Saving the Pitiful Villain (GL) - Chapter 35

It was the time for lunch. There were many students on the road from Building A to the cafeteria.

Jiang Shangxue held Yun Wu’s hand tightly, walking side-by-side with her, their posture naturally intimate.

Ye Mei also followed, her bright golden buzz-cut very eye-catching.

Because of the photos plastered around, many people glanced at Yun Wu twice.

Reborn, Yun Wu shouldn’t have cared about other people’s gazes anymore, but the presence of Jiang Shangxue beside her was a gentle friction, and the grip on her fingers was a warm yet firm force.

Yun Wu couldn’t help but wonder, Had Jiang Shangxue heard those rumors? What did she think of her inwardly?

Her gaze shifted slightly, locking onto Jiang Shangxue’s profile. The early summer sun passed through her hair, scattering layers of broken light.

Gentle, bright, like the moonlight.

Not as intense as the sun, but it wouldn’t burn people.

Jiang Shangxue noticed Yun Wu’s gaze, slightly turned her head, and met her eyes with a smile.

“What do you usually like to eat at school? Do you have any good recommendations?”

East Villa’s cafeteria was outsourced. The Third Cafeteria was the largest, spanning six floors, offering everything from Western food and Starbucks to jianbing guozi (savory crepes) and snail rice noodles.

Even the outside snack streets didn’t have as much variety as the East Villa cafeteria.

But Yun Wu hadn’t paid special attention to which stall had good food. As a child, being able to eat until she was full was satisfying enough. Now, she just preferred places without long queues.

Unable to answer immediately, Yun Wu unconsciously squeezed Jiang Shangxue’s hand, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

When in front of Jiang Shangxue, Yun Wu always wanted to perform better, in every aspect.

Fortunately, Ye Mei was quick to speak, rapidly listing a few stalls.

“Auntie Jiang, you don’t know, but I love the one inside on the first floor! It’s spicy and flavorful—so satisfying!”

Hearing “spicy,” Yun Wu instinctively frowned. Jiang Shangxue had a bad stomach and ate very blandly. She had never seen her eat dishes with chili, or even those with much oil.

Yun Wu bit her lip and suggested, “The Qianzhou cuisine on the first floor is also delicious. They have a Tea Tree Mushroom and Pork Rib Soup. You could try that.”

Yun Wu’s voice was clear and crisp, though occasionally halting, suggesting nervousness.

Raising an eyebrow, Jiang Shangxue turned to Ye Mei. “Wu Wu and I will go for Qianzhou cuisine. What about you?”

“I’m fine with anything. I’ll eat anywhere.”

Ye Mei answered casually. She was only there to join the fun.

As they continued walking, led by Jiang Shangxue, Yun Wu occasionally heard fragments of conversations around them.

“She’s Yun Wu from Grade 12, Class Two. Didn’t you hear that…”

“Who is the person next to her? I saw that dress at the PKG fashion show. It costs over 200,000 yuan.”

“Ah, didn’t they say she was poor? How is that possible?”

“To be honest, the person next to her has such high beauty. I think she wears that dress better than the model on the runway.”

“…”

Listening to the surrounding discussion, Yun Wu’s eyes were unreadable. Most of the talk about her wasn’t kind, but they were praising Jiang Shangxue.

Yun Wu felt inexplicably happy.

She couldn’t resist secretly glancing at Jiang Shangxue again. Her spine was straight, her gaze calmly fixed ahead. Her posture was indescribably beautiful. She seemed to have heard nothing, or if she had, she didn’t care.

Her gaze fell on their joined hands. An indescribable, secret joy rippled gently in Yun Wu’s heart.

The joy was hard to quell even after they had gotten their food and sat down by the window.

Afraid Jiang Shangxue would notice, she lowered her head and focused on the food in front of her.

Jiang Shangxue smiled as she watched her eat. Yun Wu ate very politely, not requiring any concern.

Occasionally, Jiang Shangxue would reach out to brush aside Yun Wu’s stray hairs. The scene was filled with warmth and affection.

The three sat in a conspicuous spot by the window.

Xu Chacha and Peng Huahua came down from the upper floor and saw them immediately.

Xu Chacha had seen Jiang Shangxue surrounded by bodyguards not long ago and was curious about who the person in the middle was. Now she saw her sitting with Yun Wu.

Thinking of Yun Wu’s first place on the mock exam, and that the matter Fang Wenli had confidently promised to resolve this morning was still unsettled, Xu Chacha suddenly felt uneasy.

