I’ll Hold Your Hand And Promise You A Lifetime - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Photo Controversy (2)

Yue Xi didn’t waste any time. She wanted to go home early—she hadn’t seen Ning Ran and Sarah in days, and they’d finally come back.

“Yuanzi, can you help me carry my backpack and the basketball?” Yue Xi said casually, looking around the area.

“Second Bro, take my jacket,” Baldy said, tossing his athletic jacket to the slightly chubby guy.

“Be careful, Yue Xi. Baldy’s strong. He used to get into fights all the time in middle school—teachers couldn’t do anything about him,” Yuanzi warned quietly. That jerk was notorious for being a bully at school.

“Relax,” Yue Xi patted her chest and smiled at Yuanzi.

Yuanzi stepped off to the side while Baldy’s two lackeys took position across from her.

“Please,” Yue Xi said, stepping forward and getting into a textbook Taekwondo ready stance.

Compared to Yue Xi’s calm demeanor, Baldy was a bit hesitant. But seeing that she was just a slim girl, his courage returned. He suddenly lunged forward with a punch aimed straight at her nose.

Yue Xi easily sidestepped and spun, delivering a clean spinning kick to his rear. Baldy stumbled forward several steps.

He turned and tried a running jump kick. Yuexi blocked with her left arm and countered with a right punch straight to his gut. Baldy staggered back, clutching his stomach, breaking into a cold sweat.

“Damn it! How can I lose to a girl?! Where would my pride go?” he cursed internally, gritting his teeth. He rubbed his stomach and charged again, fists clenched. But Yue Xi didn’t give him the chance to strike this time—she attacked first with a fast side kick followed by a hook punch. Baldy hit the floor with a thud.

“Boss! You okay?!” The two lackeys rushed over to help him up.

“I’m fine,” Baldy grunted, pushing himself upright.

“Having fun?” Yue Xi stood with her hands behind her back, looking at them calmly. Yuanzi was stunned by the whole thing.

“You’re tough,” Baldy muttered bitterly. “I’ll admit defeat today.”

“Who sent you after me?” Yue Xi asked.

“I got a text this afternoon saying someone was stealing from our class. It said the thief was that Yuexi girl who’s been all over the school forum lately.” Baldy pulled out his phone to show the message.

“And you just believed it and came running? Are you stupid?” Yuanzi said, handing Yuexi her bag.

“I… I just wanted to protect my classmates’ stuff…” Baldy mumbled defensively.

“Hero complex much? Shameless,” Yuanzi scoffed.

“Forget it,” Yue Xi said. “It’s a misunderstanding. Let’s all keep quiet about this. Thankfully, there aren’t any cameras here, or we’d be in big trouble.” She took her backpack from Yuanzi.

“Didn’t expect you to be so chill,” Baldy muttered.

“I’m just thinking we’d all be in more trouble if this gets out,” Yue Xi replied, shaking her head.

“Alright! From today on, I, Baldy Wang Jiaqiang, consider you a friend!” He reached out his hand dramatically.

“You filming a kung fu drama?” Yuanzi sneered.

“Fine. Just don’t bother me again,” Yue Xi said, brushing her hair back.

“Deal!” Baldy quickly agreed. “Wait, no—you have to protect me now!”

“Pfft, look at you. Embarrassing,” Yuanzi said, sticking out her tongue.

“I was just bored today. Won’t happen again. I’m out—later!” Yue Xi gave Yuanzi a look, and the two quickly left the garage.

On the way home, Yue Xi kept thinking about everything. She always followed the rules at school, didn’t pick fights, didn’t have enemies—so who would go this far to set her up? She figured she’d text Yi Luo later to warn her to stay alert too. Tonight, she’d check the school forum. Baldy had mentioned it, and maybe she could find some clues there.

“Sis, I’m back.”

“We’re already eating! What took you so long? Out causing trouble again?” Ning Ran asked sharply.

“Just dealt with a little punk,” Yue Xi quickly washed her hands and sat at the table.

“You’ve got guts, huh?” Ning Ran slammed her chopsticks down. What she feared most was Yuexi getting into fights. If Yue Xi got hurt, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. “Just because you can fight doesn’t mean you should! I thought you were finally behaving!”

“Louise, let’s hear her out first,” Sarah said gently, patting Ning Ran’s hand. “Xiao Xi isn’t the impulsive type.”

“You’re not hurt, right?” Ning Ran asked again, realizing she’d overreacted. She picked her chopsticks back up—she was protective to the core.

“Nope.”

“Did you mess the kid up?”

“Didn’t use much force,” Yue Xi said, taking a bite. “I know what I’m doing.”

