiled disappeared from his charming face.
"WHAT? WHY?"
Chen Rou Jiao did not answer nor Mr. Zhu pay no attention towards Yu Yao change of attitude but that old man expressed his happiness for her decision with his smile.
"Great. You made a great choice."
Yu Yao looked at Mr. Zhu with disapproval. "How come this is great?" he shifted his attention towards Chen Rou Jiao. Grabbed her hands tightly.
"Rou Jiao, please think again. If you afraid about your record, don't worry, when you graduated, I can do everything I can to get rid of it. And I will keep my promise."
Chen Rou Jiao sighed. She looked at Yu Yao, smiled weakly. "This case will dissolve if I step down. What more I shall ask? This is perfect scenario for me."
"I can help you. You just need to hold back for a few days, after we graduate, I will asked my father to clear everything for you." he keenly pleading to Chen Rou Jiao but she hinted that her decision will not swayed by his words.
"This is what I choose, please respect it." she said seriously. "And, don't make me hate you, Yu Yao. Please." she lasked softly, but there were a hidden warning in it.
Yu Yao finally back off. He zipped his mouth, announced defeat by nodded his head weakly.
Chen Rou Jiao was happy with him and focused back to Mr. Zhu who scoffed watching the dramatic scene before his eyes.
"Mr. Zhu let us carry out what we left. So do I need to sign any agreement or contract to back up my decision?"
Mr. Zhu nodded and walked to his working table to get the file. While head back to his seat, he had time to joking around. "You two looked perfect as a couple."
Chen Rou Jiao startled with his comment and quickly denied it. "No sir. Yu Yao is a best friend of mine."
He chuckled. "I am just saying. Don't take it seriously. But you two quite compatible, I am sure your father will approve."
Chen Rou Jiao frowned. Wondering how come her dean knew if her father will approved or not. Did they knew each other behind her back?
Mr. Zhu sneered when noticing her expression. She probably puzzled which father that he referred to.
"I will make sure her father accept me. I will win his heart." Yu Yao jokes after being silent for a few seconds.
He must not be sad in this situation and must showed his dauntlessness which made Mr. Zhu chuckled and Chen Rou Jiao awkwardly laugh. She lost words on facing his never give up to win her heart which she thought that intention was already gone by the wind.
"Good luck then young man." Mr. Zhu then hand out the black file to Chen Rou Jiao. "This is the agreement. After you signed it, you need to leave today. I will notify your warden to pack your things and put it in the car that I will provide for you."
Yu Yao gasped. "Did she really need to leave this instant?" he displayed his sad face towards Chen Rou Jiao.
Chen Rou Jiao nodded understand. "Good then. There was nothing for me to stay." She remembered about what her friends had done, and she quite certain Li Da Zhan did not want to look at her even if she wanted to see him for one last time. Thinking all of that made her emotional.
"I am here." Yu Yao reminded her. Which made Chen Rou Jiao looked at him and softly beam.
"Thanks."
Mr. Zhu cleared his throat. "Please sign quickly and take your lovey dovey moment out of my office."
Chen Rou Jiao giggled with his reaction and read the agreement before she signed.
"Here, Mr. Zhu. I have sign it."
After Mr. Zhu checked it in a flash, he nodded and rose from his place, followed by Chen Rou Jiao and Yu Yao.
"Good luck for you after this. Because you are a smart student I ever meet, your future will be bright even though you are not graduating in my college."
"Thank you, sir. For everything." Chen Rou Jiao bowed her head and left the office with Yu Yao.
Right after they left, Mr. Zhu took his phone from the coffee table and searched someone name in the contact list. Find the one he looked for, he pressed 'Call' button on the screen.
"Hello. How is it?"
"Hello Chairman Bai, Miss Chen agreed to drop her study here, like you ask."
Mr. Zhu caught a chuckle from the person he called. He waited for Chairman Bai to respond patiently.
"Good then. My secretary will wire the amount I promised you in any minutes. Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Zhu."
"Okay. Sir. Thank you." the call ended by Chairman Bai. However, Mr. Zhu beamed happily for the amount of money he will received for getting Chen Rou Jiao out from the college.
***
Chen Rou Jiao and Yu Yao was still in the college compound when she spotted someone she believed the reason for her suffering, walking behind the man who wanted to see her suffered. Were they connected to each other?