Peng Huahua saw Xu Chacha’s bad expression and immediately said, “Should we find someone to teach her a lesson after school, when Ye Mei isn’t around?”

Shaking her head, Xu Chacha walked out with a sullen face. “Let’s wait and see what Teacher Fang says first.”

Jiang Shangxue ate very little. She placed all the pork ribs in Yun Wu’s bowl.

Ye Mei watched, feeling sour. “I wish my mom could be this gentle and patient with me. I’d wake up laughing in my dreams.”

Thinking that Yun Wu still didn’t know Auntie Jiang’s identity, Ye Mei’s eyes darted around. She deliberately said,

“Yun Wu, why don’t you just acknowledge Auntie Jiang as your mom? She’s so good to you. My own mother isn’t this good to me.”

Jiang Shangxue smiled without commenting.

Yun Wu’s heart seemed to skip a beat. She quickly looked up at Jiang Shangxue, then lowered her head again.

There was central air conditioning in the cafeteria, so it wasn’t hot. Yun Wu lowered her head, her ears straining, waiting for Jiang Shangxue’s answer, whether from nervousness, uncertainty, or both.

Yun Wu answered in her own heart: She was willing.

No matter what Jiang Shangxue’s intentions were, as long as she continued to be this kind to her, even if it was fake, she was willing.

But Jiang Shangxue didn’t answer.

Her eyes slowly curved into a smile. Seeing that Yun Wu had nearly finished eating, Jiang Shangxue brought up the matter of the class transfer.

“I heard your homeroom teacher has a very poor reputation. I happen to have a project connecting with East Villa High School, so I casually mentioned the matter of changing your class to the person in charge. Which class would you like to transfer to?”

Jiang Shangxue sat sideways, her long hair tied back low. A section of the Buddha beads on her wrist was visible. Her expression was calm.

A hint of surprise flashed in Yun Wu’s eyes. Yun Wu knew that changing classes was not something Jiang Shangxue would usually do without consulting her first.

That wasn’t her style.

Yun Wu fell into a brief silence. Ye Mei, however, was unexpectedly excited.

“Then I’m changing classes too! Let’s switch to Class One! I’ve long heard that the teachers in Class One are all excellent! Especially the English teacher—not only is she beautiful, but her temperament is superb!”

“Wu Wu, come with me.”

Yun Wu didn’t answer. She looked directly into Jiang Shangxue’s eyes, which held a faint concern.

As her emotions slowly settled, Yun Wu spoke quietly, “Thank you, Auntie Jiang. Then I’ll listen to Ye Mei and go to Class One.”

The class she was in didn’t matter much to Yun Wu.

What she truly cared about was why Jiang Shangxue suddenly wanted to help her change classes.

Did she find out something? But I never mentioned the situation at school.

Yun Wu instinctively didn’t want Jiang Shangxue to know about those humiliating, dark incidents.

She didn’t need those things to win extra sympathy.

Her back stiffened. Yun Wu lowered her eyelashes, her gaze fixed on Jiang Shangxue’s hands.

Jiang Shangxue was adjusting her sleeves and paused at Yun Wu’s words.

Yun Wu’s heart seemed to pause with her.

Suddenly, Yun Wu realized that both of Jiang Shangxue’s palms were swollen, just like her hands were swollen that night she taught Zhao Rongrong a lesson in the alley.

No, they were even more swollen than that night.

Her body reacted faster than her consciousness. Before Yun Wu could react, she had already reached out and grabbed both of Jiang Shangxue’s hands.

Jiang Shangxue didn’t pull away. Instead, she gently stroked the back of Yun Wu’s hands in a comforting manner.

“I accidentally bumped them. I’ve already applied medicine. I’m fine.”

They stared at each other from an arm’s distance. Yun Wu was the first to look away, her face burning.

An excuse. A clumsy excuse.

Who could accidentally injure both hands like this? But Yun Wu couldn’t utter any words of rebuttal.

Jiang Shangxue’s composed demeanor and gently smiling eyes always made people subconsciously believe her.

Tightening her fingers, Yun Wu was somewhat lost in thought.

The two maintained the posture of holding hands. The cafeteria had emptied out considerably, but people still occasionally looked their way. It felt a little strange.

Jiang Shangxue gently called her, “Wu Wu, you should let go now.”

