4:30 a.m.
Father Pei, who had just fallen asleep not long ago and was woken up by the noise, stood in the living room downstairs, staring wide-eyed at Pei Yu.
Father Pei rubbed his aching temples. “Lili can’t play with you today.”
“Why?” Pei Yu frowned, pursed his lips, looking utterly confused.
Father Pei: “She has to go to kindergarten.”
“I’ll go too,” Pei Yu said without hesitation.
“You can’t,” Father Pei explained patiently. “The kindergarten can’t accept children like you for now.”
Actually, that wasn’t the main reason.
From what Father Pei knew, Shen Lishu, as the winner of the Most Popular Award in the Sakura Class for three consecutive semesters, had many children her age who loved to stick around and play with her.
Under such circumstances, sending Pei Yu to kindergarten with Shen Lishu now would only lead to unpredictable trouble.
A rare look of urgency flashed across Pei Yu’s face, but it disappeared quickly.
He looked up at Father Pei again. “What do I need to do to go to kindergarten with her?”
Father Pei raised an eyebrow and stated clearly, “Cooperate with the doctor for treatment. When he agrees, you can go.”
Pei Yu: “Deal.”
After the conversation, Pei Yu turned and walked up to the third floor, stopping before the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
This was the best spot to overlook the gate of the neighboring house. Pei Yu stood there motionless, silently waiting until 8:30 a.m.
A bright yellow school bus arrived on time and stopped at the wrought-iron gate next door.
The next moment, a small figure appeared in Pei Yu’s line of sight.
Within a minute, the small figure disappeared.
Watching the bright yellow bus slowly drive away, Pei Yu’s eyes darkened, lost in thought.
.
Half an hour later.
“Shen Lishu, you’re finally here.”
“Shen Lishu, I asked my mom to bake me a little cake. Try it, do you like it?”
“…”
As soon as Shen Lishu entered the classroom, even before she reached her seat, she was surrounded by several children.
By the time she finally made it to her seat, Shen Lishu’s desk was already piled high with all sorts of things.
Shen Lishu patiently and politely returned each item one by one.
Seeing that their gifts were once again rejected, the surrounding children didn’t seem upset.
Shen Lishu took her small water bottle out of her backpack and placed it in the top right corner of her desk.
“Lu Huaichuan, since Shen Lishu doesn’t want your cake, can I try it?” one child asked, eyeing the small cake sprinkled with rainbow-colored sugar on Lu Huaichuan’s desk, drooling with envy.
Lu Huaichuan generously shared it.
Then, Lu Huaichuan added mysteriously, “I heard from my mom that a new student is transferring here today.”
His mother was a representative of the parents’ committee, so she naturally knew about certain things at the kindergarten earlier than others.
As soon as he said this, it immediately piqued the curiosity of the surrounding children.
Even Shen Lishu was no exception.
Seeing Shen Lishu also looking over, Lu Huaichuan eagerly spilled everything he knew.
“He seems to be Xie Siran’s older brother. I forgot his name.”
Hearing that he was Xie Siran’s older brother, many children lost interest in the new student who was about to transfer in.
Xie Siran was famously the little tyrant of the Sakura Class, often snatching toys and snacks from other students and pulling the pigtails of the girls.
As Lu Huaichuan had said, before the first class began, the teacher led a newly transferred student onto the podium.
“Children, our Sakura Class welcomes another new member today. His name is Xie Changyan. Let’s give him a warm welcome,” the teacher introduced enthusiastically.
The news that the new student was Xie Siran’s older brother had already spread throughout the class, so the children clapped half-heartedly.
Amidst the scattered applause, one particularly cheerful clapping sound grew increasingly noticeable.
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.
Shen Lishu smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, sparkling brightly as she clapped her hands vigorously.
Seeing how warmly Shen Lishu welcomed the new student, many of the children felt less resistant toward Xie Siran’s older brother.
The teacher observed everything, and when her gaze fell upon Shen Lishu, her expression softened considerably. She continued, “Xie Changyan, please introduce yourself.”
Xie Changyan’s bangs were somewhat long, hanging over his eyes, making him appear particularly gloomy.
He remained silent, looking down at the class.
The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward, but the teacher quickly smoothed things over. “It seems our new student is a bit shy. Everyone, please take good care of him.”
All the children in Sakura Class shared one long table.
For this reason, the teacher specifically arranged for Xie Changyan to sit next to Shen Lishu.
“Lili, can I entrust you with the task of helping our new student settle in?”
