Returning to Parents' Seventeen
Chapter 66: The Eight Trigrams

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Eight Trigrams

Xu Chuning noticed Deng Xitong’s elated expression and suppressed her voice with some surprise, "Is there... some conflict between you two?"

Otherwise, why would Deng Xitong be so happy?

"No, not at all," said Deng Xitong.

Xu Chuning: "Huh?"

Indeed, there was no real conflict between Deng Xitong and Xu Zhiyan. One was in the international class and the other was in the regular class; it was unlikely that there would be any major conflict.

However, the two had a bit of a minor friction. The friction Deng Xitong remembered was probably something Xu Zhiyan had never taken to heart.

Hearing Deng Xitong’s response, Xu Chuning was stunned for a moment, "What kind of friction? Did it happen at school?"

Deng Xitong: "No."

She summed it up briefly to Xu Chuning, "In short, she used money to humiliate me."

Xu Chuning was even more surprised, "How did she humiliate you?"

"During shopping," said Deng Xitong succinctly.

Even though Deng Xitong was in the regular class, her family’s financial situation was quite good. Her parents were a teacher and a doctor, with decent and stable incomes. They pampered their only daughter, Deng Xitong, indulging whatever made her happy.

In terms of consumption, Deng Xitong was more extravagant than most of her peers.

In her first year of high school, Deng Xitong went to a mall to queue for a limited-edition cup that she liked.

She had gotten up early enough, but there were many who had arrived even earlier. Luckily, she was still in luck and there was one last cup left when it was her turn.

Just as Deng Xitong was about to pay for it, a voice popped up next to her, asking if she could let them have the cup for their young miss who also liked it very much, offering to pay double the price.

The cup was expensive, but Deng Xitong could afford it.

Moreover, the way the other party spoke was overly arrogant, so she naturally didn’t want to agree.

The other party then offered five times the price.

As Deng Xitong was about to refuse, the store manager seemed to recognize the person negotiating with Deng Xitong, and he hurried out of the store, fawning over that person.

In the end, Deng Xitong didn’t get the cup.

The manager cheerfully told her that the cup was actually pre-ordered by the other person, and the staff misunderstood, which is why they said there was one left.

Deng Xitong wanted to explode on the spot... but when the other party offered ten times the compensation, she weighed her options and painfully let it go.

After all... ten times the price still made it a good deal.

Of course, even after taking the money, Deng Xitong still felt stifled. She hated that she wasn’t wealthy enough; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been treated so differently.

Before she left, she saw the woman who snatched the cup from her, heading towards a black sedan.

The car window rolled down, and Deng Xitong took a closer look and saw it was Xu Zhiyan in the back seat.

By then, they had been studying at Mingzhi Middle School for more than a semester. Though the regular and international class students didn’t interact much, everyone still knew a few popular figures.

Besides, when she first entered the school, Deng Xitong, who liked to gossip, had wandered through the international class corridor with some classmates to sneak a peek at Shen Yubai and a few other famous students including Xu Zhiyan.

Before that incident, Deng Xitong had a pretty good impression of Xu Zhiyan.

After the incident, her impression of Xu Zhiyan plummeted, and she started to dislike her, always feeling that she was pretentious in everything she did.

"..."

After listening to Deng Xitong, Xu Chuning recalled a saying – the person who hates you the most in this world is definitely someone who once loved or liked you.

"Why are you not saying anything?" Deng Xitong asked after sharing her story, "What do you think, should I hold a grudge against her?"

Xu Chuning: "Yes."

Although she had encountered many similar situations herself, she understood Deng Xitong’s feelings, and anyone would feel uncomfortable.

Just their luck wasn’t as good.

Deng Xitong snorted coldly and whispered to her, "Anyway, she’s just a two-faced hypocrite. She looks like a fairy who is out of this world, but in reality, she’s a vicious woman who bullies others by her privilege."

Xu Chuning smiled indulgently, consoling her with a few words, "It’s okay to hold a grudge, but don’t let it make you angry."

Deng Xitong pouted, "You haven’t told me yet, was he with you on Saturday?"

"Not him." Xu Chuning gently nodded under Deng Xitong’s expectant gaze, "He had dinner with Shen Sinian at a small restaurant on Saturday."

Deng Xitong had an ’I-knew-it’ look, "She really is a master of lies."

Xu Chuning was amused by her description, her lips curling slightly, "We are the only ones who need to know about this."

She instructed Deng Xitong, "You can’t tell anyone else, okay?"

She didn’t want to become famous at school just yet.

Deng Xitong glanced at her, "Don’t worry, I’m very tight-lipped."

She felt somewhat pleased, "Tsk, I really hope that one day her lies will be exposed."

Then she could just sit back, watch the drama unfold, and enjoy the gossip.

Xu Chuning: "..."

When Deng Xitong made this wish, she didn’t expect it to come true so quickly.

After all, there were many students in the school who had a favorable impression of Xu Zhiyan and wanted to ingratiate themselves with her. Even if they felt that Shen Yubai didn’t like her and wouldn’t have any development with her, they wouldn’t say it outright.

What’s more, the Shen and Xu Families indeed had close interactions.

What everyone didn’t expect was that the gossip about Shen Yubai’s QQ Space widgets and the two having meals together on weekends would spread far and wide.

It even reached the ears of the people involved.

The weather warmed up, and around noon, Shen Yubai and Ban Shu didn’t feel like eating outside the school, so they often chose the cafeteria.

Mingzhi Middle School’s cafeteria was three stories high; the third floor was for teachers and staff, the second floor had no restrictions but the meals were pricier, with mostly stir-fried dishes, so it was generally frequented by the international class students.

The first floor was where students from regular classes like Xu Chuning would go.

Xu Zhiyan’s lunches were mostly prepared by the family chef and delivered by the driver. Shen Yubai was a bit better; he wasn’t that picky about food, so he would eat at both the first and second-floor cafeterias.

That noon, when Shen Yubai and Ban Shu came out of the academic building, they happened to see Xu Chuning, Shen Sinian, and a few others walking ahead.

Ban Shu was asking Shen Yubai what to have for lunch, and Shen Yubai lifted his chin slightly and said, "Together with them."

Ban Shu took a careful look and sighed, "Guess it’s another simple meal at noon."

There was indeed a certain gap between the cooking levels of chefs in the first and second-floor cafeterias.

Shen Yubai’s tone was cool, "You can go to the second floor."

"What’s the point of me going alone if you’re not going?" Ban Shu protested.

Shen Yubai was speechless, "I’m not tied to you."

Ban Shu chuckled and flattered, "I voluntarily bind myself to Brother Yu."

As the two followed behind Xu Chuning’s group, they didn’t notice Xu Zhiyan lagging behind them.

"Shen Yubai is going to the cafeteria for lunch today?" Tang Ruqing, linking arms with Xu Zhiyan, said, "Shall we join them?"

Xu Zhiyan pursed her lips, somewhat hesitant, "Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?"

"What’s inappropriate about that?" Tang Ruqing didn’t understand, "You two are so familiar with each other."

She felt there was no need to avoid anything; even the teachers knew about their relationship and wouldn’t trouble them.

Xu Zhiyan still wanted to say something, but Tang Ruqing had already pulled her, following a few steps behind Shen Yubai and others, they entered the first-floor cafeteria.