Chapter 17, The Vicious Female Supporting Character
Elective classes arrived as usual. Ji Linxue hadn't attended archery class for several months. When the archery teacher heard about his hand injury, they were very regretful and even visited him in the hospital with his homeroom teacher and others.
The most important aspect of sports is physical fitness. Ji Linxue's hand was so severely injured that even if it recovered perfectly, he might not reach his previous level.
Gu Hengzhi, fearing he would be saddened by it, directly requested a change of class from the dean of studies. Given the special circumstances, Ji Linxue's archery class was thus changed to equestrianism.
Today was his first equestrian lesson. The other students had a basic foundation and had already gone to prepare their horses early. Ji Linxue sat on a long bench beside the horse stable, staring blankly at the lawn.
A bottle of milk appeared before him.
He looked up. Gu Hengzhi placed the milk into his hand, "Have you been waiting long?"
Ji Linxue shook his head, "Not really."
Shen Shaoyan and Lu Yu walked over side by side. Shen Shaoyan exaggerated, "No way, we've only been gone for five minutes. Are you really that worried about Xiaoxue?"
Ji Linxue was now too lazy to fuss about the nickname. Let them call him what they wanted, it wasn't too unpleasant anyway.
He looked up at Gu Hengzhi, "I'll just sit here when class starts later. I can't ride a horse anyway."
"No." Gu Hengzhi, however, firmly refused this time. "You have to try it eventually."
Ji Linxue's injury didn't significantly affect his daily life. He could still do normal archery, but he had high standards for himself. Whenever the topic came up, he would look dejected. Gu Hengzhi wanted him to find some new hobbies.
"I can't ride a horse."
"You'll learn by practicing," Gu Hengzhi thought of a solution. "If worst comes to worst, you can sit in front of me, and I'll guide you."
Ji Linxue imagined the scene in his mind, thinking it wasn't an idol drama, and shook his head even more firmly.
Gu Hengzhi had no choice but to say, "Then you sit on the horse, and I'll lead it from below."
Since he had already conceded this much, Ji Linxue had no reason to refuse and could only nod.
Gu Hengzhi usually rode a reddish-brown horse with a strong temper, but it was very docile under Gu Hengzhi's control. Ji Linxue was helped onto it by him, felt the mane in front, which was smooth and clean, with a peculiar texture.
Gu Hengzhi held the reins, guiding the horse forward step by step.
Ji Linxue clenched his legs against the horse's belly, trying his best to maintain balance. He felt a little nervous, but more than that, he was curious. As the horse walked slowly, an unconscious smile appeared on his face.
Gu Hengzhi turned his head. The boy's smile precisely entered his vision. The boy on horseback was slender, with soft, dark hair, and his fair skin was as translucent as jade under the sunlight. Because of his excitement, his cheeks were faintly flushed, and his eyes were gentle and cool, like freshly melted snow, soft and pure.
His heart pounded. Gu Hengzhi curved his lips, and a joyous feeling spread from his chest. He suddenly wished time would stop at this moment.
He looked at the boy, "Is it fun?"
Ji Linxue looked down at him, the smile still on his face, "Mhm."
Gu Hengzhi smiled and said, "Then let's go a few more rounds."
Outside the horse stable not far away, Su Muqing gripped the railing, staring intently at this beautiful scene, clenching her fingers until her knuckles turned white.
A classmate behind her reminded her, "We should go, we still need to prepare our horses."
Su Muqing had also chosen equestrianism.
In these days, she had regretted countless times that she wasn't the one who saved Gu Hengzhi that day. Watching Gu Hengzhi's attentiveness towards Ji Linxue, even though she knew he was a boy and wouldn't be her love rival, her heart still ached.
"Xiao Qing, we'll be late if we don't go now."
Su Muqing averted her gaze, her tone a little impatient, "Got it."
