Dating Myself - Chapter 31

Jian Yixi  dug at her ear—literally dug at it. She suspected she hadn’t been completely cured of her fever, but had instead developed a blockage in her hearing.

“If I remember correctly, you previously said An Muwas a fan of my sister’s.”

Mao Mao waved her hand dismissively. “Aiya! That was a misjudgment! I’m not a saint; you have to allow a mortal to make mistakes, right?”

“Since you know you made a mistake, watch what you say. Stop spouting nonsense.”

“Who’s spouting nonsense? I have proof and logic!”

Mao Mao was thoroughly unconvinced by Jian Yixi’s disbelief. She linked arms with her and began to argue her points one by one.

“Putting aside everything else, let’s talk about the unauthorized photos. An Mu transferred schools to get revenge on Qi Liran . You are the revenge target’s sister. If it were you, would you care if your enemy’s sister was secretly photographed? Normally, wouldn’t you just stand there and watch the show? But the truth is, An Mu interfered! Not only did she interfere, but she saw it through to the end! What does this prove?”

Jian Yixi seriously replied, “It proves she’s a person of good character.”

“Nonsense! It proves this is absolutely, undeniably love at first sight!”

Mao Mao clutched her chest dramatically, lost in a trance—another day of shedding tears for someone else’s love story.

Jian Yixi glanced at her, a headache brewing.

“Can you drain the water from your brain before coming back? Can you say something reliable?”

Mao Mao burst out laughing.

“Did your mouth kiss An Mu or something? How did you catch her sharp tongue, too?”

Jian Yixi was speechless. “This counts as a sharp tongue?”

“How is it not? You said ‘drain the water from your brain,’ and An Mu said, ‘the brain is a good thing, remember to bring it when you go out.’ If you tell me you two haven’t kissed, I won’t believe it!”

“That’s just a common internet meme. Lots of people know it.”

“Why don’t I know it?”

“That’s because you…”

Jian Yixi suddenly felt silly—no, incredibly silly—for seriously debating with Mao Mao.

“Alright, alright, I can’t be bothered to argue with you. An Mu and I are just friends. Don’t go around talking rubbish; it would be so awkward if An Mu heard it.”

“What’s awkward about it? Maybe she’d even be grateful for my encouragement.”

Mao Mao tilted her head and rested it on Jian Yixi’s shoulder. Her plump cheeks were squashed flat, her eyes squeezed into a squint, and her pink lips puckered out. It was easy for her to bite the soft flesh inside her mouth when she spoke, but this did not stop her endless chatter.

She propped up her textbook as if she were reciting and continued: “I’m telling you, Jian Yixi, don’t disbelieve my speculation. I have a sixth sense for spotting CPs. If you don’t believe me, let me analyze it for you.

Let’s ignore the photo incident for now and assume she helped you entirely to make it easier to expose your sister later. Let’s talk about the recent apartment purchase. If it were you, would you casually buy an apartment for a classmate you’ve known for less than a week?”

“That’s… she was planning to buy it anyway.”

Jian Yixi’s voice was small, and her explanation sounded slightly guilty.

“Fine. Even if she was already planning to buy an apartment, and you were just lucky enough to be attached to her like a Koi Fish , then I ask you: Would your family casually add someone else’s name to the deed?

Adding a name means half the apartment is yours. That’s real, tangible money! At least hundreds of thousands! Is that something to joke about? To put it harshly, how many years would your foster parents have to work to save up hundreds of thousands for you?”

Jian Yixi lowered her eyes, picking at the corner of her book. Her lips were a little dry and tightly pursed. After a long moment, she offered an explanation that sounded like self-hypnosis.

“I’m not actually taking her apartment. I’m just using it temporarily, and I’ll pay her back as soon as possible.”

Mao Mao looked up at her and clicked her tongue. “Isn’t that obvious? I believe you, and of course, An Mu believes you. I’m just talking about the fact of the matter.

We’ve only known An Mu for a few days. Don’t be mad if I speak the truth, but if I were in that situation, no matter how much I trusted you, I wouldn’t casually dare to add your name to the property deed. I’d need at least a day or two to think it over.

Let’s not even talk about us. Think about those unmarried couples. Didn’t they cause a huge fuss over adding a name to the deed before marriage? Many even broke up and canceled the wedding because of it.

Can you understand my example?

