Yue Qingqing left the dormitory, and Zhou Xitong was so angry that she was throwing things and stamping her feet.
Ye Chunxiao didn’t dare to speak, worried that she might provoke this "ancestor."
Lu Zhu was absorbed in her book, her face void of expression, as if the surrounding environment had nothing to do with her.
After fuming for a while, Zhou Xitong took out her phone from her bag and made a call.
Ye Chunxiao peeked at the phone with the corner of her eye, feeling a surge of envy.
That was the latest model from abroad, something she had only seen in magazines and never expected to see in reality.
Pretending to be busy arranging her things, she was all ears, trying to catch who Miss Zhou was talking to on the phone.
The call connected, and the voice on the other end was a man’s.
But it sounded very impatient.
"Cousin, someone is bullying me," Zhou Xitong’s voice was whiny, "you promised uncle you’d take care of me. You can’t just watch me get mistreated, right?"
On the other end of the line.
Zhou Yiran was frowning at a report, fighting the urge to hang up the phone.
But it seemed like he had to save face for his father.
"Bro, come see me today, okay? We’re not far from each other." Zhou Xitong was cooing, bereft of her earlier domineering attitude.
"You’re being bullied? Ha, I guess the sun must have risen from the west. Don’t call me for nothing from now on, I’m not a kindergarten teacher."
Slam, Zhou Yiran hung up the phone abruptly.
To hell with saving face, he would call the old man tonight and give him an earful.
Zhou Xitong was still talking in her high-pitched voice when the call was suddenly disconnected, leaving her so angry she wanted to smash her phone.
From childhood, everyone else’s brothers doted on their sisters.
But Zhou Yiran never showed her a friendly face, which was infuriating.
Yet, since he was her uncle’s only son, Zhou Xitong’s luxurious life depended entirely on them, and she dared not offend them.
"What are you looking at!" Zhou Xitong glared fiercely at Ye Chunxiao, who had been sneaking glances her way.
Ye Chunxiao smiled apologetically, hurriedly bowing her head, not daring to utter a word.
She hadn’t expected someone to dare hang up on Zhou Xitong.
When Yue Qingqing returned to the dormitory after dinner, she found Zhou Xitong was still sulking.
A mess of items were scattered on the floor, none cleaned up.
Fortunately, Zhou Xitong seemed wise enough not to have touched her belongings.
Otherwise, Yue Qingqing would have had to teach her a proper lesson that night.
About what rules were.
Other dorms were buzzing with activity that night, while theirs was deathly quiet.
Only after the lights went out for bedtime could one hear Zhou Xitong making phone calls.
Yue Qingqing, with her excellent hearing, could make out that the person on the other end was also a girl.
Zhou Xitong was simply complaining about the poor dormitory conditions and how annoying each of her dorm mates were.
Her words were so blatant—there was no need for metaphor, it was almost like she was about to point fingers and berate everyone outright.
As long as it didn’t directly concern her, Yue Qingqing preferred not to waste her breath on it.
She erected a "barrier" to block out the noise from outside and then peacefully went to sleep.
Lu Zhu, with a flashlight in hand, nestled into her blanket to read, undisturbed, and went to sleep when it was about time.
Only Ye Chunxiao was kept awake by the noise, her head aching, yet she dared not speak out or remind anyone.
The next day, her face bore huge dark circles, clearly from a lack of sleep.
The dormitory was assigned based on classes.
So unfortunately, all four of them were from the same class.
On the first day of school, there were the usual self-introductions and textbook distribution.
When Yue Qingqing announced her name, most of the class buzzed with murmurs.
Clearly, they knew who she was.
Zhou Xitong, however, snorted dismissively, her laughter uniquely distinct amid the chorus of voices.
The teacher handed out student IDs to everyone, officially making them students of Lingguang No.1 Middle School.
Many appeared very excited.
After class, the teacher specifically called Yue Qingqing to the office.
"Yue, according to our school tradition, during the entrance ceremony, each grade level selects the most outstanding student to give a speech. After discussing with the other teachers, we hope you will represent the first-years on stage," the teacher said.
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingqing did not show the enthusiasm the teacher expected, but instead asked.
After all, her overall ranking was only third.