The class monitor approached the three of them, saying, "I just heard about that incident from my dad. You shouldn't blame yourself too much; it's not your fault."
Though the monitor's words were directed at Xue Xuejia, his gaze kept drifting towards Shi Li's direction.
This was also why the monitor's father, who was secretly observing from afar, thought his son was interested in Shi Li.
Xue Xuejia bowed to the monitor, "Thank you, but with my father behaving like that, there's nothing I can do."
The monitor consoled her, "I understand. You're different from your father."
Shi Li, listening to their polite exchange, felt somewhat bored.
[The monitor is quite similar to his dad; they're both pretty nice people]
Receiving Shi Li's positive affirmation, the monitor felt energized. He believed that with Shi Li's good opinion of him, he would definitely be able to get information from Shi Li.
Gu Yuqing, who was explaining the banquet procedures to her sister, unexpectedly overheard Shi Li's evaluation of the monitor.
At first, when Shi Li praised the monitor's father as a good person, Gu Yuqing didn't feel much.
But upon hearing Shi Li's positive comment about the monitor, Gu Yuqing felt a bit unsettled.
She had been trying to get close to Shi Li and become good friends, but Shi Li had always been guarded around her.
Yet the monitor, who approached Shi Li with clear intentions, managed to get a word of praise from her.
People really are different, aren't they?
However, Gu Yuqing quickly convinced herself that she had effortlessly obtained information about her sister, unlike the monitor who had to approach and try to get information from Shi Li through tactics.
The thought made her feel different from the monitor after all.
Xue Xuejia and Wei Yi knew why the monitor had come over at this time, and they tactfully reduced their presence to assist him.
Xue Xuejia, because her own father had just done something unfair to the monitor's father, was particularly enthusiastic in her cooperation.
But sometimes, these inner thoughts depend on luck and Shi Li's thought process.
Xue Xuejia and the monitor cooperated in playing up their misfortunes, trying to emphasize how pitiful the monitor's father was, but Shi Li just wouldn't think in the direction they expected.
[Xue Xuejia's father really isn't a good person]
[The monitor's dad had already agreed on a contract with someone and started production, but Xue Xuejia's dad pulled the rug out from under him right there]
[That's really not decent]
Xue Xuejia: Thanks, I know my dad isn't a good person. Not many people in the class knew before, but now probably everyone does.
Monitor: If my dad could hear this, he'd definitely consider Shi Li a kindred spirit, to the point of wanting to become sworn brothers.
Although Shi Li was secretly criticizing Xue Xuejia's father in her heart, her face showed no change. What her father did was wrong, and he deserved to be criticized.
After hearing about this incident, she didn't approve of her father's actions.
But Xue Xuejia was just a student, not even working in the company yet, with no influence in the company. Even if she disapproved, it wouldn't make any difference.
[The monitor's dad is really quite unlucky]
[The mastermind of the Hongquan Case hadn't committed a crime for nearly ten years, and the monitor's dad encountered him on his first comeback]
Hearing Shi Li mention the Hongquan Case, the monitor clenched his fists.
The mastermind of the Hongquan Case wasn't called Hongquan; rather, the case was named after the first person kidnapped, who was called Hongquan.
He was a prominent businessman in neighboring City C fifteen years ago. At the peak of his business success, he fell victim to a kidnapping.
Like other kidnapping cases, the kidnappers demanded a huge ransom from his family. The police advised against paying the ransom, believing that the kidnappers would kill Hongquan after receiving the money, unable to guarantee his safety.
The police and Hongquan's family each had their own reasoning. Logically, the kidnapped person should be safe before the ransom is paid.
What no one expected was that before the payment deadline, the kidnappers killed their hostage.
They hadn't received a single cent, yet they killed the person.
The mastermind was thus dubbed "The Madman" by the police, and he continued to kidnap wealthy individuals after that.
Learning from Hongquan's lesson, the families of hostages could no longer be sure their loved ones would be safe before paying the ransom.
Whatever The Madman wanted, the hostages' families gave.
After Hongquan, because of the families' cooperation, the hostages were all released alive, but they usually came back missing something compared to normal people.
The Madman lived up to his name; the hostages he targeted, if not dead, would at least be severely traumatized.
Upon hearing about the Hongquan Case, the monitor's heart sank.
If it was indeed The Madman, it seemed unavoidable. He thought about hiring ten or twenty mercenaries as bodyguards to ensure his father's safety.
There's an old saying that you can't be on guard forever against a thief who steals every day. No matter how strict the protection, there will always be loopholes.
Wei Yi and Xue Xuejia exchanged a glance, thinking only one thing: the monitor's dad was truly unfortunate. If it were ordinary kidnappers, there might be a chance to avoid them.
But with The Madman, it was unpredictable.
The shadow cast by The Madman on the general public was so deep that the monitor didn't even know what to do next.
