Chapter 32 Part 2

Chen Nian could tell the little fatty had gotten full of himself. Ever since he’d beaten up Li Gousheng, he’d been strutting around like he owned the place.

Before, he’d gazed at Chen Nian with utter adoration, never daring to defy her in the slightest. Now he fancied himself pretty hot stuff, his courage had ballooned, and he was starting to act like her equal.

Chen Nian decided to humor him. “I’m not as good at this stuff as you are.”

Lin Tianyi’s eyes went wide. “Whoa!!!!!”

“So,” Chen Nian pressed, “do you know why he didn’t show up?”

Lin Tianyi crooked a finger at her. “Hang on. I’ll find out in a sec!”

With that, he bolted out of the classroom.

Chen Nian grabbed a pen and chewed on it while she waited.

It wasn’t long before Lin Tianyi came charging back in. He skidded to a halt in front of her, bent at the waist with his eyes bulging. “Boss, you went looking for Li Gousheng during last period?”

Well, well. He’d dug up something, and his tone had shifted right along with it.

Chen Nian plucked the pen from her mouth and twirled it around her fingertip. “Yeah.”

Lin Tianyi gaped. “Holy shit, you beat him up again?”

Chen Nian shot him a look. “What, do I look crazy? Do I go around beating people for no reason?”

“That’s what they’re saying! They say you beat him again—and made him cry!”

Chen Nian bristled. “Again? What do you mean, again? Who saw me lay a hand on anybody? Huh?”

Lin Tianyi pointed at his own round, saucer-wide eyes.

Chen Nian narrowed hers. “…I’ll gouge those eyes right out of your head.”

Lin Tianyi yelped and clapped his hands over his face. So much for acting like her equal.

He spilled everything he’d heard, and it left Chen Nian stunned.

There hadn’t been anyone else around that day, and it hadn’t blown up to involve teachers or parents. Yet somehow, the rumors had started flying.

A pack of second-graders, dishing out gossip and tall tales like pros.

In their version, Chen Nian was some undercover delinquent with a badass big brother. She’d gotten fed up with Li Gousheng’s yelling and given him a thorough thrashing, so bad he hadn’t dared show his face at school.

When he’d finally mustered the guts to come back, she’d dragged him off for round two and beaten him to tears.

Word was, he’d never set foot in the place again!

Chen Nian stared. “…”

She jabbed a thumb at herself. “Do I look like some kind of thug?”

Lin Tianyi shrugged. “You’re the thug’s little sister.”

Chen Nian groaned. “That’s your stereotype talking. You think only boys can be bullies? Haven’t you ever heard of a queen bee?”

Lin Tianyi blinked. “Huh?”

Chen Nian waved him off. “Figure it out yourself.”

“But you still missed the main point,” she added. “Why exactly didn’t Li Gousheng come to school?”

Lin Tianyi mumbled, “Uh… he’s too scared?”

Chen Nian smacked the back of his head. “We’re not that intimidating. Don’t go making stuff up.”

An ordinary kid might get so spooked by a random beating that they skipped school forever.

But Li Gousheng was no ordinary kid.

The little bully terrorized all the lower-graders. Sure, he might tuck tail after taking a hit, but he’d stew over it and come back swinging for revenge.

That’s why Chen Nian had been bracing herself to give him a few more lessons. She’d even planned to buy a telescopic baton—not to actually club him with it, but to amp up the intimidation factor. The mere sight of it would make him quake in his boots.

If he was truly terrified, he’d leave Fang Zhi alone for good.

But seeing him today? It was like all those steps had been skipped.

Chen Nian didn’t buy that good fortune just dropped out of the blue like that—especially not without a clear explanation. It left her uneasy.

She was already on edge from waking up in this era.

“There has to be something else going on,” she said with a frown, nudging Lin Tianyi. “Keep your ears open.”

Lin Tianyi might be a bit dim, but he took her words to heart.

It didn’t take long. By the afternoon, after they’d gotten back to school, he was slipping her notes.

【My mom knows】

【His grandma’s sick】

“His grandma?” Chen Nian whispered.

Lin Tianyi scribbled furiously: 【My mom says he doesn’t have a dad or mom. Just his grandma.】

Chen Nian got it without needing more details.

Li Gousheng didn’t act like a kid with parents keeping him in line. If it was just his grandma raising him, the old woman deserved credit just for getting him to school at all.

With him bullying kids and repeating grades, she probably couldn’t control him—or maybe didn’t even try.

The day Chen Nian had pinned him down and pummeled him, she’d let loose with a barrage of cutting words. Back then, she’d just been venting blindly in her anger. She hadn’t realized she’d struck right at this rotten kid’s sore spots.

