Chapter 73: Shi Xuetong Confesses Her Feelings

"Gu Ci, you deliberately gave me pills that upset my stomach. Don’t you think you owe me an apology?" Gu Ci had made her swallow something unclean, causing her to lose face before Xiao Yang. She could not let this matter rest so easily!

Besides, the only reason she acted on impulse was that Gu Ci insisted on treating Xiao Yang herself. Otherwise, why would she risk changing the medicine for him?

In an instant, several older women directed accusatory stares at Gu Ci, as Shi Xuetong pointed her out.

"Tsk tsk, such a young girl with such a malicious heart!"

"She doesn't look like she comes from a good family at all!"

"It’s only because this poor girl is so kind and generous that she’s asking for nothing more than an apology."

"What’s this got to do with Gu Ci?" Xiao Yang, already frustrated to the point of spitting blood from listening to Shi Xuetong and the old women, grew even more disgusted when they turned their criticism towards Gu Ci. His eyes darkened further. "Shi Xuetong, you truly sicken me!"

Shi Xuetong was struck as if by lightning at his words.

She looked at him in disbelief, "I like you so much. I didn’t even blame you for treating me this way, so how can you say such things about me?"

She had risked falling out with Huo Shuyue just to speak up, gathering all her courage, so why did Xiao Yang have to speak so cruelly to a girl like her?

The old women, seeing this, became even more displeased, pointing fingers at Xiao Yang and spraying him with their words.

Just then, the agents who had left earlier returned.

Seeing them, the old women quickly called out, "Officers, you have to do something! There’s a whole group of young men bullying this one girl! And look at this one with the red hair and wild curls—he doesn’t look like a good person at all!"

The agents held up their hands to stop them, politely saying, "Ladies, we’re here on official business."

Then, raising his voice to the group, one of the agents asked, "Is there a Shi Xuetong among you? Which one is Shi Xuetong?"

Immediately, all eyes turned to Shi Xuetong.

Her earlier arrogance vanished without a trace, and she looked nervously at the agents, asking tentatively, "What... what do you want with me? I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?"

After showing their credentials again, one agent addressed her, "You are suspected of providing information to Cao Yue and others, and of intentionally causing harm to Xiao Yang and others. Please come with us."

At these words, Shi Xuetong’s face turned deathly pale. In a flash, she remembered that call she had made to Cao Yue...

The agent’s words struck like thunder. Not only Xiao Yang and his friends, but even the old women were stunned.

Huo Shuyue felt as if she had suffered more blows today than ever before. Unwilling to give up, she tried to ask the agents, "Uncle, is there some misunderstanding here?"

If Shi Xuetong had claimed that she had only acted out of concern for Xiao Yang, afraid he’d get hurt, how could she possibly have helped Cao Yue?

But the agents dashed Huo Shuyue’s hopes without mercy. "Here’s the situation. Cao Yue and the others have already confessed, and we’ve found several call records."

"We discovered that you were in contact with Cao Yue several days ago. The key calls were one half an hour before the incident at the basketball court, and another around the time the victims were returning. Moreover, Cao Yue and his associates stated that you helped them spike the victims’ water."

Because Huo Shuyue and the others were involved, they had the right to know these details, so the agents explained everything quite clearly.

"Shi Xuetong, what’s going on? Didn’t you say you liked Xiao Yang? Then why would you help Cao Yue?" Huo Shuyue asked, barely containing her anger.

She vaguely recalled that Shi Xuetong had been acting strangely that day and, when questioned, had mumbled something about not feeling well.

After the basketball game, she had indeed brought them bottles of water.

Especially on the way back, she had separated from them, and then they were ambushed and beaten.

Shi Xuetong instinctively looked towards Xiao Yang. "Xiao Yang, let me explain. It’s not what you think. I did it all for you—don’t listen to their lies."

Xiao Yang, unable to help himself, tossed the basketball aside, his tone cold and mocking. "What is there to explain? Did you do it for me so Cao Yue and his gang could nearly break my legs, or did you do it for me by trying every means to make me lose today’s game?"

"So that’s why we didn’t notice when Cao Yue and his thugs approached us and why we felt too weak to fight back—you drugged us! Or maybe you actually like Cao Yue?"

He could think of no other possibility.

As for Shi Xuetong’s claim to like him, he didn’t believe a word.

If this was what she called liking him, her affection was terrifying.

To be honest, if she liked Cao Yue, that would be more believable.

Huo Shuyue kept a close eye on Shi Xuetong, clenching her fists.

As long as Shi Xuetong hadn’t been secretly in love with Xiao Yang all along, using her name as a pretext to get close to him...

But before Huo Shuyue could finish her thought, Shi Xuetong burst out, "Xiao Yang, after all that I’ve done for you, how can you think of me this way? The only person I’ve ever liked is you! How can you insult me by saying I like Cao Yue?"

She liked Xiao Yang so much and had done so much for him.

Yet now, he treated her like this and even suspected her affections lay with Cao Yue?

Spurred by this, Shi Xuetong mustered her courage and confessed her feelings, pleading earnestly, "Xiao Yang, I did all of this because I love you so much! Please, tell the officers not to hold me responsible, don’t let them take me away! I’m still so young—I can’t have a criminal record!"

Suddenly, she seemed to think of something else and continued, "Actually, you like me too, right? You’re just afraid Huo Shuyue will find out and make things difficult for me, so out of concern for me, you never dared to admit it, isn’t that so?"

She straightened up, resolute. "It’s okay, Xiao Yang. As long as you’re with me, I’m not afraid!"

After hearing her, Huo Shuyue simply curled her lips, no longer wishing to speak.

The old women, though startled by the agents’ investigation, couldn’t help but feel sympathy again seeing Shi Xuetong weep so bitterly.

"She’s just a young girl who likes you—how can you be so heartless? You weren’t harmed, were you? Why not just forgive her? A mistake admitted and corrected is the best outcome."

"Exactly! Leaving a criminal record for such a young girl would ruin her whole life. How could you do that?"

With all the old women on her side, Shi Xuetong looked at Xiao Yang with hopeful eyes.

"What does this have to do with Huo Shuyue? Where do you get the confidence to think I like you?"

Xiao Yang recoiled in horror, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. For once, he was utterly sincere: "If I’ve ever wronged you, let the law punish me. Just please—don’t like me, alright?"

Rejected again and again, Shi Xuetong’s face drained of all color.

She had finally summoned the courage to confess, never imagining she would receive nothing but Xiao Yang’s merciless ridicule!

"It’s not because of Huo Shuyue?" She could hardly believe her ears. Suddenly, as if possessed, she glared, eyes red, "Then is it because of Gu Ci? Is it because of that vixen Gu Ci that you refuse to accept me?"