Chapter 19: Predicament

“School? I haven’t taken the exam yet, so I don’t know,” Sui Yi replied, sliding her fountain pen into the cover of her book while pulling out another pen that had been clipped to the pages.

“Hah, which school do you think you could possibly get into?” sneered one of the others nearby, their own grades just as poor, clearly irked by Sui Yi’s composed demeanor.

They simply couldn’t stand people like her. It was bad enough to have poor grades, but why did she have to put on such an aloof air?

One of them even let out a cold laugh. “Even if you do make it, it’s not necessarily a good thing... Going to college costs money.”

Money—this was something Sui Yi lacked even more than good grades.

Sui Yi turned to look at the speaker. She recognized him.

Zhang Yang, a notorious troublemaker from Class Two, Eleventh Grade, had been preaching since the first year that “living by your wits beats studying; once I graduate, I’ll start my own business.”

But two years had passed, and Sui Yi had watched him get thrown out by the homeroom teacher only to drift back in to nap during class again and again.

She’d grown tired of the sight, and almost found it amusing.

Zhang Yang was a delinquent, a bad boy, but he wasn’t bad looking. Most girls probably felt a secret urge to get close, but none dared involve themselves with him openly. So Ye An’an and the others all took a few steps back.

“Oh, you actually brought homework home? Planning to study hard?” Zhang Yang chuckled, sidling up to Sui Yi, his tone languid and insolent. “Sui Yi, who are you kidding with this model student act? Your grades aren’t any good. After graduation, just join me—I guarantee you’ll live way better than you do now, always scraping by.”

They closed in around Sui Yi.

Ye An’an saw what was happening and grew anxious, but her friends held her back. Eyes red, she muttered something weakly and stopped in her tracks.

In the crowd, near the school gate, Lin Chuxiao and her friends sneered.

So it’s Sui Yi. Now she’s caught Zhang Yang’s attention? Well, Sui Yi is good-looking and has no backing—being targeted by these second-raters is only natural. It’s a miracle it didn’t happen sooner.

“Sui Yi, I’m actually pretty nice to you. Why are you so scared of me?” Zhang Yang had already reached out, ready to throw an arm around her shoulders.

Sui Yi frowned, pivoted to the side, unobtrusively pulling her arm away and gently blocking his hand at the wrist. “I’m not pretending. I am a student. But are you sure you want to make trouble for me?”

Facing Sui Yi, Zhang Yang had to admit, they were all in similar situations—kids from broken homes, already abandoned by the future.

But within their group, Sui Yi had a certain reputation. It was because she always looked proper and clean, even in the identical school uniform, always so plain and serene. Her grades might not be good, but she was always composed.

Perhaps it was this quality they secretly admired—and deeply resented.

How could she maintain such a life? Shouldn’t she be as lost as the rest of them, labeled a bad influence by everyone?

And where did she get her tuition money?

She always vanished right after class, never joined in group activities, never got close to anyone—always alone.

Working part-time? She never skipped class.

No—today she had skipped. And when she came back, she was wearing such nice clothes, looking so different, with money in her pocket.

What sort of situation was this?

Zhang Yang found the whole thing laughable.

Society mocks the poor but not the shameless, but to be both poor and shameless, yet still appear spotless on the surface—Sui Yi really was a rare breed.

“A student? Sui Yi, you were selling yourself last night, weren’t you? Where else would you get new clothes and money? Don’t pretend you’re better than us—I’m not buying it!” Zhang Yang spat fiercely on the ground, the other boys joining in with jeers and mocking laughter.

“New clothes? I just noticed—Sui Yi, even if that’s a knockoff, it’d still cost three or four hundred. I’m curious—if you can’t even afford tuition, how could you buy that? So strange...” The sharp female voice grated on the ears.

Qian Fengling had been watching from the school gate for a while, waiting for her chance to strike back at Sui Yi. She smiled harmlessly, but her eyes were thick with disdain.

The students at the gate were in an uproar; the people at the shop door were even louder.

Ye An’an stared dazedly at Sui Yi.

Could she really be that kind of person?

The word “selling”—in a school, it was as filthy and sordid as a demon crawling out from the dankest corner of a bathroom, devouring their innocence.

It also tainted what little goodwill anyone still had for Sui Yi.

Mocking stares pressed in from all sides.

Surrounded, Sui Yi gathered her books and school uniform in her arms, slid a pen from between the pages, and, turning slightly, held it out between her fingers to someone just walking past the shop door. That person was about to speak, but Sui Yi was quicker.

“Thank you for the pen—here, I’m returning it.”

Yan Qingwu’s gaze lingered, but she didn’t take it. “Take it as compensation for my rudeness earlier, or if you like, as a gift to mark our first day as desk-mates.”

Sui Yi glanced at her. She saw no contempt, only a clear, mirror-like light reflecting her own face.

A faint interest sparked in Sui Yi, a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

To share a desk with someone like her—either Yan Qingwu saw her as nothing at all, or as someone far above.

The crowd was doubtful, especially Lin Chuxiao’s group, all the more shocked by Yan Qingwu’s sudden friendliness.

Qian Fengling, in particular, looked sour.

But the most upset were Zhang Yang and his gang.

Yan Qingwu was someone they couldn’t afford to provoke—not even a little.

She stood there with Sui Yi, and somehow, it felt oddly harmonious.

As if they were always meant to be the same kind of people.

“Yan...” Qian Fengling tried to speak, but was cut off by a sudden shout.

“Sui Yi!”

A student, clutching his books, rode a mountain bike down the rail with a dramatic flourish, landing, skidding, turning—thud! The narrow tires screeched on the pavement, long legs braced. He swung his messenger bag from his waist, hair flying, a bright, handsome youth grinning, teeth white as snow.

He soared past the other students and stopped in front of Sui Yi and Yan Qingwu.

“Sui Yi, hop on—I’ll take you home!”

His tone made it sound like they were close friends.

Sui Yi was silent for a moment. Yan Qingwu raised an elegant brow.

So, these two really knew each other?

“It’s Yu Hang!”

“How does he know Sui Yi...?”

Sui Yi glanced at Yu Hang and saw the shock on Lin Chuxiao’s face and her group. She sighed lightly, tapped the bicycle’s handlebars, and said to Yu Hang, “No need, thank you.”

Even as she spoke, her brows drew together. Her gaze fixed on the main road in front of the school, where a few young men, dressed with a roguish air, were approaching.

They looked wild and unruly, with a menacing aura that was intimidating even at a glance.

One of them, face grim, was heading straight for Sui Yi.

Her heart skipped a beat. She stepped forward, passing Yu Hang, and said quietly, “This way.”

The young man was momentarily stunned, glancing at Yu Hang and the others—clearly students.

He almost forgot—Sui Yi was a student, too.

He frowned and followed her. After a dozen steps, Sui Yi turned, “What is it?”

“There’s a problem with our building... they say they’re going to redevelop the road.”

“Redevelop the road?” Sui Yi hadn’t heard of any such policy, but it was certainly not good news.

“And?”

The young man’s face was gloomy. He spoke in a low voice, “It should be a good thing—residents would get a big compensation payout. But... we’re all just tenants. Even after more than ten years, we’re still tenants. Now the landlord, Old Tian, has ordered us to move out within two days, or else...”

They’d be thrown out by force.

Sui Yi’s brows tightened sharply. Two days? That was enough time to move, but the problem was—where would they go?