Translator: Tuiwen Editor: Tuiwen
Zhu Xiangxiang invited Ming Jing to take their family limo to school with her on that first day, but Min Jing rejected her offer.
As it was, despite the noise that they were causing online, the public had yet to see this famed real daughter. Meanwhile, Zhu Xiangxiang was already in possession of good grades, campus popularity, and good looks. The true matter of her birth didn’t appear to affect any of these at all. The most that people were able to do was to badmouth her behind her back.
Even so, the clamor never died down. Within two days, the issue only gained more traction.
Netizens started to claim that the real daughter had already been received by the family, and that Zhu Xiangxiang’s future days weren’t looking very good.
A lot of people were giddy about this, but there were still some who were worried.
Unbeknownst to everyone, this rightful daughter, who was the center of almost every conversation, was sitting in the middle of Class 8 of Grade 10 in Saint D High School.
During their break time, the girls in the class huddled together to discuss the matter of the Zhu family. Judging from their comments, it was apparent that they took delight in Zhu Xiangxiang’s unexpected misfortune.
Ming Jing turned a deaf ear to them and kept her head down. She was busy studying.
All of a sudden, a ball of crumpled paper was launched into the air and landed squarely on her textbook. This was followed by a snarky female voice.
“Hey, newcomer! Why are you pretending to be a good student over there?”
Ming Jing picked up the trash and, without looking up, threw it back into the air. It flew in a perfect arch and landed accurately into the trash can sitting at the far corner of the room.
Her eyes had never left her book.
“What the hell?” As interesting as it was, Ming Jing’s move still angered the girl who had picked a fight with her, especially because of Ming Jing’s indifferent attitude. She got off her perch on her desk and was about to teach Ming Jing a lesson when the bell rang, indicating the commencement of classes. “Just you wait,” the girl called out in a threatening voice.
Moments later, as the teacher busied herself on her desk, Tao Xingxing took the opportunity to lean closer to Ming Jing. “That girl is called Zhang Jingwen,” she whispered. “Her family is in the real estate business, and her father donated a whole building to the school. She once bullied a girl until she got depressed and dropped out of school. But the administration didn’t do anything to punish Zhang Jingwen. She’s also in cahoots with the seniors from the second year led by Zhao Zhen. She usually does whatever she wants, since she never suffers the consequences of her actions anyway. It would be best not to get into her bad side. She might round up her gang and bully you, too.”
Those girls were creative with their ways, and they had endless imaginations. Just thinking about the possibilities made Tao Xingxing shudder with fear.
Ming Jing nodded. “Got it.”
But her response was too casual for Tao Xingxing’s comfort. It only made her worry even more.
As expected, when Ming Jing came out of the toilet later that day, she was blocked and forced into a corner by Zhang Jingwen and three other girls.
“Is something the matter, classmates?” Ming Jing asked calmly.
Zhang Jingwen scoffed. Which girl hadn’t cowered before her? This newcomer really had some guts. “Your name is Ming Jing, right?” she sneered. “It seems that you don’t know the rules yet, so I’ll personally teach them to you right now.”
It was almost time for class, so the bathroom was empty except for them.
With a wave of Zhang Jingwen’s hand, her companions slowly grinned with malice and started to reach for Ming Jing with their sharp nails.
When she still remained unfazed, Zhang Jingwen’s eyes flashed viciously. ‘I’ll definitely make you cry and beg for my mercy.’
“Ah! So itchy! What is this?”
Just when their fingers were about to touch Ming Jing’s hair, the girls pulled back in unison, their expressions changing from cruel delight to utter horror.
They proceeded to scratch at their hands violently, and pretty soon they were bloodying themselves. But the more they scratched, the more severe the itch became. Within a matter of minutes, three pairs of hands were bloody and swelling, a sight fit for horror films.
Still, the itch persisted. The girls’ faces were flushed; they were teetering on the edge of mania. One of them even rushed to the wall and rubbed herself against the solid concrete.
Zhang Jingwen gaped at her friends in a mix of fear and confusion. A shiver ran down her spine. Out of nowhere, she also began to feel itchy.
Something dawned on her then, and she whirled at Ming Jing, who stood to the side, looking aloof and detached as ever. “It was you! Did you do this?” Zhang Jingwen demanded, feeling both shocked and angry.
Ming Jing raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean? I didn’t do anything. Perhaps it’s karma?”
“What the hell did you do?” Zhang Jingwen shrieked, twisting her body to the left then to the right. She felt like a thousand little ants were crawling all over her, biting every inch of her skin. She was so itchy, she wanted to kill someone.
“You shouldn’t be so angry, dear classmates. Your itch springs from your heart. Once you calm down, your itch will also disappear.”
Ming Jing’s words only served to fuel Zhang Jingwen’s fury, however, thereby worsening her itch.
Ming Jing finally walked up to her then. “This is just a small punishment,” she murmured, but her voice still rang loud and clear. “I’m sure it won’t happen again, right?”