Adding a name to a property deed is really not a small matter, especially when you two are nowhere near an actual relationship, and yet An Mu added you. Can you honestly say you weren’t touched?

I was nearly moved to tears! If someone added my name to their property deed, I’d immediately… I’d immediately… I’d see if they were handsome. If they were handsome, I’d marry them right away! A beautiful woman would also work; I’d be happy with that too! If they were too ugly, forget it.”

After listening to the first part, Jian Yixi’s mind was genuinely starting to feel confused, but after hearing the latter part, she became as steady as Mount Tai again.

“Enough, stop talking nonsense. An Mu and I are both women.”

“What’s wrong with being women? I’m telling you, Jian Yixi, this thing called love—it recognizes no boundaries of gender, age, nation, or any other external limitations. It’s just a pure and genuine feeling between two people, nothing else mixed in. If there’s anything else mixed in, it’s not true love. Understand?”

Jian Yixi pressed her two fingers together, pushing Mao Mao away from her shoulder by tapping her forehead. She smiled without showing her teeth, her solitary dimple on her left cheek appearing shallow and charming.

“Please do not take the most unreliable thing in the world, love, and use it to contaminate my friendship with An Mu. Thank you.”

Mao Mao clicked her tongue so hard it almost came off: “Do you know what people fear the most?”

“Not believing in evil! And the more you don’t believe, the more evil things become!”

Old Hu arrived, and Mao Mao dared not speak further, quickly burying her head to pretend to study.

Jian Yixi had always maintained the proper grip of a good student, so she didn’t need to pretend. She glanced at Mao Mao, finding it amusing. An Mu has a crush on her? How is that possible? Two girls simply can’t… simply can’t…

Jian Yixi inexplicably recalled a moment on the bus.

She touched her own eyelashes.

Was An Mu truly just trying to wipe off dirt for her?

Her long eyelashes fluttered, and fragments of light floated in her eyes. Jian Yixi couldn’t figure it out. What she had been absolutely certain of was now subtly shaken. She also recalled the “tailbone incident,” and the case that had just been solved became riddled with suspicion again.

Looking at Xie Maomao , who was feigning hard study, Jian Yixi suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

The school’s standard plaid skirts, medium-length socks, and tights had to be self-matched, with the requirement that they all be black. Whether they were fleece-lined was up to the student. This neither-Western-nor-Chinese uniform was certainly better looking than a regular uniform, even if it gave people a lot to complain about.

It was only September, and many girls were still wearing medium-length socks. Mao Mao was no exception. The socks didn’t reach her knees. Especially when she propped her feet on the support bars on either side of the desk, her skirt hem drooped, and her posterior knee-pit was exposed.

Old Hu finished his round and left. Jian Yixi bit her lip, then suddenly reached out and touched Mao Mao’s knee-pit.

Mao Mao, who was pretending to study, instantly froze. She turned her head with difficulty, looking at Jian Yixi as if she had seen a ghost.

“You, what are you doing? You can’t retaliate like that.”

“Retaliate?”

“Isn’t it? I say An Mu has a crush on you, and you immediately touch me. What’s the meaning of this? Are you trying to hint that I’m the one you have a crush on? If I hadn’t said what I said before, I might have believed you. But now, this is clearly retaliation.”

Jian Yixi stated, “I just saw that you had some dirt there, so I helped you wipe it off.”

Mao Mao looked at her with an expression that was hard to describe.

“Are you kidding me? Even if it was dirty, couldn’t you just tell me? Besides, where’s the dirt? Let me see?”

For the first time, Jian Yixi lied without blinking: “I’m telling the truth.”

Mao Mao nodded, “Oh,” as if she genuinely believed her, and made to continue reading. Suddenly, she reached out her demonic claw with lightning speed, taking advantage of the fact that no one in front, back, or to the sides was watching. She grabbed and kneaded Jian Yixi’s chest.

“Wow! So soft! No! You have dirt here. I’ll help you wipe it off!”

After gaining the advantage, Mao Mao quickly withdrew her hand and impishly raised her eyebrows.

“I was just helping you wipe off the dirt, truly. You won’t blame me, will you? Hmm?”

What’s the meaning of lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot?

“Pink… so tender…”

Mao Mao’s gaze roamed over Jian Yixi’s body with ill intent, her sneaky smile turning into a lecherous grin.