Sarah chuckled. “I was wondering why you were so fierce with her just now,” she said to Ning Ran. She’d known from the start that Ningran was a fiercely protective sister. Back when they were in the U.S., a few bad students tried to extort Yuexi, and Ningran scared them off. Even now, if anyone looked at Yuexi the wrong way, Ning Ran would glare back; girls trying to flirt with Yue Xi didn’t stand a chance either.

“You think that punk won’t come after you again?” Ning Ran still wasn’t at ease.

“He shouldn’t. If he wants another beating, he knows where to find me.”

“Just don’t go around picking fights. What if he had a knife? I can cover for you if someone else gets hurt, but I need you to stay safe.”

“Got it.”

Back in her room, Yue Xi turned on her computer and logged into the school forum. The top post had her and Yi Luo’s names in the title. She clicked it and saw all kinds of personal info—photos from the spring outing and more. As she scrolled, her expression darkened. She clenched her fists, shut her eyes, then slammed her fist down on the desk.

Only one person had copied those photos—Zhou Yaxuan. She was supposed to have only taken that one curated folder. Even if her USB got lost, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. Yue Xi’s computer hadn’t been hacked and didn’t have any viruses. So either Zhou Yaxuan lied about what she copied and someone else got the USB, or—worse—Zhou Yaxuan had done all of this on purpose.

What was Zhou Yaxuan really up to?

No matter what, she was involved—she was the only one besides Yuexi who saw those photos.

But wouldn’t that make her too obvious a suspect? Wasn’t she afraid Yue Xi would figure it out?

Yue Xi figured Yi Luo probably didn’t know yet. She had to tell her.

“Yi Luo, can you come over? I need to talk to you.”

“Sure. Be there in two minutes.” Yi Luo didn’t ask questions—she changed her shoes and headed out.

Soon, she arrived, greeted Ningran and Sarah, then headed to Yue Xi’s room.

“Look,” Yue Xi said seriously, pulling her to the computer.

“Aren’t these from the spring outing? Did you upload them?” Yi Luo asked, confused.

“No. I think it was Zhou Yaxuan.”

“Senior Zhou? Why?”

Yue Xi explained her theory. Yi Luo listened while scrolling through the post. “The photos are nice. I’m gonna give it a like.”

“Are you insane? Look what people are saying!” Yue Xi was furious.

“Zhang Ailing once said: ‘If you want fame, get it young,’” Yi Luo grinned as she registered an account.

“This isn’t good for your reputation!”

“Why are you so tense?”

“This is bad for your image!”

“I don’t care. Why do you?”

“I—ugh.”

“Relax. I’m here. We’ll figure out who’s behind this,” Yi Luo said, adjusting her collar like a little detective.

“I’ll send an email to try and trace the IP of that anonymous account.”

“Okay, go for it,” Yi Luo said, giving Yue Xi the keyboard.

They both agreed that Zhou Yaxuan was the most likely suspect, but her motive still puzzled them.

“Well, we sure became famous,” Yi Luo said, lying on Yue Xi’s bed, clutching her plush toy.

“You really think we’re famous?” Yue Xi looked at her, stunned. “Look, someone just posted another photo of us on campus.”

“None of them are as good as yours. I don’t care what people think of me,” Yi Luo said calmly.

“But we’re not even dating, and these people are spreading disgusting rumors—especially what they’re saying about you…”

“It’s just gossip. If you let it get to you, it’ll ruin your day. Or… do you care?”

“I don’t care what they think. Aren’t you mad?” Yue Xi couldn’t understand how Yi Luo could be so relaxed. “You’re taking this way too well.”

“Why should I be mad? Gotta look on the bright side. Fame comes whether you want it or not.”

“But—”

“Chill. We have nothing to hide. Let them talk. Their mouths belong to them. You don’t have to listen.”

“But I think there’s more to this…”

“You mean maybe it’s not Zhou Yaxuan? Someone else, perhaps.”

“Can’t be sure yet. I’m waiting for my friend to reply to my email.”

“Alright. I’m heading home—early class tomorrow.”

“Okay, go ahead.” Yue Xi opened her mouth to talk about what happened after school but closed it again, not wanting to scare her.

“Don’t do anything reckless, okay? Night.” Yi Luo knew Yue Xi could be as stubborn as a mule when she got riled up. She had to be talked down gently.

She remembered back in primary school when Ningran promised Yuexi a little robot toy as a reward for good grades. But she forgot, and Yue Xi didn’t say anything—just gave her the cold shoulder for days. Ning Ran had no idea why until she asked Yi Luo for help. After days of coaxing, Yue Xi finally admitted the reason. Ning Ran laughed and cried at the same time, buying toys and snacks to apologize. Since then, she’d never dared break a promise to Yue Xi again.

“Okay. You sleep early too,” Yue Xi said.

Yi Luo patted her head on the way out—like she was a kid.