"How can you be so sure it was me? Plenty of guys from our class visited that internet café, and many of them are way more skilled at hacking than I am."
Gu Yicing narrowed her eyes, her voice sharp as she interrogated Xu Cong.
She remembered that she had used advanced software to alter the IP address of the machine she used at the café that day. Even if someone traced the connection back to that internet café, they wouldn't be able to definitively pinpoint her. Xu Cong's explanation, though seemingly flawless, had given away a crucial detail.
Someone was deliberately setting her up, and Xu Cong had taken the fall. But who else could it be if not Gu Wenxuan?
"I... I guessed," Xu Cong stammered, nervously biting his lip. "You were the only one who visited the café around that time, so I just assumed it had to be you."
His defense sounded weak, and it was clear he wasn't truly trying to save himself. Even at this point, he was still covering for Gu Wenxuan, the one who had undoubtedly given him the orders.
Gu Yicing let out a small sigh, a mix of pity and frustration in her voice as she reached down to pull Xu Cong to his feet. "You're so infatuated with her, but do you realize she probably doesn't even care about you? Boys like you—like me—are nothing but trash to her. No matter what you do for her, she won't see you. You're a fool, Xu Cong."
Standing upright now, Xu Cong averted his gaze, unable to look her in the eyes. He seemed to shrink under her words, but still, he clung to his desperation. "Please… just take the videos down, okay? I can buy you a new laptop. I'll pay for it, whatever it takes."
Gu Yicing's lips twisted into a cold smirk, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Pay? How exactly do you plan to pay? Can you really replace the laptop that's been with me for three years, at ten or even a hundred times the price? Everything we own, everything we use, carries meaning."
She had said it before: she would never go back to being the passive, defeated person she once was. And she meant it. Anyone who dared to cross her would face consequences.
"No matter how much you beg, it won't change anything. I'll make sure you get expelled for theft and for destroying someone else's property," she said, her voice icy. "And if the school doesn't expel you, I'll take this to court. If you hadn't destroyed the hard drive and storage card in my laptop, maybe I would've let you off the hook. But those are gone now, and you've cost me more than you realize."
With that, she turned and walked back into the classroom, leaving Xu Cong standing there, pale and shaken.
When he heard the word "expelled," Xu Cong's knees nearly gave out. Panic gripped him, and he could feel his future slipping away.
By the time he pulled himself together, Gu Yicing was already back at her desk, calmly preparing for class as if nothing had happened. But it was only a matter of minutes before the school's disciplinary officer came looking for him.
The teacher motioned for Xu Cong to follow. "The principal wants to see you in his office," he said, his voice stern.
As Xu Cong was dragged away, he let out a wild, hysterical scream, his voice echoing through the hallways, directed at Gu Yicing. "Gu Yicing, you miserable woman! If I get expelled, I'll make sure you pay! I'll kill you, just wait!"
His frantic shouting grew fainter as he was led away.
Inside the classroom, Gu Yicing barely reacted, flipping open her textbook and sitting down, ready for the lesson. To her, this was just another minor disturbance, something she had already anticipated and dealt with.
At the desk next to hers, Mu Zuochen silently observed her. This Gu Yicing was so different from the one he once knew—a transformation that both intrigued and worried him.
There was something unnerving about the change in her. She had become so cold, so unforgiving, and yet there was a fierce strength in her now that hadn't been there before. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of surprise, concern, and maybe even a little admiration.
"You really went all out this time," Mu Zuochen said, his brow furrowed. "Aren't you afraid he'll retaliate?"
"Today it was just a laptop," Gu Yicing replied, her tone matter-of-fact. "What will it be tomorrow? People who can be manipulated this easily won't stop at just one offense. I'm just making sure he's thrown out of this school. He's smart, right? He can still pass the entrance exams for other universities. Sure, they won't be as good as Lingda, but that's the price he has to pay for what he's done. If you think I've become heartless or cruel, and you want to distance yourself from me, I won't stop you."
She picked up her textbook, preparing to move to another seat.
But Mu Zuochen's hand shot out, gently grabbing her wrist, stopping her. His voice was low, and his eyes softened as he said, "I'm just worried about you."
For a moment, there was silence between them. Gu Yicing looked down at his hand, feeling the warmth of his grip. It wasn't that she didn't understand his concern, but she knew that this was a path she had chosen, and there was no turning back.