C4 Apologize

"Turns out, she's still just a naive little girl," Lishan thought, a cold smirk playing on her lips. As she lowered her head to wipe her eyes, Lishan turned and strode toward the school entrance.

"Lishan! What did you put in the tissue?! Are you trying to mess with me?!" a shrill voice called out from behind her.

Lishan's eyes narrowed slightly. Mess with you? It was just a warning. She paused briefly, then continued walking into the classroom.

Seated inside, Lishan scrolled through the news on her phone, looking for updates about the Qiao and Chi families.

"Lishan, I told you to wait for me at the Qiao's. You left without a word and made me wait downstairs for five minutes. Are you trying to make me hate you even more?" Jinxi burst into the classroom, planting his hands on the desk in front of Lishan, his eyes blazing with anger.

Lishan looked up at the face she once couldn't forget and smiled faintly. "It was just five minutes."

In her previous life, she had waited for him a lifetime.

"Five minutes, and you treat my woman like this? Lishan, you've really got some nerve!" Jinxi glared, as if he could bore a hole through her with his stare.

"And how exactly am I bullying you? Class is about to start. Please leave and don't disrupt my lesson," Lishan replied, giving Jinxi no leeway as she dismissed him.

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but everyone around could hear it clearly. Chi Jinxi felt embarrassed and glared at her fiercely. "After school, you just wait and see!"

Wait and see? With that kind of attitude? Qiao Lishan began to question what she ever saw in Chi Jinxi. She looked down, pulled out her phone, and sent a text to Chi Tianche, inviting him to lunch. Chi Tianche quickly replied, agreeing to meet her.

As the morning classes ended and Qiao Lishan was about to leave the school, Chi Jinxi blocked her path and shoved her aside. "Apologize to Mu Tian'ai, or I'll go back and tell my dad to cut off the funding to your family!"

Cut the funding? That was exactly what she wanted! Qiao Lishan let out a cold laugh and refused decisively, "I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I apologize?"

"You! You wretched woman!" Chi Jinxi was furious, raising his hand to slap Qiao Lishan. She squinted, took a step back, and was ready to dodge his hand when a strong hand suddenly caught Chi Jinxi's wrist.

"Raising a hand against a woman? Chi Jinxi, is this what your mother taught you all these years?" A cold, stern voice came from behind.

Qiao Lishan, surprised, looked at the suddenly appearing Chi Tianche. Her body trembled slightly, but she tried to act nonchalant as she explained, "Uncle, don't misunderstand. He didn't mean to hit me."

"I only believe what I see with my own eyes." Tianche shook off Jinxi's grip and walked over to Lishan, pausing to give her a long look before heading out of the school.

Lishan hesitated for a moment, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips, then turned to follow Tianche.

"Wait, where are you going?! You haven't apologized!" Jinxi called out, reaching to grab her wrist.

"If you don't want Uncle to hear about this, you'd better let go," Lishan replied calmly.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Uncle's watching from outside," Lishan said with a slight smile, which made Jinxi grit his teeth in frustration as he released her hand.