“You are wrong.” The voice was soft but firm, like a fishbone.
You could swallow it, but it would make you feel uncomfortable all over and hurt your throat.
Zhao Mingzhu suddenly turned around and shouted angrily, “Who said I was wrong?”
Seeing the person who spoke, Zhao Mingzhu’s attitude became much more amiable. She smiled and said, “Cui Xiaoxin, what did you say just now? There’s nothing for you to do here. Sit down quickly.”
Cui Xiaoxin was a good student, the best in the class and also the best in the entire grade. If there was no accident, she would definitely enter Xifeng University.
Zhao Mingzhu liked her, the young talented girl who studied hard.
The most important thing was that she was also very beautiful, which always reminded Zhao Mingzhu of her younger self.
Cui Xiaoxin stood up straight in the school uniform and said again, “Ms. Zhao, I said you are wrong.”
Zhao Mingzhu’s expression turned awkward. She said coldly and solemnly, “Cui Xiaoxin, sit down.”
“Teacher, you have to apologize to Li Muyang.” Cui Xiaoxin did not intend to back off. She said, “This conflict has nothing to do with Li Muyang. He is also a victim.”
Zhao Mingzhu looked at Cui Xiaoxin suspiciously. Then, she looked at Li Muyang with a look of bitter hatred. She said, “Cui Xiaoxin, how can you speak up for someone like Li Muyang?”
“Teacher, I didn’t help anyone. I just said what I should say…” Cui Xiaoxin’s expression was cold and not overwhelmed by Zhao Mingzhu’s imposing manner. She said, “I just told you what I saw. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Cui Xiaoxin scanned all the people present, who looked into her eyes and bowed their heads shamefully.
“They don’t dare to say it, but someone should stand out. Otherwise, there will never be an answer to what is right and what is wrong. It was Zhang Chen who came to slap Li Muyang’s desk first and disturbed the rest of the classmates here. Li Muyang didn’t do anything to Zhang Chen. As for why Zhang Chen cried, you have to ask Zhang Chen yourself.”
Zhao Mingzhu stared at Cui Xiaoxin and said, “Cui Xiaoxin, what’s the relationship between you and Li Muyang?”
“We are classmates.”
“Cui Xiaoxin, be careful of being influenced.” Zhao Mingzhu said with a meaningful look in her eyes, “When I came back from the lake, someone told me that you had a close relationship with Cui Xiaoxin. At that time, I didn’t believe it… Xiaoxin, Li Muyang has already given up on himself. With his current learning attitude, it is impossible for him to enter any university. You are different from him. You are going to Xifeng, the best school in the empire… The more critical the situation is, the less relaxed you should be. This is the same for all students.”
Zhao Mingzhu waved her hand and said, “Xiaoxin, sit down. Zhang Chen, go back to your seat. Li Muyang, go to the door and stand as a punishment.”
“Ms. Zhao…” Cui Xiaoxin tried to defend him.
“Cui Xiaoxin.” Li Muyang stopped her. He grinned and pretended not to care at all, saying, “It doesn’t matter, I can sleep outside. The class has begun, and I won’t waste the precious time of my classmates. I wish you all good results.”
After saying that, Li Muyang walked out of the classroom.
He was such a person. He didn’t want his parents to be sad or Sinian to be in danger, so he never told them that he had been bullied.
He didn’t want Cui Xiaoxin to have a conflict with Zhao Mingzhu because of him, so he had to pretend that he didn’t care about all this.
“I’m a pile of mud. How could I affect other people’s future?”
Looking at Li Muyang’s bright smile on his face and his lonely back under all his classmates’ eyes, Cui Xiaoxin suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
The beginning and the end of the matter had nothing to do with her, but it was as if she had been greatly wronged.
Cui Xiaoxin pushed the chair away and ran outside, biting her lips.
“Cui Xiaoxin, what are you doing?” Zhao Mingzhu shouted from behind.
“I’m going to help Li Muyang with his homework.” Cui Xiaoxin’s voice drifted off in the distance.
…
In the Beast-faced Pavilion, Cui Xiaoxin ordered a cup of Blue Water tea. Li Muyang didn’t look at the menu and said to the waiter, “Give me a cup of Blue Water tea, too.”
