Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: There are always people who can’t stand to see others do well

”Da Luo, Little Luo, Xiao Yu, you guys are so slow. Here, breakfast.” Bai Yizhu would appear on time every day, with three portions of breakfast, waiting on the path Luo Qianqian and the others had to take to school.

”Zhuzi, you’re not getting up this early just to copy homework at school, are you?” Luo Shufan took the three bags from his friend’s hand. Despite saying many times that they ate at home, Bai Yizhu still brought breakfast and waited for them. Over time, the trio would eat only half-full at home, and then wait for Bai Yizhu’s breakfast. Bai Yizhu called it a tutoring fee.

”You’re really something, actually bringing milk for Qianqian every day.” Luo Shufan handed the heaviest bag to his sister, which contained milk in a glass bottle: ”And where did you order this milk from? My mom tried several places but Qianqian always said the taste was off, none were as good as yours.” Then, he passed the slightly larger bag to He Wenyu.

”Anyway, I don’t drink it. Oh right, we have a match with the second graders at noon today.” Bai Yizhu glanced at the bag in Luo Qianqian’s hand and silently changed the subject. Of course, it tasted different; this was imported from Australia, after all. If it wasn’t for the fact that Luo Qianqian wasn’t even as tall as a dining table, he would have suspected that the person arranging the task had a thing for kids.

”I know, our class against Class Three of the second graders. You’re not playing either, so what’s with the excitement?” Luo Shufan said as he naturally put his arm around Bai Yizhu’s shoulder: ”Coming to be a ringer for our class?”

”Get lost, why don’t you be a ringer for our class?” Bai Yizhu looked at Luo Shufan with disdain: ”I’m really curious how someone with your unique thought processes scores high on tests.”

”That’s talent, not something you can envy.” Luo Shufan grinned, showing his teeth: ”But you could ask my mom. After all, my sister’s pretty smart too, maybe it’s got to do with genetics.”

”Thanks, we’re different by a ’two.’” Luo Qianqian and He Wenyu walked behind Luo Shufan, but couldn’t prevent their conversation from entering her ears.

”Are you saying I’m ’two’?” Luo Shufan turned around, somewhat unable to grasp the meaning of his sister’s words. The term ”two,” he had learned from his sister.

”No, no, no, I’m ’two,’ so I’m a Genius, and at best, you’re just talented.” Luo Qianqian heh-heh’ed, revealing her missing front tooth as she spoke with a lisp.

Luo Shufan looked speechlessly at his sister: ”When other people lose teeth, they try to cover it up, not open their mouths, and here you are, grinning ear to ear, afraid that other people won’t notice you lost a tooth?”

”So what? Everyone has their day, sooner or later.”

”Bragging even as death approaches, do you not know what shame is?” A voice came from behind Luo Qianqian; before she had time to turn and look, she saw a figure swiftly passing by.

Luo Qianqian squinted and curved her mouth: ”Maybe my tooth fell out from laughing.”

”What happened?” Luo Shufan, looking at the departing figure with a frown, turned to Luo Qianqian. He hadn’t heard from his sister about anyone bullying her, and the person from before clearly targeted her.

Luo Qianqian waved her hand, restoring her usual smile: ”It’s nothing, what could happen to me?”

”Xiao Yu?” Seeing his sister like this, Luo Shufan knew he wouldn’t get anything out of her, so he directly turned around and asked He Wenyu.

He Wenyu, with a mouthful of bread, startled, dropped her bread to the ground: ”Oh my bread, I wasn’t finished with it yet.”

”Here’s mine, take it. What was the deal with that girl just now?” Luo Shufan immediately handed his still-unopened bag to He Wenyu, his face full of urgency, fearing his sister had been bullied at all.

”Right, I’ve seen that girl several times before, especially when buying milk for Little Luo, she looked at me with disdain. I thought I had offended her or something.” Bai Yizhu thought about the few encounters at the bakery while studying, furrowing his brows. How had he not noticed such a danger lingering around Luo Qianqian?

”Wasn’t it test week last week? Qianqian always plays in class, and when called upon, she’d say she doesn’t know. But after all, she also got a spot in the math competition, right? That girl is the math class representative, and she took that against her. Today they’re releasing grades, so she’s probably waiting to laugh at Qianqian’s misfortune. Oh right, when Qianqian reported to the class, she was also told to sit in the back, in that girl’s spot.” He Wenyu looked dismissively at the departing figure: ”Nothing special, just knows a few dance moves and how to gossip. I’ve overheard her a few times. She hasn’t gotten physical; otherwise, I would have stepped in.”

