What? Is my daughter gone mad?
While people gossiped behind her back, Ran Jiayu herself felt guilty. Fang Jia had retaliated in kind, so she didn’t dare stand up.
Fang Jia helped Song Chan move desks to the classroom, and they quickly finished their cleaning duties together.
“Thank you for today.”
Song Chan locked the classroom door and walked downstairs with Fang Jia.
Fang Jia said casually, “It’s nothing. I’m strong. I don’t like doing anything else, just cleaning.”
“I wasn’t talking about cleaning. I was talking about what happened in front of the water dispenser room just now.” Song Chan didn’t dare look at Fang Jia, still feeling hurt by those words.
Fang Jia suddenly realized, “You mean that?”
Song Chan slowed her pace and walked side-by-side with Fang Jia on campus.
“Your name is Fang…”
“Really? You don’t even remember my name?!”
Song Chan was taken aback. “I’m so sorry, I have a bad memory.”
“We were classmates in junior high.”
Fang Jia looked sad.
Song Chan checked several times; there really wasn’t anyone named Fang Jia in her junior high class.
Fang Jia sighed. “I was in the class next to yours, and we even drew the grade’s bulletin board together. I thought you’d remember me.”
Song Chan gave an awkward but polite smile. “From now on, I’ll definitely remember.” Then she noticed the sports bag on Fang Jia’s back. “So, are those really boxing gloves in there?”
Fang Jia laughed. “I don’t box; I practice archery. These are my old partners.”
Song Chan enviously reached out to touch them. Fang Jia thought she was curious about the bow and arrow in the bag and was about to satisfy her curiosity by unzipping it to show her, but Song Chan’s fingers landed on Fang Jia’s arm.
Then Fang Jia saw her eyes sparkle, and she exclaimed in an admiring tone, “Wow, I can feel the muscles of a national athlete!”
Fang Jia was caught off guard, as if struck on the heart. She clutched her chest, feigning shock, “Song Chan…you’re so cute.”
“Pfft.”
This was the first time Song Chan had met such an interesting girl.
She cautiously asked, “Fang Jia, have you chosen your seat?”
Fang Jia: “Not yet. I was competing abroad and just got back to China.”
Fang Jia lived on campus, and the two said goodbye at the fork in the road.
Song Chan quickened her pace, heading towards the back gate.
Crossing the pond, she looked up and saw a long, dark shadow under the streetlights. A casual white short-sleeved shirt, a black backpack, straight as an elegant sail in the dark night. He possessed an elite air unlike any other boy his age—refined and elegant, casually chic, gentle yet powerful.
This kind of aura held a strong attraction for Song Chan.
The girl, however, was clearly unaware of the intense longing she felt deep inside for this man’s charm. She only knew that seeing him had made her heart flutter.
“Zhong Lingyu!”
Song Chan skipped over excitedly, arriving breathlessly in front of him to share her incredible adventure.
“Slow down, I’m not going to wait for you.”
“I know you were waiting for me, I just couldn’t wait to tell you some amazing news!”
“What good news?”
Zhong Lingyu smiled, almost reaching to brush Song Chan’s disheveled hair aside, but she had already tidied it up.
“A classmate sitting in front of us is coming over, someone I’ve known since junior high, named Fang Qie. She’s a very nice and loyal person.”
Zhong Lingyu was happy to share his joy with Song Chan. “That’s great, you’ve gained another friend.”
Song Chan corrected him, “It’s us. My friend is also Zhong’s friend.”
“How generous of you, Song Chan.”
Zhong Lingyu praised her with a slightly joking tone.
Song Chan was clearly overjoyed, her smile undisguised, radiating a cheerful light, unlike before when she consciously tried to suppress and hide her emotions.
Yes, she had endured this for a long time. The feeling of being alone and isolated in class, without friends, was truly unbearable. Lonely high school students often seemed destined to be pointed at and whispered about; walking in a crowd, they felt like jarring outsiders. Song Chan, accustomed to keeping a low profile, disliked being the center of attention.
Perhaps she wouldn’t confide her pain, but this moment of relief clearly showed that she had always cared.
Zhong Lingyu walked behind Song Chan, watching her noticeably more relaxed figure, a look of relief appearing on his face.
The road home was long, but Zhong Lingyu felt it could have been longer; he could have walked a little further with her.
=
Monday, flag-raising ceremony.
The entire school, teachers and students alike, gathered on the main playground, all dressed in their school uniforms.
The task of giving a speech under the national flag is usually assigned to first-year high school students.
