Chapter 11
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Lin Yujing thought of herself as someone who didn’t care for the world. She had a very good temper, and was able to endure most matters. To readjust her composure, she took two deep breaths and recited Buddhist scriptures under her breath, her anger dissipating.
Life was like a play. It was all because of fate that they were able to meet.
So why bother?
But when your life was full of stupid events and a hundred discontents, it was difficult for one to maintain their composure.
Lin Yujing couldn’t help but feel that she was extremely incompatible with this city.
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She merely wanted to have rice noodles, but still had to come across these dim-witted fools.
She always thought such methods of bullying would only be employed by junior school kids.
Looking at the three ladies across her, annoyance crept up.
Ms vlzz vbl vawvb, pbl alyzzu eked’v oydv vs tlv kdvs yd yatwxldv okvb vblpl zyeklp.
Rv’e sdzu cl nwxclapsxl yp olzz yp wdpktbvzu.
Ebld tkazp qswtbv, kq vblu olald’v pnayvnbkdt, vblu’e cl taycckdt, zkjl qkpbokhlp obs oswze bwaz ycwpl kd vbl pvallv, yde pbl eked’v oydv vs cl y ryav sq vbyv.
Fbld Kwyd eked’v byhl y ralqlaldnl qsa obyv vs lyv, zkpvldkdt vs Tl Fsdtdyd yde bkp tydt’p nbyvvla yzsdt vbl oyu. Tl Fsdtdyd iwkvl xkpple lyvkdt vbl aknl dssezlp dlya vbl pnbssz ldvaydnl ps vbl taswr sq rlsrzl poyttlale vs vbl ldvaydnl sq vbl aknl dssezl pbsr. Myjkdt y zssj kdpkel, Tl Fsdtdyd wvvlale. “Gb? Mblal’p ds prynl. Nlv’p ts psxloblal lzpl.”
“I,” Fbld Kwyd dseele yde oyp ycswv vs oyzj yoyu obld bl nywtbv psxlvbkdt swv sq vbl nsadla sq bkp lul yde rywple.
“Nlv’p ts. Ebyv ycswv pvka-qakle qzyv aknl dssezlp? Usxl sdl, kv’p yzalyeu rypv 12. Gqvla zwdnb, R oyddy ts cynj yde vyjl y dyr.” Tl Fsdtdyd pyke obkzl oyzjkdt yblye, cwv yqvla vyjkdt vos pvlrp, bl eked’v pll Fbld Kwyd qszzso bkx yde obkrrle bkp blye cynj.
Fbld Kwyd oyp pvkzz pvydekdt swvpkel vbl aknl dssezlp pvsal, y pvknj sq nktyalvvl kd bkp xswvb pvkzz wdzkv. Tl pvsse vblal xsvksdzlpp, zssjkdt yv vbl kdvlaksa sq vbl pbsr.
Tl Fsdtdyd cynjvaynjle vos pvlrp yde qszzsole vbl ekalnvksd sq bkp tygl cwv eked’v qkde yduvbkdt pvaydtl. “Ebyv’p oasdt? Rp vblal psxlsdl usw jdso kdpkel?”
“Ah.” Shen Juan’s teeth bit the cigarette butt. “Yeah, there is.”
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He Songnan once again surveyed carefully and recognized someone, pointing with his finger. “Aii, isn’t that Li Shiqi? Not bad. You still remember her huh? I thought you’d already forgotten her.”
Shen Juan turned his head and looked at him with a perplexed expression. “Who?”
“….She’s the class beauty we shared classes with before.” He Songnan said. “Boss Juan, you shouldn’t say that in front of her. The girl chased after you for more than a year.”
“Ah….” Shen Juan didn’t have the slightest impression of her at all. He raised her head and saw the girl dump a whole bottle of vinegar into the bowl of the lady across from her.
He Songnan also saw this and his eyes grew wide. “Is that Yu Ruyi?”
The name Yu Ruyi, on the other hand, struck a small chord with Shen Juan.
Back when he was still in Class 3, behind him sat a stutterer. She rarely spoke up and always had a red face. When Shen Juan was in his first year, he didn’t bring any pens for the entire school term so he always borrowed one from her. Having borrowed for an entire year probably could be regarded as developing a friendship where they could share words with each other.
Later on, he heard from a conversation that the little lady came from a rural area. Her family was poor but because she was good at studying, the school invited her for a special admission and gave her a full-ride scholarship.
Inside the rice noodle shop, Li Shiqi and two of her friends were smacking the table and laughing boisterously. Li Shiqi jeered while emptying the vinegar bottle clean and Li Ruyi just sat there with her head lowered, not making a peep.
And so, the group of girls laughed even more without restraint.
He Songnan was a bit taken aback by what he saw. He, Shen Juan, Yu Ruyi, Li Shiqi and a couple of the other girls were all from the same class before. Usually, He Songnan never noticed the matters that happened between the girls in the classroom. He only knew that Yu Ruyi was nicknamed stammerer because she stuttered a lot and was unable to speak clearly. The whole class referred to her this way and he occasionally did too, not giving it much thought at all.
But now, it clearly looked like they were bullying her.
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He Songnan knitted his brows and was just about to step in when he heard a mellifluous voice ring out, “Are you blind?”
Li Shiqi was stunned.
