Though there was no cash prize, Shen Xingruo still had to treat, after all, it was her own words that had set the expectation:
“Do I still need money for a meal?”
Yes, she did.
The thought of having to be treated as a girl from the slums made Shen Xingruo see Lu Xingyan with even less regard than before. And then there were Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming, two pigs of the same breed as Lu Xingyan, mooching off her. It was one thing to freeload, but to flaunt it too?
Then, classmates Chen Zhu and Xu Chengzhou came backstage after hearing about the treat, shouting that they wanted to join.
For a moment, Shen Xingruo wanted to blurt out:
“Who are you all?”
“What did I do wrong?”
“I don’t know you.”
“I don’t have money.”
But before she could speak, Xu Chengzhou familiarly approached her, “Hey, beautiful, didn’t you recognize me? I’ve seen you a few times, and you never reacted. We met on the high-speed train before school started.”
Seeing Shen Xingruo’s indifferent expression, he continued, “It was the high-speed train to Star City just before school started. There was a guy who took your seat, and you poured a bottle of mineral water on him. Remember? He was handsome!”
Of course, she remembered.
Xu Chengzhou became more enthusiastic as he spoke, “When that guy was about to get physical, I stood up to help you. Young Master Lu and I were sitting behind you. You borrowed his water and gave him five yuan afterward. Remember?”
Shen Xingruo remained silent.
Surprisingly, Lu Xingyan hadn’t mentioned it at all.
But when Chen Zhu heard Xu Chengzhou mention it, she also seemed to recall, “Weren’t you praising the goddess all the time back then? That’s Shen Xingruo? What a small world!”
“Yeah, I still remember that incident vividly! It left a deep impression!”
Shen Xingruo glanced at Xu Chengzhou and then at Lu Xingyan.
She vaguely remembered those two strangers at the time, but she couldn’t match them with the faces in front of her now.
But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Xu Chengzhou had brought up this favor of blocking for her. Now, she had no choice but to treat them to a meal.
As for Chen Zhu, how much could a girl eat anyway?
With that in mind, Shen Xingruo also invited her three roommates and Ruan Wen.
After all, she didn’t have any money, not even a little bit.
The group discussed and decided to have the meal on Saturday night.
Firstly, because it was the weekend, and everyone would be free. Secondly, the midterm exam results would be announced on Monday, and by then, half of them probably wouldn’t be in the mood for a meal.
After the school celebration on Friday, it was back to classes.
For Lu Xingyan, it was a day spent being ignored by Shen Xingruo.
Lu Xingyan had initially wanted to chat with Shen Xingruo, but whatever he said, she would retort, or worse, look at him as if he were stupid.
Feeling brushed off, Lu Xingyan wisely chose to keep quiet.
Although Lu Xingyan had a cold day, everyone else had a relatively relaxed Friday.
It’s worth mentioning that, under Wang Youfu’s firm insistence, the school remarkably swiftly identified the person who threw the mineral water bottle onto the stage during the school anniversary ceremony before Friday afternoon’s dismissal.
Originally, the school just intended to issue a warning without seeking out the culprit. However, with Wang Youfu holding the bottle as evidence, after causing a scene in the grade-level leader’s office, he went straight to the principal’s office. Being a political instructor himself, he spoke in layers, piling on accusations against both the grade-level leader and the principal, even going so far as to imply that if they didn’t investigate, he’d take the bottle to the police for DNA testing.
The school leadership was intimidated by him, especially since this incident at the school anniversary had brought disgrace to Mingli. Consequently, they organized a thorough investigation.
However, the identity of the culprit left everyone speechless. Who was this person?
Yu Zhiming? From Class Two?
Shen Xingruo didn’t recognize him at all, let alone have any enmity with him. Not to mention, most of the classmates who had been in the same grade for two years also didn’t know him. Only a few who had been in the same class with him in the first year had some impression of him, but they all said he had a low profile in the first year, had good grades, didn’t talk much, was very reclusive, and had few friends.
Yu Zhiming was immediately taken to the grade-level leader’s office for questioning.
