"Ah——" With her face now fully exposed, Qin Ruoyao immediately realized what had happened. She let out a scream, reaching out to snatch the mask back from Wang Dahe's hands.
Wang Dahe crumpled the mask into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.
Now, even if Qin Ruoyao wanted to reclaim her mask, she couldn't.
"Oh, so you're actually Qin Ruoyao," Wang Dahe exclaimed in apparent surprise, his voice loud enough to draw attention.
The other students turned to look.
And there she was—Qin Ruoyao!
Qin Ruoyao could feel everyone's gaze on her, and her face turned beet red.
Wang Dahe apologized, "I thought you were someone from outside, trying to cause trouble, since you were covering yourself so thoroughly."
"My mistake, my mistake."
Wang Dahe was dark-skinned, with a square face and an honest, reliable look. No one could tell he was being intentionally provoking.
"Qin Ruoyao, I truly apologize. To make it up to you, let me carry your books to the classroom."
With a smile, Wang Dahe snatched Qin Ruoyao's bag and books and sprinted away without looking back.
Now, Qin Ruoyao had absolutely nothing to shield her face.
The students around her began to murmur among themselves.
"I was wondering who it was, dressing like that. So it's Qin Ruoyao! No wonder she was covering up so much. Guess she knows she's got no face to show anymore."
"Looks like Qin Ruoyao realizes how shameful it is to go after a man who already has a fiancée."
"She’s got some nerve showing up at school after all that. If I were her, I'd just drop out."
A boy dressed in designer clothes, with hair covering his eyes, even whistled and taunted, "Qin Ruoyao, how much to sleep with you?"
Several boys stared at Qin Ruoyao, boldly scanning her from head to toe.
Though Qin Ruoyao's figure was nothing special, her delicate beauty had a certain charm that evoked protectiveness. Plus, in the viral video with Lin Li, she had shown a certain…skillfulness.
Surely she'd be quite the experience.
Her face flushed scarlet as she whispered, "I'm not who you think I am. Lin Li and I were in a normal relationship."
The boy scoffed. "Normal relationship? I remember you chasing after Lin Xuan, even confessing to him in public. Oh, and you were also cozy with Luo Yuan."
He stepped in front of Qin Ruoyao, spat on the ground, and said, "You're nothing but a tramp who'll spread her legs for anyone. What's with the act of innocence?"
"You're so damn fake." The boy sneered.
No, it's not like that.
Qin Ruoyao shook her head.
She hadn't succeeded in pursuing Lin Xuan, had she?
As for Luo Yuan, he knew about her relationship with Lin Li and still willingly gave his heart.
And Lin Li—she had no idea he had a fiancée.
Qin Ruoyao felt deeply wronged. She had tried explaining online, but very few believed her. Instead, people called her fake, stubborn.
The boy might have kept harassing Qin Ruoyao, but seeing a teacher approaching, he sullenly walked away.
Qin Ruoyao kept her head down, navigating her way through the sea of judgmental stares and whispered comments, until she finally reached her classroom.
She didn't dare to look up the whole way.
Wang Dahe had already placed her textbooks and bag on her desk.
As soon as she entered, Qin Ruoyao scanned the room for Luo Yuan.
He wasn't there.
Qin Ruoyao bit her lip and took her seat.
"Yao Yao, I've been calling you for days, but you didn't answer. Are you okay?" Li Siyu asked, concerned.
Qin Ruoyao kept her head down and didn't respond.
"Yao Yao, what exactly happened online?" Li Siyu frowned.
Seeing the allegations online, she found it hard to believe that Yao Yao could be the "other woman."
"Siyu, I really don't know what's going on," Qin Ruoyao said, looking utterly wronged.
"After failing to confess to Lin Xuan, I was upset and went to a bar to drink. Some guys started bothering me, and Lin Li saved me."
"As we spent more time together, I fell for him, and we became a couple. I really didn't know he had a fiancée."
"I see," Li Siyu nodded, her tightly knitted brows relaxing. "Yao Yao, I knew you weren't that kind of person. But…"
Li Siyu's tone grew worried. "Others might not believe you. Now both at school and online, people are just mocking you. They won't care about the truth; they'll just keep laughing."
Qin Ruoyao bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears.
Yes, those people wouldn't care about the truth.
From a distance, Lin Xuan could faintly hear the conversation between Qin Ruoyao and Li Siyu. He smirked.
He still had a video related to Qin Ruoyao.
Given Qin Ruoyao's nature, she would likely enter the entertainment industry just as she had in the past life.
Once in the industry, Qin Ruoyao would surely try to whitewash her image, claiming she had been "the one who was cheated on."
That’s when the video of her and Lin Li would come in handy.
Lin Xuan opened his phone and sent a message to Luo Yuan.
【You can start asking Qin Ruoyao for money now.】
At that moment, Luo Yuan was lying in the hospital, his leg wrapped in bandages.
Seeing Lin Xuan's message, he grew excited.
【Got it, boss!】
The next day, Luo Yuan appeared at school, leaning on crutches. He ran into Lin Xuan.
"Even like this, you're still coming to school?" Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't miss the chance to see Qin Ruoyao lose it," Luo Yuan grinned. "After class, Qin Ruoyao will definitely come looking for me. Lin Xuan, want to watch the show?"
Lin Xuan: "I need to spend time with my girlfriend. No time for that. You handle it yourself."
Luo Yuan: "..."
Look at Lin Xuan showing off!
He watched Lin Xuan walk away and spat under his breath.
"What's so great about having a girlfriend? Big deal."
Ugh...
Although… well, Lin Xuan really did have something to be proud of. After all, his girlfriend was Su Hua—a woman of impeccable background, talent, looks, and figure. Practically perfect.
Ouch, I'm so jealous…
Luo Yuan took his seat, and soon, Qin Ruoyao arrived. Seeing Luo Yuan, her eyes lit up.
Luo Yuan, he was finally back at school.
As expected after class, Qin Ruoyao approached Luo Yuan.
"Luo Yuan," Qin Ruoyao said, "I need to talk to you about something."
Luo Yuan raised an eyebrow.
As expected.
"Funny you mention that. I also need to talk to you," Luo Yuan grinned maliciously.
Lin Xuan had just added more money to the deal.
Counting everything, he had spent a total of four million on Qin Ruoyao’s affairs, and the amount he could recoup was three million one hundred thousand.
Qin Ruoyao simply didn’t have that kind of money.
This time, she was going to get seriously burned.