Abruptly brought back to her senses, Yun Wu looked at Jiang Shangxue’s teasing expression, feeling a mix of shyness and annoyance.

The warmth in her palm was becoming searing. Her action was already a bit abrupt. Yun Wu suppressed the surging emotions in her heart. Far from releasing Jiang Shangxue’s hands, she gripped them tighter and cautiously lowered her head to blow gently on them.

“Auntie Jiang, you must be more careful in the future. Don’t get bumped again.”

The girl’s eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. She held Jiang Shangxue’s hands, blowing lightly on them with immense care.

The slightly warm airflow felt like a soft feather brushing past.

Something in Jiang Shangxue’s heart was gently tugged. She quietly watched Yun Wu.

After a long while, she said, “Wu Wu, be a good girl. Auntie will take care of herself. Instead, you shouldn’t be so sullen or so yielding. That makes you an easy target for bullying.”

Looking at the students passing by outside the window, their faces mostly displayed the pride and confidence bred by their wealthy upbringings. In contrast, Yun Wu seemed to lack that youthful vitality.

Jiang Shangxue thought for a moment and continued, “From now on, no matter who bullies you, Auntie will stand behind you. Of course, you also need to learn to fight back. You can’t always endure everything silently.”

With that, Jiang Shangxue gently withdrew her hands from Yun Wu’s grasp.

When her hand was empty, Yun Wu’s chest hitched.

Jiang Shangxue’s words held a double meaning. Yun Wu understood.

She forced herself to nod calmly. “I know, Auntie Jiang.”

Ye Mei, who had been observing the scene of motherly affection the entire time, was deeply moved, although she still felt something was slightly off.

After finishing lunch, it was almost time to return to the classroom. Jiang Shangxue originally wanted to accompany Yun Wu to complete the class transfer before leaving, but Yun Wu refused.

“It’s just moving a desk. Auntie Jiang, go take care of your business.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Shangxue knew Yun Wu was thoughtful and didn’t insist. With Ye Mei accompanying her, Jiang Shangxue felt at ease.

Yun Wu watched Jiang Shangxue walk out of sight before returning to the classroom with Ye Mei.

Fang Wenli was nowhere to be seen. Yun Wu and Ye Mei went directly to Class One’s homeroom teacher, Teacher Bo.

“Teacher Bo.”

When the two appeared at the office door, Teacher Bo recognized them, abruptly backed away a step, and patted his chest.

Then, realizing his reaction was a bit exaggerated, he awkwardly picked up his water cup and responded, “Mhm. Teacher Fang went to the hospital. Do you need something?”

“We’re not looking for Teacher Fang…”

After listening to their request, Teacher Bo looked very happy. “Yes, yes, of course! You can just move your desks over. Do you need me to call a few boys to help?”

“No need, thank you, teacher.”

Yun Wu found Teacher Bo’s attitude very strange. He wasn’t just not cold; he was overly enthusiastic.

Suspiciously, she looked at Ye Mei beside her. “Are you and Teacher Bo very close?”

“No. He teaches math. Close my foot! I hate all math teachers.”

Ye Mei was thick-skinned and didn’t notice anything unusual.

The two grunted and strained as they moved their desks. By the time they carried the desk for the twentieth time, Fang Wenli, her head wrapped in gauze, entered through the main entrance of the teaching building.

The two initially didn’t recognize her, only finding her familiar.

Unexpectedly, the person walking toward them screamed and stumbled backward as if she had seen a ghost. She accidentally slammed her face into the wall, letting out a heart-wrenching shriek.

Hearing the sound, the two realized it was Fang Wenli.

Ye Mei was about to tell her about the class change, but Fang Wenli looked as if she had seen a ghost, turned around, and ran away.

“Did something go wrong with her head?” Ye Mei pointed to her own head.

Yun Wu shook her head, not speaking, but the pensive look in her eyes grew more intense. Seeing Fang Wenli’s ridiculously swollen face, Yun Wu instantly understood how Jiang Shangxue’s hands were injured.

Teacher Bo’s exaggerated reaction was probably also because of Jiang Shangxue.

Yun Wu sighed deeply, her eyes feeling sore. She blinked quickly, forcing back the welling tears.

Ye Mei was still debating whether Fang Wenli had suffered divine retribution. Yun Wu was amused by her.

After a moment, Yun Wu suddenly grabbed Ye Mei, her expression solemn, and asked her.

“Ye Mei, would you want a younger brother or sister?”