He Songnan was also taken aback. He tilted his head, trying to see the face of the girl who had just spoken out. She had a pretty and familiar profile, her skin very fair. Her black hair was tied into a high ponytail and her uniform was tidy, her collar revealing a white neck, the neckline slender and supple.
He Songnan immediately recognized her. It was absolute territory.
Boss Juan’s domineering queen whose eyes called everyone an ant.
The queen’s tone was quite powerful. “I’m your adoptive father. Now, you can either shut your mouth, eat quietly and fuck off or this adoptive dad will teach you what basic manners and courtesy is on behalf of your father.”
She said this with a provoking tone that contained contempt, disdain, annoyance and even a bit of arrogance that looked down on others.
Her lines sounded so fluid they could totally tell that she had gone through some things.
He Songnan couldn’t help but whistle and turn his head, casting a glance at Shen Juan.
Boss Juan didn’t look at him. He narrowed his eyes, biting the unlit cigarette stick in his mouth and grinded his teeth.
It was the beginning of September, the weather still carrying heat. The shop was in full capacity, the tables fully filled, making the heat feel even more intense. Lin Yujing sat with her back to the door and didn’t catch sight of the people standing outside. The three ladies across her smiled from anger, one of them smacking the table and standing up. She leaned towards Lin Yujing and swept a look at her sleeves. “Have you lost your mind? What does my conversation have to do with you? And adoptive father? Do you usually pick fights like this? You’re only in your second year–”
Lin Yujing didn’t even say anything. She eyed the table and assessed the things on top of it. The bowl of rice noodles had just arrived so the soup had to be boiling hot. If she were to dunk it on the girl’s head, she would probably suffer from burns.
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Acting with propriety, she resorted to pushing the bowl of rice noodles in front of her to the front and pressed the girl’s head down on the table with a bang.
The girl simply didn’t predict that she would take action directly so before she could even react, her face made contact with the oily table. She let out a scream and struggled to lift her head but was unable to do so.
“Big sister should really watch what she says, and do yourself a favor.” Lin Yujing whispered in her ear. “Otherwise, next time, I’m going to dunk your head straight into the bowl.”
Red Bracelet finally reacted at this moment, reaching out a hand towards her. Lin Yujing stood up and leaned back, evading her but didn’t let go of the girl. She grabbed the collar of Red Bracelet’s uniform with her other hand and sent her chair kicking with her leg. The plastic chair slammed heavily against Red Bracelet’s knee and Lin Yujing threw Red Bracelet to the side.
The space in the shop was originally very narrow. She hadn’t even stood straight when she bumped into something and fell down, crashing onto a stack of plastic blue chairs.
The store plunged into chaos. The sound of a girl’s scream and the chairs being overturned rang out. The boss lady hurriedly came out of the kitchen. Little Marshmallow was scared silly in her seat, tear tracks still hanging on her face. After a period of time, she quiveringly reached out a hand and pulled on Lin Yujing’s uniform. “D….D-Don’t fi, d-d-don’t fight, p-p-plea….”
Lin Yujing looked down at her and Little Marshmallow was so frightened she nearly curled up into a ball, her shoulders quivering as she cried.
Lin Yujing pulled her hand and dragged her out.
Little Marshmallow stumbled a bit but quietly followed her. Walking towards the entrance where a few people stood, Lin Yujing didn’t even raise her head and brushed against their shoulders, pulling the girl along with her. They crossed the road, walked further ahead and turned to another road.
The shops on this road were comparatively fewer and on the side was a convenience store.
Lin Yujing looked at the girl beside her and went inside, buying a lollipop. She had picked out a strawberry-flavored sucker and gave it to her.
The girl no longer cried, sitting at the steps of the convenience store wiping her eyes, appearing very pitiful.
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Lin Yujing sat down beside her. “What are you crying about? If other people bully you, just hit her. Two hits is all it takes for her to start behaving. Do you think she’ll stop bullying you if you cry? The easier you are to bully the more frequently you’ll be bullied.”
The girl gripped the lollipop and lifted her head, her eyes red from tears. “I-I c-can’t win against them.”
“If you can’t win against her, call her names. If that doesn’t work, resort to using dirty tricks.” Lin Yujing held a lychee flavored lollipop in hand, peeling off the wrapper and stuffing the sucker into her mouth. “Throw whatever you’ve got with you to their face. Those who make a move first in a fight gets an advantage. Smash their face in and make them unable to react. Then, run to the teacher’s office and cry just like you did a while ago, tell them they bullied you and hit you.”
Little Marshmallow was stupefied when she heard this, looking at Lin Yujing blankly.
Lin Yujing laughed, staring at her with beautifully curved eyes. “Don’t you think what I said made sense?”
Little Marshmallow’s face turned red. She stuttered for a long time but was unable to say something corrigible. In the end, she stammered out. “T-T-Thank y-you.”
“No worries.” Lin Yujing stood up. “Actually, it wasn’t because of you. I just happened to be in a bad mood and their yapping made my head hurt so it was very annoying. If they dare to bully you again, just look for me in the second years’ building in class 10.”
—
Having had her lunch disrupted halfway and seeing that there wasn’t enough time to go to another shop to eat, in the end, Li Yujing resorted to buying two packets of bread from the school canteen and returned to the classroom, eating while surfing on her phone.