The grade-level leader, who had been stirred up by Wang Youfu in just half a day, was still fuming. After Wang Youfu caused a scene in his office and then went to the principal’s office, the principal came to find him, criticizing him for not properly supervising his teachers. He even suggested that if he couldn’t handle being a grade-level leader, he should quit sooner rather than later.
The grade-level leader was truly exasperated.
After teaching for so many years, how could he control Wang Youfu? The principal himself didn’t dare say anything too harsh, instead, he echoed Wang Youfu’s criticisms one after another!
The grade-level leader was scolded both inside and out and was now boiling with anger.
When Yu Zhiming, who couldn’t utter a word under the questioning, was brought to the office, the grade-level leader scolded him relentlessly.
After letting out half of his anger, the grade-level leader finally asked him why he had thrown the mineral water bottle.
He remained silent for a long time.
The grade-level leader, who had taught for so many years, naturally had a way to deal with students. But no matter how he questioned, Yu Zhiming refused to speak. So, he directly called the Class Two homeroom teacher and asked for Yu Zhiming’s parents’ contact information, intending to call them himself and request their presence.
That’s when Yu Zhiming started to panic.
After a few more questions from the grade-level leader, he finally confessed in a low voice with his head hung down, “Teacher Zeng often compares our class with Class One in front of the class. Since our class wasn’t selected for the school anniversary performance, she mentioned it several times in class. So, I wanted to embarrass the students from Class One.”
The grade-level leader was speechless.
“Is that it?” he asked.
Yu Zhiming nodded.
“Just for this trivial matter, you threw a mineral water bottle at someone? How did you even get into the experimental class? Are you out of your mind? Do you know what occasion it was? The school anniversary! With so many leaders and alumni present, your actions have disgraced Mingli! What school allows its students to cause such a scene during its anniversary celebration?!”
The grade-level leader was so angry he felt like he might spit blood.
Then, he dragged the Class Two homeroom teacher, Zeng Guiyu, into the office and gave her a tongue-lashing.
Zeng Guiyu never expected to be caught up in such an absurd situation. She couldn’t defend herself in the grade-level office because she had indeed often criticized Class One in her class.
The investigation results were relayed to Class One.
Wang Youfu spent most of a class period criticizing the Class Two homeroom teacher, Zeng Guiyu, for her petty-mindedness. Then, he spent the rest of the class period arguing that the geography teacher’s level as a homeroom teacher was simply inadequate!
Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan, as the victims, were at a loss for words.
The outcome was unexpected, yet somehow not surprising.
By all accounts, a quiet, introverted student who performs well academically should be considered rather unremarkable. Such a student wouldn’t be expected to throw a water bottle at a school event; they wouldn’t have the courage or the motive.
However, Shen Xingruo had no impression of Zhiming, so she couldn’t say for sure if the situation was as simple and absurd as it seemed. In many cases, suspects have motives that are quite bizarre.
Zhiming’s punishment was swift. During the last homeroom session, the grade leader announced over the loudspeaker that he would be given a demerit. The next level of punishment would be probation or expulsion, so this was already quite severe.
After announcing the punishment, the grade leader furiously improvised a speech over the loudspeaker. His point was that homeroom teachers shouldn’t spend their time criticizing other classes. This isn’t a palace drama; instead of wasting time on petty rivalries, they should focus on improving their class averages and their bonuses.
With the grade leader having said everything, the other teachers didn’t extend the homeroom session, and school ended on time.
As usual, Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo stayed behind to clean the classroom. There wasn’t much trash, and when they finished, there were still quite a few people at school. They tacitly decided to leave separately.
Mingli School has two gates: a south gate and an east gate. The south gate is the main entrance, while the east gate is only open during arrival and dismissal times.
Uncle Liu’s car is often parked at the corner of Shuxiang Road, which is between the two gates. Technically, the east gate was a bit quicker to reach, but it was also quieter and led directly to the alleys of Antique Street. One had to pass through an alley to reach the main road.
Whenever Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo parted ways, she would usually take the east gate because it allowed her to browse the small shops on Antique Street. She couldn’t afford to buy antiques, but she liked to look. Plus, there were some nice tea shops and bookstores.
