Chapter 19

Yun Zhuoqing was sure, she didn’t know any of these unfriendly girls.
But clearly, they all knew her, and their attitude could not have been ruder.
“We’re not here for any other reason. We just want to know what happened between you and Huo Jing. Did you know he’s been out of sorts all day because of you?” The rumor that Huo Jing’s bad mood was Yun Zhuoqing’s fault wasn’t just a wild guess. They’d investigated, asked around, and all signs pointed right back to her.
“Come on, spill. What did you do? Fess up, or you’re in for it.” Yun Zhuoqing’s calm silence made them impatient.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been pestering Huo Jing and upset him?” Girls like Yun Zhuoqing, plain, unremarkable, but secretly fantasizing about becoming the exception to Huo Jing’s kindness, they’d seen more than enough of that. If Huo Jing weren’t so annoyingly nice to everyone, these delusions wouldn’t even take root. Normally, they’d just scoff at such wishful thinking, but if Huo Jing himself was affected, well, no way were they letting her off so easily.
“Let me give you some advice: know your place. You and Huo Jing are worlds apart, so quit imagining he treats you as anything special, okay? Huo Jing’s just gentle, he’s good to everyone, so don’t go thinking you’re the chosen one.” They looked down their noses at her, as if Yun Zhuoqing were a pile of mud sullying the cloud-god everyone longed for. Their disdain was obvious, but they couldn’t resist mocking her, too.
Yun Zhuoqing herself wasn’t the least bit insulted. For one, she didn’t care about their so-called “untouchable prince”; for another, shame had never weighed her down.
The only use shame ever served was to arm her enemies, and Yun Zhuoqing had tossed that baggage ages ago.
But not everybody saw it that way. Though those girls thought they were defending him, to Huo Jing, every word felt like a personal attack. It was as if his pride was being ground into the dirt for all to see, and all he could do was watch in misery, powerless to help himself.
Right then, Huo Jing didn’t care about dignity or appearances, he wanted to storm out and tell them: Yun Zhuoqing isn’t the demon you’re making her out to be; and no, she isn’t the reason for his gloom.
But Yun Zhuoqing spoke up first.
She wasn’t hurt, but she was nobody’s doormat, either.
“So… which of you thinks you’re the special one?” Yun Zhuoqing swept her gaze over the group. Her question startled them; a few looked away, and one girl declared, “Of course! We’re nothing like you. Your family background will never measure up to ours.”
“You’re right, we’re not the same.” Yun Zhuoqing replied coolly. “I don’t treat some player like he’s priceless.”
It took them a second, but then the realization hit, Yun Zhuoqing had just insulted Huo Jing. Their faces flushed with outrage. “Don’t you dare talk about him like that! Huo Jing is not a player, you don’t even know him!”
“We barely know each other, so why would I?” Yun Zhuoqing retorted matter-of-factly.
And then, before any of them could react, Yun Zhuoqing smiled with sincere warmth: “Well, since you’re all so special, then I sincerely hope you become the most special one of all.” She directed the last word squarely at the girl who’d been provoking her the whole time.
The girl stiffened, suddenly feeling all the hostile stares from the others. She rushed to block Yun Zhuoqing from leaving. “What do you mean by that? Are you trying to sow discord between us?”
Yun Zhuoqing said blandly, “You don’t want me to say that? Fine. Then I wish you, each and every one of you, becomes the most special.”
She was easy enough to get along with, really.
Sowing a little chaos? Not even difficult. Especially with how weak their so-called alliance was. As long as they had a common enemy, they stuck together, but once that surface “unity” cracked, she didn’t even need to lift a finger; they’d tear each other apart.
It never failed, Yun Zhuoqing had used this trick plenty of times.
Sure enough, the girl Yun Zhuoqing had pegged as the emotional one blurted, “How could they…?”
Immediately another girl snapped, “What’s that supposed to mean? You really think Huo Jing treats you differently from me? Dream on, he’s always taken extra care of me!”
Chaos broke loose, the girls breaking into bickering cliques, forgetting Yun Zhuoqing entirely as she slipped away with ease.
Her tone had never once changed, whether she was being insulted or sincerely wishing them well.
It was as if whoever dragged her into this drama didn’t matter to her at all. Honestly, if they hadn’t been so rude, she wouldn’t have bothered to say anything.
To Yun Zhuoqing, this mess was barely a blip on the radar, neither the troublemakers nor the trouble itself were worthy of her attention.
Huo Jing never showed himself, but for the first time, he felt what it really meant to be completely and utterly ignored.
Before this, Yun Zhuoqing’s chilly indifference and repeated rejections could be brushed off as coy games, maybe she was playing hard to get, he’d tell himself for peace of mind. But now, the truth was uncomfortably clear, there were no excuses left. In Yun Zhuoqing’s world, he was a background character, nothing more.
Actually, not even that. When he’d badmouthed her like some sewer rat, she’d overheard every word. She’d remember that much.
He was a notch below the average stranger on the street; at least strangers didn’t go out of their way to insult someone they didn’t know, or dream up the worst reasons for why she existed.
Chen Huo was right, he really was a scumbag.
Honestly, he was worse than those mean girls who’d harassed her.
With his head lowered, his hair falling over his eyes, Huo Jing turned and left, speechless, unnoticed. No one knew he’d once worked up the nerve to apologize to that girl he’d torn down; no one knew that naïvely, he’d believed she might forgive him, might even look at him differently from then on.
How dare you dream like that? You have no right.
The next day, it looked as if Huo Jing had wiped Yun Zhuoqing from his memory.
