But Chen Feng shook his head. In a frigid tone, he said, "Qin Jiao, if you dare to say that again, I’ll slap you too!"

At his words, Qin Jiao fell silent.

’So the guys were already back? Did they even see me slap Lin Nian?’

’In that case, did Shen Yi hear what Lin Nian said earlier?’

Anxious, Qin Jiao looked up to find the tall young man had already walked over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, a gesture of silent protection and support.

Qin Jiao was instantly put at ease.

Shen Yi looked up at Chen Feng. "Instead of humiliating yourself here, you should go home and ask your mother what really happened. If she adamantly insists she wasn’t a mistress, then by all means, come back and question us."

Lin Nian knew the truth. She quickly interjected from the side, "Ah Feng, I’m begging you, please! Let’s go. Come outside with me!"

She half-pulled, half-dragged him until she finally got him out of there.

The other students dispersed in twos and threes. Qin Jiao sat back down in her seat, and the person next to her suddenly whispered, "Thank you."

Qin Jiao turned to look at him. Shen Yi’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Thanks to my good deskmate for defending me like that."

"You heard all that? Shen Yi, don’t read too much into it. Lin Nian is a total green tea, just spouting nonsense. Don’t let it get to you."

Qin Jiao watched Shen Yi nervously, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw his expression hadn’t changed much.

In truth, Qin Jiao was worrying for nothing. In his past life, if the eighteen-year-old Shen Yi had heard a classmate say something like that, he would have definitely flown into a rage and flipped his desk.

But the person he was now was much more serene.

The events of his youth were still a thorn in his side, but they no longer completely dictated his mood.

For instance, thinking about how Qin Jiao had just defended him, Shen Yi’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was already overwhelmed by sweetness...

Meanwhile, Chen Feng, who had been dragged outside by Lin Nian, was still fuming. Panting heavily, he scowled and said, "Xiao Nian, why did you pull me out here? Qin Jiao has to apologize for this!"

"Ah Feng, there were so many other students there. The more we argued, the messier it would get. It wouldn’t have been good for anyone’s reputation."

Chen Feng frowned. "What? What are you trying to say? You think my mom’s a mistress, too?"

"How could your mom be a mistress? I... that’s not what I meant." Lin Nian was getting frustrated too. ’Truth be told, Chen Feng’s mother, Li Xiaomei, actually was a mistress.’

’It wasn’t until after Du Liya died that she could finally shed that label.’

’But by then, Li Xiaomei had already married Shen Zhengfeng’s brother, Shen Zhenshan.’

’From start to finish, Li Xiaomei and Shen Zhengfeng’s relationship had always just been that of lovers.’

In her heart, Lin Nian despised Li Xiaomei, but that didn’t stop her from fawning all over her. After all, who was she to argue? Li Xiaomei was the mother of the male lead, Chen Feng.

Chen Feng didn’t yet know the truth about his parentage, and he was extremely dependent on his mother. That’s why he had flown into such a rage when he heard what Qin Jiao said.

Chen Feng grew annoyed at the sound of Lin Nian’s voice. "This is all your fault. Why do you always have to go and provoke Qin Jiao?! And another thing, stop bringing up what happened to Shen Yi when he was a kid. If it were you or me when we were only a few years old, we wouldn’t have been able to fight off a bad guy either."

Lin Nian was so frustrated she nearly bit her lip raw. ’What a dumbass,’ she cursed inwardly. But on the surface, she put on an aggrieved expression. "I didn’t say it on purpose, and I didn’t mean any harm by it. Qin Jiao resorts to violence at the drop of a hat—she’s a complete lunatic! If she dares to hit me again, you have to go beat her up for me, okay?"