Chapter 20

To Mingxuan’s surprise, Song Hanyue didn’t immediately interrogate Wen Shuran. Instead, she gave her a suspicious look. “Didn’t you just tell me Wen Shuran was looking for me?”
Wen Shuran said nothing, his expression cool as he stared at Feng Mingxuan.
Feng Mingxuan broke out in a cold sweat. Why had she never anticipated that Song Hanyue might go off-script? Wasn’t Hanyue supposed to turn on Wen Shuran or Yun Zhuoqing first? Why was she grilling her instead?
With no way out, she could only force herself to say, “Hanyue, you’re the only one in our class who’s close to Wen Shuran. At first, I thought he was here for you too, but then halfway back I… I overheard him say he was looking for Yun Zhuoqing…”
It was a clumsy excuse, but Song Hanyue didn’t seem to care; she was just annoyed by Mingxuan’s constant drama and snapped, “Next time, don’t run off with only half the story; you made me lose my spot in line for water.”
Feng Mingxuan fell meekly silent.
Just as she thought the whole mess would blow over, Wen Shuran suddenly spoke up: “Classmate, unless I’m mistaken, you were still chatting at your desk when I said I was here for Yun Zhuoqing. Care to clarify exactly what you mean by ‘halfway back’?”
Feng Mingxuan’s face turned beet red. Thanks to Wen Shuran’s point, Song Hanyue caught on too and stared at Mingxuan, disbelief written all over her face. “Feng Mingxuan, why would you lie?”
Feng Mingxuan realized Song Hanyue wasn’t taking her side at all, and Wen Shuran now clearly saw through her too. With no dignity left to lose, she just shouted at the classroom door, “Hanyue, everyone knows you and Wen Shuran are dating! But then he shows up asking for some other girl… I thought he was cheating on you, that’s why I dragged you here. I swear I was just looking out for you!”
Instantly, every head in the classroom turned to watch.
Chen Huo cursed silently, this girl had lost her mind. Why was she dragging Yun Zhuoqing into this mess? If anyone’s the innocent victim here, it’s clearly Zhuoqing, Wen Shuran’s the one shamelessly seeking her out!
To be fair, Feng Mingxuan’s logic wasn’t totally irrational; everyone knew Song Hanyue and Wen Shuran were close, so they’d naturally assumed he’d come for her. Who could’ve guessed he was after Yun Zhuoqing instead?
Suddenly, every gaze landed on Yun Zhuoqing. For the first time, people were really giving this transfer student a proper look.
Jiang Nuan bit her fingers anxiously, and Bai Jiajia’s face was full of worry for Yun Zhuoqing too.
Zhuoqing, meanwhile, was completely oblivious, since she had nothing better to do, she was already knee-deep in the stack of questions Wen Shuran had given her, scribbling away on scratch paper, lost in thought.
The class quickly realized there was definitely something different about this transfer, at the very least, she was cool under pressure.
Meanwhile, just as Mingxuan predicted, Song Hanyue’s expression soured the minute she heard those words out in the hallway.
Mingxuan allowed herself a little smugness. Hanyue was so easy to read.
Wen Shuran glanced over at Song Hanyue, whose face couldn’t have been more expressive, and frowned.
Under everyone’s gaze, Song Hanyue folded her arms and stepped away from Feng Mingxuan, her eyes full of disdain. “What is wrong with you? Who told you Wen Shuran and I are a couple? I’ve said it a thousand times, we’re not, we’re not! Don’t you understand plain language?”
Feng Mingxuan’s smugness evaporated in an instant.
“What is with you today? Yun Zhuoqing and Wen Shuran are in the same club! Isn’t it normal for him to come looking for her?” Hanyue was just short of jabbing her finger in Mingxuan’s face.
Mingxuan was at a loss, what the hell, wasn’t Song Hanyue usually super territorial about Wen Shuran? Didn’t she always snap when someone brought him up? Why was it so different this time, what had gone wrong?
With the entire class staring, Yun Zhuoqing finally raised her head, thanks to Song Hanyue loudly calling her name in a fluster.
And the moment she looked up, she realized just how many eyes were on her.
Everyone was waiting, watching to see what she’d do next. The first thing Yun Zhuoqing did was calmly take in the room, meeting every lingering gaze head-on without a hint of fear.
At the moment their eyes met, more than a few people suddenly felt guilty and looked away, unable to meet her look.
Yun Zhuoqing: “……”
First they stared, now they couldn’t look her in the eye. What were they even doing?
Feng Mingxuan, desperate for a lifeline, seized her chance and blurted out, “Yun Zhuoqing, I misunderstood your relationship with Wen Shuran. Sorry about that.”
She’d never dare apologize to Song Hanyue, she already knew it wouldn’t be accepted and would likely just make things worse. But Yun Zhuoqing? She was just a special-admission student, hardly likely to humiliate her on the spot. Everything today was spiraling out of Mingxuan’s control; all she wanted now was for it to end, and Yun Zhuoqing was her only obvious exit ramp.
Zhuoqing swept her gaze over Mingxuan’s desperate, expectant face, then at the two other deeply unpleasant principals. Wen Shuran stayed composed and shot her a look full of reassurance. Song Hanyue, on the other hand, wouldn’t even look at her, she was too busy glaring daggers at Wen Shuran, seething.
Mingxuan, stung by Yun Zhuoqing’s silence, cursed her for being so stubborn, and hissed, “Yun Zhuoqing, did you hear me?”
Song Hanyue felt her anger kindle yet again. Who did Mingxuan think she was, acting like Yun Zhuoqing could just be summoned and dismissed at will? Where did she get off being this rude?
Right as Hanyue was about to lose her temper, Yun Zhuoqing finally deigned to respond.
