Chapter 40

Jian Shichu rushed to the school to get the details. It was the same mess as last time—the kids from the next class felt they’d lost face, so that afternoon, they locked her in the bathroom.

But Song Yanling wasn’t someone who took that lying down. She stormed over after getting out, and the two of them ended up fighting right at the classroom door. The other girl’s parents wanted to dig into the root of it all, leading to a big argument before they finally apologized to each other and called it quits.

Jian Shichu hung up on Song Yi amid the shrill ring of the bell, her hair loosely pinned up behind her head and already coming undone.

The fallen leaves at the school gate hadn’t been cleared yet. Song Yanling squatted on the ground, picking up a leaf and fiddling with the stem between her palms.

Jian Shichu glanced at her, feeling a mix of exasperation and irritation. “Song Yanling, get up.”

Song Yanling didn’t turn her head, still squatting. “Doudou-jie, what did my sister say?” A little white bear keychain dangled from her schoolbag, swaying in the wind.

Before Jian Shichu could answer, she heard the sound of a car door slamming ahead, followed by Bai Xue’s voice. She looked up.

Bai Xue’s high heels clicked faster and faster against the ground. Song Yanling only stood up when she spotted Bai Xue, still clutching the gingko leaf she’d picked up off the ground.

“Where are you hurt? What happened? Why’d you get into a fight?” Bai Xue grabbed Song Yanling’s sleeve and turned to Jian Shichu.

The question was directed at Jian Shichu, but what was she supposed to say? The whole thing was such a long story, and she was still stewing with anger after dealing with unreasonable parents—her ears were still ringing from it.

Jian Shichu asked, “Why’d you come?”

Anxiety creased Bai Xue’s brow as she slowly let go of Song Yanling.

That look gave Jian Shichu her answer. Song Yanling had called her. Song Yanling was close with Bai Xue—she’d even spent a whole summer at her place before.

Come to think of it, everyone had watched Song Yanling grow up, except for the years Bai Xue was abroad. After she came back, she often took Song Yanling out for food and fun.

Song Yanling had just started high school back then, wild as could be. Even when Bai Xue got a girlfriend, she’d try to squeeze in with them. It wasn’t like she had no sense of boundaries… or maybe she did, using her innocent youth as a shield.

Jian Shichu had a bit more free time than Bai Xue. Before getting in the car, she noticed Bai Xue’s ankle was injured. Nanbin Road was so far away—Song Yanling’s one phone call, and she’d rushed over, even if it meant taking a cab.

Jian Shichu drove without explaining the ins and outs. Song Yanling chattered on to Bai Xue by herself the whole time, while Bai Xue sat with her legs crossed, propping her forehead with her index finger as she listened.

“So, I just beat her up. It’s not my fault—she had it coming. I’d do it again next time.”

That was the last thing Song Yanling said, her tone carrying a righteous edge.

Tree shadows flashed by outside the car. Jian Shichu drove slowly, glancing at the navigation now and then, staying silent the whole way.

Song Yanling’s words made Bai Xue’s face change with anger.

Bai Xue suppressed the fire in her chest. As the car moved forward, she spotted a suitable spot and spoke up. “Pull over. Stop the car.”

Jian Shichu glanced at her and slowly braked to the roadside.

As soon as the car steadied, Bai Xue shoved the door open, got out, yanked open the back door, and gripped the frame with a face full of chill. “Get out.”

Song Yanling glanced at her, swallowed the words on her tongue, grabbed her bag, and stepped out. Her school uniform got tugged askew from the motion.

“You’ve got some nerve—don’t call me next time!” Bai Xue slammed the door shut. Jian Shichu felt the jolt inside the car, looked back, and got out too.

“Why’d you even call me? You’re so tough, go ahead and fight! You better beat her half to death, beat her to death!” Bai Xue had lost all patience. “You cause trouble, do you know how worried Song Yi is out of town? We’re all rushing over to clean up your mess. Doudou even argued with people for you! How old are you, still throwing your childish tantrums!”

Song Yanling took a step back and yelled, “Why’re you yelling at me without even asking? They’re the ones in the wrong—they were talking shit. Why should they get to curse at me?!”

The two of them flared up instantly. Bai Xue was truly pissed—Jian Shichu had never seen her lose her temper like this, let alone speak this way.

An exploded cat wouldn’t back down easily; it’d take a while for the fire to die out.

Bai Xue, head hot with anger, fired back without thinking. “Ask what? Since when do you listen? That’s no excuse to hit someone. You called me to handle it, so you’ll listen. I’m telling you, Song Yanling—if you don’t want to get scolded, don’t call me again!”

Jian Shichu listened quietly, sensing something off in the atmosphere but unable to pinpoint it.

Song Yanling was like a little demon lord who wouldn’t be cowed by a few words. Her emotions surged. “Fine, I won’t call! If you hadn’t told me to call you if anything happened, I wouldn’t have!”

“Are you trying to make a scene, Song Yanling?” Bai Xue stepped forward and shoved her. “I only treat you like a little sister because you’re Song Yi’s sister—who else would bother with you?!”

There was nothing wrong with the words, but they stabbed Song Yanling all the same, like injecting mania straight into her brain. She whipped around to leave, not saying another word.

Bai Xue reacted fast, grabbing her arm. “Where do you think you’re going!? Can you stop making a fuss!”

“It’s none of your business.” Song Yanling jerked her arm back, trying to shake her off.

Jian Shichu had a bad feeling and stepped forward to intervene. The two, locked in a heated tug-of-war, were at full blaze. Song Yanling shrugged off her school jacket like a wild horse breaking free and headed toward the sloped steps.

Bai Xue’s high heels made it inconvenient. By the fifth step, it was Jian Shichu who chased after her.

