Chapter 40: Rumor-Mongering

Seeing someone she disliked, Jiang Mingzhi furrowed her brow, not having time to relax before the loud sound of a gunshot made her shrink her shoulders.

She was standing just behind the starting line, and even though she had mentally prepared herself, the sound still startled her.

Pei Jinyang sneered lightly, “So scared.”

Jiang Mingzhi rolled her eyes at him and then searched for Meng Yuanyuan in the crowd. Her gaze caught sight of Guan Jinxu walking toward her, and she immediately waved to greet him.

“Let’s wait and run a lap with Meng Yuanyuan.”

Running alongside someone usually happens during the final sprint of a long-distance race, mainly to give them encouragement.

When Guan Jinxu reached the girl, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled brightly.

The scene, in Pei Jinyang’s eyes, looked like a couple in love rushing toward each other.

It was blindingly obvious.

Pei Jinyang cursed under his breath. He had come to find Jiang Mingzhi today, only to have his words cut off before he even had the chance to speak. It was like putting his warm face against a cold butt.

He, Pei Jinyang, had never been treated so coldly in his life.

Jiang Mingzhi and Guan Jinxu walked a little further along the track, and she took out her phone to show the boy something.

“I recorded your high jump video, you were so cool! Have you practiced before?”

Guan Jinxu’s ears turned pink. “I practiced for a while in middle school.”

He used to really like the feeling of jumping into the air, but once, after he jumped, he got stuck between two mats, and a classmate had to pull him out. After that, he never liked it again.

Zhuang Heyang had teased him about it, but after swapping some secrets, he stopped.

Jiang Mingzhi said, “I sent the video to you. You should add some music and post it on Douyin, it will definitely go viral.”

“Mm,” Guan Jinxu replied, touching his hair. “Do you want some water or a snack?”

There were mineral waters and snacks like jelly and chocolates prepared at the class base camp.

Jiang Mingzhi said, “Go get a Red Bull for Meng Yuanyuan.”

The two exchanged a knowing glance and turned to head towards the base camp. “By the way, why doesn’t the school allow us to eat spicy strips?”

Other snacks were fine, but spicy strips were forbidden, and even the school gates wouldn’t allow them in. The school store didn’t sell them either.

“Because a student recently had an incident with spicy strips during class, apparently choking and ending up in the hospital.”

“…”

It turned out that every seemingly absurd rule had a story behind it.

“Hey, where’s Zhuang Heyang? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

Guan Jinxu replied, “He’s over by the shot put area.”

Jiang Mingzhi asked, “Then go check on him, and cheer him on. We all need to go to the broadcast station in the afternoon, so don’t miss his 4×400.”

She looked around, but she couldn’t spot the shot put area amidst the large crowd.

The stadium was packed, with students in uniforms, some not wearing uniforms, and both local and international department students mixed together.

Guan Jinxu extended a finger and tapped it lightly on her head. “Stop, don’t make yourself dizzy, it’s over there.”

His long fingers pointed ahead, and the smooth shine of his nails gleamed under the sunlight.

Following his direction, before they reached their destination, someone suddenly lunged from the right.

Lin Wan excitedly hugged her arm. “Jiang Mingzhi, you’re here! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled. “Didn’t you go cheer for your classmates? Why look for me?”

“There are plenty of people cheering already, my absence doesn’t matter~”

Lin Wan linked her arm with Jiang Mingzhi’s and walked alongside her, intentionally pulling her a few steps away. Seeing the two girls walking away from him and talking, Guan Jinxu, with good awareness, didn’t follow but quietly trailed behind them at a distance.

Once she was sure that Guan Jinxu wasn’t following them, Lin Wan leaned in and whispered into Jiang Mingzhi’s ear. “I heard someone’s saying you’re a thief. What’s going on?”

Jiang Mingzhi was puzzled, even wondering if she had misheard.

“What?”

Lin Wan repeated the details she had heard yesterday.

“A friend of mine in the International Department heard someone say that Pei Jinyang’s stepmother’s daughter stole Pei Jinyang’s gold bookmark.”

Then Lin Wan looked at Jiang Mingzhi’s expression and continued, “And they say you sold it.”

If rumors weren’t cleared up soon, they would only grow, and falsehoods would become truths.

Jiang Mingzhi bit her lip angrily. She had thought that nonsense was long behind her, but now it seemed it was still being blamed on her.

There was no need to guess who was spreading this—Pei Jinyang, that idiot.

Today, she learned that the lost item was a gold bookmark. So, all this time, they had been treating her like a thief?

What a curse. When she borrowed his book, she didn’t find anything, so where would a gold bookmark have come from?

Jiang Mingzhi’s face darkened, and Lin Wan quickly tried to comfort her. “I’m sure there’s some misunderstanding. Shouldn’t you clarify things?”

“Mm, I’ll handle it.”

Lin Wan asked, “Do you want me to help you find out who started the rumor?”

Jiang Mingzhi replied, “No need. I know who it is.”

“Then what are you going to do about it?”

Everyone knew that rumors spread quickly, and the gossip was already circulating from the International Department to the local students. Soon, everyone around her would hear about it.

Being labeled a thief was an easy way to become a target for bullying, especially since Jiang Mingzhi was a transfer student.

Jiang Mingzhi knew exactly what kind of person she was. She would never do anything like steal.

She patted Lin Wan’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

Lin Wan didn’t expect Jiang Mingzhi to comfort her instead and felt even more anxious for her.