Shi Li's small face scrunched up, "She suddenly became incredibly nice to me. Don't you think that's strange?"
Wei Yi, of course, knew the reason behind Gu Yuqing's unusual behavior. She was probably the one in the class who understood Gu Yuqing the best.
After all, she had also once benefited from Shi Li's ability to hear thoughts.
Gu Yuqing had found her long-lost sister, which was even more significant than Wei Yi's experience. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it had saved Gu Yuqing's entire family. So it was natural for her to be nicer to Shi Li.
Wei Yi reassured her, "Don't overthink it. Gu Yuqing isn't the type to beat around the bush. She might be difficult to get along with, but she's not the kind of person who'd scheme behind your back."
Shi Li thought about it and realized it was true.
It was just that she had grown so accustomed to Gu Yuqing's cold demeanor that her sudden warmth left her feeling out of sorts.
Wei Yi's gaze drifted to someone in the distance. "Oh? Class Leader's Dad is here too?"
Ever since Class Leader's Dad had treated the entire class to milk tea, he had been sending snacks through his secretary every now and then.
As a result, he had become the most popular parent among his son's classmates.
Class Leader's Dad was quite proud of this, and his secretary began delivering snacks even more frequently.
Wei Yi suggested, "Let's go say hello to Uncle Lin." After all, they had eaten plenty of snacks sent by Uncle Lin.
The snacks Class Leader's Dad sent were always expensive. Having eaten his food, the least they could do was express their gratitude.
Shi Li nodded, "Sounds good."
At this moment, neither of them noticed Xue Xuejia's uncomfortable expression nearby.
Class Leader's Dad was busy today, not networking with adults, but greeting his son's classmates.
Everyone from Class 1, Grade 10, except for Gao Yun, had shown up. When they saw Class Leader's Dad, they all rushed over to say hello.
Faced with kids the same age as his son, Class Leader's Dad was exceptionally patient, greeting everyone with a warm smile.
Class Leader's Dad was surrounded by his son's classmates, while on the outskirts of the crowd stood a man in a suit. He was a friend of Class Leader's Dad, whom he had met at the party and hoped to catch up with.
However, Class Leader's Dad was constantly surrounded by people saying hello. His popularity was off the charts, leaving his suited friend staring in disbelief from the sidelines.
It was a perfect example of "when it rains, it pours."
No one was coming to greet him, while his old friend was surrounded by a constant stream of well-wishers...
After their classmates had left, Shi Li and her two friends stepped forward.
The man in the suit also planned to take advantage of this moment when no one was around to catch up with his old friend and tease him about his popularity with the kids.
But when he saw three pretty girls approach, he knew without a doubt they were there for his old friend.
So, he retracted the half-step he had taken forward and pretended to look nonchalantly in another direction.
Class Leader's Dad had already met his son's classmates at Wei Yi's father's funeral. He had a vague impression of most of them.
Wei Yi, however, stood out in his memory due to the argument she'd had at the funeral. He not only knew she was his son's classmate but also whose daughter she was. After all, that funeral had been unprecedented in Blue City's history, making it impossible for him to forget.
"Hello, Uncle," they greeted.
Class Leader's Dad welcomed them jovially, "Hello, hello!"
"We came over to thank you for the snacks you've been sending lately."
Class Leader's Dad waved it off, "I'm glad you enjoy them. If there are any snacks you'd like, just tell your class leader. Let that rascal communicate with the secretary."
Wei Yi and Shi Li smiled, suppressing their laughter, "That's too kind of you."
While Shi Li and Wei Yi were chatting with Class Leader's Dad, Xue Xuejia remained silent throughout.
As the conversation was ending, she finally spoke up hesitantly, "Uncle, I'm very sorry about what my dad did."
A momentary look of confusion crossed Class Leader's Dad's face before he realized whose child she was. "You're Old Xue's daughter, aren't you?"
He waved his hand dismissively, "Adult matters have nothing to do with you kids. You're still a child. Focus on your studies; you shouldn't be worrying about these things."