This week, the principal decisively chose the newly arrived student, Zhong Xin, to give the speech.
The girl, wearing her spring school uniform, walked up the steps to the center of the stage. Her long, silky hair, half-draped behind her, swayed in the breeze with her confident and spirited steps.
Zhong Xin spoke entirely without notes, her bright and powerful eyes fixed on the thousands of teachers and students below. Her tone was steady and well-trained.
Song Chan stood below the stage, gazing at the dazzling Zhong Xin, slightly lost in thought.
Various exclamations arose from all around.
“Ah…so amazing.”
“Why does she look so good in the same school uniform?”
“She’s so good at dressing up, and her hair is so beautifully braided.”
“Zhong Xin is so fair-skinned, she’s practically glowing!”
“Her figure is so well-proportioned, her legs are straighter than any girl group member’s.”
…
For some reason, hearing these praises and expressions of envy, Song Chan felt a surge of pride and joy.
These people were speaking the absolute truth!
Wow, how could there be such a group of lovely and honest students in the world?
Song Chan gazed at Zhong Xin on the stage, her eyes clearly filled with admiration.
What a delicate face, what an outstanding height, what an amazing amount of hair, what fair skin… Who did this child inherit from to be so exceptional?
Song Chan unconsciously cupped her face in her hands.
Just then, several more comments came from behind:
“So-so. I thought she was some stunning beauty.”
“Her eyes are so wide-set, like a catfish.”
“And she’s too thin, not plump at all, like a dried-up tea tree mushroom.”
Hearing these words, Song Chan felt a fire burning inside her. She frowned and immediately spotted the person making these careless comments about Zhong Xin.
It was Qiao Yuanyuan.
Yesterday, it was Qiao Yuanyuan who, to flatter Ran Jiayu, spoke ill of Song Chan in the water dispenser room, and today it was her again.
Meeting Song Chan, Qiao Yuanyuan became even more arrogant, “What are you looking at!”
Qiao Yuanyuan had previously been Song Chan’s deskmate. Disliking Song Chan for being last in her class, she moved her own seat. At the time, Song Chan had swallowed her anger without uttering a complaint, so Qiao Yuanyuan assumed Song Chan was a pushover.
But things were different now. Song Chan, emboldened by some unknown source, boldly retorted, “Who’s like a catfish? I’ll see!”
Qiao Yuanyuan: “You!”
Song Chan: “What do you mean, ‘I’? You’re not convinced?!”
Qiao Yuanyuan, her face flushed with anger, shouted, “Song Chan, don’t go too far! I haven’t even settled accounts with you for yesterday!”
Teacher Dai stood behind her, his face grim. “What’s wrong with you, Qiao Yuanyuan?! Go stand at the back as punishment!”
Tears welled up instantly in Qiao Yuanyuan’s eyes, but she dared not disobey the teacher. She cried as she went to stand at the back as punishment.
Song Chan, still shaken, was relieved that Teacher Dai hadn’t punished her. She couldn’t help but turn back to look at Qiao Yuanyuan, only to be met with Zhong Lingyu’s scrutinizing gaze.
It was even scarier than having the teacher standing behind her!
Song Chan clutched her pounding heart, guiltily hiding in the line, trying to use the classmates behind her to hide her panicked face.
He mustn’t notice anything!
Unfortunately, how could Zhong Lingyu not notice?
At first, Zhong Lingyu was a little incredulous, but then something occurred to him, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
What’s so shameful about arguing with someone to protect your daughter?
When the flag-raising ceremony ended and the procession dispersed,
Song Chan struggled internally for a long time before daring to look in Zhong Lingyu’s direction.
But she found that Zhong Lingyu had been called away by Teacher Dai.
After the exercise and assembly, everyone walked back to the classroom in twos and threes, but Song Chan had been going home alone since the start of the school year.
She actually wanted to walk with Zhong Lingyu, but Zhong Lingyu rarely came down for exercises or assemblies, so she naturally had no chance to see him.
Today, she had finally waited for Zhong to come down in person, and she had even prepared an excuse, but Zhong was taken away by the teacher.
Song Chan stood there, watching Zhong Lingyu’s retreating figure, and for some reason, the disappointment in her heart was deeper than she had imagined. “Song Chan.”
Someone called her from behind.
Song Chan turned around and saw Ran Jiayu approaching with a sobbing Qiao Yuanyuan.
“You must apologize to us.”
Song Chan doubted her ears. “Why should I apologize to you?”
