AIBBFSCITMLA Chapter 8

[Damn, was that He Tang just now? How did she have such an imposing aura? She was holding a ruler, but it looked like she was wielding a machete!]

[I have the same ruler, but why doesn’t it have that effect?]

[Why do I get the illusion of a suave, cold-hearted villain? That steel ruler seemed to gleam with a cold light, ahhhhh!]

[Wait, everyone, zoom in on the picture! Is there blood on that steel ruler?!]

[Nonsense! How could there be blood? Isn’t a ruler for drawing construction lines?]

[There really is! But it could also be red ink from a pen—maybe she just finished her homework?]

[Damn! When you finish your homework, do you strut out with a 1.8-meter aura, throw your ruler in the trash, and then wipe your hands as if you’ve touched something filthy?]

[Don’t say any more, person above. You’re scaring me.]

[Trembling in fear. He Tang is getting more and more mysterious.]

The discussion on the forum continued to heat up, and unexpectedly, the steel ruler at the school gate became a hot commodity. A trend of carrying steel rulers quietly spread throughout No.1 High School.

He Tang knew nothing of this. And Li Chang and his two friends, the only ones who knew the truth, would never tell anyone about being taught a lesson. They just felt a chill go down their spines and a faint sting on their necks every time they saw a steel ruler in a classmate’s hand.

The fact that Li Chang had stopped pursuing He Tang also became a topic of quiet discussion.

After all, following the cafeteria incident, Li Chang had privately declared that he would definitely get He Tang and make her life miserable. Yet, for some reason, there had been no sign of him in recent days.

The bets on the forum were still piling up. Everyone was anxious to know the current status, but no one dared to ask the parties involved directly, so they could only observe secretly.

One day, Li Chang and his crew were hanging out in the hallway outside their classroom, boasting as usual. Just then, He Tang came out of Class 5, holding her water bottle, heading to get hot water.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on He Tang and Li Chang. They watched as He Tang walked closer and closer to Li Chang, each secretly anticipating some interaction between the two.

Here it comes, here it comes! Li Chang definitely wouldn’t let this opportunity pass. He would definitely try to flirt with He Tang, and then through He Tang’s reaction, they could figure out the current situation between them! Ahhh, so thrilling, so exciting!

One step, two steps. He Tang finally reached Li Chang. Her eyes, which had been looking straight ahead, suddenly shifted direction and glanced at Li Chang.

Oh my god! He Tang is looking at Li Chang! There must be something going on between them! He Tang used to refuse to even acknowledge Li Chang. Could it be that Li Chang has already won her over?

So, as expected, the former rich girl He Tang has finally given in!

Just as everyone was filled with anticipation, Li Chang shuddered and said in a weak voice, “Sister Tang.”

Everyone: ???

A few seconds later, everyone: !!! What is going on?!

He Tang nodded with satisfaction and continued walking toward the water dispenser with her bottle, not sparing a single glance for the onlookers.

But the onlookers were already lost in a fog of confusion, unable to snap out of it.

Just now, what did Li Chang call her? Sister Tang? Why “Sister”? Was it some kind of quirky term of endearment? But judging by their attitudes, that didn’t seem to be the case, did it?

Someone bold enough sidled up to Li Chang and asked quietly, “Brother Chang, what’s going on?”

Li Chang’s face darkened, and he shoved the person away roughly. “Why do you care so much? Get lost!”

The onlookers immediately dispersed, pretending to go back to their classrooms and study, while secretly reporting the latest developments on the forum.

[Oh my god, oh my god, do you know what just happened? Li Chang called He Tang “Sister”!]

[What? Explain clearly. What kind of “sister”? Are they related by blood?]

[Of course they’re not related! Are you stupid?]

[If they’re not related, why would Li Chang call He Tang “Sister”? You’re the one who’s stupid!]

[It’s absolutely true! A real “sister” call, and I get the feeling Li Chang is a bit scared of He Tang.]

[Huh? That’s impossible, right? Did something happen between them?]

[Word on the street is that on the day He Tang had the steel ruler, she supposedly taught Li Chang a lesson. Shh, don’t spread this outside!]

[Ah! No wonder he’s had a very obvious scar on his neck since that day! So that’s what happened!]

[Ah? That exciting? I’m going to go buy two more steel rulers!]

The fact that Li Chang called He Tang “Sister” gradually spread throughout No.1 High School.

He Tang clearly noticed that this one “Sister” had chased away a lot of the troublemakers around her. It was very peaceful and very comfortable.

Friday came around again. It was He Tang’s turn to do the school duty. She texted her driver to come later, picked up a broom, and went to sweep the area in front of the teaching building.

Class 5’s cleaning area was right at the entrance of the teaching building. It was a large area with heavy foot traffic, making it very difficult to keep clean.

He Tang had just finished sweeping one section when a group of students walked by, kicking up more dust. She swept it again, and another group passed by, even dropping tissues on the ground.

He Tang got annoyed. She stomped over to the low wall surrounding the nearby garden and sat down, deciding to wait until there were fewer people.

She was in a huff, her eyes fixed on the feet of the passersby, watching as they carried dust from elsewhere, bit by bit, onto Class 5’s area. The more she watched, the more hopeless she felt.

Suddenly, a pair of brand-new sneakers appeared in her field of vision and stopped, right in front of her.

She slowly lifted her gaze, following the school uniform pants upward, until she saw Gu Jingfeng’s handsome but expressionless face.

“What do you want?” He Tang sat with her legs crossed, picked up the broom, and pointed it at Gu Jingfeng, forcing him to step back two paces and causing his brow to furrow slightly.

