The carriage rolled forward slowly. Meng Xueran poked his head out, gazing back with a lingering reluctance, and discovered that Mei Jinshu was also looking at him. Suddenly, he felt a warm and joyful sensation in his heart.
So this was what it felt like to be cared for. There was still someone in this world who genuinely cared about him. Although his adoptive father had a bad temper and they had a verbal spat just last night, resulting in him taking a kick, his adoptive father would still coax him, look for him, and apologize to him.
Days like this made him feel that he was no longer a heartless and emotionless puppet.
“What are you thinking about, young master?” Mei Shiyi waved a hand in front of his eyes, holding up a packed food box as he spoke. “Would you like to eat something first?”
Meng Xueran said, “I ate a bit too much last night, so I will save it for lunch.”
Mei Shiyi said, “I heard you threw a temper tantrum with My Lord again last night?”
“Ah? This. Well, actually, it was a one-sided beating on my part.” Meng Xueran let out a dry laugh. Indeed, good news never leaves the door, while scandalous news travels a thousand miles. “Who did you hear that from?”
Mei Shiyi answered with complete candor, “All the night-patrolling servants in the Prime Minister’s Estate saw it last night, so they probably all know by now.”
Meng Xueran said, “How embarrassing. I will never quarrel with my adoptive father again. I cannot win an argument anyway, and I only end up getting beaten. Shiyi, do you think they will laugh at me behind my back?”
“Pfft!” Mei Shiyi shook his head and said, “No, they only view the young master as a child.”
Sure enough, it had turned into a joke. In the Prime Minister’s Estate, Shiyi was the only one close to his age, though still four years older than him. Fortunately, they could actually talk. As for the group of senior female students at the academy, aside from Bu Jinwu, most of them seemed decent enough.
He needed to figure out how to handle that arrogant and domineering princess, Bu Jinwu, otherwise he would end up being bullied to death by her in the future.
His adoptive father had said that if she bullied him again, he could retaliate. But the princess was a female, so he obviously could not raise his hands against a woman. As he pondered this, he happened to notice vendors setting up their stalls along the market street.
“Wait!” Meng Xueran called out to the coachman, stepped down from the carriage, and said, “Wait here for me, I will be right back.”
Mei Shiyi asked, “Where is the young master going?”
Meng Xueran said, “To buy something for self-defense.”
Mei Shiyi said, “Then I will go with you.”
The two rushed into the market, took a quick sweep, stashed the purchased item into their travel bags, and hurried toward the academy.
Ever since he was bullied by Bu Jinwu and her group last time, Mei Shiyi had also kept his guard up, constantly monitoring his movements. After half a day of lessons, everything was unusually calm.
Something was wrong. Extremely wrong!
Meng Xueran glanced sideways at Bu Jinwu and noticed that she was indeed observing him in secret, likely brewing some malicious scheme. He saw right through those little tricks of hers. Fortunately, Qu Jingzhu was personally teaching today, so the girl did not dare act recklessly.
Three chimes of the bell signaled the end of the class.
“The morning lessons end here. Arrange your time freely, and do not be late for noon.” Qu Jingzhu tidied up her scrolls and turned to leave.
The crowd dispersed. Seeing that he had not been targeted yet, Meng Xueran hurriedly grabbed his book bag and followed behind a group of people to leave. Just as he was about to step out, the main doors slammed shut with a loud bang.
Bu Jinwu circled around from behind to block his path, teasing, “Where are you in such a hurry to go?”
Meng Xueran said, “I am tired and want to rest. Please make way, Princess, or you can go first.”
“You little pockmarked brat, why are you so impervious to reason?” Bu Jinwu put her hands on her hips, striking an arrogant and lofty posture. Though she was quite pretty, her personality was truly overbearing. “Speak, are you avoiding me?”
Meng Xueran shook his head and said, “No. Are we even that close?”
“So clueless.” Bu Jinwu leaned in closer, narrowing her eyes with a mischievous smile, as if issuing a mission. “How about this? You agree to one thing for me, and I will not give you a hard time today.”
As expected, she was not planning anything good. Only a fool would agree. Meng Xueran shook his head, turned around, and sat back down at his desk. Since she would not let him leave, he would just wear her down.
It was the first time Bu Jinwu had ever been publicly snubbed, and she instantly grew displeased. Walking up to his side, she said, “This Princess is kindly giving you an opportunity; do not be ungrateful.”
Meng Xueran asked, “What opportunity? Let us hear it.”
“It is just a very simple matter.” She spoke righteously, motioning for Baitang, who stood behind her, to take out a set of female academy robes from the Fanghua Academy and toss them onto the desk with a blatant command. “Put these on today, and I will not hold anything against you.”
“What?” Meng Xueran’s face darkened instantly, his suppressed anger bubbling up and threatening to erupt. When his adoptive father sent him to Fanghua Academy, he explicitly stated that he needed to interact more with girls and get along harmoniously to appreciate their good qualities.
Yet this princess treated him entirely as a source of amusement, doing nothing but bully and pick fights with him.
Meng Xueran tossed the goose-yellow and pink garment back to Baitang. Trying his best to suppress his temper, he said, “I will not wear this. I ask that the Princess refrain from abusing her power.”
“Is it just because Fanghua Academy has gained one male student that I must be ordered around and bullied by you, Princess?”
