Chapter 97: Gu Shiyan Leaves with Luo Xing

Luo Xing was awakened by Gu Shiyan shaking her. She looked at Gu Shiyan standing before her, still dazed.

“Are you dreaming?” Luo Xing mumbled, covering her eyes with her hand, her mind not fully awake.

Gu Shiyan had already taken her clothes from the rack nearby. “Hurry and put these on.”

“You—why are you here, in this place?” Luo Xing pulled off the coat draped over her head, finally realizing this wasn’t a dream but reality.

She shrank deeper into the quilt.

Gu Shiyan picked up the coat and put it on her. “If you don’t leave now, you might not be able to get out. We’ll talk in the car.”

With just the coat thrown over her, Luo Xing was led by Gu Shiyan toward the door.

She stopped, trying to pull her hand away from his warm grip. “Gu Shiyan, what are you doing?”

She noticed a flood of messages on her phone.

“Qi Zhi?” Luo Xing looked at the messages from Yun Cai.

How had she ended up trending online? Yun Cai said the person revealed at noon was her?

Luo Xing anxiously clicked to read more.

“People online know you’re in the capital now, and the hotel the school arranged for you has been exposed. If you don’t leave soon, fans and media will swarm this place.”

Luo Xing stared at him. “Swarm me?”

She grabbed her bag and suitcase, following behind Gu Shiyan.

She saw a small bag on the table, thinking it was something she’d left there, and took it without a second thought.

Only when they were in the elevator, Luo Xing wearing a hat, and together they got into the car.

Luo Xing looked at the messages on her phone, unable to believe she was suddenly caught in the middle of such a fierce online storm.

Who was behind this? Not only did they know about Yun Cai’s post, but they even exposed her class’s attendance record.

Attendance records were kept in a class check-in app, visible only to members of her class.

But Luo Xing couldn’t imagine who in her class would do such a thing to frame her.

Yun Cai sent another apology, saying she shouldn’t have flaunted her post.

Luo Xing knew clearly this wasn’t Yun Cai’s fault—the attack was aimed at her.

The black sports car sped down the road; Luo Xing noticed many media people with cameras rushing toward the hotel.

She withdrew her gaze, glancing at Gu Shiyan.

Neither had much to say; Luo Xing asked him quietly, “Where are you taking me?”

“I’m not going to sell you.” Gu Shiyan spun the steering wheel, as if realizing his tone was too harsh and added, “You can’t stay at the hotel anymore. Jingxi Flower Bay is a private residential area; unless you’re registered, you can’t enter. I’m taking you there.”

Luo Xing wanted to say more, but Gu Shiyan’s phone rang and he put on his headset.

Luo Xing fell silent.

Lu Yuan’s cold voice came through: “Gu Shiyan, are you playing games? The domain for the posts was traced back to your family.”

Gu Shiyan’s gaze darkened. “Beicheng?”

“Could it be your father found out about you and Luo Xing and did this on purpose?”

Gu Shiyan listened to the voice in his ear; the other side sounded even more aggressive. “It’s not surprising. You know very well she’d never catch your father’s eye.”

Gu Shiyan sneered. “He doesn’t catch mine, either.”

“But I’m curious who actually did this, daring to drag me into it.”

Gu Shiyan glanced at his phone screen and hung up on Lu Yuan.

He answered Gu Liang’s call. “Gu Shiyan, are you trying to make me furious?”

Gu Shiyan listened to the angry voice but said nothing.

“You went to the capital last time to help the old man—was it for that Luo Xing?”

Gu Liang sounded enraged. “Did you get into a fight for her? Do you realize how much the company’s stock has dropped because of you?”

Luo Xing, sitting beside him, felt Gu Shiyan’s anger intensifying, unsure what was being said on the phone.

After a while, he responded coldly, “Now you care about the stock fluctuations, but when those scandals broke out, you never mentioned it.”

Luo Xing fiddled with the string on the little bag in her hand.

She examined the bag closely.

It looked like a small snack pack from a restaurant.

After eating at five thirty, she hadn’t had anything else. Now, in the middle of the night, she was starving.

She hadn’t noticed before, but now, thinking the bag might contain food, she felt tempted.

She looked carefully at the small bag; inside was a box, but she couldn’t tell if it contained cookies or some other snack.

She raised the bag, glancing at Gu Shiyan with a questioning look.

Gu Shiyan, steering the car, nodded without thinking.

Luo Xing licked her lips and took out the box inside.

Gu Shiyan had just hung up on Gu Liang.

From his call with Gu Liang, he knew this wasn’t Gu Liang’s doing.

Luo Xing’s problem remained unresolved, and now the fight between Gu Shiyan and Ke Yu had blown up.

Netizens combined both incidents, making the gossip even wilder.

“What’s inside?” Luo Xing wondered if the bag was from Gu Shiyan.

The restaurant’s gift snacks had already been eaten by Qi Changbai on the way.

Gu Shiyan glanced over, startled as he remembered—the hotel manager had given it to him.

He had been worried about Luo Xing, so he took it without checking and left it on the table.

Gu Shiyan recalled the hotel manager’s meaningful smile and guessed what might be inside.

But before he could say anything.

Luo Xing had already opened it.

She looked hungry, swallowing as she opened the box.

When the contents were revealed, Luo Xing’s bright eyes froze.

“This...”

She stared at the little blue square packet.

Gu Shiyan took a deep breath.

What kind of day was this? How could he be so unlucky?

Just as he was thinking, Luo Xing threw the item at him.

Gu Shiyan kept his composure, eyes still fixed on the road ahead.

“Why did you bring this?” Luo Xing suddenly realized something serious. She stared at Gu Shiyan. “How did you get into my room?”

Gu Shiyan didn’t answer her directly, brushing off the blue box from his lap and explained gently, “The hotel manager slipped it to me—I didn’t know what was inside.”

At the time, he was focused on getting Luo Xing out quickly, not considering anything else.

Luo Xing turned speechless, gazing out at the speeding night scenery.

She unlocked her phone.

Gu Shiyan noticed her attention shift to her phone and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”

He worried Luo Xing would be upset and cry after seeing those hateful messages.

But she didn’t seem hurt at all; from start to finish, her reaction had been calm.

“I’m being slandered. Of course I need to clear my name.”

“I thought you’d be scared and not know what to do,” Gu Shiyan replied lightly.

Luo Xing glanced at him. “Why should I be afraid? What they say isn’t true. I know I’m innocent, and my friends won’t believe I’m that kind of person. Why get angry over strangers’ opinions?”

“So where will you start?” Gu Shiyan hadn’t told Luo Xing he could solve everything for her, but he wanted to see how she would handle it.