Those things that happened in those years

Chapter 66 Strict Discipline

A love letter that was sent but never received a reply made Hong Liguo completely give up on his feelings for Qiao Shuang.

In the days that followed, Hong Liguo and Wang Yuxin continued to maintain this distant yet intimate relationship. Her sweet smile was like a healing balm for his wounded heart, always quietly smoothing away the scars in Hong Liguo's heart and helping him quickly emerge from the shadow of heartbreak.

However, his failed attempt to win Qiao Shuang's heart left Hong Liguo feeling insecure. Faced with the gentle, lovely, and kind Wang Yuxin, he hesitated to start a new relationship. Meanwhile, Hong Liguo noticed that Lin Menglong in his class was secretly pursuing Wang Yuxin; and Yu Deshui, who had always claimed to be Wang Yuxin's "protector," was inexplicably drifting further and further away from her.

Since Zhang Qiaoyun went public with her relationship with Jie, the two have often been seen holding hands and appearing together.

At first, Jie was a little shy and uneasy, always telling Zhang Qiaoyun to be mindful of her image and to keep some distance from him in front of others. But Zhang Qiaoyun, who was outgoing and a little flamboyant, didn't care about any of that—the more shy and yielding he was, the more enthusiastic and unrestrained she became, like a long-starved lion finally eyeing its delicious prey, her eyes full of undisguised affection.

Over time, Jie could only let her do as she pleased. Now more relaxed, Jie was no longer reserved, and his inseparable relationship with Zhang Qiaoyun made many on campus envious.

The passionate love between Jie and Zhang Qiaoyun made everyone both envious and a little jealous. Hong Liguo sometimes even secretly fantasized about how wonderful it would be if he and Qiao Shuang could have such a perfect love, walking hand in hand on the tree-lined paths outside the campus. But this thought was quickly shattered by reality—he knew clearly that from the moment that love letter disappeared without a trace, his story with Qiao Shuang had ended, and all fantasies were just fantasies, never to become reality.

The affair between Jie and Zhang Qiaoyun was common knowledge at school, even among the teachers. Despite several attempts to persuade them, the two continued to do as they pleased, and the teachers eventually had no choice but to let it go.

The news quickly reached Jie's sister's ears, infuriating her. She secretly confronted Hong Liguo and Jun Ge, asking them bluntly, "Is it true that Jie and Zhang Qiaoyun are dating? You two need to tell me the truth, or you're not allowed to come see Jie anymore."

Hong Liguo and Jun Ge both knew that Jie's sister was extremely strict with him, and if she found out the details, Jie would definitely get a beating. As good buddies, friends, and partners, how could Hong Liguo and Jun Ge betray Jie!

Although Jay often caused trouble outside when he was with them and seemed quite "wild", he became as docile as a little lamb as soon as he returned home.

Even if his sister hit or scolded him, he never talked back—he knew in his heart that it wasn't easy for his sister to support him through school on her own. After all, his sister was only three years older than him, and he was still just a kid himself, yet she had to hold the family together.

Hong Liguo and Jun Ge exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. They knew they couldn't betray Jie. Therefore, they insisted that it was all just rumors and not true at all. They argued that Zhang Qiaoyun was from a wealthy family and was beautiful, so how could she possibly be interested in Jie?

Jie's sister clearly knew they were protecting Jie and weren't telling the truth. She frowned and said, "Don't think I don't know! If I didn't have some information, would I be asking you? I heard that Zhang Qiaoyun isn't exactly innocent either. She even swore brotherhood with a male classmate, something like 'Nine Dragons and One Phoenix.' Is that even fair? Isn't that just a scoundrel from the streets? How could he possibly fall for a girl like that!" As she spoke, Jie's sister's eyes reddened with anger, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Hong Liguo muttered to himself: You look down on Zhang Qiaoyun, but if you knew that Jie was also part of "Nine Dragons and One Phoenix", you would probably skin him alive on the spot.

Jie's sister tried both threats and bribes, but after a long time, she still couldn't get Hong Liguo and Jun Ge to talk—the two insisted that it was just a rumor, a lie, and that nothing of the sort happened.

Seeing that she couldn't get the truth from them, Jie's sister went to Hongbo. Hongbo naturally wouldn't betray Jie, and knowing that Jie's sister was strict, he also said, "That's not true, it's just a rumor. Jie is very well-behaved and obedient at school, how could he possibly be dating a girl like Zhang Qiaoyun?"

Jay's sister knew that they had all conspired beforehand to give false testimony for Jay and help him cover up the truth. Although Jay's sister was young, she was not stupid. Why wouldn't she ask other students in the village? Therefore, she already had all the information and just wanted to get further verification from them.

Jie's sister didn't give up and used a little trick to get Hongbo to talk.

She looked at Hong Bo and said firmly, "Don't lie to me! Hong Liguo and Lin Dajun both told me, so why are you still hiding it from me? Tell me everything right now! Otherwise, I'll tell your parents about what they said about you getting into a fight, and see how they deal with you!"

