18 – Eliminating Evil for the People, It’s What Should Be Done
The boy with black-rimmed glasses still hadn’t grasped what was happening. It wasn’t until a few more enthusiastic bystanders nearby shouted, “That girl looks awful without her mask—someone posted photos on the forum,” that he began to understand.
Then, an even more eager onlooker directly held up their phone in front of the bespectacled boy, letting him see Xin Jushang’s true appearance without the mask.
After looking at the photo, the boy awkwardly lowered the hand holding the love letter and sheepishly apologized to Xin Jushang.
Xin Jushang’s eyes seemed veiled in mist, making it impossible to discern her emotions at that moment.
Suddenly, someone tightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind.
“Tsk, anyone would think Hengmu is a marketplace,” Zhou Yuchuan scoffed, his tone casual. “Nothing but gossiping busybodies everywhere. So damn noisy.”
He glanced around, his gaze locking onto the few “enthusiastic” bystanders in the crowd, then arrogantly lifted his chin. “Hey, you lot—did any of you brush your teeth this morning? Your breath stinks so bad I can smell it from here. Disgusting.”
The people he called out weren’t pleased. One boy angrily stepped forward, intending to argue with Zhou Yuchuan, but Zhou Yuchuan single-handedly gripped his shoulder, immobilizing him completely.
Zhou Yuchuan released Xin Jushang and whispered in her ear, “Go back to the classroom first.”
He was going to teach these idiots a proper lesson.
Before the class bell rang, Zhou Yuchuan returned to the classroom.
Xin Jushang glanced at him and, seeing no signs of a fight, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Just doing my civic duty to rid the world of scum.”
Xin Jushang’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and something stirred in her heart.
It felt as though something was slowly changing, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
She just sensed that, compared to the beginning, she wasn’t as resistant to Zhou Yuchuan anymore.
The weekend passed in the blink of an eye. Monday morning brought Hengmu High School’s weekly flag-raising ceremony.
Every Monday, an outstanding student representative from each class was chosen to give a speech on stage. This time, it was Class 3’s turn.
Old Hu had assigned this task to Xin Jushang a week earlier, telling her to prepare her speech carefully over the weekend and not to be nervous when speaking on stage.
Before leaving home, Xin Jushang looked at herself in the mirror.
Without the mask, her flawless fair skin was visible. Beneath gently arched willow-leaf eyebrows were clear, bright almond-shaped eyes. Long, upturned lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her thin lips were as tender and delicate as flower petals.
Xin Jushang curved her lips slightly upward, then put her mask back on.
Soon, it was time for the long break between classes. Each class lined up and headed downstairs to the sports field for the flag-raising ceremony.
After the ceremony, the grade director gave a speech first, then introduced the outstanding student representative for this session: Xin Jushang from Class 3, Grade 11.
The moment her name was announced, the reaction from the crowd was intense.
After all, Xin Jushang’s name was no stranger to anyone—whether from the grade rankings, the recent sports meet, or the school forum…
She could truly be considered a well-known figure.
The students below the stage watched the flag-raising platform with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, whispering and discussing among themselves.
But to everyone’s surprise, the person who walked up to the platform was a strikingly beautiful girl with a bright, radiant smile!
Xin Jushang took the microphone from the grade director, tested the sound, and then spoke clearly: “Hello everyone, I’m Xin Jushang from Class 3 of Grade 11.”
…
What she said next was barely listened to by anyone. Because everyone’s attention was entirely focused on Xin Jushang’s face.
“Holy shit! This Xin Jushang is actually a stunning beauty!”
“Which idiot said she was ugly before? What’s wrong with them!”
“The picture posted by that person on the forum must have been photoshopped! Xin Jushang herself is as beautiful as a fairy descending to earth.”
“With Xin Jushang’s looks, she completely outshines Zhao Jianing from the humanities class!”
…
Even more surprised than the students from other classes were the students from Class 3.
The moment they saw Xin Jushang speaking on stage, they began to doubt their own eyes. Because they had indeed seen Xin Jushang without her mask before…
But she was clearly very ugly back then! How could she have become so beautiful now?
Everyone was filled with confusion.
Only Zhou Yuchuan trembled with anger. He stared at the bright-eyed, radiant girl on stage, clenching his fists tightly.
What inferiority complex! What sensitivity! This damn liar!
Back in the classroom, a group of people crowded around Xin Jushang, examining her closely. Some even cautiously asked if she had undergone plastic surgery.
Watching his deskmate surrounded by the crowd, Zhou Yuchuan laughed in anger.
“Get lost, all of you.”
As soon as Zhou Yuchuan spoke, even if the other students still wanted to ask Xin Jushang questions, they didn’t have the courage to stay any longer.
“You’d better explain this clearly to me.”
Zhou Yuchuan threw his jacket on the desk, stared at Xin Jushang, and forced a smile through gritted teeth.
“Oh.” Xin Jushang responded indifferently, “Mango allergy.”
Zhou Yuchuan was stunned, momentarily speechless.
“Xin Jushang, you’re ruthless.”
Zhou Yuchuan’s voice was low, and he spat out the words through clenched teeth.
“Thank you for the compliment.” Xin Jushang replied calmly.
For the first time, Zhou Yuchuan felt like he had been played by a girl, and he now saw himself as nothing more than a clown.
He had originally thought his little deskmate was worse than a bronze-level player, but now he realized she was a true king.
Being the top student in the grade and being beautiful—neither of these traits alone was particularly remarkable, but together, they were an unbeatable combination.
Zhou Yuchuan suddenly understood what Xu Yinan had said earlier: “A lot of people chase after my sister.” It turned out it wasn’t a joke.
He tilted his head slightly and happened to see Xin Jushang working on a problem. The girl’s delicate nose, her lips as red as rouge, and the slight curve of her mouth were so beautiful that his breath caught for several seconds.
“Zhou Yuchuan.” Xin Jushang felt the intense gaze fixed on her. She looked up blankly, her voice flat. “Could you stop staring at me all the time?”
Zhou Yuchuan didn’t have time to avert his gaze and ended up meeting Xin Jushang’s eyes directly.
His heart skipped a beat, and his breathing grew slightly erratic, but he tried his best to hide his panic.
“Who… who’s staring at you for no reason? Don’t be so narcissistic.”
Ever since Xin Jushang officially revealed her face, her popularity at Hengmu soared far ahead of everyone else.
The earlier post slandering her had been taken down by the moderators, replaced by various candid photos of Xin Jushang, each one flawlessly beautiful from every angle.
Some even created a dedicated forum for Xin Jushang, with its follower count surpassing a thousand on the very first day.
Zhou Yuchuan had been quite annoyed lately, because every time class ended, the windows and back door would be crowded with students from other classes coming to admire Xin Jushang’s beauty.
“Xin Jushang, can’t you do something about those people? They’re so noisy.”
Hearing Zhou Yuchuan’s complaint, Xin Jushang paused her pen, the tip leaving a small ink blot on the paper.