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Si Tingyan was lying on Cheng Mi’s shoulder.
The pain from her collarbone was gone, replaced by his warm breath on it.
Before long, someone came up from downstairs. The sound of leather shoes on the stairs echoed in the stairwell, getting closer and closer. Cheng Mi was locked in Si Tingyan’s embrace. She told him: “Someone’s coming. Let’s go home.”
Si Tingyan didn’t listen to her.
The sound of leather shoes grew closer, finally appearing at the turn of the stairs on the third floor. It was a middle-aged man, humming a tune under his breath.
The man’s tune cut off in his mouth when he saw Si Tingyan and Cheng Mi in the corner. He looked at them with suspicion.
Cheng Mi’s body was confined by Si Tingyan, making it hard to breathe. She moved a little to get him to stop.
Si Tingyan wasn’t happy. His lips and teeth, which had stopped biting, covered her again.
This time, he didn’t bite, but the wet heat made Cheng Mi’s heart gasp in a cold rush.
Then, a faint sound of his lips separating from her skin was heard.
This soft, lingering sound was especially noticeable in the silent stairwell.
If Si Tingyan really wanted to get someone, Cheng Mi wasn’t sure she was his match.
She didn’t try to hide her face.
The man’s footsteps and gaze passed by them as he walked upstairs.
He didn’t let go of her until the man’s footsteps disappeared upstairs. Si Tingyan let go of her on his own, without her having to struggle.
Then, without even looking at her, he turned and went upstairs.
He was so vengeful that he wouldn’t let her have an easy time.
Cheng Mi stayed in place, watching his back. She followed him upstairs a few seconds later.
When she got home, Si Tingyan had already gone into his room. Cheng Mi didn’t look for him and went to her own room.
As she pushed the door open, the first thing she noticed was the scented candle on the table, which Li Chu had put there when she was staying in her room.
This time, when Li Chu went back to school, she didn’t take many of her things with her. There were still a few clothes on the chair.
Seeing things related to Li Chu naturally reminded her of the audio file online today.
The audio was posted from Li Chu’s account. It was obvious who made her post it. Only Chen Zhaochi had this audio.
Cheng Mi walked into the room, slowly went to the table, and took off the glass lid on the candle, placing it on the side.
She picked up the essential oil, dripped a few drops on the crystal, and the fragrance was invigorating.
When Li Chu was here, the room often had this scent.
At first, Cheng Mi thought she would buy something to help with sleep, but she ended up finding out it was a refreshing scent that made people wake up quickly in the morning.
Just like now, compared to when Si Tingyan was on her in the stairwell, Cheng Mi’s mind was a little clearer.
There was a slight bitter smell of ointment on her finger in the air.
She looked up at the mirror on the dressing table not far away.
The sky was gradually getting darker. The darkness wasn’t so thick that it couldn’t be broken. The entire city outside the window was soaked in a half-lit, half-dark chaos.
The room was the same. But even in this light, she could still see the red mark on her collarbone.
Cheng Mi suddenly remembered that she often had Si Tingyan’s marks on her body.
Before, it was the scar behind her ear. Si Tingyan seemed to have a soft spot for the scar behind her ear and had made it red twice.
It hadn’t faded for long, and now it was on her collarbone.
It was as if it had never stopped. She always had his mark on her.
Cheng Mi wasn’t worried. She walked to the mirror and dabbed on some foundation.
After she finished, she heard the sound of the door opening outside. It was Si Huiru coming home.
Cheng Mi picked up her phone and sent Li Chu a text message, not questioning her about the audio today.
[Don’t hang out with Chen Zhaochi.]
This text message naturally sank into the sea. Cheng Mi didn’t expect Li Chu to reply. She put her phone back on the table and went to her desk to do her homework.
________________________________________
The relationship between Cheng Mi and Si Tingyan didn’t improve at all because of the kiss in the stairwell.
She still didn’t try to provoke Si Tingyan, and Si Tingyan wasn’t the kind of person who would humbly follow her around.
Even though, in front of her, he had nothing left.
The next day at school, Cheng Yao still came to see her. He obviously didn’t tell Zheng Hongkai and the others about the kiss between her and Si Tingyan, otherwise the classroom wouldn’t be so calm right now. Zheng Hongkai, who was sleeping in the back, would have definitely told everyone.
