Chapter 17: Good Student

The next day, having slept for less than four hours, Shang Ying looked as if her entire soul had been drained out of her body. As she ate breakfast in the dining room, Shang Heng grew irritated just looking at her.

"What did you do last night?! Your dark circles are about to fall into your bowl!"

Shang Ying wore a deadpan expression, saying word by word, "City of Gambling storm."

She was telling the absolute truth, but Shang Heng couldn't possibly imagine that his youngest daughter had actually gone to an underground casino, assuming she had just stayed up late watching movies instead, so he gave her another scolding.

Scold away, Shang Ying didn't even have the energy to talk back today. Her schedule was completely messed up, making her look like an eggplant hit by frost.

On a comforting note, Shang Yi took the initiative to get into the car today without needing her to shout, so she fell asleep the moment she sat down. Before she had slept for long, the car came to a stop.

The driver woke Shang Ying up.

"Eldest Miss, we've arrived at school. It's time to get off."

Dazed and groggy, Shang Ying opened her eyes weakly.

"Uncle Chen, drive me back. Even if the old man beats me to death when I get back, I can't do school today." She was dying of sleepiness.

Hearing Shang Ying refer to Master Shang as the "old man," the driver didn't dare agree. Although his job was to drop off Shang Ying and Shang Yi, his salary was paid by the chairman, so he knew where his loyalty lay.

Thus, he could only shoot a signaling glance at Shang Yi, hoping he would help.

Receiving the signal, Shang Yi remained silent for a moment, then said to Shang Ying, "Get out."

The driver: …

‘He was truly crazy to ask the young master for help.’

In the end, Shang Ying still got out of the car, giving the driver a disappointed look as if he were a traitor to their alliance.

The driver: ‘I'll just pretend I didn't see that.’

Unsurprisingly, Shang Ying slept through the entire morning. If her stomach hadn't woken her up with hunger, she wouldn't have opened her eyes at all. The school cafeteria didn't suit her taste, so she made another trip to the supermarket and bought a box of strawberries.

Having learned her lesson, even with a crowd, she insisted on taking the elevator to avoid having her freshly bought strawberries thrown into the trash again before she could even eat a few.

Returning to the classroom, Xia Zhi came over with an aggrieved look, asking why she hadn't told her in advance about asking for leave. Shang Ying's brain was still groggy, and she had completely forgotten about their plan yesterday to go to the dessert shop together.

"Sorry about that, I had a cold yesterday and thought I'd feel better by the afternoon, but my condition still wasn't great."

Speaking of this, Shang Ying cursed Shang Heng out in her mind once again. That old man was basically a tyrant who had given her a beating and only asked the teacher for a morning's leave, so Shang Ying had skipped the afternoon classes directly.

Seeing that Xia Zhi still looked a bit unhappy, Shang Ying split half of her strawberries with her.

"I'll go with you this afternoon then."

"Alright, it's a deal then."

Taking the strawberries, Xia Zhi offered a gentle smile, returned to her seat to read, and before long, she received a message. Glancing at Shang Ying, who was already back to sleeping, she silently walked out of the classroom.

In the club study room, Lin Yuan sat on the sofa, fiddling with a violin bow in her hand, her expression displeased as she swept her eyes over the girl standing opposite her.

"They told me Shang Ying didn't show up yesterday afternoon. Why?"

Her tone was icy. She cast a single glance at Xia Zhi before averting her eyes as if it would dirty them.

Xia Zhi was terrified, her speech stuttering. The next second, a girl beside Lin Yuan threw a pine cone the size of half a palm straight at her face.

With a sharp smack, a red mark appeared on Xia Zhi's face. She couldn't help letting out a cry, but another girl grabbed her by the hair and yanked her toward the ground.

"Are you a stutterer?! Can't even speak clearly! Did you hear what was asked? Why didn't Shang Ying show up yesterday?!"

Xia Zhi pulled at her own hair to resist, tears of pain welling up in her eyes, her voice laced with a crying tone.

"She took time off yesterday afternoon, I only found out in the afternoon too..."

"Tch."

Lin Yuan turned her head away impatiently.

"You said you'd help us. Is this how you help?"

Looking at the crying, pathetic figure on the floor, she felt somewhat incredulous that she had actually been foolish enough to believe this person's words.

She couldn't even handle a tiny matter, causing the people she brought yesterday to return empty-handed, leaving her to celebrate for nothing.

However, even a blunt knife could draw blood. If anyone looked into it later, what fault could be found with her? She was merely heard by someone while complaining about a classmate in the bathroom, and that person, filled with an overwhelming sense of justice, insisted on standing up for her.

‘Thinking about it this way, she really was a good person.’

Lin Yuan picked up her violin bow, wearing a pair of clean, spotless luxury leather shoes as she stepped into Xia Zhi's lowered field of vision. She used the bow to gently lift Xia Zhi's chin, her tone sweet and soft.

"What should we do then? If we can't find her, we can only come for you. Would you like that?"

Though she was smiling, a wave of cold dread washed over Xia Zhi. Beautiful things were always dangerous, especially those disguised as harmless. Xia Zhi began to regret her impulse, but what was done was done, and there was no turning back.

So she said, "I... I've made plans with her today. There definitely won't be a problem this time."

The girl holding her hair released her grip.

"At least you're of some use. Tsk, why is your hair so rough? It's making my hands uncomfortable."

The other girl laughed, looking at Xia Zhi with disdain.

"Poor people can't afford good stuff, so it's normal that it's not well-maintained. Isn't that right, top student?"

Xia Zhi kept her head down in silence.

Facing such humiliation, she desperately endured as her self-esteem was pushed to the verge of shattering.

Because what they said was true: her family had no money. Compared to these people who were born with everything, an ordinary family in front of them was like a grain of sand on a beach.

She was only admitted to this school relying on her grades. At first, she didn't care about these second-generation rich kids because she believed in her academic talent. But after actually coming to Capital No. 1 High School, her pride was broken.

In her previous school, her rank never fell outside the top ten, yet upon coming to No. 1 High School, she was pushed beyond the top hundred. She felt it was impossible, assuming she just hadn't performed well.

However, the result of her hard work was blow after blow. The reality was that she couldn't beat those ahead of her, not only in family background, but even in the academic achievements she took pride in. Why did God always favor those people, giving them privileged families and brilliant minds on top of that?

Fortunately, there was a fool like Shang Ying around, bad-tempered yet easily manipulated. No one in class wanted to play with her because of her terrible temper, so Xia Zhi used a few small tricks to easily become her friend.

Later on, after learning about her poor family conditions, Shang Ying paid for all their meals together. She was stupid to a fault, but it offered comfort to Xia Zhi's soul, proving that not all second-generation rich kids were superior.

However, the appearance of Shang Yi shattered this balance.

How could an idiot like Shang Ying know Shang Yi, and even be so intimate with him?! Hearing that they had known each other forever, jealousy almost made her want to strangle Shang Ying.

She would never allow such a thing to happen. So when she heard that someone wanted to teach Shang Ying a lesson, she felt overjoyed. She hoped these people would make Shang Ying leave, get far away, and never approach Shang Yi again.

The cool violin bow patted her face lightly twice. Lin Yuan looked down at her from above, a subtle smile curving on her lips.

"Alright, help her up. Don't bully a good student.”