A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1131 The Students' Reactions

"...I haven't thought of that yet."

Gui'er also felt that there must be more to the story, so she put her miniature pistol in her schoolbag just in case, and also brought a hidden weapon pen.

She felt that this matter must be related to Wu Mingqiang. Maybe it was because he offended someone, and that person knew he admired her, so they took action against her. If that was the case, it would make sense for Wu Mingqiang to hide it from her, perhaps because he was afraid she would blame him.

When she arrived at school, she had just sat down when her classmates noticed the tape wrapped around her hands.

"Sha Guier, what happened to your hand? Why is there so much tape on it? Are you injured?" The other students heard this and came over curiously.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. Yesterday, on my way home, I ran into a gang. Apparently, they were looking for revenge, but they mistook my car for their own and smashed all the windows. That's when my hand got slashed."

"Oh my god, are these gangs really this brazen now? Have you called the police? Do you need any help? My father knows the police chief."

"Thank you. It's all settled. We reached a private settlement. Those people apologized and paid compensation. The car is fixed too. It's just that my hand will take a while to heal," Gui'er said with a wry smile.

"That's a truly undeserved disaster. The gang members are just too lawless. We usually only see them guarding the place and collecting protection money, but they must have done a lot of other crimes. They're despicable. The country is already in such a state, and these people have no conscience at all. Are you just going to let them go like this? That's too cowardly."

“You make it sound so easy. Many of those people came from the mainland with nothing, some even served in the army. They’re just desperate criminals. If we don’t reconcile, what if they hold a grudge and retaliate in secret?” Xie Boqin spoke up for Gui’er at this moment.

"That's true. These kinds of people have no sense of morality. If you ask me, it's already good enough if we can get compensation. My mother told me to stay away from those slums. Before, my husband's wife was on her way home and somehow got harassed by a gang. When my husband went up to argue with them, he was beaten up and couldn't get out of bed for several days. He called the police, but they couldn't even find the gang."

The other students all condemned it, saying it was outrageous, and then went back to their seats.

Gui'er turned to Xie Boqin and said, "Thank you for speaking up for me earlier."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Xie Boqin looked around, smiled, and whispered in Gui'er's ear, "To be honest, I thought something had happened between you and Liu Lanfang."

"Huh? Xie, why would you think of this? I don't have any major grudge against Liu Lanfang." Gui'er found it somewhat unbelievable.

"No, I was just overthinking it, don't take it to heart," Xie Boqin said with a smile. "But this isn't just a baseless guess, because she previously told the other classmates that she would teach you a lesson."

Gui'er's eyes widened. Although she and Liu Lanfang were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, and everyone tacitly understood this, surely it didn't warrant such a cruel act.

She glanced around and found Liu Lanfang sitting quietly reading a book in the distance. This was strange, because normally, she would have been the first to rush up and give her opinion on such a lively event.

"Xie, did Liu Lanfang really say she was going to make things difficult for me?" Gui'er asked, a vague feeling that something was amiss.

"Oh dear, I'm just a blabbermouth, I blurt everything out. Actually, it's probably because last time, I think you argued with her and she felt embarrassed, that's why she said that. Don't take it to heart, her temper will be fine in a few days, that's just how girls are."

Gui'er didn't think so. After all, she knew that Liu Lanfang was the daughter of a traitor, and it would be too easy for her to do evil.

Moreover, after such a big incident, classmates who don't usually keep in touch all came to inquire about her well-being. At least she still pretended to be my best friend, but this time she was as quiet as a quail. This is too abnormal.

Gui'er couldn't help but secretly pay attention to Liu Lanfang, but apart from not chatting with her, there was nothing unusual about her.

During break, Gui'er deliberately went out of the classroom to see if Liu Lanfang would come looking for her or pay attention to her.

"Sha, come here for a second." Just as she stepped out of the classroom, Chen Muli suddenly called out to her.

Chen Muli stood by the window at the end of the corridor, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his forearms, revealing his slender wrists. He watched Gui'er approach, his brow furrowing slightly, his gaze first falling on her hand wrapped in tape: "I heard you were attacked yesterday? How badly were you hurt?"

"It's just a superficial injury, nothing serious." Gui'er pulled her sleeves up to cover the tape. "Thank you for your concern, Teacher Chen."

"What exactly happened?" Chen Muli turned around, his back to the sunlight streaming through the window, his worry evident on his face. "I heard from my classmates that we've been targeted by a gang?"

Gui'er mumbled, "They probably mistook me for someone else. It's been resolved."

Chen Muli didn't let the topic go. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke up: "Gui'er, I know you are close to Mr. Wu, but the kind of person he is... is ultimately a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry), and there is always trouble around him. I'm afraid your current predicament is related to him."

Gui'er was taken aback: "Teacher Chen, what do you mean by that?"

“I’ve lived in Hong Kong for several years and I know the rules of those gangs.” Chen Muli’s voice deepened. “Wu Mingqiang has made quite a few enemies at the docks and in the trading companies. With the scandal involving you and him, you naturally became a target for others to attack him. Since they can’t touch him, they will target you.”

He looked at Gui'er with earnest eyes: "You're a good girl, you shouldn't get involved in those violent things. Although your family's financial situation isn't what it used to be, if you're short on money, I can introduce you to a few tutoring jobs. The salary will be enough to cover your expenses. If you urgently need money, I can lend you some..."

He paused, then his tone became more serious: "Let's distance ourselves from Mr. Wu."

Gui'er finally understood what he meant, feeling both annoyed and amused: "Teacher Chen, you may have misunderstood. Brother Wu is not the kind of person you think he is. He is our family's steward. He has been with us since the time of the Marshal's Mansion. Now he manages all the family's businesses. We have long been bound together. How could we possibly break off our relationship so easily?"

“But he is ultimately a man of the underworld,” Chen Muli insisted. “You are educated; you should have a cleaner circle of friends and not be tainted by that filth.”