Chapter 76

In April in Shanghai, the weather alternates between sunny and cloudy, warm and cold.

This is a season when emotions easily fluctuate.

It is also a season when one is prone to catching a cold.

Because of this, the flowers bloom late but last longer. It is a season suitable for flower viewing.

Xia Shamo rode her bicycle under the camphor trees, like a light boat gliding downstream. At the corner of the street, there was a park with a grove of cherry blossom trees.

After a period of overcast weather, the spring sun suddenly became warm, and the cherry blossoms bloomed all over the mountains and fields. A gust of wind and rain quickly caused them to wither, and the streets were soon covered with fallen petals!

The quiet and delicate cherry blossoms, which easily fade away, were accompanied by cold raindrops, mixed with cherry petals, drifting down this long street.

The slender Xia Shamo extended her hand and pinched a petal that was aimlessly dancing in the air.

Her heart was like this petal, not knowing where it would land.

Dreams and reality, what a cruel choice. If she hadn't met Cheng Xiaoyu, she wouldn't have so many tangled worries. For her, singing was just a hobby, but Cheng Xiaoyu made her feel the joy of music.

She wanted to sing, to continue singing.

Xia Shamo let go of the petal, letting the wind carry it away.

With the increasing popularity of "Guilty Crown" online, Xia Shamo is now the second most popular girl at Fudan High School, just behind Su Yuxi. Compared to the cold and distant Su Yuxi, the charming Xia Shamo is more favored by the boys.

There is a saying among the boys at Fudan High School: If you haven't written a love letter to Su Yuxi while studying at Fudan High School, your life is not complete. No one ever thought it was shameful to be rejected by Su Yuxi; being rejected was considered normal.

But now, the suddenly emerging Xia Shamo has become the new favorite of the boys at Fudan High School. Compared to the high and cold Su Yuxi, the highly approachable Xia Shamo quickly became the new dream girl of Fudan High School, receiving so many love letters that she could barely handle them.

There are also many freshmen, sophomores, and junior high school students who are her fans, so it's common for younger students to find Xia Shamo after class to take photos and ask for autographs. The gentle Xia Shamo would never refuse any reasonable requests, which made the former class beauty, Gu Manting, and some other girls extremely unhappy, often spreading rumors about Xia Shamo.

Xia Shamo was originally a girl with little presence, with almost no social life outside of her monotonous student life. Due to her family environment, she always felt inferior and was unwilling to make friends. After becoming famous, some girls approached her, but she was awkward and didn't know how to socialize, which made some girls think she was acting high and mighty in front of girls and pitiful in front of boys, calling her a绿茶婊 (green tea bitch).

The innocent Xia Shamo completely ignored the gossip among the girls in her class and didn't realize that she had been isolated by most of the girls.

Actually, for her, such targeting couldn't pierce her thick protective shell. In kindergarten, because she didn't have a father, the other children would laugh at her. In elementary school, when it rained, other children always had parents to pick them up, but she had to go home alone in the rain. In junior high school, no one ever attended her parent-teacher conferences; her mother worked part-time to pay the mortgage and had no time.

Not having a father meant that even if she was bullied, no one would stand up for her. When she was sad, other children's fathers would say, "If it gets too bad, just come home and I'll take care of you," but she couldn't say anything and could only push forward with infinite sadness, because she had no way out. When she occasionally passed by a kindergarten and saw some children being held by their fathers to eat ice cream, she felt a deep sense of loneliness and sadness, thinking about the happy childhood she should have had with him.

Actually, she had long been used to loneliness. Without anyone to protect her, she had to protect herself.

After the break exercise, other classes and younger students came to find her for photos. Xia Shamo smiled and took photos with them, but she refused their requests for her phone number and quickly walked back to the classroom with a red face.

Even before she reached the door, she heard a few girls, led by Gu Manting, who usually liked to dress up, talking about her without restraint. Xia Shamo hesitated for a moment and didn't go in.

"I heard she didn't have a father from a young age!"

"What happened? Tell us about her background!"

"Her mother was a mistress and was dumped after giving birth to her! Her mother used to work in the supermarket my family runs; I heard this from my mother."

"Mistresses are the worst. I never thought she was one. She's so good at pretending. Do you think she approached that fat guy Cheng Xiaoyu because he's rich?"

"I think so too. She looks like a lily, but she's actually a绿茶婊 (green tea bitch)."

"Did you know? The shoes she wore for the New Year's performance were Jimmy Choo crystal shoes. I saw them in a magazine a few days ago; they cost tens of thousands of yuan!"

"So expensive? They must be fakes! Her family is so poor, right?"

"Ha, Cheng Xiaoyu bought them for her! I saw it one noon. Cheng Xiaoyu said a lot of sweet things to her. Oh, it was so disgusting."

"If you want to be rich, why don't you seduce Cheng Xiaoyu too?"

"No way! He's so fat. I wonder how Xia Shamo, who is so slim, can handle it."

"You're so disgusting..." followed by a burst of mocking laughter.

Xia Shamo stood at the classroom door, pale-faced, and turned to walk down the corridor.