Yun Zhuoqing was called to the teacher’s office and met Huo Jing in the hallway. She kept her gaze straight ahead, not sparing him even a glance. Meanwhile, someone in the classroom caught sight of Huo Jing pausing, grinned at him, and silently mouthed, “What’s up?”
Even though they passed close enough to touch, it was like they existed in two separate worlds, no reason to ever cross paths.
Chen Huo watched Huo Jing return, an odd look in his eyes. The moment Huo Jing sat down, Chen Huo came over, this time, shooing away Huo Jing’s usual neighbor.
“Did you ever apologize to her?” Chen Huo had heard Huo Jing’s trash talk himself, but still couldn’t quite believe Huo Jing was that much of a jerk. Just a moment ago, he’d seen the perfect chance, just the two of them in the hallway. All Huo Jing had to do was say “sorry”, and it would’ve been over. But instead, Huo Jing had glanced back at Chen Huo through the window, and Chen Huo knew for damn sure he didn’t matter that much to his so-called bro.
Chen Huo was uncharacteristically agitated. Huo Jing stared back quietly, then suddenly asked, “Chen Huo, did you apologize?”
Chen Huo stiffened immediately.
So, Chen Huo didn’t dare apologize either, which explained why he couldn’t stop watching Huo Jing’s every move.
Huo Jing wasn’t surprised; he said quietly, “Do you really think she even needs our apologies?”
Chen Huo’s brain lagged. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Huo Jing’s smile twisted, his energy spent. He did something then he’d regret for a long time,
“Chen Huo, have you ever asked yourself why you need her forgiveness so badly? You’re not exactly some innocent, pure-hearted little lamb.”
He laid it out, blunt as a hammer. And thinking about how miserable he’d been these past couple of days, Huo Jing just grew more ruthless: “And by the way, don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re not really helping your ‘good bro’ chase her down. Either you don’t treat him like a real friend, or you’ve got your own agenda. You know which one it is.”
Chen Huo was baffled.
But mostly, he was freaked out by Huo Jing’s words. He jerked upright, knocking books to the floor without noticing. He stammered, “Wh-what? You think I’m like you? Let me tell you, I am nothing like that, I don’t have any weird ideas, nothing at all, I’m not like you, my head isn’t full of crushes and, dating and, ” He swallowed the last syllable, and before Huo Jing could smirk, he was already bolting for the door.
Watching Chen Huo’s hasty retreat, Huo Jing snorted. Nothing like a friend’s misery to brighten the day.
But so what if Chen Huo understood his feelings? Then what?
The faint smile on Huo Jing’s lips faded, his expression growing even darker than before.
Between classes, Wen Shuran, now a senior, showed up at the door of Grade 11 Class A. He smiled at the student sitting by the door: “Hi, I’m looking for Yun Zhuoqing.”
Huo Jing, who pretended not to care but was hypersensitive to that name, and Chen Huo, already halfway to an anxiety attack, both snapped their eyes toward the door. They watched as Wen Shuran flashed Yun Zhuoqing a smile so charming it bordered on nauseating in their eyes, and breezily said, “Zhuoqing, I’ve got something for you.”
Yun Zhuoqing had just stood up, but hearing him call her that made her pause. Since when were they on such cozy terms?
To Yun Zhuoqing, it was just confusion. To the other two, it was pure seething rage.
What’s with the cutesy nickname? What if people get the wrong idea about him and Yun Zhuoqing? Wait, wasn’t that exactly what Wen Shuran was after?
Huo Jing was sharper than Chen Huo. He let his eyes flick around the classroom, no sign of Song Hanyue. A bit disappointing.
Wen Shuran handed a stack of problems to Yun Zhuoqing. “I just dug up these questions for you. Take a look first, and we can go over them together this weekend.”
Yun Zhuoqing didn’t overthink it. She took the papers. Seeing Wen Shuran still linger, she asked, “Is there something else?”
Wen Shuran noticed the clear “please leave” written all over her face, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Just then, Yun Zhuoqing’s eyes lit up, a sudden realization flashing across her face. The confusion disappeared. She said to him, “She went to get water, she’ll be back soon.” Having turned down Song Hanyue’s invitation to go fill her water bottle, Yun Zhuoqing now reported this with a straight face.
Wen Shuran was baffled: “……”
Who went to get water?
Meanwhile, Yun Zhuoqing, already convinced she’d figured out Wen Shuran’s real motive, just strolled back to her seat, papers in hand, leaving Wen Shuran awkwardly stranded at the door.
The classmate who had just spoken to Wen Shuran seemed caught up in Yun Zhuoqing’s train of thought and politely chimed in, “Senior Wen, you’re looking for Song Hanyue, right? She’s out right now; just wait a bit.”
Wen Shuran fell silent.
When had he ever said he was here for Song Hanyue? Besides, he’d just passed Song Hanyue in the hallway and waited till she was gone to stop by.
Otherwise, knowing Song Hanyue’s personality, she’d definitely have…
“Wen Shuran, what are you doing here?” Song Hanyue’s surprised voice sounded from behind.
Behind Wen Shuran, there she was: Song Hanyue, holding an empty cup, staring at him like he was a ghost. Next to her stood a vaguely familiar classmate, Wen Shuran remembered she’d been sitting by the door earlier, but her seat was empty now; turns out she’d gone to fetch Song Hanyue.
“You’re… here for me?” Song Hanyue found the whole thing absurd, but Feng Mingxuan had insisted Wen Shuran was searching for her, so she gave up her spot in line for water and came back with her.
Wen Shuran was just about to explain when Feng Mingxuan cut in, “Hanyue, I was worried you’d get mad, so I didn’t tell you right away: Wen Shuran actually looked for that transfer student in our class first.”
Wen Shuran and Song Hanyue’s faces changed at the same time.