Chapter 21: He Ran Away

“Alright then, maybe give up on the martial arts lessons. You don’t have time anyway,” Cheng Yuan said offhandedly.

Bei Xiaolin’s face changed instantly. She plastered on a fawning smile and clung to Cheng Yuan’s arm. “Yuanyuan, don’t say that! I’ll do it, I’ll do it, okay?”

“If he lost some weight, I bet he’d actually be pretty handsome, don’t you think?” Bei Xiaolin said, eyes gleaming with curiosity. Aside from school, nothing thrilled her more than juicy gossip.

“Every fat person is a hidden gem,” Cheng Yuan mused, recalling a saying from the future. There were endless stories about overweight people who transformed themselves. With Yu Qing’s already distinct features, losing weight could make him look quite striking.

“What’s a ‘hidden gem’?” Bei Xiaolin blinked at her, confused.

Cheng Yuan smiled faintly. “Read more books and you’ll find out.”

“But I can’t find ‘hidden gem’ in any of them!” Bei Xiaolin puffed her cheeks, flipping through her textbook in frustration. Just then, her gaze drifted to Lin Juan. Since the embarrassing incident, Lin Juan had become a shadow in class. More accurately, she’d stopped interacting with anyone. The breaks between classes, once filled with her voice, were now spent hunched over her desk, scribbling in her notebook.

“Yuanyuan, you need to be careful around her,” Bei Xiaolin warned in a low voice. “Sometimes the way she looks at you—it’s like she wants to devour you.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Cheng Yuan said, calmly jotting down the teacher’s dictation. “I walk a straight path and have a clear conscience.”

If Lin Juan hadn’t tried to drug her, she wouldn’t be in her current state. And the person behind that scheme still owed her an explanation.

After lunch, Bei Xiaolin noticed Cheng Yuan veering down an unfamiliar hallway and asked, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Cheng Yuan cornered Li Liang, Liu Qiang, and Cai Yufei—who had been avoiding her like the plague.

“C-Cheng Yuan, we need to head back to class for homework!” Li Liang stammered, clearly rattled by the sight of her.

“No hurry.” Cheng Yuan stretched her wrist. “It’s a beautiful day. Perfect for a friendly spar.”

“N-No!” Li Liang shook his head like a rattle drum. He’d already experienced Cheng Yuan’s wrath once. He wasn’t eager for a second round.

After the Lin Juan incident, he’d been extra careful to steer clear of her.

“We don’t want to either!” Liu Qiang and Cai Yufei chimed in nervously before bolting in opposite directions.

“You traitors!” Li Liang cursed, trembling as he backed into a corner. “Cheng Yuan, Sister Cheng, I didn’t do anything to you!”

He swallowed hard and immediately admitted defeat. He was a typical bully—bold with the weak, spineless with the strong. He thrived on others’ fear, but facing someone like Cheng Yuan, who he couldn’t even beat in a fight, he crumbled instantly.

“Tsk, tsk. The school’s little tyrant, huh? How many students—freshmen, sophomores, juniors—have you bullied?” Cheng Yuan looked down at him coldly, memories of being cornered and beaten flashing in her mind.

If I’d fought back then, would he have still dared to hit me?

“I was wrong, Sister Cheng,” Li Liang mumbled, his tough-guy act collapsing into groveling cowardice.

Bei Xiaolin stared, stunned. Did she really scare him that badly last time?

“What exactly were you wrong about?” Cheng Yuan asked, arching a brow.

“I shouldn’t have bullied you before. I was wrong!” Li Liang said, eyes darting nervously. He didn’t dare mention the incident with Lin Juan, even though he’d played a part in it.

“You won’t tell the truth unless you’re beaten, huh?” Cheng Yuan muttered, before delivering a swift kick. She stepped on his arm, making him yelp in pain.

Just as Bei Xiaolin began to feel sorry for him, Li Liang suddenly lunged in a desperate counterattack.

Cheng Yuan’s expression didn’t even flicker. With a perfect over-the-shoulder throw, she slammed him into the ground.

It was only then that Li Liang finally realized: he was no match for her.

“Sister Cheng, I really am sorry,” he groaned, writhing.

“Where did Lin Juan get the drugs?” Cheng Yuan crouched beside him, her gaze icy.

Li Liang’s eyes shifted rapidly. Before he could speak, Cheng Yuan said, “It was Cai Yufei, wasn’t it? His mother works at a nightclub—she’s the most likely source.”

Li Liang’s eyes widened in horror.

“Still not talking?” Cheng Yuan stood up. “Xiaolin, want to get some revenge?”

“Absolutely.”

Without hesitation, Bei Xiaolin rolled up her sleeves and turned Li Liang into a punching bag.

Lying on the ground with tears streaming down his face, Li Liang watched Cheng Yuan’s back as she walked away. Remembering her final warning, he didn’t dare report her.

In all his years at school, he’d been the bully, the one teachers turned a blind eye to. Now, if he claimed he’d been beaten up by a delicate girl like Cheng Yuan—who would believe him?

He lay there, limp, until Cai Yufei and Liu Qiang cautiously crept back. Seeing Li Liang’s pitiful state, they exchanged guilty glances.

“Li Liang, it’s not that we were disloyal,” Cai Yufei said sheepishly. “If we stayed, we’d have gotten beaten too. No point in all of us going down.”

“Exactly!” Liu Qiang nodded, relieved. “It’s better for one to take the fall. At least we can help you up now.”

Li Liang glared at them bitterly, his eyes screaming, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦? He’d shared his snacks, his money—and this was the thanks he got.

“We messed up last time with Lin Juan,” Cai Yufei muttered. “Maybe we should plan more carefully next time.”

“Plan more carefully, my ass,” Li Liang snapped. “You’d just abandon me again the moment things go south.”

Cheng Yuan’s message today had been clear—she was here to settle scores. She must’ve realized that Lin Juan’s scheme had targeted her.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥?

He regretted running away that day, afraid she’d catch on. He had no idea how she’d dodged the trap.

As they returned to class, Bei Xiaolin asked, “Yuanyuan, aren’t you worried Li Liang will report you?”

“He won’t,” Cheng Yuan replied confidently. “He’s too concerned with saving face. He might try to ambush me later, but I doubt he’s got the guts anymore.”

𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, she thought.

“Excuse me, coming through,” she said as she entered the classroom, only to find her way blocked by a tall, handsome boy.

Unfortunately, after seeing the Sleeping Beauty in her dreams, this immature schoolboy just didn’t do it for her.