Cao Mingliang arrived at the school entrance, frowning slightly and waiting impatiently.
He didn't know what had happened to make Lü Yanran look for him so anxiously.
Lü Yanran had also said on the phone that she couldn't explain it clearly and insisted on meeting in person.
Now that he was at the school gate, he didn't see her, which made his mood even worse.
As Cao Mingliang was about to call Lü Yanran from his pocket, he saw her getting out of a taxi not far away.
Lü Yanran was carrying the bag he had bought for tens of thousands of yuan on her shoulder, and her makeup and attire were also exquisite, which made Cao Mingliang frown even tighter.
Yesterday afternoon, Lü Yanran had told him she wanted to go shopping together today, but Cao Mingliang had refused.
One reason was that he had already experienced how tiring it was to accompany a woman shopping, and the other was that shopping meant paying, and the expenses were not small.
If it were just meals and movies, he wouldn't mind.
But Lü Yanran had clearly become unsatisfied with these recently, often mentioning in his ear about how good high-end cosmetics were for the skin, and how nice new clothes from certain brands looked.
Although Cao Mingliang was indeed well-off compared to ordinary college students, he couldn't withstand such spending.
What Cao Mingliang didn't expect was that Lü Yanran had gone shopping alone?
"Honey."
A slight smile appeared on Lü Yanran's face as she walked quickly towards him.
"Where have you been? Didn't you say you were at school this morning?"
Cao Mingliang asked with a confused expression.
Lü Yanran's eyes flickered slightly, and she said with a wronged look, "I was just too bored. You weren't with me during the holidays, so I went out on my own to wander around."
Hearing this, Cao Mingliang immediately felt a little guilty, and his earlier impatience dissipated.
"Then why did you call me here so urgently? I haven't finished playing my game yet."
"Yes, I have something important to tell you."
Lü Yanran's expression became serious, and she quickened her pace to reach him.
"What is it?"
Seeing her so serious, Cao Mingliang quickly asked again.
Lü Yanran slightly lowered her eyelids, feigning an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating.
"Spit it out, why are you stuttering?"
Cao Mingliang urged.
"Honey, before I say anything, I need to ask you, if you had to choose between me and Qin Tian, who would you be more willing to believe?"
Lü Yanran raised her eyes to look at him, asking with a solemn expression.
Cao Mingliang was stunned by this and frowned again.
"Why are you bringing this up? What exactly happened?"
"Answer me first, otherwise there's no point in me saying anything."
"What are you up to?"
Cao Mingliang stared at her with complete confusion.
They looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then Cao Mingliang spoke first.
"Of course I believe you more. Now tell me, what's going on?"
This was a lie, of course. Having followed his rich father since childhood and met all sorts of people,
Under his father's influence, lying without blushing or skipping a beat was the most basic skill.
"I was shopping on pedestrian street today and ran into Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan. There was some conflict, and Qin Tian might fabricate some lies to target me for Xia Nuannuan's sake."
Lü Yanran said solemnly, delivering the story she had rehearsed all the way.
Hearing this, Cao Mingliang became even more confused.
"What conflict?"
"It's also my fault to bring this up. You know, I've never been able to integrate with the three of them. I've always been at odds with Xia Nuannuan, or rather, I've always been envious and jealous of her?"
As she said this, Lü Yanran's face showed intense jealousy.
This didn't require acting; it was a genuine feeling.
Cao Mingliang naturally believed her and had even noticed it before.
"I told you, when I was young, my father abandoned my mother. I don't want to be a weak person like my mother, so I can only work hard and strive for everything on my own."
"But Xia Nuannuan is different. She seems to have had everything since birth: wealth, a happy family, beauty, and a good figure. Heaven has been too biased towards her."
"So I instinctively dislike her. I can't control it, and it's also why I can't integrate with them."
"And then? Does it have anything to do with today's events?"
Cao Mingliang asked directly.
Lü Yanran nodded slightly and continued, "Actually, I also met that senior today, the one who helped me register at the beginning of the semester."
"The one who almost got into a fight with us?"
Cao Mingliang's face darkened.
"Yes!"
Lü Yanran's face showed full of guilt and apology, and she hurriedly explained, "Please don't misunderstand, I really ran into him by chance at that store. There was also a girl with him at the time, from another school."
"And then?"
"I didn't want to talk to him, but he saw me and suddenly struck up a conversation, speaking in the tone of a casual friend. I thought since he already had a new target, it wouldn't hurt to chat for a bit. After all, he helped me at the beginning of the semester, and it would be too impolite to just walk away."
"Then how did it get linked to Qin Tian and them?"
Cao Mingliang asked again.
"After I chatted with them for a while, I got along quite well with the girl beside him. Unconsciously, we started talking about our roommates, and I inadvertently said some bad things about Xia Nuannuan. Coincidentally, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan were behind us and heard what I said."
Lü Yanran said her fabricated lies with a bitter expression.
The way to make a lie more believable is to mix some truth into the falsehood.
Lü Yanran clearly had some skill in this area.
The girl by Liang Yu's side was her fabrication, intended to distort the facts and explain that she wasn't supposed to be shopping with Liang Yu.
And running into Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan at that store, as well as her envy and dislike for Xia Nuannuan, were all true. This was to create a basis for the conflict between her, Qin Tian, and Xia Nuannuan, and to make this lie more real and convincing.
As for that girl, even if Cao Mingliang questioned it, as long as she said she didn't know her and left in too much of a hurry to exchange contact information, it would be fine.
On the way back by taxi, she had already called Liang Yu, asking him to cooperate with her to maintain this lie.
During this, she naturally made some promises and conditions.
At the same time, she also threatened him, saying that if Liang Yu didn't cooperate, she would simply tell Cao Mingliang that some things had already happened between them, and then Cao Mingliang would definitely not let him off.
To make Liang Yu fearful, Lü Yanran also told him how wealthy Cao Mingliang's family was. In this era, wealth largely represented power and influence.
Under coercion and temptation, Liang Yu finally had to agree to cooperate with her.
"What did Xia Nuannuan do to you? Why are you speaking ill of her behind her back?"
Cao Mingliang rebuked her with displeasure.
"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, but I really couldn't control myself at the time."
Lü Yanran looked guilty, but inwardly she was secretly pleased.
Cao Mingliang's reaction clearly showed that he believed her version, so things would be easier from now on.