Xiao Shaowan glanced at Yang Haoran, acknowledged with a faint “Mhm,” and then paid him no further attention.
She possessed a classic oval face, arched willow-leaf eyebrows, sparkling large eyes, a straight and delicate nose, and a small, cherry-like mouth. Paired with her fair, tender, and dewy skin, her beauty not only completely surpassed the common, frequently surgically-enhanced looks of popular internet celebrities but also made even some A-list top celebrities feel inferior.
Beyond her naturally stunning face, her figure was equally devilish. Her breasts were full and perky, her waist was as slender as a willow, her buttocks were round and pert, and her legs were long and perfectly straight. Her jade-like feet, with a rosy glow against their pale white skin, looked as if a pair of exquisite gems were set atop crystal sandals, making them exceptionally alluring.
In terms of pure beauty, she was in no way inferior to Yang Mengyao.
“Shaowan, I heard that Yang Haoran’s family is quite wealthy, you know.”
Hearing this, Xiao Shaowan gave her deskmate Du Sha a surprised look but didn’t say much.
She was well aware that Yang Haoran had a crush on her. After all, the entire classroom was only so big. Unless someone hid it extremely well or never made any overtures toward her, it was hard to miss. With Yang Haoran’s thick-skinned personality, he had long since repeatedly and openly tried to curry her favor in class.
“Uh… Shaowan, how can you be so calm about this?”
Du Sha was somewhat puzzled. She lowered her voice and whispered, “Didn’t you say you wanted to find a rich boyfriend? I think that Yang Haoran is quite a good candidate, and he’s been pursuing you all along.”
“The source should be reliable. I heard his family lives in Jingjiang Residential District. Jingjiang District~ that’s the affluent area of G City.”
“Those are all standalone villas there. You’d need a net worth of at least several hundred million to live there.” Du Sha chattered on incessantly, her face filled with yearning.
“That has nothing to do with me. Didn’t I tell you? I already have a boyfriend, and he’s very wealthy.”
Xiao Shaowan let out a light laugh, a faint, enigmatic smile that Du Sha couldn’t comprehend appearing on her lips.
It was like an orchid, subtle and elegant, her smile carrying an additional mysterious charm.
Du Sha clearly didn’t believe her, as she had never once seen this so-called boyfriend Xiao Shaowan mentioned. However, one thing was questionable: ever since Xiao Shaowan claimed to have a boyfriend, she seemed to have suddenly become rich. There were even rumors circulating around school that she was being “kept” by someone.
Having been classmates for almost a year, Du Sha had seen what Xiao Shaowan was like at the start of the semester. Back then, Xiao Shaowan dressed plainly. Some of her clothes had obviously been washed and worn countless times, even faded to a whitish hue. Her life seemed financially strained; in the school cafeteria, she almost always chose the cheapest options, plain broth and simple dishes.
Back then, Xiao Shaowan had privately told her that she was determined to marry a rich man someday, and that even if she got a boyfriend, he must be wealthy.
“Shaowan, it’s not like the rumors in school say, is it? That you’re being kept by someone?”
Du Sha looked at Xiao Shaowan with a peculiar gaze.
This kind of look made Xiao Shaowan extremely uncomfortable, as if it had poked a sore spot. Her face instantly darkened, and she stared at Du Sha expressionlessly.
Du Sha was startled by her deskmate’s change in expression. She gave an awkward laugh and didn’t dare say anything more.
She muttered to herself, What’s there to be so proud about? Everyone knew how down-and-out you were at the start of the semester. Now you’re all decked out in gold and silver—you must be a slut who’s being kept.
Despite her internal resentment, Du Sha didn’t dare show any of it on the surface.
Xiao Shawan looked over her deskmate Du Sha—her delicate features and good figure, her breasts already showing promising development. The corner of Xiao Shaowan’s mouth curled into a cold smile, as if she had thought of something.