“Auntie asked me to go home with you,” Gu Jingfeng said, taking another step back, afraid that the broom in He Tang’s hand might touch his clothes.

He Tang curled her lip, finally remembering that Gu Jingfeng was Pei Yubai’s cousin.

Mrs. Pei wanted Gu Jingfeng to go home with her? Well, if she didn’t take advantage of that, she’d be letting down all the bad reputation she’d gotten because of him!

So she curled the corners of her lips, put down the broom, rested her chin on its handle, tilted her head with a smile, letting strands of hair fall across her cheeks. With a mischievous, playful look, she turned to Gu Jingfeng and said, “But I have to sweep the area. It’ll take a long time. Why don’t you help me sweep it?”

“It’s your own job. Why should I do it for you?”

“Well, then it’ll take a long time. We probably won’t be able to go home until dark,” He Tang said with a look of utter indifference.

Gu Jingfeng looked at her like that, knowing she was determined to stall for time. He didn’t want to argue with her, so he reluctantly took the broom.

“Childish.”

He Tang, accused of being childish, had gotten her way and was in a much better mood. Deliberately trying to annoy Gu Jingfeng, she said, “Brother Jingfeng, how can you say that? I’m just trying to get home early.”

That “brother” came with a lingering, sweet tone.

Gu Jingfeng’s hand paused. Then he pressed his lips tightly together, turned around, and his tone softened slightly. “Speak properly.”

He Tang was a bit surprised by Gu Jingfeng’s reaction. So that was what got to him?

With Gu Jingfeng sweeping for her, He Tang was happy to take it easy. She played on her phone, completely unaware of how much attention this was drawing.

Smack—

Suddenly, He Tang’s phone was knocked out of her hand onto the ground. She looked up and saw several girls standing in front of her, their expressions unfriendly.

He Tang’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning cold.

“What do you mean by making Brother Jingfeng do your duty for you?” The leading girl stared at her with wide eyes.

He Tang glanced at her phone on the ground, then turned her head and shouted to Gu Jingfeng in the distance, “Gu Jingfeng, come here! Someone’s sticking up for you!”

The leading girl panicked instantly and instinctively reached out to cover He Tang’s mouth. He Tang immediately bit her hard, making the girl shriek in pain.

Gu Jingfeng hurried over and looked at the screaming girl. “What’s wrong?”

Before the girl could answer, He Tang preempted her. “She tried to smother me!”

The girl was furious and stomped her foot. “I did not! That’s not true! You bit me!”

Gu Jingfeng then looked at He Tang.

“You were trying to smother me. Was I not supposed to bite?”

Gu Jingfeng glanced at the phone on the ground and then at the screaming girl. “Lu Xinyuan, what are you trying to do?”

Lu Xinyuan was on the verge of tears. She immediately stepped up to Gu Jingfeng and said pitifully, “Brother Jingfeng, I didn’t. I just got angry seeing you do her duty for her.”

But He Tang had no interest in listening to Lu Xinyuan pour out her heart. She immediately disrupted that campus romance atmosphere, pointed to her phone on the ground, and said, “You broke my phone. I don’t care, you have to buy me a new one.”

Lu Xinyuan’s tears fell instantly, as if she had suffered a great injustice, and she looked at Gu Jingfeng with tear-filled eyes.

Gu Jingfeng rubbed his brow and looked at He Tang. “I’ll pay for it.”

“Fine!” He Tang didn’t hold back at all.

“What are you doing here!” A gruff, middle-aged man’s voice rang out. Everyone turned to look and saw the Grade 12 Academic Director.

The Academic Director stormed over and immediately spotted Lu Xinyuan, who was in tears.

“Lu Xinyuan, you tell me. What happened? Teacher will get justice for you!”

“Mr. Wang, I just accidentally knocked He Tang’s phone to the ground…” Lu Xinyuan said only this much before continuing to cover her face and cry, putting on a pitiful act as if He Tang had misunderstood her and was picking on her.

He Tang was stunned on the spot. So, this was how it was played? Leaving out everything that happened afterward, and then pretending to be the victim to let the onlookers’ imaginations run wild. Impressive!

He Tang decided to at least try to defend herself. “Teacher, Lu Xinyuan deliberately knocked my phone to the ground.”

“Nonsense! A good student like Lu Xinyuan would never pick a fight with you! As for you, a student who doesn’t study properly all day and even plays on her phone! You’re completely neglecting your duties!”

“Teacher, you’re being way too biased. You can’t discriminate against underachievers.”

“Where am I biased? As a student, you only need to do one thing: study! Look at you, ranked last in the grade. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to come to school! And look at Lu Xinyuan, ranked in the top 100, a sure candidate for a key university! Learn from her!”

“Given your current attitude, I don’t think you’ll ever get into college. You might as well give up now!” Director Wang said, raising the book in his hand as if to hit He Tang on the head.

He Tang immediately dodged, the smile fading from her face. Many underachievers already lacked confidence, and this teacher was directly telling a student to give up, even preparing to humiliate them publicly with violence. If it were someone else, how much would that crush them?

“Teacher, you shouldn’t say things like that. Maybe I could also make it into the top 100. Aren’t you destroying someone’s future? As a teacher, you shouldn’t say things like that, right?” He Tang’s voice had already turned cold.

“Ha! You dare to say that! If you can score in the top 100 on next month’s exam—no! If you can even make it into the top 500—I will apologize to you in front of the whole school!”

He Tang smiled, looking at the surrounding students. This news would probably spread quickly.

“You really should apologize for your discrimination, bias, and disrespect toward others.” He Tang gave a sweet, composed smile.