Things had already turned out this way, so regretting it was useless. Su Muqing had a sudden flash of inspiration, and an idea popped into her head. The next day after class, she quickly slipped over to Ji Linxue's seat while Gu Hengzhi and Lu Yu were out of the classroom, a sweet smile on her face, "Classmate Ji—"
Ji Linxue subtly moved back, "May I ask what you need?"
Su Muqing had always treated him like air. Apart from Gu Hengzhi, she simply couldn't tolerate anyone else in her eyes, which was exactly like in the original novel. Now, suddenly coming to curry favor with him, it definitely wasn't for anything good.
"Actually, it's nothing major..." Su Muqing suddenly hesitated, then finally made up her mind, "Your relationship with Gu Hengzhi should be quite good, right?"
Ji Linxue was silent for a while, then uttered two words, "So-so."
Su Muqing didn't mind his coldness at all. She put two fingers together, making a small gesture, "I have a small favor. Could you help me?"
Ji Linxue said, "Then you've come to the wrong person. I'm just an ordinary student, I can't help you."
"You haven't come to the wrong person. You can definitely help me," Su Muqing smiled brightly, "You and Gu Hengzhi are so close, could you say a few good words about me to him?"
She took out a sapphire blue box from behind her back. When opened, a meticulously crafted quartz watch lay quietly inside, "This is a token of my gratitude for you."
Even if Ji Linxue wasn't familiar with expensive items, he could tell that this watch was worth at least tens of thousands.
"I cannot accept a reward for no merit." Ji Linxue pushed the box back. "Sorry, I can't help you."
Su Muqing was a little angry. This person was like a stone, impossible to reason with, "I'm just asking you to say a few good words. It's not like I'm asking you to do anything awful."
Ji Linxue honestly said, "What I say actually doesn't matter. What's important is Gu Hengzhi's impression of you. If he doesn't like you, whatever I say will be useless."
Su Muqing chuckled in anger, "Are you mocking me?"
"I'm just speaking the truth." Ji Linxue recalled her fate in the original novel and couldn't help but feel a little emotional. "Instead of chasing after Gu Hengzhi, it's better to work hard on improving yourself. As long as you stand tall, you can see a whole forest. Why hang yourself on one tree? And your life shouldn't be wasted on such things."
Su Muqing was momentarily stunned by his words.
No one had ever spoken to her like that before.
Because of her prominent family background, everyone around her either flattered her or indulged her. When they heard she was pursuing Gu Hengzhi, their opinions were all consistent,
"You're so beautiful, and your figure is so good, what man wouldn't be attracted to you?"
"If he rejects you, he's blind."
"It's just a man's trick to play hard to get."
In the original novel, influenced by those around her, Su Muqing made one wrong step after another, embarking on a path of obsession. In the end, she was arrested by the police for kidnapping Bai Chutang.
When she was released from prison, she found that the Su family had been bankrupted by Gu Hengzhi. Her parents couldn't bear the blow, one jumped from a building, and the other hanged themselves, leaving only her.
Because of her criminal record, many companies were unwilling to hire her. She could only engage in flesh trade, and not long after, she was arrested by the police again.
At the end of the story, on the day Bai Chutang and Gu Hengzhi held their wedding, she died in a deserted alley, the cause of death being robbery. Her body was not discovered until the next morning. When she died, she was tightly clutching a white bracelet in her hand, which was a birthday gift from Gu Hengzhi to her.
For this character, Ji Linxue only felt pity and hatred.
Su Muqing's eyes were bewildered for a moment, then quickly cleared, "So you mean, you want me to give up on Gu Hengzhi?"
Ji Linxue didn't speak, tacitly agreeing.
Gu Hengzhi clearly didn't like Su Muqing. Bai Chutang was his fated person. Instead of struggling bitterly, it was better to give up early.
"Impossible."
As expected, Su Muqing couldn't be persuaded by a single sentence from him. She was very confident about winning over Gu Hengzhi and would definitely not give up easily.
