Chapter 124 A Bittersweet Past
After listening to Liu Ran’s account, Su Ya felt deeply sympathetic and infuriated. She slammed the table and declared, “Liu Ran, don’t worry. I’ll tell my uncle about this right now. He’s a vice-principal at Qingzhou University, and I’ll make sure he thoroughly investigates this matter.”
“Furthermore, you absolutely must attend the centennial anniversary celebration tomorrow. I’ll have my uncle send you an invitation right away.”
Without any hesitation, Su Ya immediately took out her phone and called her uncle. She explained Liu Ran’s situation in detail.
Then, she asked her uncle to promptly issue a centennial anniversary invitation to Liu Ran. These were minor matters for a vice-principal; Qingzhou University’s centennial celebration had invited at least a thousand students. Generally, any student with some academic achievement and a stable career would have received an invitation.
Seeing Su Ya’s actions, Liu Ran felt a surge of emotion. Several images flashed through her mind. During university, she too had been a student of excellent character and academic achievement. She had been an outstanding student in the design school, receiving love letters from students of various departments and from different boys daily. However, she had never considered romantic relationships, dedicating all her time to her studies and spending her days in the library.
She had a close friend, Liao Meili, who was her roommate. It was this very roommate who, during a paint experiment class, accidentally knocked over a bottle of sulfuric acid, completely disfiguring Liu Ran’s face. Liu Ran chose to forgive her at the time. Soon after, she realized that her apologetic friend had stopped contacting her. She also recalled Wu Yuqing, the rich second-generation student in their dormitory, who always seemed cheerful and smiling whenever she saw Liu Ran after her disfigurement.
One by one, past scenes flashed by. Unconsciously, a crystal-clear tear rolled down Liu Ran’s cheek. She quickly wiped her eyes, then picked up the drink on the table and raised it, saying, “Thank you, Senior Su Ya. Then, let’s attend Qingzhou University’s centennial celebration together tomorrow!”
Su Ya patted Liu Ran’s shoulder and said, “That’s right, that’s the attitude to have. Junior Liu Ran, you don’t need to worry. Your appearance has been restored. When the time comes, I’ll have my uncle restore your reputation, and you’ll still be Qingzhou University’s most beautiful graduate.”
As the three of them spoke, Liu Ran’s mood brightened.
After dinner, Liu Ran returned to her small courtyard. For the first time, she stood seriously in front of the mirror, appraising herself. She felt she should wear a decent, beautiful, perhaps even slightly luxurious outfit, as tomorrow was an important day. To her, the people she would see tomorrow were those who had appeared in her dreams, people she thought she would never meet in her lifetime.
Taking a few deep breaths, Liu Ran decided to go out and buy an outfit. As she turned to leave, she saw Chen Yang entering. Chen Yang had just helped Lin Yueyu resolve the ghostly aura issue plaguing her. To Chen Yang, removing the ghostly aura was simple. The difficult part was not harming Lin Yueyu’s body, so he had to wait until 12:00 AM to use a formation to help Lin Yueyu expel the malevolent energy.
After removing the evil spirits from Lin Yueyu’s body, Lin Yueyu’s own luck would naturally be affected. After all, the reason Lin Yueyu had suddenly become popular in recent years was largely due to her agent, Wang Ju, having made a pact with a minor ghost for Lin Yueyu to increase her luck. Of course, this luck would devour Lin Yueyu’s life, preventing her from living too long. Now that the ghostly energy within her was removed, Lin Yueyu’s future career would naturally decline. However, even with a decline, Lin Yueyu would still hold a place in the entertainment industry with her own abilities and looks.
Chen Yang entered the courtyard and was somewhat surprised to see Liu Ran meticulously looking in the mirror. He walked over, smiled slightly at Liu Ran, and said, “Wife, what’s today? I’ve never seen you look so intently in the mirror before. Are you planning to go out on a date with me?”
Liu Ran blushed and smiled, then playfully slapped Chen Yang and pouted, “Can’t I be beautiful even if I’m not going on a date? Also, will you accompany me to buy an outfit? I want to dress well when I go to Qingzhou University tomorrow.”
Chen Yang was taken aback at her words and quickly asked Liu Ran, “What are you going to Qingzhou University for tomorrow?”
Liu Ran briefly explained about the Qingzhou University centennial celebration, then sighed softly, a look of confusion in her eyes. She said, “This time when I go to Qingzhou University, I’ll inevitably see my former classmates, former roommates, and former friends. Back then, I was expelled by the university. Not only did I not receive my graduation certificate and degree, but my academic record was also marked with a major demerit, making it impossible to find a job afterwards. When I go to Qingzhou University again, I think I need to have a good explanation with the school leadership, preferably to clarify the plagiarism incident. It would be even better if I could get my graduation certificate back.”
“Going forward, when I start my own business, my academic qualifications and other proofs will need to appear online. If it becomes known that I am a serial plagiarist, a problematic student who couldn’t even obtain a degree, it will have a significant impact on our company’s reputation, and our competitors will target our company in this aspect in the future. So, I’ve decided that tomorrow, during the anniversary celebration, I want to try to get my degree and graduation certificate back and explain what happened back then. Also, Qingzhou University’s centennial celebration will feature a redesigned school emblem, and I plan to participate. With my skills, even if I don’t get first place, I should be able to secure a top-three position.”
As Liu Ran spoke, she sighed deeply, shaking her head. “After graduation, I never heard from my friends, classmates, roommates, or even my best friend again. I don’t know if I’ll see them tomorrow, and if I do, I don’t know if we’ll have anything to talk about. They must have lived well over the years, as Qingzhou University is a prestigious university. Students like them, who are so talented and excellent, must have fared very well.”
As she spoke, Liu Ran lowered her head, her eyes filled with a mix of confusion and regret. If it weren’t for the plagiarism incident back then, would she have lived such a miserable life even after being disfigured?
Chen Yang looked at his wife, sensing the profound bitterness in her words. His heart ached, and he gently embraced her. Chen Yang whispered into Liu Ran’s ear, “Okay, I’ll take you to buy clothes. Tomorrow, we’ll go back to Qingzhou University and reclaim the justice that was lost.”