[The monitor's dad is definitely the epitome of a victim of circumstances]
[That villain originally intended to kidnap the CEO of Purple Legend, but the monitor's dad happened to have a meeting with Mr. Hei that day]
[Kidnapping one or two makes no difference, so the monitor's dad was taken along]
Monitor: Talk about a blessing in disguise! So my dad wasn't the original target.
Everyone: Well, the monitor's dad is really a victim of circumstances, quite the unlucky fellow.
The monitor's emotions swung from shock to joy.
So his father wasn't The Madman's target after all. This meant that as long as his dad avoided further contact with the CEO of Purple Legend, he could prevent all of this.
In the business world, avoiding contact with a cooperating partner is actually quite difficult.
But this situation was easy to resolve because recently, Purple Legend had terminated their cooperation with the monitor's father and switched to working with Xue Xuejia's father instead.
It's easy to avoid contact with a client who has already ended cooperation.
With this issue resolved in an unexpected way, the monitor looked at Shi Li again, his expression as warm as a spring breeze.
The monitor's father and Uncle Feng, hiding in a corner observing, saw the monitor's expressions change rapidly within just a few minutes.
The monitor's father couldn't help but mutter, "I hope my son isn't suffering from multiple personality disorder or some kind of mental illness."
He had never seen a normal person's expressions change so quickly for no apparent reason.
Now, the monitor's father was no longer worried about his son's premature romance, but rather concerned that his son might be ill.
Uncle Feng nudged the class monitor's father, "How can you talk about your own son like that? And you call yourself his father."
The class monitor's father thought to himself, "Of course, a stepfather would never say such things."
Uncle Feng continued, "The boy is going through puberty. When you have time, you should take him to see a psychologist."
The class monitor's father was speechless, thinking, "So you also think there's something wrong with his mind."
Shi Li was lost in her own world, unaware that the class monitor had just performed a face-changing act from traditional Sichuan opera right in front of her.
Our intangible cultural heritage artist was overcome with joy. He patted Xue Xuejia's shoulder and said, "Don't feel guilty at all. Help me thank your uncle." He had done a good deed.
Shi Li's train of thought was interrupted by the class monitor. Hearing him suddenly say that Xue's father had done a good thing, she looked up at Xue Xuejia with confusion.
Wei Yi secretly gestured to the class monitor, warning him to be careful not to give anything away. He then covered for the class monitor, saying, "The monitor means that every cloud has a silver lining. This might turn out to be a blessing in disguise."
Shi Li looked at the class monitor with a mix of doubt and belief.
The class monitor nodded, "That's right. It may seem bad now, but in a few days, it could turn out to be a good thing."
Shi Li subtly reminded the class monitor, "You're right. Perhaps Heaven thinks Purple Legend isn't a good company and wants your father to stay away from it."
The class monitor caught on quickly, "You're absolutely right. I'll go home and try to persuade my dad with that."
Although Shi Li had already given her reminder, she was worried that the class monitor and his father might not take it seriously.
She spoke with a hint of gravity in her voice, "I'm being serious. This is actually Heaven's way of warning your uncle to stay away from Mr. Hei for his own safety."
The class monitor believed Shi Li's words one hundred percent and would definitely pass the message to his father.
Unaware that her thoughts could be heard, Shi Li felt the class monitor's easy agreement seemed like he was just humoring her.
How could the class monitor possibly humor Shi Li? At that moment, he wished he could cut out his heart to show her his sincerity.
It was Xue Xuejia and Wei Yi who came to the class monitor's rescue, "Don't worry. When it comes to matters concerning Uncle Lin, the class monitor will definitely take it seriously. His family is very superstitious."
Only then did Shi Li let the class monitor off the hook.
After returning home, the class monitor indirectly inquired about his father's business with Purple Legend, then warned him to stay away from Mr. Hei.
In fact, the class monitor didn't quite understand why his father would actively seek out Mr. Hei after they had already fallen out, to the point of bringing trouble upon himself.
While trying to persuade his father to stay away from Mr. Hei, the class monitor finally understood how Shi Li must have felt earlier.
He was afraid his father might brush him off, and worried that his father wouldn't take the matter seriously.
The difference was that this was his own father, so he could persist and nag.
Shi Li, as an outsider, could only hint at it indirectly at the time.
The class monitor only felt somewhat relieved after hearing his father's promise.
After understanding Shi Li's feelings, when school started on Monday, the class monitor wanted to report the progress to Shi Li to prevent her from worrying.
When the class monitor went to find Shi Li, Xue Xuejia was sitting next to her.
Xue Xuejia's eyes were red as she poured out her troubles to Shi Li.
The class monitor stood nearby and got the gist of it. Xue Xuejia's father had brought his illegitimate son home over the weekend, claiming he wanted the child to be acknowledged by the family.
As Xue Xuejia was venting her frustrations, she couldn't help but feel a bit resentful. Why hadn't Shi Li mentioned this beforehand?
If Shi Li had given her a warning, she could have been better prepared.