“Song Yanling, come back.” Jian Shichu grabbed her arm.

A burst of force came toward Jian Shichu. Her foot slipped, and clutching her clothes, she tumbled backward with her.

Song Yanling reacted, turning to grab Jian Shichu’s wrist, but missed. She tumbled down the steps, landing hard at the bottom.

Jian Shichu’s mind went blank for a second. When Bai Xue helped her up, she felt the stinging pain in her wrist and saw it was scraped.

Her arm went numb, then the pain hit.

“Sorry, sorry.” Song Yanling panicked and rushed forward to help Jian Shichu up.

But Bai Xue shoved her away, standing up and gritting her teeth. “Are you insane?!”

Her wrist trembled. She wanted to slap Song Yanling but saw the panic in her eyes and knew it wasn’t on purpose. This girl had a sharp tongue but wouldn’t hurt anyone deliberately.

The fight had its reasons, but Bai Xue’s point went right over Song Yanling’s head.

Jian Shichu pressed on her arm as she stood. When she looked at Bai Xue again, she saw her eyes were red.

Whether it was Bai Xue’s red eyes or Jian Shichu’s fall, Song Yanling’s fire died down. Her gaze dropped as she started crying.

“Sorry, Doudou-jie.” Song Yanling choked back tears.

Jian Shichu’s tone was flat. “You didn’t do anything to me. Alright, let’s get back in the car.”

Song Yanling had started the fight because of rumors being spread. Even though it escalated to blows, the homeroom teacher was still investigating what exactly was said.

Later, Bai Xue drove, wearing spare shoes from her trunk.

Jian Shichu didn’t think anything was broken, so she skipped the hospital. She found two band-aids in the car and stuck them on the scrapes on her wrist.

They were delayed by all this on the road, so by the time Jian Shichu got to the restaurant, it was already dinnertime.

After taking the call, Wen Zhixu felt awful all over—no greetings, just a torrent of curses and threats, stopping just short of cursing out eighteen generations of ancestors.

She’d hesitated a long time before adding Wu Yang on WeChat. She sat outside the restaurant, staring at her phone over and over, waiting for him to accept.

Her phone lay on the table. When she finally saw the approval message, she reached for it—only for a shadow to fall over her.

Jian Shichu quickly flipped her phone over first, eyeing Wu Yang’s profile pic on the screen with a slight frown.

The verification message made it clear Wen Zhixu had added him.

“Why’d you add him?” Jian Shichu handed the phone back to Wen Zhixu. Her expression wasn’t great—not outright angry, but laced with a hint of jealousy.

Wen Zhixu took her phone back and replied, “To curse him out.”

She bowed her head and tapped at the screen. She’d hesitated once before on whether to tell Jian Shichu about this. Five years ago, she probably wouldn’t have said anything, not wanting any hiccups in their relationship after all the work they’d put in.

Jian Shichu’s expression shifted as she watched her. “What happened?”

“Nothing much. His girlfriend.” Wen Zhixu let out a faint breath as she said it.

Lifting her eyes, she caught Jian Shichu in a change of clothes. Wen Zhixu’s hand paused, her gaze shifting back to her phone. Wu Yang still hadn’t replied. She asked slowly, “Why’d you change clothes?”

Jian Shichu didn’t answer that. Sensing something off, she pressed, “What about his girlfriend?”

Wen Zhixu held still, gazing at her. A gust of autumn wind rustled the tree shade, carrying away some greenery. A leaf slid off Jian Shichu’s shoulder, bits of debris sticking to her clothes too.

“She called me.” As Wen Zhixu spoke, she reached out to brush the debris off Jian Shichu’s arm. With that motion, Jian Shichu hissed in a sharp breath.

The voice wasn’t loud, but Wen Zhixu still heard it. Her words came to an abrupt halt as she suddenly raised her eyes to Jian Shichu’s slightly furrowed brows. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just a cramp. What was that call from his girlfriend about?” Jian Shichu continued along the topic, without explaining anything else to Wen Zhixu.

Jian Shichu’s other hand pinched her arm. When she changed clothes at home, she had noticed some bruising from the fall, and it would definitely hurt for a few days.

“Teacher Wen, sorry to interrupt, but Teacher Ke wants you to come over and look at the script.”

Wen Zhixu turned at the sound of the voice. Ke Yixuan’s assistant was standing behind her, and this sentence completely ended her conversation with Jian Shichu.

Wen Zhixu responded, “Mm, I’ll head over right away.”

Wen Zhixu turned to glance at Jian Shichu, signaling that she was going first.

“I’ll wait for you,” Jian Shichu replied to her.

Wen Zhixu followed the assistant away, and her phone rang in her hand as she walked. She looked down while walking—Wu Yang had replied.

[Is this a call from your girlfriend? Mr. Wu, we’re all adults. Don’t play these childish games.]

This was the message Wen Zhixu had just added and sent.

[Miss Wen, are you mistaken? I just checked—the call was from Chongqing. Not to mention that our families know each other inside and out, you know I’ve been in Suzhou the whole time. How could I have a girlfriend from Chongqing?]

Wen Zhixu’s breathing tightened instantly upon seeing this message. She subconsciously turned back for a glance at Jian Shichu—just one glance. Jian Shichu had already sat down in the seat Wen Zhixu had just vacated.

Her sitting posture was as usual, her arm carefully resting by her knee. Jian Shichu was pulling out her phone to message Bai Xue.

Her fingertips silently tapped the keyboard. With her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a shadow and briefly glanced to the side. Tang Qin was coming over with a plate of fruit.

“Miss Jian, we’ve met before.” Tang Qin, dressed in a short skirt with her legs slanted, leaned forward to place the fruit on the table.