"You... you've been posted on the school forum again!" her deskmate whispered. "No one dares to talk about you openly, so they made a group chat and gossip about you there..."
Bai Tang raised an eyebrow slightly. "What are they saying about me?"
"All nasty stuff!" her deskmate said softly.
Others claimed Bai Tang was utterly insufferable, but as her deskmate, she didn't think Bai Tang was as bad as they made her out to be. She actually felt quite sympathetic toward Bai Tang.
Especially lately, since Bai Tang had dyed her hair back to its natural color and showed up to class on time every day.
She thought it was nice.
Bai Tang listened attentively in class, and even when she did other things, she never disturbed her. Plus, she found Bai Tang pretty interesting—not nearly as awful as those people made her seem!
Bai Tang smiled. "Let them talk if they want."
Her deskmate kindly warned her anyway. "Someone took a picture of you getting out of Sheng Qi's car today, so now everyone thinks you were throwing your weight around in the cafeteria that day."
"Throwing my weight around?"
Bai Tang raised an eyebrow again, a half-smile playing on her lips. "If I were really throwing my weight around, every single one of them would be at home crying their eyes out by now!"
Her deskmate: "..."
"Bai Tang, aren't you upset?" her deskmate asked, impressed by her mental fortitude.
"They're all people who have nothing to do with me—why would I be upset?" Bai Tang curled her lips into a roguish grin. "As far as I'm concerned, as long as they don't act cocky right in front of me, it's fine... After all, right now, I only have eyes for studying!"
Bai Tang propped her chin on one hand and sighed dramatically. "I love studying, and studying loves me!"
Her deskmate: "..."
Was she having a chuunibyou episode?
Since Bai Tang was so open-minded about it, her deskmate dropped the subject and started morning reading.
Bai Tang stared at the textbook in front of her. With all these slanderous incidents popping up one after another, she knew someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes to ruin her reputation, maybe even turn her into a pariah that everyone would despise.
After thinking it over, Bai Tang narrowed it down to three people.
Feng Zi, still lying in the hospital; Zhou Jiami, who lost to her in their earlier competition; and Bai Xi'er, who always looked at her with disdain.
She knew Feng Zi well—if she wanted to do something to her, she wouldn't resort to such roundabout methods. That crazy woman would be more likely to just drive straight into her.
As for Zhou Jiami...
Bai Tang's gaze shifted to Zhou Jiami sitting in front of her. Maybe she should have a chat with her after class.
Zhou Jiami was playing on her phone under the desk when she suddenly felt a strong stare boring into her back, sending a chill down her spine.
Thinking it was a teacher sneaking in through the back door, Zhou Jiami quickly shoved her phone into her desk and fixed her eyes on the textbook.
But that intense gaze lingered, refusing to leave.
Unable to resist, Zhou Jiami cautiously turned around to check—only to find not a teacher behind her, but Bai Tang's eyes, glinting with a hint of amusement.
Zhou Jiami couldn't help frowning. She still felt a bit intimidated by Bai Tang.
Even though some time had passed, recalling that scene still sent a chill through her.
Bai Tang was a reckless lunatic—someone she simply couldn't afford to provoke!
Zhou Jiami quickly turned back and buried her head in her book, unable to focus. She pulled out her phone from the desk drawer, ready to play a game, when Bai Tang suddenly sent her a message.
Zhou Jiami opened it, read the content, and instinctively tossed her phone back into the drawer.
"What's wrong?" her deskmate asked.
Zhou Jiami frowned, her expression sour. "When the teacher comes, tell them I'm not feeling well."
With that, Zhou Jiami grabbed her phone, stuffed it in her pocket, and got up to leave.
She hurried toward the school exit, but just as she reached the stairwell, a voice tinged with laughter rang out: "Skipping class? Mind if I tag along?"