Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Witness from the High School Section

”Qianqian, are you really not going to eat?” Xiao Yu asked, looking uncertainly at Luo Qianqian, who had divided her own share between the two of them.

”You two go ahead and eat so that you don’t drool over Mom and Godfather’s portions. Haven’t you both saved the strawberries for me?” Luo Qianqian generously ate the fruit left on the cake, then indicated she was too full to eat the cake itself and gave it to the two of them.

”Xiao Yu, go ahead and eat. She would eat what she wants without you offering it. No matter how much you urge her, what’s meant for us will still be ours.” Seeing his sister’s beaming eyes, Luo Shufan felt that his sister was both kind and adorable, and he devoured the cake given to him with a moved expression.

”Then, Qianqian, next time I’ll share half my pig’s trotters with you,” He Wenyu said, burying his head in his meal.

”Eat up, eat up. I’ll be waiting for those pig’s trotters then,” Luo Qianqian said, sitting by the bed and munching on an apple.

’Knock knock knock,’ three knocks on the door startled the three children in the room: ”Excuse me, is Zhang Ye here?”

”He’s not,” He Wenyu replied, struggling to swallow a mouthful of cake.

”This ward is only occupied by my sister; I think you’ve got the wrong room,” Luo Shufan said, swallowing his cake and even wiping his mouth.

”Old sir, are you saying Zhang Ye is in that room? Are you here to visit him? Are you sure you’re in the right hospital and the right ward? Are you certain he is here?” Luo Qianqian put down her apple, wiped her mouth, walked up to the elderly man, then thought for a moment and placed a stool in front of the old man: ”Old sir, please have a seat for a while. When my mother and the others return, we’ll ask a nurse to help you inquire, okay?”

”Yes, that’s fine,” the old man said, setting down the gift box he was carrying: ”Could the young one fetch me a cup of water, please? I’m a bit tired after coming all this distance at my age.”

”Oh... Old sir, just give me a moment. I need to wash the cup I’ve used, oh... How about I peel an apple for you? It’s really crunchy and sweet.” Luo Qianqian was about to wash the cup but realized her cup from last night had been shattered and tossed in the trash can because of the incident with the red-haired young man that morning.

”Qianqian, the knife was confiscated as a weapon,” He Wenyu said, finishing off his cake in a few bites.

”You’re not allowed to play with knives,” Luo Shufan said, looking at his sister sternly. She wanted to peel apples; she might as well reach for the sky. A five-year-old playing with a knife, might as well walk shoulder to shoulder with the sun.

”No need, just wash one for me...”

”Grandpa, what brings you here? Didn’t we say to go straight to the police station?” The old man’s words were cut off by the sudden appearance of Officer Zhang, who looked quite dissatisfied.

Luo Qianqian, seeing the situation, wisely went to wash the apple and dried it before handing it to the old man: ”Old sir, make do with this for now. I’ll ask a nurse for a paper cup in a little while.”

”It’s this young lady who understands, Zhang Ye, you’re becoming less and less cute as you grow up!” The old man took a big bite of the apple with a ’crunch’: ”Hurry up and give these snacks to the little ones. I’m telling you, if you don’t come home this week, your grandma will have me drag you back from the station!”

Officer Zhang Ye, looking somewhat embarrassed, picked up the gifts the old man had brought and distributed them among Luo Qianqian and the others: ”It’s my grandpa’s kind intentions; please just eat them, he’ll be happy if you eat a lot.”

”Thank you, Uncle Zhang, thank you, Grandpa Zhang.” Luo Qianqian signaled her brother to take the stuff, but she ran over to Officer Zhang.

”Uncle Zhang, are you sick? Otherwise, why would old sir find his way to the hospital?”

”Cough cough...” Zhang Ye looked awkwardly at his grandpa, who sat eating his apple unflinchingly, and then at the three curious children, forcing himself to explain, ”My grandpa is the current head of the physics department at Experimental High School; he happened to be in the office and saw the whole ordeal of you being bullied.”

”So, was it the old man who called the police and the ambulance?” Luo Shufan looked at the seemingly oblivious, frail old man beside him, and felt somewhat puzzled.

