Chapter 75

In no time at all, the parents were almost all present, and the Homeroom Teacher had arrived too.

So, Wenren Tu was kicked out. Because she was carrying a prohibited weapon—very dangerous—so she wasn’t allowed in.

If she wasn’t allowed in, then so be it. Wenren Tu fiddled with her trench coat collar, trying her best to make it stand up more rakishly. She didn’t have Zhu Ming’s freakishly robust constitution; she was actually nearly shivering from the cold. But for the sake of Yun Zouchuan’s reputation, she couldn’t shiver!

“Sister A-Tu, what on earth are you guys doing?” Yun Zouchuan asked in a low voice, her face red. Heaven knew how much torture she was enduring right now. For the first time in her life, she felt time passing so slowly!

Wenren Tu whispered, “This was all Zhu Ming’s idea. Just leave it be. Today, your big sister will help you vent some real steam.”

The corner of Yun Zouchuan’s mouth twitched, unable to speak. This might indeed have been Zhu Ming’s idea, but that thick gold chain and that flashy sports car—those were absolutely provided by Wenren Tu.

“Eldest Miss, why are your hands so cold? Let your Subordinate warm them for you.” Wenren Tu grabbed Yun Zouchuan’s hands and rubbed them vigorously, adding, “I’ll accompany you back to the dorm to pack your things.”

Classes had still been going on in the morning, and her belongings in the dorm weren’t fully packed yet. Not wanting to keep embarrassing herself at the teaching building any longer, Yun Zouchuan quickly dragged Wenren Tu towards the dorm.

Their school dorm was a very basic eight-person room. Apart from bunk beds and cubby-hole closets, there was nothing else; even the bathrooms were communal.

Actually, her luggage was quite simple. The school just required that after packing your own things, you also thoroughly clean the dorm room.

As soon as she came back, her roommates, who were sitting on the beds chatting quietly, stopped talking. One by one, they looked at Wenren Tu with eyes full of extreme curiosity. A braver one greeted her, and Wenren Tu simply nodded faintly in response.

Yun Zouchuan was about to start cleaning when Wenren Tu beat her to it. “Eldest Miss, just sit and rest a while.”

So she began cleaning in Yun Zouchuan’s stead. As she swept, she couldn’t help but complain, “This school is too shabby, doesn’t even have cleaning staff. Eldest Miss, you’re really too capable of enduring hardship. I think I should report back to Madam, and let’s just transfer schools.”

“Don’t!” Yun Zouchuan had no idea if she was serious or joking. Startled, she quickly stopped her. “I’m doing fine here, no need to transfer.”

As she spoke, Wenren Tu squeezed out a couple of crocodile tears. “I just knew you’re considerate of others, never seeking special treatment, never liking to trouble others. Eldest Miss, when we get back, I’ll definitely have the Butler make lots of good food to nourish you. Look, you’ve gotten so thin.”

Yun Zouchuan hadn’t received a script, so she simply stopped talking. Although embarrassed, she also knew the two of them meant well. Forget it, better not to ruin their act.

The luggage was packed, the cleaning was done, and it was likely the parent-teacher meeting had ended too.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Yun Zouchuan pushed Wenren Tu. “You take this big piece down to the car first. I’ll carry the rest myself.”

“Alright, as you command.”

Wenren Tu unhesitatingly hoisted the largest piece of luggage and left. Gathering the remaining odds and ends, Yun Zouchuan packed up to carry them down herself.

Just as she was about to head out, and Wenren Tu’s silhouette had vanished from the doorway, one of her roommates—the one she usually got along decently with, who rarely bullied her—shifted their bottom over and scooted closer.

“Zouchuan, who was that person?”

How was Yun Zouchuan supposed to know what the script said? Probably a Subordinate? But she really couldn’t bring herself to address her that way, so she said, “That’s… an elder sister of mine.”

Seeing her respond, a few others also subconsciously drew near.

“You two don’t look much alike.”

Yun Zouchuan’s features clearly marked her as an ethnic minority, so she couldn’t be Wenren Tu’s biological sister.

Unable to explain, Yun Zouchuan just gave a vague hum.

“She also called you ‘Eldest Miss.’ What’s that about?” The roommate studied her with a probing gaze, a mix of excited curiosity and a trace of envy in their eyes. “Wow, you really hid it deep, huh.”

Yun Zouchuan was too sheepish to lie. Her face grew redder. “No, it’s not what you’re thinking… I’m going now.”

She fled, hugging her remaining luggage as she ran downstairs. The whole way, she felt everyone was gossiping about her, especially the classmates who knew her. The gazes they cast her way made her wish she could just burrow into a crevice and hide.

But she couldn’t just leave like that, because the Homeroom Teacher had specifically told her to stay behind. After the parent meeting, the teacher wanted to talk to her and her guardian privately.

