“If you want to act like a young master, why don’t you go home? Do you have to show off here?” Han Shixu finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
Pei Jize looked at him with a puzzled expression, then after two seconds, he laughed with an air of nonchalance. “Are you on the wrong medication today, or did I poach your nanny? Why are you so angry?”
“…”
The classroom was too quiet.
Even Yin Meiyan had fallen silent.
No one expected Pei Jize to confront Han Shixu so openly, and in such an insulting manner.
Only Jing Yuanxi chuckled softly. “Pei Jize, what about the other banner?”
“What other banner? Are you saying I should hang the one from that police officer on me too?”
Pei Jize instantly widened his eyes and looked at the girl, taking two steps toward her. “Don’t push your luck. I’ve been letting you off only because you’re pretty!”
“You don’t want to? Then what’s all this talk about sincerity?” Jing Yuanxi curled her lips into a smile, her eyes sparkling. “If you want to express your sincerity, you have to listen to me.”
Pei Jize stared at her smiling face, completely helpless.
He muttered something incoherently. “Your mother is really beautiful.”
“She’s a famous beauty,” Jing Yuanxi replied.
“Fine, for your mother’s sake,” Pei Jize said, returning to his seat with a grin. “But I already threw that banner away. I can make you a new one.”
“Exactly the same?”
“Mhm.”
As Pei Jize returned to his seat, Han Shixu also sat down, and the tension in the classroom eased considerably.
The students stopped whispering and discussing among themselves, instead quickly typing on their phones.
Song Enya, sitting at her desk, could occasionally feel the unfriendly glances from those around her. Each time, she glared back coldly.
This silent standoff continued until the afternoon, when Yin Meiyan led a group to surround Song Enya’s desk.
Seeing this, Jin Mingzhen, Ren Haitang, and the others inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, lowering their heads and trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
“Splash, splash—”
Jin Mingzhu giggled as she poured a large cup of water onto the floor. Li Chengshuo, following behind, threw a mop over.
No one caught it, and the mop clattered to the ground under the desk.
“This kind of work suits you better. Here, you do it,” Yin Meiyan said, kicking the floor lightly.
Song Enya looked up from her book expressionlessly. “Why? What does this have to do with me?”
Yin Meiyan immediately wore an amused expression, saying casually, “Isn’t this what your family does? Of course, it’s your job.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Refuse?” Yin Meiyan raised an eyebrow, and a girl with unusually strong strength dragged Song Enya off her chair.
As she stumbled, she saw the name tag on the girl’s chest read “Gao Yi.” Then she was thrown heavily to the floor.
Her exposed skin scraped against the floor, instantly turning red.
Just as Song Enya tried to get up, Gao Yi pushed her back down. “What’s wrong with all of you?!”
She struggled violently, but the other girl remained unmoved.
As if they had found a shared toy, Jin Mingzhu and the others completely forgot Yin Meiyan’s earlier harsh treatment of them, laughing uncontrollably nearby.
Yin Meiyan casually flipped through a few pages of Song Enya’s notebook filled with notes on mistakes, pretending to be curious. “So diligent. Are you trying to get good grades?”
“True, your family is so poor. Now that you’ve finally gotten into Di’an International, of course you want to use it to get into a prestigious university. After all, our school’s resources are top-notch.”
Under Song Enya’s furious gaze, Yin Meiyan directly took out lipstick and wrote a large “D” on the mistake correction notebook.
“What a pity, you’re D-Sequence, born to be a maid.”
Yin Meiyan carelessly threw the notebook onto the desk, then smugly clasped her hands behind her back and led the way out.
“Let’s go, we’ll see how our new classmate’s hands-on skills are at the secret base.”
Song Enya was half-pushed, half-dragged out by Gao Yi. She saw Ren Haitang almost burying her head in the desk, along with several others wearing similarly cowering expressions.
A few people in the front rows remained seated without turning around, Han Shixu conspicuously among them.
Bai Huina did look back, but her expression was full of mockery.
“What’s going on? If you’re going to the restroom, at least bring the mop. How else is she supposed to clean?” Li Chengshuo said with a smile, kicking the mop over.
Just as another person was about to pick up the mop, Jin Mingzhu stepped on it with a laugh.
She looked at Song Enya with an innocent face, “Classmate Enya must be very familiar with these things, right? You don’t need tools, do you? Don’t you have hands?”
Yin Meiyan, who had stopped walking ahead, couldn’t help but laugh too, “That’s right, just go empty-handed. If it really doesn’t work, she still has her clothes.”
Song Enya, eyes red, was forcibly dragged out of the classroom. A group of people followed behind to watch the spectacle, some even filming videos with their phones.
With their departure, the classroom instantly became much quieter.
Bai Huina glanced at Jing Yuanxi, then at Han Shixu, and took the initiative to speak, “Shixuan, let’s go to the office together. I need to help Yuanxi submit forms, and don’t you have homework to hand in too?”
Kong Shixuan adjusted his glasses and gave a soft “Mm.”
It wasn’t until Bai Huina reached the podium that she remembered there was still someone else. Turning around, she saw Pei Jize indeed still sitting beside Jing Yuanxi.
“Pei Jize, I can’t carry all this. Can you help me?”
Pei Jize coldly rolled his eyes and ignored her.
Bai Huina directly shoved half of what she was holding into his hands. Pei Jize immediately looked ready to explode.
“Don’t throw it! These are the forms Yuanxi needs to submit,” Bai Huina cried out anxiously, her eyes signaling towards the side.
Pei Jize glanced at the girl looking over and reluctantly weighed the items in his hand, “Just a few pieces of paper? Are you that delicate? I’m very busy.”
“Please, please.”
“Such a nuisance. I’ll help you this once. Don’t come to me next time.”
In the end, Pei Jize was still dragged away by Bai Huina.
Jin Mingzhen and a few others were perceptive. After they left, they immediately packed up and left too.
The classroom suddenly became even emptier. Only two people remained: one sitting in a seat by the window aisle, the other in a seat by the middle aisle.
Although in the same row, both were silently staring straight ahead, not exchanging a single glance.
In just this short while, the weather outside turned from sunny to overcast, with large swathes of dark clouds churning in the distant sky.
“Go help her. You know how ruthless Yin Meiyan can be when she targets someone.”
Jing Yuanxi lifted her lips into a smile, seemingly genuinely concerned for Song Enya, “Actually, you’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t you? As a friend, standing by and watching coldly is very hurtful.”
Han Shixu still stared fixedly ahead without glancing aside.
He knew he couldn’t go.
Back then, because of the engagement, Yin Meiyan hated him to death. Even Jing Yuanxi and Jin Mingzhu were targeted by Yin Meiyan from time to time because of this.
Now, Yin Meiyan was just trying to bully someone out of a difference in status. But if he stepped forward to help Song Enya, she would truly be doomed beyond redemption.
The curve of Jing Yuanxi’s lips remained unchanged, but the smile on her face gradually turned cold. “If you don’t help her, just wait and watch her follow in He Zhiyuan’s footsteps!”
“Clang—”
Han Shixu abruptly stood up and walked out. His expression was terrifyingly calm. “I don’t know her. Don’t overthink it.”
Staring at his retreating figure, Jing Yuanxi’s eyelids trembled, and her tightly clenched fist slowly loosened.
She slowly curved her lips into a smile.
The more they tried to distance themselves, the more they tried to hide, the more she would expose them under everyone’s gaze!