Chapter 199: My Name Is Xiao Ran

My name is Xiao Ran.

I lied.

Why on earth would I wait around with some kid for their parents? Am I stupid or something?

But so what?

I’m asking you, what’s the big deal if I lied?

Honestly, it’s hilarious—does anyone even exist who’s never told a lie?

Facing a bunch of hostile strangers, the weirdest one would be the person who spills their guts to them.

I’m not an idiot. I know exactly what to do.

Back in ninth grade, I was with my girls in the bathroom, “welcoming” the new transfer student from out of town. We’d already stripped her clothes off and were about to press a lit cigarette to her arm when she suddenly lunged and tackled me.

I’d never been so scared in my life.

A nobody from out of town—how dare she touch me?

When my girls saw how viciously she was beating me, not a single one stepped in to stop her. My heart turned cold right then.

That “welcome party” ended badly.

The next few days, things took a strange turn.

The transfer girl wasn’t ostracized. Instead, more and more of my so-called friends started hanging out with her, while I was left alone.

How was that fair?

What about our sisterhood?

After a whole night of thinking, I finally understood the truth.

The meaner you are, the more friends you have.

But how could I become meaner?

The next day, I climbed onto Brother Qu’s motorcycle.

Brother Qu was a big deal outside our school.

He and his gang of lackeys always loitered around campus, leaning against their parked bikes and smoking. Brother Qu’s bloated figure and wrinkled bald head made him stand out in any crowd.

I remembered how they’d occasionally shake down passing students for money.

No one in the whole school—teachers or students—dared to mess with him.

Wasn’t he the perfect target for me?

When I got on Brother Qu’s bike, I noticed all the students at the school gate staring at me.

They were jealous.

I had connections with people from the streets, and they didn’t.

I was so smart—I figured it out in an instant.

That night, we had a blast. Brother Qu called a bunch of his boys to drink with me. I downed so much, and didn’t have to pay a single cent. Guess he really saw me as his little sister.

When Brother Qu asked me to sleep with him, I agreed without hesitation.

The whole thing was unpleasant, and I don’t want to think about it again.

The next day, Brother Qu and his boys helped me settle the score.

That transfer girl, those so-called friends of mine—under the “greeting” of steel pipes and fists, they all started calling me “Sis.”

Brother Qu had said sleeping with him would feel good, but this? This was a thousand times better.

Seeing how Brother Qu and his crew weren’t satisfied just beating them up, I realized what they wanted.

I stepped forward, tore off those bitches’ uniforms, and let everyone take photos. Then I picked out the best ones and posted them on the school forum.

Now you’re all big stars. That’s what happens when you mess with Xiao Ran.

From that day on, I was the “queen” of the school. No one dared to cross me, and no one dared to disobey.

This was the feeling I wanted.

Too bad good times never last.

When I saw my high school entrance exam score—182—I knew my middle school days were over.

That day, I went home to find the old man and old woman (who usually spent all day arguing) sitting there with grim faces.

I didn’t get it. It was just a test.

182 was already pretty good. What more did they want?

I’d scored worse before, and I wasn’t worried. Why were they?

“Xiao Ran… what are you going to do now?” the old woman sobbed. “You can’t even get into high school. What kind of future is this?”

“What’s the big deal?” I snapped. “I don’t even want to go to school anymore. I’m going into business with Brother Qu.”

The old man slammed the table when he heard that.

“Are you out of your damn mind?!” he roared. “I told you to stay away from that Qu Qiang! What kind of decent person is he? You’re only fifteen! He can’t even support himself—how’s he gonna take you into business?”

“None of your business!” I shot back, glaring. “Brother Qu’s ten times better than both of you. What good are you two besides screaming at each other all day?”

“You—you—!” The old man pointed at me, shaking with rage.

I ignored him and stormed out, slamming the door behind me.

I wasn’t coming back. I was going to live with Brother Qu.

That summer, I spent every day with him. I ate his food, used his money, spent his cash—and he never complained. He just wanted to sleep with me.

Wasn’t that perfect?

I didn’t have to give anything, and I got so much in return.

I thought that tiny 10-square-meter rented room would be my whole life from then on.

But I was wrong.

During my third abortion, Brother Qu got arrested.

He was sentenced to six years for assault and robbery.

I stayed in that room for another two weeks, until the landlord came for rent. That’s when I realized I didn’t have a single cent to my name.

My happy life was over.

I couldn’t live on the streets, so I had to go back home.

The old woman didn’t scold me. She just cried and cried, looking at me.

She said they’d borrowed a ton of money to pull strings and get me into a vocational school in town.

She said from now on, I’d have to rely on myself.

She said I had to learn a skill so I wouldn’t starve for the rest of my life.

She went on and on, grating on my nerves.

Hadn’t I made myself clear? I didn’t want to go to school!

What was the point of it anyway?

But I had nowhere else to go.

Brother Qu’s gang had scattered like rats. I couldn’t reach any of them. No money, no place to stay, no one to protect me.

On the first day of school, I went anyway.

Because the old woman said she’d only give me money if I went.

My major was early childhood education.

Those three years were pure misery.

At vocational school, everyone seemed different. They weren’t competing over who had more power or better street connections—they just cared about who had the priciest phone or the best makeup.

I had none of that. My crappy phone was four years old.

“What’s your name?” the girl next to me asked.

“Xiao Ran.”

“I’m Chen Ting,” she said with a smile. “Do you like kids too?”

“Like… kids?”

What kind of weird question was that? How could I possibly like kids?

I’d had three abortions. Kids were the last thing I wanted.

“Sure,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Little kids are so adorable. I’ve always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. I think it’s the perfect job for me.”

Chen Ting looked thrilled. I just thought she was disgusting.

What was she trying to prove?

Soon, she pulled out her phone to show me pictures of her little brother, gushing about how cute he was. That’s when I realized her real motive.

She was showing off her phone.

I was so sharp—always seeing right through people.

I pretended to play along, nodding and smiling. When class ended, I waited till Chen Ting went to the bathroom, then knocked her phone out of her desk onto the floor. I slumped over my desk, pretending to be asleep.

Sure enough, expensive phones were fragile. When Chen Ting saw her shattered screen, she was devastated.

I comforted her while smiling inside.

Serves you right for flaunting it in my face.