Chapter 14 – Persecutory Delusions

She looked up and saw Guan Jingxu’s face.

Being so close, she realized just how stunningly handsome and refined it was.

His skin seemed completely untouched by puberty—no acne, no blackheads, smooth and flawless.

What kind of skincare products was this guy using?

Jiang Mingzhi had always known he was good-looking, but being this close, the impact of that handsome face was even more intense.

His upper lip had a clearly defined curve—it looked incredibly kissable.

A fresh scent of laundry detergent drifted from him, clean and pleasant, sweeping away the embarrassment that had been weighing on her in an instant.

His cool fingertips brushed against Jiang Mingzhi’s warm skin, sending a shiver through her.

She glanced down and saw that slender, elegant hand—like jade, like bamboo—and before she knew what she was doing, she grabbed onto it.

“Can you still walk?” the boy asked softly.

Jiang Mingzhi shook her head. She knew that stopping right after a long run could make her muscles cramp, and she even felt a bit dizzy and nauseous. But the truth was—her legs just wouldn’t move.

Meng Yuanyuan was gently cradling her hands. “Both your hands are scraped up.”

A dull pain throbbed in her palms, but she had no time to think about it. Nearly all her weight was leaning on Guan Jingxu.

Jiang Mingzhi forced her eyes away from his lips and vaguely noticed a tiny mole hidden at his hairline.

“Let’s go to the infirmary,” he said, practically lifting her off the field.

Jiang Mingzhi had her palm abrasions cleaned in the infirmary. The wounds had tiny grains of gravel in them, and even the lightest touch with a cotton swab sent sharp pain shooting through her.

Guan Jingxu had gone to get her some water.

Her throat felt like it was on fire—it even hurt to speak.

By the time the school nurse finished treating her wounds, Guan Jingxu returned.

He handed her the water and thoughtfully twisted the cap open for her.

“Thanks,” Jiang Mingzhi said, taking it and sipping twice. “And thank you for bringing me here.”

If it weren’t for Guan Jingxu today, she would’ve probably still been lying face-down on the track until the PE teacher got back.

She hadn’t expected someone who seemed so aloof and quiet to actually be this helpful.

Meng Yuanyuan and the other girls had just finished their 800 meters too—they had zero energy left to get her to the infirmary.

“No problem.” Guan Jingxu glanced at her and quickly looked away. “Rest here a bit.”

And with that, he swiftly left the infirmary.

Soon after, Meng Yuanyuan arrived, holding her thermos.

“I brought your water bottle. Are you okay?”

Jiang Mingzhi showed her bandaged hands. “Thanks, Yuanyuan. I’m fine now.”

Being addressed so intimately by her pretty deskmate made Meng Yuanyuan blush a little. She gently tapped the bandage and asked worriedly, “How are you going to write like this?”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled. “It’ll be a bit tough, but I can manage.”

Meng Yuanyuan suddenly leaned in and whispered, “Do you know how you fell?”

When she saw Jiang Mingzhi shake her head, she darted to the door to check that no one was listening, then said, “I heard people say it was Wei Daiqing who accidentally ran into you.”

At the time, Meng Yuanyuan had been running behind Jiang Mingzhi, eyes fixed on the endless track. She hadn’t noticed what was happening ahead.

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “Okay. Got it. Thanks for telling me.”

She had felt someone bump into her but hadn’t seen who it was.

Meng Yuanyuan looked like she wanted to say more. Her mouth opened and closed, but she stayed quiet. As she helped Jiang Mingzhi back to class, she finally couldn’t hold it in and added, “I don’t think Wei Daiqing likes you very much.”

She had personally overheard Wei Daiqing cursing Jiang Mingzhi behind her back.

Before Jiang Mingzhi transferred to Class 9, Wei Daiqing had been the undisputed prettiest girl in the class.

And everyone knew—though it wasn’t openly talked about—that Wei Daiqing liked Guan Jingxu.

Actually, lots of girls liked him. He had looks, top grades, and though his personality was a little cold, once you got to know him, he was actually quite nice.

Wei Daiqing liked going to him for help with questions. She thought that, as Guān Jīngxù’s deskmate in front, she was different from other girls—special.