Then, he crossed his arms and placed them on the table. He looked at Cui Xiaoxin, who was sitting opposite him with bright eyes.
Until now, Li Muyang still could not believe the facts in front of him.
The darkest and stupidest “Swine” and the school goddess Cui Xiaoxin sat together, drinking Blue Water in Fuxing High School, which was a taboo that he did not even dare to touch in his spring dreams in the past.
Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked, “Are you really going to help me with my homework?”
Cui Xiaoxin raised her eyebrows and looked at Li Muyang, saying, “How can you expect others to love you if you don’t love yourself? If you don’t have self-respect, how can anyone respect you? I know you are not stupid. From our conversation that day, I know that you are very smart. As long as you work harder and don’t sleep during class, your study will not be like this. The teacher will not have such a great prejudice against you, and your classmates will not think that you are a burden on them.”
Li Muyang looked at Cui Xiaoxin and asked, “Don’t you blame me for dragging the class down?”
“I did,” Cui Xiaoxin said without hesitation. “There are several times that our class should be the best one of our grade, but you’ve lowered the average scores too many times—otherwise, Ms. Zhao wouldn’t be so angry.”
“…”
“Don’t you think that as a boy who is young and not lacking hands and legs… Don’t you think that you should not be irresponsible and waste your time all day?”
Although Cui Xiaoxin blamed Li Muyang and complained that he didn’t work hard, at this moment, Li Muyang felt very happy because he saw care, worry, and hope in Cui Xiaoxin’s eyes.
He had seen eyes such as this many times from his parents and his sister, Li Sinian.
At this moment, he saw it in the eyes of a girl who had nothing to do with him.
“I was struck by lightning,” Li Muyang said.
He decided to confess his experience to Cui Xiaoxin, although it was extremely embarrassing and she might laugh at him.
Cui Xiaoxin looked stunned. Her little white face turned red and purple. Her eyes were full of disappointment. She said angrily, “Li Muyang, you’re really hopeless.”
After that, she was ready to get up and leave.
She was really angry, but even more, she was disappointed. The moment she had chased after him, she hesitated a little, but now, all she could do was to regret it.
“What does it have to do with me if he was wronged and expelled? Why do I have to get involved in this matter?
“Cui Xiaoxin, you have to be more careful.”
Li Muyang was in a panic. He didn’t know whether he had said or done anything wrong.
He just wanted to tell Cui Xiaoxin that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to make progress or work hard, and he didn’t want to be muddleheaded. On the contrary, he wanted to study more than anyone else, and he wanted to work harder than anyone else.
However, it was just because he was struck by lightning…
In addition to his sister, Li Sinian, Li Muyang had no experience of dating girls of the same age. What’s more, this was the goddess whom he had been secretly admiring in his heart.
Li Muyang also got up. He explained in a clumsy way, “Cui Xiaoxin, don’t misunderstand… I didn’t say that you’re lightning…”
“…”
“No, what I mean is that what you said is not absurd…”
“…”
The more anxious Li Muyang was, the angrier Cui Xiaoxin became when she heard his explanation.
The angrier Cui Xiaoxin was, the more anxious Li Muyang was.
Cui Xiaoxin walked to the door. She reached out and grabbed the copper door-handle.
As long as she pushed the door open, Li Muyang would never have any contact with her again.
Just like she had said before.
Li Muyang was reluctant to part with her because she was the first and only girl who cared about him so much.
Her concern was different from that of his sister, Li Sinian.
It was a sibling’s affection, but Cui Xiaoxin was about friendship.
Li Muyang was eager to have this friendship because he had never had friends since he was a child.
“Cui Xiaoxin!” Li Muyang shouted.
Cui Xiaoxin hesitated for a moment, then she finally turned around.
Li Muyang’s throat wiggled as he gasped. Even though he only said a few words, his emotion was too intense, which made him feel exhausted.
He looked into Cui Xiaoxin’s eyes and said in a raspy voice shyly, stammering, “I forgot to tell you just now… you look so good with the Gardenia.”