Hua Jie’s attitude towards him was even worse than towards other classmates.
Was it because she was afraid of being discovered by him? Was she being aloof? Or did he do something wrong to make her upset?
He wasn’t very clear, but he couldn’t ask directly.
After pondering for a while, he suddenly tore off half a piece of paper from his notebook, quickly wrote a line on it, and then quietly tapped the back of the boy in the front row.
After passing the note, he whispered softly:
“Pass it to Hua Jie.”
Then, he stared as the note was passed row by row until it reached Hua Jie’s hands.
At this point, he suddenly became nervous.
He wondered how Hua Jie would respond after reading the note.
…
Hua Jie replied with a fart. Hua Jie was furious with Yu Tonglin’s note!
[Hua Jie, since you’re so close with Bian Ying, why would you still snatch her role as the drill leader?]
???
Did Bian Ying’s name even appear on the leader’s list?
How did it become hers?
And what does this have to do with Yu Tonglin? Is it his turn to interrogate her now?
Is he too full of himself?
Does he think he’s almighty, meddling in everything, even coming after her?
After careful consideration, Hua Jie immediately understood that Yu Tonglin would never stand up for Bian Ying on his own.
Bian Ying must have snitched on her to him.
She had always known that there were a few girls talking behind her back, but since they hadn’t said it to her face, she could only swallow her anger.
She couldn’t lower herself to their level and start a fight with them.
She’s too busy to waste time dealing with those boring people.
But, it’s so disgusting!
These people, she doesn’t want to bother with them, but they think she’s scared?
They even instigated Yu Tonglin to confront her.
And Yu Tonglin is stupid enough to actually come and confront her over a few words?
Is he out of his mind?
How did she ever like him in junior high?
Ignorant youth! Ignorant youth!!
With fire burning in her chest, Hua Jie almost raised her hand right then and there, to hand the note to the English teacher and embarrass Yu Tonglin.
But thinking that this behavior would make her look like a tattletale, she held back.
Suppressing her anger in class, she glared at the English teacher for a full 45 minutes.
After class, as the English teacher left with the lesson plan, she couldn’t help but glance at Hua Jie. Oh my, this girl’s eyes are too sharp, not like a student but like a principal.
Seeing the teacher leave the classroom, Hua Jie finally reached her limit.
She stood up suddenly, turned around, and saw Yu Tonglin sitting in his seat. When he saw her turn around, their eyes immediately met, his still showing traces of nervousness and confusion.
Hua Jie didn’t have time to analyze what his eyes meant, she marched towards him with the note clenched in her hand.
The classmates walking out around her, seeing her walking against the flow, looked unfriendly and unconsciously made way, turning back to look curiously.
Hua Jie slammed the note on the desk without mercy and said:
“First of all, I am not like Bian Ying, who stirs up trouble and spreads rumors. Don’t slander me.”
“Secondly, the position of the drill leader is appointed by the head of discipline, not something Bian Ying can just decide to take up. I got it because of my own merit.”
“Furthermore, Yu Tonglin, anyone with a brain wouldn’t write such a note to me. Please bring your brain to school and learn to distinguish right from wrong.”
Having said that, she didn’t give Yu Tonglin a chance to respond and turned away.
Those around who heard Hua Jie’s words couldn’t help but turn their eyes towards Bian Ying and Yu Tonglin.
Stirring up trouble and spreading rumors?
It seems like there have been quite a few odd stories about Hua Jie lately. Were they all rumors spread by Bian Ying?
What’s the deal with Yu Tonglin? What kind of note did he pass?
Hua Jie scolded him so harshly that he couldn’t even speak.
Sitting nearby, Yao Nan stared at Hua Jie in shock and exclaimed:
“She’s so fierce.”
No sooner had he spoken than a pen hit Yao Nan on the shoulder, and he turned to meet Shen Mo’s icy gaze.
“Mind your own business,” Shen Mo said.
“Ah…” Yao Nan turned to retrieve a ball but then fixated on Shen Mo’s unmoving gaze as he watched Hua Jie’s retreating figure. Looking back at Hua Jie, he suddenly seemed to understand something, making an expression of sudden realization.
Shen Mo noticed Yao Nan’s expression, frowned deeply, and grumbled, “What are you up to? Looking for trouble?”
“No, no, I don’t know anything,” Yao Nan quickly waved his hands, feigning ignorance with raised eyebrows and wide eyes.
Shen Mo remained silent.
…
Yu Tonglin sat still, clutching the note Hua Jie had slammed onto his desk, his face turning from red to white.
The classmates, frightened, dared not speak, only curiously guessing what had happened, exchanging glances and signals with each other.
Sitting in front, Bian Ying knew exactly what was going on. She recalled what she had said to Yu Tonglin during the break—
“How can Hua Jie be like this? Even if she secretly loves you and thinks I stole you away, she shouldn’t hold a grudge and steal my position as drill leader…”
“We’re all friends, how can she be so mean…”
“She wasn’t like this before, how has she changed so much since starting high school? Wuu…”
Bian Ying just hated Hua Jie, wanting everyone to think Hua Jie wasn’t a nice girl, not to play with her, to ostracize her together… She didn’t expect Yu Tonglin would actually pass a note to Hua Jie.
Hua Jie publicly called her out and scolded her bluntly, which terrified her.
