“What?” Jiang Ruotang suspected his ears were playing tricks on him.

Zhao Changfeng continued, “Let me see what’s happening… How did Bai Yingchuan end up in the hospital? This happened in the Jinshang Mall parking lot! And the parking lot surveillance video, I don’t know how it leaked… It’s already gone viral online, no way to take it down!”

Jiang Ruotang frowned. From what he knew of Wu Ning, though she never stopped causing trouble for Zhao Yunshu, it was always rooted in vanity and rivalry—all about jewelry, luxury goods, and social exclusion. For her to actually drive into someone… Jiang Ruotang couldn’t even imagine it.

He pulled out his phone and immediately found the video. The angle was too clear; there was no sign of braking when Wu Ning drove forward, only hatred and fury.

As Wu Ning accelerated, Bai Yingchuan happened to be opening his car door to get in. Lin Lu ran frantically behind her, shouting something, which changed Wu Ning’s mind. Just as Wu Ning was about to hit, she quickly swerved the steering wheel, heading towards an empty spot beside her.

Who knew that on the other side of the empty spot, a private car was parked, its door open, and a child had just jumped out? Hearing the screech of tires, the child didn’t react at all.

But Bai Yingchuan sprinted forward and pushed the child out of the way.

Fortunately, Wu Ning’s car tail heavily scraped Bai Yue’s car body, slowing down slightly. Otherwise, Bai Yingchuan would have been thrown into the air and potentially slammed directly into the opposite wall.

Still, the scene was horrifying enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

Jiang Ruotang took a deep breath, and as he looked up, his eyes met Lu Guifan’s concerned gaze.

“I’m fine,” Jiang Ruotang replied.

Lu Guifan’s hand reached over, perfectly covering Jiang Ruotang’s phone screen, and he said calmly, “It’s meaningless to speculate how this happened because it already has. The answer you want, someone will naturally tell you.”

“Mm, I know.”

When they entered the classroom, as expected, no one in the class could calmly do their practice problems; everyone was discussing Bai Yingchuan.

Jian Sha’s head poked over, whispering, “Hey, I saw news online saying Bai Yingchuan is disfigured!”

Jiang Ruotang froze for a moment. “Ah? Disfigured? Impossible, right? From the video, he was just thrown backward, not bleeding from his head.”

“I don’t know if it’s true or false, but everyone online is saying that when he fell, his face scraped against broken glass…”

Zhao Changfeng from the back row spoke up, “It’s also possible that the injury is real, but to gain public sympathy, they’ve exaggerated his injuries to weaken the negative impact of his mother’s tax evasion on him.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruotang suddenly felt that Zhao Changfeng actually understood the public relations rules of the entertainment industry quite well. This really did sound like Manager Yu’s style.

---

During the break, several trending topics about Bai Yingchuan topped the “Big Eye” social media platform.

#BaiYingchuanFacialWoundFiveCentimetersLong#

Jiang Ruotang couldn’t help but freeze when he saw this. If a five-centimeter wound was shallow, it wouldn’t affect his on-screen appearance, but if it was deep and required stitches, the resulting scar wouldn’t be hidden by makeup. His acting career could very well be over.

#PerpetratorMsWuDetained#

This Ms. Wu must be Lin Lu’s mother, Wu Ning.

#ThankYouBrotherYingchuan#

The child Bai Yingchuan saved, along with the parents, sincerely expressed their gratitude during interviews, and the child’s mother even cried.

This also gave Bai Yingchuan’s fans a reason to launch an overwhelming wave of support, cheering for Bai Yingchuan and engaging in an internet war with those who insulted him.

---

Until the afternoon classes ended today, Teacher Song Qinghe called Lu Guifan over and said they would organize the class cadres to visit Bai Yingchuan in the hospital.

Lu Guifan lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said, “Teacher Song, let’s leave the other class cadres. Jiang Ruotang and I can go on behalf of the whole class.”

Song Qinghe was somewhat puzzled. “Why Jiang Ruotang?”

Lu Guifan said calmly, “If Bai Yingchuan’s face is truly severely injured, given his self-esteem, he probably wouldn’t want many people crowding around him, constantly picking at his wound, and offering useless comfort and sympathy. As for Ruotang… there should be things they need to clarify between them.”

Song Qinghe fully understood the first part.

As for what was between Jiang Ruotang and Bai Yingchuan, perhaps he, the homeroom teacher, didn’t know enough, but he trusted Lu Guifan’s advice.

So that evening, Lu Guifan and Jiang Ruotang didn’t attend evening self-study. Xiao Gao drove them to the hospital where Bai Yingchuan was staying.

This hospital was indeed famous for wound suturing and treatment.

On the way, Xiao Gao spoke about the news Jiang Huaiyuan and his wife had learned.

Last night, Wu Ning had taken several newly purchased bags to the luxury counter at Jinshang Mall to return them.

It was said that after she took Lin Lu back to her maiden home, she was met with scorn and cold mockery. Her parents disliked her for damaging the family’s reputation, and her brother and sister-in-law treated her like a jinx. After all, recent collaborators had been swindled by Lin Chengdong, and upon hearing that they were Lin Chengdong’s in-laws, they directly refused to cooperate, leaving no room for negotiation.