Shen Lishu was not only popular among her peers but also particularly well-liked by the teachers in Sakura Class.
Who wouldn’t adore a child with a gentle personality, always willing to help, polite, supportive, and as delicate as a porcelain doll?
Shen Lishu nodded. “Okay.”
This arrangement was also intentional on the teacher’s part. She noticed that Xie Changyan seemed introverted and, as a new transfer, would likely struggle to fit in on his own.
The teacher thought that with Shen Lishu’s help, things might go more smoothly.
Throughout the morning, Xie Changyan remained as quiet and reserved as before.
During this time, Shen Lishu had actively tried to talk to Xie Changyan or share picture books and toys with him.
But Xie Changyan acted as if he couldn’t hear her, completely ignoring her and sitting silently in his seat.
Shen Lishu didn’t take it to heart, but the other children who enjoyed playing with her grew even more resentful toward Xie Changyan.
The new student had no manners at all and was just putting on airs.
Every day at kindergarten included over forty minutes of nap time, followed by an outdoor class.
Today’s outdoor activity was planting strawberries, which not only cultivated the children’s hands-on skills but also enhanced their understanding of life.
The strawberry seedlings placed on the small cart were lush and green, with a few even blooming with small white flowers.
“Children, line up to collect your strawberry seedlings,” the teacher called out gently.
Soon, a line of little children formed in front of the cart.
Only Xie Changyan remained seated in his spot, still out of place.
Looking at Xie Changyan, Shen Lishu suddenly remembered her new friend Pei Yu, whom she had befriended just last Friday.
When he was alone at home, did he feel lonely too?
Soon, it was Shen Lishu’s turn. “Teacher, can I collect a strawberry seedling for Xie Changyan too?”
The teacher nodded with a smile. “Of course you can.”
During the transportation of the strawberry seedlings, the teachers encountered a minor accident, causing significant damage to the last row of seedlings on the cart.
The most severely affected plant had more than half of its branches and leaves broken.
The teachers didn’t pay much attention to it, as they always prepared extra materials to avoid such mishaps. The damaged seedlings could simply be discarded later.
Shen Lishu first selected the healthiest-looking strawberry seedling from the cart, then took the most severely damaged one from the last row.
“Lili, we have plenty of strawberry seedlings, and the other children can still get undamaged ones,” the teacher quickly advised.
Shen Lishu tilted her head, two shallow dimples appearing at the corners of her lips. “I know.”
“But I want this one.”
Even if it wasn’t perfect.
The teacher was taken aback.
After retrieving the two strawberry seedlings, Shen Lishu placed the healthiest one in front of Xie Changyan without saying a word, then prepared to rescue the damaged seedling.
However, as soon as she sat down, Xie Siran approached her, followed by three little followers.
“Shen Lishu, I forbid you from helping Xie Changyan again,” Xie Siran said fiercely.
Truth be told, he had long disliked Shen Lishu.
Not only was she popular among the other children, but the teachers also favored her, completely overshadowing the attention Xie Siran craved.
Shen Lishu gave him a puzzled look, her brows slightly furrowed.
“If I see you helping him again, I’ll hit you every time I catch you,” Xie Siran threatened, raising a fist as big as a sandbag.
His followers clenched their fists and echoed, “Did you hear what our boss said?”
Though these children were unruly, they were still afraid of the teachers at this age.
Seeing that the strawberry seedlings were almost all distributed and fearing the teachers might notice, Xie Siran quickly led his followers away.
Shen Lishu watched their retreating figures, lost in thought.
When she turned back, she found Xie Changyan staring coldly at her.
Shen Lishu wiped her face and asked curiously, “Is there something dirty on my face?”
“Stay away from me,” Xie Changyan said coldly. “I don’t need your pity.”
Sooner or later, it would be taken back anyway.
Better to never have it from the start.
The strawberry seedlings were currently planted in grow bags and needed to be transplanted into small pots.
The teacher explained the process in great detail.
With mutual assistance, the children completed the task quite well.
If they encountered any difficulties they couldn’t solve, the teachers stepped in to help.
After planting and labeling the pots with their names, the children lined up to place them on the outdoor shelf.
“Children, let’s go wash our hands.”
Shen Lishu, who was also about to wash her hands, changed her mind when she saw the teacher pushing the cart away.
“Teacher Zhang.”
Hearing Shen Lishu call her, Teacher Zhang stopped, turned around, and bent down kindly. “Lili, what is it?”
“Are these going to be thrown away?” Shen Lishu asked softly.
The extra undamaged strawberry seedlings had been casually planted in the flowerbeds by the teachers.
