Realizing that they were about to come after her, Yao Ran donned a timid expression and looked up from her desk. “It’s not like that at all. I feel terrible for everything that happened to Sister Yao Tang.”


  Her voice sounded frightened and a little aggrieved.

  “Ha! Who knows what you and your family are thinking?” a chubby girl sneered.

  “None of you even defended Yao Tang. Instead, you took to the forum to apologize for her behavior. You’ve basically confirmed that the rumors were real!”


  At this point, a good number of her classmates were surrounding Yao Ran, looking at her in disdain.

  A pregnant silence fell into the room.

  The boys who had been constantly professing their love for Yao Ransat in their seats and ducked their heads. They liked her, yes, but they weren’t fools.

  The Yao familyhad truly gone too far this time.

  Yao Ran flushed with embarrassment. She had always been the apple of everyone’s eye. She had never experienced such an outright display of disapproval.

  She had worked all her life to become outstanding in everything she did, earning the praise of her teachers and classmates alike.

  Now, because of Yao Tang, it seemed like the reputationYao Ranhad so painstakingly built up over the years might come crashing down at a moment’s notice.

  She refused to let it happen.

  She frowned, pretending to be debating with herself about something. Then, she sighed, as if finally coming to a decision. “A while back, my mother said something that Sister Yao Tangdid not like, so she lost her temper and moved into the dormitory. She’s never come back home even during the weekends, and my parents could barely get a hold of her.”


  Her classmates blinked in surprise.

  They hadn’t thought that Yao Tang’s relationship with her family was so bad that she wasn’t even coming home. “You’re all aware of Sister Yao Tang’s reputation at her previous school. She used to skip classes, talk back to the teachers, and defy the school rules. That’s why, when the recent news broke out, Mom and Dad believed that SisterYao Tangmust have returned to her old habits.”


  Yao Ran continued to explain herself, all the while looking pitiful. “They called her right away, but she just talked trash at them and even let her friends from the dormitory insult my parents. We were running out of options, so my parents thought it was best to issue an apology on her behalf before the situation got even worse.”


  For the closing act, Yao Ranchoked on a sob. “I’ve let my sister down. I should have trusted her from the start!”


  Her classmates looked at each other as they processed her words.

  So the Yao familyhad actually tried to contactYao Tang, but the girl didn’t care about them at all.

  In the end, they had no choice but to cover for her and admit her wrongdoings in order to lessen the online attacks against Yao Tang.

  The fickle-minded teens soon changed their tune, laying the blame on Yao Tangfor being stubborn and coldhearted toward the couple who had taken her in.

  “It’s okay, Ranran, don’t cry!” one of the girls comforted her.

  Then, one of Yao Ran’s admirers stood and spoke up with righteous indignation. “ThatYao Tangobviously doesn’t know what’s good for her. You’re not at fault at all! Don’t cry because of her, you’ve already done enough for that bumpkin.”


  The rest of them echoed his sentiments. After all, Yao Ranwas always concerned forYao Tang’s well-being. In their eyes, she had constantly been kind and understanding toward her cousin despite their differences.

  “He’s right, Ranran. Don’t feel bad, no one is going to blame you for this. If they do, it’s only because they don’t know the whole story!”


  Though no longer the campus belle, Yao Ranwas still regarded by her peers as the class belle.

  She had charmed her classmates to the point that they reacted to her every move.

  Just as expected, they drew close to her now, offering her consolation. They stayed there until the school bell rang for the next class.

  As they dispersed, Yao Ranwiped her red, puffy eyes. No one noticed the faint smirk on her lips.

  Lunchtime.

  Yao Ran hurriedly popped up atYao Tang’s table uninvited, her lunch box in hand. She singled outQin Jingand sat next to her. “Qin Jing, would you like to eat together? I’ve been having difficulty with some of my lessons, and I’d like to ask for your advice.”


  The moment the words fell out of her mouth, the whole cafeteria quieted down.

  Everyone was aware of the tense relationship between the two Yao girls. Now that Yao Ranhad sought outQin Jing, who had especially enrolled in their school forYao Tang, an exciting show was bound to unfold.

  Qin Jing opened her own lunch box and began to take out her food.

  “I’m eating,” she said stiffly. “I have no time to chat with you.”


  Even so, the smile on Yao Ran’s face did not falter. “That’s okay. I’ll sit over here and wait for you to finish your meal.”


  All eyes were watching them in anticipation.

  Even without the controversy, they simply enjoyed the sight of the former and current campus belles sitting at one table.

  “Can’t you understand basic human language or something?” Meng Yangbarked atYao Ran.

  He slammed his chopsticks down on the table and added, “You are not welcome here. You-

  “


  Before he could finish his words, Xiao Pang reached out and pulled him back by the arm. Lin Xin also shot him a pointed look. They couldn’t care less about appearances, but if Meng Yangcaused trouble there and then, it could be bad forYao Tang. She didn’t want other students to think thatYao Tanghad pressured her friends to hate onYao Ran; it would only start another slew of false rumors.