"Shuran, you say you've been wrongly accused—then why would all three of them make the same accusation against you?"Ms. Zhou narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the girl in front of her. Shuran's delicate face was thin, her small frame frail and sickly—she looked malnourished. Zhou had once felt sympathy for her, but thinking back on the past six years of trouble, all she felt now was a headache.
"If you already believe it was me, then there's nothing more to say."Shuran didn't want to drag things out. Her body was growing colder by the minute—she must be running a fever.
"So I'm just some unreasonable teacher in your eyes now?"Ms. Zhou's voice turned sharp, clearly irritated.
"Am I getting cleaning duty or copying assignments?"Shuran's tone was casual, almost dismissive.
"You—"Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief. She took a deep breath and said coldly,"Copy all the texts we've studied this week. I want it on my desk by the day after tomorrow."
Shuran nodded silently and turned to leave. That quiet, determined figure froze Zhou in place for a second. Something had changed about the girl—but she couldn't put her finger on what.
Dragging her exhausted body back to the classroom, Shuran vaguely remembered her seat was by the window, in the last row. She glanced over. The other students were all sitting far away from it, as if afraid they'd catch something just by being near.
She gave a bitter smile. How could she forget? All six years of elementary school had been the same. Alone. In the shadow of Gao Yuanyuan's perfection, she was always "the daughter of the homewrecker." Never confident enough to lift her head, never able to make a single friend.
She sat down and stared at the wooden desk in front of her. The carved pen marks and scratches were painfully familiar—like it had all happened just last night. But these memories were the last thing she wanted to recall.
"Ugh, why didn't Ms. Zhou punish her more harshly?"Shen Meng, already changed into her gym clothes, sat at her desk with a haughty tone."Bad students like her deserve real punishment!"
"Drop it," Li Qian tugged on Shen Meng's sleeve, glancing at Shuran's pale face."I'm sure Ms. Zhou already yelled at her."
"So what? That was a brand-new dress my dad bought me on his business trip! I hadn't even worn it once!"Shen Meng stomped her foot in frustration just thinking about her ruined floral dress.
From across the room, Gao Yuanyuan watched Shuran's pale face and smirked to herself. She hated the woman who stole her dad, sure—but over the years, taking it out on Shuran had been a satisfying substitute.
Shuran caught a glimpse of Gao Yuanyuan, her posture elegant as always, that smug little smile still playing on her lips. Without warning, she stood up.
The sudden movement caught everyone's attention. People were shocked—Shuran, the quiet one who always kept her head down, was now walking toward Shen Meng?
Shen Meng panicked, flashing back to how she'd fallen earlier."W-What are you doing?!" she stammered.
But Shuran walked right past her—heading straight for Gao Yuanyuan.
That made Shen Meng freeze. The whole class drew in a collective breath.
Everyone knew about their complicated family situation, but Gao Yuanyuan was pretty, smart, and popular. No one ever brought it up out of fear it would upset her. The two barely interacted at school. This—this was new.
"Sis."Shuran's voice was quiet—calm, but laced with coldness and scorn.
She knew full well that Gao Yuanyuan hated anyone mentioning their relationship in public. But in front of so many eyes, Gao wouldn't dare blow up on her.
"What is it?"Gao Yuanyuan's jaw clenched. Her eyes turned venomous, but with all eyes on her, she forced a smile and asked in her usual fake-friendly tone.
"Mom said she made your favorite braised chicken. She wants you home early."Shuran's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Gao Yuanyuan's face turned pale. She had explicitly told them that things like this were to be kept private. How dare Shuran say it out loud.
Now she was stuck. Responding would mean acknowledging Shuran's mom as her stepmom. Not responding would make her look petty. She was cornered.
Right then, the bell rang. Saved by the bell—she quietly exhaled.
Shuran turned and walked back to her seat, a faint smirk playing on her lips as she watched the blood drain from Gao Yuanyuan's face.
During class, Gao Yuanyuan kept zoning out. Shuran was acting strange today. She stood up to Shen Meng, ignored her warning, and humiliated her publicly. What the hell was going on?
She glanced toward the back of the classroom. Shuran was sitting there as usual, head down, her face hidden in shadow.
Was she just imagining things? Gao Yuanyuan frowned and forced her eyes back to the board.
Shuran had noticed Gao Yuanyuan looking. She smirked—though sweat was now forming on her forehead. Her fever was getting worse. Her body had gone from ice cold to burning hot, her breathing was heavy, and her vision was beginning to blur.
"Who can show us how to solve this problem?"The math teacher pushed up his glasses, leaning on the desk and scanning the room.
Only a few students raised their hands. The rest shrank down in their seats, avoiding eye contact. A few even tried to slide under their desks.
Shuran chuckled. She used to be one of them.
"Only five hands? What about the rest of you?"His glasses reflected the overhead lights, hiding his expression. His tone made the students sink even lower into their chairs.
Then he noticed someone else raise a hand. Surprised, he squinted—was that… Shuran?
He considered ignoring her, but her hand was waving insistently.
"Shuran, come up and solve it."He sighed internally and handed over the chalk.
Everyone turned to stare. Shuran? The girl whose math scores never broke 30? She was volunteering?
But as she stood up, she said calmly,"Sir, I just wanted to let you know I'm not feeling well. Can I go to the nurse's office?"
Pfft—
The whole class burst into laughter.
"Told you she couldn't do it. She's hopeless.""I thought maybe miracles were real for a second."
The math teacher's face darkened. He waved her off, annoyed.As expected—Shuran never could play it straight.