Cheng Xiaoyu was about to enter the classroom and saw Xia Shamo at the door, not going in. He walked over to scare her but heard so many hurtful words about her. He couldn't see her expression from behind and didn't know how to comfort her. Just then, Xia Shamo turned and bumped into his chest.

Xia Shamo took a step back, didn't look at Cheng Xiaoyu, and quickly lowered her head, saying, "I'm sorry," and tried to leave.

Cheng Xiaoyu grabbed Xia Shamo, feeling her hand trembling slightly. He said in a firm voice, "Wait a moment." Then he walked into the classroom.

The circle of girls saw Cheng Xiaoyu enter and fell silent. Cheng Xiaoyu walked straight over, and everyone in the class noticed something was wrong.

Cheng Xiaoyu cleared his throat, slapped the desk, and said loudly to the girls, "With your looks, I really can't bear to judge you by appearance. So I tried to see your souls, but they disappointed me even more than your looks. You say you seduced me? I suggest you take a picture of your faces and stick it on the door to ward off evil, or on your bed to prevent pregnancy."

Gu Manting, red-faced, said, "Cheng Xiaoyu, watch your mouth; this is a classroom."

"Wow, you know this is a classroom? Bitches are so pretentious. There are so many weapons in the world, but you have to learn to use a sword. You don't learn to use a sword, you learn to be a bitch. You don't learn to use an iron sword, you learn to be a slut. At your level, you're a perfect combination of sword and bitch, or simply a bitch."

Cheng Xiaoyu started to curse, spitting out a stream of words. As a seasoned troll, he couldn't let the opportunity to add some artistic flair to his insults pass, especially given the five thousand years of Chinese culture. These jokes were from a different time, and many students in the classroom, who found them lacking, couldn't help but laugh.

The other girls were already intimidated by Cheng Xiaoyu's overwhelming presence and didn't dare to speak, even if they wanted to. After all, these girls spent less time on forums and had a limited vocabulary.

Cheng Xiaoyu hadn't finished cursing and was still unsatisfied, looking at the red-faced girls. He hated these gossipy women who talked behind people's backs. "Jealousy is one thing, but don't be a dog. Is it fun to talk behind someone's back? I don't usually curse, but when I'm angry, I can't help it. Today is an exception. You, who have nothing to do, I sincerely tell you: you're just a bitch, asking for a beating. Do you think you look good? Oh, I'm sorry, you're overestimating yourself. Damn, you look like that and still think you look good? I wouldn't dare to come out; I'd be embarrassed to walk down the street. What do you show off? When you stand there, people think it's a defaced portrait. Do you think you're beautiful? So proud? I wouldn't even look at you, it would waste my brain cells."

"Are you done, Cheng Xiaoyu?" Gu Manting slapped the desk and stood up, tears streaming down her face.

Cheng Xiaoyu laughed, "What's wrong? You're good at gossiping behind people's backs, but you're afraid to face them? If I were bitten by a dog, I'd kick it. Today, I'll bite you back to feel what it's like to be bitten."

Seeing no one dared to answer, Cheng Xiaoyu found it boring and walked to the door. Before leaving, he said, "The college entrance exam is coming soon. Don't worry about other people's affairs. You can gossip behind people's backs, but not in a public place like a classroom. If you can't control your mouth, tell me. I'll book a KTV room for you, and you can use the microphone to say whatever you want, with music accompaniment. I'll also provide tea, drinks, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and spicy radishes. You'll have food and fun, and I'll make sure you're satisfied."

Seeing the students in the class looking at him with awe, Cheng Xiaoyu wondered if he had gone too far. He walked to the podium and decided to educate these sheltered flowers in a more literary way.

Beautiful cursive writing appeared on the blackboard:

My God, It's Full of Stars

We always hope the world doesn't exceed our imagination.

Someone once defied the divine will, someone desecrated witchcraft,

And another was given the ability to "know,"

But became the target of all.

Facing an army of ants in pursuit.

People, rowing boats, unloading to proceed.

Throughout the ages,

Life is like the deep sea, silent and wordless.

Now, the ancient order is slowly breaking,

Perhaps, the Mother of the Universe is watching her star children,

Whispering,

Yes, we are stumbling towards the light.

Then, kissing us in our youth,

Embracing the sun, moon, and stars.

While the Father of the Universe is next door,

Making a big fuss about the arrival of heaven,

Too busy to care about our encounters in this journey through time and space.

Sometimes, I see the public library in the countryside,

The open reading room, the tall bookshelves,

And the communal pencils.

These books, aged,

Stay in different hands for weeks,

Circulating,

The long list of "borrowers" on the cover

Whisper to the person lying beside them at night,

And their eyes, the place full of lies.

After writing, Cheng Xiaoyu threw down the chalk, walked out of the classroom, and pulled Xia Shamo towards the stairs under everyone's watchful eyes.

Xia Shamo didn't resist, her eyes red, and asked softly, "Where are we going?"

Cheng Xiaoyu turned and smiled brightly, "In this April with cherry blossoms flying, of course, it's the best time to skip class!"