Jian Yixi, instinctively folding her arms, froze. She quickly looked down. The school uniform shirt, thanks to Mao Mao’s demonic claw, had been accidentally pulled open, revealing a corner of her bra—a delicate pink.

Jian Yixi quickly pulled at her shirt hem, smoothing it flat.

An Mu had reminded her to sew a hidden button on it. She’d been too busy these past two days and had forgotten. She must remember to sew it on tonight. She wondered if An Mu had a hidden button at her place? She’d ask her during lunch. They probably sell them at the supermarket, right?

Recalling this, Jian Yixi also remembered how An Mu had accidentally poked inside the gap that day and even pressed down. At the time, she only felt embarrassed and didn’t think much of it. Now, thinking back, was An Mu careless or… deliberate?

No, no, no. Stop thinking nonsense. How could An Mu be deliberate? Don’t let Mao Mao mislead you!

It was fine when she wasn’t thinking about it, but once she did, the sensation of An Mu’s finger pressing down seemed to linger there. Jian Yixi closed her eyes and patted her face. Her heart rate inexplicably quickened. Before she could catch her breath, Mao Mao gasped dramatically beside her.

“No way? You’re already blushing? Could it be that you really…”

Mao Mao covered her mouth and carefully leaned close to Jian Yixi’s ear.

“Don’t love me, it won’t work out. You should really just get together with An Mu.”

Mao Mao sounded serious when she was joking and joking when she was serious. Jian Yixi truly couldn’t tell if she was serious or joking this time. She couldn’t help but shoot her a frustrated glare.

“Have you finished writing your letter of apology?”

Mao Mao’s lecherous smile instantly vanished.

“You are the devil!”

Mao Mao had originally thought that Zhao Xudong was only targeting An Mu, so she hadn’t written the apology, figuring that if they followed An Mu’s plan, she wouldn’t get a demerit anyway, and she was lazy.

Who knew how unlucky she was to run right into Zhao Xudong conducting random checks at the gate when she entered the school? He asked her for the apology and demanded she hand it in before the major class break.

Hand what in?!

Mao Mao was determined not to write or submit it. She had finally forgotten about it, and now Jian Yixi brought it up, making her feel uneasy again.

Forget it! I’ve decided not to write it. What are you going to do about it?!

An Mu said she didn’t need to write it anyway.

Mao Mao huffed and took out her phone to cleanse her mind.

After a weekend of fermentation, the comments under Jian Yihu’s (簡以湖) Weibo had already descended into chaos. Local Shunyi students directly posted anonymous exam papers to mock Jian Yihu.

[In Shunyi High School, the total score for all subjects in the first year is 500: Chinese, Math, and English are 100 each, Liberal Arts Comprehensive is 100, and Science Comprehensive is 100. After the second year splits into Liberal Arts and Sciences, the total score is 600, with both Comprehensive sections splitting into three subjects each. This is deliberately to cultivate sensitivity to point values. Your sister’s score, converted to the 750-point system, is just over 700. And you still think that’s low? Then what was your total score? Why don’t you show us?]

What was most shocking was not the total score, but those exam papers. Although they were slightly deviated from the Gaokao (National College Entrance Exam) question style, their difficulty was undeniable, especially the math, where the last two questions were beyond the syllabus.

Someone else countered by posting Jian Yihu’s scores and papers: her score of over 690 was only ten points less than Jian Yixi’s, but the difficulty of the papers was not on the same level at all!

It was clear who had the better grades.

As the saying goes, a falling wall attracts a crowd of pushers. With Jian Yihu’s scandalous, un-white-washable incident, a crowd of people jumped out to add fuel to the fire.

Besides the score comparison being a blatant slap in the face, some also mentioned that after the live stream, Qin Yige dragged Jian Yihu out of the classroom, and they never came back. No one knew what they went to do, with the implication being… tsk, tsk.

There were all sorts of guesses online, and most of them were surprisingly accurate.

[They definitely went to… drive… right? The little lover was injured. How could he not comfort her?]

[It’s hard to say who was comforting whom! I think the woman hooked up with the man. Didn’t you see the man posting on Weibo for the woman the next day?]

Some also said that they saw Qin Yige dragging Jian Yixi in the corridor and that he looked menacing. They suspected that Jian Yihu had instigated Qin Yige to find Jian Yixi to settle the score.