“Who are you?” Yun Zhuoqing’s brows knit, her tone laced with honest impatience.
She was truly baffled, did she even know this girl? Was she from their class?
Yun Zhuoqing never bothered memorizing her classmates’ faces, so Mingxuan’s was totally unfamiliar.
That answer blindsided Mingxuan, leaving her hanging in sheer embarrassment and making her look utterly ridiculous.
“And what does my business have to do with you?” Yun Zhuoqing continued, deadpan.
Mingxuan’s face went from red to crimson, nearly burning.
Song Hanyue burst out laughing. “She’s right, Mingxuan. What does any of this have to do with you? None of us, me, Wen Shuran, or Yun Zhuoqing, are exactly close to you, are we? Why are you sticking your nose in?”
Mingxuan gaped at her, eyes brimming with hurt. But Hanyue looked right back, her face all mockery, not a hint of sympathy.
Before today, Song Hanyue and Feng Mingxuan actually got along pretty well. Mingxuan loves cozying up to people, especially since she's tight with Yun Nianyi. So even though Hanyue wasn't exactly a fan, she tolerated her for Yun Nianyi's sake. Otherwise, there’s no way Mingxuan could’ve pushed around Song Hanyue and gotten away with it.
But from this moment on, that barely-cordial friendship was dead and buried. They'd probably end up as enemies, actually. After all, Miss Song isn't exactly famous for forgiving and forgetting.
Poor Mingxuan, failing to please anyone, ran off covering her mouth, eyes red from trying not to sob. But Song Hanyue wouldn’t let up, her voice laced with barbs as she hurled after her, "Drop the act, who are you trying to fool? Now everyone thinks I'm the villain here. If you weren't always stirring up drama, this wouldn’t even be happening!”
Now, basically the whole corridor knew Mingxuan had picked the worst possible target. Unsurprisingly, Mingxuan's getaway turned into a full-on sprint.
At the classroom door, Song Hanyue grabbed Wen Shuran and practically dragged him away, leaving no chance for an explanation. Wen Shuran let her pull him along and, right before leaving, gave Yun Zhuoqing a polite nod.
Chen Huo and Huo Jing saw the little gesture and both went, “…”
How had they never noticed how sneaky this guy was before?
Huo Jing had always suspected it, but today Wen Shuran's move sealed the deal.
Huo Jing smirked to himself, cursing his own past stupidity for ever believing Wen Shuran would really send someone to the equestrian club.
But honestly, he had been pretty damn blind before. How else could he have acted like such a complete idiot?
“Bro, I'm starting to think Wen’s also got eyes for Yun Zhuoqing,” Yue Hao said, brows furrowed in dismay.
Chen Huo couldn’t even muster a response. He felt completely surrounded, as if he were the last king standing, tragic, doomed, and dramatically outnumbered.
Then Yue Hao delivered the final blow: "Bro, I’ve decided. I need to make a move ASAP. If I miss my chance and someone else swoops in first, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!"
Chen Huo snapped his head around, staring at Yue Hao, whose eyes shone with the conviction of a man about to join the Party. He stammered, “You… You’re serious?”
“Dead serious, bro. I refuse to live with regret.” Yue Hao didn’t even hesitate.
It felt like someone had smacked Chen Huo right between the eyes.
Regret? Would he regret it? Wait, why would he regret it?
The desperate obsession sustaining Chen Huo’s heart was thinning, like a thread you could break with just a flick of your hand.
And beyond that, was a door to a whole new world.
Bai Jiajia bit her lip, remembering her promise to herself. With determination, she grabbed her homework and walked up to Yun Zhuoqing, using a question as an excuse to quietly whisper, “Feng Mingxuan loves stirring up drama between people. In our class alone, a bunch of good friends have drifted apart because of her. Most people aren’t her fans. Only Miss Yun is nice enough to even talk to her. Miss Yun’s your deskmate, by the way." Jiajia figured Zhuoqing probably hadn’t paid attention to these details, so she said it outright.
And she was right, Yun Zhuoqing genuinely had no idea who her desk partner was. Then again, it wasn’t the first time she’d heard rumors about that girl.
“Miss Yun is honestly a great person. She doesn’t look down on anyone, no matter their background. Honestly, no one at school outranks her family anyway, so she’s kind of everyone’s idol. If Feng Mingxuan gives you any more trouble, you should just tell Miss Yun, she’ll help you.” Bai Jiajia blurted out all this in one breath, then tried to flee.
But Yun Zhuoqing pinned her homework down on the desk and looked up, confused. “Why are you running away? Am I that scary?”
Zhuoqing remembered how Jiajia always showed up and disappeared at lightning speed, and started to wonder if she really looked that intimidating.
“N-no, not at all!” Jiajia fumbled, a nervous wreck.
But Zhuoqing only grew more suspicious with every stutter.
She let go, and Jiajia was left standing awkwardly, not sure what to do next.
“I just wanted to say thanks.” Yun Zhuoqing tried to explain she meant no harm. “And seriously, I’m not going to beat you up. Next time you see me, no need to sprint away.”
Jiajia nodded, still dazed, promising she wouldn’t keep running away, then wandered back to her desk, plopping down blankly.
Her own desk-mate leaned in, curious. “What did she say? You look completely out of it.”
Bai Jiajia snapped back to reality, then couldn’t help but smile a little.
“Oh, nothing.”
She just thought Yun Zhuoqing really was an incredible person.
Meanwhile, outside the classroom, things weren’t nearly as peaceful.
Song Hanyue stood five long meters from Wen Shuran, glaring at him like she could shoot daggers from her eyes. She didn’t say a word.
Wen Shuran gave a helpless smile. “Hanyue, is glaring at me from across the courtyard really why you dragged me out here?”
He almost found it funny.