By the time lunch had concluded, Shen Juan came back. On his return, he found Lin Yujing already sleeping. The girl had her head down on the table, sleeping quite deeply. Because her jacket was a bit loose, it made her frame look thin and petite.
Shen Juan didn’t call her nor was he in a hurry to go in. He leaned against the door and looked at her for a few seconds.
He suddenly got the urge to laugh.
Back at the entrance of the rice noodle shop, this girl didn’t even spare him a glance. Later on, when Li Shiqi and her clique recovered their senses and tried to chase after her, spitting out foul words, they were obstructed by him.
Shen Juan could see what Lin Yujing meant by “take care of”.
When she took action, she was indeed efficient, ruthless and frighteningly proficient, though she still acted within propriety, carrying out actions with a sober mind.
The school bell rang and Lin Yujing scrunched her brows, slowly getting up from the table. When she raised her eyes, she saw her desk mate standing at the doorway looking at her.
The girl didn’t get much sleep, her whole face evidently unhappy. She stared back at him with scrunched brows for a while before slowly lifting her hand. With her long lashes drooping down, her slender white finger tips rubbed her eyes.
Shen Juan’s eyelids seemed to twitch.
A few seconds passed when Lin Yujing finally gathered her wits, standing up to give him way.
Shen Juan sat down and the two people remained silent. Lin Yujing was still in a muddled half-awake state, yawning with tears in her eyes.
The first class in the afternoon was chemistry. During the chemistry teacher’s first period, Shen Juan pulled out a brand new chemistry book from the stack and flipped to the first page, scribbling his name on it.
Lin Yujing realized that this desk mate of hers particularly liked signing his name. He was like a little kid who liked writing his class and name on the first page of his new books. In every subject and in every book, the name Shen Juan was written flamboyantly, covering a big majority of the page, appearing as unbridled as his character.
Shen Juan noticed her line of sight and turned her head to her.
Lin Yujing looked at him and blinked, feeling a sense of restlessness as though he had caught her sneaking stares red-handed.
The youth appeared to be very calm, inclining his head slightly to look at his desk mate. “When you were fighting a while ago, what did you say to the other person?”
Lin Yujing paused, her brain lagging for a few seconds. The drowsiness that she had from a lack of sleep was completely swept away.
Lin Yujing responded, “W….What?”
“When you were pressing the other person’s head, you whispered something in her ear.” Shen Juan said.
Lin Yujing’s shock morphed into bewilderment and she looked at him expressionlessly, like a killer who was wondering whether it’d be too late to kill and silence him on the spot.
Lin Yujing: “You saw that huh.”
“Yeah.” Shen Juan said, unflustered.
Lin Yujing looked back on the incident. The rice noodle shop was quite small and she didn’t spot her classmate. “I didn’t see you.”
“I was just passing by. I was at the entrance.” Shen Juan was still a little curious. At that time, he saw her whisper something in the girl’s ear and the girl appeared to desperately try to remain motionless, the effect of her words disconcerting. “So what did you say to her back then?”
Lin Yujing suddenly looked at him with an innocent smile.
It was the first time Shen Juan had seen her smile. Her facial features looked very innocent so when her eyes curved into crescents, it made her look pure and guileless. Her slightly upturned eyes made her look like a naive fox-spirit.
Shen Juan was flabbergasted, his eyelids twitching again.
“I said. I have someone above me.1” The little fox said slowly, “My delinquent brother Shen Juan is watching from the entrance. If you make a move against me, I’m going to scream.”
Shen Juan: “…..”
****
The author has something to say:
Lin Yujing’s words turned out to be tragically prophetic. The sentence determined the outcome of her future happiness.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Lin Yujing thought of herself as someone who didn’t care for the world. She had a very good temper, and was able to endure most matters. To readjust her composure, she took two deep breaths and recited Buddhist scriptures under her breath, her anger dissipating.
Life was like a play. It was all because of fate that they were able to meet.
So why bother?
But when your life was full of stupid events and a hundred discontents, it was difficult for one to maintain their composure.
Lin Yujing couldn’t help but feel that she was extremely incompatible with this city.
Advertisements
She merely wanted to have rice noodles, but still had to come across these dim-witted fools.
She always thought such methods of bullying would only be employed by junior school kids.
Looking at the three ladies across her, annoyance crept up.
Ms vlzz vbl vawvb, pbl alyzzu eked’v oydv vs tlv kdvs yd yatwxldv okvb vblpl zyeklp.
Rv’e sdzu cl nwxclapsxl yp olzz yp wdpktbvzu.
Ebld tkazp qswtbv, kq vblu olald’v pnayvnbkdt, vblu’e cl taycckdt, zkjl qkpbokhlp obs oswze bwaz ycwpl kd vbl pvallv, yde pbl eked’v oydv vs cl y ryav sq vbyv.
Fbld Kwyd eked’v byhl y ralqlaldnl qsa obyv vs lyv, zkpvldkdt vs Tl Fsdtdyd yde bkp tydt’p nbyvvla yzsdt vbl oyu. Tl Fsdtdyd iwkvl xkpple lyvkdt vbl aknl dssezlp dlya vbl pnbssz ldvaydnl ps vbl taswr sq rlsrzl poyttlale vs vbl ldvaydnl sq vbl aknl dssezl pbsr. Myjkdt y zssj kdpkel, Tl Fsdtdyd wvvlale. “Gb? Mblal’p ds prynl. Nlv’p ts psxloblal lzpl.”