The reason? Just before final exams, she’d punched the boy sitting behind her so hard his nose bled… and, incidentally, used her utility knife to chop off a chunk of his hair.

Wenren Tu sat in the sports car, watching over the luggage and gazing distantly at the Class 6, Grade 10 classroom. Yun Zouchuan was waiting just outside the classroom.

Wenren Tu was thick-skinned and used to flaunting; the more people looked at her, the more brazen she became. But Yun Zouchuan was different. Her skin wasn’t that thick. She could only face the wall, pretending nothing was happening.

Sadly, the gazes people cast her way and the hushed voices discussing her surrounded her from all directions, making it impossible to fool herself.

Finally, she endured until the parent-teacher meeting ended. The Homeroom Teacher came out at last. This time, even the teacher’s gaze towards Yun Zouchuan had turned a bit strange.

“Yun Zouchuan, you and Xue Tao come to my office. The parents of both parties should also come over.”

Fine. Going to the office was better than staying here, at least it would block out these mortifying stares.

“Ahem, the reason I’ve called the two guardians here separately today is actually because…”

The Homeroom Teacher explained the situation: how Xue Tao was always bullying Yun Zouchuan, and how Yun Zouchuan had hit him. The teacher believed both were at fault and both needed to be reprimanded, expressing hope that the guardians would urge the two to apologize, make up, and turn over a new leaf.

Xue Tao’s guardian said, “My son didn’t actually hit anyone, so how is he at fault? What’s with girls nowadays being so…”

Slam!

Zhu Ming suddenly smacked the table. Instantly, Xue Tao’s guardian shut his mouth.

This woman looked way too much like a street tough.

But Zhu Ming then suddenly revealed a smiling face. “Young boys these days are shameless and need to be taught a lesson. Getting a bit of a beating when they’re young isn’t a big deal. Better be careful once they enter society, or adults might beat them up.”

The guardian caught the implication in her words and immediately became angry from humiliation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zhu Ming sneered. “Take it however you want. Oh, and Teacher, I don’t know how you usually handle such matters, but I feel you might have a little misunderstanding.”

The Homeroom Teacher definitely didn’t want them quarreling in the office. “Please, if there’s a misunderstanding, do tell.”

So Zhu Ming said, “I’m not the parent of our Eldest Miss. Her parents are too busy, couldn’t come, hope you understand. Also, our Eldest Miss is usually very low-key, very approachable. That’s because she has a good temper and a soft nature. But it absolutely does not mean she can just be bullied.”

The more she spoke, the angrier Zhu Ming got. She couldn’t help but raise her voice. “If you hadn’t told me, I honestly wouldn’t have known the Eldest Miss was suffering this kind of crap here! You’re her Homeroom Teacher. The Eldest Miss always says everything is fine at school. I thought you were surely very fair. I hope you can continue to look after our young Miss more in the future. Of course, I know you must have difficulties you can’t help. That’s fine. If there’s anything hard to resolve, just call me. I’ll be right over with one phone call.”

The Homeroom Teacher was so awkward she didn’t know what to say. What was this, an act or for real? The tricks students used today to deal with teachers were getting more and more creative.

“Yun Zouchuan’s guardian… no, are you her older sister? It’s fine. As long as the child is in my class, I will certainly treat everyone equally and look after them together. You can rest assured on that.”

Xue Tao’s guardian curled his lip. “What an act.”

Zhu Ming gave him a sideways glance and said, “With those words from you, Teacher, I can rest easy. Our Eldest Miss is indeed a little different, so I must trouble you to give her some extra care. As you know, our Miss entered this school through special channels. That’s because our family was previously stationed in Tibet and only relocated here in the last couple of years… I can’t say more.”

“‘Family’? Who are you trying to scare?” Xue Tao’s guardian couldn’t help but roll his eyes, thinking this person was such a poser. “So, are we just letting the assault slide?”

Zhu Ming’s eyes instantly turned Cold. “Of course not. The matter of him harassing our Eldest Miss hasn’t been settled yet. Please apologize immediately, or I will report this to the police as sexual harassment!”

“What are you babbling about! Who sexually harassed anyone!” Xue Tao got angry upon hearing that, disregarding the teacher’s presence, and yelled out, “Wasn’t I just teasing her a bit for fun? Are you people crazy!”

The two, father and son, were united in not believing it was their fault. Xue Tao’s guardian even started shouting, “Go ahead, call the police! I’ll show you, this isn’t over!”

The Homeroom Teacher saw the situation was spiraling somewhat strangely and quickly stepped in to smooth things over, even trying to get Yun Zouchuan to calm her own guardian down.

But Zhu Ming had been waiting for just this. She leisurely took out her Mobile Phone. “You say this isn’t over? Fine. Don’t leave later if you’ve got the guts.”

With that, she made a call. “Is everyone assembled?”

