Chaрtеr 14 Helр! Did He Соllесt Аll thе Bоttlеs in thе Entirе Wind Citу?
Upon hеаring this, the сlassrооm еruptеd in murmurs аs evеrуоnе wаitеd tо seе how Jiаng Еr would respond.
Jiаng Er lоokеd аt him with рitу. “Sometimеs, keeрing уоur mоuth shut and lоoking likе a foоl is bеttеr thаn оpеning it and confirming уоu аrе оne.”
“Do yоu think еvеryоne is аs despiсаblе аs you? Is thеrе nothing elsе in that walnut-sizеd brаin оf уours? Whаt dо you know besides romanсe аnd lоvе?”
Тhе boу: “You—!”
Jiang Er сut him off. “Nо mattеr what, Fu Тinghan is working hard to live his own life. You have no right to look down on him.”
His chest heaved rapidly as he shrilled, “You’ve said so much—you must like him, right?!”
As if he had found her weak spot, he sneered. “Fu Tinghan is really something. It only took him a week to charm Miss Jiang into standing up for him. He’s even better than his mother back in the day.”
Jiang Er frowned. “What nonsense are you talking?”
He snorted with contempt. “It seems Miss Jiang doesn’t know yet.”
“Fu Tinghan’s mother is famously known throughout Yuncheng as—”
With undisguised malice, he enunciated each word slowly:
“A homewrecker.”
Jiang Er froze.
“Fu Tinghan is a bastard,” he said sharply. “A bastard born from his shameless mother’s affair!”
Jiang Er’s face instantly turned cold. “Say one more word. I dare you.”
“Say it, then!” He stiffened his neck. “Fu Tinghan and his mother are both no good—”
“Zhao Yan!” His companion hurriedly grabbed him, cutting him off loudly. “Stop talking!”
Zhao Yan was about to continue, but when he caught sight of Jiang Er’s expression, his rationality suddenly returned. Regret washed over him, but he stubbornly persisted:
“Of all people to like, you had to choose Fu Tinghan. Aren’t you ashamed?”
Without another word, Jiang Er grabbed his arm.
The others were confused.
Only Little Fatty, who had watched all the forum videos, hissed and hastily took two steps back, clasping his hands together in prayer for him.
“Thud—!”
Zhao Yan crashed to the ground just like the backpack, letting out a series of agonized screams.
Everyone was startled, exchanging bewildered glances.
“Even if he was wrong, you can’t hit people!” Zhao Yan’s companion shouted angrily. “What gives you the right to do that?!”
Jiang Er wiped her hands. “Because he’s not only unreasonable but also immoral.”
“That’s still too rough of you!”
“Rough?” Jiang Er laughed. “I can be even rougher. Want to try?”
The other person choked.
She looked down at Zhao Yan with a condescending gaze, pulled a stack of bills from her backpack, and let them scatter, raining down on him.
“Here, for your medical expenses.”
Zhao Yan glared at her fiercely.
She turned to his companion, her expression blank.
“If you can’t control your mouth next time, it won’t just be a shoulder throw.”
They were frozen by her icy gaze, and for a moment, no one dared to speak.
“Clean this up,” Jiang Er said, tilting her chin toward Fu Tinghan’s seat. “Don’t make me say it a third time.”
After a brief, silent standoff, the group gritted their teeth, helped Zhao Yan up, hurriedly picked up the money, and went to the storage room to fetch rags and a mop.
The farce was over.
Jiang Er casually chose an empty seat, crossed her legs, and watched them work, not forgetting to warn the others:”I forgot to mention, Fu Tinghan is my little brother from now on. You’d better fix some of your bad habits from before, or don’t blame me for being impolite.”
No one dared to make a sound.
Jiang Er retrieved the red bean bun she had temporarily left with Little Fatty, took a leisurely bite, and added:
“And from now on, don’t let me hear the word ‘bastard’ again, or else…”
She curved her lips into a smile, her tone gentle, “I might forget my manners.”
Recalling her earlier demeanor, everyone hurriedly nodded.
Satisfied at last, Jiang Er happily ate her red bean bun.
Outside the door, a black-haired boy who had been standing there for who knows how long leaned against the wall, lifting his head to gaze at the clear sky in the distance.
Clouds churned, a morning sun glowing brilliantly at the horizon. The bougainvillea planted in the flowerbed outside the corridor stretched out its damp branches, the morning dew lingering on the leaves sparkling with tiny, dazzling points of light, brilliant as diamonds.
Today might be a good day.
Standing in the shadows, he narrowed his eyes and stared for a while, unable to resist raising his hand, wanting to touch that beam of sunlight.
His fingers paused mid-air.
A moment later, he removed his hearing aid and walked into the classroom as if nothing were amiss.