But the damaged ones couldn’t be treated the same way—without careful care, they would eventually wither even if planted in the flowerbeds.
Seeing Teacher Zhang nod, Shen Lishu blinked her eyes. “Can I have them?”
Teacher Zhang: “Lili, do you want to take them home to plant?”
Shen Lishu nodded.
“Of course you can,” Teacher Zhang said with a smile. “But they might not survive.”
Shen Lishu pursed her lips and smiled. “It’s okay.”
Since Shen Lishu wanted them, Teacher Zhang placed the strawberry seedlings with the school bus driver in advance. After the school bus dropped Shen Lishu off at home, they would be handed over to her.
After this delay, by the time Shen Lishu reached the restroom at the end of the hallway, most of the children had already returned to their classrooms.
“Bang—”
A loud noise suddenly erupted from behind, followed by the sound of shattering glass.
Shen Lishu was startled, her eyes widening instinctively.
Before she could even turn around to look, she heard Xie Siran’s domineering voice from inside: “Later, tell the teacher that you broke the window, got it?”
At the shared sink area, Xie Changyan stared at Xie Siran with a gloomy expression.
“Xie Changyan, are you mute?” Xie Siran demanded angrily.
He hated how Xie Changyan never said a word, no matter how much he was provoked.
One of Xie Siran’s lackeys chimed in: “Boss, there are only a few of us here anyway. If we all insist that Xie Changyan did it, he’ll definitely agree.”
Xie Siran thought about it and found it somewhat reasonable. He turned back to Xie Changyan. “You’d better cooperate when the time comes.”
With that, Xie Siran prepared to leave with his followers.
However, as soon as they turned the corner, they saw Shen Lishu standing there.
“How much did you overhear?” Xie Siran frowned and asked threateningly.
Shen Lishu pressed her lips tightly together. “I heard everything.”
Since threatening Xie Changyan was already part of the plan, adding Shen Lishu to the mix wouldn’t make much difference.
“Then you’d better behave, or else I—”
Before Xie Siran could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by an anxious voice from nearby.
“What happened?” The teachers had heard the noise and were already rushing over. “Is anyone hurt?”
The children in the kindergarten were all quite young, and the teachers’ job was to supervise and care for them. If an injury occurred, they would be held responsible.
Seeing the teachers hurrying over, Xie Siran immediately played the victim and accused Xie Changyan: “Xie Changyan was playing with a basketball at the sink and accidentally broke the window.”
It wasn’t that the teachers were biased against Xie Siran and his friends.
But usually, such mischievous incidents only involved them in the entire kindergarten.
Adhering to the principle of not jumping to conclusions, the teachers turned their attention to Shen Lishu.
Teacher Zhang softened her voice and asked kindly, “Lili, can you tell the teachers what you know about what happened?”
Before Shen Lishu could answer, Xie Siran shot her a threatening glare.
Just then, Xie Changyan walked out from inside and said gloomily, word by word, “I did it.”
The teachers were taken aback, sensing something odd about the situation.
In truth, Xie Changyan was used to it. After all, this was Xie Siran’s usual tactic.
No matter the truth, people always believed Xie Siran.
“No, that’s not what happened,” Shen Lishu said seriously, her voice firm.
In the teachers’ eyes, among all the children present, Shen Lishu was the most trustworthy.
Xie Changyan coldly rebuked, “Didn’t I tell you not to meddle in other people’s business?”
Shen Lishu simply stared steadily at the teachers: “The window was broken by Xie Siran, and he threatened Xie Changyan to take the blame for him.”
“Are you determined to ruin things for me?” Xie Siran, accustomed to bullying others since childhood, was unusually furious at encountering resistance.
He immediately rolled up his sleeves to hit Shen Lishu.
“Student Xie Siran,” Teacher Zhang sternly reprimanded, “We will report everything that happened today to your father.”
At the mention of his father, Xie Siran, who had never feared anything before, instantly backed down.
“Lili, take the new classmate back first,” Teacher Zhang turned and spoke gently to Shen Lishu. “The class is handing out today’s snacks.”
Shen Lishu obediently nodded, “Okay.”
On the way back, one behind the other, Xie Changyan spoke in a low voice, “Why bother?”
“What good does it do you to offend Xie Siran?”
Shen Lishu, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and looked at Xie Changyan: “This is very important to me.”
Xie Changyan was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but let out a self-mocking laugh, lowering his eyes: “Children like me, who grew up without a mother’s protection, are like this—easy targets for anyone to bully.”