Chapter 28: The Ridiculous Teammate

At the beginning of the new semester, the student council had plenty of work to do. Even during lunch break, someone was always on duty.

Inside the student council office, Lorina was discussing the details of the new semester’s activities with a steward. When she saw Loria enter with Xianyu Zhen and a few others, she immediately knew her younger sister was about to stir up trouble again.

Lorina asked calmly, “Why aren’t you all resting at noon? What brings you here?”

“We’ve come to seek justice for a friend,” Loria declared, and immediately two or three students beside her began competing to recount what had happened, their stories heavily embellished.

Lu Hankai even played along, groaning and feigning pain.

Bai Liyao listened with a deep frown while Xianyu Zhen stood by, unhurried, as if watching a performance.

After hearing their complaints, the steward on duty fixed a displeased gaze on Xianyu Zhen. “Our student council members never bully others. Shouldn’t you explain why you did something that damages the council’s reputation?”

Xianyu Zhen was new to the council, and the other members didn’t know her well yet. Normally, they wouldn’t take sides based on a few words. However, this steward happened to recognize Loria as the vice president’s sister and assumed she wouldn’t falsely accuse a council member—so Xianyu Zhen must have acted inappropriately.

Bai Liyao, about to retort at the steward’s questioning, was interrupted as Lorina spoke: “Liu, you haven’t heard the other party’s explanation. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

No one expected Lorina to speak in Xianyu Zhen’s defense. Faces showed varying degrees of surprise.

Only Xianyu Zhen remained indifferent. She didn’t believe Lorina was truly on her side; she was waiting for Lorina’s next move.

Lorina wore a kindly, patient smile. “Xianyu, is what they said really true?”

“Of course not.” Xianyu Zhen produced the phone of the student who had recorded the video and handed it to Lorina. “There’s a partial recording of what happened here. You can take a look.”

As Lorina took the phone, the student quickly argued, “I only recorded the second half. I didn’t get the earlier part where she hit someone.”

Her intention was to emphasize that Xianyu Zhen had struck someone.

However, Bai Liyao turned it back on her. “Exactly, you missed the part where that boy hit first.”

“Who said I hit anyone?” Lu Hankai shouted. “I couldn’t even touch her—she blocked me right away…”

Realizing he’d slipped, Lu Hankai quickly changed his story. “I just happened to catch them in a secret meeting. I went over to separate them, and she hit me!”

“Yeah, we all saw it. She twisted Lu Hankai’s hand—he was in so much pain he cried out!”

“That’s right! Then, when she saw us recording, she pretended she was just giving him a massage.”

Their accounts were nearly identical, and the steward, Liu, seemed convinced. “Xianyu, what more do you have to say? So many witnesses saw you hurt someone!”

Xianyu Zhen laughed softly. “You all swear I hurt him—so tell me, where did I hurt him? Call the school nurse to check. See if he’s actually injured, then you can complain.”

At her words, Lu Hankai couldn’t help but feel guilty.

How could any injury be found? His hand wasn’t just unhurt—it was even more nimble and strong than before.

Seeing Lu Hankai’s reaction, Lorina sensed things weren’t so simple and nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Everything requires evidence.”

“With so many witnesses, are you saying everyone is lying? Does someone have to be seriously hurt before it’s considered a problem?” Loria pressed on, her tone righteous. “People like her, who resort to violence so easily, shouldn’t be allowed into the student council—they tarnish our reputation!”

Bai Liyao couldn’t take it anymore and covered his forehead, half amused, half exasperated. “This is the first time I’ve seen a thief cry ‘catch the thief’ with such confidence!”

Xianyu Zhen didn’t laugh. She just stared at Lu Hankai. “Which eye of yours saw the two of us in a secret tryst?”

Lu Hankai was stunned, but quickly responded with a sneer. “You were sitting close together, whispering and laughing. If that’s not a tryst, what is it?”

Xianyu Zhen feigned realization. “Oh, so in the city, that’s what counts as a tryst? I thought, like in the countryside, it only counted if you were hugging and kissing! In that case, the school should ban all boys and girls from sitting together or chatting quietly. And no more laughing together either. Otherwise, the school will be full of ‘secret trysts’—how terrible!”

“Pfft!” Bai Liyao shook with suppressed laughter. “What age are we living in? Are we still fussing about boys and girls not touching?”

Lu Hankai: …

Wait, are they calling me old-fashioned?

Loria was speechless with anger and turned to the steward Liu.

Catching her cue, Liu stepped in to correct, “Xianyu, you’re twisting our meaning. A tryst means an unmarried couple secretly sharing intimate moments—it’s not the same as open, upright interactions. What you two did in private is hardly the same as normal classmates joking around.”

Liu, a philosophy major, spoke with a scholarly air, but his logic was sound.

Xianyu Zhen’s lips curled in a faint smile, though her eyes were cold. “Liu, then may I ask—just a moment ago, you and the vice president were whispering together in the office. Does that count as a tryst?”

“Nonsense!” Liu retorted, flustered. “We’re on duty together—there’s nothing secret about it!”

“But the door was closed. Who would know? Anyway, we were outside, chatting with the door open, and were still accused of a tryst.”

“You… You’re being deliberately argumentative!” Liu was so angry he could barely speak.

“I agree—that kind of behavior is pure sophistry,” Xianyu Zhen said, turning her words back on Lu Hankai.

Lu Hankai was at a loss for words. Why had he chosen “tryst” as his excuse for causing trouble?

But at the time, he hadn’t thought it through—his brain simply didn’t have the capacity!

At least he managed to recover some sense: “Even if you weren’t having a tryst, even if I misunderstood, you still hit me! You can’t deny that!”

Xianyu Zhen made a sound of acknowledgment. “Since you misunderstood, and we weren’t having a tryst, when you suddenly rushed to grab me, I thought you were trying to take advantage of me—so I instinctively defended myself. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“When did I ever try to take advantage of you?” Lu Hankai exploded, jumping up. “I was going to hit you!”

Everyone: …

Loria: What a useless teammate! I never should have brought him!

Bai Liyao: This guy’s a real piece of work—an absolute godsend for our side!