“And why not?” Bu Jinwu said resentfully. “Since this is a girls’ academy, you should wear the female uniform.”
“Unless you are here to find a wife!”
“How about Baitang?”
Laughter immediately erupted all around. The students pointed at Meng Xueran, mocking him for trying to climb high into the Prime Minister’s favor and using him for entertainment, everyone except Baitang, who stood in place clutching the clothes.
Bu Jinwu laughed maliciously and pushed Baitang, who was keeping her head lowered, right toward him.
Unable to tolerate any longer, Meng Xueran shoved Bu Jinwu aside and angrily snapped, “Dean Qu teaches without discrimination and established the Fanghua Academy so that daughters from your noble and prominent families could learn to read, broaden their horizons, and cultivate their minds. I was likewise entrusted by the Prime Minister and placed in Fanghua Academy by Dean Qu. If any of you are dissatisfied, you are welcome to find Dean Qu and have me driven out of Fanghua Academy!”
“Does the Princess think her face is bigger than the Prime Minister’s?”
“Having a good father and a good family background gives you the right to wantonly bully others?”
“You, you little pockmarked brat, are you lecturing this Princess?” Feeling she was in the wrong yet unwilling to yield, Bu Jinwu had never encountered anyone who would fight back against her like this. “Fork-tongued wretch, I am going to teach you a lesson today!”
Frightened, Baitang hurriedly tried to dissuade her: “Princess, do not do this. If this blows up, you will be implicated too. Let us just drop it.”
“Step aside, you useless thing.” Bu Jinwu pulled a long, slender whip out of her book bag, flicked it open, and lashed it toward Meng Xueran. Accustomed to her tyrannical ways, she always had her father and the old Empress Dowager to back her up no matter how much trouble she stirred, which was why she acted so unbridled.
Realizing she was dead serious, Meng Xueran clutched his book bag and scrambled backward. As the first strike fell, he nimbly dodged it. The two chased and evaded each other, knocking over a large expanse of desks and chairs while onlookers scattered or watched the spectacle with amusement.
“Stop right there, you ugly monster!”
“Only a fool would stand still and let you hit him!”
Panting from the chase, Bu Jinwu had not managed to land a single blow, which only made her angrier.
Seeing that the timing was right, Meng Xueran closed in on her and abruptly pulled a brightly colored snake out of his book bag. Terrified, Bu Jinwu fell flat on her backside and let out a piercing scream.
“Ahhh! Take it away! Get away.” Bu Jinwu shrieked, but Meng Xueran grabbed her by the neck as the snake inched closer to her face, freezing her entire body in terror.
Meng Xueran said, “This is a venomous snake. If it bites you, your face will ulcerate and fester, causing a pain like a myriad of ants gnawing at your flesh. Even if it heals, it will leave scars, making you far uglier than a pockmarked brat like me.”
“You, do not, do not do anything reckless. Ah!”
“That depends entirely on the Princess.”
“I will not bully you anymore. Take it away!”
The cold snake scales slithered across her cheek. Terrified to the point of tears, Bu Jinwu lost all her earlier arrogance. Meng Xueran pulled the snake on his wrist back a bit; its vibrant colors really made it look like a venomous snake, and as long as it could scare people, it was a good snake.
“Hey!” Bu Jinwu stammered. “I said I will not bully you anymore. Let go.”
Meng Xueran released her and warned, “I hope the Princess keeps her word, otherwise I do not mind dragging you down with me in a mutual destruction.”
“You lunatic!” Cursing under her breath, Bu Jinwu was helped back to her feet. Even though she was furious, she had no choice but to swallow her anger. How could she possibly dare to seriously lock horns with a madman? Her legs were still trembling as she left.
Having resolved the trouble before him, Meng Xueran felt a huge weight lift off his chest. He stepped out of the classroom with a lightened mood, figuring that no one would easily provoke him from now on, since he genuinely wanted to study properly.
When he returned to the students’ resting quarters, Mei Shiyi had already prepared lunch for him and asked with intense curiosity, “Did the Princess give you trouble today? Did you manage to scare her?”
Meng Xueran nodded and said, “Scared her off. I should be able to live in peace from now on.”
Mei Shiyi said, “That is good.”
Knock, knock, knock. A soft knock came from the doorway.
Mei Shiyi asked, “Who is it?”
“It is me.” Baitang poked her head in, peered around cautiously, and stood at the threshold to ask, “Mei Jiu, may I come in and speak?”
Meng Xueran said, “Come in.”
Baitang said, “You scared the Princess earlier. Please, Mei Jiu, can you give that snake to me? Do not worry, I will not hurt it at all; I just want to set it free.”
“You came all this way just for this?” Meng Xueran took out the snake, clearly noticing Baitang’s body tremble slightly. Obviously, she was terrified of it too, yet why did she always obey Bu Jinwu?
“Did someone force you to come?”
“It was Bu Jinwu, was it not? Why do you let her bully you and still do her bidding?”
“I, I volunteered.” Tears welled up in Baitang’s eyes, spilling over in an instant. Submissive and cautious, that feeling of silently enduring grievances was something Meng Xueran understood all too well.
“Please, Mei Jiu.”
“Do not cry. I will give it to you.”
“Thank you, Mei Jiu!”
“No need to thank me, I was going to set it free anyway.” Meng Xueran packed the snake into a box and handed it to her.