Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 175 - 175 172 Anger at Their Complacency (Second

Chapter 175: Chapter 172: Anger at Their Complacency (Second Update) Chapter 175: Chapter 172: Anger at Their Complacency (Second Update) Qi Lihong looked up and saw Wan Yuan sit down across from her with audacity, grabbing a piece of braised pork from the dish and stuffing it into his mouth while smiling and teasing her, “You didn’t even order any dishes, just eating plain steamed buns, how can you get that down?”

Qi Lihong gave him a glance, didn’t make a sound and continued to bite the white steamed bun in her hand.

“Qi Lihong, isn’t it tiring for you to put on this act every day?”

Wan Yuan finished the braised pork on his plate, and then hastily shoveled down potato shreds and rice together into his mouth. After he polished off everything cleanly, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and leisurely wiped his mouth.

“To truly compare our families, you have both parents, and mine have both passed away; your home is in the city, and my home is just in a small county town. In every way, your home is better off than mine, right? But the scholarship for impoverished students is only granted to you, and when something comes up, they always prioritize you. On what grounds? Just because you’re a girl?”

Upon hearing Wan Yuan’s words, Qi Lihong stopped the chewing motion. She still had half a steamed bun in her hand, but she couldn’t bear to throw it away, yet in front of Wan Yuan, she couldn’t continue eating either. In the end, she could only hold the steamed bun in her palm and slowly place it on her knee under the table.

“Being admitted to Beijing University, our county gives out a bonus. I suppose your side has that too, right? Combined with the school’s rewards and some small amounts from relatives, the first year shouldn’t be too difficult. So, you working part-time and eating so frugally, is all this just purely for the scholarship?”

Saying that, Wan Yuan laughed, “You are really cunning, I never thought about that.”

The hand Qi Lihong had under the table trembled. She wanted to say no, that wasn’t it, it was true she had rewards, but all that money was taken away by her dad, he only gave her the tuition fees; if she didn’t work a job, she would have no living expenses and wouldn’t even have money to buy steamed buns.

But a long-standing sense of inferiority prevented her from saying a word in front of this unfamiliar guy.

Wan Yuan disdainfully glanced at the old high school uniform she was wearing, thinking to himself that she really put on a good show.

He tapped his fingers on the table and proposed, “Qi Lihong, let’s make a deal. You apply for this semester’s scholarship for impoverished students, but you’ll have to let me have it in our second year. After all, my family is in much more difficult straits than yours; you still have parents to support you, but I can only rely on my grandfather collecting scraps to pay for my schooling. One year for you, one year for me, quite fair, isn’t it?”

He also noticed that although this Qi Lihong was scheming, she appeared very innocent on the surface. You could say a hundred sentences, and she might not respond to a single one.

So Wan Yuan didn’t wait for her reply after finishing and made the decision on his own, “Let’s just settle on that, you should explain it clearly to Weng Minhong and the instructor later. Also…”

He looked at her, leaned towards her direction and asked, “What were Jiang Yan and Weng Minhong looking for you for today?”

Qi Lihong lifted her head; she initially didn’t want to say, but seeing Wan Yuan’s determined look as if he wouldn’t stop until he got the answer, she pursed her lips and said softly, “Just, to, to tutor the class leader’s younger brother.”

“Tutoring? How much are they paying?”

“One, one hundred per session.”

Wan Yuan’s eyes immediately lit up, “How many times a month?”

“Eight, eight times.”

It really was a good opportunity; it just proved that they always thought of Qi Lihong first for any decent opportunity. Damn, it really is better to be a girl, just play weak and you can win sympathy.

He looked at Qi Lihong, his eyes gleaming, “You’re stammering when you speak; how can you tutor someone? Don’t end up not teaching them well and wasting their time. Here’s what we’ll do, I’ll do you a favor and take this tutoring job.”

Qi Lihong looked at him with a stunned face.

Wan Yuan was displeased by her gaze, “What are you looking at me like that for? Am I not telling the truth? You can’t even lift your head when you talk to people, your voice is as quiet as a mosquito’s, and you stumble over your words. Tell me, how are you supposed to tutor anyone?”

“Nothing to say now, huh? I’m not even disputing the 8,000 yuan scholarship with you. A tutoring job, something you’re not good at, what’s there for you to be unhappy about? Besides, if you take this job now and then don’t do well, wouldn’t the class leader need to find someone else? Someone offers you a helping hand out of kindness, and you’re just going to cause them trouble?”

“Qi Lihong, you have to know yourself, if you can’t do this well, there’s no point in taking it on. But it’s different if you pass it on to me; I can definitely do it well. We’re both in the same class, better to keep things within our own circle, right?”

“Please go ahead and talk to Weng Minhong first, I’m going to check the materials needed for tutoring, and I’ll find the class leader on my own later.”

Wan Yuan had left for a while, but Qi Lihong was still sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, dazed. Her eyes were red, and tears dropped down continuously.

She wasn’t stupid; she understood exactly what Wan Yuan meant. Her sadness was purely because of her own cowardice, being bullied like that and still not daring to utter a single word of protest.

It had always been like this. She’d thought that getting into university would change things, but shockingly, the bullying continued even there.

Most people would take a nap in their dorms at noon so they wouldn’t feel sleepy during afternoon classes.

But Qi Lihong couldn’t afford to sleep; she had to work part-time at the library.

Before the afternoon class, while Qi Lihong sat in the corner of the fifth row reading, repeatedly, paper balls were thrown onto her desk.

Without looking up, she knew who was throwing them.

In the end, she couldn’t overcome the cowardice within her heart and got up to find Weng Minhong.

“What?”

Weng Minhong raised her voice slightly, looking at her incredulously.

“You, keep your voice down.”

Fearing drawing the attention of others, Qi Lihong looked at her with a pleading expression.

Weng Minhong was not sure she had heard correctly, “You need to make it clear, what do you mean you might not be good at tutoring, and Wan Yuan should go instead?”

Was her mind broken?

The class rep was kindly trying to help her; if she didn’t want to go, she should just say so. Why on earth would she specifically suggest someone else?

If you don’t go, won’t they just find someone else?

What does Wan Yuan even amount to? Why would the class rep agree to use him?

Thinking of a possibility, Weng Minhong’s gaze sharpened, “Tell me the truth, did Wan Yuan send you to talk to me?”

Qi Lihong’s eyes reddened again, tears clinging to her lashes, on the brink of falling, presenting a pitiful appearance.

What wasn’t clear about this?

But Weng Minhong was angry at her lack of resistance, “He tells you to decline and you just do? What about it? Did he give you the eight hundred for this month?”

Qi Lihong shook her head.

“If he’s not paying you, why did you agree? Speak, what exactly did he say to you?”

As Weng Minhong interrogated her, she glanced back towards where Wan Yuan was seated, meeting his eyes. His clear and fair face was deceptive, smiling at her gently, seeming very sincere and pure.

The last time she had to reject his scholarship application for financially disadvantaged students, he had smiled at her like that, making Weng Minhong feel quite guilty. After all, his family section did show he was an orphan, raised by his grandfather.

Even though he didn’t have a job, life must not have been easy, and she thought she should try and argue on his behalf, to see if their class could apply for two scholarships this time.