Chapter 134: Brothers at Odds

The honeyed sweetness of Ma Yunrou’s voice, which might have made a young security guard’s entire body go numb with pleasure, sounded like the most terrifying thing in the world to Xiao Lin.

"You... how did you get here?" Seeing Ma Yunrou standing at the classroom door, Xiao Lin could no longer describe his current state of mind with words.

"What? Am I not allowed to come and see you? It seems you’ve been doing quite well for yourself here," Ma Yunrou said, casting a look at Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing with visible displeasure.

The students in Class 1 looked at this charming girl and listened to her words, all curious about who she was, though it seemed she and Xiao Lin were quite close.

Upon hearing Ma Yunrou’s words, Wang Yuqing’s face instantly paled. She shifted uncomfortably, quietly distancing herself from Xiao Lin.

"Come on, let’s go outside to talk." Seeing the look on Ma Yunrou’s face, Xiao Lin didn’t even think; he stood up immediately and walked over to her, intending to pull her out of the classroom. He was afraid that if Ma Yunrou started speaking without restraint, she would reveal the news of his breakup with Wang Yuqing, and the situation would become impossible to handle.

But before Xiao Lin could pull her out of the classroom, Ma Yunrou blurted out, "Xiao Lin, how could you treat me like this? Didn't you say you had already broken up with her? Why are you still sitting together?" As she spoke, she pointed a finger directly at Wang Yuqing.

After Ma Yunrou finished that sentence, Xiao Lin felt as if the world had gone dark. It was over—the thing he feared most had finally happened. Wang Yuqing’s body swayed twice. She sat dazed in her seat, two lines of clear tears streaming down her face.

"What? Broken up?" The students in the classroom stared in shock at Ma Yunrou, who had just dropped the bombshell.

"Does that girl mean that Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing have broken up?" one boy asked his desk-mate, his face full of disbelief.

"That seems to be what she means," his desk-mate replied, equally stunned.

Seeing the astonished faces of everyone in the classroom and the sight of Wang Yuqing crying, Ma Yunrou felt a secret sense of triumph. This was exactly the effect she wanted. Since Xiao Lin hadn't told anyone at the school about the breakup, she would do it for him. Ma Yunrou wanted to blow the matter up; she wanted the whole school to know. That way, she would achieve her goal.

"Where did this crazy woman come from, running in here to spew nonsense? Your father and mother are the ones who broke up! Xiao Lin, who is this woman? Make her get out of our class, or don't blame me for being rude!" Tan Linlin slammed her hand on the desk, then placed her hands on her hips and roared at Ma Yunrou.

From the moment Ma Yunrou entered, Tan Linlin had disliked her—she looked like a flirt and spoke with such arrogance. Who did she think she was? Tan Linlin hated women like that, and to top it off, this woman had just spread rumors about Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing breaking up. That was the last straw. Tan Linlin didn't look back; had she seen Wang Yuqing crying, she likely would have charged over to beat Ma Yunrou on the spot.

Hearing Tan Linlin’s words, Ma Yunrou was so angry she could have exploded. Never in her life had anyone dared to scold her like that. Every boy who pursued her pampered her; even Xiao Lin usually yielded to her. Yet, Tan Linlin had actually dared to curse at her.

"You... you... you fat woman, how dare you scold me! Look at yourself, you look like a pig. If I were you, I would have just run into a wall and died already." Ma Yunrou was no pushover; seeing Tan Linlin’s slightly plump figure, she immediately retorted.

However, Ma Yunrou did not realize the severity of the consequences. At Innovation High School, no one dared to insult Tan Linlin. The whole school knew that there were two people in Class 1 you couldn't provoke: Xiao Lin, who was famous for fighting, and Tan Linlin, a "tomboy" known for her ferocity.

The students in Class 1 looked at Ma Yunrou with pity. *This girl is finished,* many of them thought simultaneously.

Sure enough, after hearing Ma Yunrou’s insult, Tan Linlin let out a "bang" as she jumped out of her seat. With fists clenched, she charged toward Ma Yunrou like a crazed lioness.

Seeing Tan Linlin charging at her with fists swinging, Ma Yunrou screamed in terror, "Mommy!" Just as Tan Linlin’s fist was about to land on her face, Xiao Lin sighed and reached out his right hand, accurately grabbing Tan Linlin’s fist.

"Tan Linlin, enough. Let’s end this here." No matter what, Xiao Lin couldn't let Tan Linlin hit Ma Yunrou.

"Ma Yunrou, stop making a scene. Let's go outside and talk." Xiao Lin turned to Ma Yunrou. His expression was grim, and his tone carried an icy, non-negotiable chill.

However, Ma Yunrou didn't realize that Xiao Lin was giving her a way out—or perhaps she was simply too frightened by Tan Linlin’s fist to think straight. She assumed Xiao Lin was backing her up.

"Haha! Hit me then! If you’ve got the guts, hit me!" Ma Yunrou laughed wildly, showing off to Tan Linlin.

