Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Establishing Three Rules

”First, the monthly exams are coming up soon, and you must maintain your grades, ideally surpassing those ahead of you. Your grades can’t drop. Can you do that?” Luo Qianqian said, ”This is the first condition. If you can’t meet it, you shouldn’t even think about exposing her true face.”

Zhang Jingjing clenched her teeth and nodded vigorously: ”I can do it.”

”Second condition, at home, avoid any conflicts with your Stepmother. Keep your distance and do whatever she tells you. Absolutely don’t get close whether your father is there or not. Focus on your own business, don’t talk back. If she scolds you, stay silent. After all, silence is golden. Can you manage that?” Luo Qianqian continued, a playful expression appearing on her face.

As expected, upon hearing this, Zhang Jingjing’s face fell, and she glared at Luo Qianqian gloomily: ”I don’t start conflicts, but she still blames me for things. I didn’t even push her, and she would falsify claims about me, okay?”

”If you can’t beat her, avoid her. Just stay in your room. Can she still frame you there?” Luo Qianqian smirked. ”If not, just lock the door. She surely won’t break in, right? Remember, this is the second condition. If you can’t do it, I’m not helping you.”

Zhang Jingjing clenched her fists tightly as she stared at Luo Qianqian, but seeing her relaxed demeanour, she had to admit that except for Luo Qianqian, she had no one else to turn to. So she bit her lower lip tightly until Luo Qianqian could see blood trickling down, and said, ”Okay.”

”Don’t just agree carelessly, okay? If I find out you can’t do it, then I won’t help you, and you’ll just have to find someone else.” Luo Qianqian initially set these three conditions to avoid trouble, but who knew the second one would be so difficult? Could a nine-year-old really endure it?

”I know; I will do as I said.” Zhang Jingjing nodded firmly.

”Third condition—save money. You need to understand that money is necessary for my plan, and I won’t help you with that; you have to figure it out yourself.” Luo Qianqian tugged at the corner of her mouth but realized she couldn’t even force a smile.

”Money is not a problem.” Zhang Jingjing nodded: ”Tell me what to do. I’ll listen to you.”

”Um, this isn’t the best place to talk. Let’s go to the bathroom.” Luo Qianqian, noticing Zhang Sheng coming in and out of the classroom frequently, quickly pulled He Wenyu along with Zhang Jingjing into the girls’ restroom, stall number two.

Zhang Sheng looked irritably at the girls’ restroom. He had just thought it would be fun to listen in. Why not allow eavesdropping? So petty.

”Now, there are two possible developments for the situation. First, if the child really is your father’s, then you can only slowly gather evidence on a daily basis and find witnesses and physical proofs to make your father believe you. Second, if the child is not your father’s, you can straightforwardly hand the paternity test report to your father, and she will have no way to turn things around,” Luo Qianqian said. ”First, try to collect your dad’s hair, though blood would be best for a paternity test. But you have to handle it yourself. The child should be visible by three months at least, and you will need to wait seven months to obtain a blood sample, or hair or nails, from your Stepmother’s child for the paternity test. Also, you can invite some students who are seen as very honest by teachers to your house to improve your credibility, and when you are outside, try helping people in need to change public perception of you and enhance your credibility.”

”Getting the hair is no big deal. But what’s it good for after that?” Zhang Jingjing didn’t understand what use gathering trash like that could be.

”Collect it, and once your brother is born and you get his, you go for the paternity test. That thing isn’t cheap.” Luo Qianqian explained, ”You need to make sure the neighbors, classmates, and teachers have a good impression of you, so that’s why all this is necessary.” Having seen various soap operas about family feuds in a past life, Luo Qianqian felt that her current ideas were all inspired by those novels.

”It really seems difficult, changing so many people’s impressions of me,” complained Zhang Jingjing with a pained expression. But seeing Luo Qianqian’s stern glare, she quickly corrected herself: ”No problem, no problem. I can do it.”

”Alright, we’ll see how you do. Come to me if there’s a problem. I’m going back to sleep now.” Luo Qianqian spread her hands and opened the stall door, then headed back to the classroom with He Wenyu.

Zhang Jingjing stayed in the stall for a while before she left, squeezing her fists tightly then releasing them gently. She walked to the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror, her face a picture of misery as she forced a wry smile: ”Looking like this, I’m surprised you didn’t run away. Thank you, Luo Qianqian.”

”Qianqian, why are you helping her?” He Wenyu sat at the desk unhappily, pulling up her friend who seemed about to lie down. ”She was so horrible and arrogant back then; we could’ve just stepped aside and watched the drama.”

