Chapter 47: You Earned That Weight

In the past, Meng Yue would have basked in such comments—her hands had always been delicately maintained and naturally graceful.

But now, it was Meng Yue whose temper was flaring, especially seeing that Ye Mingyu had actually taken Cheng Yuan’s side.

“Excuse me, I’ve got homework to do,” Cheng Yuan said calmly, linking arms with Bei Xiaolin and walking away.

Meng Yue tried to follow, but Ye Mingyu grabbed the hem of her uniform, stopping her in her tracks.

“Ye Mingyu, you’re just obsessed with her face, aren’t you?” she snapped, her voice laced with jealousy. “Too bad she doesn’t feel the same. She’d rather be tutored by that fatso than spend time with you.”

She meant Yu Qing, who was large enough to take up almost two seats in class. Most students simply called him “Fatty.”

Meng Yue yanked her arm out of Ye Mingyu’s grip. No way was she letting this go.

“Sister Meng Yue!” Li Liang’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. His family had just been scolded over the Meng Family’s delay in handing over a piece of land, and tensions were running high at home.

“Li Liang, come here.”

Meng Yue looked around cautiously before beckoning him over.

“Sister Meng Yue, what can I do for you?” Li Liang said eagerly, his usual bullying demeanor replaced by nervous flattery. The same boy who enjoyed picking on others now wagged his metaphorical tail in her presence.

He’d had a crush on Meng Yue since childhood, though he knew he could never be good enough for her.

Meng Yue stared at his average-looking face, grinding her teeth. “I’m going to ruin her.”

Li Liang’s eyelid twitched. “Who… who do you mean?”

“Cheng Yuan.” Meng Yue had always been the center of attention, used to getting everything she wanted—and crushing anything that got in her way.

“But… Sister Meng Yue, how did she offend you?” Li Liang was on the verge of tears. He already avoided Cheng Yuan like the plague. Stirring up trouble with her? That was basically asking for a beating.

“Spineless,” Meng Yue sneered. “Don’t your parents have connections? Handle this properly, and I’ll put in a good word for you with my father.”

Ten minutes later, Li Liang sat on the lawn, his head pounding. He never expected Meng Yue to be this ruthless—far more vicious than he could ever be.

She wants to hire thugs to ruin Cheng Yuan’s reputation and make the scandal public? If that really happens, how could Cheng Yuan ever show her face at school again?

Just look at Lin Juan. After her incident, rumors had never stopped. Some boys even tried to take advantage of her. And that was only after she was stripped down to her underwear—no further harm done.

If something even more humiliating happened to Cheng Yuan and the whole school found out… how could she possibly return?

Nope. If I keep this up, my legs are gonna get broken.

If Dad wants that land, he can go get it himself. I’m not throwing myself into a lion’s den.

“Yu Qing, what’s up with you today? You look out of it,” Cheng Yuan asked, watching him closely. Compared to his usual self, he seemed distracted and gloomy.

“I…” Yu Qing hesitated, struggling for the right words.

“Come on, just spit it out.”

Taking a deep breath, Yu Qing asked, “Do you think I’m fat?”

He looked at Cheng Yuan and Bei Xiaolin—both petite and slim. He, on the other hand, could probably carry them both.

“Haven’t you lost a lot already?” Bei Xiaolin said lightly. At first, she too had thought Yu Qing was just chubby. But after getting to know him, she realized he was gentle, patient, and never once lost his temper while helping her with homework.

Over time, she’d even come to find his round figure… kind of cute.

Cheng Yuan, quick to notice the shift in mood, asked, “Did someone say something to you?”

Yu Qing nodded.

He’d been called names his whole life—“fatherless,” “wild child,” and worse—but none of it had really bothered him.

But today, Meng Yue’s words had hit a nerve.

She’d rather be tutored by that fat guy than spend time with you.

That phrase kept replaying in his head, stinging more than he’d expected.

“Don’t listen to them,” Cheng Yuan said firmly. “Are you eating their rice or drinking their soup? You earned that weight with your own effort—why should you care what anyone else thinks?”

Having eaten meals with Yu Qing before, Cheng Yuan understood why he carried extra weight. He loved meat, and as Aunt Yu’s only child, he was spoiled at the dinner table. Meals weren’t extravagant, but braised pork belly showed up regularly. With that kind of diet and little exercise, the weight gain made perfect sense.

“Pfft—”

Bei Xiaolin had tried to hold back, but Cheng Yuan’s blunt words sent her into a fit of laughter. “Yuanyuan, you’re killing me! ‘He earned that weight’? What kind of encouragement is that?”

She laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

Yu Qing: “……”

Yeah. He needed to lose weight.

“Ahem.” Cheng Yuan cleared her throat. “If you dropped another ten pounds, you’d look even better. Slimming down a bit is healthier, right?”

“So… I really am just too fat?”

He’d been stewing in self-consciousness all day, but somehow, Cheng Yuan’s brutally honest comment didn’t hurt.

“No—well, just a little,” Cheng Yuan stammered under his skeptical gaze. “Just a teensy bit.”

“I’m going to lose weight!” Yu Qing declared through gritted teeth.

Cheng Yuan clapped her hands. “That’s the spirit! Starting today, our running trio will stick to our routine, no matter what. Rain or shine.”

She held out her hand.

Bei Xiaolin slapped it without hesitation. “Running trio! Persistence is victory!”

Yu Qing hesitated, but Bei Xiaolin nudged him. “Hey, didn’t you say you wanted to lose weight? Are you chickening out already?”

“Persistence is victory!” Yu Qing echoed, slapping their hands and smiling.

With renewed energy, the three of them got back to their homework. This time, no one needed to push or nag. Bei Xiaolin dove into her assignments with surprising enthusiasm.

Cheng Yuan muttered under her breath, “Xia Wanwan’s charm is too powerful.”

“Of course! I’d do anything for my idol!” Bei Xiaolin said with conviction. But suddenly she froze, staring at Cheng Yuan. “Wait… You’re not tricking me, right?”

Was there really a Xia Wanwan concert? Could they actually get tickets?

“I’m not lying. I’ll bring the tickets in a few days,” Cheng Yuan said with a smile. Tao An would never break his promise. Still…

He may think he’s clever, but I’ve got tricks of my own, Cheng Yuan thought smugly.

“Yuanyuan, where’d you get the tickets?” Yu Qing asked. He’d heard Xia Wanwan’s name so many times he could recite it in his sleep. Given that Cheng Yuan’s cassette tapes were all of Xia Wanwan, he figured she must be a pretty big deal.