"Xiao Lin..." Tan Linlin ground the name out through her teeth. "Can’t you hear what this crazy woman is saying? And you’re actually defending her?" She couldn't understand why Xiao Lin would shield such a woman.

Looking at the furious Tan Linlin, Xiao Lin realized he could no longer hide the truth about his breakup with Wang Yuqing. *Heh, perhaps I shouldn't have hidden it in the first place,* Xiao Lin thought with a self-deprecating smile.

"Tan Linlin, she’s right. Wang Yuqing and I... have indeed broken up. Her name is Ma Yunrou, and she is my current girlfriend." Xiao Lin used every ounce of his strength to get those words out.

"What? What did you say?" Tan Linlin’s eyes widened as she stared at Xiao Lin, who kept his head lowered in silence.

"He’s lost it. He’s lost it! Yuqing, Xiao Lin has lost his mind, come and look at him!" Tan Linlin turned to Wang Yuqing, but seeing her sitting silently in her seat, tears streaming down her face, Tan Linlin muttered to herself, "You two... you couldn't really have broken up, could you?"

"What could be fake about it? Xiao Lin is my boyfriend now," Ma Yunrou said triumphantly. She hooked her arm through Xiao Lin’s and held her head high, like a victorious rooster.

"And you, Wang Yuqing, don't try to seduce my boyfriend anymore. You should move your seat," Ma Yunrou said, turning her attack toward Wang Yuqing.

"Enough!" Ma Yunrou’s words ignited Xiao Lin’s fury. No matter how unruly Ma Yunrou acted, he could tolerate it, but he would absolutely not tolerate her speaking that way about Wang Yuqing.

Xiao Lin’s tone was so harsh that Ma Yunrou shuddered. She looked at Xiao Lin’s angry face; it seemed Uncle Xiang was right—Xiao Lin truly loved this Wang Yuqing. Suddenly, resentment welled up in her heart. She plopped onto the floor, ignoring all decorum, and began to wail. Between sobs, she cried, "Xiao Lin, you heartless man, how can you treat me like this? It was clearly this woman who seduced you..."

Ma Yunrou’s greatest talent was her acting. She could be laughing and joking with you one minute and turn on you the next. Just like in the cafe in Donghai City, she had started by showing off to Wang Yuqing, then switched to playing the victim. Now, she was pushing her luck by throwing mud at Wang Yuqing.

"You woman, what kind of things are you saying? How could Wang Yuqing be the kind of person you describe?" A boy couldn't take it anymore and stood up to condemn Ma Yunrou.

"Exactly! The whole school knows Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing are a couple. It looks to me like you’re the one who seduced Xiao Lin. A thief crying 'stop thief!'" A girl also looked at Ma Yunrou with disdain.

Hearing Ma Yunrou’s accusation of seduction, Tan Linlin roared, "I’m going to destroy you!" She launched a flying kick. Because the distance was short and Xiao Lin was caught in a state of distress, he didn't expect Tan Linlin to strike suddenly and had no time to intervene. Tan Linlin’s kick landed squarely on Ma Yunrou’s chest, knocking her to the ground.

Just as Tan Linlin was about to land a few more kicks, Xiao Lin reacted. He saw Ma Yunrou sprawled on the floor, groaning and unable to get up. Regardless of anything else, Ma Yunrou was his girlfriend, and he couldn't watch her be beaten. In his haste, he shoved Tan Linlin away. Unfortunately, he used too much force, causing Tan Linlin to stumble. As she was near the podium, her head struck the corner of the desk, and blood began to flow immediately.

Seeing Tan Linlin injured, Xu Tong’s eyes turned bloodshot. He let out a sound like a wolf’s howl: "Xiao Lin, you asshole! Linlin was helping you, can’t you see that?" With that, Xu Tong rushed at Xiao Lin and delivered a heavy punch to his face. Xiao Lin could have dodged it, but it was Xu Tong—his brother. How could he block it? He took the blow head-on.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xiao Lin said bitterly, "I’m sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Linlin... Xiao Lin..." Wang Yuqing had first seen Tan Linlin fall and hit her head, then saw Xiao Lin get punched by Xu Tong. One was her best friend, the other her most beloved person. Wang Yuqing felt utterly helpless. She didn't know what to do; tears fell from her face, dropping into her already shattered heart.

Ma Yunrou was still groaning on the floor, her face pale from Tan Linlin’s kick. Tan Linlin was clutching her head, blood seeping through her fingers, while Xu Tong held her, his face full of heartache. The classroom was deathly silent; everyone stared at the scene in a daze.

Xiao Lin hesitated, then, looking at Ma Yunrou’s state, he crouched down and picked her up.

"Xu Tong, hurry and take Linlin to the infirmary," Xiao Lin said to him.

Seeing that Xiao Lin was still protecting Ma Yunrou, Xu Tong’s face turned leaden.

"Xiao Lin, from today on, we are no longer brothers. You walk your path, I’ll walk mine. We have nothing to do with each other." Xu Tong uttered these words word by word, then picked up Tan Linlin and strode out of the classroom.