No wonder her slaps hadn’t been that hard, but they’d hurt all the same—enough to leave him a blubbering mess of snot and tears.

As for the specifics of his grandma’s illness, Chen Nian had no clue.

She could well imagine it. After getting scolded and beaten like that by her, then coming home to find his only living relative seriously ill—it was a devastating blow for a kid.

Judging by how Li Gousheng burst into tears again today after just a couple of words, Grandma’s illness this time was probably grave.

For the short term, at least, the threat posed by Li Gousheng had been thoroughly neutralized.

Chen Nian fell silent, her emotions a tangled mess.

In the days that followed, Li Gousheng didn’t just stop bullying Fang Zhi—he stopped bullying anyone. He had always been a loudmouth, spouting nasty things to grab attention, but now he had clammed up completely, fading into a mute nobody.

Chen Nian seized every chance to talk to Fang Zhi, assuring her over and over that it was all in the past, that there were no more bad guys around. Fang Zhi nodded along agreeably enough, but the moment Chen Nian asked her to hand over the telescopic baton, she turned slippery as an eel.

One time, Chen Nian couldn’t help herself. While Fang Zhi was in the bathroom, she snuck a peek in her bag but came up empty-handed—only to get caught red-handed when Fang Zhi returned.

From then on, “I don’t want to play with you” stopped being an offhand remark. Fang Zhi’s face turned icy, and she began ignoring Chen Nian pointedly. Chen Nian felt like she’d been hurled back to square one.

She had explained herself and apologized profusely. Every day, she made an effort to reach out to Fang Zhi, but nothing changed. It left Chen Nian feeling deeply discouraged.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the first time it had happened. Chen Nian gradually settled into the pattern.

Every so often, Fang Zhi would get upset, and soothing the hurt inside her took not just patience, but time.

When the moment was right and the spark ignited, everything might suddenly fall into place.

Chen Nian reminded herself daily: Don’t rush it. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

Losing her parents had been a catastrophe for Fang Zhi. Growing up would be a long, slow road.

After a few bouts of spring rain, their clothes had lightened up.

Once midterms were over, the school arranged spring outings for every grade—a massive thrill for the second-graders.

Lin Tianyi had been prepping for days, chattering nonstop in Chen Nian’s ear about all the snacks his mom had packed for him.

Chen Nian shot him a sidelong glance. “You going to see the sights or stuff your face?”

Lin Tianyi beamed. “Both! Sights and snacks!”

Chen Nian snorted. “And when the teacher makes us write a report about it afterward, yours is gonna be, ‘I ate little biscuits and fried meatballs and scallion pancakes…'”

Lin Tianyi’s eyes went wide. “Whoa, you’re a genius!!!”

Chen Nian just sighed. “…”

Chatting with little kids was painfully dull.

Still, Lin Tianyi had jogged her memory—she needed to pack extra for the outing.

The whole second grade would go together in one big group. Once they arrived, the teachers wouldn’t fuss over keeping classes separate. If Chen Nian loaded up on goodies, she could sidle up to Fang Zhi more easily.

No shortages at home or school, but out in the wild? One thirst pang or hunger growl, and Fang Zhi would come slinking over, all soft and needy.

With that in mind, Chen Nian spent the last couple of days after school wheedling her mom into whipping up some portable treats.

Comrade Liu Chunhua, however, was no kitchen whiz. Mother and daughter tussled around the stove, which had Chen Junjie roaring with laughter from the living room.

At long last, the big day dawned.

A perfect Friday: balmy breeze, sunny skies. Play all day, then straight home for the weekend—pure bliss.

Chen Nian gutted her schoolbag and crammed it with eats, drinks, toys, and sundries. When some wouldn’t fit, she dashed over to Fang Zhi. “Zhizhi, can you carry a bit for me?”

Fang Zhi glanced up. “Like what?”

Chen Nian waved the pack of tissues. “These! Super light, just bulky. But you gotta have plenty when you’re out having fun—awkward if you run out.”

Fang Zhi hesitated, then said flatly, “I’m not going on the spring outing.”

Chen Nian blinked. “Huh?”

Fang Zhi repeated, “I’m not going on the spring outing.”

Chen Nian gaped. “Huh???”

Fang Zhi turned away and headed inside without another word.

It finally hit Chen Nian. She chucked the tissues aside and pounded on the door. “Why not? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You think I’ve had fun scrambling around for this the last few days? You hate me that much? Can’t even stand the sight of me???”

Liu Chunhua and Chen Junjie came rushing over. “What happened?”

Chen Nian was on the verge of tears, utterly wronged. “Zhizhi says she’s not going on the spring outing.”