Zhong Cheng arrived a while later, holding a PE jacket and trousers. He spotted Lin Sunji standing dazedly on the corner.
"Hey." He tossed the jacket to Lin Sunji, who caught it instinctively.
Lin Sunji was stunned to see Zhong Cheng. "How did you know I was here?"
"Did you think the boss would truly leave you behind? Others might think the boss is ruthless, but she isn’t. Anyway, change into this."
Lin Sunji blinked. So Bei Sangyun had called Zhong Cheng? Why hadn’t she said so? She had left Lin Sunji here after uttering those cruel words.
Lin Sunji still believed Bei Sangyun was ruthless.
"Whose is this?" She asked, referring to the PE uniform, which was much too big for her.
"Don’t ask any more questions and just wear it. It’s clean."
Lin Sunji looked at the uniform doubtfully, then back to Zhong Cheng. She couldn’t just wear anybody’s uniform. "...Can you bring mine instead? I have an extra pair in my locker."
Zhong Cheng glared. "You don’t want it? Then don’t. Get your PE uniform by yourself." He moved to snatch the uniform from Lin Sunji, but she deftly avoided his hand.
"I’m just kidding! I’ll wear this, okay?" Lin Sunji glared angrily at Zhong Cheng. He was no gentleman at all!
She was afraid Zhong Cheng might take back the PE uniform. She couldn’t go around with torn clothes. It was her only choice.
Lin Sunji ceased complaining and headed to the nearest restroom to change.
When she came out, she assumed Zhong Cheng had departed. However, he remained waiting for her. He tossed a box of bandaids her way. "Go back and put some on. You look hideous."
Lin Sunji: "..."
She stared at the box of bandaids and flung it back to Zhong Cheng. "I’d look even more hideous with bandaids all over my face. Get me a mask instead."
Zhong Cheng: "...."
He pocketed the box and walked away.
Lin Sunji: "?"
Was he fetching her a mask or simply leaving?
"Hey. You’re getting me a mask, right?" Lin Sunji called after him.
Zhong Cheng glanced back and smirked, "Student, the boss only said to bring you a jacket. If you want a mask, get it yourself. Don’t order your teacher around."
Lin Sunji: "...."
Zhong Cheng resumed his departure, leaving Lin Sunji in a state of panic.
She hurried after him, "Wait! You can’t just leave me! How about a cap? Just bring me a cap!"
"Is that how you ask someone for a favor?"
Lin Sunji: "...."
She had been under Zhong Cheng’s ’care’ for many days now and she understood the extent of his animosity. He persisted in imposing his principles on her, employing various forms of intimidation and threats, most of which proved effective.
Lin Sunji gritted her teeth before speaking again, softly this time, "...Can you bring me a cap?"
"You forgot the magic word," Zhong Cheng reminded.
"...P-please," Lin Sunji added, her anger restrained.
Zhong Cheng pretended to consider it, then shook his head. "Sorry, student, I don’t want to."
Lin Sunji: "...."
She looked at him in disbelief. She had been conned again!
Glaring at Zhong Cheng with hatred, she accused, "...You...you’re playing games with me again! Is it amusing for you to deceive people?"
"Deceive people?" Zhong Cheng smirked. "Student, I heard loud and clear what you did with the bullies. Between the two of us, who is the bigger deceiver? You portrayed yourself as kind, noble, and a model student in front of everyone, but you harbor such hideous and devious thoughts. How could you betray your own blood relative like that?"
Lin Sunji cursed Wang Jia inwardly. If Zhong Cheng had already figured it out, then Bei Sangyun must have an inkling of what she’d done too. The cat was out of the bag; it would be useless to deny it.
"So? I did what I had to because it was the right thing for me. Bei Sangyun and I are enemies. I would’ve been the one to suffer if I hadn’t taken action. Besides, it didn’t harm Bei Sangyun at all. She became the respected and feared tyrant because of me. Doesn’t that count for something in the end?"
Zhong Cheng stared at her. "You really believe it worked out in the end? Lin Sunji, think of it the other way around. If you hadn’t tarnished Boss’s reputation, hadn’t instigated anything at all, what do you think her reputation would be? With Boss’s intelligence and capability, she would still be the top student. She would be liked by everyone and still be respected. There would be no tyrant, just a model student liked and admired by everyone."
Having spent time with Bei Sangyun, Zhong Cheng realized she wasn’t as intimidating as he had initially thought.
Boss was mostly indifferent to anything except matters involving Fei Chuan. She didn’t care about people’s opinions of her; she remained aloof. Moreover, she could set aside personal grudges for the greater good. Without a bad reputation, no one would perceive her as scary or a tyrant.
"You talk as if you know her so well. Bei Sangyun is crazy; she has a bad temper. The tyrant label wouldn’t stick on her if she weren’t a psychopath, to begin with," Lin Sunji defended herself.
In her view, what she did wasn’t wrong. It was simply necessary to undermine her enemy.
"You’re the one who instigated most of those incidents, aren’t you? I’ve been observing Boss for a long time now, and I recall several instances where she publicly lost her temper. Now that I think about it, those incidents seem too strange. They must be your doing."
Lin Sunji remained silent. Indeed, it was her behind those incidents. But what did Zhong Cheng hope to achieve by interrogating her?
Zhong Cheng narrowed his eyes at her. "I don’t understand what’s going on with the Lin family that you guys are tearing each other apart. But as far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve Boss’s mercy. If she were truly cruel and ruthless as you portray her, you wouldn’t be attending school peacefully. You’d be hiding in your room, ashamed to show your face outside."
Lin Sunji clenched her fist. She didn’t want to stand there and listen to Zhong Cheng’s one-sided criticism.
"...I’ve told you many times, it wasn’t mercy from her. It was the deal she made with my parents! She didn’t show me mercy! I suffered a lot under your hands. Do you call that mercy?"
Recalling the days of suffering under Zhong Cheng’s ’care’, Lin Sunji’s resentment boiled to the surface.
Zhong Cheng wasn’t one to back down either. "The fact that Boss handed you to me is already a sign of mercy. But you... I wonder if you’ll ever realize why she did it. I doubt you’ll be grateful."
Lin Sunji clenched her hand tighter. Zhong Cheng painted her as closed-minded and deserving of her situation. He treated her as if she were a villain with a despicable personality deserving of punishment.
"....I hate you! I hate Bei Sangyun! I hate all of you!"
Lin Sunji had had enough. She was rarely scolded by her parents nor looked down upon, she couldn’t accept anyone’s criticism. These people had no right to judge her!
Zhong Cheng had no right to judge what kind of person she was!