Chapter 81: 81. The Trampled School Bully (11) Part 1

Jiang Yusheng had naturally hugged Bai Qian before—even face-to-face.

But that had been during her Susceptible Period, when neither of them was truly clear-headed.

Now, Zhao Lanzhao wanted her to carry the girl back to the room while fully awake. The moment Little Rabbit heard that, her face flushed bright red.

Her hands hadn’t even touched Bai Qian yet, but they shrank back as if scorched by fire.

She was usually brimming with bold inner fantasies, but now that the chance was right in front of her, she chickened out.

She shot the woman a glance, her face scrunching up in agony as she stammered, “I’ve only ever held her hand, and it’s only been a few days. Hugging her now feels way too fast, doesn’t it?”

Zhao Lanzhao was speechless. “This is the one thing you’re just like your dad about—always waiting for someone else to take the initiative. If your mom hadn’t been bold enough back then, you probably wouldn’t even exist right now. Enough with the hemming and hawing. If you’re not going to pick her up, then I will.”

The provocation worked like a charm. No sooner had the words left her mouth than the fiercely possessive Little Rabbit scooped Bai Qian into her arms.

In a perfect princess carry, no less.

Lady Zhao Lanzhao grabbed a washed apple on her way and followed Jiang Yusheng into the room.

The apple was crisp, letting out a sharp crunch that made the girl in Jiang Yusheng’s arms frown unconsciously in her sleep.

Little Rabbit, whose entire focus was on her precious cargo, whipped her head around and shot Zhao Lanzhao a glare, her voice a hushed whisper. “Can’t you eat that outside?”

“Tsk, what good is raising a rabbit if she’s no use? Not even married yet, and she’s already turning her nose up at her own mother. Never mind who it was that just helped keep her here in the first place. Breaks my heart.”

For all her complaints, she left without hesitation. Pausing at the door, she called back, “I know Qianqian’s gorgeous, but rein it in for now. You can stare all you want later—even pull an all-nighter if you like, no one’s stopping you. Just don’t forget you’ve still got to head out.”

Jiang Yusheng had just settled the girl on the bed and was about to tuck her in when the words made her pause. She wanted to ask what she meant but held back, afraid her voice might wake Bai Qian. Instead, she made sure she was comfortable before slipping out of the room as quietly as she could.

Only once the door clicked shut did she finally whisper, “I’ve still got to go out?”

Unlike her daughter, whose head was swimming with bliss, Zhao Lanzhao hadn’t lost her wits. “You already forgot what Qianqian said earlier? All her stuff’s back at her place. You gonna make her rush over first thing tomorrow to grab her schoolbag and whatnot?”

Little Rabbit had indeed blanked on it, but Big Rabbit’s reminder snapped her back to reality. “Right. I’ll go now.”

She headed for the entryway, with Zhao Lanzhao crunching away on her apple right behind her.

It wasn’t until they reached the door together that Jiang Yusheng realized her mother wasn’t heading for the kitchen. She turned. “You’re going out too?”

Zhao Lanzhao sighed. “Jiang Yusheng, I’m your mom, after all. You think I’d let a young girl like you head out alone in the middle of the night?”

Jiang Yusheng didn’t reply, but the corners of her mouth curved up in a secret smile.

They were already in the car when Zhao Lanzhao remembered something crucial.

“You get the keys to Qianqian’s place?”

“It’s a code lock. I saw the code when she punched it in.”

“Memory like a steel trap when it suits you. Too bad you don’t put that effort into your studies.”

Jiang Yusheng’s happy expression dimmed in an instant. “I’m in a really good mood today. You sure you want to keep talking about school?”

Little Rabbit had outgrown her rebellious phase and no longer blew up at the mere mention of studies like she used to. Zhao Lanzhao hadn’t nagged her about it in ages, but bringing it up now was all because of Bai Qian. “Yes, and not just school—we’re talking about Qianqian, too.”

Remembering her earlier denial, Little Rabbit shot back without thinking, “I told you, I don’t like her!”

“Heh.” Big Rabbit gave her a cool sidelong glance. “Fine, you don’t like her. She’s not my girlfriend anyway. If your stubborn mouth ends up letting some other girl snatch her away, don’t come crying to me.”

“You’re just like Gu Wanching. Did you actually give birth to her instead?”

“Oh? Little Qing said pretty much the same thing. But let’s set that aside. Let me ask you one more time: if you keep slacking off like this and can’t get into college, what’s your plan?”

Like humans, rabbits had their topics they absolutely hated discussing with family.

For Jiang Yusheng, that was studies with Zhao Lanzhao.

Her brows furrowed again. “I already told you—books aren’t the only path in life. It’s my future, and I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“You do you. I don’t care. I’ll be long gone before you anyway, kicking back in paradise while you’re out begging on the streets with no money.”

“…”

~~~

“I used to think you truly didn’t care, but what about now? Do you still believe you really don’t?” Zhao Lanzhao’s voice carried a note of seriousness. “This is just high school—you’re in the same school for now. But later? She’ll head off to university while you’re out working some dead-end job. The gap between you will only widen, growing until it’s so vast you can’t even grasp it anymore. On that day, do you really think you’ll still see your current actions as right, without even a flicker of regret?”

“Of course.” The woman let out a light chuckle. The evening breeze drifting in through the window tousled her stray hairs, lending her an unspoken beauty. “You don’t like her anyway. Turning into people from two completely different worlds down the line shouldn’t bother you at all, right?”

Zhao Lanzhao apparently had no intention of trying to steer her back onto the straight and narrow like she used to. After laying out those starkly plausible future realities in such simple terms, she fell silent.