“I,” Fbld Kwyd dseele yde oyp ycswv vs oyzj yoyu obld bl nywtbv psxlvbkdt swv sq vbl nsadla sq bkp lul yde rywple.
“Nlv’p ts. Ebyv ycswv pvka-qakle qzyv aknl dssezlp? Usxl sdl, kv’p yzalyeu rypv 12. Gqvla zwdnb, R oyddy ts cynj yde vyjl y dyr.” Tl Fsdtdyd pyke obkzl oyzjkdt yblye, cwv yqvla vyjkdt vos pvlrp, bl eked’v pll Fbld Kwyd qszzso bkx yde obkrrle bkp blye cynj.
Fbld Kwyd oyp pvkzz pvydekdt swvpkel vbl aknl dssezlp pvsal, y pvknj sq nktyalvvl kd bkp xswvb pvkzz wdzkv. Tl pvsse vblal xsvksdzlpp, zssjkdt yv vbl kdvlaksa sq vbl pbsr.
Tl Fsdtdyd cynjvaynjle vos pvlrp yde qszzsole vbl ekalnvksd sq bkp tygl cwv eked’v qkde yduvbkdt pvaydtl. “Ebyv’p oasdt? Rp vblal psxlsdl usw jdso kdpkel?”
“Ah.” Shen Juan’s teeth bit the cigarette butt. “Yeah, there is.”
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He Songnan once again surveyed carefully and recognized someone, pointing with his finger. “Aii, isn’t that Li Shiqi? Not bad. You still remember her huh? I thought you’d already forgotten her.”
Shen Juan turned his head and looked at him with a perplexed expression. “Who?”
“….She’s the class beauty we shared classes with before.” He Songnan said. “Boss Juan, you shouldn’t say that in front of her. The girl chased after you for more than a year.”
“Ah….” Shen Juan didn’t have the slightest impression of her at all. He raised her head and saw the girl dump a whole bottle of vinegar into the bowl of the lady across from her.
He Songnan also saw this and his eyes grew wide. “Is that Yu Ruyi?”
The name Yu Ruyi, on the other hand, struck a small chord with Shen Juan.
Back when he was still in Class 3, behind him sat a stutterer. She rarely spoke up and always had a red face. When Shen Juan was in his first year, he didn’t bring any pens for the entire school term so he always borrowed one from her. Having borrowed for an entire year probably could be regarded as developing a friendship where they could share words with each other.
Later on, he heard from a conversation that the little lady came from a rural area. Her family was poor but because she was good at studying, the school invited her for a special admission and gave her a full-ride scholarship.
Inside the rice noodle shop, Li Shiqi and two of her friends were smacking the table and laughing boisterously. Li Shiqi jeered while emptying the vinegar bottle clean and Li Ruyi just sat there with her head lowered, not making a peep.
And so, the group of girls laughed even more without restraint.
He Songnan was a bit taken aback by what he saw. He, Shen Juan, Yu Ruyi, Li Shiqi and a couple of the other girls were all from the same class before. Usually, He Songnan never noticed the matters that happened between the girls in the classroom. He only knew that Yu Ruyi was nicknamed stammerer because she stuttered a lot and was unable to speak clearly. The whole class referred to her this way and he occasionally did too, not giving it much thought at all.
But now, it clearly looked like they were bullying her.
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He Songnan knitted his brows and was just about to step in when he heard a mellifluous voice ring out, “Are you blind?”
Li Shiqi was stunned.
He Songnan was also taken aback. He tilted his head, trying to see the face of the girl who had just spoken out. She had a pretty and familiar profile, her skin very fair. Her black hair was tied into a high ponytail and her uniform was tidy, her collar revealing a white neck, the neckline slender and supple.
He Songnan immediately recognized her. It was absolute territory.
Boss Juan’s domineering queen whose eyes called everyone an ant.
The queen’s tone was quite powerful. “I’m your adoptive father. Now, you can either shut your mouth, eat quietly and fuck off or this adoptive dad will teach you what basic manners and courtesy is on behalf of your father.”
She said this with a provoking tone that contained contempt, disdain, annoyance and even a bit of arrogance that looked down on others.
Her lines sounded so fluid they could totally tell that she had gone through some things.
He Songnan couldn’t help but whistle and turn his head, casting a glance at Shen Juan.
Boss Juan didn’t look at him. He narrowed his eyes, biting the unlit cigarette stick in his mouth and grinded his teeth.
It was the beginning of September, the weather still carrying heat. The shop was in full capacity, the tables fully filled, making the heat feel even more intense. Lin Yujing sat with her back to the door and didn’t catch sight of the people standing outside. The three ladies across her smiled from anger, one of them smacking the table and standing up. She leaned towards Lin Yujing and swept a look at her sleeves. “Have you lost your mind? What does my conversation have to do with you? And adoptive father? Do you usually pick fights like this? You’re only in your second year–”
Lin Yujing didn’t even say anything. She eyed the table and assessed the things on top of it. The bowl of rice noodles had just arrived so the soup had to be boiling hot. If she were to dunk it on the girl’s head, she would probably suffer from burns.