Under such oppressive circumstances, Wu Ning decided to move out with Lin Lu, but her accounts had been frozen due to Lin Chengdong’s case. So, she thought of returning all the luxury goods she had previously bought.

Only after going there did she realize that even with a return, the money would be credited back to the frozen credit card and still be unusable.

Wu Ning then got into an argument with the sales associate.

Who knew that just then, Bai Yue arrived, trying on a limited edition coat she had ordered.

When these two women met, they inevitably attacked and insulted each other. The air was thick with tension, and the sales associate and assistant couldn’t pull them apart.

Lin Lu tried to persuade his mother to let it go, but instead, he became the center of the argument.

Wu Ning said that Lin Lu had poured his heart into Bai Yingchuan, handling everything personally, and Bai Yingchuan not only showed no gratitude but even schemed against their family.

Bai Yingchuan, upon hearing his mother was arguing with someone in the store, rushed over to intervene, only to overhear what Wu Ning said. He immediately retorted, “I didn’t realize exploitation could be described as pouring one’s heart out, or that control could be whitewashed as meticulous personal care. In that case, Lin Lu, please don’t be so ‘good’ to me; I can’t bear it.”

This statement completely negated Lin Lu’s efforts and affection for Bai Yingchuan, even mocking him to the fullest. Lin Lu instantly burst into tears, tearfully condemning Bai Yingchuan’s selfishness and callousness.

Bai Yingchuan ignored him, turned, and left the store with Bai Yue for the underground parking lot.

At that moment, the string that Wu Ning had been holding snapped.

Her husband’s future had been ruined by this mother and son, their home was gone, their money was gone, and she was constantly humiliated. Now Bai Yingchuan was even humiliating her son to his face. Wu Ning couldn’t bear it any longer. Losing control, she also ran to the parking lot, got into her car, and recklessly drove into them.

Although Lin Lu wanted to stop Wu Ning, he was too late, and a huge mistake was made.

After Xiao Gao finished speaking, he sighed, “This way, both of Lin Lu’s parents are in trouble. What will happen to him alone?”

Jiang Ruotang looked out the window, buildings and green belts constantly receding. Similar scenery and circumstances, a life with nothing… Was it finally Lin Lu’s turn?

“Lin Lu is no longer a child. Some people, after experiencing all this, will understand right from wrong, bear the consequences, and then accept that not everything in this world will go according to their calculations. Of course, they might also wallow in self-pity, harbor resentment, and sink into despair. Everything depends on his own choice. None of us can change or influence that.”

Jiang Ruotang glanced sideways at Lu Guifan. Rather than saying he was calm, it was more accurate to say he was very firm about the future.

“Your assessment is correct,” Jiang Ruotang said calmly.

“What assessment?”

“You said he acts too decisively, only caring about his own preferences, and never truly empathizing. Unlike me, who is an excellent pilot, skilled at soft landings.”

And Bai Yingchuan also paid the price for his decisiveness and self-centeredness. When he hurt others, he would also be hurt by them.

Bai Yingchuan was in a VIP ward, no visitors allowed, only Manager Yu in the hallway frantically making calls.

When Lu Guifan registered their visit with the nurse, Bai Yingchuan indeed didn’t want to see anyone. But after Lu Guifan sent a message to him, the nurse’s station phone rang. It was Bai Yingchuan agreeing to let Jiang Ruotang in to see him.

Only Jiang Ruotang was allowed.

“Ah? But the class president also came…” Jiang Ruotang looked awkwardly at Lu Guifan, who surprisingly sat calmly on the long bench.

“You go in, I’ll wait here for you.”

Jiang Ruotang then followed the nurse to the ward.

The space was very large, with a balcony. The glass door to the balcony was open, and the wind blew in, making the curtains billow.

Bai Yingchuan, wearing a striped hospital gown, leaned against the pillows, looking at the billowing curtains. A piece of gauze was taped to the left side of his face.

“You’re here.”

Bai Yingchuan didn’t turn his head. He was a proud person and probably didn’t want anyone to see his expression.

“Yes, I’m here.” Jiang Ruotang sat on the chair by the bed. “What did the doctor say about your facial injury?”

“The wound is clean and won’t be too disfiguring after recovery. It didn’t damage my facial features, but it will still be noticeable at social distances.”

The so-called social distance meant “up close.”

Whether in TV dramas or movies, close-up shots were inevitable.

If Bai Yingchuan’s wound could be covered by makeup, it might be alright, but audiences might scrutinize his scar with a magnifying glass, ignoring the character itself. Some directors would be very particular about camera angles, which would severely limit his career development.

But if it couldn’t be covered, it meant he would have to leave the screen.

Bai Yingchuan let out a very light laugh. “Hey, shouldn’t you be comforting me?”

“If the wound is smooth, there are many ways to repair it. Like laser treatment, tension-reducing sutures, etc… Plus, makeup technology is getting stronger and stronger, so maybe your facial scar won’t be a big problem.”

Jiang Ruotang knew his comfort wouldn’t mean much; the doctor had surely already discussed these methods with Bai Yingchuan.