Quite a few people responded to this, and some even jumped out to say that they saw the group appear in the disciplinary office, suggesting Jian Yihu might have lodged a complaint, especially since An Mu had physically struck her during the live stream.

Some argued that An Mu was acting in self-defense and should have fought back.

Others said An Mu went too far and should not have hit anyone no matter what.

Even more people jumped out to sway public opinion: Regardless of whether she should have hit her, Jian Yihu secretly photographing and framing her sister is a proven fact. Plus, the rumors of bullying and hiring someone to harm Qi Liran—with the police and courts being tagged—can basically be confirmed as true. What Jian Yihu did is far more serious than Lu Yuexin’s secret photos. Lu Yuexin was expelled; it would be unjustifiable if Jian Yihu wasn’t.

The internet quickly divided into two main factions: one insisting Jian Yihu should be expelled and tagging Weicheng No. 2 Foreign Language High School , and the other arguing she should not be expelled. The two sides were locked in fierce arguments.

The major class break arrived in the blink of an eye. Zhao Xudong, of course, had no time to ask for the apology letter; he only wanted to use An Mu’s punishment to try and suppress the scandal concerning Jian Yihu.

He had already written the public relations draft, claiming that An Mu had slandered Jian Yihu out of jealousy. In short, he planned to spin the narrative in whatever way possible to maintain a facade of peace. The Jian family was also actively dealing with the situation, claiming they had contacted a public relations team and deployed online trolls, expecting the matter to be quickly suppressed.

The school had gained notoriety due to Jian Yihu’s high profile and now had no choice but to protect her. The Jian family was heavily investing in Jian Yihu and had to protect her at all costs. With both sides working together, Zhao Xudong felt the situation was largely under control and had confidently guaranteed the principal that there would be no problems. The principal had given him full authority to handle it.

The class bell rang, and students all gathered on the playground, lining up to do calisthenics.

The music from the broadcast room stopped. Zhao Xudong led An Mu up to the viewing platform. There were no tables or chairs, so they just stood there. The loudspeaker was in the small room beneath the platform. A counselor dragged the speaker out and handed over a microphone, keeping everything simple.

Zhao Xudong blew into the mic twice, then looked around at the vast crowd of students below with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Today, we are taking up your exercise time to issue a public reprimand.

An Mu from Class 1, Grade 11, and Jian Yixi and Xie Maomao from Class 11, Grade 11—these three students—were involved in a group assault on a classmate last Friday, specifically on the morning of September 3rd. The circumstances are extremely severe, and the impact is extremely negative!

After joint discussion by the committee and the school board, An Mu is being given a major demerit, required to write a 3,000-character self-reflection, make a public self-criticism in front of all teachers and students, and receive a public reprimand. Jian Yixi and Xie Maomao are accessories; they are being given minor demerits, required to write a 1,000-character self-reflection, and receive a public reprimand.

Next, An Mu will present her self-criticism.”

The microphone was handed to An Mu.

An Mu had kept her head down since stepping onto the platform. Her slightly curly long hair was casually pulled back into a bun. Strands fluttered in the wind. The autumn sun slanted upon her. In just one weekend, she looked significantly more fatigued. Especially when she raised her eyes to look at the crowd, her gaze contained three parts sorrow, five parts scorn, and two parts weariness. The students in the front row could clearly see the dark circles under her eyes.

She took the microphone, unfolded the self-reflection in her hand, and began to read, word for word.

“Regarding the three slaps I delivered to Jian Yihu last Friday, I was wrong. I should not have slapped her. Her hitting her sister is a family matter, and I, an outsider, truly had no right to interfere.

Furthermore, God once said that when someone strikes your left cheek, you should turn your right cheek to them so they may strike you again.

When Jian Yihu struck her sister, not only should I have refrained from stopping her, I should have grabbed Jian Yixi’s right cheek and presented it so Jian Yihu could ensure both sides were evenly slapped.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the students below the platform erupted in a commotion. Zhao Xudong’s expression shifted slightly. He frowned, snatched the apology letter, glanced at it twice, crumpled it up with a slap, and threw it on the ground!

He had been too careless! He hadn’t expected An Mu, who had been so submissive on Friday, to dare to pull a stunt like this today!

“You don’t need to read anymore! Prepare to be expelled!”

“Expulsion? What reason do you have to expel me?”