Advertisements
Acting with propriety, she resorted to pushing the bowl of rice noodles in front of her to the front and pressed the girl’s head down on the table with a bang.
The girl simply didn’t predict that she would take action directly so before she could even react, her face made contact with the oily table. She let out a scream and struggled to lift her head but was unable to do so.
“Big sister should really watch what she says, and do yourself a favor.” Lin Yujing whispered in her ear. “Otherwise, next time, I’m going to dunk your head straight into the bowl.”
Red Bracelet finally reacted at this moment, reaching out a hand towards her. Lin Yujing stood up and leaned back, evading her but didn’t let go of the girl. She grabbed the collar of Red Bracelet’s uniform with her other hand and sent her chair kicking with her leg. The plastic chair slammed heavily against Red Bracelet’s knee and Lin Yujing threw Red Bracelet to the side.
The space in the shop was originally very narrow. She hadn’t even stood straight when she bumped into something and fell down, crashing onto a stack of plastic blue chairs.
The store plunged into chaos. The sound of a girl’s scream and the chairs being overturned rang out. The boss lady hurriedly came out of the kitchen. Little Marshmallow was scared silly in her seat, tear tracks still hanging on her face. After a period of time, she quiveringly reached out a hand and pulled on Lin Yujing’s uniform. “D….D-Don’t fi, d-d-don’t fight, p-p-plea….”
Lin Yujing looked down at her and Little Marshmallow was so frightened she nearly curled up into a ball, her shoulders quivering as she cried.
Lin Yujing pulled her hand and dragged her out.
Little Marshmallow stumbled a bit but quietly followed her. Walking towards the entrance where a few people stood, Lin Yujing didn’t even raise her head and brushed against their shoulders, pulling the girl along with her. They crossed the road, walked further ahead and turned to another road.
The shops on this road were comparatively fewer and on the side was a convenience store.
Lin Yujing looked at the girl beside her and went inside, buying a lollipop. She had picked out a strawberry-flavored sucker and gave it to her.
The girl no longer cried, sitting at the steps of the convenience store wiping her eyes, appearing very pitiful.
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Lin Yujing sat down beside her. “What are you crying about? If other people bully you, just hit her. Two hits is all it takes for her to start behaving. Do you think she’ll stop bullying you if you cry? The easier you are to bully the more frequently you’ll be bullied.”
The girl gripped the lollipop and lifted her head, her eyes red from tears. “I-I c-can’t win against them.”
“If you can’t win against her, call her names. If that doesn’t work, resort to using dirty tricks.” Lin Yujing held a lychee flavored lollipop in hand, peeling off the wrapper and stuffing the sucker into her mouth. “Throw whatever you’ve got with you to their face. Those who make a move first in a fight gets an advantage. Smash their face in and make them unable to react. Then, run to the teacher’s office and cry just like you did a while ago, tell them they bullied you and hit you.”
Little Marshmallow was stupefied when she heard this, looking at Lin Yujing blankly.
Lin Yujing laughed, staring at her with beautifully curved eyes. “Don’t you think what I said made sense?”
Little Marshmallow’s face turned red. She stuttered for a long time but was unable to say something corrigible. In the end, she stammered out. “T-T-Thank y-you.”
“No worries.” Lin Yujing stood up. “Actually, it wasn’t because of you. I just happened to be in a bad mood and their yapping made my head hurt so it was very annoying. If they dare to bully you again, just look for me in the second years’ building in class 10.”
—
Having had her lunch disrupted halfway and seeing that there wasn’t enough time to go to another shop to eat, in the end, Li Yujing resorted to buying two packets of bread from the school canteen and returned to the classroom, eating while surfing on her phone.
By the time lunch had concluded, Shen Juan came back. On his return, he found Lin Yujing already sleeping. The girl had her head down on the table, sleeping quite deeply. Because her jacket was a bit loose, it made her frame look thin and petite.
Shen Juan didn’t call her nor was he in a hurry to go in. He leaned against the door and looked at her for a few seconds.
He suddenly got the urge to laugh.
Back at the entrance of the rice noodle shop, this girl didn’t even spare him a glance. Later on, when Li Shiqi and her clique recovered their senses and tried to chase after her, spitting out foul words, they were obstructed by him.
Shen Juan could see what Lin Yujing meant by “take care of”.
When she took action, she was indeed efficient, ruthless and frighteningly proficient, though she still acted within propriety, carrying out actions with a sober mind.
The school bell rang and Lin Yujing scrunched her brows, slowly getting up from the table. When she raised her eyes, she saw her desk mate standing at the doorway looking at her.
The girl didn’t get much sleep, her whole face evidently unhappy. She stared back at him with scrunched brows for a while before slowly lifting her hand. With her long lashes drooping down, her slender white finger tips rubbed her eyes.
Shen Juan’s eyelids seemed to twitch.
A few seconds passed when Lin Yujing finally gathered her wits, standing up to give him way.
Shen Juan sat down and the two people remained silent. Lin Yujing was still in a muddled half-awake state, yawning with tears in her eyes.
The first class in the afternoon was chemistry. During the chemistry teacher’s first period, Shen Juan pulled out a brand new chemistry book from the stack and flipped to the first page, scribbling his name on it.