Shortly after exiting the east gate, Shen Xingruo checked her phone and suddenly felt something was wrong. She looked up to see a group of poorly dressed delinquent teenagers walking towards her.
Raised in privilege and having always attended prestigious schools, Shen Xingruo had never encountered such people. Even the troublemakers at her schools had an air of refinement; none had this distinctly gaudy, street-wise appearance.
The group wore tattered jeans, and neon-colored sneakers, and sported messy, dyed hair. They looked like characters from an old TV drama.
“Shen Xingruo, it’s you,” a girl with pink hair and leather pants, smoking a cigarette, called out.
Before Shen Xingruo could respond, the girl continued, “Yang Fang sent us to teach you a lesson. Stop trying to take what doesn’t belong to you.”
Shen Xingruo thought, “Who are these people?”
Meanwhile, Yang Fang, who was nervously hiding in a nearby milk tea shop, waiting to enjoy the show, was suddenly bewildered.
“Didn’t I specifically tell them not to mention my name? How could they be so unreliable???”
A guy in the group seemed to remember and tugged at the girl in leather pants. Confused, he said, “Didn’t Yang Fang tell us not to mention her name?”
The girl in leather pants flicked her cigarette ash, looking puzzled. “What? No, I distinctly remember she told us to mention her name. I even thought she was pretty bold.”
“Really?” The guy was also bewildered.
“Yeah, well, it’s mentioned now. Do you think this girl will forget Yang Fang’s name?”
Shen Xingruo thought, “…”
Thanks to their repeated mentions of Yang Fang, Shen Xingruo finally remembered. Yang Fang was the girl from Class 2 who had mocked her when her monthly exam scores were incorrectly recorded, and she had gone to the restroom.
Shiqin had told her that Yang Fang liked He Siyue and was jealous of Shen Xingruo because she was close to him. Shen Xingruo had seen her a few times on the first floor afterward, always with a scowl. She had a memorable “the whole world owes her a He Siyue” kind of face.
The girl in leather pants spoke again, “Hey, Shen Ruoxing.”
The guy corrected her, “It’s Shen Xingruo.”
“Does it matter?” The girl in leather pants, annoyed, shoved him. She then turned to Shen Xingruo and said, “You stole a guy and now you’re stealing a performance spot? You’re quite the green tea b*tch. Kneel and apologize, and we can let this go without having to teach you a lesson.”
Shen Xingruo remained calm, using her signature lofty gaze to slowly scrutinize the group from head to toe.
The girl in leather pants, already irritated by Shen Xingruo’s good looks, became even angrier at that look. “What kind of look is that?”
“A look reserved for trash.”
Shen Xingruo’s gaze was unwavering and cold, standing there as if she was on a completely different level from this group of people.
“If you have any sense, you’d turn around and leave right now. The farther the better. This is Mingli, not some low-tier, trashy school where your group of misfits can gather and throw tantrums.”
“But since you’re here, blocking people outside of Mingli, I guess you’re not very smart. Did you just blindly follow orders? Do you even know the family backgrounds of the students here? Do you know what my family does? If you touch a single finger on me, my family could easily make you all pay dearly.”
The gang of delinquents were speechless.
Shen Xingruo had merely recalled a few lines from a TV drama and used them. In a society governed by law, Shen Guangyao, being just an artist, probably didn’t have the means to make them all pay dearly. But saying it gave her an inexplicable air of authority, and the group across from her as if brainwashed, actually started to believe it a bit.
After all, there were indeed many wealthy and well-connected families at Mingli. Even Yang Fang, who had given them money, was quite generous for a high school student. If Shen Xingruo had the clout to steal her violin performance, her background might indeed be quite powerful.
Moreover, the girl looked like a fairy, clearly raised in privilege. Offending someone from a significant background could indeed spell trouble.
Just as the group began to hesitate, Yang Fang suddenly rushed out.
“What are you afraid of? She’s just trying to scare you. Her family has no real background!”
“You know what my family is capable of. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Just go ahead and teach her a lesson. She wouldn’t dare cause me trouble!”