”I’m not really helping her. I’m just giving her advice, and I certainly won’t do more than that.” Luo Qianqian spread her hands and added, ”Are you really in a position to criticize me? You were busy with it too, weren’t you?”

”I was worried about you, okay? If she comes to me, I’m definitely not helping,” He Wenyu huffed, turning away only to turn back shortly after: ”Do you think her Stepmother really cheated?”

”Who knows? It depends on her dad. If he’s handsome, wealthy, strong, caring, and romantic, naturally she wouldn’t cheat. The other scenarios? Hard to say.” Luo Qianqian pondered the younger woman and pursed her lips: ”I was wondering how someone so young could have such a big child.”

”Hey, Xiao Yu, Qianqian, tell me about it. I’ve been curious for so long about this ’cheating,’ and yet you won’t let me listen.” Zhang Sheng returned and immediately turned his chair around to face He Wenyu, looking back and forth between the two with curiosity.

”Men should mind their own business when it comes to women’s affairs.” He Wenyu, looking disapprovingly at Zhang Sheng, handed him a book, ”Read more novels. Don’t worry about us when you’ve got nothing better to do.”

”Cut it out. What novel? Let me see.” Zhang Sheng took the book and turned back to his seat, then, under the guise of an English book, he started reading the novel.

As Luo Qianqian watched He Wenyu’s mischievously smiling face, she asked in a low voice, ”What book did you give him?”

”That BL novel I bought by mistake last time. It’s actually quite good. Oh right, BL means ’boy love,’ you know~” He Wenyu whispered to Luo Qianqian, fearing that Zhang Sheng might overhear.

Aren’t you afraid he might get caught by the teacher, then rat you out, and then... have parents called in?” Luo Qianqian half-seriously, half-jokingly scared her. Although the stepmother usually didn’t mind, He Wenyu had been lectured last time for staying up late reading manga, and now, it was a novel, and moreover... ’Once you dive into the decadent world, the path of decency is but a passerby.’

”You’re right. I have to keep an eye on the teacher to make sure he doesn’t get caught,” said He Wenyu, starting to look around like a searchlight, scanning the front and back doors as well as the corridor windows.

Luo Qianqian looked at He Wenyu disapprovingly. It was nap time, not break time. The teacher was probably still resting in the office.

”Xiao Yu, what is this?” Zhang Sheng, his face red and his ears hot, spread the book out in front of He Wenyu, ”This isn’t an ordinary book. It’s, it’s...”

”What’s going on?” Ye Chen, who had just come back with some snacks from downstairs, saw his desk mate and good friend blushing in front of two young girls and stuttering.

”Just a novel. It made him blush,” grinned Luo Qianqian, pretending to be unaware of the content. ”Xiao Yu isn’t even this shy.”

”Yo yo, what novel made our little Sheng Sheng blush like that?” Ye Chen jokingly slapped Zhang Sheng’s shoulder, gesturing for him to get up quickly as he wanted to get back to his seat.

But Zhang Sheng slapped his hand away, looking at him with a face full of horror. It took him a while to come to his senses, slowly stood up, freed up the seat, and then turned and left the classroom.

”What’s with him? Was he traumatized? What novel?” Ye Chen looked baffled at his slapped hand. He had washed his hands after going to the bathroom, hadn’t touched anything weird on his clothes, why did he seem so repelled by his approach?

”Probably was a big shock...” Luo Qianqian watched the scene unfold before her, feeling a little guilty, ”Opened the door to a new world?”

”A new world?” Ye Chen looked puzzled at the novel sprawled on the desk, ”Let me see.”

”Don’t,” Luo Qianqian reached out to stop him, but it was too late; Ye Chen had already grabbed the novel and began flipping through it.

Feeling guilty, He Wenyu turned her head away and went to chat beside Jiang Qian, leaving Luo Qianqian to face the potential situation alone.

As Luo Qianqian watched Ye Chen read the book intently, she also felt guilty enough to want to run away. But then Ye Chen turned his head and looked at her sternly, ”It’s not good for children to read such books. It can affect your mental development.”

”I haven’t read it.” Luo Qianqian found herself unable to escape, so she sat back down and lowered her head, ”The one who was shocked was Zhang Sheng; the one who brought the novel was Xiao Yu. I know what the novel is about, but I haven’t read it.” Although in her previous life she had read countless ones and roughly understood the content.

”I hope Zhang Sheng isn’t too shocked.” Saying this, she closed the novel and placed it on He Wenyu’s desk, pressing it down with a preparatory book.

I’m more worried about you. Luo Qianqian said silently in her heart. You look more fragile and have potential. But she dared not speak it aloud.