Lin Yujing realized that this desk mate of hers particularly liked signing his name. He was like a little kid who liked writing his class and name on the first page of his new books. In every subject and in every book, the name Shen Juan was written flamboyantly, covering a big majority of the page, appearing as unbridled as his character.
Shen Juan noticed her line of sight and turned her head to her.
Lin Yujing looked at him and blinked, feeling a sense of restlessness as though he had caught her sneaking stares red-handed.
The youth appeared to be very calm, inclining his head slightly to look at his desk mate. “When you were fighting a while ago, what did you say to the other person?”
Lin Yujing paused, her brain lagging for a few seconds. The drowsiness that she had from a lack of sleep was completely swept away.
Lin Yujing responded, “W….What?”
“When you were pressing the other person’s head, you whispered something in her ear.” Shen Juan said.
Lin Yujing’s shock morphed into bewilderment and she looked at him expressionlessly, like a killer who was wondering whether it’d be too late to kill and silence him on the spot.
Lin Yujing: “You saw that huh.”
“Yeah.” Shen Juan said, unflustered.
Lin Yujing looked back on the incident. The rice noodle shop was quite small and she didn’t spot her classmate. “I didn’t see you.”
“I was just passing by. I was at the entrance.” Shen Juan was still a little curious. At that time, he saw her whisper something in the girl’s ear and the girl appeared to desperately try to remain motionless, the effect of her words disconcerting. “So what did you say to her back then?”
Lin Yujing suddenly looked at him with an innocent smile.
It was the first time Shen Juan had seen her smile. Her facial features looked very innocent so when her eyes curved into crescents, it made her look pure and guileless. Her slightly upturned eyes made her look like a naive fox-spirit.
Shen Juan was flabbergasted, his eyelids twitching again.
“I said. I have someone above me.1” The little fox said slowly, “My delinquent brother Shen Juan is watching from the entrance. If you make a move against me, I’m going to scream.”
Shen Juan: “…..”
****
The author has something to say:
Lin Yujing’s words turned out to be tragically prophetic. The sentence determined the outcome of her future happiness.
Lin Yujing thought of herself as someone who didn't care for the world. She had a very good temper, and was able to endure most matters. To readjust her composure, she took two deep breaths and recited Buddhist scriptures under her breath, her anger dissipating.Life was like a play. It was all because of fate that they were able to meet.So why bother?But when your life was full of stupid events and a hundred discontents, it was difficult for one to maintain their composure.Lin Yujing couldn't help but feel that she was extremely incompatible with this city.AdvertisementsShe merely wanted to have rice noodles, but still had to come across these dim-witted fools.She always thought such methods of bullying would only be employed by junior school kids.Looking at the three ladies across her, annoyance crept up.Ms vlzz vbl vawvb, pbl alyzzu eked'v oydv vs tlv kdvs yd yatwxldv okvb vblpl zyeklp.Rv'e sdzu cl nwxclapsxl yp olzz yp wdpktbvzu.Ebld tkazp qswtbv, kq vblu olald'v pnayvnbkdt, vblu'e cl taycckdt, zkjl qkpbokhlp obs oswze bwaz ycwpl kd vbl pvallv, yde pbl eked'v oydv vs cl y ryav sq vbyv.Fbld Kwyd eked'v byhl y ralqlaldnl qsa obyv vs lyv, zkpvldkdt vs Tl Fsdtdyd yde bkp tydt'p nbyvvla yzsdt vbl oyu. Tl Fsdtdyd iwkvl xkpple lyvkdt vbl aknl dssezlp dlya vbl pnbssz ldvaydnl ps vbl taswr sq rlsrzl poyttlale vs vbl ldvaydnl sq vbl aknl dssezl pbsr. Myjkdt y zssj kdpkel, Tl Fsdtdyd wvvlale. Gb? Mblal'p ds prynl. Nlv'p ts psxloblal lzpl.I, Fbld Kwyd dseele yde oyp ycswv vs oyzj yoyu obld bl nywtbv psxlvbkdt swv sq vbl nsadla sq bkp lul yde rywple.Nlv'p ts. Ebyv ycswv pvka-qakle qzyv aknl dssezlp? Usxl sdl, kv'p yzalyeu rypv 12. Gqvla zwdnb, R oyddy ts cynj yde vyjl y dyr. Tl Fsdtdyd pyke obkzl oyzjkdt yblye, cwv yqvla vyjkdt vos pvlrp, bl eked'v pll Fbld Kwyd qszzso bkx yde obkrrle bkp blye cynj.Fbld Kwyd oyp pvkzz pvydekdt swvpkel vbl aknl dssezlp pvsal, y pvknj sq nktyalvvl kd bkp xswvb pvkzz wdzkv. Tl pvsse vblal xsvksdzlpp, zssjkdt yv vbl kdvlaksa sq vbl pbsr.Tl Fsdtdyd cynjvaynjle vos pvlrp yde qszzsole vbl ekalnvksd sq bkp tygl cwv eked'v qkde yduvbkdt pvaydtl. Ebyv'p oasdt? Rp vblal psxlsdl usw jdso kdpkel?Ah. Shen Juan's teeth bit the cigarette butt. Yeah, there is.AdvertisementsHe Songnan once again surveyed carefully and recognized someone, pointing with his finger. Aii, isn't that Li Shiqi? Not bad. You still remember her huh? I thought you'd already forgotten her.Shen Juan turned his head and looked at him with a perplexed expression. Who?.She's the class beauty we shared classes with before. He Songnan said. Boss Juan, you shouldn't say that in front of her. The girl chased after you for more than a year.Ah. Shen Juan didn't have the slightest impression of her at all. He raised her head and saw the girl dump a whole bottle of vinegar into the bowl of the lady across from her.He Songnan also saw this and his eyes grew wide. Is that Yu Ruyi?The name Yu Ruyi, on the other hand, struck a small chord with Shen Juan.Back when he was still in Class 3, behind him sat a stutterer. She rarely spoke up and always had a red face. When Shen Juan was in his first year, he didn't bring any pens for the entire school term so he always borrowed one from her. Having borrowed for an entire year probably could be regarded as developing a friendship