Bian Ying dared to play dirty behind the scenes, but she didn’t dare to argue openly like this.
Consumed with shame and fear… Afraid that Yu Tonglin might confront her, and even more terrified that Hua Jie might come and hit her, Bian Ying quickly succumbed to her emotions and started sobbing on her desk.
The first to cry is often seen as the victim.
“What’s wrong?” The girl sitting behind Bian Ying immediately stood up, patted her on the shoulder, and asked with concern.
Bian Ying just cried, as if she had been tremendously wronged.
Unaware of the full story, the classmates’ gazes shifted between Bian Ying, Hua Jie, and Yu Tonglin, each harboring their own speculations.
Standing by her seat, Hua Jie glared at Bian Ying and coldly said:
“Bian Ying, if you dare to spread rumors and stir up trouble behind my back again, I’ll slap you. Did you hear me?”
The classmates vaguely understood the situation and all turned to look at Bian Ying, who was crying on her desk.
Ah, so she was caught spreading rumors.
But Hua Jie is not someone to be trifled with. You wouldn’t expect it, such a thin girl having such explosive power. We really need to be more polite to her in the future.
After scolding, Hua Jie finally felt a lot better.
She breathed a sigh of relief, slapped her book on the desk with a thud, and clearly saw Bian Ying on the desk jump from fright.
In this world, you can never escape the scrutiny of others.
People will examine you, judge you, and envy is inevitable.
Living freely is not easy.
It requires a strong heart.
Taking a deep breath, Hua Jie felt relieved and finally ready to focus on her homework.
Some people are pretentious, weak inside but put on a tough exterior; they don’t behave until they’re taught a lesson.
…
The classroom buzzed with whispers as some students started discussing the incident, while those uninterested in the gossip began to noisily attend to their own tasks.
Yu Tonglin, who had been sitting still for a long while, suddenly stood up. The usually jovial and somewhat reserved boy now seemed stubborn and defiant.
His face looked awful, his cheeks puffed from clenching his teeth.
Everyone looked at him, but he didn’t look at anyone and instead stepped out of his seat and headed straight for Hua Jie.
A timid female classmate couldn’t help but gasp, fearing that the next moment Hua Jie would be caught like a chicken by a hawk.
“Yu Tonglin—” a concerned male classmate called out to stop him.
The classroom fell silent in an instant.
Hua Jie sensed something was off and turned around to meet Yu Tonglin’s slightly reddened eyes.
She was about to ask what he wanted, but he grabbed her wrist first and whispered:
“Let’s talk outside.”
Confused, Hua Jie was pulled to her feet and stumbled into the aisle, then was dragged toward the classroom door.
“Let go of me first!” she demanded in a low voice.
Sitting next to Yao Nan and chatting, Shen Mo turned his head, saw what was happening, and abruptly stood up.
The desk in front of him blocked his way, so he leapt onto it, took a few steps across the table, and reached the classroom door.
With a “bang,” Shen Mo appeared like a force from the sky, blocking the door, grabbed Yu Tonglin by the collar, and fiercely threw him onto a desk in the first row.
Caught off guard, Yu Tonglin was forced to release Hua Jie’s wrist, and he fell backward, his shoulder hitting the desk.
He tried to block with his hands but couldn’t fend off Shen Mo—his grip was as firm as iron, unbearably solid and incredibly strong.
Hua Jie was completely stunned until Shen Mo landed a punch on Yu Tonglin’s cheekbone. She instinctively rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Shen Mo’s waist.
At the same time, she shouted excitedly:
“Shen Mo, stop! Don’t kill him!!!”
“??” The onlooking students.
“??” Boys considering whether to risk breaking up the fight.
“…” Shen Mo.
Suddenly, he felt unable to continue his punch.
Kill him?
This guy isn’t made of paper.
Even if his fists were hard, they surely wouldn’t kill anyone.
“…” Yu Tonglin, already furious from the punch, saw Hua Jie seemingly taking his side, as if restraining Shen Mo because she was worried about him.
Hearing her shout, his face instantly flushed red.
The physical hurt was minor, but the humiliation was extreme.
Shen Mo looked down, directly at the girl looking up at him.
Hua Jie’s eyes brimmed with tears as she nervously fluttered them, her long and thick eyelashes more noticeable from this close distance.
She hugged him too tightly!
Her soft, warm face was pressed under his armpit, and her body clung so close that he could almost count her ribs with his back muscles.
She was too close!
He could even see the fine, soft fuzz on her face.
For a moment, Shen Mo hesitated—
Should he immediately let go of Yu Tonglin’s collar to let the girl release him, to avoid her getting hurt?
Or should he keep his grip on Yu Tonglin, allowing her to keep holding him…
Just as the thought crossed his mind, his face heated up.
What a strange thought.
He abruptly shook off his hand, pushing Yu Tonglin back and causing him to stagger.
Then he gently lifted his arm, pressing his palm on her head, and said in a low voice:
“Let go!”
His tone was awkward and embarrassed.
Only then did Hua Jie realize that in her urgency, her actions had been too forceful.
After quickly releasing her grip and stepping back, she then felt pain in her arm, which had been sore from being tightly squeezed against his ribs while she hugged him.
Rubbing her arm, she turned to give him a look.
This guy was really tough.