Chapter 354: Chapter 354: The Atmosphere Is Off

"Yijin, what do you plan to do about this?" On the way back after class, Deng Yiyi stood at the school gate with Cheng Yijin, waiting for the Cheng family’s car to pick them up.

"It must be Yi Roujing. I’ll ask Grandpa to call the Xu family when I get home." Cheng Yijin frowned, feeling the stares from around, and struggled to maintain his composure.

"But how does she know about the past? Are those people trying to get back at us?" Deng Yiyi couldn’t help but think more about it.

"How would I know? I’ll ask Grandpa to investigate when I get back to find out who is doing such disgraceful things."

Deng Yiyi decided not to speak to Cheng Yijin anymore. What kind of mind loses logic when faced with issues? She felt things weren’t that simple, with an inexplicable emotion lingering and causing her silence.

"Brother."

Upon hearing a clear and charming voice, Deng Yiyi turned her head without much thought.

A girl dressed in a blue jacket, black work pants, embroidered cloth shoes, with a braid and a cheerful face, ran eagerly to a tall man wearing a military coat. The man watched her gently as the girl smiled like a delicate flower.

The two turned around, and as they got a clear look at the girl’s face, Deng Yiyi’s eyes involuntarily locked for a moment, following their movements until she caught the sharp, star-like gaze of the man.

Deng Yiyi was immediately shaken, looking away in fear. This person was not ordinary — clearly someone who’d seen blood and fought battles, a genuine soldier. Even her brother in their own military couldn’t compare to such a presence.

But now there was no time to worry about presence; Deng Yiyi was shocked by the girl’s appearance. Turning to Cheng Yijin, she noticed a three-point resemblance with the girl, but five or six points resemblance with Mr. Cheng, realizing something, Deng Yiyi stopped waiting.

"Yijin, I’m heading home first." Deng Yiyi hurriedly ran towards home.

Cheng Yijin called out several times from behind, with no response, and stomped his foot in frustration.

"Yijin." Cheng Yijin, with red eyes, turned around to see Song Yiluo approaching, carrying a military green messenger bag. Cheng Yijin slightly relaxed his expression.

"What are you doing here?" Cheng Yijin asked.

"I came after class, was just about to head home when I saw you, and thought I’d come over and say hi." Song Yiluo said with a beaming smile.

Inwardly, Cheng Yijin wondered why the family driver was late today, when a familiar Jeep finally arrived.

"Why so slow today?" Cheng Yijin complained as the driver stopped and personally opened the door. Once inside, she invited, "Yiluo, hop in and join us for dinner at my place today."

Song Yiluo was pleasantly surprised, showing just the right amount of emotion on her face. "Isn’t that too sudden?"

"It’s fine." Cheng Yijin displayed a hint of superiority, and Song Yiluo happily got in the car.

Today, Song Yiluo had specially come to see if Yi Roujing had been expelled. But Cheng Yijin seemed different today from usual, so Song Yiluo decided not to ask immediately, knowing the matter was not urgent.

"Yiluo, that Yi Roujing you mentioned is really vile." Cheng Yijin brought it up herself.

"What’s up?" Song Yiluo showed some surprise and curiosity.

Regarding the allegations of Yi Roujing cheating in the college entrance exam, she had no issues after all, while the whistleblower was to be punished and Yi Roujing was set to be awarded since she had helped someone, with a banner personally delivered to the school.

As for the matter of the letters being posted against her and Deng Yiyi, Cheng Yijin didn’t mention it.

Song Yiluo felt stifled inside. "How could Yi Roujing’s middle school scores allow her to get into Jing University on her own?"

"Jing University’s teachers gave impromptu questions, and Yi Roujing solved them on the spot, right under their noses. Do you know how much she scored?" Cheng Yijin looked at Song Yiluo with a hint of disdain, "Three hundred ninety. It’s said that that’s how much she scored to enter Jing University, without a drop of cheating."

"Yiluo, how accurate is the information you provided?"

Being doubted made Song Yiluo feel heavy inside. She couldn’t lose Cheng Yijin’s trust and protection, so she hastily explained, "I haven’t lied or exaggerated, the score was from Tongxian Commune Middle School, provided by Yi Roujing’s former teachers. I even asked a few of Yi Roujing’s classmates, who confirmed her scores were quite average."

"Is it possible that she didn’t want to study well before, but now that she wants to, she has become so impressive?" Cheng Yijin muttered, feeling slightly angry inside. "Yiluo, don’t mention things that aren’t proper evidence again, lest we can’t catch anyone and end up with an unprofitable loss."

"Okay, I understand." Song Yiluo tightened her grip, feeling deeply troubled inside. The matter wasn’t something she had initiated; it was Cheng Yijin and Deng Yiyi who approached her. She had put in the effort and money to obtain Yi Roujing’s middle school report card, and she ended up being unappreciated.

No matter the grievances inside, Song Yiluo didn’t dare to voice them, lacking the capital to offend Cheng Yijin. On the contrary, she relied on her to maintain her status within the Song family’s main branch.

The car smoothly progressed, with Song Yiluo gazing outside at the bustling crowds, the "ding-a-ling" of bicycles passing by, marking the end of work hours. Yet, there were still few cars on the streets. The Cheng family had specially arranged a car just for Cheng Yijin’s commuting, a level of attention not found elsewhere in Jing City.

The car entered the compound and reached Cheng Yijin’s home. Song Yiluo got off, showing an appropriate smile but was stopped at the entrance by the Cheng family’s maid.

"Sorry, Yiluo," the Cheng family’s maid apologized slightly. "The family has things to deal with today, so it’s inconvenient to entertain guests. I’ll have Mr. Ning take you home."

The maid signaled the driver, and Mr. Ning quickly stepped forward to invite Song Yiluo.

"What do you mean?" Cheng Yijin pulled Song Yiluo back, with a fierce look in her eyes. Remembering Principal Cheng’s call home earlier in the day, which she had refused, claiming Grandpa was busy — whether truly busy or not, she didn’t care. After the humiliation at school, she didn’t expect to come home to be disrespected by a mere maid, blocking Song Yiluo’s entry was a slap in her face.

"Zhu, let them in," came the voice of Mr. Cheng from the living room.

With a victorious stance, Cheng Yijin proudly pulled Song Yiluo inside.

Song Yiluo felt a sinking feeling; the Cheng family’s atmosphere seemed off today. It wasn’t her first visit, and on previous occasions, Aunt Zhu treated her well. Today she was still kind, yet Song Yiluo sensed Aunt Zhu’s attitude toward Cheng Yijin was strange. Just now, she even saw Aunt Zhu secretly sigh, her gaze toward Cheng Yijin being somewhat nuanced, as if mixed with a hint of disdain.