This was within Ji Linxue's expectations. If the plot could be changed so easily, he wouldn't have injured his hand.
"Since you're unwilling, then forget it." Su Muqing put the box away and gave him a glare, "You're not allowed to tell Gu Hengzhi about this."
"Is there something I'm not supposed to know?"
A faint voice sounded from behind. Su Muqing jumped in surprise, quickly hiding the box in her pocket, "Nothing, why are you back so soon?"
Gu Hengzhi gave a half-smile, "I just went to the office, not to the next city. How long could it take?"
He looked at Ji Linxue, "What did she tell you?"
Ji Linxue glanced at Su Muqing, who was completely tense and desperately trying to signal him.
"She told me..." Ji Linxue paused for a second, "how to solve the math problem the teacher lectured on earlier."
Su Muqing breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Right, right, right, I came to ask about the problem."
Although they hadn't discussed anything illicit, she just didn't want Gu Hengzhi to know. This Ji Linxue was quite sensible.
"You came to ask about a problem without even bringing the question?" Gu Hengzhi exposed her clumsy excuse, saying to Ji Linxue in front of her, "Don't pay attention to her in the future."
Su Muqing angrily exclaimed, "Gu Hengzhi!"
"Do you have anything else to say?" Gu Hengzhi's expression was calm. "Class is starting."
As if to confirm his words, the class bell suddenly rang.
Su Muqing unwillingly returned to her seat.
Ji Linxue thought Gu Hengzhi would ask him what Su Muqing had said, but even until school ended, the other party showed no intention of bringing it up.
He subtly probed, "You don't like Su Muqing?"
Gu Hengzhi raised one eyebrow, a hint of appropriate doubt on his handsome face, "Where did you get the idea that I liked her?"
Ji Linxue wrinkled his nose, "I didn't say that."
Gu Hengzhi rested his chin on one hand, lazily looking at him. Noticing his small expression, his brows relaxed, "Didn't realize you were quite gossipy."
Ji Linxue didn't think "gossipy" was a good word in Gu Hengzhi's mouth, and glared at him, "Fine, don't tell me then."
"Why is your temper so bad lately?" Gu Hengzhi smiled and pulled him. "I'll tell you."
Bad temper?
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart.
Ji Linxue reflected on himself for a while. Perhaps it was because Gu Hengzhi had been so good to him recently, and their distance had shortened, causing him to gradually reveal his true nature in front of the other.
Gu Hengzhi's voice pulled his thoughts back, "Not only do I not like Su Muqing, I actually hate her."
"Why?"
Gu Hengzhi didn't answer, but instead asked, "Do you know why she transferred to Deyin?"
Ji Linxue hesitated, "Isn't it because she likes you..."
"How could that be?" Gu Hengzhi scoffed, interrupting him. "Gu Fengyan doesn't like me. I only have the title of Young Master Gu. Su Muqing's father has been in business for many years and is cunning. How could he spend several million to transfer his daughter just because she likes someone?"
Ji Linxue realized something, "Could it be because she was at her old school..."
"Exactly." Gu Hengzhi narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold. "Su Muqing led a bullying incident against a girl. On the day winter break began, that girl was forced by them to jump from the teaching building and died."
The situation escalated too much, and the school was powerless to suppress it. In the end, the Su family stepped in, paid the victim's family a sum of money, and controlled public opinion.
The other bullies were exposed, but only Su Muqing seemed unaffected. Her image at school was excellent, wealthy family, beautiful and generous, and she was also the class beauty and a top student. How could she possibly target a poor student for no reason?
No one believed she could be the leader, but Su's father, for the sake of the Su family's reputation, still handled her transfer.
Those in the know were silenced, and even in the upper circles, very few knew about this. Gu Hengzhi had only recently found out by chance.
After hearing the whole story, Ji Linxue fell silent.
So, the words he said to Su Muqing that afternoon were completely lost on her.
Su Muqing truly was the perfect candidate for the vicious female supporting character.
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