An Mu stared at him expressionlessly, her half-lidded eyes calm and waveless. Her gaze was particularly unfocused; she seemed to be looking at him, but her eyes didn’t actually focus on him, as if he were worthless and not worth a second glance.

Zhao Xudong’s face darkened even further. His voice involuntarily rose, and his tone was extremely harsh.

“Assaulting a classmate first! Exhibiting a poor attitude and refusing instruction later! What? Is that not enough for your expulsion?!”

An Mu replied with neither servility nor arrogance, “If a student makes a mistake and must be expelled, then I ask you, Director Zhao, how should a school administrator be dealt with after making a mistake?”

This question was clearly a trap, and even a fool like Zhao Xudong wouldn’t answer it. He was about to drag her off the platform when An Mu took a step back.

“Framing students, destroying evidence, and shielding a bully. I ask you, is this enough for you to resign in disgrace? And, to put it more seriously, is this not malfeasance? Should you be sentenced?”

The crime of malfeasance has strict requirements, such as causing one death, two serious injuries, or major economic loss. Causing a negative social impact can also be judged as malfeasance.

Currently, Zhao Xudong had only caused one serious injury to Qi Liran, which was not enough to constitute malfeasance, unless…

An Mu’s eyes were dark and deep. Zhao Xudong’s face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a wok. Old grudges and new insults stimulated his eyes to turn red, and he reached out to pull An Mu off the platform.

Before he could reach An Mu, the large loudspeaker installed in every corner of the campus suddenly blared out a strange sound.

First, it was Qin Yige’s agitated urge.

[Quickly unlock it! Delete it!]

Then came the sound of a phone being smashed to the ground, followed by frantic stomping, accompanied by Qin Yige’s heavy panting and a vicious “Pah.”

Mao Mao’s terrified voice followed.

[You, what are you trying to do? The photo has been deleted! Why don’t you leave?!]

[What’s the rush? The show has just begun; how can it end so soon?]

After that came Mao Mao’s horrified screams, pleas for mercy, harsh kicking sounds, and Qin Yige’s cold laughter and angry curses.

It wasn’t until Jian Yihu’s feigned reporting and Zhao Xudong’s voice demanding the phone be unlocked rang out that the silent playground instantly burst into an uproar.

Mao Mao’s voice sounded over the microphone at the opportune moment.

“This is an MP3 conversion of the video that Qin Yige deleted under Zhao Xudong’s instruction last Friday. I originally thought the video was completely deleted, but even God couldn’t stand their evil deeds and allowed me to find the deleted video, including the photos that Qin Yige repeatedly demanded be deleted, in the cloud trash folder.

I believe the students must be curious about what kind of photos made ‘God Qin’ go crazy, and you’ll also be very interested in the original content of the video.

Follow my Weibo, Miaolegemi (喵了個咪), and let me give you enough gossip to last a lifetime!”

This finally snapped Zhao Xudong’s last thread of sanity. He furiously reached out to hit An Mu. An Mu calmly dodged, refusing to fight back. She was forced to jump off the two-meter-high viewing platform, where a circle of students quickly surrounded her, providing temporary safety.

A short day later, Zhao Xudong was thoroughly chewed out in the principal’s office.

Mao Mao’s Weibo not only posted the inappropriate photos of Jian Yihu and Qin Yige hugging but also the video link of Mao Mao being assaulted, which Zhao Xudong thought he had already deleted.

Although Mao Mao’s acting was slightly exaggerated, the high boxes and the shaky phone camera lens created an intense, documentary-like sense of reality that made people unable to notice anything wrong, only focusing on their anger at Qin Yige’s beastly behavior!

Following that Weibo post, Mao Mao released a video of An Mu’s self-criticism on the playground. In the video, Zhao Xudong’s petty villainous face was captured with extraordinary clarity, and the footage of him chasing and trying to hit An Mu infuriated the internet.

People began tagging the Bureau of Education, which quickly responded, stating they would thoroughly investigate the matter.

On Jian Xiangwei’s side, he had just managed to pay off Wu Shutao’s (吳樹濤) family with money, and before he could get to Lu Yuexin and Qi Liran, news spread again that Jian Yihu hadn’t changed her ways and had encouraged Qin Yige to seek revenge and commit assault.

Even an anonymous netizen posted a photo of Jian Yixi receiving an IV drip, claiming… she was injured by Jian Yihu!