Chen Rou Jiao suspected something, and she quickly rushed to them. Yu Yao widened his eyes, startled with her but he still followed after her, without knowing the root of that action.
Chen Rou Jiao stopped right behind the two men. Yu Yao arrived a bit late from her.
"Li Da Zhan!"
The mysterious guy seem to stop right away, but Li Da Zhan did not bother about her because he recognised that voice and he did not want to have anything to do with her today.
"HEY LI DA ZHAN!"
Li Da Zhan stopped finally but he did not turned around right away but breath deeply before lazily turned his body, facing the furious Chen Rou Jiao. He respond with expressionless face.
Chen Rou Jiao stood a few inches from Li Da Zhan, her eyes shot a glare at him. "Is it really you?"
Li Da Zhan raised his eyebrows, perplexed with her question.
"What?"
Chen Rou Jiao pressed her trembled lips tightly. She took a deep breath before exhaled softly. She shot a glare straight to his eyes, "Did you plan all of this? You want to see me get expelled so much, huh?"
Yu Yao shocked with her statement. But first, he ordered the mysterious man who bumped into Chen Rou Jiao few days ago to leave that place, he will handle her by himself. He sneered evillishly at Chen Rou Jiao.
Chen Rou Jiao watched that man left without saying anything because she still wanted answer from Li Da Zhan.
"So you choose to leave this place?" Li Da Zhan sneered. "I am happy for you."
"Hey Da Zhan. Watched your word." Yu Yao warned his friend but Li Da Zhan did not care.
"What?" he chuckled. "This is a happy occasion." The bewitching smile on his charming face gave Chen Rou Jiao goosebumps.
"How could you do this to me?" her eyes wet with tears, the tears which she held since in the dean's office but they slowly falling down to her rosy cheeks, tears by tears.
Li Da Zhan who delighted seconds ago now clenched his jaws, glaring at Chen Rou Jiao. "Why are you putting the blame on me while the reason of my action came from you?" he raise his voice a bit.
"Excuse me?" she squinted her eyes.
"Oh. So you did not remember?"
"Remember what?"
Li Da Zhan sneered until the line of his teeth was seen, "You are just same like her."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you remember what happened last year? You humiliated me in front other students, in front of Senior Zhao? After you discover who I really was?"
Chen Rou Jiao gasped. Her eyes widened when he mention that event. Not just her, Yu Yao also taken aback when Li Da Zhan talked about it.
Li Da Zhan snorted seeing her reaction. She thought he did not know what she had done, and pretend to be a good girl.
"Why?" Li Da Zhan crossed his arms, "You really think you can hide your dirty deed behind your lovely face? Who do you think you are?"
Chen Rou Jiao lost words. Her crystal eyes looked at Li Da Zhan in disbelieved. People started to gather around them, interested to know what the chaos was about. Including Tang Yi Lian who happened to be there with her friends.
Yu Yao hurriedly came in between them. Facing Li Da Zhan who was fortunately in the same height with him. His frightened expression mirrored how much he felt right now.
"Hey, Da Zhan. I think you confuse here."
Li Da Zhan stared at Yu Yao. "Confuse?" he chuckled. "Why on earth I am confusing here? I was there when she said that. I heard all of her insult towards me!" Li Da Zhan shifted his attention to Chen Rou Jiao behind Yu Yao, "What did you say that day? A crow in the jungle who think he as the phoenix in the heaven? That's what you say right?!"
As she lowered her lashes, the tears streamed down. She did not intend to wipe it off. Chen Rou Jiao bit her lower lips.
"Li Da Zhan." Yu Yao force his voice to be more serious, even his expression turned serious when Li Da Zhan did not pay attention to him, determined to get answers from Chen Rou Jiao.
"YES. I never know my place! I am not the phoenix you thought I was!" at the end of his words, he chocked out. He cried because he recalled the expression on his mother when his father said it. His heart sank right now, as much as the pain he felt back then.
"LI DA ZHAN! Listen to me!" Yu Yao grabbed Li Da Zhan's shirt.
"WHAT?!" he shot a glared towards Yu Yao.
"You misunderstand the whole situation."
"I was there! How come I misunderstand?!" he shouted.
"Because I was there too! I was there when Chen Rou Jiao defend you from Senior Zhao!"