It was Friday morning.

After Meng Ting finished her milk, Shu Zhitong examined her eyes as usual. Then he said, “Dad can only come back on weekends to cook for you from now on. The research institute is very busy. Ting Ting and Shu Yang, can you eat at school in the future?”

Shu Yang grunted in agreement.

Meng Ting nodded as well.

Shu Zhitong continued, “Shu Yang, take good care of Ting Ting, alright? She’s your sister and her eyes are impaired. You’re in the same grade, so don’t let anyone bully her.”

Shu Yang replied, “She doesn’t need my care.”

“This child…” Shu Zhitong felt a bit awkward. He then pulled Meng Ting closer and said apologetically, “Ting Ting, don’t mind him.”

Meng Ting smiled and said, “It’s okay. Shu Yang has a hard exterior but a soft heart.”

Shu Zhitong looked a bit embarrassed, “Ting Ting, can I trouble you with something?”

“Xiao Lan didn’t come home last night. She said she was sleeping at a classmate’s house. She’s growing up, and there are many things I can’t control. I’m worried she might…” He paused, then sighed thinking about his daughter. “I’m afraid she might fall into early love and go astray. You’re so well-behaved and sensible. Could you teach her a bit?”

Meng Ting still resented Shu Lan for letting her die in her previous life.

If Shu Lan hadn’t untied that rope, she wouldn’t have died. Moreover, she had risked her life to search for her stepbrother who went missing in the landslide. She hadn’t figured out why Shu Lan untied the rope, but there was still a thorn in her heart.

However, looking at this man before her, his temples graying from the burden of debt for his children, Meng Ting couldn’t say anything. She finally nodded.

Meng Ting and Shu Yang walked to school one after the other.

They both attended No. 7 High School in their second year. Meng Ting was in Class 1, while Shu Yang was in Class 2.

Both were top students in their respective classes.

Meng Ting watched the slender silhouette of the young man ahead. After she was burned, it was Shu Yang and Shu Dad who insisted on her treatment. They had never given up on her.

Shu Yang’s figure grew more distant. After a long while, before crossing the street, he looked back at Meng Ting, stopped, and silently waited for her.

They arrived at school together at 7:45, and then quietly walked into their respective classrooms.

As soon as Meng Ting entered, many classmates greeted her.

“Good morning, Meng Ting.”

“Good morning.”

This year, Meng Ting was the English class representative.

Everyone knew about her unfortunate family circumstances – she had been in a car accident with her mother, which resulted in her mother’s death and her blindness. However, due to her excellent grades, she had been recommended to No. 7 High School by her former junior high school. She consistently ranked first in every exam, except for the one she missed due to surgery. She was considered an inspirational role model.

So when she came to school with her white cane and sunglasses, no one mocked her. They had been very friendly to her from the beginning.

Her deskmate was a bespectacled boy. Shy and reserved, he rarely interacted with classmates and studied hard, but could never improve his grades.

The girl sitting in front turned around excitedly, “Ting Ting, you’re here!”

Meng Ting curved her lips into a smile, feeling a bit nostalgic. Her tone was as gentle as a March breeze, “Zhao Nuancheng.”

Zhao Nuancheng tidied Meng Ting’s hair which had been messed up by the morning wind, and lowered her voice, speaking to Meng Ting, “Ting Ting, remember to apply for the scholarship. The forms have been handed out.” She knew about Meng Ting’s difficult family situation and felt sorry for this unfortunate girl.

“Okay.”

The first class was with their homeroom teacher, Tang Xiaoli, who taught Chinese. She was intellectual and elegant.

Meng Ting listened carefully to the familiar knowledge, slowly taking notes.

Her hand holding the pen was unaccustomed but extremely focused.

Her deskmate, Hong Hui, couldn’t help but peek at what she was writing. He was eager to learn, anxious about his grades not improving, and couldn’t resist “secretly learning” from the top student beside him.

Meng Ting sensed his gaze and tilted her book for him to see.

Her clean and gentle demeanor made Hong Zhi feel embarrassed. He thought to himself, no wonder so many people think Meng Ting is nice; she’s gentle and cute.

By the end of the class, Meng Ting had finally found some sense of being in high school again.

This year, No. 7 High School, due to lack of funds, had old desks and fans. The chairs were unstable, creaking at the slightest movement.

The only new thing in the classroom was the multimedia blackboard at the front.

Fortunately, autumn didn’t require fans, but these facilities made everyone feel a great disparity.

After all, the neighboring vocational high school had already installed air conditioning and heating.

While others enjoyed comfort, they suffered heat in summer and cold in winter. It was quite something.

The gap between the rich and the poor was just that big.

After the first class, something happened at school.

