boyutpedia Chapter 31 Stranger Friends
Chapter 31 Stranger Friends
As soon as Jie said that, Hong Liguo's heart leaped into his throat, his palms sweating with nervousness. Hong Liguo never expected that Jie would guess his deepest thoughts. But Hong Liguo tried his best to hide it, pretending to be calm and saying, "He hasn't provoked me before, why would I want to deal with him? Don't make wild guesses."
Jay, however, persisted, giving another mysterious smile that seemed to see right through Hong Liguo's thoughts: "What, do you really need me to tell you everything before you'll admit it?"
"I don't have any thoughts on this, so don't make wild guesses. What thoughts could I possibly have on this?" Hong Liguo said stubbornly, but inside he was becoming increasingly flustered, as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff where his secrets were about to be revealed.
As if he had anticipated Hong Liguo's reaction, Jie paused for a moment, then slowly uttered two words: "Qiao Shuang."
The two words rang in Hong Liguo's ears like a thunderclap. Hong Liguo's eyes widened in horror, and he hurriedly looked around, afraid that the other classmates would hear the words. Hong Liguo's heart was pounding rapidly, as if it was about to jump out of his throat, and a blush instantly spread across his face. Qiao Shuang's lovely smile flashed through his mind.
"Am I right?" Jay pressed on, a hint of smugness in his eyes, seemingly proud of having successfully exposed Hong Liguo's secret.
"How...how did you know? But even if what you said is true, Liu Guochen's transfer has nothing to do with me. I wanted to beat him up, but I haven't found a suitable opportunity or reason yet," Hong Liguo stammered, feeling his heart pounding and his voice becoming somewhat stammering due to nervousness.
Jay gave another eerie smile, a smile that sent a chill down Hong Liguo's spine: "Although you didn't do it, Liu Guochen was indeed badly beaten up because of you. I heard it was a really bad beating, which is why his family decided to transfer him to another school. Otherwise, they threatened to beat him up every time they saw him."
Hong Liguo looked at Jie with a face full of doubt, countless questions surging in his mind: "How did you know about this? Could it be..." Hong Liguo seemed to have guessed something.
Jay nodded slightly and said, "You guessed right, Sun Changlin did this. However, he didn't do it himself; he hired some thugs to take care of Liu Guochen for you... Oh! No, I mean to take care of him."
Hearing this, Hong Liguo suddenly realized that Sun Changlin was definitely doing this for the sake of challenging Longhu... He was deliberately doing me a favor to drag me into this mess. Thinking of this, Hong Liguo couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, partly because of his helplessness and disgust with Sun Changlin's methods, and partly because of his worry about being caught in this complicated situation.
"However, how did Sun Changlin know all this?" Hong Liguo stared intently at Jie, pressing for an answer, his eyes filled with anger and doubt, as if trying to find the answer in his gaze.
Jay's eyes darted around, and he slowly lowered his head, a look of guilt on his face. His hands nervously twisted the hem of his clothes, as if he regretted and blamed himself for his actions.
"Did you tell Sun Changlin?" Hong Liguo raised his voice, a hint of anger in it, feeling disappointed and heartbroken by Jie's actions.
Jay nodded slightly, a gesture so subtle it was almost imperceptible, as if he too knew his actions constituted a betrayal.
"You...you've essentially betrayed me to Sun Changlin!" Hong Liguo glared angrily at Jie. "Then how did you know I was going to teach Liu Guochen a lesson because of Qiao Shuang?"
Jie looked up at Hong Liguo and said, "Your eyes are always on Qiao Shuang. Even a fool would have seen through it long ago. It's not just me; ask anyone else, and everyone knows what you're thinking."
Jay's words sent a chill down Hong Liguo's spine. Did the whole school know about his feelings? Did Qiao Shuang know too? And what about Wang Yuxin? What if she knew too? Hong Liguo suddenly panicked. Why did she suddenly think of Wang Yuxin? Thinking of this, Hong Liguo's mind became a mess, a jumble of emotions making her feel incredibly anxious and uneasy.
Hong Liguo took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He thought about it carefully, and realized something was wrong. Jie hadn't told the truth. Hong Liguo was usually so careful and cautious; he wasn't even in their class. There was absolutely no way he could have seen through his thoughts. Could it be… it must have been Fa Zi who told him.
Hong Liguo snorted coldly and said, "Hmph! I almost fell for your trick. Did Fa Zi tell you what you just said? You couldn't possibly know these things."
Jay chuckled again, and although he didn't speak, his expression gave Hong Liguo the answer. His smile carried a hint of embarrassment and helplessness, as if he knew that Hong Liguo had seen through his lie.
"Fa Zi, you traitor, I'll teach you a lesson!" Hong Liguo roared angrily, his hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on his forehead, feeling immense anger and disappointment at Fa Zi's actions.
Seeing Hong Liguo so angry, Jie quickly reached out and grabbed Hong Liguo's hand, pulling him tightly and saying, "Xiaoguo, don't be angry. This isn't Fa Zi's fault; he just let it slip unintentionally. I made up stories just now because I was afraid you'd be angry with him. Look at me, my IQ is really not good enough; I couldn't fool you."
Suppressing his anger, Hong Liguo asked, "Was what you just said really a complete fabrication? Does everyone already know about my situation?"
"No, absolutely not, I dare say no one knows about that. I made it all up just now." Jie hurriedly waved his hand, his eyes showing a hint of anxiety, as if trying to soothe Hong Liguo's agitated emotions.
Hearing him say that, Hong Liguo felt a little relieved. If Qiao Shuang found out about this, what would she think of him? If she didn't even have those feelings for him, he'd be utterly humiliated, and in that case, he'd have no choice but to transfer schools. Thinking of this, Hong Liguo felt a pang of sadness and helplessness; the troubles of youth hung over his heart like a dark cloud.
At this moment, Jie spoke up again, "Sun Changlin helped you get rid of Liu Guochen, aren't you going to show your appreciation?"
Hong Liguo looked at Jie and felt that he had changed completely since joining the Nine Dragons and One Phoenix team, becoming somewhat unfamiliar to Hong Liguo. The simplicity and innocence in his eyes were gone, replaced by a complexity and worldliness, and his tone and manner of speaking had become more slick and utilitarian.
"Jay, you're not helping me, you're dragging me down with you," Hong Liguo sighed helplessly.
"Xiao Guo, when did you become so timid? You used to be fearless and do whatever you wanted." Jie frowned and looked at Hong Liguo, his tone carrying a hint of reproach and dissatisfaction. It seemed that in his opinion, Hong Liguo should not have refused Sun Changlin's "good intentions".
"Dragon Tiger... is not so easy to deal with. We can't be overconfident." Hong Liguo shook his head, a hint of worry in his eyes. The image of Dragon Tiger... those people appeared in his mind. Their ferocity and domineering nature filled Hong Liguo with fear.
Suddenly, Jie said, "Xiao Guo, I don't necessarily want to drag you into this. Cooperation is beneficial to both parties. Otherwise, Sun Changlin is capable of anything." A hint of fear flashed in his eyes, as if implying that if Hong Liguo did not agree to Sun Changlin's request, Sun Changlin might do something unexpected.
Watching Jie's departing figure, Hong Liguo felt a mix of emotions, feeling that Jie seemed to be becoming more and more of a stranger. The Jie who used to play and go to school with Hong Liguo seemed to have disappeared into the long river of time, replaced by a stranger tainted by the atmosphere of the underworld.