Cheng Yao also didn’t mention it, as if he wasn’t the one who had witnessed them entangled by the window last night.
He joked around with Cheng Mi as usual and brought her breakfast.
Cheng Mi, in a familiar way, placed the food on Zheng Hongkai’s desk and smiled at Cheng Yao, who was by the window: “I keep telling you not to bring me breakfast. Or are you just addicted to bringing Zheng Hongkai breakfast?”
Every time, without exception, Cheng Yao’s stuff ended up in Zheng Hongkai’s stomach.
Cheng Yao looked at her. His expression seemed to be the same as usual, but it also seemed a little different: “It shouldn’t be that hard for you to eat a bite, right?”
The words didn’t seem to have any problems, but they also seemed to carry a prejudice.
It was like he was saying, since you can just kiss anyone, eating a bite of my breakfast shouldn’t be a problem either.
He didn’t say it outright, but everyone knew what he meant.
Cheng Mi was still smiling: “What do you mean it’s not hard for me to eat a bite?”
Cheng Yao smiled, as if he realized his words were a little harsh. He tried to make up for it: “Nothing, you’re just hard to get. It’s fine. I’ll keep bringing it until you’re willing to eat my breakfast.”
After class, Cheng Yao still came over, bringing a pile of snacks from the school store during the long break.
The feeling of hunger was the strongest during the long break. The group of boys snatched the snacks.
Cheng Mi was leaning against the window at the back of the classroom to get some fresh air and didn’t join in.
Cheng Yao leaned over and handed her a bottle of milk: “You really aren’t eating? Have some milk.”
Cheng Mi was propping up her chin and looking out the window. She turned her head and smiled politely at him: “I’m allergic to milk.”
Cheng Yao threw the milk back to the group of boys at Zheng Hongkai’s desk and asked her: “Then how about potato chips?”
Cheng Mi turned her head back: “They cause internal heat.”
Cheng Yao asked: “Are you still angry?”
“Angry about what?” Cheng Mi smiled and told the truth: “It’s not worth it.”
It really wasn’t worth it. There were too many people who were prejudiced against her.
If she cared about every one of them, her energy would be exhausted. Others had already made her life uncomfortable enough in this regard; she had to make her own life more comfortable.
It was after class. The classroom was a chaotic mess. When they saw Cheng Mi and Cheng Yao standing there, Zheng Hongkai and the others also came over after a while.
He was holding a can of Coke, had his girlfriend who had come to his classroom for a visit in his arms, and stood next to Cheng Mi.
The back of the classroom suddenly became crowded. Several boys were talking over each other. It seemed like they had a basketball game on the weekend and were all hyped up, saying they were going to crush the vocational high school next door.
Cheng Yao asked Cheng Mi: “Do you want to come with us on the weekend?”
Cheng Mi seemed to think about it, but she was really just saying whatever came to mind. Her attention wasn’t on them: “No, I have something to do.”
After she said that, Zheng Hongkai’s girlfriend, who had been whining in his arms, suddenly spoke up. She said: “Cheng Mi, what do you have to do? It’s not good for you to keep leading Cheng Yao on like this.”
Cheng Mi didn’t make a big movement. She turned her head, mimicking the girl’s fake smile, and looked at her: “Which eye did you use to see that I was leading him on?”
The girl was speechless by her question and choked for a moment.
Cheng Mi then propped up her chin and looked at Cheng Yao: “Did I?”
Cheng Mi knew that Cheng Yao was pursuing her relentlessly.
But she had never pretended not to know, or played hard to get. She had always directly shut down Cheng Yao’s ambiguous advances.
Before Cheng Yao could say anything, Zheng Hongkai’s girlfriend shot back: “How can you say you didn’t?”
The girl rolled her eyes: “You were just kissing Si Tingyan, so what are you pretending to be pure and single for?”
Cheng Mi’s eyes fell on her again.
The girl’s words floated out of her mouth, but they landed in the crowd like a boulder.
First, Zheng Hongkai. He was thoroughly choked by the Coke and coughed earth-shatteringly: “Is what you’re saying true?”
“Why would I lie?” The girl already didn’t like Cheng Mi and didn’t feel any guilt. “Yesterday afternoon, when you guys took her home, she went upstairs and was all lovey-dovey with Si Tingyan by the window.”
