novelraw Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Chapter 25
That day, everyone in the cafeteria saw it.
When Liu Wenjie rushed over after hearing the commotion, he too saw the vice president lying on the ground clutching her head, blood dripping from her forehead down past the corner of her eye.
Xu Feifei stood in front of her in a panic, while money and candies were scattered all over the ground.
"Blood—the vice president's head is bleeding! Hurry, go tell Teacher!"
"What happened? Did Xu Feifei hit her?"
"I saw Xu Feifei push the vice president!"
"Where did this money come from? Isn't this our class fund?"
Hearing the surrounding chatter, Xu Feifei's panic deepened. She protested:
"Don't talk nonsense! I didn't push her—I never pushed the vice president. She accused me first! She said I took the class fund and wanted to look through my drawer where I keep my utensils. I wouldn't let her, and she fell by accident!"
Someone nearby asked, "Then why wouldn't you let the vice president look? And if you didn't take the money, why is it on the ground?"
Xu Feifei's pupils trembled. "You—all of you! Why should I have to show her my drawer? And I don't know how the money got into my drawer—I didn't take it!"
Halfway through, she seemed to realize something was off. Seeing everyone's skeptical eyes, she instinctively took half a step back, then spotted Liu Wenjie approaching.
Her already flustered face turned even more aggrieved; tears welled up uncontrollably.
Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she fled the crowd.
When the others saw Liu Wenjie arrive, they all asked him, "Class president, you're here—what should we do? Someone's already gone to tell Teacher."
"The vice president is bleeding!"
Liu Wenjie glanced toward Xu Feifei, who was running away, but didn't answer the questions. Instead, he looked back and walked over to check the vice president's injury; it looked like she'd simply hit the corner of the wall when she fell and cut herself on the tile—nothing serious.
He told the vice president, "Hang in there—Teacher will be here soon."
The vice president slowly sat up, holding her head, tears streaming down like rain on pear blossoms.
Liu Wenjie looked at the money and candies scattered across the floor and noticed these chocolates were not cheap—premium brand.
Before long, Teacher arrived, then the parents. After taking the child to the hospital for bandaging, everyone gathered in the office to discuss the incident.
Although Xu Feifei was questioned by the adults, she insisted she'd been framed—she hadn't taken the money and certainly hadn't hit anyone.
She said the vice president had tried to force open her drawer and accidentally fallen.
When the adults and Teacher asked the vice president, she kept crying and couldn't speak.
The parents ended up arguing loudly in the office.
The next day, when the vice president returned to the classroom, everyone seemed concerned, asking if she was all right—as though the injured party must be the victim.
When Xu Feifei entered, everyone avoided her; no one spoke to her, as if by unspoken agreement.
Clenching her small fists, Xu Feifei looked at the others, hurt and bewildered, and sat at her desk in silence.
Before class began, murmurs came from the back of the classroom:
"Xu Feifei's nothing like she was in first grade. Back then she was nice—she even gave everyone gifts. How did she turn out like this?"
"I heard her dad has lost a lot of money these past two years; their family's not as well-off as before."
"So just because they're not rich anymore she starts bullying people? No wonder she stole the class fund."
The whispers weren't loud, but they weren't quiet either; Xu Feifei could still catch some of it. Biting her lip, she stood up and shouted:
"When did I ever bully anyone? Stop bad-mouthing me behind my back—say it to my face if you dare!"
Seeing her outburst, the others exchanged glances, their eyes seeming to say, "See? She really isn't the same anymore."
"You—how can you all be like this!" Her voice trembled with anger.
At lunch, Xu Feifei left the classroom but didn't go to the cafeteria.
When Liu Wenjie noticed she wasn't there, he grabbed a bag and went outside to look. He found her sitting alone at the edge of the field, hugging her knees, head buried.
From afar he could hear the usually proud Xu Feifei sobbing uncontrollably in the corner.
Hearing someone approach, she tensed and looked up, surprised to see Liu Wenjie walking toward her.
She hurriedly buried her head again, as if to hide, but the crying stopped—she didn't want to lose face in front of him.
"So even you cry?" Liu Wenjie said, coming to a stop.
Xu Feifei didn't answer; only a sniffle and a suppressed sob escaped.
Liu Wenjie sat beside her. "Even if you don't talk, I can still hear you crying."
After a long pause Xu Feifei finally spoke, hoarse: "Go away... leave me alone."
"Then I'll really leave. Don't regret it."
She couldn't hold back a sob. "Can you not pick on me right now? Why are you so mean—do you enjoy bullying me?"
Listening to her, Liu Wenjie couldn't help finding it slightly amusing; Xu Feifei crying was oddly comical.
"This morning before class I asked Teacher—she said nothing's been decided yet, the results aren't out, so what are you crying for?"
She hugged her knees stubbornly. "I'm not upset! I just felt like crying—can't I? Is crying not allowed?"
"If you won't talk properly, I really am leaving."
Xu Feifei fell silent, then said more quietly, "I wasn't not talking properly... and stop saying you're leaving—sit down already."
Liu Wenjie opened the bag in his hand; inside were the candies that had fallen yesterday. Though some were crushed, he'd gathered every last one.
"What were you planning to do with these chocolates? Premium brand, wrapped in gold foil—they look expensive."
Xu Feifei peeked with one reddened eye at the candies in the bag. "How did you get them? Didn't they throw them away?"
"I picked them up together with the class fund yesterday. I counted—about forty or fifty pieces, nearly one for every classmate."
She looked at the serious Liu Wenjie beside her. "Do you have tissues? I need to blow my nose."
Liu Wenjie pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket. When she reached for them, he moved them away. "Say 'Thank you, class president' and I'll give them to you."
Xu Feifei clicked her tongue and snatched them with a slap. "Thanks, you pest."
She tore out two, turned away to blow her nose and wipe her tears. When she'd calmed down, she unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into her mouth, chewing hard.
"I was going to give one to everyone in class when we changed classes, but after all this I might as well feed them to the dogs. Giving them to my classmates is a waste—later I'll give the leftovers to the dogs in the estate."
She picked one up and offered it to Liu Wenjie. "Want one? Don't be shy."
Liu Wenjie eyed her with distaste. "You just said you'd rather feed dogs—why would I eat it?"
Xu Feifei was momentarily speechless, then couldn't help a small laugh. She quickly composed herself, eyes still red, and added, "I hadn't finished—I meant besides you and me."
Liu Wenjie took the chocolate and sighed. "Let me give you a fun fact—chocolate can actually kill dogs. Don't really go feed them."
Xu Feifei was stunned; she hadn't known. Her body stiffened.
"Really? No way—it's just chocolate, and this kind is expensive. My allowance was smaller this year; I saved up for ages to buy these."
Liu Wenjie guessed: "Gotta say, you're something else. When you had plenty of allowance it was one thing, but now you don't even have enough for yourself and you still want to give gifts?"
"It's for making friends... but not anymore. Giving them to you is better than giving them to anyone else."
Liu Wenjie started to get up. "Why am I never happy talking to you? Keep crying on your own—I'm leaving."
Xu Feifei grabbed him in a panic. "No, don't go—I'll stop, okay? I'm sorry! I was wrong."
"That's more like it."
She gave a soft hmph, rested her head sideways on her knees, and asked in a small, tsundere voice, "So... why did you come find me? Do you believe I was set up?"