Chapter 52

Lu Chenyu spent the entire afternoon in the decompression club, pounding away at the punching bag.

There was something incredibly cathartic about it—each punch landing like a release of pent-up frustration.

Song Yuemin had suggested taping a photo of Wen Feixi to the bag or scribbling her name on it, but Lu Chenyu hadn’t gone that far.

By the time she was done, she’d worked up a good sweat, and it felt like all the recent stress had poured out of her. Her whole body felt lighter.

It was already seven in the evening when she got home.

Ms. Song sat on the sofa, frowning as she scrolled through article after article on a WeChat public account.

“Mom’s Words, a Slap, a Lengthy Silence: Why Is Your Child Starting to Push Back?”

“Hidden Psychological Scars Behind the Beatings: Is a Child’s Silence and Depression Born from Abuse?”

“‘Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child’? Experts Warn: Corporal Punishment Can Plant Lifelong Trauma.”

There were endless popular science articles online, filled with horrifying negative examples that sent chills down the spine.

The more Ms. Song read, the more anxious she grew.

Her daughter’s recent behavior seemed just like the psychological issues described in those pieces.

The living room was dark.

To save on electricity, Ms. Song rarely turned on the lights when she was home alone.

Click.

Lu Chenyu twisted the door lock and stepped inside. Seeing the room so dim, lit only by the glow of Ms. Song’s phone screen, she paused in surprise.

She flicked on a lamp. “Mom, I’m home.”

Ms. Song glanced up, noting how late it was, and held back her usual scolding. She forced a smile instead. “You’re back? Go wash up, quick.”

After her shower, Lu Chenyu collapsed into bed, closed her eyes, and sleep came over her like a wave.

It was the best rest she’d had in days.

–

Sunday evening.

When Lu Chenyu arrived at school, Wen Feixi’s seat was empty.

She didn’t pay it much mind.

With the recent seat rearrangement, there was a decent gap between them now. Whether Wen Feixi was there or not had nothing to do with her.

But even after evening self-study ended, Wen Feixi still hadn’t returned to the classroom.

A faint unease stirred in Lu Chenyu’s chest.

Wen Feixi was always busy, but she never missed a single class.

Where on earth had she gone?

Three days slipped by, and Wen Feixi still hadn’t shown up at school.

It was Wednesday.

As Lu Chenyu left the dorms, passing behind the Teaching Building, a soft “meow” caught her ear.

Out scampered the little orange cat.

Lu Chenyu’s gaze drifted to the cardboard box in the corner of the wall.

Inside, soft towels lined the bottom, flanked by two cat bowls. A bag of cat food and a bag of goat milk powder were tucked away in the corner, with a sticky note on top that read “For Kitten Use Only” in elegant, flowing script—Wen Feixi’s handwriting.

Ever since that day when Lu Chenyu and she had rescued the kitten, Wen Feixi had been supplying it with necessities.

But she hadn’t been to school in days, so nothing new had been added.

Back in the classroom, Wen Feixi’s seat remained conspicuously empty.

Lu Chenyu acted indifferent on the surface, but her inner anxiety deepened.

That afternoon, as she scribbled away at some problems on her desk, she overheard Han Yi and Xie Siyun gossiping from the seats nearby.

“Heard the news? One of the two sophomore scholarship slots was internally fixed.”

“What’s that mean?”

Han Yi whispered, “Backdoor deal, duh. That Jiang Xueji from Class 3 who snagged the family hardship scholarship? She’s got a relative in the academic affairs office. She didn’t even qualify for hardship aid by the rules, but that teacher shoved her onto the list anyway, bumping off someone way more deserving.”

Lu Chenyu listened in a daze, her heart suddenly racing. The pen in her hand froze mid-stroke.

Xie Siyun muttered, “The roster’s been posted for ages, right? It was set in stone—how’s this blowing up now?”

“Didn’t you check Weibo?”

They huddled together over the phone, and then a cool voice sounded from behind them. “Mind if I take a look?”

Han Yi jumped, turning to find Ice Beauty Lu Chenyu standing there.

Han Yi hesitated, then handed over the phone. “Sure.”

Lu Chenyu frowned at the bold headline on the screen.

【No way—River City Fourth High School scholarships have dirt? Someone with a Maserati at home counts as low-income?】

The topic was explosive from the start, and with Fourth High being such a prestigious school, it ignited a firestorm. Netizens quickly dug up everything on the sophomore scholarship recipient, that girl named Jiang Xueji.

【She’s just padding her resume for overseas uni apps.】

【Aren’t Fourth High scholarships a big deal? How’s the process this shady?】

【@Education Bureau—As a century-old institution, River City Fourth High has blatant internal fixing of scholarship slots! Is the selection process legit? Scholarship criteria, posting procedures, candidate vetting, final allocations—all should be fully transparent! If you don’t investigate, how can you claim to uphold educational fairness?】

【Wonder where the real qualifiers ended up.】

【I’m a Fourth High alum—how’d the school turn into this? No surprise it’s falling behind the Foreign Language School next door.】

“It’s blown up huge,” Han Yi gossiped. “The school had to respond. The Wen Group sent people to academic affairs to investigate. The teacher involved resigned in disgrace. And Jiang Xueji’s scholarship? Revoked.”