When a normal person hears such shocking news about someone they know, besides being surprised, they would definitely question it a little.
But Zheng Hongkai didn’t. His shock only lasted for a moment, and he quickly believed it.
He believed that Cheng Mi was the kind of person his girlfriend was talking about. Or, to be more accurate, in their eyes, Cheng Mi had always been that kind of promiscuous girl. They believed all the rumors about her.
Zheng Hongkai said to his girlfriend: “Holy sh*t, that was yesterday afternoon! Why didn’t you tell me?”
He didn’t even ask Cheng Mi, who was standing there, if it was true.
The girl pouted and snorted softly: “You were only thinking about playing games yesterday and made me go home. Why would I tell you?”
“F*ck, are you still angry? You’re so petty.”
Several people were already whispering and talking about Cheng Mi.
Zheng Hongkai turned his head to look at Cheng Mi: “I’ll be damned, Cheng Mi. I knew you were fierce, but I didn’t know you were this fierce.”
He then said to Cheng Yao: “Cheng Yao, you’re no good. Even Si Tingyan kissed Cheng Mi, but you couldn’t even kiss her yesterday.”
Cheng Yao listened with a faint smile and didn’t say anything. It was precisely because his affection wasn’t deep enough and he just wanted to mess around that he didn’t care what was being said about Cheng Mi.
He said: “Then I’ll just try harder.”
The group of boys laughed loudly. It was obvious that no one felt there was anything wrong with these words.
Cheng Mi thought that the incident between her and Si Tingyan last night was over, but she didn’t expect the most talkative person to see it.
It was useless to explain to this group of people, and the fact that she and Si Tingyan kissed was true.
Putting the facts aside, this group of people would believe the girl, not her.
Just as Cheng Mi was thinking of a way to stop this from spreading, the girl’s sharp voice started to make sarcastic remarks again: “Cheng Yao, try harder, and maybe it won’t just be a kiss.”
Everyone knew what she meant and chuckled to themselves.
The girl then asked Cheng Mi: “Tell me, isn’t that right? Hey, you must have done a lot of this at the bar. I’m sure you’re pretty good at it.”
The girl’s tone was full of ridicule.
Cheng Mi glanced at her.
Perhaps it was because no one had ever openly talked about these things about Cheng Mi before. Today, someone started, and since Cheng Mi didn’t seem to be angry, everyone became reckless.
Zheng Hongkai asked Cheng Mi: “Um, Cheng Mi, I’m a little curious. When you were doing that, were the other girls as pretty as you?”
The rumors about Cheng Mi that were flying around the school—saying she was a hostess was considered mild. There were many who said she was a prostitute.
The things that human malice creates would not sound pleasant.
They would just have a good time, regardless of right or wrong, and would trample this person further into the mud to completely destroy her.
These insulting and nasty rumors—whether it was Zheng Hongkai, Cheng Yao, or anyone else in this school who disliked Cheng Mi—they all believed them.
Otherwise, Zheng Hongkai wouldn’t have asked Cheng Mi such a question, asking if the girls she worked with at the bar were as good-looking as her.
Zheng Hongkai’s girlfriend exploded when she heard this and was about to hit Zheng Hongkai: “What are you asking?! What do you mean?”
Zheng Hongkai had always been a male chauvinist. He would never lose face in front of his friends because of a girl, and he didn’t like girls disrespecting him in front of his friends. He didn’t even try to appease her: “What else could it mean? The meaning you’re thinking of.”
Boys this age would lose their minds when it came to sex. They would never respect a girl and would even feel proud of it. A boy asked Cheng Mi: “Is it like that bar by the river where you have to pay extra to touch them?”
Zheng Hongkai’s girlfriend’s face turned green with anger, but Zheng Hongkai was still asking with great interest: “Really? How much is it usually?”
Cheng Mi had been able to ignore them at first, but now her face was starting to lose its composure, although she hadn’t lost her temper yet.
She said: “Are you guys done talking?”
“Done talking about what?” One of Zheng Hongkai’s friends said. “You’ve done it before, so why can’t we talk about it? Don’t be such a sore loser.”
The group laughed after saying that.