Ran Jiayu said confidently, “Don’t you know what you’ve done? You not only talked about me behind my back, but you also threatened me to others, and just now you insulted Qiao Yuanyuan. Do you know what kind of behavior you have?”
Qiao Yuanyuan spoke loudly, and everyone around looked over.
Song Chan had never been good at arguing with others. Of course, it wasn’t that she was afraid of trouble, but she didn’t know why; every time she encountered such a situation, besides trembling with anger and an indescribable fear, she seemed powerless to do anything.
“Clearly… you started it.”
Song Chan suppressed the uncontrollable trembling in her chest and, with great effort, managed to utter such a harmless sentence.
Ran Jiayu, with an overbearing air, said, “Song Chan, you really don’t know how to respect others. Have you forgotten what you said?”
Qiao Yuanyuan didn’t give Song Chan a chance to speak. Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, she blurted out, “You said I looked like a catfish, and you even mocked Ran Jiayu’s clothes and appearance, saying she’s old-fashioned, fat, and doesn’t deserve to be the class beauty.”
“I never said anything like that,”
“Song Chan, I never intended to be the class beauty. ‘Class beauty’ isn’t fashionable anymore; it’s just what others say. If you really want to be the class beauty, we’ll call you that from now on. There’s no need to talk about others behind their backs.”
Ran Jiayu looked distressed, but inwardly she was smug.
If she truly didn’t approve of Song Chan’s appearance and didn’t consider Song Chan a rival, Ran Jiayu wouldn’t have gossiped about Song Chan in the boiler room, much less dragged Qiao Yuanyuan into slandering her.
It all started with Ran Jiayu’s jealousy.
And Song Chan’s current helpless state satisfied her dark resentment.
“Then you’d better keep your word.”
The familiar voice reached Song Chan’s ears. Song Chan quickly looked up, and the next second, her hand was grabbed.
Zhong Xin’s personality was as sharp and flamboyant as her beauty.
At this moment, she looked at the astonished Ran Jiayu and said rather rudely, “Since you admit you’re not pretty, then stop bothering others with all these questions. Song Chan isn’t a magic mirror; how would she know what kind of monster you are?”
Ran Jiayu looked flustered. “When did I ask her about this?”
But no one in the crowd cared about the truth anymore.
“Look, it’s Zhong Xin! The girl who gave the speech on the stage just now.”
“She’s really beautiful up close.”
“Come on, come on, a little closer.”
…
The hushed voices continued to drift over, and passing students couldn’t help but stop, pretending to join the crowd, to see the legendary new, beautiful transfer student.
Ran Jiayu bit her lip, feeling like a pathetic little cockroach compared to Zhong Xin—dull and shriveled.
Song Chan felt a strange, inexplicable sensation.
Hearing the hushed praises and shining eyes of those around her, she felt a sense of pride standing before Zhong Xin.
Meanwhile, Ran Jiayu, still harboring resentment over Fang Qie’s comment about Song Chan’s appearance yesterday, had come to seek revenge. This self-conscious Ran Jiayu had been defeated without a fight in front of Zhong Xin.
Song Chan suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction!
So beauty is a weapon. There really are people in this world who, simply by standing there, have already achieved complete victory.
Zhong Xin was that kind of girl.
And that kind of girl was her daughter!
Zhong Xin knew Song Chan was looking at her, but she dared not look down at her, afraid that if she met her mother’s eyes, she would burst into tears. This wasn’t surprising; she had been a mama’s girl since childhood.
Zhong Xin, her face stern, pulled Song Chan behind her and pointed at Ran Jiayu, loudly questioning, “I heard you just said behind my back that I’m like a catfish?”
Zhong Xin clearly had many admirers, and they feigned surprise upon hearing this.
“What? You said Zhong Xin is like a catfish?”
“That’s outrageous!”
“Then what kind of monster is she?”
…
Ran Jiayu and Qiao Yuanyuan looked ashamed and indignant, stammering for a long time.
Zhong Xin, however, wouldn’t give up, pressing closer, “You said I’m like a catfish, didn’t you! Huh? How could you slander a mother’s daughter like that in front of her! How hurt she must be! Don’t you have mothers yourselves?! Don’t you feel sorry for your own mothers?! Enough is enough! How can there be such rude people in the world! Did your parents even teach you anything?!!”
Whoever let these two hurt Song Chan, whoever made Song Chan feel bad, she would go crazy for them.
Seeing Zhong Xin about to explode, Song Chan sensed something was wrong and quickly tried to stop her.
But then she heard a whisper beside her.
“It’s that crazy beauty.”
“I love her even more now.”
Song Chan:?