Zhou Tianyu, Liu Jia, and Wu Hao read the message in the class group chat, then looked at the trembling Xu Ziqiang with helpless expressions.
Liu Jia cleared his throat. He, too, felt that Xu Ziqiang had been in the wrong; he clearly should have consulted Li Yuan first. "Ahem, Yuan," he said, "the news has already spread. What's your plan?"
Wu Hao also tried to console him. "Yuan, maybe try looking at it from another angle. Now that the news is out, it might not be a bad thing. From now on, you can strut around campus."
Li Yuan rolled his eyes. "I'm not a crab, so I can't walk sideways."
"Forget it. What's done is done. I'll just have to keep a lower profile from now on."
Xu Ziqiang looked at Li Yuan anxiously, afraid he would hold a grudge. He continued to apologize earnestly, "Yuan, I messed up. I'm really sorry for the trouble I've caused you."