where they could share words with each other.Later on, he heard from a conversation that the little lady came from a rural area. Her family was poor but because she was good at studying, the school invited her for a special admission and gave her a full-ride scholarship.Inside the rice noodle shop, Li Shiqi and two of her friends were smacking the table and laughing boisterously. Li Shiqi jeered while emptying the vinegar bottle clean and Li Ruyi just sat there with her head lowered, not making a peep.And so, the group of girls laughed even more without restraint.He Songnan was a bit taken aback by what he saw. He, Shen Juan, Yu Ruyi, Li Shiqi and a couple of the other girls were all from the same class before. Usually, He Songnan never noticed the matters that happened between the girls in the classroom. He only knew that Yu Ruyi was nicknamed stammerer because she stuttered a lot and was unable to speak clearly. The whole class referred to her this way and he occasionally did too, not giving it much thought at all.But now, it clearly looked like they were bullying her.AdvertisementsHe Songnan knitted his brows and was just about to step in when he heard a mellifluous voice ring out, Are you blind?Li Shiqi was stunned.He Songnan was also taken aback. He tilted his head, trying to see the face of the girl who had just spoken out. She had a pretty and familiar profile, her skin very fair. Her black hair was tied into a high ponytail and her uniform was tidy, her collar revealing a white neck, the neckline slender and supple.He Songnan immediately recognized her. It was absolute territory.Boss Juan's domineering queen whose eyes called everyone an ant.The queen's tone was quite powerful. I'm your adoptive father. Now, you can either shut your mouth, eat quietly and fuck off or this adoptive dad will teach you what basic manners and courtesy is on behalf of your father.She said this with a provoking tone that contained contempt, disdain, annoyance and even a bit of arrogance that looked down on others.Her lines sounded so fluid they could totally tell that she had gone through some things.He Songnan couldn't help but whistle and turn his head, casting a glance at Shen Juan.Boss Juan didn't look at him. He narrowed his eyes, biting the unlit cigarette stick in his mouth and grinded his teeth.It was the beginning of September, the weather still carrying heat. The shop was in full capacity, the tables fully filled, making the heat feel even more intense. Lin Yujing sat with her back to the door and didn't catch sight of the people standing outside. The three ladies across her smiled from anger, one of them smacking the table and standing up. She leaned towards Lin Yujing and swept a look at her sleeves. Have you lost your mind? What does my conversation have to do with you? And adoptive father? Do you usually pick fights like this? You're only in your second yearLin Yujing didn't even say anything. She eyed the table and assessed the things on top of it. The bowl of rice noodles had just arrived so the soup had to be boiling hot. If she were to dunk it on the girl's head, she would probably suffer from burns.AdvertisementsActing with propriety, she resorted to pushing the bowl of rice noodles in front of her to the front and pressed the girl's head down on the table with a bang.The girl simply didn't predict that she would take action directly so before she could even react, her face made contact with the oily table. She let out a scream and struggled to lift her head but was unable to do so.Big sister should really watch what she says, and do yourself a favor. Lin Yujing whispered in her ear. Otherwise, next time, I'm going to dunk your head straight into the bowl.Red Bracelet finally reacted at this moment, reaching out a hand towards her. Lin Yujing stood up and leaned back, evading her but didn't let go of the girl. She grabbed the collar of Red Bracelet's uniform with her other hand and sent her chair kicking with her leg. The plastic chair slammed heavily against Red Bracelet's knee and Lin Yujing threw Red Bracelet to the side.The space in the shop was originally very narrow. She hadn't even stood straight when she bumped into something and fell down, crashing onto a stack of plastic blue chairs.The store plunged into chaos. The sound of a girl's scream and the chairs being overturned rang out. The boss lady hurriedly came out of the kitchen. Little Marshmallow was scared silly in her seat, tear tracks still hanging on her face. After a period of time, she quiveringly reached out a hand and pulled on Lin Yujing's uniform. D.D-Don't fi, d-d-don't fight, p-p-plea.Lin Yujing looked down at her and Little Marshmallow was so frightened she nearly curled up into a ball, her shoulders quivering as she cried.Lin Yujing pulled her hand and dragged her out.Little Marshmallow stumbled a bit but quietly followed her. Walking towards the entrance where a few people stood, Lin Yujing didn't even raise her head and brushed against their shoulders, pulling the girl along with her. They crossed the road, walked further ahead and turned to another road.The shops on this road were comparatively fewer and on the side was a convenience store.Lin Yujing looked at the girl beside her and went inside, buying a lollipop. She had picked out a strawberry-flavored sucker and gave it to her.The girl no longer cried, sitting at the steps of the convenience store wiping her eyes, appearing very pitiful.AdvertisementsLin Yujing sat down beside her. What are you crying about? If other people bully you, just hit her. Two hits is all it takes for her to start