Yang Fang was desperate. Shen Xingruo already knew it was her. If she left unscathed and reported this, Yang Fang would be in serious trouble. But if they could humiliate Shen Xingruo, scare her, and record the whole process, she might not dare to report it.
The group, swaying back and forth, was now inclined to listen to Yang Fang. The girl in leather pants, already annoyed with Shen Xingruo, wasted no time. She lunged forward, trying to grab Shen Xingruo’s collar and force her to kneel.
Just as she reached out, a boy suddenly appeared behind her, seized her hand, and kicked the back of her knee. She lost her balance and fell to her knees in front of Shen Xingruo with a thud.
Shen Xingruo was speechless.
Lu Xingyan, looking very impatient, with a hint of anger in his eyes, was on the phone. “East gate, come over.”
Upon seeing Lu Xingyan, Yang Fang’s mind went blank, and her legs turned to jelly.
Ignoring the rest of the group, Lu Xingyan walked straight to Yang Fang, grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her in front of Shen Xingruo. “Apologize.”
Yang Fang was too scared to speak, her face pale, and her body trembling uncontrollably.
“I said apologize, didn’t you hear me?” Lu Xingyan’s tone was icy.
“I-I heard…” Yang Fang stammered.
Almost everyone at Mingli knew about Lu Xingyan’s reputation for beating someone nearly half to death and getting them expelled. Offending him truly meant no good days ahead. At this moment, Yang Fang felt like her world was ending.
“Shen Xingruo… I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” she stammered.
Yang Fang was utterly broken.
She had heard that Shen Xingruo’s family was just middle-class, so if something happened, her family would likely be able to handle it. But Lu Xingyan was different. The thought of being expelled made her break down. She started crying halfway through her apology, and the sobs grew louder and louder as if she were the one being forced to kneel.
Lu Xingyan was baffled. “Why are you crying? I’m being civilized and respectful because you’re wearing the Mingli school uniform. You’re acting like you’re the one being wronged?”
She knew she couldn’t cry. Terrified, Yang Fang abruptly stopped sobbing, though tears continued streaming down her face. She dared not make a sound.
Lu Xingyan: “…”
Shen Xingruo: “…”
The group of delinquents: “…”
Seeing Yang Fang in such a state, the group of delinquents finally sobered up. Realizing that Lu Xingyan was not someone to mess with—and that he was calling for backup—they took advantage of his distraction to quietly slip away.
Yang Fang was still trembling and crying silently. Nothing more could be extracted from her today. Lu Xingyan told her to wait and report to the grade leader on Monday. Then he released her collar and led Shen Xingruo away.
Lu Xingyan looked displeased, as if thinking, “I barely did anything, and they all ran away.”
Shen Xingruo, who had almost been forced to kneel just moments before, was remarkably calm. With an ambiguous tone, she remarked, “I didn’t realize the girls in our grade were so afraid of you.”
Lu Xingyan turned to her, “How do you manage to make so many enemies?”
Shen Xingruo replied, “Unparalleled beauty always invites jealousy.”
Lu Xingyan: “…”
He continued, “You need to keep your distance from the boys. If you weren’t so close to He Siyue, they wouldn’t have come after you.”
Shen Xingruo stopped in her tracks.
Lu Xingyan walked a bit farther ahead, then turned to look at her. “What are you doing? Come on.”
“Keep my distance from boys.”
Lu Xingyan was exasperated. “You’re not ‘unparalleled beauty’; you’re ‘unparalleled argumentative’.”
Standing a couple of meters away, he raised an eyebrow at her and asked, “By the way, do you know any martial arts, like Taekwondo?”
“No.”
Lu Xingyan frowned, “Then why were you so fearless?”
He was referring to how she had stood her ground against those delinquents without a hint of fear.
Shen Xingruo walked forward until she was standing right in front of him. It seemed like she was about to share a secret, so she motioned for him to lean in closer.
Lu Xingyan, though skeptical, leaned in slightly.
In a whisper by his ear, Shen Xingruo said, “Because you were there, standing in the corner for so long. How could I not give you a chance to play the hero?”
Lu Xingyan was speechless.