Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 181: Chapter 169: Gu Yanzhi said ’You are too immoral

”Teacher, I really didn’t spread any rumors, you know. I just complained to a few friends about whether Luo Qianqian might have copied the answers, she always gets such high scores. This time, a few friends also scored high, and I was just venting, nothing more. I didn’t expect it to get out. Teacher, could you please not call my parents? I promise I won’t do it again,” Wang Wei burst into tears on Xiu Xian’s chest as soon as he entered the office.

Xiu Xian wanted to offer some comfort, but he got cold-faced when he heard what Wang Wei said. However, upon giving it more thought, calling parents? When did he ever call for parents?

Wang Wei, seeing the complex look on Xiu Xian’s face, quickly promised again, ”I’ll go clarify this matter with Luo Qianqian and apologize to her right away.”

”You may go back now,” Xiu Xian said, sounding dejected.

Luo Qianqian watched Wang Wei return to the classroom with a sullen expression. As she reached the podium, her gaze immediately shifted, but what she saw startled her.

”Luo Qianqian, I’m sorry.” Wang Wei bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle to Luo Qianqian, shocking the onlookers who all jumped back, steering clear of the space in front of Wang Wei.

There was a hint of reluctance on his face, but more than that, fear. It was obvious he was very dissatisfied with having to apologize and admit his mistake to Luo Qianqian.

Luo Qianqian’s eyes lit up as she realized why Wang Wei was apologizing to her at this moment. According to the homeroom teacher’s usual practice, he definitely wouldn’t say anything. But Wang Wei also hadn’t thought Luo Qianqian would lie about the homeroom teacher calling him out or even calling his parents. It showed that Wang Wei was actually very afraid of his family and of them finding out what he had done.

Wang Wei looked up at Luo Qianqian, who stood there expressionless, and resentment appeared in his eyes. He had already admitted his mistake; what more did she want? But remembering his father, he shuddered and continued, ”Luo Qianqian, it was wrong of me to talk about you behind your back. You didn’t steal the test papers. It was just me venting to friends out of jealousy. I hope you can forgive me and not hold a grudge.”

Luo Qianqian remained silent, just smilingly looking at him. No one could discern any emotion or ripple from the look in her eyes. Wang Wei glanced around at his classmates, none of whom were willing to plead for him. Just as he was wondering what to do next, a voice came from outside the classroom.

”Luo Qianqian, could you come here for a moment?” Gu Yanzhi called from outside the classroom door, accompanied by several others, including some of the girls who had been spreading gossip.

Luo Qianqian looked confounded as she left the classroom, not even glancing at Wang Wei, who breathed a sigh of relief, his head lowered and the viciousness in his eyes unnoticed.

”We’re sorry.” The three girls bowed synchronously to Luo Qianqian, astonishing both the passing students and those from Class Nine. Were these the proud and arrogant elites they knew?

Luo Qianqian frowned in confusion at Gu Yanzhi. Gu Yanzhi laughed softly, ”When you make a mistake, you have to admit it, especially as a student of Class One; you must set an example. If you can’t even do this, what right do you have to stay in Class One? This is the first offense; next time, you’ll be kicked out of Class One.”

”It’s fine, but what about this person?” Luo Qianqian pointed at a boy from Class One who had been radiating eagerness just moments ago, closely following Gu Yanzhi, and who seemed almost ready to pounce on her if not for Gu Yanzhi holding him back.

”Who is ’this person’? My name is Zhou Shangbo; you can call me Little Tian,” Zhou Shangbo said familiarly to Luo Qianqian, who seemed to see an imaginary wagging tail behind the boy, an odd illusion.

Gu Yanzhi, holding Zhou Shangbo firmly, smiled bitterly, ”You’re not wrong, this is his way of showing friendliness. He’s here for the question on our blackboard.”

Luo Qianqian looked at Zhou Shangbo’s continuous nodding and imagined a big dog wagging its tail. She couldn’t help but giggle.

”Lunch break is almost over. If you’re not in a hurry after school, come over to our class. I’ll explain it to you,” Luo Qianqian said, glancing at the clock on the wall and speaking in a friendly manner. People like him were much more endearing than those full of schemes.

”It’s a deal. I’ll come find you after school. Wait for me,” Zhou Shangbo nodded, looking at Gu Yanzhi with a puzzled expression, ”Why are you holding onto me?”