“Right, don’t be such a sore loser.” Zheng Hongkai was the leader of the group and liked to show off. He reached out to touch Cheng Mi’s chest.
Just as he touched her, Cheng Mi slapped him. There was a crisp pa sound.
Her expression didn’t change. She was still smiling: “You f*cking touch me again.”
Zheng Hongkai was enraged by the loss of face in front of so many people. The usual amicable atmosphere between them was instantly shattered: “Fck, you’re a whre pretending to be a saint!”
After saying that, he reached out again to grab her shirt with a vicious force.
Cheng Mi was standing closest to the window. As Zheng Hongkai rushed over, she grabbed his collar.
She used all her strength. Her nails almost tore through Zheng Hongkai’s shirt. She turned around and violently pinned Zheng Hongkai against the window sill.
A girl’s strength was no match for a boy’s, but Cheng Mi had calculated that if she pinned Zheng Hongkai to the window sill, he wouldn’t dare to use brute force.
And sure enough, when Zheng Hongkai’s upper body was almost suspended outside the window, he didn’t dare to move. He didn’t know where Cheng Mi got the strength to restrain him, but he couldn’t move, even though his face was still ferocious.
There were footsteps and girls screaming behind them. Cheng Mi didn’t even turn her head. Her hand made a move to let go: “Don’t touch me. If you move, I don’t know what I might do.”
Those people were instantly afraid to pull Cheng Mi away, including Cheng Yao.
Cheng Mi didn’t care. Now, if she let go, Zheng Hongkai would fall. She looked at Zheng Hongkai: “I rarely get angry, but if you make me angry, you won’t live today.”
Zheng Hongkai had a slight fear of heights. His muscles trembled imperceptibly, but his face was still intimidating: “I don’t f*cking believe you’d dare!”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Cheng Mi was thoughtful. The hint of anger on her face had disappeared, and a smile returned to her lips. “Don’t you believe those things you say to me wholeheartedly? Are rumors divided into different tiers? If you believe them all, why do you only pick and choose what to believe?”
After saying that, she looked Zheng Hongkai in the eye: “Is the fact that I killed someone and went to juvenile detention not worthy of your belief?”
Zheng Hongkai’s face turned pale as he suddenly remembered this.
Cheng Mi said unhurriedly: “Didn’t all of you say I killed someone? Why don’t you believe it now?”
From the very beginning, Cheng Mi never believed that Zheng Hongkai and his friends were her friends because they believed she was innocent.
It was just that her reputation was bad, and their reputation was also bad, so they just happened to be together.
“What are you all thinking in your minds? Did you think you could hide it from me?” Cheng Mi said. “Isn’t it just to find an excuse for your disgusting lechery?”
He was also bold enough to actually touch her.
The classroom was already in chaos. Someone had already run to find a teacher.
Cheng Mi had a moment of a very unusual thought, but in that moment, her eyes were suddenly drawn elsewhere.
On the path beside the teaching building downstairs, a person walking by was so surprised that they covered their mouth.
They were probably on their way to some lab class, as they were all holding a textbook.
Cheng Mi’s eyes met Si Tingyan’s gaze down below.
Si Tingyan was silently watching her. He didn’t stop her, but he didn’t encourage her to go through with it either.
They were a distance apart, clearly not close, but for some reason, Cheng Mi felt herself calming down in his eyes.
Wei Xiangdong arrived at the classroom at this time and was shocked by the scene: “Cheng Mi, if you have a conflict, you can talk to the teacher properly later. This is a matter of life and death, so it’s not a joke. Come on, get inside quickly!”
Cheng Mi had never planned to take a life. She was just trying to scare Zheng Hongkai.
She didn’t know whether to blame her for her sudden impulse or to blame Zheng Hongkai for being a coward and getting scared by her.
Before Wei Xiangdong could come and pull her, she pulled Zheng Hongkai back herself, and at the same time, her gaze moved away from Si Tingyan’s face down below.
Wei Xiangdong let out a sigh of relief and rushed over.
Zheng Hongkai was almost suffocating from being choked. He pointed at Cheng Mi: “You fcking btch! You remember this. I’m not done with you.”
Cheng Mi said: “Okay.”
After that, she didn’t even listen to what Wei Xiangdong wanted to say to de-escalate the conflict. She turned around and went back to her seat.