”Chances are there will be nothing to see.” Luo Qianqian shrugged: ”But I’d still like to see her face.”

”I feel the same way.” He Wenyu and Luo Qianqian exchanged glances and both smiled.

”Next time something like this happens, let me know first. Don’t just suffer in silence without anyone standing up for you.” Luo Shufan sighed and ruffled his sister’s hair, ”Don’t think that just because Xiao Yu is protecting you, you can do whatever you want. Tell your brother if there’s a problem next time.”

”Exactly, we are middle school students after all.” Bai Yizhu hurriedly agreed with Luo Shufan’s words, his mind however contemplating how to explain this to his brother.

”Why should I tell you? What can you do about it, fight or warn them? You think you’re some kind of thug?” With that, Luo Qianqian glared fiercely at Bai Yizhu, ”I can handle this kind of thing myself. Big brother is a real man, he’s not supposed to bully girls.”

”... Luo Qianqian, I’m trying to help you here.” Luo Shufan was taken aback, not expecting that trying to stand up for his sister would draw so much twisted reasoning from her.

”I’m not saying you’re trying to harm me, but as a man, you must be responsible, principled, and the first rule is you can’t bully those younger than you or women. They are the vulnerable group, and even if you win, it’s not a graceful victory.” Luo Qianqian looked into Luo Shufan’s eyes, her face full of seriousness.

Luo Shufan, looking at his sister’s expression, was at a loss for words, ”Alright, alright, you’re right. Let’s get going, we’re heading back to school.” They had already reached the entrance of the elementary school, and Luo Shufan could only stop in his tracks, ”If someone bullies you, tell me, I’m your brother.”

Luo Qianqian nodded her head and together with He Wenyu, hand in hand, they entered the school.

”Heh, she still has the nerve to sit in the front row, next to the class president, huh?” Before she had even entered the classroom, she heard a familiar voice; Luo Qianqian’s mouth twitched slightly. She knew they were behind her, that comment was directed at her, wasn’t it?

”Qianqian...” He Wenyu held on to her friend, her face filled with concern.

”It’s okay, I’ll keep a low profile.” Luo Qianqian smiled, showing a toothless grin, and walked calmly into the classroom, calmly taking her seat.

Jiang An looked worriedly at his deskmate, ”You heard that, didn’t you?”

”Should I bite back when a dog bites me? Just treat it like the annoying bark of a dog, why bother about it?” Luo Qianqian patted Jiang An on the shoulder, ”But I really won’t be able to sit with you for much longer.”

”The teacher won’t make you change seats just because of your grades, especially since...” You might fool others, but do you think I, your deskmate who spends every day with you, don’t know? Jiang An’s unspoken words were silenced by a lollipop stuffed into his mouth.

”Here’s some candy, I’m going to eat something, don’t spoil my mood.” Saying this, Luo Qianqian started to gulp down her bottle of milk. Jiang An indicated he had seen it all before.

”Who are you calling a dog!” A frail hand furiously slammed the milk bottle to the ground, shattering it into several pieces, and the remaining milk spread across the floor.

”Whoever responds is the one!” Luo Qianqian stood up abruptly, her face filled with heartache as she looked at the milk mixed with glass pieces, her gaze towards Zhang Jingjing utterly cold.

”Are you okay, Qianqian!” He Wenyu quickly rushed over from her seat and began to examine Luo Qianqian from head to toe.

”Zhang Jingjing, you’ve gone too far!” At the same time, Jiang An stood up from his seat and scolded Zhang Jingjing.

Luo Qianqian’s voice was devoid of any warmth, ”Isn’t there an explanation for this?” He Wenyu looked at Luo Qianqian, she had never seen this side of Qianqian before—the usually carefree, soft, and mellow voice—it was her first time hearing such a cold tone.

”It’s just a bottle of milk, I can pay for that!” Zhang Jingjing’s eyes reddened with self-pity, ”You all said nothing when she insulted me. I just accidentally knocked over her milk and you’re all accusing me! Besides, this is a school, not her home. Why should she be eating here in the first place!”