And then she left the bathroom.
Zhang Jingwen still felt the ominous look in Ming Jing’s eyes long after the girl had gone. They were like invisible palms pressing down on her head and chest. Fear pricked her body like a thousand cold needles.
She no longer felt the itch. Instead, it was replaced by a bone-chilling terror.
…
Ming Jing walked back into the classroom with the shrill ringing of the bell, eliciting an audible sigh of relief from Tao Xingxing.
“Oh, you’re here! I was really scared that they were going to bully you. It’s good that you’re all right. I think it would be better if you don’t leave the classroom for the time being. If you really must, just call me and I’ll run your errands for you.”
Ming Jing pulled out a tissue from her bag and slowly wiped the water from her hands. “I’m fine,” she said, unperturbed.
Tao Xingxing sniffed the air and sidled up next to Ming Jing like a cat rubbing against its owner. “What is that? You smell so good. Which brand of perfume are you using?”
“It’s just incense,” Ming Jing answered after a brief pause. “I’ll give you the recipe if you like.”
“Oh, sure, sure!”
Ming Jing’s master had left behind a Book of the Nine Frosts, which contained more than one thousand recipes for both medicinal and poisonous concoctions. After years of practice, she had already mastered both as though they were nothing more than child’s play.
Beyond the mountain atop which the Lonemoon Nunnery sat was a primitive forest that was yet to be developed. As it was, it was home to many strange flowers and unknown fauna, and most of the ingredients listed in the book could only be found in its vast woods.
Among them was the goldfish grass, which, when mixed with bergamot in certain proportions, could produce a substance that relieved all manners of itch. They also produced a peculiar and rather addictive fragrance, but thankfully, it would cause no harm to the body.
As the hours passed, the lazy afternoon sun cast its golden rays upon the classroom. Tao Xingxing slouched in her seat, her face a mask of languid pleasure. She was utterly intoxicated by the scent wafting in the air around her.
Her deskmate, on the other hand, was too engrossed in her studies. The rest of their classmates were either sleeping, on their phones, or chatting with their neighbors. Ming Jing stood out like a sore thumb.
Tao Xingxing cocked her head to the side and thought, ‘Can it be that our class is finally going to produce a top student this school year?’
Zhang Jingwen didn’t show up again until the school day ended. This wasn’t strange—she and her friends skipped class regularly. The teachers never cared either way, anyway.
Ming Jing stayed to finish the heap of homework they had been given throughout the day. When she finally looked up, she found that there was only one other student, a boy, in the classroom with her.
She began to pack up her bags. She stood up, and so did the boy.
Based on her observations and Tao Xingxing’s briefing, this boy was supposed to be the class monitor, Hu Tian. He came from a poor family, but he was also the only well-performing student in Class 8.
Ming Jing exited the classroom, and he followed suit, locking the doors behind him. They walked down the corridors in unison, though Hu Tian kept some distance between them.
“That’s her, Sister Zhen!” The moment Ming Jing stepped out of the school gates, she was surrounded by Zhang Jingwen and a bunch of other girls.
The girl in the front, who appeared to be the leader, had long wavy hair and was wearing a pair of low-rise denim shorts paired with a crop top. It was an outfit that clearly defined her sexy figure. Her face was no less enchanting—rosy cheeks and bright eyes that flashed flirtatiously.
This was the school bully that Tao Xingxing had been most wary of—Zhao Zhen. Her father was the richest man in Jiang City, while her mother was the heiress of the underworld. It could be said that she came from the best of both worlds, and could do almost anything in the entire city, let alone in Saint D High School.
Ming Jing spare them one glance then pushed forward as if nothing was amiss.
“Hey, you! Stop right there!” Zhang Jingwen almost reached for her, but then caught herself at the last minute and withdrew her hand. She couldn’t help but think of what happened earlier this day.
Just like that, they watched Ming Jing walk away.
Zhang Jingwen stamped her feet in anger. “You have to avenge me, Sister Zhen! That girl is so arrogant, she didn’t even bother to greet you!”
Zhao Zhen had been staring at Ming Jing since she came out of the gates. Even now, her eyes were fixed on Ming Jing’s back. She was deep in thought, but she raised an eyebrow when she heard Zhang Jingwen’s words.
“When did I say that I’m avenging you? You made trouble for yourself, so it’s only right that you settle it yourself. I’m not your mother, I don’t have to clean up after your mess.”
Zhang Jingwen instantly saw red, but she didn’t dare say anything.
Zhao Zhen tapped her chin and smiled.
‘It’s no wonder she looked familiar. Isn’t that the real daughter of the Zhu family who has just returned?’
Who would have thought that she would enter society in such a quiet and inconspicuous manner?
Zhao Zhen threw a sideways glance at Zhang Jingwen’s injured hand and thought, ‘Looks like that girl has some impressive ability..’