Chapter 017

Meng Li took Wei Dong’s words seriously, thinking that he was really upset.

When she returned home in the evening, she felt a little down until bedtime.

After all, in this unfamiliar time and environment, the relationships she had with a few people—especially with Wei Dong and the others—were the most genuine and meaningful. If they really fell out, it would be hard for her to bear.

That whole night, Meng Li slept uneasily, and she woke up early the next day.

Cheng Chunliang and Gu Huijuan had gotten up early to wash up and prepare for work.

They sat down together at the dining table to have breakfast. After Cheng Chunliang had a couple of sips of hot porridge to warm his stomach, he said to Meng Li, “I’ve arranged everything for Cuihua Middle School. You just need to report to the principal’s office. The principal is a woman, her last name is Cao. Your mother and I have to go to work, and your grandmother is old. Do you think you can go by yourself?”

Meng Li hadn’t planned on having them escort her, so she nodded naturally. “It’s fine.”

She had already familiarized herself with the route a couple of days earlier, and it was simple enough to take the bus. The only inconvenience was that Cuihua Middle School was a bit far from Zhima Hutong, requiring her to cross most of Beijing by bus.

After breakfast, Cheng Chunliang and Gu Huijuan didn’t pay her much attention and went about their usual workday. Cheng Chunliang headed to the food factory, and Gu Huijuan went to Zhima Primary School to take care of school-related matters, as she was a primary school teacher.

Meng Li slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the house. Inside her bag was a tin pencil case.

The pencil case and its contents were all newly bought after the New Year, and the case was decorated with images of working people, clearly from the 1960s or 1970s.

The sky was still dim, with a light fog hanging in the air, making everything look somewhat gray.

As Meng Li stepped out of the door, planning to leave the alley and catch the bus, she turned a corner and, just a few steps into the mist, spotted the four people from the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest directions.

The four of them were just like before—wearing overcoats, military-style jackets, and fur hats, with bicycles beneath their feet.

They stood there nonchalantly, exuding a carefree and flamboyant vibe, yet also looking a bit provocative.

In that fleeting moment, Meng Li felt a sweetness in her heart, almost like honey. She bit her lip and let a smile tug at the corner of her mouth.

She walked directly up to Wei Dong and said with a grin, “I really thought we were breaking up.”

Wei Dong didn’t even blush, responding bluntly, “Break up? I was just throwing a tantrum.”

Zhou Nan mocked Wei Dong, “Your temper really is something.”

Before they could continue rambling on about it, Zhuo Xi spoke up from the side, “It’s getting late, let’s go. Third Master, I’ll take you to school.”

There was no need for too much formality between brothers. Meng Li didn’t say much more and simply jumped into the back seat of Zhuo Xi’s bicycle.

As the wheels began to turn and the bicycle moved forward, Meng Li settled herself and turned to look at Wei Dong. “I’m going to Cuihua Middle School, but don’t worry too much about me. We still have Sundays, right? Without me around, you guys should take it easy. Don’t always stir up trouble.”

Wei Dong glanced at Meng Li, and his mind involuntarily recalled the moment from last night when he had spaced out. Then, he looked at her again, this time more seriously and carefully. He realized that her face had indeed become much softer, quite different from the rough, dry skin she had before.

Looking at Meng Li like this, a few words came to mind—pale, tender, fresh, smooth…

Lost in his thoughts, he inadvertently swerved his bicycle, almost crashing into Zhou Nan’s bike.

Zhou Nan was startled, quickly turning to avoid the collision, and immediately yelled, “What the hell are you thinking? Can’t you ride without looking?”

Wei Dong snapped out of his thoughts and, angrier than Zhou Nan, shouted, “What the hell are you yelling for?!”

The two argued for a few moments, and it looked like they were about to start a fight.

Jin Bei, sitting on the back of Zhou Nan’s bike, tried his best to mediate, “Guys, come on, I’m here too!”

Zhuo Xi, used to these situations, didn’t intervene. Instead, he sped up, leaving Zhou Nan and the others behind. He turned to Meng Li and spoke seriously, “Once you’re at Cuihua Middle School, we can’t be there with you. You’ll need to be extra careful.”

