Chapter 232: Chapter 232
Back at the compound, apart from Ye Qian who opened the door, there was no sign of her mother, and Ye Ling also kept quiet, directly returning to the East Room. Tomorrow, she would have to fill out her university applications. She thought to herself she could endure one more day, then head back to her hometown for the summer, earn some money there, and just wait for the university’s notice. This had always been Ye Ling’s plan, but since she didn’t do well in two subjects, she wasn’t sure if her wishes could come true.
That day, Bai Xue called the office but couldn’t find her husband. She was told he was out training and hadn’t returned. Anxious but with no other option, Bai Xue went home. Seeing her eldest daughter’s shoes at the entrance, she said nothing and went directly into the West Room.
"Qianqian, did Mom really make a mistake?" Bai Xue tossed and turned on the bed, ever since she heard about the disciplinary committee’s investigation, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She felt embarrassed, thinking the company must know, and she wasn’t sure how they would deal with her husband. "Ye Qian, what should Mom do now? She was planning to find someone to get you into the company as an intern after your exams, but now this happened. Who knows if the company will stop this arrangement." This update is available on novel★fire.net
"Mom, I have special skills. According to the rules, it’s possible. You don’t have to worry about my age or anything else. As long as the company hires me, I’ll definitely get in," Ye Qian reassured her. "Mom, did you talk things over with Aunt Wu?"
"That was settled long ago. Aunt Wu said the company will hire a batch of people this summer, and it would be impossible for them to reject you," Bai Xue felt assured at this point. Otherwise, she would be worried sick about her daughter claiming to be unwell and not taking the exams again.
Hearing this, Ye Qian was relieved. "Mom, now that the incident has happened, worrying won’t help. We’ll find out once Dad returns. Besides, we’ve already returned the money, which counts as a merit for reporting it. The company wouldn’t make things difficult for us; we might even get credited."
Ye Qian had also been thinking about this during the day, feeling that Ye Ling returning the money was certainly related to this. As for how Ye Ling knew, someone must have told her, likely with good intentions for the family, which is why they secretly informed the Ye Family.
Bai Xue, previously anxious, felt a bit better hearing her daughter’s words. Despite her lingering worries, she sat up and said, "You must be hungry from not having lunch. I’ll go cook now."
Ye Qian was indeed hungry. Although she didn’t have to take the entrance exam now, trying to pretend she wasn’t anxious or nervous was tough. Life as an intern at the company would be hard. Even after getting in, Ye Qian had to undergo training for new employees, and she wasn’t sure how she would endure it.
In the evening, after Bai Xue finished cooking, despite her reluctance, she didn’t make things difficult for Ye Ling. She called out towards the East Room, "Dinner’s ready," then beckoned the younger daughter to sit down and eat. However, after the meal, Ye Ling didn’t come out either. Bai Xue, frowning, tidied the table and directly asked her younger daughter back into the West Room.
In the East Room, Ye Ling had eaten plenty in the morning. Although hungry in the afternoon, with so much happening recently, she felt she could skip a meal or two and lay down directly to sleep. Even when she was called for dinner, she didn’t get up and continued sleeping. She woke up at dawn the next day, washed her face, and headed to school.
When Ye Ling arrived at school, the people in the dormitory were just getting up. Seeing Ye Ling enter with her face bruised and her clothes tattered, everyone avoided greeting her. From their reaction, Ye Ling knew her matter had spread throughout the school. In these times, if a girl encountered such an incident and barely escaped being harmed, even if nothing actually happened, there would be gossip and no one would dare interact with her, fearing it would tarnish their reputation.
Ji Hong was full of gloat, "People can’t be too arrogant, or they will suffer consequences sooner or later."
Wang Xiaohong dared not target Ye Ling as Ji Hong did. She merely nodded but refrained from speaking, while Ye Ling laid in bed without responding to Ji Hong. Ji Hong also didn’t dare to say more and left with Wang Xiaohong to eat since it was the start of the final exams.
Once everyone else had left, Dong Juan approached, "Ye Ling, are you okay? I heard about what happened. Don’t let it get to you. Nothing really happened, and no matter what others say, as long as we know who you are, that’s what matters."
Ye Ling remained silent. In truth, when she first entered, everyone seemed like they didn’t care for her, including Dong Juan, which made Ye Ling feel hurt. She understood Dong Juan’s feelings and actions, but Ye Ling had always considered Dong Juan a good friend. It now appeared that Dong Juan never truly regarded her as a friend. Ye Ling had long been accustomed to such occurrences. Though she felt a pang of sorrow initially, it dissipated quickly.
Standing outside, Dong Juan waited for a long time without a word from Ye Ling. Biting her lip, she turned and left the dormitory. Knowing in her heart that after this, Ye Ling likely wouldn’t consider her a friend. Although losing a friend like Ye Ling saddened her, being close to Ye Ling could make her a target too. Others would talk.
Left alone in the dormitory, Ye Ling lay for a while before estimating the time was about right. She got up to change, tied her hair into a ponytail, and left the dormitory, heading to school. Today was the day to fill out the university applications. As she had taken cross-level exams, she didn’t need to go to the class but went directly to the office to get her application form.
Ji Zhongjun, with a stern face, said, "Ye Ling, as a girl, wandering around aimlessly resulted in such an incident, which isn’t good for your reputation. Luckily, you’re filling out your applications now, which won’t affect your classmates. I only hope you get accepted to a university; otherwise, it won’t be good if you don’t pass."
Taking the application, Ye Ling replied coldly, "Mr. Ji, what happened? Everyone knows nothing happened back then, with so many upper-class students as witnesses. Would Mr. Ji like to gather them and find out what exactly happened? I’d also like to know myself. I haven’t killed or broken the law, so how can I influence others? I don’t believe that the guilty have no penalty, but the bullied appears to be a criminal. As a teacher, your words should be guided by conscience and teacher ethics."
"Ye Ling, what kind of words are those? The teacher is only considering other students. How is that against my ethics? Let me tell you, students like you, disrespecting teachers, if you weren’t from the compound, do you think the school would keep you?" Ji Zhongjun, seeing the surrounding colleagues glancing over, felt embarrassed and angrily scolded Ye Ling, pounding the table. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)