“Revoked? So now there’s only one slot left?”

“Naturally, it goes to someone more qualified.”

Xie Siyun asked, “Who got bumped up?”

Han Yi instinctively glanced at the girl behind her. “Lu Chenyu…”

Lu Chenyu fully met the criteria for family hardship aid.

Per school rules, scholarships fell into two categories: Academic Excellence and Family Hardship. If you missed out on Academic Excellence, you’d automatically roll into the Family Hardship pool for a second review.

Without that Jiang Xueji gaming the system, the slot would have been Lu Chenyu’s to begin with.

But because of the fix, she’d been edged out.

The revelation hit Lu Chenyu like a bolt from the blue. She sat there, stunned.

Just then, Tang Yimo entered the classroom, arms full of exercise books, handing them out as she went.

She paused at Lu Chenyu’s desk. “Little Deer, here’s your exercise book.”

“Thanks.”

Tang Yimo studied her face and couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

She was probably the only one in class who knew about Wen Feixi’s crush on Lu Chenyu.

Too bad their relationship had hit rock bottom lately, judging by Lu Chenyu’s seat change request last week.

It was hard to picture someone as perfect and capable as Wenwen—a true child of heaven—being so helpless when it came to romance.

Tang Yimo turned to leave, but Lu Chenyu hesitated and called her back.

“What’s the deal with the scholarship?”

Sighing, Tang Yimo pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “Ugh… Wen Feixi’s been on a rampage lately, out of nowhere demanding an audit of the recent scholarships.”

“No clue how she pulled it off, but she hired people to dig up dirt, looped in some big shots, and blasted it all online.”

“The backlash hit the school hard, so they dug deeper, exposed a bunch of culprits, and dealt with them. That’s why she hasn’t been in class—it’s wrecked her. She’s in a bad mental place.”

Lu Chenyu froze, her heart clenching sharply.

“There’s more,” Tang Yimo continued. “Wen Feixi fired a welcoming supervisor at her family’s company.”

“He’s throwing a fit online, claiming President Wen spoils his daughter rotten, letting her boot a decades-long veteran.”

“Tons of people online are slamming Wen Feixi for it.”

Lu Chenyu blinked in surprise.

“But don’t blame Wenwen too much—she’s had it rough,” Tang Yimo said. “I’ve seen her mom back in the day; total stunner, super close with her dad, at least back then. But when Wenwen was seven, her mom conned her dad out of a pile of cash and ran off with some guy.”

“She’s always lacked security. Around ten, she was in therapy daily. Sure, she’s friendly with everyone—that’s just her upbringing—but deep down, we all know she keeps her distance. The way she treats you? She really likes you.”

“Plus, at the birthday banquet, I could tell she was upset. She kept checking her phone, went outside to wait forever. Went home and got sick that night.”

“Good constitution, though—overcame the cold quick. She was looking forward to your birthday gift… and to you showing up.” Tang Yimo sighed deeply. “It was her coming-of-age party, huge affair. Bai Xian and I were there, but no chance to chat with her.”

“Her dad… sigh, not sure if you get it, but he wanted her mingling. Tons of River City business bigwigs showed. Everyone had eyes on her; she couldn’t slip away…”

Lu Chenyu stood rooted, her mind buzzing.

–

It was computer class.

Lu Chenyu arrived at the lab early, seizing the rare chance to use a machine and scour the news.

On the news site, a trending hot search jumped out, marked “HOT.”

The article featured a photo of the recently fired Wen Group supervisor.

Lu Chenyu recognized him instantly—the manager who’d blocked her at the door during Wen Feixi’s birthday banquet.

The comments below were dripping with sarcasm.

【Isn’t Xiu Zi’s daughter still in middle school? Letting the young miss meddle in company business already? Breeding another arrogant princeling? A vet with over a decade on the job, parents above, wife and kids below—she fires him on a whim? Treating livelihoods like a game?】

Wen Yanxiu was strikingly handsome and often in the media, drawing a flock of looks-based fans.

They affectionately called him “Xiu Ge,” with netizens teasing “Xiuer” or “Xiu Zi.”

【Anyone got a pic of Xiu Zi’s daughter? Gotta see what this bratty young miss looks like.】

【Young miss privilege—over a decade of service, no merit but plenty of toil. Fire at will?】

【Bombed SS’s fall R&D recruit (smirk) (smirk). Was bummed before; now glad I dodged.】

【We’re just their workhorses (smirk)】

【Boycott SS, boycott their chips!】

Hot terms clustered alongside, none friendly.

WenYanxiuSpoilsDaughter#

SparkSiliconHeiressAbusesPower#

WenGroupHeiressPoorStudent#

WenYoungMissUgly#

Lu Chenyu stared at the bizarre trends, her brows knitting together.