Meanwhile, a voice, neither too loud nor too soft, rang out. Although many people were whispering amongst themselves, this voice was clearly too loud, seemingly intentional for others to hear.
“I thought that loser Yang Haoran had dropped out. Didn’t expect him to have the nerve to show his face here.”
The tone was casual, but dripping with sarcasm.
Yang Haoran followed the voice and saw it was Zhao Jun.
Noticing Yang Haoran looking over, Zhao Jun acted as if he saw nothing and continued speaking to himself: “Some people, their grades are abysmal. Who knows if they used backdoors to get placed in Class 5? All they do is drag down the class average and hold everyone back, yet they still have the shame to stick around… Tch.”
Before Yang Haoran could get angry, Wei Ming was the first to lose his temper. With a “Bang…!” he slammed his hand on the desk, stood up, and shouted, “Zhao Jun, your dog mouth can’t spit out ivory! If you don’t know how to talk, then keep your mouth shut!”
Seeing Wei Ming stand up, Zhao Jun had expected this. He ignored him. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t go this far, but recalling the rumors he’d heard, his heart was filled with bitterness. He had been waiting bitterly for Yang Haoran in class for a long time. Now that he’d finally come to school, how could Zhao Jun let it go so easily?
Today, he was going to humiliate Yang Haoran right in front of the whole class and vent the malice in his heart.
Zhao Jun turned to his deskmate Li Peng and asked, “I remember the teacher taught us an idiom, ‘one bad apple spoils the whole barrel,’ right?”
Understanding Zhao Jun’s intent, Li Peng, who often colluded with him, immediately caught on and responded in a mocking, insinuating tone: “Right, but I think it’s not just one mouse. Should be two.”
“Oh… two, is it?”
Zhao Jun feigned surprise. After speaking, he scanned the classroom, letting his gaze linger on Yang Haoran and Wei Ming for a few seconds before pretending to have a sudden realization: “Oh… it is two. I miscounted earlier. Another one jumped out just now; I didn’t see it before… Ai…” He let out an exaggerated sigh.
The two of them bantered back and forth, like performing a comic double act.
“Shut up… Zhao Jun.”
Listening from the side as Zhao Jun wantonly insulted her brother, the usually quiet and gentle class monitor Yang Mengyao, her pure and beautiful face now filled with rage, stood up righteously indignant and glared at Zhao Jun.
Seeing it was Yang Mengyao, and as the class monitor, everyone assumed she was just maintaining class unity and didn’t think much of it. Zhao Jun, however, was different. Yang Mengyao’s reaction now further confirmed his suspicions.
The gazes of everyone in the class turned toward Yang Haoran. The boys’ looks were filled with disdain, as if looking at a spineless coward. The girls looked at Yang Haoran with contempt.
They were all young people, at an age where they cared about face. How could he just sit there so calmly after being publicly humiliated like this?
Wei Ming’s face was flushed red with anger; fury burned in his chest. With a “Smack!” he kicked his stool aside and was about to charge forward recklessly for a fight.
Yang Haoran, who had been silent all along, suddenly reached out and grabbed him. Wei Ming, his chest filled with rage, saw it was Yang Haoran and immediately flared up, cursing, “Haoran, don’t make me look down on you, brother. If you don’t join me today in beating Zhao Jun and Li Ming until their own mothers can’t recognize them, don’t blame me for calling you a coward.”
Yang Haoran’s face was expressionless. No one knew what he was thinking inside.
He didn’t say much. Slowly, he stood up. The eyes of everyone in the class fell on him.
He looked at Zhao Jun, his tone flat, a trace of a smile seemingly still hanging on the corner of his mouth, and said unhurriedly, “Zhao Jun, quite impressive, aren’t you? It’s one thing if you usually mock me behind my back. After all, my grades do drag the class down, and I can’t really say much about that.”
“But today, saying it so openly in front of the whole class… did you think I’d gone deaf?”