________________________________________
The school decided to let the incident between Cheng Mi and Zheng Hongkai die down.
In the morning and afternoon, Cheng Mi was called to the office a few times. Even Wei Xiangdong wanted to do the same. They were in their senior year now, and time was running out day by day. This kind of trouble would affect their studies.
But Cheng Mi’s attitude hadn’t changed. There were cameras in the classroom, and she wanted to call the police.
“The teachers all know you’ve been wronged,” the vice-principal, who was also there, said. “But Cheng Mi, the college entrance exam is also important.”
Cheng Mi said: “It’s fine.”
She maintained this attitude. It wasn’t particularly serious, but her stance was unwavering.
Si Huiru came to the school in the afternoon. She had received the message and immediately took time off from work to come.
Zheng Hongkai’s parents were also there. When Si Huiru entered the reception room, Zheng Hongkai was arguing with his dad, staring at him with his neck stiff.
Zheng Hongkai’s father usually worked on construction sites, and his uniform was covered in mud. He wasn’t the type of father who would indulge his son. He was strict and fierce and clearly hated his son. He was scolding Zheng Hongkai for causing him trouble and making him suffer.
And this strict father didn’t raise a filial son.
Zheng Hongkai’s face was red, and he argued with his father with his neck stiff. Two teachers were standing between them, trying to get the father and son to cool down.
His father was spitting and yelling: “You always embarrass me! Why didn’t you go down and join your mother earlier!”
Zheng Hongkai yelled back at his dad in front of the teachers: “I’m just not going to die. What are you going to do about it? I’m going to live to be ninety-nine and piss you off, you old geezer!”
Si Huiru was clearly intimidated by the scene.
Cheng Mi was inside the reception room, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, watching the show. She turned around and saw the flustered Si Huiru at the door. She got up to lead her in.
Zheng Hongkai and Cheng Mi met. He pointed at her.
Zheng Hongkai was pushed out of the reception room by a teacher. The reception room immediately became much quieter, with only Zheng Hongkai’s father’s heavy breathing left. The teachers all let out a sigh of relief.
Wei Xiangdong already knew Si Huiru. He quickly poured her a cup of water and asked her to sit down. He said, out of habit: “Si Tingyan’s mom, please have a seat.”
Si Huiru sat down on a single-seater sofa. Cheng Mi didn’t sit; she stood beside her.
The vice-principal was also sitting on a long sofa.
The teacher was still comforting Zheng Hongkai’s father. He would still scold Zheng Hongkai from time to time. His voice was loud, and every word made the people in the office flinch.
Si Huiru pulled her eyes away from that. She gripped her bag on her lap and asked Wei Xiangdong, who had sat down across from her: “Teacher, what was that thing you told me about on the phone...”
“Yes, that’s right,” Wei Xiangdong said. “This morning during the long break, Cheng Mi had a small conflict with a classmate.”
Wei Xiangdong had only called Si Huiru to come over. At the time, the office was in chaos, and he didn’t explain in detail. He just asked Si Huiru to come.
Si Huiru asked: “What kind of conflict?”
Wei Xiangdong was trying to find the right words, but the vice-principal spoke first: “Just kids being kids, fooling around. The boy wasn’t paying attention and went a little too far.”
These words left Wei Xiangdong speechless for a moment.
Cheng Mi glanced at the vice-principal.
The vice-principal wanted to say something else, but Cheng Mi cut him off. Her voice was confident and natural as she told Si Huiru herself: “A boy touched my chest. I want to call the police.”
One sentence, short and clear.
The vice-principal choked.
Wei Xiangdong didn’t need to prepare his words anymore. He nodded slightly: “Yes, that’s what happened.”
Si Huiru had already frowned after hearing what Cheng Mi said: “Then why did the teachers ask me to come?”
The vice-principal spoke again: “This is the thing. Cheng Mi is in her senior year now. If this gets out of hand, it might drain her energy. At this point, studying is a little more important.”
Seeing Si Huiru frown even more, the vice-principal said: “But we are not saying we won’t handle this. We’re just saying we’ll handle it in a more gentle way. We will still give the boy a punishment.”
Si Huiru suddenly said: “Will this punishment have no effect on this student?”
This question instantly stumped the vice-principal and Wei Xiangdong.
