Chapter 92: Troublemaker
Right now, for example, she was sitting by the window in her classroom.
She saw her deskmate’s shiny cartoon pencil case.
She bit her lip, her fingers picking at the corners of her own old pencil case.
"Dad, I want this one!"
She rushed up to her father.
"Everyone in class has one except for me! They’re definitely laughing at me behind my back! Saying I’m poor, that I pick through trash!"
Cao Daqiang was looking down at his ledger.
Hearing this, he jerked his head up.
"Didn’t we just buy you one last month? How long have you even used it? You want a new one already? No!"
Cao Daqiang was filled with immense regret.
’He never should have sent her to that fancy school.’
’How had his perfectly good child become so obsessed with money?’
But there was no getting through to Cao Jiajia.
"You don’t love me at all! Other dads buy things for their daughters! Only you won’t! Do you hate me?"
With that, she spun around, stormed into her room, and slammed the door—SLAM!—leaving Cao Daqiang standing there, stunned.
Next door, Aunt Zhang was secretly crouched by the wall, listening in.
’That girl is throwing a fit again, wailing like her own mother just died. Tsk, tsk. She should take a hard look at her family’s situation. And she still has the nerve to demand this and that?’
After making a scene all night, she didn’t get what she wanted and was instead scolded for being "thoughtless."
The next day, Cao Jiajia went to school with her eyes swollen like walnuts.
As soon as she sat down, her deskmate glanced over and immediately grinned.
"Well, well. Didn’t you say yesterday that you’d have a new pencil case for sure today? How come you’re still using that tattered old thing? The corners are even peeling. I guess crying your eyes out didn’t get you any money, huh?"
Cao Jiajia’s face flushed, and even the tips of her ears were burning.
"I... I got sand in my eye yesterday. It hurt so much I couldn’t sleep... I just didn’t get around to buying one."
But from the way she averted her gaze, it was obvious to anyone what was really going on.
The whole class started chiming in one after another.
"Oh my, can sand in your eye make it swell up like that? Did she use an onion for eye drops or something?"
"If you’re poor, then you shouldn’t be in our class. You’re just dragging everyone down."
"Don’t hang out with us anymore. You’re an embarrassment."
Cao Jiajia huddled in the corner by herself as tears began to fall again.
The teacher heard and quickly walked over.
"What’s wrong? Who’s bullying you? Tell me, what’s going on?"
After hearing the full story, her expression grew stern and she reprimanded them.
"You are here to learn, not to compete over who has better clothes or newer things! Your families may have different circumstances, but that doesn’t make anyone better or worse than anyone else. If I hear anyone making fun of a classmate for this again, there will be consequences!"
Her intentions were good, meant to protect Cao Jiajia, but it backfired.
Those classmates who were just joining in on the teasing now saw Cao Jiajia as a troublemaker.
From then on, Cao Jiajia became a complete outcast in the class.
During a large lecture, the entire grade had class together in a lecture hall.
The moment Shanshan pushed open the door and came in, Cao Jiajia’s gaze was fixed firmly on her.
Shanshan had a radiant smile, greeting the classmates all around her.
’And me?’
’Huddled all alone in the very last row.’
What was even more infuriating was that Shanshan would raise her hand to answer the teacher’s questions and be right nine times out of ten.
The teacher praised her for being smart, classmates applauded, and some even whispered, calling her the "class ace."
"Ling Xueshan’s performance is truly excellent. Her thought process is clear, and her answers are precise. Everyone should try to learn from her example!"
The teacher who was speaking was Cao Jiajia’s favorite.
But now, that gentle gaze was entirely on Ling Xueshan.
Every time she heard a word of praise for Shanshan, her heart ached.
Cao Jiajia was seething with anger.
So, as soon as the teacher asked a question, she immediately shot her hand up high.
"Alright, let’s have Cao Jiajia answer this time."
The teacher called her name.
She stood up, her throat tightening. For a long moment, she couldn’t squeeze out a single word.
The classroom instantly erupted.
"Wow, she raised her hand so high only to choke!"
"What a try-hard!"
"Probably got sand in her eyes from crying again, right?"
The teacher didn’t get angry, but instead let out a soft sigh.
"Cao Jiajia, I appreciate your enthusiasm. But next time, please wait until you’re sure you have the answer before raising your hand, okay? That way you won’t put yourself in an awkward position, and you won’t give your classmates the wrong impression."
Cao Jiajia lowered her head and hurriedly sat back down in her seat.
’That was so humiliating. So, so humiliating.’
She bit her lower lip, and the more she thought about it, the more resentful she became.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. DING-A-LING-A-LING.
The teacher had barely stepped out of the classroom when Cao Jiajia shot up from her seat and rushed straight to Shanshan’s desk.
She snatched the textbook Shanshan was holding.
SMACK!
The book was slammed violently to the floor.
"What are you doing?!"
Shanshan was startled.
The surrounding students immediately crowded around them.
Her deskmate immediately stood up, stepped in front of Shanshan, and stared daggers at Cao Jiajia.
"Cao Xueshan, stop pretending!"
Cao Jiajia’s voice was trembling.
"You just wanted to see me make a fool of myself, right? Do you think I’m ridiculous? Are you satisfied now?!"
"I didn’t do anything!"
"What gives you the right to say that? I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop making a scene!"
"That’s right! Shanshan didn’t do a thing to you!"
A girl shouted indignantly.
"Yeah! What are you freaking out about?"
"Apologize now! Are you proud of yourself for bullying someone?"
Cao Jiajia stood frozen to the spot.
Finally, under the weight of everyone’s glares, she lowered her head.
"...I’m sorry."
Seeing her lower her head and admit she was wrong, the crowd slowly dispersed.
Just then, a girl leaned in and whispered to Shanshan.
"Should we teach her a lesson? She’s always staring at you; she’s definitely up to no good. She’s bound to cause more trouble sooner or later."
Shanshan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on Cao Jiajia in the corner.
The girl was curled up on the edge of her seat, arms wrapped around herself, her shoulders shaking slightly.
Shanshan watched her quietly for a few seconds, then gently shook her head.
"Let it go."
"She’s already miserable enough as it is."
She had never been one to hold a grudge, especially against someone who was already living so precariously.
Besides, Cao Jiajia hadn’t actually hurt her. She’d only slammed a book on the floor.
Cao Jiajia walked back to her seat, her mind a complete blank.
’I want to cry.’ But she was afraid the sound would only invite more ridicule. All she could do was bury her face in the crook of her arm and bite down hard on her lip.
’She knew Shanshan’s family was much, much better off than her own.’
’They lived in a huge apartment in the city center, and Shanshan wore the latest fashions from brand-name stores.’
’At school, even the teachers were especially kind to her.’
’Classmates flocked to her, fighting to be her partner for lab experiments.’
’And me?’
’I have to scrimp and save my allowance, wear my clothes until they’re worn out, and stay up all night doing homework with no one to even check on me.’
’I study so hard, I take everything so seriously, but no one ever notices.’
’How is that fair?’
’Shanshan is just some brat who was abandoned by her own father. She used to live in a dump like one of those urban villages.’
’How did she suddenly get taken in by the Ling family overnight and become their precious Miss?’
She sat in the back of the classroom, her gaze glued to the figure in the front row.
She knew this feeling all too well.
It was the halo of attention that had once belonged to her, now worn so effortlessly by someone else.
She clenched her jaw as a lump formed in her throat, tears threatening to fall.
’But I can’t cry.’
Finally, during the break between afternoon classes, her opportunity arrived.