Chapter 27: Bullying

Qi Ze made her a cup of brown sugar ginger date tea and placed it on her desk, then sat down to continue flipping through her book.

Jiang Mingyue carefully thought back and concluded that there should be no other unflattering doodles about him in the book.

She drank her porridge while secretly glancing at him.

The black hair on his forehead slightly blocked his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression clearly.

She could only make out his straight nose and slightly pursed lips.

After finishing one book, he moved on to another.

What was so interesting about the textbook?

However, from his appearance, he didn’t seem angry.

Jiang Mingyue thought for a moment and decided it would be better to explain. “You’re not angry, right? I was just doodling for fun.”

“I’m not angry. Just eat your meal, and after you’re done, lie down and rest for a while.”

Qi Ze quickly finished flipping through the book and put it back.

Jiang Mingyue nodded and didn’t say anything further, concentrating on drinking her porridge.

After finishing her porridge, Qi Ze stood up to return to his own seat.

Jiang Mingyue called out to him: “Qi Ze, thank you, sending love.”

She made a heart gesture with her fingers toward him.

Qi Ze looked at her heart-shaped hand gesture, paused for a moment, then nodded and left.

The brown sugar tea was still a little hot, but Jiang Mingyue happily took a few sips, set it aside, and then lay down to rest.

She fell asleep almost immediately.

She was only awakened by the noisy sounds around her.

The brown sugar ginger tea was still warm, and she gulped it down.

Instantly, she felt fully awake.

Her stomach also felt much better.

Jiang Mingyue stretched her body and suddenly noticed that her deskmate, Liu Wenqi, was lowering her head, looking a bit off.

Jiang Mingyue tilted her head to look at Liu Wenqi and saw her cheek covered by her hair.

There were clear finger marks imprinted on the upper part of her cheek.

Liu Wenqi’s skin was a healthy pinkish white, and the red finger marks stood out starkly on her face.

Moreover, her cheek was swollen, looking quite severe.

Her eye sockets were also red.

“Deskmate… what happened!? Who bullied you?” Jiang Mingyue furrowed her brows.

Her voice was a bit loud in her agitation.

Chen Xiangyi, who had been resting with her head down on the desk, groggily turned around upon hearing the noise.

“Huh? Who… bullied me?”

“Damn! Wenqi, who hit you?” 

When Chen Xiangyi clearly saw the red handprints on Liu Wenqi’s face, she also gasped in shock.

Some of the classmates resting nearby looked over, and Liu Wenqi lowered her head even further.

Jiang Mingyue whispered: “Quiet down.”

“OK.” Chen Xiangyi lowered her voice: “So what exactly happened? Who made Wenqi’s face like this?”

Jiang Mingyue softly asked Liu Wenqi: “Deskmate, who bullied you? Can you tell us?”

Liu Wenqi’s tears started to fall in big drops.

They dripped onto the textbook, blurring the writing.

Chen Xiangyi anxiously comforted her: “Don’t cry, don’t cry. If someone bullied you, tell us, we’ll get back at them for you.”

Jiang Mingyue pulled out a tissue and handed it to her, gently patting her.

Liu Wenqi wiped her tears, slightly calming herself, and then spoke in a low voice.

“Today at noon… I went off-campus to buy… buy a book, and then a few girls stopped me. They… dragged me into an alley. One of the girls said… said I was stealing someone’s boyfriend. I said… I said I wasn’t, but she didn’t believe me… so she hit me…”

Choking on her words, Liu Wenqi’s tears, which had just stopped, began to flow again.

Jiang Mingyue quickly handed her another tissue and patted her back. “Do you know those girls?”

“Two… I’ve seen them at school, and the other two… I don’t know them, but they were wearing Jingbei High School’s uniform.” Liu Wenqi said through her sobs.

Chen Xiangyi asked: “Do you know the names of the two from our school?”

“I only know one of them.” Liu Wenqi’s eyes were red: “She’s Lin Shuangshuang from Class One.”

“Lin Shuangshuang, of all people!” 

Jiang Mingyue was a bit shocked. Wasn’t Lin Shuangshuang supposed to have a ‘white lotus’ persona?

She couldn’t believe she was openly involved in such a bullying incident.

Wasn’t she worried about ruining her image?

