Chapter 56

Qiao Zhenzhen had said enough. The bald man and Liu Guifang, afraid Chi Shen might actually sue to sever ties, didn’t dare make more trouble and slunk along with the security guards, but once they reached Director Li’s office they began to make a scene again.
Director Li had only wanted them to persuade his son to enter the competition; he hadn’t expected them to be like this and was furious. He called the homeroom teacher to ask her to step in, but she pretended not to see and let the phone ring several times.
In the end there was no choice: he took a thousand yuan from his own pocket for their travel money and, gritting his teeth, saw them off.
Meanwhile, more teachers drifted into the office, obviously they'd come after hearing about Chi Shen's family affairs. Teachers always favored students who did well and kept out of trouble. Though Chi Shen was a bit reserved, every teacher doted on him, and seeing half his face swollen, they were all filled with concern.
When Chi Shen and Qiao Zhenzhen tried to start tidying the office, a crowd hurried to stop them.
"We'll take care of the cleaning. You two go to the infirmary and get the injuries on your faces treated," one of the teachers said.
The homeroom teacher nodded: "Go on, get it seen to and then return to class. Don't let that kind of trash ruin your mood."
"Yes, Teacher," Qiao Zhenzhen said, bowing apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"Sorry," Chi Shen echoed.
The homeroom teacher sighed helplessly: "You're my students, there's no 'trouble' about it. I failed to protect you; I should be the one apologizing."
Qiao Zhenzhen chuckled: "Teacher, don't be so formal. Chi Shen's got plenty of money, he can treat you to a meal sometime."
"Yeah, I'll treat," Chi Shen said.
Seeing that neither of them seemed traumatized, the homeroom teacher relaxed visibly, scolding them with a smile as he sent them off: "Meals can wait, get to the infirmary now!"
After shooing them away, the other teachers gathered around. "Chi Shen's been getting more cheerful lately, Qiao Zhenzhen deserves a lot of credit," they said.
"Even though that was cleared up last time, I still think those two are in an early relationship."
"Last time we cleared up the cohabitation and 'kept' rumors, but not the early-dating bit. I hear Qiao Zhenzhen's mother likes Chi Shen too. The kids are sensible and their studies haven't suffered. If they end up together, homeroom teacher, you'll be the matchmaker."
"Stop gossiping, do you think the students don't know you're this nosy?" The homeroom teacher laughed and sent them on their way; his mood had finally lifted.
Outside the office the mood shifted. Qiao Zhenzhen and Chi Shen fell into silence the moment they stepped out. They walked together for a long time without speaking; she stole glances at him now and then but couldn't read what he was thinking.
By the time they reached the infirmary she couldn't hold it in any longer. "I'm sorry," she said.
Chi Shen paused and frowned as he looked at her.
"I'm sorry, Shen Shen. I didn't mean to keep it from you," Qiao Zhenzhen said guiltily, looking at his swollen face. "I just wanted to wait until it was confirmed before telling you, and with everything going on at home lately, you know how it is, I didn't have any spare time. I really didn't mean to hide it; I just planned to wait until winter break..."
"It's fine." Chi Shen reached out and ruffled her hair.
Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes were rimmed with red. "I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner."
"Next time something comes up, don't shoulder it alone," Chi Shen said earnestly.
Qiao Zhenzhen nodded obediently, and they went into the infirmary together.
It turned out the only school doctor had stepped out to the restroom; the infirmary was empty. The two of them sat side by side on a bench and waited in silence.
After a while Qiao Zhenzhen couldn't help asking: "Knowing they're not your biological parents, does that make you sad?"
Though those two had treated Chi Shen poorly, a child's attachment to their parents is almost instinctual; no matter how bad the relationship, there's usually at least a trace of feeling.
"No." Chi Shen answered crisply.
Qiao Zhenzhen stared at him for a long moment, then felt reassured. Yes, her Shen Shen really was something else.
Relieved that he wasn't hurt, she let out a breath and then asked a similar question: "Would you be happy about it?"
Chi Shen paused. "No, not happy either."
"...No emotion at all?" Qiao Zhenzhen genuinely didn't understand this time.
Chi Shen didn't know how to explain. After a long pause he said calmly: "Ever since I became self-aware, I knew the day would come when I'd cut ties with them."
If he'd known that long ago, then whether it happened sooner or later wouldn't move him. For a child to come to that understanding so early, it speaks to how painful his life must have been.
Qiao Zhenzhen felt a pang of pain and sighed: "I wish I'd met you sooner, then I could've protected you earlier." But she quickly thought better of it: even if she'd met him sooner, she might have, like in her previous life, avoided him out of prejudice.
She sighed and looked up, only to find a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"You already protected me, long before now," he said seriously.
Qiao Zhenzhen paused, puzzled and about to ask more, when the school nurse came back in. Seeing Chi Shen's face, she exclaimed: "Whoa, who did this to you? That's brutal."