behaving. Do you think she'll stop bullying you if you cry? The easier you are to bully the more frequently you'll be bullied.The girl gripped the lollipop and lifted her head, her eyes red from tears. I-I c-can't win against them.If you can't win against her, call her names. If that doesn't work, resort to using dirty tricks. Lin Yujing held a lychee flavored lollipop in hand, peeling off the wrapper and stuffing the sucker into her mouth. Throw whatever you've got with you to their face. Those who make a move first in a fight gets an advantage. Smash their face in and make them unable to react. Then, run to the teacher's office and cry just like you did a while ago, tell them they bullied you and hit you.Little Marshmallow was stupefied when she heard this, looking at Lin Yujing blankly.Lin Yujing laughed, staring at her with beautifully curved eyes. Don't you think what I said made sense?Little Marshmallow's face turned red. She stuttered for a long time but was unable to say something corrigible. In the end, she stammered out. T-T-Thank y-you.No worries. Lin Yujing stood up. Actually, it wasn't because of you. I just happened to be in a bad mood and their yapping made my head hurt so it was very annoying. If they dare to bully you again, just look for me in the second years' building in class 10.Having had her lunch disrupted halfway and seeing that there wasn't enough time to go to another shop to eat, in the end, Li Yujing resorted to buying two packets of bread from the school canteen and returned to the classroom, eating while surfing on her phone.By the time lunch had concluded, Shen Juan came back. On his return, he found Lin Yujing already sleeping. The girl had her head down on the table, sleeping quite deeply. Because her jacket was a bit loose, it made her frame look thin and petite.Shen Juan didn't call her nor was he in a hurry to go in. He leaned against the door and looked at her for a few seconds.He suddenly got the urge to laugh.Back at the entrance of the rice noodle shop, this girl didn't even spare him a glance. Later on, when Li Shiqi and her clique recovered their senses and tried to chase after her, spitting out foul words, they were obstructed by him.Shen Juan could see what Lin Yujing meant by take care of.When she took action, she was indeed efficient, ruthless and frighteningly proficient, though she still acted within propriety, carrying out actions with a sober mind.The school bell rang and Lin Yujing scrunched her brows, slowly getting up from the table. When she raised her eyes, she saw her desk mate standing at the doorway looking at her.The girl didn't get much sleep, her whole face evidently unhappy. She stared back at him with scrunched brows for a while before slowly lifting her hand. With her long lashes drooping down, her slender white finger tips rubbed her eyes.Shen Juan's eyelids seemed to twitch.A few seconds passed when Lin Yujing finally gathered her wits, standing up to give him way.Shen Juan sat down and the two people remained silent. Lin Yujing was still in a muddled half-awake state, yawning with tears in her eyes.The first class in the afternoon was chemistry. During the chemistry teacher's first period, Shen Juan pulled out a brand new chemistry book from the stack and flipped to the first page, scribbling his name on it.Lin Yujing realized that this desk mate of hers particularly liked signing his name. He was like a little kid who liked writing his class and name on the first page of his new books. In every subject and in every book, the name Shen Juan was written flamboyantly, covering a big majority of the page, appearing as unbridled as his character.Shen Juan noticed her line of sight and turned her head to her.Lin Yujing looked at him and blinked, feeling a sense of restlessness as though he had caught her sneaking stares red-handed.The youth appeared to be very calm, inclining his head slightly to look at his desk mate. When you were fighting a while ago, what did you say to the other person?Lin Yujing paused, her brain lagging for a few seconds. The drowsiness that she had from a lack of sleep was completely swept away.Lin Yujing responded, W.What?When you were pressing the other person's head, you whispered something in her ear. Shen Juan said.Lin Yujing's shock morphed into bewilderment and she looked at him expressionlessly, like a killer who was wondering whether it'd be too late to kill and silence him on the spot.Lin Yujing: You saw that huh.Yeah. Shen Juan said, unflustered.Lin Yujing looked back on the incident. The rice noodle shop was quite small and she didn't spot her classmate. I didn't see you.I was just passing by. I was at the entrance. Shen Juan was still a little curious. At that time, he saw her whisper something in the girl's ear and the girl appeared to desperately try to remain motionless, the effect of her words disconcerting. So what did you say to her back then?Lin Yujing suddenly looked at him with an innocent smile.It was the first time Shen Juan had seen her smile. Her facial features looked very innocent so when her eyes curved into crescents, it made her look pure and guileless. Her slightly upturned eyes made her look like a naive fox-spirit.Shen Juan was flabbergasted, his eyelids twitching again.I said. I have someone above me.1 The little fox said slowly, My delinquent brother Shen Juan is watching from the entrance. If you make a move against me, I'm going to scream.Shen Juan: ..****The author has something to say:Lin Yujing's words turned out to be tragically prophetic. The sentence determined the outcome of her future happiness.