Cheng Mi, who was standing beside the sofa, glanced at Si Huiru after hearing her words.
Si Huiru was gentle in nature. Although Cheng Mi knew she wouldn’t condemn or blame her, she might also choose the same way of handling things as the teachers, trying not to affect her in the future.
But it didn’t seem to be the case.
“Not necessarily,” this time it was Wei Xiangdong who spoke. “This is the thing. Because Cheng Mi acted impulsively and had a bad influence, the school will also give her a punishment.”
Wei Xiangdong continued: “But the school’s meaning is that it would also be bad for the school’s image to call the police. If this matter just passes, Cheng Mi’s punishment can be waived.”
He gave a little reminder: “This punishment is relatively light and won’t have much of an impact.”
Cheng Mi said: “Even if the punishment is severe, I’m still calling the police.”
The atmosphere became stagnant. Wei Xiangdong tried to mediate: “Right, that’s what Cheng Mi means.”
The vice-principal wanted to say something else, but was suddenly interrupted by Si Huiru’s gentle yet firm voice: “We’re going to call the police.”
At that moment, no one in the reception room was talking. It was quiet.
Everyone in the reception room heard her words and looked over.
Cheng Mi was also looking at her.
Si Huiru’s posture was a bit fragile, yet it seemed as if she was protecting her behind her.
She said: “I believe my child did nothing wrong to deserve that punishment. This is not a small matter. We’re calling the police.”
Zheng Hongkai’s father also heard.
He had always been harsh on Zheng Hongkai, but he was still polite to others. He walked over and sat on a chair next to them and said to Si Huiru: “This parent, I’m really sorry. I didn’t raise my son well, but I still want to humble myself and ask you not to hold a grudge against this little brat this time. His mother isn’t here anymore, and now his studies are also...”
Si Huiru apologized: “I’m sorry.”
“My child shouldn’t be wronged either.”
In the end, whether it was due to disappointment in his son or something else, Zheng Hongkai’s father didn’t ask for anything more.
After the vice-principal left, Wei Xiangdong, who had obviously been trying to save the school’s face and mediate the conflict with the parents, finally let out a sigh of relief.
He said to Zheng Hongkai’s father: “This is also a good thing. Boys should be allowed to take responsibility for their actions. It’s not a bad thing to have them take responsibility for their mistakes.”
After Zheng Hongkai’s father walked away with a look of weariness, Wei Xiangdong said to Cheng Mi: “It’s good that you have this kind of awareness for self-protection, but don’t be so impulsive in the future. The situation this morning was too dangerous.”
There was one last class, and Cheng Mi had to go back to the classroom for it.
Si Huiru didn’t leave. She stayed in the reception room and chatted with Wei Xiangdong about her recent situation.
________________________________________
When Cheng Mi returned to the classroom, Zheng Hongkai was not there.
The biology teacher was lecturing on the podium. She walked back to her seat and sat down.
A forty-minute class passed in the blink of an eye. The bell rang, and Cheng Mi packed her things and left the classroom.
Si Huiru was still in the parents’ reception room downstairs. Cheng Mi walked down the stairs with her backpack.
She heard two girls’ voices coming up from downstairs: “Oh my gosh, that was so scary. All that blood.”
Another voice: “I know. I’m afraid of blood. It gave me goosebumps.”
“That guy’s hand must be ruined. It was all mangled.”
“He’s so unlucky. The school doctor asked him, and he didn’t even know how the broken bottle ended up doing that.”
The other girl objected: “No, I don’t think so. Isn’t it true that bad people get what they deserve? Didn’t they say he touched so-and-so’s chest this morning?”
The two girls happened to be at the turn of the stairs. They looked up and met Cheng Mi, who was coming down.
They were unfamiliar faces. They had probably just had P.E. class, and their faces were a little flushed from exercising. They lowered their heads and hurried away.
Cheng Mi knew they were talking about Zheng Hongkai. She was only slightly surprised by the coincidence and didn’t think about it anymore.
As she turned the corner of the stairs, her steps suddenly paused slightly.
Si Tingyan was coming up the stairs.
If she remembered correctly, this wasn’t Si Tingyan’s P.E. class.
Si Tingyan’s gaze moved away from her face. He didn’t say anything to her and walked past her.
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