The more Class Leader's Dad spoke like this, the more guilty Xue Xuejia looked.
Class Leader's Dad was a burly man, not skilled at comforting young girls. He cast a helpless glance at Shi Li and Wei Yi.
Wei Yi patted her desk mate's shoulder, "Business dealings have nothing to do with you. Don't worry about it too much."
After the three girls left, the man in the suit finally got to greet his old friend. "You're quite popular now, aren't you?"
Class Leader's Dad was a typical Northern Chinese man, outgoing and fond of making friends. Even if these were just kids who couldn't benefit his business, he was happy to interact with them and even prided himself on having many friends.
Class Leader's Dad laughed heartily, "When have I ever not been popular?"
"By the way, was that girl just now Old Xue's daughter?"
Class Leader's Dad nodded, "Seems so."
The man in the suit snorted lightly, "Who would have thought that old dog Xue could have such a good daughter?"
At their age and with their experience, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them old foxes. They could easily discern sincerity from pretense.
Class Leader's Dad laughed loudly, not commenting further on his friend's words, despite his unpleasant business dealings with Xue Xuejia's father.
He only said, "I think you're just jealous that he has a daughter and you don't."
The suited man's wife had given birth to their third child just two years ago. To put it nicely, they were responding to the national three-child policy. To put it bluntly, they were hoping for a girl.
Unfortunately, they didn't seem destined to have a daughter. All three children were boys.
Since then, he had developed a habit of making sour comments when faced with families who had daughters.
This time, however, the suited man wasn't just being sour; he was speaking up for his friend.
Class Leader's Dad was always careful with his words, never leaving room for misinterpretation, even in front of close friends.
Interpreting his friend's words as jealousy over others having daughters wasn't entirely wrong.
The suited man, of course, knew his friend's nature. Despite his rough exterior and seemingly carefree attitude, he was actually quite astute.
He pointed at his friend in the air, "Oh, you."
And with that, the topic was dropped.
Shi Li was puzzled, still not understanding what silent exchange had passed between Xue Xuejia and Class Leader's Dad.
She secretly messaged Wei Yi, "What was that about with your desk mate?"
Shi Li had asked the right person. While others in the class might not know, Wei Yi certainly did.
After Wei Yi's father passed away, her mother gradually took over the company's affairs.
Wei Yi's mother didn't plan to wait until her child was close to graduation to involve her daughter in the company's affairs.
She was already gradually training Wei Yi, informing her daughter about various aspects of the business world.
This included the recent incident where Xue Xuejia's father had snatched a business deal from the Class Leader's Dad.
"It's about Xuejia's dad taking a deal that the Class Leader's Dad had already negotiated."
With just one sentence, Shi Li understood what this was all about.
To be fair, Shi Li had been so busy lately trying to find a sister for Gu Yuqing and communicating with private investigators that she had almost forgotten about this incident.
Similar to Wei Yi's summary, it's normal for businesses to compete for deals, but Xue Xuejia's father had used underhanded methods to snatch this one, causing significant losses to the Class Leader's Dad.
As a result, Xue Xuejia felt extremely guilty when facing the Class Leader's Dad.
This also reminded Shi Li of another matter.
[The Class Leader's Dad has been having a streak of bad luck lately]
[In a few days, he'll be even more unfortunate, encountering criminals and nearly losing his life in a kidnapping]
[Although he'll be rescued alive, he'll barely escape with his life]
Shi Li's inner thoughts were accurately transmitted to everyone in the class.
As they all had some connection with the Class Leader's Dad, their expressions changed almost simultaneously.
However, among them, the one who reacted most strongly was the son of the person in question.
The Class Leader's Dad thought back to the day he first heard Shi Li's inner voice, about Wei Yi's father's situation.
The Class Leader felt conflicted, wondering if his own father might have a mistress outside.
He had a deep bond with his father, but if his dad had another woman outside, should he save him or not?
