Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 18

Shi Wangui woke up early today. She had saved up for a long time to buy a bouquet of tulips her mother’s favorite flowers. Though they were a bit more expensive than ordinary flowers, they were exceptionally beautiful.

There weren’t many people visiting the cemetery today. Shi Wangui placed the flowers down and wiped the dust off the tombstone with a tissue. The woman in the photo was very beautiful; time had left no trace on her face. Even now, she remained as lovely as a flower. Shi Wangui closely resembled her mother, especially with her slightly wavy hair and bright, sparkling eyes like a carefully cherished doll.

But now, Shi Wangui seemed more like a princess who had been abandoned, a discarded, expired doll left to fend for herself.

“Mom, did you know? Shi Qin has found someone else,” Shi Wangui said, sitting beside the tombstone and gently touching the photo. “You should find someone too down there no, find three. Find people who treat you well, so when Shi Qin eventually arrives, you can have them beat him up.”

She softly stroked the photo, as if her mother hadn’t truly left her but had simply moved to another place. Her mother had gone ahead to prepare a princess room in that other world, waiting to welcome her child a hundred years later.

After a while, Shi Wangui left. She wished she could have stayed longer with her mother, but she was afraid that if she lingered too long, she might not be able to resist the urge to run and join her.

The weather was lovely today, with warm sunlight bathing everything in comfort. Since it was a day off, the streets were filled with students some in twos and threes, others in larger groups, chattering noisily.

Shi Wangui didn’t want to stay out for long. She bought some bread at the wholesale market and planned to head home to grab her schoolbag before returning to school. If she hurried, she might even make it in time for a nap. But as she walked along the narrow path back to school, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following her and not just one person.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed three girls. To see them clearly, she would have to stop and turn around. Shi Wangui didn’t want to assume the worst maybe they were just heading in the same direction. If she turned around and glared at them fiercely, they’d probably think she was crazy.

Shi Wangui stopped walking, turned a corner, and entered a small alley. If the three girls still followed her, then they were surely enemies.

Sure enough, as Shi Wangui changed direction, so did the three. When she entered the alley, they followed.

Shi Wangui set her bag down at the corner, turned around, and crossed her arms. “Can I help you?”

Once she got a clear look at their faces, she realized they were just the same off-campus troublemakers Li Jun had hired last time. That Li Jun really never learned did he really think sending people after her would work?

“We’ll keep this short,” said the tall girl with heavy makeup, pinching a cigarette between her fingers. “Don’t say we’re ganging up on you. Blame the person who paid us.”

Last time, they had already warned Shi Wangui, but she had been too scared to show up. However, the buyer insisted on visible injuries as proof of payment, so they had no choice but to stalk Shi Wangui and wait for an opportunity.

“Lan Jie, with someone this small, I can handle her alone. Sending all three of us is such a waste,” the green-haired girl sneered, glancing dismissively at Shi Wangui.

“Don’t even think about taking me on alone,” Shi Wangui retorted, rolling up her sleeves and stepping forward provocatively. “Come at me, all three of you.”

The tall girl stubbed out her cigarette. She hadn’t expected Shi Wangui to be so confident, daring to challenge all three of them at once. If word got out, people would accuse them of bullying a kid, how would they ever live it down?

But Shi Wangui paid it no mind. She knew them, the usual troublemakers who loitered around the school were always the same few. Their main source of income was extorting “protection fees” from the well-behaved students. The police had been involved before, but no one really knew how it had been resolved in the end.

“With a face as pretty as yours, I’m not even sure I want to hit you,” the tall girl leaned in closer. “How about you become my brother’s girlfriend? I can guarantee your safety for the next three years.”

Slap. Shi Wangui struck her across the face. Who does she think she is, daring to suggest such a thing?

The tall girl’s cheek flushed red instantly. If not for the others around her, she might have stumbled and fallen. Her eyes widened in shock, but anger quickly took over.

The green-haired girl grabbed Shi Wangui by the hair, while the tall girl punched her in the stomach. The girl who had remained silent until then began elbowing Shi Wangui in the head. In an instant, Shi Wangui was at a disadvantage, but she swiftly swept the legs of the person closest to her, then immediately used a pair of scissors to cut off the hair that was being pulled. She fought back fiercely.

Shi Wangui felt the pain, but she was relentless. She let the others strike her head because she was doing the same to them.

The next moment, Shi Wangui saw a fist coming straight for her eye. She instinctively closed her eyes, but the expected pain never came.

“I’ve called the police,” Wen Youren said coldly, shaking her phone. “Still not leaving?”

“What business is it of yours?” the green-haired girl retorted. “You better watch!”

“Let’s go,” the tall girl interrupted, covering the green-haired girl’s mouth and pulling the other two away. Before leaving, she glanced at Wen Youren but, receiving no response, quickly fled with the others.

Shi Wangui picked up her bag and brushed past Wen Youren, intending to leave without a word, but Wen Youren grabbed her arm.

“Why did you fight when there were three of them?” Wen Youren asked quietly.

Shi Wangui tried to pull her arm back, but Wen Youren’s grip was too tight, and she was too exhausted to resist. “Why not? Did they gain anything from it?”

“And what about you?” Wen Youren released her arm and turned Shi Wangui’s palm upward. “Did you gain anything?”