The classroom had already been tidied up, with not a trace left behind.
At the sight of Fu Tinghan, everyone’s expressions turned complicated. Zhao Yan nearly gritted his teeth to dust, his chest heaving rapidly.
Catching Jiang Er’s warning glance, he snorted heavily and turned his head away, refusing to look at Fu Tinghan again.
Jiang Er withdrew her gaze, noticing that Fu Tinghan wasn’t wearing his hearing aid, and quietly sighed in relief. It seemed he hadn’t heard the earlier commotion.
She greeted him openly:
“Good morning, Fu.”
The girl had just finished her red bean bun and was biting on a yogurt straw, tilting her head to smile at him. Her pupils, bathed in the gentle morning light, were dark and bright.
Just like back then.
Fu Tinghan felt the long-dormant heart in his chest beat heavily once.
She didn’t remember him. In fact, in that not-so-distant past, she had never known him.
But she, right now, was smiling at him.
Smiling so beautifully.
Fate, which had always been harsh and stingy toward him, seemed to have finally shown a moment of mercy.
But he, it seemed, no longer had the right to respond.
This distance, right here, was just perfect.
Fu Tinghan lowered his eyelids, set down his backpack, and took his seat.
A small note appeared in front of him.
[Why aren’t you wearing your hearing aid? Did Lin Ling snatch it again?]
He shook his head and wrote back:
[Forgot to bring it.]
So that was it.
Jiang Er didn’t press further. Studying his face, she clearly saw faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept all night.
Wait, could it be… he spent the whole night collecting bottles?!
That’s why his face was so pale?!
Jiang Er took a quiet, sharp breath.
“Did he collect every single bottle in Fengcheng?”
Her expression was complicated, but she couldn’t bring it up. Instead, she handed Fu Tinghan a soft bun.
[Pang Pang gave me this red bean bun. It’s still warm.]
But he pushed it back.
[I don’t like sweet things.]
“Alright then, I saved it especially for you.”
Jiang Er muttered quietly, unwrapping the bag and taking out the red bean bun, biting off half in one go. “If you don’t like sweet things, does that mean you don’t like bread, chocolate, or cake either?”
“Fu, you’re really missing out on a lot of joy in life.” She shook her head and sighed at him.Fu Tinghan seemed not to have understood the lip-reading, showing no reaction at all. His gaze lingered briefly on her face before he lowered his head to read his book.
Seeing this, Jiang Er decided not to disturb him further.
She had deliberately brought her phone today, planning to check the school forum before morning self-study began.
The framework of No. 3 High School’s forum was quite simple, without many flashy sections. On the left was “Currently Trending,” and on the right was “Latest Posts.”
She glanced at the trending topics.
【Shocking! She and He Actually Did This for Him!】
【Men Are Silent, Women Are in Tears! School Bully Lin Ling Was Actually… in Public!】
【Level 1 Alert! All Departments, Hurry to the Basketball Court for the Gossip! Miss It and Regret It for a Year!】
【Stop Arguing! Today, We Gather Here to Vote for the New School Belle, Not to Debate How Many Steps a Shoulder Throw Has!】
Jiang Er: “…”
They all seemed a bit off.
She tried her best to pick the most normal-looking post and clicked on it.
The title was bold and in all caps:
【Looking for Someone: Does Anyone Know This Girl? She’s Just Too, Too, Too Brave!】
The accompanying picture showed Jiang Er squatting in front of Lin Ling, gently patting his cheek.
Below was a long string of replies.
【Forgetful Little Steamed Bun】: She’s Jiang Er, the new transfer student in Class Six. But why is she with Lin Ling? Wait, is that Fu Tinghan standing behind her?
【Original Poster】: So she’s a transfer student, no wonder she’s so brave.
【I’ll Never Go to School】: I get it, OP. I was there too, and I was completely stunned.
【Forgetful Little Steamed Bun】: ? What gossip? What gossip?
【I Want to Be an Astronaut】: But they somehow have this destined-to-be-tragic CP vibe, and I’m actually shipping them (slurp slurp).
【Sauce-Flavored Jelly】: Upstairs, shipping everything will only hurt you.
【Forgetful Little Steamed Bun】: Just tell me what the gossip is already! Don’t make me rush to the basketball court right now!!
【Flowers Bring Wealth, You Bring Stupidity】: It’s nothing much, just that this new transfer student pinned Lin Ling to the ground and beat him up in front of everyone (lights a cigarette).
【Forgetful Little Steamed Bun】: …
【Forgetful Little Steamed Bun】: !
【Telescope Is My True Form】: I can testify, Lin Ling flew a full five meters back at the time!
【Mint Has Brains, You Don’t】: Nonsense, it was ten meters! He was even spitting blood when he landed! I saw it clearly!
Jiang Er: ?