"Please, could you take a look?" Qiao Zhenzhen said, moving aside.
The nurse examined him and, seeing it was serious, handed over a bag of ice and some anti-inflammatory medication. Qiao Zhenzhen helped ice the swelling for over ten minutes. The marks on Chi Shen's face faded a little, but the imprint of a slap remained clear.
"Maybe you should go back and rest, skip class," Qiao Zhenzhen frowned.
Chi Shen was silent for a long moment, then nodded in agreement.
They left the infirmary and had walked a while before Chi Shen spoke up suddenly: "You're not going back to class?"
Lately she'd been improving quickly; she could now keep up with the teachers' pace without Chi Shen's help.
Qiao Zhenzhen paused. "I'll go with you."
Chi Shen stopped walking and looked down at her.
"...I have to take care of you, and I'm afraid you'll be in a bad mood, so I need to be with you to cheer you up," Qiao Zhenzhen admitted sheepishly.
"Go to class," Chi Shen said.
"Oh."
Qiao Zhenzhen pouted, and out of her sight Chi Shen secretly curved his lips into a smile.
As they neared the school gate, Qiao Zhenzhen was still down about not being able to skip class when Chi Shen suddenly stopped. By the time she came to, he'd already turned and gone into the convenience store nearby.
Qiao Zhenzhen waited in confusion for a few minutes, then saw him come out from inside holding a mushroom-shaped lollipop. "For you," he said.
She blinked, took it, and her mood lifted all of a sudden. "This won't win me over," she said.
"I'm going to the market this afternoon. What do you want to eat? If I'm free I'll make it," Chi Shen asked.
Qiao Zhenzhen thought for a moment and named several dishes. Chi Shen wrote them down one by one. Seeing her mood completely improve, he finally turned and left.
She returned to class alone and was immediately surrounded by a group of curious classmates asking about what had just happened. Qiao Zhenzhen brushed them off one by one and went back to her seat.
It was the break after the second period, twenty minutes of free time. Many students had gone out for a walk, and the classroom was much quieter. She took a deep breath, opened the textbook for the next lesson, and began to read.
Although she could keep up with the teacher now, it was still a little difficult, so she always gave the material a quick read before class. When Chi Shen was around he would go over the key points with her; this time she had to do it on her own.
After a few minutes she found she couldn't concentrate, closed the book, and lay her head on the desk, staring at the empty seat beside her. For the first time she realized how boring it was to attend class alone.
Just as she was about to open her phone to message Chi Shen, the class suddenly grew lively. She looked up and saw Zhao Lianqiao burst in with several girls from class, all of them joking around and carrying piles of snacks.
"Did you strike it rich? Everything you brought is imported," a boy by the window teased.
One of the girls shot him a look. "Lianqiao bought this for us," she said.
"Wow, all of this? How much did she spend?" the boy exclaimed.
Zhao Lianqiao gave a reserved smile. "Not much, a bit over two thousand in total."
"...Two thousand at the school store? You really are loaded," the boy muttered.
Zhao Lianqiao's deskmate immediately said, "What do you know, that's pocket money from her dad."
"Her dad?" the boy said in surprise. Everyone in the class knew Zhao Lianqiao had grown up in a single-parent household and had never met her father.
Zhao Lianqiao glanced toward Qiao Zhenzhen, who was watching, and tucked her hair behind her ear with a hint of modesty. "Stepdad," she corrected. "My mom's getting married."
"Their love story is so touching, they were each other's first loves, but both married the wrong people. Now they've come back around to each other. It's the kind of thing you only read in novels!" the girl holding the snacks gushed.
The others started chattering, and even without being told Qiao Zhenzhen could hear the narrative taking shape: Zhao Ying and Qiao Jiancheng were being held up as a model of reconciliation after a breakup, while Qin Jing was cast as the jealous villain who used her family background to force Qiao Jian into marriage.
They were masters at twisting the truth.
She laughed in anger. Just as she was about to mock them, her phone buzzed with a message from Qin Jing,
"I'm outside your school. Come out, I'm taking you to get the divorce. The lawyer says you must be present."
Qiao Zhenzhen blinked, grabbed her phone, and left without hesitation.
She walked so fast that she drew attention; many heads craned toward the doorway.
"Why is she running so fast?" one girl whispered.
Zhao Lianqiao sneered lightly. "Probably going to see her poor little deskmate. She's so hopeless, only someone like Chi Shen would stick around with her."
Too bad, it won't be long before she becomes poor too. I wonder if she'll still have the means to 'help the needy.'
The others exchanged glances, thinking her comments about Chi Shen were cruel. Besides, Zhao Lianqiao herself hadn't come from a wealthy home; now that she had a rich stepdad she was suddenly looking down on people like Chi Shen. It seemed a little tasteless.
But when it comes to favors, they kept their mouths shut.