Chen Zicheng never expected that his words would actually reach Zhu Yaya's ears. Zhu Yaya even wrote a piece of parallel prose and pasted it on his classroom's blackboard in front of the whole class.
Chen Zicheng took down the prose Zhu Yaya wrote. He didn't throw it away immediately, but hid it in his backpack and took it home. Once home, he sat at his desk and quietly read the prose Zhu Yaya had written.
Her handwriting was delicate and elegant, but her writing style was sharp and cutting, creating a stark contrast.
Chen Zicheng kept that piece of prose well preserved and would take it out to read from time to time.
These feelings, with nowhere to be placed or spoken, were all poured out through the tip of a pen.
Chen Zicheng was attracted by Zhu Yaya's lively and cheerful nature, yet he was also dissatisfied with it.
Zhu Yaya was good friends with Yan Heng, the legendary academic god of the sophomore year.
Zhu Yaya co-hosted the New Year's Day gala with two other boys.
Zhu Yaya was being pursued by Duan Zong from Class One of the sophomore year.
...
All this news about Zhu Yaya constantly reached his ears, filling him with jealousy and resentment.
He liked Zhu Yaya.
But he wanted to break her wings and make her smile only for him.
He wanted to catch her attention, but out of concern for his own face and pride, he hesitated to confess his feelings.
He thought of the parallel prose Zhu Yaya had written.
Because he paid too much attention to Zhu Yaya's interactions with others, he focused less on his studies, and gradually, his grades dropped.
He knew it was his own fault, but he still couldn't help but take his anger out on Zhu Yaya.
If she had just stayed quiet and well-behaved, he wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble.
Chen Zicheng thought through gritted teeth.
He thought he could just keep watching her, but he never expected that his mother would secretly read his diary because of his declining grades.
The diary that recorded all of his unspeakable thoughts about Zhu Yaya.
And then, everything turned into the current situation.
Chen Zicheng stood uneasily in front of Zhu Yaya and poured out all of his feelings.
"So," Zhu Yaya paused, then said slowly, "you slandered me before just because of your own pride, and to get my attention."
"I'm sorry, I will explain everything clearly to my mother."
Chen Zicheng said with his head bowed.
Zhu Yaya sighed, took her phone out of her pocket, logged into the school forum, and pulled up a post about herself.
It was an anonymous post.
Zhu Yaya handed it to Chen Zicheng: "Take a look."
Chen Zicheng didn't quite understand what she meant, but he still took Zhu Yaya's phone.
But after reading the contents of the post on the phone, he understood Zhu Yaya's intention.
It was a post attacking Zhu Yaya. Various ugly words appeared frequently.
"Slut," "Bitch," "Specializes in seducing men," "As disgusting as that Xu Chun"...
[Didn't Chen so-and-so from Class Two of the freshman year say it all? Zhu X's private life is a mess.]
...
Chen Zicheng's hands trembled slightly.
Zhu Yaya looked at Chen Zicheng quietly and said, "Fortunately, this is only a small group of people who don't like me; everyone else knows I'm not that kind of person."
"I'm sorry." Chen Zicheng handed the phone back to Zhu Yaya, his lips quivering.
"It's fine, it's just the gossip of irrelevant people," Zhu Yaya shrugged. "Anyway, the people I truly care about won't believe it."
The people she truly cared about?
Chen Zicheng's expression dimmed as he thought of Zhu Yaya's interactions with Yan Heng. The way Zhu Yaya looked at Yan Heng was different from how she looked at others.
Chen Zicheng looked at Yan Heng not far away and asked, "Is it Yan Heng?"
"Yes," Zhu Yaya said straightforwardly, then looked at Chen Zicheng very seriously. "Chen Zicheng, although I don't like the way you express your affection, thank you for liking me. I hope you can communicate well with your mother. And I hope you properly respect the person you like in the future."
Chen Zicheng didn't expect Zhu Yaya to say this and was a bit stunned.
"Have you really thought through the matter of transferring schools?"
Chen Zicheng nodded: "Yes. It should be spreading all over Scott High School by now! I don't have the courage to continue facing it."
"That's fine too. A change of environment might be better for you."
"There's one more thing." Zhu Yaya thought for a moment and decided to say it anyway. "I didn't smile at you before the speech. Yan Heng was in your direction."
Chen Zicheng felt as if something inside his heart collapsed.
So, it was wrong from the very beginning. That smile was never meant for him; it was all just his own one-man show.
He stiffly twitched the corners of his mouth: "Oh, is that so?"
After Zhu Yaya finished talking with Chen Zicheng, she ran toward where Yan Heng was.
Yan Heng said flatly, "You guys are done talking."
"Done."
"Does your face still hurt?"
"It's still a little numb. Ah, school's almost out for noon. Hurry, charge! Let's head to the cafeteria!"
...
Chen Zicheng was still standing in place.
He watched the retreating figures of Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.
The girl he liked was truly, very good, but she was just not destined for him.
He didn't know how to respect her, and he didn't know how to protect her.
What he brought her were malicious rumors and a vicious slap from his mother.
Perhaps, in the future, he would fall in love with other girls, but none of them would smile as beautifully as Zhu Yaya did.
Chen Zicheng turned and walked in the direction of the teachers' office.
All of this started because of him. So it should rightfully be ended by him.
He wouldn't be coming back anyway.
He was just a little glad that before deciding to leave Scott High School, he finally had the courage to speak all the feelings in his heart.
Even if the beginning was a mistake.
Goodbye, the you that I like.
Seeing that Yan Heng remained silent and didn't even ask what Chen Zicheng had said to her, Zhu Yaya asked, "Aren't you curious about what Chen Zicheng said to me?"
Yan Heng tilted his head and looked at Zhu Yaya, an obscure light flickering in his eyes: "Not interested. Because you are still by my side."
Therefore, as long as the person he liked was still by his side, nothing else mattered.
Zhu Yaya's gaze dodged away, looking elsewhere: "Haha."
But the little person in her heart jumped up with joy, making a "yes" gesture.
By the time Zhu Yaya reached the cafeteria, the dismissal bell had just rung.
A huge wave of students flooded toward the cafeteria.
Sporting a swollen left cheek, Zhu Yaya was undoubtedly the most conspicuous presence among them. Even the cafeteria lady felt a bit of heartache looking at her, and her old habit of shaking hands was instantly cured. The meat on Zhu Yaya's plate was twice the usual amount.
Zhu Yaya: !!!
Usually, even after saying so many sweet words, she never got this much meat. She really had a blessing in disguise!
However, while Zhu Yaya was eating, there were still some people pointing and whispering behind her back. Zhu Yaya could hear their discussions, which were nothing more than gossip about the injury on her face and how she had been slapped by a middle-aged woman.
Zhu Yaya wanted to speed up her eating, but because of the injury on the left side of her face, she had to chew with her right teeth, making her eating speed much slower than usual.
Because Yan Heng had a work-study job in the cafeteria, Zhu Yaya simply said her goodbyes and left after finishing her meal.
By the time Zhu Yaya arrived at the office, she found that Chen Zicheng and his mother were no longer there. Only her dear father and her homeroom teacher, Chang Wen, were present. They were discussing Zhu Yaya's grades and her overall performance at school.
Zhu Jianjun saw Zhu Yaya standing at the door and waved to her. Yabao, come here!
Zhu Yaya obediently walked over.
Zhu Jianjun carefully examined the left side of Zhu Yaya's face. The swelling seems to have gone down a bit more.