Chen Xiangyi sneered: “Didn’t expect that at all. She usually looks so pure and gentle, but who knew she’d team up with others to hit someone.”

Now wasn’t the time to discuss Lin Shuangshuang’s character, but to get to the bottom of this situation.

Jiang Mingyue asked: “Deskmate, do you know what this boyfriend business is all about? Do you know him?”

Liu Wenqi hurriedly explained in a panic, “I really didn’t steal anyone’s boyfriend. I honestly don’t know anything…”

“I know, we believe you, don’t worry.” Jiang Mingyue quickly reassured her.

Chen Xiangyi nodded: “I believe you wouldn’t do something like that.”

Jiang Mingyue asked: “So you don’t know this so-called boyfriend?”

Liu Wenqi hesitated for a moment before speaking softly: “I… I do know him, but it’s not like they said… We’re just friends…”

By the end, Liu Wenqi’s voice had grown quieter and quieter.

Chen Xiangyi and Jiang Mingyue exchanged glances. It seemed there was more to the story.

Jiang Mingyue asked: “Who is this boy?”

“He’s Liu Haiming from our school, Class One, Grade Two.”

Chen Xiangyi asked: “How did you two meet? Can you tell us the details?”

Liu Wenqi looked a bit embarrassed, biting her lip. “We met during this year’s arts performance. I was responsible for the props, and I accidentally broke one. He helped me fix it, and then we added each other on WeChat. We got to know each other gradually.”

“He… he’s really good to me. He often buys things for me.”

Liu Wenqi pointed to the milk on the desk. “This is what he gave me this morning. He told me to take care of my health… Sometimes when I don’t understand a problem, I send it to him, and he patiently explains it to me. Sometimes, he even takes me to play games to relax, and he’s invited me to watch him swim…”

“He’s pursuing you.” Chen Xiangyi said, her eyes wide.

“He…”

Liu Wenqi wanted to refute, but when she thought of the WeChat messages he had sent her, she helplessly nodded.

“Last night, he sent me a message on WeChat saying… he liked me and wanted me to be his girlfriend.”

Chen Xiangyi’s expression showed she expected this. “So, did you agree?”

“No, no.” Liu Wenqi quickly shook her head. “I didn’t know how to respond, so I just didn’t reply to him. This morning, he was still waiting for me at the school gate, and I just ran away.”

“Good thing you didn’t agree. This boy already has a girlfriend and is still flirting with you. He’s definitely a jerk.” Chen Xiangyi said angrily.

Liu Wenqi touched her swollen cheek, and tears unknowingly began to fall again. She spoke with a sad tone: “I really didn’t know he had a girlfriend. He never said anything about it, I really didn’t know…”

“It’s okay, this isn’t your fault, don’t be sad.” Jiang Mingyue gently took her hand off her face. “Don’t touch it with your hand, it won’t help the swelling.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you with this. For the next few days, don’t go out alone. If anything happens, just call me, and I’ll stay with you in case they come looking for trouble again.”

“How will you help me?”

Jiang Mingyue smirked, clenched her fists, and cracked her knuckles ominously. She said fiercely, “Of course, we’ll teach that jerk a lesson and tear that evil girl apart.”

Liu Wenqi couldn’t help but laugh at her expression, but then furrowed her brows, speaking cautiously,

“But what if… I’m just saying, what if there’s some misunderstanding? I don’t think Liu Haiming is the type of person to do that.”

Chen Xiangyi scoffed: “What misunderstanding? It’s as clear as day. I’ve seen guys like him all over, flirting with girls everywhere. He’s definitely a player, and you’re probably not the only one he’s fooling.”

Jiang Mingyue also reassured Liu Wenqi, “Don’t worry, we won’t recklessly go after him right away. We’ll investigate first, figure out what’s going on with his girlfriend.”

“My best friend is in Class One. I’ll ask her about Liu Haiming.” Chen Xiangyi said, taking out her phone and eagerly sending a message.

Liu Wenqi started crying again, but this time, it was tears of gratitude. She smiled and said: “Thank you guys.”

Jiang Mingyue smiled too and said: “We’re friends, no need to be so polite. Don’t be too upset, it’s just a small thing. It’s nothing serious.”

“Just wipe away the tears, class is about to start. During the next break, I’ll go to the infirmary and buy you some medicine.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The bell rang, and the English teacher walked in holding a textbook.