She didn’t expect Jiang Mingzhi to show up and steal her seat, and even become a rising star student because she had skipped a grade.

Meng Yuanyuan could understand Wei Daiqing’s mindset. If it had just been badmouthing someone behind their back, she wouldn’t have tattled. But deliberately pushing someone—that was crossing the line.

And Jiang Mingzhi was never someone who could be bullied easily.

As soon as she got back to the classroom, she walked straight up to Wei Daiqing, her face dark as she stared down at her. “Why did you push me?”

Wei Daiqing blinked. “Who said I pushed you?”

Jiang Mingzhi said coldly, “I have eyes in the back of my head.”

Wei Daiqing: “……”

The snickers from nearby classmates made Wei Daiqing feel humiliated. She quickly changed to a defensive expression. “I didn’t push you. Just because I was close to you at the time doesn’t mean you can falsely accuse me.”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled slightly. “It’s fine if you don’t admit it. Two classes were running together—I’m sure at least one person saw what happened.”

Wei Daiqing remained motionless. “Then go ask them.”

She was confident Jiang Mingzhi wouldn’t go around asking one by one. And even if she did, everyone would probably just give vague answers. After all, Jiang Mingzhi was the new transfer student, while she, Wei Daiqing, had been classmates with them for half a year or more.

In terms of rapport, she definitely had more than this newcomer.

The stalemate continued. Without any hard evidence, there wasn’t much Jiang Mingzhi could do to her.

Seeing that Jiang Mingzhi was about to back down, Wei Daiqing’s smugness grew even stronger.

“Don’t be paranoid. Why would I push you for no reason?”

Jiang Mingzhi relaxed slightly. “Alright then.”

Just as she was about to walk away, Wei Daiqing’s desk suddenly tilted for some reason, and her books came crashing to the ground.

Wei Daiqing shrieked and stood up. At that moment, Jiang Mingzhi hooked her leg backward, and the desk toppled, crashing down right onto Wei Daiqing’s foot.

This time, her scream was genuine.

She squatted down clutching her foot, glaring at Jiang Mingzhi in fury. “Jiang Mingzhi! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Jiang Mingzhi looked innocent. “What did I do?”

Tears welled up in Wei Daiqing’s eyes. “Why did you knock the desk onto me?!”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “Did I? Who saw it?”

She looked around the classroom. The students all pretended to be busy, acting like they hadn’t noticed anything.

It was obvious this was a spat between two girls. Everyone enjoyed the drama, but once they thought they might get dragged into it, they quickly backed off.

“Don’t be paranoid. Why would I knock a desk onto you for no reason?” Jiang Mingzhi parroted her earlier words back to her, word for word.

Wei Daiqing’s face flushed red and green at the same time.

Just then, a girl who was usually close with Wei Daiqing came back from outside and rushed over when she saw what had happened. “Daiqing, what happened?”

Wei Daiqing turned to her. “She knocked over my desk and it hit my foot!”

Jiang Mingzhi spread her hands. “Both my hands are injured—how would I push a desk? Want to demonstrate for me?”

She hadn’t used her hands at all earlier. She had used her thigh to tilt the underside of the desk, then hooked a leg around the desk leg to tip it over.

Tears brimmed in Wei Daiqing’s eyes, and the throbbing pain in her foot made her want to tear Jiang Mingzhi apart.

She had originally wanted Jiang Mingzhi to suffer a silent loss, but it turned out Jiang Mingzhi wasn’t the type to take anything lying down.

He Yuegui helped her up. “Does it hurt a lot? Let’s go to the nurse’s office.”

Wei Daiqing’s gaze went past two desks and landed on Guān Jīngxù. “I really can’t walk. Guān Jīngxù, can you carry me to the nurse’s office?”

Guān Jīngxù didn’t even look up. “No time.”

Wei Daiqing’s expression turned awkward. Yang Hui chuckled. “Xu-ge is busy solving problems. Want me to carry you instead?”

“No need, but thanks.”

With He Yuegui supporting her, Wei Daiqing hopped out of the classroom.

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