Zhou Yichen was very gentlemanly. He smiled at Ling Chuchu and said, "I have a driver's license. I'd rather drive myself. I'm not really used to riding in others' cars."
If this was just a normal conversation, there would be nothing wrong with this sentence. But this was not a normal situation. I seemed to detect a different meaning.
I thought I might be overthinking. But looking at Ling Chuchu's expression, she also seemed to sense something amiss. Her face showed a bit of embarrassment.
Zhou Yichen didn't care about her feelings. He turned to me and gently asked, "Would you do me the honor of coming in?"
While I was still hesitating, Zhou Yichen called out to someone beside him, "A Yin."
As soon as the words fell, A Yin walked over from not far away.
She was dressed similarly to me. The down jacket she was wearing was the one I gave her before. Standing together, we looked like shabby students.
"A Yin? Why are you here too? I thought it was just a dinner for sophomores."
When A Yin saw me, her originally confused face instantly broke into a smile.
"Lan Lan, I was about to call you. I just met the senior at the door. He said you were inside, so I came in with him." She walked up to me, smiling brightly, and took my hand.
I pouted, pulled her to one side, and said helplessly in a low voice, "Actually, I didn't really want to come."
A Yin could tell that I still hadn't gotten out of the shadow of Yan Lin's departure. She stepped forward and put her arm through mine. "Me too. When the senior invited me, I didn't really want to come either. But I heard you were back, so I came."
I looked down at A Yin's face. She seemed different today. She had taken off her colored contact lenses.
The pupils of a girl with heterochromia are naturally larger than normal. Even without the colored contact lenses, her eyes still looked very bright, as if she was wearing special ones.
Although it was unusual, it was an unusual kind of beauty.
"We're different, but we have our own unique charm."
I didn't expect A Yin to cheer up because of my words. My words gave her so much confidence that I almost burst into tears on the spot. "A Yin... Thank you."
"Lan Lan, it's me who should thank you. You once gave me the courage. Now I'll turn the courage you gave me into strength and pass it on to you. Although Yan Lin is gone, you still have me. I'll always be on your side."
A Yin usually talked very little and always seemed listless, hiding in the corner. But when she spoke, she really surprised everyone.
"Okay, let's go in. Don't keep them waiting."
I took A Yin's hand and walked up to Zhou Yichen. I said politely, "Senior, thank you for treating us."
Zhou Yichen replied, "Don't be so polite. Go in quickly. I'll go upstairs for a while."
Seeing this, Ling Chuchu gave me a disdainful look and turned around to enter the club first.
I took A Yin's hand and walked inside. The security guard immediately changed his attitude. He bowed respectfully and showed me the way to Room 666.
There are such snobbish people everywhere. I didn't give him a good look. I put my arm through A Yin's and walked straight into the restaurant.
As soon as I stepped into the restaurant, I felt out of place with everyone there. Everyone else was dressed in formal attire, while A Yin and I were both wearing sportswear.
My classmates were all stunned when they saw me. Someone in the crowd started to jeer, "Lan Chiyu, didn't anyone tell you to wear a dress? Isn't this a bit disrespectful to the senior?"
I ignored them. I took A Yin's hand and found two empty seats to sit down.
As soon as we sat down, everyone at this table seemed to have made an agreement and scattered in a hurry.
It was just A Yin and me left. I thought to myself, was it really necessary? Would sitting at the same table with me kill them?
"She has to dress like this. Otherwise, how can she stir up trouble?"
This sentence made everyone in the room burst into laughter. To be honest, I really didn't want to eat this meal. I wanted to leave immediately. But out of respect for Zhou Yichen, I endured it.
A Yin pulled my hand and smiled at me. She whispered, "This is good. We can eat whatever we want."
"Speaking of causing trouble, strange things happened one after another after she went to Yan Lin's funeral. It drove Wang Siqi's mother crazy. Such a person is really evil. It's best to stay away from her."
Ling Chuchu was sitting in the front row. After hearing what they said, she added, "Who knows? Yan Lin and she were so close. Maybe Yan Lin faked her death just to drive Wang Siqi's mother crazy."
I almost didn't take what they said to heart at all. I just pretended not to hear. People are naturally drawn to benefits and avoid harm. It doesn't matter if they think I'm abnormal. I'm not living for them. They can say whatever they want.
But Yan Lin had just passed away. Her soul hadn't even rested in peace yet, and they were still using her as a topic.
The suppressed anger in my heart finally couldn't be held back.
I slapped the chopsticks on the table with a "pop".
The club suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at me silently.
Ling Chuchu was stunned for a couple of seconds. Feeling that she had lost face, she quickly winked at the person beside her.
"What? Are you afraid to admit it? Did I say something wrong? You even slapped the table. You really have a bad temper." A boy beside Ling Chuchu shouted at me loudly.
Ling Chuchu crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking fearless.
"Lan Chiyu, originally we didn't interfere with each other. But your actions today really don't take us seriously at all."
I was really amused by Ling Chuchu's words. I sneered, put down the chopsticks in my hand, and stood up from my seat.
My eyes were extremely cold. "Ling Chuchu, have I beaten you, scolded you, or thrown your child into a well? Since I walked in the door until now, I haven't said a single word. How can you tell that my actions today don't take you guys seriously?"
"I didn't want to have any unpleasantness with you. You can say whatever you want about me. But Yan Lin has just been buried. Isn't it a bit heartless of you to say such things about her?"
My eyes were fixed on Ling Chuchu all the time when I was speaking. The gloomy aura surrounded me. Even a domineering and cold girl like Ling Chuchu couldn't handle it.
Ling Chuchu wasn't the kind of person who would easily lose face. She took a step forward and wanted to argue with me again. I didn't want to get too close to her. I just raised my hand to signal her not to come closer.
Her eyes suddenly glanced behind me. Her face suddenly changed. She slammed her shoulder hard against my hand and then deliberately stepped back.
Wearing high heels, she couldn't stand steady. She leaned backward and fell to the ground.
"Ouch, you... You're going too far. You actually pushed me. What's your intention?"