If I didn’t hold onto you, you would have already thrown yourself at Luo Qianqian. Gu Yanzhi shook his head and released Zhou Shangbo’s arm, telling Luo Qianqian, ”We’ll head back first then. See you after school.”

Luo Qianqian nodded and returned to her class, only to see Pei Yuhao waving his arms madly and telling his classmates about her visit to Class One. Just listening to it, she felt like things weren’t quite right.

”Luo Qianqian smashed her hand on the desk, and the whole of Class One didn’t dare utter a word, all staring straight at her. She said, ’Who dares to challenge me?’ Not a single one in Class One spoke up. Luo Qianqian then wrote a problem on the blackboard, that very one the boy wanted her to explain earlier, and declared, ’Only those who can solve this problem earn the right to badmouth or challenge me,’ before slamming the chalk down and coming back. And you saw what happened next, Gu Yanzhi came with those who had been spreading rumors to apologize, and there were also those asking for tutoring after school. Now, that’s what I call giving face to our class leader. But the origin of these rumors being from our class is pretty embarrassing.”

”Who is he talking about?” Luo Qianqian said, twitching the corner of her mouth as she grasped Li Qi, who was looking on in apparent agreement.

”Who knows...” Li Qi was just about to answer when he turned back to see Luo Qianqian’s face, which hadn’t stopped twitching after cycling through several expressions. He cracked a smile: ”It’s just a story, it needs a bit of embellishment. If you let him tell it in a few days, it would turn into Class One begging on their knees.”

”My face...” Luo Qianqian covered her flushed face, returning to her seat to the admiring gazes of her classmates, while Pei Yuhao continued from the side:

”Welcome back our hero of Class Nine.” Saying this, he led a round of applause.

Luo Qianqian looked up intending to glare at him, but met with a pair of resentful eyes instead—it was Wang Wei.

When Wang Wei saw Luo Qianqian looking over, he smiled ingratiatingly and clapped along too, squinting his eyes without revealing any emotion. If not for Luo Qianqian’s confidence in her own perception, she would have thought she’d seen it wrong.

”Qianqian, you’re so awesome,” Luo Qianqian’s deskmate Qian Yuling said with admiring eyes, but then whispered sneakily, ”Do you really have the answers to the test? Why not share a copy with me too?”

Luo Qianqian looked at her deskmate with amusement, but didn’t respond.

”Qianqian, a few of us have decided; today me and Little Tian are treating you to dinner. Just let your family know,” Pei Yuhao said, chin up, full of pride.

”Forget it, if you let my brother eat by himself, he’ll just slough it off,” Luo Qianqian said helplessly, spreading her hands.

”Just bring your brother along, I meant tell your dad and mom,” Pei Yuhao said carelessly.

Luo Qianqian pondered for a moment: ”Then I’ll ask my brother.” She then called Luo Shufan.

Luo Shufan knew his sister had been working hard for weeks and naturally agreed, but felt it wouldn’t be good if he came along, so he declined. However, Luo Qianqian persuaded him, using the reason that it would be dangerous for her to return home after dinner alone, and he reluctantly accepted. After that, Luo Qianqian texted her mother, explaining the situation, and received a reply from Luo’s Mom: ”Come home early, don’t be too late, and be safe.” She then nodded to indicate it was all set.

After school, a group of three or four from Class One arrived, all carrying notebooks, with their backpacks nowhere in sight, standing at the classroom door, peering in.

”You guys start on your homework, I’ll explain the problems to them,” Luo Qianqian said to Li Qi and his group after spotting several people including Gu Yanzhi and Zhou Shangbo.

Then she waved to the door: ”Come on in, we don’t bite here in our class.” She glanced around at the seats: ”Sit wherever you want. Pei Yuhao, you’re tall, come help me with the diagrams.” She then drew a figure on a piece of paper and handed it to Pei Yuhao, who nodded. When Luo Qianqian taught, she always stood on a stool, with the tall ones taking turns drawing diagrams.

Seeing the group sit down, Luo Qianqian moved closer and said jokingly to Gu Yanzhi, ”Why is our great scholar Gu Yanzhi stooping to listen to my humble self explain a problem?”

”A woman without talent is virtuous,” Gu Yanzhi glanced at Luo Qianqian’s eyes twinkling with mirth and curled his lip, ”You’re too immoral.”