“I was wondering how you suddenly became so close with Li Xiaozhong. Shouldn't you share news like this?”
“Truly selfish. Selfish people deserve to be punished.”
“Put away your little schemes, or I’ll make sure you can’t stay in this school!”
“This is just a small lesson. If I see you seducing men again, you’ll face the consequences! Let’s go~”
The five girls giggled again, walking away, chattering amongst themselves.
Xia Qingyu looked at her soaked school uniform pants, her brows furrowed. In the end, she could only dab at the water with a bit of moisture, tidy herself up, and prepare to return to the classroom.
As soon as she reached the classroom door, Xia Qingyu heard the same five girls who had troubled her earlier inside, gossiping about her family to other classmates, spreading rumors about how calculating she was and how manipulative her mother was.
They had exaggerated and twisted the facts, earning gasps of surprise from others.
“I have to say, Xia Qingyu really has thick skin. How dare she be a burden?”
“Yeah, look at her shoes, they must cost thousands. Is it that easy to spend other people’s money?”
“Looking at how she carries herself, she really thinks she’s some kind of rich young lady?”
“The waters in the wealthy families run deep. Without some scheming, you wouldn't be able to swim so smoothly.”
“Of course. Isn’t it obvious this time? I wonder what methods she used. Once she found out about Li Xiaozhong’s family background, she just clung onto him, tsk tsk…”
“If you ask me, people shouldn’t be too naive and innocent like us. A little bit of scheming is good.”
“We can’t learn it~ After all, we don’t have the same upbringing. A mother who can marry into a wealthy family with a dependent child must have considerable methods.”
“Hahaha~” Laughter echoed throughout the entire classroom.
Standing at the classroom entrance, Xia Qingyu clenched her fists tightly at her sides, gritting her teeth, her eyes welling up with tears.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xia Qingyu pushed the door open, intending to rush in and confront them.
No matter how they bullied her, Xia Qingyu could endure it. It was better to avoid trouble and let it pass.
But when they slandered her mother like this, Xia Qingyu could no longer tolerate it.
Just then, a hand grabbed Xia Qingyu’s wrist, and she shook her head.
“Let go,” Xia Qingyu said coldly. “This is my business.”
“After all, we’re business partners. If you get expelled because of a fight, I’ll be in a lot of trouble,” Li Xiaozhong said softly, looking at Xia Qingyu. “Your family would probably be in a difficult position too, wouldn’t they?”
Xia Qingyu knew that she didn't really need a diploma anymore. Campus life only brought her pain.
But if she were to be expelled like this…
The thought of her mother facing further criticism for her actions, and what kind of look Xia Qingtian would give her, caused Xia Qingyu’s heart to ache.
Seeing that Xia Qingyu seemed to have calmed down, Li Xiaozhong finally released her hand.
“Let’s go in, I’ll accompany you,” Li Xiaozhong also found these people to be utterly boring.
Xia Qingyu had no knowledge of the Li family’s affairs before this. He had never told anyone. Li Xiaoxiao had no memory of the past.
He became familiar with Xia Qingyu simply because Li Xiaoxiao was good friends with Xia Qingyu, and Xia Qingyu was a smart person who was comfortable to be around.
Before his parents’ issues were exposed, others mocked him as the “eternal second,” calling him “gloomy and terrifying.” Just meeting his gaze made people feel “disgusted,” as if he exuded an aura of “shabbiness.”
After his parents’ affairs were exposed, they pretended as if they had never said those things, flocking to him and acting like “good friends,” with everyone appearing as “kind” and “good classmates.”
In the end, it was all about trying to take advantage of him, thinking they could use him in the future.
When these people couldn’t get anything from him, they became jealous of Xia Qingyu for becoming familiar with him, and started spreading such nonsense.
It was disgusting.
“No need.” Xia Qingyu refused Li Xiaozhong’s offer and pushed the door open, walking straight in.