“None of your business,” Shi Wangui turned her head away. Her hands were bruised and scraped, one of the shameless girls had scratched her with a key. The skin on the back of her hand was torn, and the palm near her thumb was stained with crimson blood. Her hair, partially cut by herself, now hung unevenly, giving her a disheveled yet striking appearance.

Wen Youren took hold of Shi Wangui’s wrist and led her home, carrying the things Shi Wangui had bought. Neither of them spoke as they walked back, one following the other.

Once home, Shi Wangui went straight to her room and locked the door. She felt irritated, as if Wen Youren had witnessed her at her most vulnerable.

She didn’t want to be seen like that. Why should anyone see her like that? What right did Wen Youren have to witness all her humiliations? Why did fate have to place her by her side?

Shi Wangui went to the bathroom and let the water wash over the blood and grime on her body. The clear water turned pale red the moment it touched her skin. Her vision blurred with the sight of blood, and the water stung her wounds, making them ache even more.

She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks and into her mouth.

Salty and bitter.

After returning late, Shi Wangui took a shower and lay down on the bed. She took out a small mirror and examined the wounds on her face and her ruined haircut. The wounds didn’t matter much they’d heal in a few days. But her hair would probably have to be cut short, and it would take a long time to grow back.

“Shi Wangui, open the door,” Wen Youren knocked and called out.

“What do you want?”

“Open the door. I’ll apply medicine for you,” Wen Youren said in her usual unreadable tone.

“No need,” Shi Wangui immediately refused. “You can leave.”

After all, Wen Youren hadn’t done anything wrong, she’d just happened to witness it. If anything, Wen Youren might have even saved her. But had she really called the police? That remained to be verified.

“I’ll leave it by the door. It’s best to treat the wounds on your face early, or they might scar.” After saying this, Shi Wangui heard the sound of a box being set down, and then there was silence outside.

“Annoying.”

Shi Wangui buried her head under the pillow, but two minutes later, she got up again. She didn’t want scars, how could such a pretty face end up scarred? Besides, Wen Youren probably wasn’t outside anymore. She was just opening the door to get the medicine.

And if she didn’t clean up, Sun Yi would definitely worry. Shi Wangui couldn’t let her friend worry about her.

She quietly pressed her ear against the door, listening carefully. Good, it sounded like no one was outside.

She opened the door and saw Wen Youren standing there with her arms crossed.

Shi Wangui: “…”

Damn liar.

Shi Wangui immediately tried to close the door, but Wen Youren stopped her. Wen Youren walked in directly with the medical kit. “You need to have your wounds treated.”

“I can do it myself,” Shi Wangui tried to grab the kit.

“Don’t be stubborn,” Wen Youren said patiently. “Are you dizzy? If you are, we should go to the hospital.”

“I’m not dizzy.”

“Then sit on the chair or the bed, and I’ll treat your wounds,” Wen Youren said.

Shi Wangui pursed her lips and finally sat on the bed. She took off her jacket and threw it on the floor, wearing an expression that said, “Hurry up and serve me.”

Wen Youren picked up the jacket, hung it on the chair, opened the medical kit, and took out cotton swabs and iodine. Shi Wangui had taken a shower, and her wounds had mostly been washed with water. The most important thing now was to disinfect them.

Wen Youren’s movements were gentle, and Shi Wangui was truly resilient, not making a sound throughout the entire process.

When Wen Youren was cleaning the back of her hand, she fell silent for a few seconds before asking with concern, “Does it hurt?”

Shi Wangui blinked and instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but her wrist was held firmly. “The ones who should be hurting are them.”

“You’re impressive, taking on three by yourself,” Wen Youren said softly as she cleaned the wound. “But your approach was wrong. Even if you weren’t at a disadvantage, you wouldn’t have gained the upper hand either. In the end, you’d still suffer.”

“Just treat the wounds and keep your mouth shut,” Shi Wangui didn’t want to listen to Wen Youren’s nagging.

“Don’t do this again,” Wen Youren advised.

Shi Wangui ignored her.

“Next time you’re in a situation like this, call me to join you,” Wen Youren suddenly looked up while cleaning her palm and said, “I’ll help you.”

She’ll help me.

Shi Wangui was stunned. She hadn’t expected Wen Youren to say that. Her brows furrowed tightly, and she felt as though she must have misheard. Tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing it, and the deepest part of her heart was touched. But she quickly hid her emotions.

“You’re helping me?” Shi Wangui questioned, “With what? That top-of-the-grade academic performance?”

“Shi Wangui,” Wen Youren suddenly looked up, “I like you.”

At this moment, still not understanding what kind of “like” this was, Shi Wangui replied, “Who needs your liking?”

“You don’t have to put yourself through this. Your life shouldn’t be like this,” Wen Youren stopped what he was doing. “Don’t punish yourself for the mistakes of those who don’t love you.”

Shi Wangui retorted, “None of your business.”

Wen Youren said, “If you ever need anything in the future, come find me anytime. I’ll help.”

Shi Wangui fell silent. She withdrew her hand, the wound stinging as it made contact with the iodine. Why hadn’t it hurt before, but now it ached so much?

“Why are you helping me?” Shi Wangui asked.

Wen Youren took out a band-aid and applied it, “Because I told you, I like you.”

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