The call was on speakerphone. Wenren Tu’s carefree voice came through the receiver. “Only half have arrived.”

“Someone here says this isn’t over with our Eldest Miss.”

Wenren Tu laughed out loud. “Such backbone, I like it. Wait a moment.”

Three seconds later, Wenren Tu seemed to dial another call and commanded, “Everyone who’s here, honk on my signal!”

And in the next moment, the sound of car horns, one after another in quick succession, nearly surrounded the entire school. The sound stretched from the school gate all the way down the main street outside, wave after wave. It was impossible to tell just how many cars were honking.

Xue Tao and his father’s faces grew uglier and uglier.

The Homeroom Teacher’s expression wasn’t looking too good either. If this blew up into something big, they definitely wouldn’t escape responsibility.

…

By the time Zhu Ming protectively escorted Yun Zouchuan out of the office, the Homeroom Teacher’s face finally held a somewhat relaxed expression. Things wouldn’t escalate, and they wouldn’t have to face disciplinary action.

Xue Tao and his father slunk out at the very back, their tails between their legs. The moment they were outside, they quickly fled, not wanting to appear in front of Zhu Ming and Yun Zouchuan for even half a second longer.

“You guys were really something.” Following behind Zhu Ming, Yun Zouchuan thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what to praise them with.

“Those kind of people, you can’t be too polite with them.” Zhu Ming smiled brightly. “You just play along obediently. It’s not like things could get any worse than they are now, right?”

Indeed, things couldn’t get much worse than now. Yun Zouchuan understood very clearly: although she disliked lying, she would also work hard not to let down Zhu Ming and Wenren Tu’s concern.

“Thanks, Boss.” Yun Zouchuan said obediently. “Sorry for making you go to all this trouble.”

“No problem, it’s my duty. I thought carefully about it. Your accent and being a bit dumb—that’s not really on me. But you being poor… ahem, might be a little related to me. This is probably the only area I can help you save some face.”

Giving her money directly was absolutely out of the question, because Zhu Ming had no money either. But putting on a front and intimidating people a little, that she could manage.

When they reached the school gate, Yun Zouchuan saw from afar that Wenren Tu was sitting in the car, wearing a warm smile as she chatted with her classmates.

“We’ll be entrusting our Eldest Miss to your care. Ah, it can’t be helped. She just never likes to tell us when something’s up… Haha. Our Madam wanted her to attend a private high school, but she insisted on coming here. And so, the two of them are in a spat, and her allowance has been frozen. But our Eldest Miss can endure hardship. I expect she won’t give in. Those two are both so stubborn… Oh dear, the Miss is here!”

What did it feel like to be the center of public attention? It felt exactly like this moment.

In an instant, all eyes turned to Yun Zouchuan. The sound of conversation hit the pause button, but the curious gazes didn’t attempt to hide their admiration.

The crowd even subtly parted to form a path, like walking a red carpet, making way for this “Eldest Miss” of theirs. Yun Zouchuan felt her legs go weak, her face burning, practically steaming from the top of her head.

Although it was the well-meaning intent of her elder sisters… it was just far too much to bear! She honestly didn’t know how she managed to walk under those stares and get into the car.

Zhu Ming, however, was unfazed. She walked over and kicked the car door. “All the books moved?”

“They’re all loaded.”

“Alright then, let’s go home. Miss, please have a seat!”

Once Yun Zouchuan was settled in the back, Wenren Tu pressed a button, and the car slowly transformed from a convertible to a coupe with a roof.

The flashy, showy supercar took the lead and started its engine. As the vehicle merged onto the main road, one after another, black luxury cars followed behind like an escort, forming a striking, eye-catching motorcade.

The crowd who hadn’t yet left, still watching the spectacle by the school gate, erupted in even more heated discussion. No wonder the area outside the school had felt especially packed today.

Those gazes—some envious, some jealous, some curious—were all left behind them. Yun Zouchuan leaned against the car window, watching for a moment, before finally pulling her gaze back.

“So, how was it? Awesome, right?” Zhu Ming asked smugly.

“It was pretty awesome. But I’m a fake eldest miss, so I’ll be exposed eventually.” So it felt awesome but also unreal, leaving her guilty.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Wenren Tu said. “When the next semester starts, I’ll take you to my place. You can pick whatever you want from my wardrobe.”

Zhu Ming laughed. “Though your ‘Eldest Miss’ status is fake, your Sister A-Tu here is the real deal. Ugh, don’t even mention it. She’s never even been this generous with me.”

Wenren Tu laughed and made a sound of dismissal. “Don’t say that. A-Zou, you know what? Compared to your Boss, I’m really nothing. Don’t be fooled by how stingy she usually is. She’s the genuine article—a real Eldest Miss through and through.”

Yun Zouchuan: “…I think we can stop discussing this issue now.”