Chapter 48: The Severed Thread of Friendship

  On the day of getting the report card, Qiao An took Yu Liang's report card since she didn't come to school and went to her house with Gu Siqian.

  Yufang's mother opened the door for them, her eyes cold and stern, pointing upstairs and saying: "Yufang is up there. And I hope this is the last time you come to disturb her. Her grades have been very disappointing to us. She must start focusing on her studies and not be distracted. You two have good grades, but that doesn't mean you can bring her along and improve her grades."

  Qiao Anyu and Gu Sichen looked at each other, very puzzled by Mother's words. Usually when they came to the Fang family, Mother was warm and affectionate, always giving them a kind motherly impression. They had even envied Fang Yu for having such a good and open-minded mother, who wouldn't put pressure on her and would give her enough space to grow. Why now did Mother also start caring about grades?

  Things have changed too fast and left me at a loss.

  Yu Shuang was sitting in her own room, looking ill and lethargic, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, bloodshot eyeballs, and puffy eyelids that looked like walnuts. She must have cried a lot. Her face was expressionless, even gloomy.

  "My parents are very dissatisfied with my grades, they took away all my things and don't even allow anyone to come and play with me. From now on, let's not play together anymore, I need to focus on studying. You guys go back, don't come looking for me again." Yuxiang said straightforwardly, her intention to refuse socializing was very firm.

  Qiao Anyu Liang wanted to say something else, but Gu Siqi gave her a signal with her eyes, and the two of them left.

  "Frost's words have already made it clear enough, didn't you see that just now when Mom opened the door for us, she was completely different from usual, cold as ice and frost, and those words she said to us, I believe you also understood. Maybe Frost's grades are not good-looking in the eyes of adults. She must be very sad inside." Gu Siqian's voice was a bit heavy.

  "If that's the case, we should comfort her and help her even more, shouldn't we? Besides, Shuang's grades aren't bad either, always ranking around 100 in her grade. Maybe she was just sulking at us and will be fine tomorrow."

  "She refused to come with us, and it won't be just for a short while. I remember what Leng Bing said before, once she makes up her mind or says something hurtful, she won't change it again. But hopefully as you said, it's just a tantrum and not really cutting off contact with us. Shuang is actually a very stubborn person, she grew up in a good family, was raised with luxury, has a strong sense of self-respect, and wouldn't accept help from others. She doesn't want others' sympathy or pity. If she really won't be with us, we should respect her decision."

  Qiao Anyu couldn't really associate the cold Yufeng from just now with the smiling and cheerful her from back then. Was it because of grades that they would lose a friendship?

  However, for the entire summer vacation, Yu Shuang did not contact them again. Even Leng Bing didn't have any news from Yu Shuang. Without Yu Shuang, it was also difficult for the other three to gather together with enthusiasm. Qiao An and Yu Liang were locked at home by their mother An Yan to do Olympic competition questions, like a bird trapped in a cage, often gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, yearning for a free and independent life.

  As soon as the second semester started, a rumor burst out like thunder in the school.

  "Are Shu Zimo and Yu Shuang together?" Qiao Anyu asked incredulously for the twentieth time.

  "Everyone says so, but I don't know what's going on specifically. Before, Frost always said she didn't have someone she liked, how did Su Zimo suddenly appear?" Gu Siyan also felt confused, never having seen any special thoughts from Frost towards Su Zimo before.

  "Maybe she's just more introverted. I just went to find her, but she didn't even acknowledge me. Alas, why is it like this." Qiao Anyu sighed.

  Shu Zimo suddenly became popular due to the Tang Yuxin incident and Yu Shuang incident, his popularity soared. However, he remained calm and unaffected, even when others looked at him with unusual eyes, he still seemed indifferent.

  Why such rumors would spread, he had a number of reasons in mind.

  Rumors will come and go, and after a while, they will be replaced by new ones.

  The rumor was not extinguished as he had imagined, but instead became more and more intense. Because the matter was developing in a direction that even he himself could not have anticipated.

  Shu Zimo became a live-in son-in-law of the Yu Shuang family and moved in with them. The news spread like wildfire again.

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