~~~

She knew when to stop there.

Jiang Yusheng didn’t say another word either.

She turned her face toward the window, her gaze fixed on the shifting nightscape outside. The light in her eyes flickered uncertainly, giving no clue to her thoughts.

When the car pulled up to the entrance of the residential complex, the silent Jiang Yusheng suddenly spoke.

“But it’s too late for me.”

Zhao Lanzhao let out a genuine sigh of relief. “No one can say something’s impossible until you’ve pushed all the way to the end.”

“Even if it really is too late, then what? The worst case is just carrying on with the path you’re already on. If that’s how it ends up, who’s to say it wouldn’t be fate’s way of working out for the best?”

“What do you mean?”

The woman blinked. “If you don’t make it into university, I’ll get you to repeat the year in Qianqian’s class—make you her classmate. Sound good? Starting to study hard now has to be a no-lose proposition, doesn’t it?”

“Then why don’t I just drop back to first year right now?”

“Fine by me. If you want, I’ll handle the paperwork tomorrow.”

“On second thought, never mind.”

She had zero interest in being classmates with that one!

Better to keep having her call her Senior Sister!

~~~

Bai Qian woke first.

The room she was lying in felt unfamiliar, and it belatedly dawned on her that she’d probably fallen right into Zhao Lanzhao’s little scheme.

Helplessness was all she felt—pure, unadulterated helplessness.

She glanced at Jiang Yusheng, still deep in slumber beside her, then slipped quietly out of bed. When she stepped into the bathroom, she found a fresh set of toiletries already laid out.

Clearly, that schemer had set them out before bed last night.

Jiang Yusheng stirred awake just as Bai Qian emerged, their eyes locking the moment she opened hers. In an excellent mood, she took the initiative to greet her. “Morning!”

“Your schoolbag’s on the sofa, and I grabbed your uniform too—it’s in the closet.”

Bai Qian, who had been planning to head home, blinked in surprise. “You went back last night to pick them up for me?”

“Yeah, my mom drove me.”

“…”

Why did this suddenly feel less like a rabbit’s burrow and more like a wolf’s den?

~~~

Jiang Yusheng had never paid much mind to Zhao Lanzhao’s past nagging about studying.

But the woman’s words from last night? She hadn’t just listened for once in her life—she’d internalized them so deeply that they haunted her dreams all night long.

This was the first time Little Rabbit had ever had nightmares.

The dream itself was straightforward enough.

It was a glimpse of the future.

Jiang Yusheng, who never made it to university, was slowly, inexorably stripped from Bai Qian’s circle of Moments, just as Zhao Lanzhao had predicted.

Until the end, when she rushed straight from her shift to the school to see Bai Qian. She didn’t even get a chance to say hello before the other girl brushed past her with a cold indifference she’d never shown before—ignoring her completely as she approached.

In that heart-wrenching moment as they passed shoulder to shoulder, Jiang Yusheng jolted awake.

The night was pitch black.

They lay close enough that she could smell Bai Qian’s scent, but the darkness made it impossible to make out her face clearly.

One thing was certain, though: the girl’s expression right now was nothing like the one from her dream.

And she would never—ever—let that dream version appear on her face in reality.

~~~

Jiang Yusheng had always been the kind of rabbit who, once she set her mind to something, threw herself into it wholeheartedly to get it done right.

So, no matter how much she’d loathed studying before, now that she’d made up her mind, it was time to bury the hatchet.

She’d fallen hopelessly behind; second-year material might as well have been gibberish.

No choice but to start from square one.

The end-of-class bell rang.

Lin Erxing whipped her head around like always. “Sheng Jie, wanna hit the super—Sheng Jie! You possessed or what?!!”

It takes more than one bite to fatten a pig, and grades don’t skyrocket overnight. Jiang Yusheng knew that all too well. She was deep in drafting her monthly study plan—starting from first-year basics.

Hearing her voice, Jiang Yusheng looked up and shot her a glance. “Why are you making such a fuss? I don’t have time to go to the supermarket with you. Go by yourself.”

Lin Erxing leaned over for a peek. When she saw what Jiang was writing, her expression twisted in shock. “Sheng Jie, are you actually starting to study?!”

Her words drew Xu Zhiyu’s attention as well.

Unlike Lin Erxing, Xu Zhiyu took one look at the study plan Jiang had jotted down on the paper and offered some advice. “Sheng Jie, this schedule isn’t reasonable.”

“Hm?”

“You’ve got way too much Chinese. I know you hate math, but it’s a huge score booster, so you can’t spend a whole week on Chinese and only give math a quarter of that time.”

“Alright, I’ll tweak it.”

“Also, human memory works like…”

Lin Erxing couldn’t believe how quickly Xu Zhiyu had accepted the fact that Sheng Jie was buckling down to study. By the time the two finished discussing, the bell rang for class. Lin sidled over and whispered, “How are you so calm about this? Sheng Jie’s actually studying! Sheng Jie!”

The girl gave her a cool sidelong glance. “Do you know what this is called?”

“Hm?”

“The power of love is truly great.”

“…”

Facts proved it.

The power of love was indeed great.

Aside from a quick bathroom break midway through, Jiang Yusheng spent the entire morning glued to her desk.

When the last class ended, she made to keep studying, but Lin Erxing twisted around and called out, “Sheng Jie, time for lunch!”