"What happened?" Upon hearing it had nothing to do with He Zhilan, Chen Xiting expressed his curiosity.
Jiang Biyun sat down between them and lowered her voice, "I heard this from some older students. Apparently, after Ding Long arrived, he didn’t utter a single word of persuasion, but rather hinted that Sister Liao was merely one of the women he had played with. He claimed that Sister Liao was simply attracted to his looks and wallet, and that the jewels he gave her should be adequate as compensation. According to him, both parties were willing participants - she for money and him for lust. He scoffed at the idea of Sister Liao, with her social status, shamelessly seeking to enter the Ding Family and become Mrs. Ding. Anyway, he said a lot of provocative things. He even suggested, if Sister Liao thought the money wasn’t enough, or had regrets about breaking up, he could give her more money. Then Sister Liao threw herself down, crying."
After Jiang Biyun finished talking, she looked at He Zhilan and Chen Xiting. Suddenly, all three were silent, each absorbed in their own thoughts.
He Zhilan sighed, shook her head, and began to eat. Chen Xiting clenched his teeth, "This Ding Long is too awful! Such a degenerate wants to pursue our He Zhilan? Infuriating!"
"Looking for better while already having enough, how could Sister Liao fall for such a man being?" At this moment, Jiang Biyun actually felt a bit of sympathy for Sister Liao.
He Zhilan did not respond, because she didn’t see things in the same way.
Ding Long’s flirtatious nature was on full display. His behaviour made it clear at all times that he was a playboy. Even when he was with Sister Liao, he must have been unfaithful. Knowing who Ding Long was, Sister Liao still chose to be with him - how genuine can such love be?
At least, He Zhilan felt, Sister Liao was pursing Ding Long’s money under the pretense of true love.
Otherwise, in this day and age, which girlfriend could constantly accept such expensive gifts from her boyfriend? And do so unashamedly?
Nevertheless, these thoughts He Zhilan would not voice. After all, the cafeteria was filled with chatter. What she regarded as the truth might not be accepted by others. But at the very least, with Ding Long’s appearance and his shameless display of irresponsibility and unfaithfulness, she could finally be rid of any involvement in this matter. No one would believe that He Zhilan was the heartless one who had intervened between Ding Long and Sister Liao.
At four in the afternoon, He Zhilan took over her shift at the library. Everyone had half the day off during the weekend. Several older students saw He Zhilan come in, and came over to apologize. They explained that they had misunderstood and prejudged her, spreading negative comments and isolating her.
He Zhilan gave them a faint smile and said it was nothing. The things that she never took to heart, whether others apologized or not, she didn’t care. After all, those who did not believe in you would continue to not believe in you the next time a rumor emerged.
He Zhilan wondered how Lin Chan had heard about a big incident at school when she wasn’t there. The next noon, Lin Chan called her at the dorm, asking about the incident and how she got acquainted with Ding Long.
"Linhai wouldn’t I be visiting my relatives at the army camp during National Day? I stayed there for less than three days before my brother was suddenly assigned a mission, which caused me to return. That day happened to be Lin Deng’s birthday. In the dorm, Lin Deng and Gu En noted I was alone and invited me to join them. Ding Long and Lin Deng are friends, and I met him that day."