9 – Don’t even know to be gentler with girls
When studying, Fu Yao never allowed herself to be careless. She remained highly focused, doing exactly what needed to be done. In fact, she quite enjoyed the feeling of setting aside all emotions during class and immersing herself wholeheartedly in learning.
It allowed her to escape many things.
Many boys and girls around her would secretly glance her way. Her already beautiful posture naturally straightened while reading, her eyes carrying a hint of ease. The girl’s voice was like a refreshing spring nourishing a parched land, her clear and melodious reading voice exceptionally soothing.
If not for her movements being so natural and agile, everyone would have thought she was doing it on purpose—like a swan, pure and elegant, creating a sense of distance while also feeling approachable.
Beside her, Jin Zhi was extremely agitated. Although he usually studied diligently, his mind was now in turmoil, unable to focus on learning at all.
Glancing at Fu Yao from time to time only made his heart more chaotic.
She had left so decisively back then. He had begged her not to go, but she had insisted on leaving. And now she was back.
Why?
This filled his mind with all sorts of complex questions and clarity, leaving him with no desire to study at all.
Finally, the bell rang for the end of class. The morning reading break, designed to give students time to eat breakfast, lasted twenty minutes.
As usual, Jin Zhi took out a tattered bag and prepared to leave.
Someone sneered, “Is the thief going to steal something or pick up trash this time? Hahaha!”
Jin Zhi had heard such remarks countless times, but he had never retorted. He disliked interacting with people and never paid attention to such boring individuals. As long as they didn’t approach him, he didn’t care.
But now, it was different. Hearing such words spoken in front of her made him feel utterly ashamed.
He wanted to speak up and refute it, but his voice failed him.
He could only glare darkly at the one who had spoken—Su Hangyi, the most unruly boy in the class.
Su Hangyi was rarely acknowledged by Jin Zhi. Now, being stared at like this reminded him of some unpleasant memories, leaving his body unsure of what to do next.
Fu Yao’s eyes were fixed only on Jin Zhi. She saw the angry red behind him threatening to consume him entirely, and her heart sank.
She knew Jin Zhi was deeply embarrassed now.
To ease the awkwardness, Fu Yao offered a practiced smile and reached out to shake Jin Zhi’s hand. “Hello, it’s been a long time—”
Seeing the slender, pale hand extended toward him, Jin Zhi felt as if a nerve had been violently struck.
A devil inside him seemed to whisper: Don’t let anyone get close to you.
In an instant, someone shouted:
“New student, be careful!”
Jin Zhi grabbed Fu Yao’s hand, which was now within reach, and bit down hard on her arm.
Instantly, the air grew still, and even breathing seemed to freeze.
Fu Yao felt an intense pain surge through her arm. The warm breath from the boy’s mouth brushed against the surface of her skin, and the color drained from her face as she gritted her teeth against the pain.
Only then did she notice a flicker of surprise in the boy’s eyes. The red behind him rapidly faded, replaced by shades of green and blue, representing guilt and sorrow.
The whites of his eyes were instantly streaked with blood vessels, and blood trickled down the curve of her arm and from his lips and teeth.
Drip…
It fell to the ground, faster and faster, unstoppable.
She had a piece of flesh bitten off, not large, but it hurt so much that she could barely maintain the smile she had worn on her face for eleven years.
Jin Zhi finally snapped back to reality, releasing his bite, his emotions more intense and complex than ever before.
“This is what you owe me. Don’t come near me!”
The boy’s voice was hoarse, as if torn apart. Though he shouted, it sounded feeble and powerless.
Like a misbehaving child who refused to admit his mistake, he grabbed his tattered bag and ran outside. Fu Yao saw clearly… the bag was stuffed full, clearly meant to be emptied out—it was definitely not for stealing or picking up trash.
But she couldn’t worry about that now. She quickly covered the wound where a small piece of flesh had been bitten off.
The other students were all terrified and gathered around Fu Yao.
Qin Ke supported Fu Yao worriedly, “Are you okay, new classmate? Let me take you to the infirmary.”
The other students were also deeply concerned.
Only Xu Jing’en remained seated in her spot, gritting her teeth as if unwilling to accept something.
And Su Hangyi, who had started the trouble in the first place, was scolded by the other students.
“You just had to provoke him, even though you knew he wasn’t normal. Now he took his anger out on the new classmate and bit her. Unbelievable! Last time you got close to him, he almost beat you to death. How can you have no memory of that?”
“Go apologize to the new classmate right now. A girl took the hit for you!”
Su Hangyi, hearing all this, also felt it was his fault and quickly went up to apologize to Fu Yao. “Fu Yao, I’m sorry… today’s incident is on me. But Jin Zhi is always like that, like a mad dog. No one can get close to him…”
Everyone thought Fu Yao would surely lose her composure in this situation and fly into a rage.
Instead, Fu Yao continued to wear a smile on her face, her complexion pale and weak, like a delicate beauty.
Her pleasant voice reached everyone’s ears:
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. The priority now is to treat the wound.”
Her smile was radiant, leaving everyone stunned. They couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—even after having a piece of flesh bitten off for no reason, she could still control her emotions. It seemed Fu Yao’s gentleness wasn’t an act; her temper was genuinely good!
She truly was a kind, beautiful little angel!
Many of the boys blushed at Fu Yao’s smile.
Fu Yao was helped by her classmates to the infirmary.
Along the way, the large group attracted many onlookers.
Fu Yao’s appearance was truly eye-catching.
Now everyone knew—a stunning beauty had transferred to Class A of the twelfth grade.
…
When Fu Yao arrived at the infirmary, even the teacher there couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of her wound.
“How did this happen? Did a dog bite you? Have you gotten a rabies shot? This is serious—the flesh is exposed. It needs stitches! Should I call your parents to take you to the hospital? I can only give you basic treatment here.”
Fu Yao smiled, avoiding the source of the wound, and said, “It’s fine, teacher. Please treat the wound first.”
The teacher took one look, her expression clearly spelling out “horrifying,” and said, “Alright, I’ll go get the medicine.”
Once the teacher turned to fetch the medicine, Fu Yao glanced at the classmates who had accompanied her to the infirmary.
“I’m fine, I’ll go to the hospital later. You all should head back to class first, don’t let this delay you.”
Qin Ke asked repeatedly, “Are you really okay?”
Fu Yao nodded, “I’m fine, go on, go on.”
Only then did the group reluctantly leave, glancing back every few steps, still deeply concerned.
After everyone left, the infirmary grew much quieter.
Fu Yao looked at the bloody wound on her hand, then glanced at the faint row of teeth marks still visible on the back of her hand. She couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, muttering to herself:
“After all these years, you still bite. You could at least be gentler with a girl.”