There was a commotion outside, but Meng Ting remained seated. After a while, Zhao Nuancheng came in, excited about the gossip she had learned: “Shen Yuqing from Class 14 is going to the neighboring vocational school. She’s not even attending classes anymore. Guess why?”

Meng Ting’s heart skipped a beat.

Why? What else could it be but because of Jiang Ren?

Sure enough, Zhao Nuancheng said, “She’s doing it for a boy from the vocational school. Look at how arrogant she usually is, with her school beauty title, looking down on everyone. Now she’s fighting over a boyfriend with a girl from a vocational school. Isn’t that funny?”

Liu Xiaoyi, sitting behind, also heard and chimed in, “That’s because that boy has quite a background.”

News traveled slowly at No. 7 High School. Jiang Ren had enrolled in Licai Vocational High School in September. While he had made a name for himself there, the good students at No. 7 High School rarely knew about him.

Zhao Nuancheng rolled her eyes, unable to hide her sense of superiority as a good student, “How amazing can he be? Has he ascended to heaven?”

Liu Xiaoyi shrugged, “He’s close to it. Do you know Junyang Group? The largest real estate company in the country? It’s his family’s.”

Zhao Nuancheng: “…Holy shit.”

Liu Xiaoyi, always at the forefront of the news, couldn’t help but add, “Last week, he beat their homeroom teacher in class and sent him to the hospital. He’s still in school, no problem. It’s not surprising that Shen Yuqing would be interested in someone like that.”

In youth, being brazen enough was also a kind of capital.

Many classmates gathered around: “Why did he beat the teacher?”

“Wow, what guts, daring to hit a teacher.”

“Is being rich that great? So arrogant, someday society will teach him a lesson.”

“What’s the big deal? If you don’t work hard, just inherit the family business.”

The group laughed and told them to get lost.

Amidst the chatter, Meng Ting suddenly stood up.

Zhao Nuancheng quickly asked, “Ting Ting, where are you going?”

Meng Ting furrowed her brows. Originally, this matter had nothing to do with her, but she knew who the current school beauty Shen Yuqing was going to find – her stepsister, Shu Lan.

She didn’t want to get involved with Shu Lan anymore, but Shu Dad’s morning request was still in her ears.

Shu’s Dad had aged, and his health was deteriorating. Sometimes, when working in the lab, he would be unaware of radiation exposure, which could devastate him. All his life, he had worried about his children. It could be said that he died for Meng Ting’s sake.

Meng Ting turned back and said to Zhao Nuancheng, “I’m not feeling well. Can you help me ask the teacher for leave?”

Zhao Nuancheng nodded immediately.

Meng Ting walked to the school gate, but the security guard wouldn’t let her out. She rarely lied, but thinking about what would happen if she didn’t intervene, she pointed at her eyes and said, “Uncle, my eyes are uncomfortable.”

The security guard recognized her, the famous well-behaved, and inspirational girl of the school, and quickly let her go.

The neighboring vocational school was much easier to enter, with security almost non-existent. When Meng Ting reached the door of Class 8 in the second year, the classroom was filled with commotion.

Shen Yuqing hadn’t come alone; she had her group of girlfriends with her.

Shu Lan was also stubborn. As Meng Ting walked in, she heard Shu Lan say, “Even if you are Jiang Ren’s girlfriend, so what? Everyone knows that on your birthday two days ago, he didn’t even show up. He just threw you a wallet afterward.”

Shen Yuqing, though holding herself in high regard, was not weak in confrontation: “No matter how little he cares about me, I’m still his official girlfriend. How old are you to be learning how to steal someone’s boyfriend? Don’t you have any family education?”

The onlookers cheered.

The legitimate girlfriend publicly confronts the mistress, all for the notorious Jiang Ren. It was quite a show.

When Meng Ting entered, all eyes turned to her.

Her blind person’s attire was too eye-catching. She navigated through the crowd, grabbed Shu Lan, who was about to retort and walked out of the classroom. Shu Lan was furious: “What are you doing here? I can handle this myself. Go back to your studies.”

The scrutinizing gazes of others made Shu Lan feel ashamed as if they were saying, “Your sister is blind?”

Meng Ting remained calm: “Shu Dad told me this morning that he’s very worried about you. It’s not easy for him to raise us.”

Shu Lan frowned, about to argue back.

“Even if you win against Shen Yuqing, how will others treat you? Jiang Ren doesn’t even care about Shen Yuqing, why would he care about you?” Meng Ting said, “The piano playing you asked me to help with, your friend knows about it, right? Can you guarantee she won’t tell others?”

This finally shocked Shu Lan.