Upon hearing this, Hongbo panicked. He looked at Jie's sister, half-believing, and asked, "What...what did they say to you?"

Jie's sister continued, "You told me everything! Mainly about Jie and Zhang Qiaoyun dating, and about you two fighting. I just wanted to see if you were being honest, to see if what you said matched what they said. If you're not honest, I'll tell your parents about your fight, and then you'll be in for a beating!"

Hong Bo was truly taken aback, thinking that Hong Liguo and Brother Jun had really betrayed Jie. Without thinking further, he recounted everything about Jie and Zhang Qiaoyun's relationship, leaving out even the smallest details.

When Jay's sister learned the details, she was furious. That very night, she beat him up and forced him to kneel before their parents' memorial tablets and repent.

She cried as she berated me: "I worked so hard to earn money to support your education, was it easy? Instead of studying properly, you've already started dating at such a young age! If I had known you would turn out like this, I would have made you drop out of school to support me! If I hadn't dropped out, you would have been in college by now..." As she spoke, tears of grievance streamed down her face.

That's absolutely true. Jay's older sister was the class's academic representative back then, a true "top student" in today's terms. If she hadn't dropped out of school, getting into university would have been a piece of cake for her.

Jie always listened to his sister. Seeing how sad she was, he quickly promised her that he would study hard and never associate with Zhang Qiaoyun again.

Jay's sister scolded and lectured him for a while before finally stopping.

The next day at school, as soon as Jie saw them, he angrily questioned, "Who told my sister about me and Zhang Qiaoyun? You guys are so unfair! You promised to keep it a secret, but you told me everything without missing a single detail."

Hong Liguo and Jun Ge quickly swore that they absolutely did not say anything—they would never do such a thing as betraying their friends.

Jie thought to himself that it was even less likely that Fa Zi and Yan Bin would be involved. They lived far from his home and didn't visit his house often, so his sister probably wouldn't go to them to ask about it.

With that thought, Jie's gaze fell on Hong Bo.

Hongbo knew he had been tricked by Jie's sister yesterday, and he was so frightened that he didn't dare to lift his head or speak. He just kept pedaling his bicycle furiously, wishing he could fly away and escape Jie's sight as quickly as possible.

When Jie saw his expression, he immediately understood everything. He immediately cursed Hongbo, calling him "inhuman" and accusing him of betraying his friends. He then got close and kicked Hongbo hard, almost kicking Hongbo and his bicycle into the ditch.

Having no other choice, Hongbo recounted how Jie's sister had tricked him the day before, his voice filled with guilt: "I thought Xiaoguo and Brother Jun had told you everything, so what's the point of me keeping it to myself? That's why I told you... Jie, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it."

Jie was furious. Fa Zi and Hong Liguo quickly stepped forward to persuade him: "You two are so high and mighty at school, even if Hong Bo didn't say anything, your sister would have found out sooner or later. If she hadn't heard the news, she wouldn't have come to ask us! Don't blame Hong Bo, blame yourself for being too ostentatious, making that little thing known to the whole school."

Actually, this wasn't Jie's original intention. He originally wanted to be with Zhang Qiaoyun secretly, but Zhang Qiaoyun didn't care about any of that—she insisted on letting everyone know about their relationship to prove that she was beautiful and charming. What made her so unscrupulous was her parents: they not only didn't restrict her dating, but they were also very supportive, saying, "As long as you think the person is good and you like them, we won't interfere." This is a new society, and the country advocates free love and doesn't allow parents or matchmakers to arrange marriages.

Zhang Qiaoyun's parents were quite progressive; they didn't take the matter seriously at all.

Jie finally managed to calm his sister's anger and genuinely wanted to keep some distance from Zhang Qiaoyun for the time being. But Zhang Qiaoyun wouldn't allow him to do that. She still kept taking the initiative to find Jie, pestering him to go to the supply and marketing cooperative and the grove outside the school.

Of course, Zhang Qiaoyun's family was well-off, and she always paid for everything when they went out. Even if she wanted Jie to spend money, he didn't have the funds—Jie's lunch was often irregular, so where would he get spare money to squander?

Zhang Qiaoyun knew about the Jie family's situation and never cared about it. Anyway, she had money; it didn't matter who spent it, right?

Later, after Jie's persistent pleas, Zhang Qiaoyun finally agreed to keep a certain distance from him temporarily to alleviate the pressure from Jie's sister. However, she didn't forget to warn Jie: "Keeping your distance is fine, but you can't have any other intentions! You can't distance yourself from me or forget me because of this, and you absolutely can't date other girls. If you do, I won't let you off the hook!"

Jay quickly swore that he would never fall for any other girl and that Zhang Qiaoyun was the only one in his heart. This reduced their contact.

Although they saw each other less often, Jie still maintained his relationship with Zhang Qiaoyun. However, he also became more focused on his studies and his grades improved rapidly.

When the report card was handed to the older sister, she actually believed it, thinking that her younger brother had truly listened to her and stopped seeing Zhang Qiaoyun. Little did she know that this "no contact" was merely a facade, and only temporary.