Yao Zuizui pressed her lips together and stood up under the strange yet somewhat sympathetic gazes of her classmates.
She knew exactly what everyone was thinking.
She had actually offended Ji Zican—she was doomed.
Slowly, she pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket and began wiping down the desk of the class representative, whom she had accidentally splashed with water.
The class representative, Li Xin, was a boy whose seat was just an aisle away from hers.
He was the perennial second-place student in their grade.
Right now, he was so nervous he didn’t know where to put his hands, stammering, “Th-thank you, I-I can do it myself.”
Yao Zuizui suppressed a laugh. This guy was really something.
She was the one who had spilled water on his desk, yet he was the one saying thank you?
Ji Zican, standing nearby, caught the faint smile on Yao Zuizui’s face and felt his anger flare even hotter.
He snatched the tissues from Yao Zuizui’s hand and threw them at Li Xin. “Then you do it.”
Then, he stormed over to the student on duty cleaning the blackboard, grabbed the eraser from their hands, and hurled it at Yao Zuizui. “Since you love cleaning so much, you can be on duty every day from now on!”
The eraser was covered in chalk dust.
When it hit Yao Zuizui’s uniform, it left a white mark, and a cloud of chalk particles scattered into the air, catching the light and making the classroom seem fragmented into countless surreal pieces.
The students around Yao Zuizui coughed from the chalk dust.
But she remained silent and composed, picking up the eraser with her pale, delicate fingers and walking straight to the blackboard.
Standing in front of it, she lifted her head and meticulously wiped every corner.
Her fingers gripped the eraser so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Her posture was straight and graceful, her ponytail swaying slightly against her slightly faded uniform, making her look pristine.
Ji Zican watched her, his irritation growing.
Did she have no temper at all?
Couldn’t she get angry?
That meek, silent expression of hers was downright infuriating.
After school, Yao Zuizui neatly arranged her books and placed them inside her desk—including Ji Zican’s completely blank homework notebook.
Shouldering her heavy backpack, she stepped out of the classroom.
Despite the weight, her back remained straight, her profile stubbornly defined.
But Ji Zican blocked her path at the door.
The back door was already locked, so Yao Zuizui had no choice but to face him.
Even though they were only in their second year of high school, he was already nearly a head taller than her.
She had to tilt her head up to meet his gaze.
His eyes were striking, filled with countless flecks of light, like a summer night sky.
Yao Zuizui quickly averted her gaze, silently cursing Suhei for being such a troublemaker.
Ji Zican didn’t move, just stared at her with narrowed eyes, brimming with defiance.
After a few minutes of silence, Yao Zuizui finally spoke.
“Please move,” she said, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Oh, so you *can* talk?” Ji Zican sneered.
Yao Zuizui glanced at him but didn’t respond.
Ji Zican was furious. He wanted nothing more than to drag this oblivious goody-two-shoes outside and give her a beating.
But remembering how easily she had fallen earlier—like a fragile porcelain doll—he worried he might actually hurt her.
Frustrated, he kicked the classroom door, which had already seen better days. “You’re cleaning the classroom and taking out the trash today. Alone. Or else—”
His sharp eyes burned with warning, but to Yao Zuizui, he just looked like a child throwing a tantrum over a toy.
Unconsciously, her lips curved into a faint smile.
Ji Zican saw it and exploded.
“What are you smiling at?! Don’t think flashing me a grin will get you off the hook! I’m not that shallow!”
He nearly kicked the door off its hinges in his rage.
Sure, Yao Zuizui’s smile was kind of… nice. There was something about it.
But!
Ji Zican was *not* the kind of person who would forgive someone just because they smiled at him!
Realizing he had almost wavered, he grew even angrier.
Without another glance at Yao Zuizui, he turned and stormed off.
Hmph. Let her regret it.
How dare she cross him?
In reality, after Ji Zican left, Yao Zuizui emptied the overflowing trash can and went straight home.
She wasn’t about to clean the entire classroom.
She had dinner waiting for her…
—
Yao Zuizui almost overslept.
Between the delicious dinner and the cozy warmth of her blankets, she barely made it to class on time.
When she entered, she noticed the strange looks her classmates were giving her—full of hidden amusement.
Unfazed, she kept her usual blank expression and walked to her seat.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Li Xin’s seat was empty.
*Him being late? That’s new.*
She didn’t dwell on it and sat down.
Ji Zican was propping his head on one hand, rhythmically tapping the desk with the other, his eyes still burning with anger.
His gaze was the only one that differed from the others.