Meng Li nodded, “Cuihua Middle School has all good students. If I don’t cause trouble, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Zhuo Xi still wasn’t entirely reassured and continued, “If anyone asks you to meet privately, don’t agree to it. If anything happens, come to us.”

Meng Li nodded again, “I understand.”

After agreeing, Meng Li suddenly felt something was off—why did it feel like she was the younger one, listening to the elder’s advice?

But she quickly brushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter whether it was about being the “elder” or “younger” one; after all, they were all brothers.

Their concern for her, as the leader, was completely understandable.

Wei Dong and Zhou Nan had been arguing the entire way, and it wasn’t until they were almost at the school that they finally caught up with Zhuo Xi.

When they reached the school gate, Zhuo Xi stopped his bike.

Meng Li jumped off the back of the bike, waved at them, and was about to head into the school.

Just as she was about to turn around, Zhuo Xi asked, “Do you want me to pick you up after school?”

Meng Li thought for a moment and shook her head. “No need to go through all that trouble. I’ll just take the bus back myself.”

The school was already far enough from Zhima Hutong, and riding back and forth was too time-consuming.

Seeing that Meng Li wasn’t just being polite, Zhuo Xi and the others didn’t say anything more. They stood outside the school gate, watching as she entered the school.

Wei Dong stopped his bike and stood next to Zhuo Xi. He slapped his hand on Zhuo Xi’s shoulder, watching Meng Li’s figure grow smaller in the distance. He suddenly said, almost absent-mindedly, “Zhuo, have you guys noticed? Third Master’s really changed over this winter break—his face is all soft, white, and rosy.”

Zhuo Xi didn’t reply, thinking to himself that Wei Dong actually had some observational skills.

Wei Dong shook his head with a sigh, “Tsk, tsk, what a shame. If he were a girl…”

Then, as if snapping out of a daze, he hurriedly turned to Zhuo Xi and asked, “Do you think I’ve been single for too long? I’m starting to think men look good now. This isn’t good, huh? Do any of you guys have girls? Send one my way.”

Zhuo Xi didn’t bother responding. He just lifted his leg and got on his bike. “Let’s go.”

The three of them pushed their bikes and followed suit, quickly getting on and speeding off.

…

Meng Li entered the gate of Cuihua Middle School and looked around at the surroundings.

No matter the era, schools were essentially the same—whether buildings were tall or short, it didn’t matter. There were classrooms, offices, or student dormitories.

Following what Cheng Chunliang had told her, she headed straight to the principal’s office.

After asking around, she found her way to the administrative area and eventually reached the principal’s office.

Standing outside the door, Meng Li straightened her coat and adjusted her expression before knocking and entering. Inside, she saw a woman around the same age as Gu Huijuan sitting behind the desk. This must be Principal Cao of Cuihua Middle School.

The female principal had short hair cut just below her ears. She had a large frame and a strong presence.

At a glance, it was clear that she was not someone to be trifled with.

Meng Li walked up to the desk and greeted her, “Hello, Principal Cao. I’m Meng Li, the new transfer student.”

Principal Cao gave her a glance, her expression showing some surprise.

The reason for the surprise was simple—she hadn’t expected the infamous troublemaker Meng Li, known for fighting and causing chaos, to be so delicate-looking, even quite pretty.

From her demeanor, Meng Li didn’t seem like the rebellious, aggressive person described in the rumors. Instead, she appeared almost obedient.

Not only that, but she even seemed to have the air of a young girl.

Principal Cao rubbed her temple thoughtfully. “You’re Meng Li?”

In front of teachers and principals, Meng Li couldn’t act tough, so she replied earnestly, “Yes, Principal.”

Clearing her throat, Principal Cao thought to herself that people couldn’t be judged by their appearance.

Considering what she knew about Meng Li’s past, Principal Cao didn’t question her much further. She focused her gaze and spoke seriously, “I know about your background. Now that you’re here at Cuihua, you need to follow the rules of this school. I don’t care whether you’ve been causing trouble at Wangfujing or Wudaokou, or what kind of reputation you had outside. Here at Cuihua, you’re just an ordinary student, and you must obey the school’s regulations. Do you understand?”