Chapter 252: She’s Crazy
Chapter 252: Chapter 252: She’s Crazy
’This man is clearly the type to be nice to every woman. By being so kind, he’s actually being unkind to everyone.’
Lin Shumo pressed his thin lips together. Xie Huaizheng’s doubts were like a sharp sword piercing his heart.
But he was still unwilling to believe that Gu Qingran would do something like this. She was his childhood friend, someone he had known for so many years. How could she do such a thing?
But now, as everyone looked at him with disapproval, he suddenly wondered, ’Was I really wrong?’
’In truth, maybe I shouldn’t believe Gu Qingran?’
But at that moment, Gu Qingran was staring at him with a pitiful gaze.
And once again, Lin Shumo’s heart began to soften.
"But I’ve known Qing Ran for so many years. I have a pretty good idea of what kind of person she is."
"And that gives her the right to bully our Zhaozhao? Our Zhaozhao is a completely innocent victim in this whole affair! If Brother Huai Zheng hadn’t found so many people to prove her innocence today, then by tomorrow, I’m afraid her reputation would be ruined for the entire town to see," Li Tiantian said furiously.
Lin Shumo hadn’t expected this either. He looked over at Su Zhaozhao, who was quietly watching him in return. She gazed at him in silence, not saying a word.
In that instant, Lin Shumo felt a sharp pang in his heart.
Of course, he cared about Su Zhaozhao too. He knew she must feel incredibly wronged after being reported for no reason.
But Gu Qingran was his childhood friend. When she had first come looking for him, his parents had specifically instructed him to take good care of her.
They said that since Gu Qingran had come all this way just to see him, a young woman alone in a place so far from home was bound to face some risks, so he absolutely had to do his best to look after her.
But now...
Perhaps it was because he’d been so busy with work lately. He only had time to go out with Gu Qingran on his days off. Maybe that was why she had been running around getting into trouble.
Still, he couldn’t understand why Gu Qingran would hate Su Zhaozhao.
Seeing Lin Shumo’s conflicted expression, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but sigh.
’The second male lead’s personality is just like this,’ she thought. ’The ultimate nice guy, the kind of good man who’s willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of others.’
’In the past, I used to think the second male lead was a great guy. I was even rooting for him to win in the end.’
’But now that I’m personally in the middle of it, I realize this kind of personality isn’t so great after all. He’s too indecisive.’
Finally, Lin Shumo turned to Su Zhaozhao. "Zhaozhao, I’ll have Gu Qingran apologize to you. Or, if there’s some other punishment you want, she’ll bear it. But if she really goes to jail... that will ruin her entire life."
If she went to jail, it would mean Gu Qingran could be expelled from her university and would never be able to find a good job in the future.
She would have a criminal record, and her life would be ruined from then on.
Lin Shumo knew about Gu Qingran’s family situation and that she had never been favored at home.
Her family favored boys over girls, and she had only managed to test her way out of that backward mountain village with great difficulty.
The village chief had helped scrape together the travel money for her to attend university; otherwise, her parents wouldn’t have agreed to let her go.
For someone from a family like that to even get into a university was incredible.
She must have had to put in several times more effort than the average person.
He, at least, had never worked as hard as Gu Qingran.
To think that such a hardworking girl was now about to destroy her own life over spreading a rumor... Lin Shumo’s heart ached at the thought.
Su Zhaozhao looked at Lin Shumo’s sincere plea. This man, who was always so noble and pure, now seemed to have humbled himself into the very dust.
She bit her lip. ’In the world of this novel, the male lead has changed, and the side characters have changed, but it seems the second male lead has stayed exactly the same.’
’He always shows up when the female lead needs him most, just like he is now.’
’Even when everyone despises the female lead, he still steadfastly speaks up for her.’
’Why doesn’t Gu Qingran ever give her own childhood friend a proper look?’
’Lin Shumo might not reach the same status as Xie Huaizhen in the future, and he might not be as good at making money.’
’But in the future, he’s going to be a respected doctor who cures many people. Wouldn’t that be more than enough to warm Gu Qingran’s heart?’
’But Gu Qingran is so absurdly ambitious. She’s trying to run before she can walk.’
Just as Su Zhaozhao was about to speak, Gu Qingran shouted, "Shumo, forget it! Don’t apologize to her! I’m telling you, all of you have been deceived by Su Zhaozhao! I was reborn, and so was she! She just got a head start on me in this life, that’s why she went to find Xie Huaizhen ahead of time. She just didn’t expect to get the wrong person and end up with Xie Huaizheng instead!"
As she spoke, Gu Qingran’s voice grew more agitated. "It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that I failed this time. As long as I die one more time, I can be reborn again! Su Zhaozhao, next time, I will definitely live a better life than you!"
Gu Qingran looked as if she had come to some great realization, even nodding emphatically.
"That’s right! I can just die and be reborn again! This life is ruined, but if I start over, I’ll be sure to seize the opportunity!"
With that, she turned and dashed toward a nearby tree, intending to smash her head against it.
An officer with quick reflexes managed to grab her just in time.
Lin Shumo also restrained her, observing her state, and said to the officer, "She... she seems a little emotionally unstable. Should we take her to the hospital first?"
Anyone could see that Gu Qingran’s mental state was concerning. Muttering about being reborn and dying to start over, she looked no different from a madwoman.
Even Zhang Jufang was filled with regret.
’I actually helped a madwoman?’
Before, she had felt completely justified, but that feeling was long gone.
’How humiliating!’
’To think I actually believed the words of a madwoman!’
The officer turned to look at Xie Huaizheng. Frowning, Xie Huaizheng turned to ask Su Zhaozhao for her opinion.
Su Zhaozhao told him, "Let’s send her to the hospital first. We can deal with this after her condition stabilizes."
Seeing Gu Qingran in this state, there was no way she could calmly undergo questioning. She looked no different from someone who had lost her mind.
She had staked everything on this. After her rebirth, she had been single-mindedly focused on getting together with Xie Huaizhen. Now, not only had her goal failed, but she had also made Xie Huaizhen utterly disgusted with her.
So, it was only natural for her to break down like this.
’Thankfully, no one believed her. Everyone just thought Gu Qingran was a madwoman.’
’Then again, something like rebirth wasn’t within the realm of possibility for people of this era.’
’Besides, I wasn’t even reborn; I just transmigrated into a book.’
Xie Huaizheng didn’t want to deal with this mess any longer. In any case, the problem was solved. All that mattered was that Su Zhaozhao was now free from those rumors.
He took Su Zhaozhao’s hand and glanced at her. "Ready to go back?"
Su Zhaozhao nodded.
Just then, Xie Huaizhen looked at her, and Su Zhaozhao gave him a smile. "Thank you."
Xie Huaizhen seemed a bit down, but he still managed a smile. "You’re welcome."
As she passed by Lin Shumo, he couldn’t help but call out, "Zhaozhao!"
Su Zhaozhao turned to look at him.