Chapter 12

After getting her food, Su Xiaoxiao carried her tray through the bustling cafeteria looking for a seat. Then, she suddenly locked eyes with Wang Xiaoxia.
For a moment, Wang Xiaoxia froze, stunned. After two seconds, she quickly lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.
Kids couldn’t hide their emotions. She buried her face in her bowl of rice, hoping Su Xiaoxiao wouldn’t notice her.
Yet Wang Xiaoxia’s reaction revealed to Su Xiaoxiao that it wasn’t dislike, it was nervousness and panic.
So, what exactly had happened last night?
Su Xiaoxiao, full of questions, walked over and placed the big bag of chicken legs in front of Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan: “This is for you, like I promised yesterday at lunch.”
Then, she pretended to be nonchalant and went to sit elsewhere.
Wang Xiaoxia opened the bag and her eyes lit up: “Wow, so many chicken legs!”
Dai Lainan grinned so widely she could barely close her mouth: “Wow, Xiaoxiao is really nice to us!”
Wang Xiaoxia hesitated: “But we’re not friends anymore, can we still eat her chicken legs?”
Dai Lainan nodded reluctantly: “Yeah.”
Their hands hovered over the chicken legs, but eventually, the food won.
“I guess we can eat them,”
“Xiaoxiao gave them to us,”
Suddenly, Wang Xiaoxia had a spark of inspiration: “Let’s be friends again just for today.”
Dai Lainan agreed enthusiastically: “Yeah, I think that works.”
They each pulled out a chicken leg, tore open the packaging, smiled at each other, and took a big bite.
Two girls from the neighboring class 1 were sitting nearby.
They stared at the chicken legs with envy, so much bigger than the usual cafeteria fare,
“I wish I could be friends with Su Xiaoxiao! So many chicken legs!”
Jin Qishan, noticing Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t sat with Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan, realized she was being subtly excluded.
Was it because of him?
Because Su Xiaoxiao had helped him yesterday?
He pressed his lips tightly together, emotions swirling inside.
Su Xiaoxiao was such a fool, other kids ignored her, yet she still bought chicken legs for them.
In a bad mood, she ate a few bites, filled her stomach, and returned to the classroom.
By the time Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan returned, Su Xiaoxiao was already asleep at her desk. The two girls exchanged guilty glances.
You take what’s given, your mouth softens.
The more Wang Xiaoxia thought about it, the more she realized she had been wrong. She wrote a note and left it on Su Xiaoxiao’s desk.
After the nap, Su Xiaoxiao saw the note and turned around to find Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan looking at her earnestly, as if pleading for forgiveness.
Su Xiaoxiao smiled: “What do you two want to tell me?”
Wang Xiaoxia held Su Xiaoxiao’s hand excitedly: “Xiaoxiao, I didn’t ignore you on purpose.”
Su Xiaoxiao asked: “Then why?”
Wang Xiaoxia covered her mouth: “My mom wouldn’t let me say anything.”
Within three seconds, she couldn’t hold back: “My mom told me not to play with you. Teacher Yao called home last night and said you and Jin Qishan are the ‘bad kids’ in our class. My mom said she was afraid I’d be led astray, so I had to stay away from you.”
Dai Lainan hesitated: “My mom said the same. Teacher Yao said your grades are bad, and playing with you would make mine drop. If my grades drop, my mom will hit me.”
Wang Xiaoxia added: “Yeah, my mom hits hard.”
Dai Lainan frowned: “I think my mom hits even harder.”
Su Xiaoxiao laughed angrily, unable to understand, what had she done to be labeled a bad kid?
And her grades, how were they bad? She’d aced third grade content with her eyes closed, just as she had excelled in the 985 university entrance exams later on.
Su Xiaoxiao asked, “Do you think there’s something wrong with me? Am I a bad kid, a bad student?”
Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan shook their heads together. They genuinely thought Su Xiaoxiao was great, smart, understanding, and generous. But Teacher Yao had called her a bad kid, and they couldn’t ignore what the teacher said,
Su Xiaoxiao was quite satisfied with their reaction. That was more like it.
She smiled, then spoke seriously: “Then for now, you two shouldn’t talk to me openly. Don’t let Teacher Yao see, or she’ll report to your moms again.”
Wang Xiaoxia whispered: “Then let’s talk secretly. How about passing notes? Not talking to you all morning is driving me crazy.”
Su Xiaoxiao: “Okay.”
Wang Xiaoxia beamed: “Xiaoxiao, the chicken legs are delicious. I ate two for lunch.”
Dai Lainan quickly added: “Me too, I ate two.”
Su Xiaoxiao smiled: “I’m glad you like them.”
Jin Qishan watched as Su Xiaoxiao laughed and chatted with Wang Xiaoxia and Dai Lainan again. Strange, just one lunch break, and they were friends again?
These girls were so fickle; he couldn’t figure them out.
That afternoon, there was a Chinese class.
Yao Yulian came in carrying a stack of homework, then stood at the podium praising students who had done well.
“Su Xiaoxiao, your handwriting is very neat, though a bit sloppy. Be more careful next time,” Yao Yulian said, smiling warmly as if nothing had happened.
Su Xiaoxiao took her homework, eyes fixed on Yao Yulian, gripping her pen tightly, and stabbed at the paper a few times.
She couldn’t blame Jin Qishan for deflating Yao Yulian’s bike tires, she had wanted to do it herself.
To think the teacher assumed her grades were bad? She had previously held back to avoid standing out too much while doing homework.
Now it was clear, she couldn’t hide her true abilities anymore. Otherwise, she couldn’t protect Jin Qishan, and her own safety might be at risk. If even a teacher led the charge in excluding and isolating a student, who could escape?
After distributing the homework, Yao Yulian announced: “Next Thursday will be the monthly exam. Everyone prepare. After the exam, I’ll assign new homework based on the results. The top ten scorers may choose their own desk mates.”
The classroom buzzed immediately, everyone whispering excitedly.
“Quiet down! I haven’t finished,” Yao Yulian continued. “Those who don’t perform well will sit at the back. Let me make it clear: I don’t care about height, weight, or looks, only grades matter in my class. If you don’t like it, have your parents request a transfer.”
She glanced at Su Xiaoxiao, then asked loudly: “Everyone understands?”
The students shouted in unison: “Yes!”
Su Xiaoxiao turned her head and snorted coldly. Underestimate me? I’ll slap you in the face with grades!
Yao Yulian saw Su Xiaoxiao’s defiant expression and smirked inwardly, thinking, We’ll see.