Like her, he probably had no idea what was going on.
Yao Zuizui sighed inwardly.
*So dumb.*
Bracing herself, she lifted the desk lid—and remained unfazed.
Sure enough.
Her desk was filled with caterpillars.
Plump, wriggly bodies covered in tiny bristles that swayed as they moved.
A sharp-eyed girl nearby couldn’t hold back a scream.
But Yao Zuizui just stared at the caterpillars expressionlessly, lost in thought.
To an outsider, it might have looked like she was paralyzed with fear.
At least, that’s what Ji Zican assumed.
A surge of inexplicable anger rose in him.
The next second, he kicked Yao Zuizui’s desk over.
The caterpillars scattered across the floor, sending the girls into a panic.
It was still morning self-study, and the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.
The class representative, who was supposed to supervise, was nowhere to be found.
The classroom descended into chaos—mostly from the girls’ screams, which grated on Ji Zican’s ears.
*Why are they so noisy?*
His eyes landed on Yao Zuizui, who stood silently to the side.
At least *she* wasn’t making a fuss, even if she was scared stiff…
He mentally gave her half a point for that before scowling and barking, “Shut up! Anyone who keeps screaming gets dragged out and beaten after school.”
The room fell dead silent.
Ji Zican’s words carried more weight than the teacher’s.
The girls swallowed their fear and began reciting their textbooks, the boys following suit.
Yao Zuizui calmly bent down, righted her desk, and set it back in place.
She glanced sideways and found Ji Zican staring at her.
With that usual *”Aren’t you going to beg for mercy?”* look.
She decided it wasn’t worth engaging with an immature tyrant.
So she pressed her lips together and said, “Just now—”
Ji Zican rudely cut her off.
“I didn’t do that for you,” he snapped. “I just hate bugs. It wasn’t because I felt sorry for you!”
“Mm.” Yao Zuizui gave a soft acknowledgment and pulled out her Chinese textbook, joining the recitation.
*Mm?*
That was it? Just *”Mm”*?
Ji Zican was furious all over again.
What was that supposed to mean?
He’d helped her, and all she gave him was a measly *”Mm”*?
Displeased, he doubled down on tormenting Yao Zuizui, ordering her around relentlessly.
This sent a clear message to the class:
*Young Master Ji hates Yao Zuizui.*
And if Young Master Ji hated someone, so did they.
If Young Master Ji disliked someone, they had to help bully her.
So they started mimicking Ji Zican’s behavior toward Yao Zuizui.
“Hey, Yao Zuizui, go get me some water.” A dark-colored cup was thrust in her face.
Yao Zuizui stayed silent for a few seconds, about to retort—
“You don’t have hands?!” The cup shattered on the floor as Ji Zican glared at the offender.
*Yao Zuizui’s busy fetching water for me. Who said she had time for extras?*
—
“Hey, Yao Zuizui, homework’s due. Finish this for me.” A notebook slammed onto her desk, nearly knocking over her water bottle.
Yao Zuizui stayed silent, about to refuse—
“You don’t have hands?!” The notebook was torn to shreds in Ji Zican’s grip.
*Yao Zuizui’s busy doing my homework. She doesn’t have time for yours.*
—
“Hey, Yao Zuizui. Come to the bathroom with me. I need to talk.” A sharp female voice demanded.
Yao Zuizui stayed silent, about to decline—
“You don’t have legs?!” The girl was shoved aside as Ji Zican glowered.
*Yao Zuizui’s busy accompanying me to…*
Wait, no—not that he needed her to follow him to the bathroom, but she certainly wasn’t free to entertain random nobodies.
Ji Zican glared at Yao Zuizui, exasperated.
*Why don’t you ever fight back?*
*Why do you just take it?*
*You’re so stupid, no wonder you get bullied!*
What he hated most was Yao Zuizui’s passive acceptance of everything, like she deserved it.
It made him want to drag her out of school and teach her a lesson.
Eventually, the class caught on.
Yao Zuizui was Young Master Ji’s personal target—no one else was allowed to interfere.
Otherwise, they’d face his wrath.
By the time they figured this out, several bold souls had already been beaten up after school.
Ji Zican also came to a realization.
Yao Zuizui was the easiest person to piss him off.
So, he would bully her every day, relentlessly, until she broke down and begged for mercy.
He imagined her kneeling before him, tears streaming down her face as she massaged his legs and shoulders.
Just the thought was satisfying.
Ji Zican had finally found the joy of going to school.
Bullying Yao Zuizui.
But—only *he* was allowed to bully her.
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