After Xia Qingyu entered, the mocking laughter in the classroom abruptly stopped. Many who were watching and laughing now instinctively shifted their gazes, pretending to be busy cleaning.
Xia Qingyu scanned the room and walked directly to her seat.
“Xia Qingyu, wasn’t it your mom who came for the parent-teacher conference today?” While others might have been embarrassed, the “rich sisters” who were simply looking for trouble wouldn’t think that way. They couldn’t wait to trample Xia Qingyu into the mud in front of everyone: “By the way, I haven’t met your mother yet. Let me see what kind of woman could give birth to a daughter like you!”
“Qian Xiaoyue, you’ve gone too far!” Shi Xingwu walked in from the door, looking displeased.
“Oh~ Shi Xingwu, you’re everywhere. We’re just curious about what kind of upbringing could raise the top student in the whole school.” Qian Xiaoyue retorted sarcastically, “What? Is that not allowed either? Meddling too much?”
“You! That’s not what you meant at all!” Shi Xingwu got angry seeing how Qian Xiaoyue could twist words.
“Then what do I mean? Tell me.” Qian Xiaoyue crossed her arms and looked at Shi Xingwu with her chin raised. “If you say it, I’ll admit it.”
“You!” Shi Xingwu choked, his entire face turning red.
He was just slow-witted. He was fine fighting, but he was sure to lose in an argument.
Seeing the mockery in everyone’s eyes at this moment, Shi Xingwu became even more furious, his face flushing red.
“Hahaha, you want to play the hero, but you should first see if you’re a hero yourself?” Qian Xiaoyue mocked.
“You, wanting to be a hero? You’re just a brute, destined to be used as a pawn.” Someone chimed in with mockery.
Shi Xingwu was extremely enraged. He kicked a nearby chair, sending it flying. The chair hit another table, making a loud noise. The basin of water on the table fell to the ground, splashing countless droplets.
“Ah!” The girl who was splashed by the water shrieked, “It’s so dirty!”
“You should be grateful I don’t hit women!” Shi Xingwu gritted his teeth, pointing at Qian Xiaoyue and the others as a warning.
Seeing Shi Xingwu’s sudden outburst, Qian Xiaoyue and the others flinched. They instantly fell silent, fearing that Shi Xingwu might go crazy and kick them too. They were not as resilient as the chair.
“What’s going on! Why is your class so noisy!” The patrolling dean came in, frowning, “I told you to clean up, what are you doing? Parents are arriving soon, do you want them to see what kind of behavior you display at school?”
“This! Who did this!” The dean questioned, seeing the mess on the floor.
Upon hearing this, Qian Xiaoyue and the others looked at Shi Xingwu with schadenfreude, while Shi Xingwu’s face darkened, and he remained silent.
Seeing this, the dean pointed at Shi Xingwu and said, “It’s you again! Shi Xingwu, you’re useless at everything except causing trouble! You’re a sports prodigy, yet you always drag the class down in exams. I say we shouldn’t have recruited specialty students; it’s just stuffing the school with trash! You! You get out of here…”
“Dean, I accidentally bumped into the table,” Xia Qingyu stepped forward and said. “Sorry.”
“It’s… it’s you.” The dean recognized her as the top student in the entire school. He glanced at the wet water stains on Xia Qingyu’s pants, confirming she wasn’t lying. He then cleared his throat and said, “Be careful during cleanup, safety first. Hurry up and tidy this up; parents will be here soon.”
After saying this, the dean left with his hands behind his back.
After seeing the dean leave, Qian Xiaoyue said sarcastically, “Xia Qingyu, even the dean is biased towards you! You really have your ways. Is it fun being the top student?”
“It is very fun,” Xia Qingyu looked at Qian Xiaoyue and said coldly, “Or, why don’t you try to get it too?”
“You!” Qian Xiaoyue’s face turned red, not expecting Xia Qingyu to retort.