”Sort of, he didn’t exactly call the police, he just phoned me, and I was the one who called an ambulance later,” Zhang Ye explained with a bit of frustration, feeling slightly suffocated in front of the three kids. If it weren’t for the fact that this was my first case to handle alone, I’d have tossed you all into the library to read ’The Hundred Thousand Whys.’ Are kids these days always this full of questions?

”Alright, alright, Zhang Ye, you go on with your work. I’ve been wanting to see those two kids that Old Yuan keeps bragging about. Who would’ve thought I’d coincidentally witness the bullying scene involving the very children I’ve been eager to meet?” Old Man Zhang truly didn’t believe in the sibling duo’s talents as Old Yuan had described. Yesterday, by a stroke of fate, he witnessed the bullying incident that matched the names of the siblings Old Yuan boasted about and recorded in his grandson’s notebook; he couldn’t sit idle at home. With the exquisite treats given by students during the festive season that no one ate, he was determined to visit the hospital.

”Old Yuan?” Doesn’t that name sound like the old man who invited my brother to join the Experimental Middle School’s advanced class during the last term’s parent-teacher conference?

”That’s the stinky old man. I bet him two taels of premium pre-rain Longjing tea that what you learned wasn’t taught by your brother.” Old Zhang glanced at the trio’s standing positions. Luo Qianqian clearly took the lead, with Luo Shufan positioned ready to protect Luo Qianqian and He Wenyu behind him, while He Wenyu was on the side... eating...

”So what if it is? What if it isn’t?” Luo Qianqian didn’t understand Old Zhang’s point and could only ask honestly. Luo Qianqian didn’t even see how this was relevant.

”If it is, it means my judgment is good; if it isn’t, it means his judgment isn’t bad. Come on, tell me, is my judgment good or is his judgment not bad?” Old Zhang, unlike his previous profound and unfathomable demeanor, held onto Luo Shufan, looking directly into his eyes with a sharp and serious gaze, entirely different from the image of the frail old man before.

Luo Shufan was stunned and then quickly closed his eyes, hesitant to speak carelessly about his sister’s thoughts.

”Don’t put my brother on the spot. You’ve already made up your mind, haven’t you? Just say what you want to say. Traveling miles to a hospital just to see two kids isn’t something an old man should do,” Luo Qianqian spoke, still not understanding the old man’s motives. From the moment he entered, he seemed to have said a lot, but not a single word was helpful.

”Oh, it’s nothing. I just want to give you both a chance to attend the best junior high and the best high school, how about that?”

Old Zhang picked up an apple that was half-eaten on the bench and continued munching on it.

”So it’s just the two of us? What about Xiao Yu?” Luo Qianqian, pulling the confused Xiao Yu with her, stood in front of Old Zhang and asked.

”So, young lady, do you want to join us? Our entrance exams are pretty tough, you know.” Old Zhang looked from He Wenyu to Luo Qianqian and responded somewhat helplessly.

”I don’t want to study, and I don’t understand what you’re saying, but whatever Qianqian learns, I learn, and wherever Qianqian goes, I go!” He Wenyu firmly held Luo Qianqian’s hand and replied, ”Qianqian is my sister; wherever she is, that’s where I’ll be!”

”How am I supposed to respond to that...” Old Zhang muttered under his breath.

”Wherever my sister goes, I go!” Luo Shufan lifted his chin and held his sister’s hand tightly. ”We can attend an ordinary school or the best school; it’s our decision to make, not something to be manipulated behind closed doors!”

”Are you silly... do you think we manipulate things?... Our expectations are the same for everyone; if you get in, it’s due to your ability, not because I’m pulling strings for you. In other words, if you can’t pass the exam, you obviously don’t meet our requirements, and without admission, how can we talk about competing?” Old Zhang looked at the brother fiercely protective of his sister and felt speechless, planning to convince the siblings with the support of Old Yuan.

”A competition? Is there a reward? Is there prize money?” Luo Qianqian raised her voice and asked excitedly.

”Yes, for any national-level competition, if you win a bronze medal or higher, there will be trophies, medals, prize money, as well as certificates, and outstanding performers can even receive awards from the province, city, or school,” Old Zhang blurted out without thinking.

”I’m in!” Had I known there was such an easy way to make money, we wouldn’t have had to be sunburnt like dogs, and nearly robbed by a bunch of non-mainstream kids with explosive rainbow hairstyles.

”.......”