Chapter 135: Completely Defenseless?

Gong Lü did not watch her drink. As soon as he handed her the hot chocolate, he opened a bottle of brandy, poured himself a glass, and took a sip.

Ye Luo saw him drinking, but she did not bother to mention that drinking on an empty stomach was unhealthy.

Gong Lü took another sip of his drink, his phoenix eyes fixed on her. After a long moment, he chuckled softly, "I originally had many things I wanted to give you, but I’m sure you would just transfer the money back to me, just like you did with the chocolates last time... So, forget it. I won’t give you any of those for now. I’ll wait until we are officially dating."

Ye Luo could not be bothered to respond to him.

Yet, Gong Lü continued, "However, there is one thing I must give you." He paused, then chuckled again, "Something you will find impossible to resist."

Impossible to resist?

Ye Luo frowned. Could it be...

Gong Lü added, "I can't give it to you just yet; it will have to wait for a while." He paused, his voice dropping to a low chuckle, "You love the color black, right? Don't worry, I’ll be sure to pick out an all-black one for you."

Ye Luo thought: It really is that!

***

Meanwhile.

On the other side, Gong Ran could not bear to wait until the final class ended. For the first time in her life, she skipped school and headed home.

As soon as she reached the house, she threw herself into Yuan Rulan’s arms and sobbed, "Mom, Ye Luo set me up! She made me get a major disciplinary record at school. Even if I score first place from now on, no good university will want me. Boohoo..."

Yuan Rulan found it hard to process all this at once. "You are a member of the Gong family. Who would dare frame you and get you a major disciplinary record?"

"It was Ye Luo! Who else could it be? Didn't you ask me before? You said she was the person Gong Lü likes!" At this, Gong Ran remembered something and hurried to add, "Oh, Mom, no wonder you’re confused. I forgot to tell you—He Luo is actually Ye Luo. She changed her surname to her mother’s, Ye, last week! I only found out this morning!"

Yuan Rulan said, "But I asked your brother at the time if it was He Luo, and he insisted it was Ye Luo. They shouldn't be the same person."

"They are the same person!" Gong Ran shrieked. "Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Gong Lü likes someone named Ye Luo, and she just happens to change her name to Ye Luo!"

Yuan Rulan thought that made sense.

Gong Ran continued to wail excitedly, "Mom, you’ve been played by Gong Lü! He was even willing to disobey you and refuse to get engaged to An Qianqian for her sake. Lying to you and playing you is nothing to him! He is no longer the Gong Lü who listens to everything you say!"

Yuan Rulan’s face darkened instantly.

She pulled out her phone with a grim expression and dialed Gong Lü’s number. She uttered only one sentence: "Come home immediately!"

She hung up the phone before he could reply.

Seeing her mother’s reaction, Gong Ran began to cry again. "Mom, don't be in such a hurry to make him come back. Think about how to get my disciplinary record cleared! I study so hard every day precisely because I want to get into a good university on my own merits!"

Yuan Rulan replied, "Then tell me honestly, how exactly did all of this happen?"

Gong Ran recounted the incident, adding her own flair to the story.

Yuan Rulan knew her daughter all too well. Although Ye Luo was a fake underachiever, she likely hadn't framed her daughter. It was more likely that her daughter was too obsessed with being first, had slipped to third place, and, blinded by her own arrogance, assumed she had uncovered the truth when she saw Ye Luo score top marks. She had reported Ye Luo for cheating and foolishly escalated the matter, only for it to end with her own daughter receiving a major disciplinary record.

But regardless, she was her daughter, and she was the only child she had left. She could not let her carry the weight of a major disciplinary record.