Shu Lingchen remained silent.
The entire next day, Shu Shu couldn’t get a word out of him.
He only promised he hadn’t gotten into a fight or bullied anyone weaker than him.
Everything else—no matter how she asked—he refused to say.
This stubborn streak… really did remind her a little of someone else.
When he didn’t want to say something, not even the King of Heaven could force him.
Clearly, he was hiding something bad from her.
…
Like avoiding Shu Shu, the moment school ended, Shu Lingchen vanished without a trace.
Shu Shu watched his hurried figure disappear and fell into thought.
Instead of leaving school, she walked straight to the grove behind the teaching building.
A spot often frequented by delinquent students.
At that moment, a few boys were sneaking cigarettes.
Hearing footsteps, they exchanged glances and stomped out the smoke.
Until they saw Shu Shu in her uniform.
“Damn! It’s the head teacher’s surprise check! Scared the hell out of me!”
One boy looked closely at her face.
His previous annoyance vanished, replaced by awe:
“Miss… who are you looking for?”
Shu Shu:
“Rude. Call me Auntie.”
The boy stared at this pretty girl, roughly his age, and fumed:
“…Who’s being rude now?”
Shu Shu scanned the group and spotted a familiar face.
A boy with a rooster haircut.
One of Shu Lingchen’s “little followers.”
She called out:
“Zhao Heping.”
Bolozi, the nickname everyone usually called him by, froze.
It was rare for someone to use his proper name, and he instinctively straightened up.
“Uh…”
Shu Shu asked:
“Do you know how Shu Lingchen got the bruises on his arm?”
Ever since Shu Lingchen had introduced her as someone formidable, Bolozi had been somewhat wary—but more defiant.
“How tough can she be? Just a girl.”
“I’m not telling you. Who are you anyway?” Bolozi snapped, acting like the world owed him something.
Shu Shu, frustrated at her “little idiot,” had zero patience left.
She picked up a brick from the ground… and snapped it in half. With her bare hands.
Snap.
“Damn!!!”
The boys froze in shock.
Bolozi gulped and immediately confessed:
“Shu… Shu Lingchen got those bruises collecting debts! Sorry, Brother Chen!”
“Collecting debts?” Shu Shu frowned:
“Someone owes him money?”
“Nope. Brother Chen needed money, so he got a part-time job. He helps Qiang Ge collect debts and earns a commission.”
Shu Shu’s eyes widened at the keyword “needed money”:
“Shu Lingchen… needed money?”
Impossible.
She had set up a trust fund for him when he was born.
Even if she wasn’t around, Shu Lingchen should have had a worry-free life.
Every month, he had fifty thousand yuan for living expenses.
Even if he didn’t go to school or work, he could live like a carefree rich kid.
She checked her phone.
The fund operated normally.
For thirteen years, payouts had been regular.
Shu Lingchen’s rented apartment was modest.
He ate mainly at school.
There was no sign of extravagant spending.
So… where was all the money going???
“Hey, check the forum! Miss Chu is showing off her bag again!”
A boy eagerly scrolled on his phone:
“Last Saturday, Chu Lian went to Yu Jing Yuan’s house and got kicked out. Turns out the house isn’t hers; she’s not really a big shot!”
“But wasn’t it clarified soon after? That her father’s assistant made a mistake, mixing up property records and selling the house incorrectly.”
“Miss Chu is definitely a big shot. Look at this bag—over ten thousand! Shoes, clothes, jewelry—every piece is luxury. How could someone like her afford this if she weren’t a big shot?”
Shu Shu frowned.
She checked the forum at their school.
Sure enough, she found a screenshot of a Xiang family bag order posted by Chu Lian herself:
“A gift of apology from Father. Currently stuck in the five-star suite~”
The Chu family couldn’t even pay the 48,000 property fees.
How could they afford luxury goods?
Shu Shu smirked.
She finally knew where the “little idiot’s” money went.
Right. The house was rented out, and all the money was spent elsewhere.
They were living like a little Miss and Missy, while he lived like a pauper.
She glanced at Shu Lingchen’s recent transactions.
After leaving Yu Jing Yuan that Saturday, he transferred 400 yuan to Chu Lian for “living supplies.”
“Why are you paying for her living expenses?”
Shu Lingchen said:
“Well, they just moved out of Yu Jing Yuan. Their sheets were old and unusable. Mrs. Chu can’t work, no income… so I…”
No income?
Shu Shu remembered how Mrs. Chu fought with Liu Tong that day.
She was loud, strong, able to last through hundreds of rounds.
Where was the “sickly” image coming from?!
“Then how does Chu Lian go to school?”
Shu Lingchen hesitated:
“I’ve been paying her tuition.”
Shu Shu laughed with anger.
So her insurance fund hadn’t just been supporting Shu Lingchen all these years—it had been keeping the Chu family afloat as well.