Chapter 59: The Art of Moral Blackmail

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Gu Qing stood stubbornly like a gourd with a crooked mouth, stiffening his neck and refusing to bow. Even though Jiang Changyuan had apologized, could the matter of him bullying Yingying be settled so easily?

“Gu Qing, you really disappoint the teacher!”

Zhou Caiyi was angry too. Regardless of whether the stage accident was a misunderstanding or not, Jiang Changyuan, as the son of a school director, had apologized politely and shown a good attitude. But what about Gu Qing?

Everyone around looked at Gu Qing with anger or disappointment, causing his eyes to darken as he felt he had done nothing wrong.

Jiang Changyuan’s heart pounded wildly—this was bad; the male lead was about to turn dark!

“Principal!”

“Fighting is wrong, and I am also at fault in this matter. I apologize to Gu Qing.”

The shout jolted Principal Pei awake, but upon hearing the latter words, his expression immediately soured. The son of the school director had been wronged and beaten, and the victim hadn’t apologized; how could the director’s son apologize first?

“Changyuan, the principal knows you are a polite, good child, but you weren’t the one at fault. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Rest assured, the principal will give you a satisfactory answer and will never let you be wronged.”

A “satisfactory” answer? Not at all! Jiang Changyuan was far from satisfied—hadn’t he seen that the male lead’s hair was turning gray? This group of rebellious kids were ultimately unreliable; he had to take a roundabout way to save the situation.

“Ahem, Chairman Gu, I swear on the family genealogy that this is absolutely a misunderstanding.”

“I will accept any compensation Su Yingying proposes afterward. You can’t take advantage of my help to pressure me into pretending nothing happened.”

As he spoke, Jiang Changyuan rubbed his right arm, barely healed for two days, with no sign of anger from his parents Jiang or Zhong.

He was playing the moral victim!

Sure enough, the male lead’s expression improved after hearing this, and just then, the female lead came to assist.

“You’ve already helped me and my mother a lot. I can’t accept more from you.”

“That incident during the performance was an accident. It’s not entirely your fault, and I also blame myself for being nervous and not performing well.”

Su Yingying looked guilty, and Jiang Changyuan sighed inwardly. Look at the female lead’s magnanimity; the male lead should learn from her!

Gu Qing pressed his lips tightly, his anger reignited by Jiang Changyuan’s actions, recalling a few days ago—if it weren’t for Jiang Changyuan, Su’s mother wouldn’t have had enough money for surgery and would have been beaten half to death again by Su’s father. And last time at the hospital, Gu Qing had hurt Jiang Changyuan without distinguishing right from wrong, and now again…

“Sorry!”

“Just that one sentence?”

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Jiang Zhenguo was somewhat dissatisfied. His son’s face was bruised and swollen, and he thought a casual apology could cover it up?

Jiang Changyuan’s mind rang alarms and he quickly grabbed his father stepping into the fire pit.

“Dad! Didn’t I just apologize?”

“Chairman Gu is a good person and even helped me catch up on lessons; otherwise, I wouldn’t have made the top ten in the last monthly exam.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhenguo and Zhong Qing’s expressions cleared slightly. They naturally appreciated classmates who helped their son stay on the right track. But Gu Qing’s outburst today made them hesitant.

“All right, all right, it’s fine now. Everyone, please disperse.”

Jiang Changyuan pulled his parents and left. The three school leaders and Zhou Caiyi glanced at Gu Qing before quickly following.

Su Yingying’s gaze shifted to Gu Qing, her delicate face filled with indescribable sadness.

“Gu Qing, why did you do this?”

“Sorry, Yingying, it’s my fault…”

Gu Qing couldn’t continue, overwhelmed by complex emotions. What could he say? That he was jealous when he saw Jiang Changyuan kiss Yingying? But the truth was a misunderstanding; Jiang Changyuan wouldn’t joke about the family genealogy in front of his parents. Besides, if he said it, how would Yingying think of him? After all, she always regarded him as a brother…

“Yingying, do you like Jiang Changyuan?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m not talking to you.”

Su Yingying blushed, trying fiercely to hide her embarrassment.

Gu Qing grabbed her as she tried to walk away, his gaze deep. Today, he had to get an answer.

“If you don’t like him, why do you spend every day with him?”

“Helping him catch up on lessons is understandable, but why are you inseparable at school, even during free periods?”

“I didn’t expect you to see our relationship that way.”

Angrily, Su Yingying broke free from Gu Qing’s hand, tears welling in her big eyes. She had always trusted Gu Qing, sharing every joy and worry with him. Yet she never imagined the person who cared for her like a brother would speak as if her relationship with a boy was unclear.

“Gu Qing, you can misunderstand me, but why do you always harbor such hostility toward Jiang Changyuan?”

“He’s helped me—whether it’s tutoring fees or my mother’s illness. Without him, who would save us?”

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“The last time my father caused a scene at the hospital, he protected my mother and me. Jiang Changyuan has been improving, but you keep holding onto his past.”

“To target him, you want me to join you in slandering our family’s benefactor?”

Tears slid down Su Yingying’s cheeks. Though her words carried some reproach, she was not hysterical. She asked calmly but her heart ached.

She had been under great pressure lately: her mother’s illness, her father’s reappearance, and mounting gratitude toward Jiang Changyuan… One burden after another crushed her. She wanted to confide in Gu Qing, but his attitude toward Jiang Changyuan made her hesitate, afraid of scenes like this.

“Yingying, I’m not—I don’t have anything against Jiang Changyuan…”

“It’s just that he bullied you, and I… I just feel he’s not right for you.”

Gu Qing’s voice was strained. Seeing Su Yingying’s tear-streaked face, he felt equally miserable. At that moment, he didn’t understand the wild feeling growing inside him; later he would realize it was possessiveness.

“I already told you it was a misunderstanding. Besides, I never said I liked Jiang Changyuan.”

“He’s done a lot for my family. I’m only grateful and hope to repay him in the future.”

Su Yingying wiped away her tears, disappointment clouding her eyes again.

“You weren’t like this before. Is it because I no longer tutor Jiang Changyuan and he has no income?”

“Watching my mother suffer from illness, waiting to be beaten again when my father comes for money—are you satisfied now?”

“No! That’s not what I meant.”

Gu Qing’s face grew flustered. He hated seeing Yingying cry and feared she would misunderstand him. His world was bleak; Su Yingying was the only color, and he treasured this special warmth deeply.

“I can help you. I don’t have many expenses; I can give you all the money I earn.”

“You’ve always helped my family, but you know I would never take your money.”

Outside, Jiang Changyuan overheard this and swallowed his anger back down. Two sentences from the female lead outweighed his two and a half days of explanation.

Now the romance drama between the male and female leads was about to begin; the villain had no role anymore. Jiang Changyuan quietly slipped away.

“Not taking my money?”

Rage reclaimed the high ground in Gu Qing’s heart.

“Then are you going to take Jiang Changyuan’s money?”

“Even if I liked Jiang Changyuan, that’s my business!”