She hadn’t returned home last night, and many people had seen her looking for Jiang Ren. Out of vanity, when rumors spread the next day saying Jiang Ren liked her and took her out all night, she didn’t deny it. As a result, Shen Yuqing came looking for her.

Shu Lan hesitated, “They wouldn’t tell others, would they?” But she was still cautious. After going back, she backed down and told Shen Yuqing, “That was just a rumor. I slept at Lin Meng’s house last night. She can testify.”

Lin Meng nodded.

“Right, just look at yourself,” Shen Yuqing sneered before leaving.

As she left, Shen Yuqing specifically glanced at Meng Ting outside the classroom. She knew this girl. Their grade’s top student. Meng Ting from Class 1, with poor eyesight.

Did Meng Ting know Shu Lan?

At least Shu Lan didn’t stubbornly confront Shen Yuqing out of vanity like in her previous life.

Shu Lan’s face didn’t look good: “You should go back quickly, sis. Don’t let anyone find out about the piano playing.”

Meng Ting turned to go downstairs: “I know.” She and Shu Lan had different goals, but they both didn’t want Jiang Ren to know it was her playing the piano.

The October campus was cool.

Licai’s environment was more than twice as good as No. 7 High School, with new teaching buildings and facilities. The landscaping was better, and the school was larger. In comparison, No. 7 High School seemed truly miserable.

She went downstairs, and crossed the small path, intending to hurry back to class.

A basketball brushed past the camphor tree and flew by, barely missing her ear.

Fang Tan frowned from over there: “Did it hit someone?”

Jiang Ren stood still like a young master. He Junming ran over, saw Meng Ting, and turned back to shout, “Ren bro, it’s that blind classmate from yesterday.”

Jiang Ren’s gaze turned towards her.

Meng Ting hesitated for a moment, then walked towards the school gate.

Jiang Ren took the ball from Fang Tan’s hand and made a shooting motion, and the ball hit the ground in front of Meng Ting, bouncing far away. Her steps halted.

Jiang Ren put his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a number 5 jersey, tall with long legs. It took him only two minutes to walk over.

He stepped on the ball with one foot, his smile cold: “Classmate, you can see, can’t you?”

Otherwise, why stop? A blind person wouldn’t know the danger.

He stood very close. Despite it being autumn, due to exercise, there was a thin layer of sweat on his silver hair. Upstairs, people were arguing heatedly about him, but he didn’t care at all.

Meng Ting furrowed her brows. This year, he was 187cm tall, 27cm taller than her. Looking down at her was quite intimidating.

When he moved to take off her sunglasses, she hurriedly used her white cane to block his hand.

The solid wood cane was heavy and hard. The sound of it hitting bone was chilling.

Everyone present was stunned.

The smile disappeared from Jiang Ren’s face. He said, “I don’t have a policy of not hitting girls.”

He Junming quickly pulled Jiang Ren back: “Ren bro, let it go. She’s blind, right? Maybe it was just a coincidence she hit you.”

Jiang Ren had an irritable personality disorder, a condition difficult to control.

No one dared to provoke him much. Seeing no smile on his face, He Junming didn’t dare to pull him anymore.

Meng Ting knew this too.

The air was still for a long time.

Meng Ting was a bit scared. She lowered her head and said softly, “I’m sorry, my eyes can’t be exposed to light.” Her voice was gentle, like the most lingering wind in Jiangnan, with a hint of sweetness.

Jiang Ren was momentarily stunned.

By the time he came to his senses, she had already walked away in a panic.

This time her steps were unsteady, clearly believing his words about hitting people.

In the October autumn scenery, her blue and white school uniform silhouette was slender and graceful.

He Junming said dumbly, “She’s not mute after all.” Her voice was quite pleasant, sweet to the bone. Not overly coquettish, but unexpectedly sweet.

Jiang Ren looked down at the back of his hand, which was red over a large area.

That damn white cane hurt when it hit.

Fang Tan came over after a while and asked, “Ren bro, why did you try to touch her sunglasses?”

He hadn’t heard Jiang Ren say Meng Ting wasn’t blind, so based on his understanding, he said, “She’s blind, right? What if you take them off and two empty, eyeball-less sockets stare at you?” As he spoke, he made a gesture of poking both eyes, which was too scary and eye-searing to imagine.

Jiang Ren didn’t say anything.

He watched her walk away, and for some reason, memories of the small strawberries he had taken flashed through his mind. If she wasn’t mute, why had she refused to speak to him earlier? Did she look down on people like him from vocational high school?

He harshly wiped his hand across his face, cursing under his breath. What was she so proud of? Unlike his mother, who at least had something to back her up, what did she have? Just a blind girl with eye problems, acting all high and mighty for no good reason.