"Are you here to apologize?" Xue Jiao chuckled lightly.
Her demeanor appeared to Cheng Mingjiao as the smug triumph of a victor.
Cheng Mingjiao was nearly overcome with rage, but with Bai Xiumei standing right beside her, she suppressed it, grinding her teeth as she said, "Yes, I'm here to apologize."
Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze sat on the sofa, while Li Sitong poured water for the elderly lady, her expression complicated as she watched them.
Cheng Mingjiao felt utterly humiliated, but she still remembered every sharp word the old woman had said the night before.
She had said, "Cheng Mingjiao, you are a young lady of the Cheng family. Our family has treated Gu Xue Jiao fairly. Before, no matter what she did, we didn’t interfere because she bore the surname Gu, not Cheng. For sixteen years, you’ve been the well-spoken-of young lady in our circles. Do you really want to sacrifice your reputation over this one incident, over Gu Xue Jiao?"
The old woman had continued, "If you had always been immature, it would be one thing. But you were known for being sweet and sensible—many elders have even considered arranging matches between you and their children once you came of age. You used to respect Li Sitong and Gu Xue Jiao. Now that Xue Jiao has just started improving, you suddenly change. People will only think you’re scheming, that your past obedience was all an act. Think for yourself—is it worth it?"
It wasn’t! Not at all!
Cheng Mingjiao took a deep breath and looked at Xue Jiao as she spoke: "Cousin, I’m sorry. It was all my fault. Yesterday, I was so angry I lost my head and said things I shouldn’t have. I absolutely didn’t mean any of it! I hope you can forgive me!"
Bai Xiumei smiled in relief, and Li Sitong also smiled.
"Cousin, since you’ve realized your mistake, remember to reflect on it today. I thought about it all night and couldn’t figure out what I did wrong. Since you say it was all your fault, when you read your reflection in class today, remember to clarify that your cousin did nothing wrong, so there’s no need for me to reflect."
Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes widened, and she nearly jumped up. "What?! Read a reflection in class?!"
"Right." Xue Jiao blinked innocently.
Cheng Mingjiao was so furious she could barely breathe. "You—you—you actually want me to apologize in public?!"
Xue Jiao nodded.
"Dream on! Teacher Yin never said anything about apologizing in class!"
"I’m saying it now," Xue Jiao replied cheerfully.
"Jiao Jiao, Mingjiao already knows she was wrong. She’s just a young girl—having her apologize in class..." Bai Xiumei hesitated, looking troubled.
Noticing Bai Xiumei’s discomfort, Li Sitong instinctively chimed in, "Jiao Jiao, since Mingjiao has already apologized, maybe there’s no need for a public apology?"
"Jiao Jiao, family disputes shouldn’t be aired in public. Mingjiao spoke out of turn this time, but don’t hold it against her." Seeing Li Sitong soften, Bai Xiumei stepped forward, taking Xue Jiao’s hand with an apologetic and affectionate expression.
Xue Jiao pretended to adjust her hair, pulling her hand away.
"Grandma, I’m not trying to make things difficult for Mingjiao. Last time in class, she loudly and confidently called my mother and me ‘fox spirits.’ People don’t know the details of our family matters, and since those words came from Mingjiao’s mouth, I’m afraid they might take it seriously."
She paused. "If they do, my life in class will be miserable from now on. Besides, I don’t want them misunderstanding my mother... Rather than reading a reflection, Mingjiao should be clarifying the truth."Li Sitong's expression froze instantly—how could anyone want their own reputation to be tarnished? She had always conducted herself with integrity; there was no reason for her to be misunderstood.
Thus, Li Sitong remained silent, instead wearing a look of agreement.
Bai Xiumei's face darkened momentarily. She had forced Cheng Mingjiao to apologize in order to downplay the matter, not to achieve this outcome!
"Jiao Jiao, isn't it enough for Mingjiao to explain privately? She's still young and thin-skinned."
Xue Jiao shook her head. "A private explanation won't carry much weight. What if some people still don't know the truth? It would be better for her to make a public apology in class—that way, everyone will understand it was just Mingjiao misspeaking in a moment of thoughtlessness."
"So, Mingjiao should write the truth in her apology letter and explain it publicly today."
"No way!" Cheng Mingjiao exploded, unable to hold back any longer.
She was the one who had been hit, yet everyone was forcing her to apologize to Gu Xue Jiao. An apology was bad enough—why did she have to make a public statement?!
"You refuse?"
"I refuse! Don’t even think about it!" Cheng Mingjiao glared, her eyes wide.
"Grandma, please talk some sense into Mingjiao. If she doesn’t apologize, who knows what rumors will spread in class? Besides, next month after the monthly exams... there’s going to be a parent-teacher meeting. What will people think of my mom then?"
She put on a troubled expression. "All of this happened because Mingjiao slandered me. That’s why I think it’s best for Mingjiao to clarify things properly."
Xue Jiao smiled.
Bai Xiumei and Cheng Mingjiao wanted to sweep this under the rug, but that depended on whether she was willing to let them.
Never mind the countless underhanded tricks Cheng Mingjiao had played on Gu Xue Jiao in the past—just the repeated provocations since her arrival and this casual slander were enough for Xue Jiao to refuse to let it go so easily.
Bai Xiumei’s smile was strained.
Li Sitong froze when she heard about the parent-teacher meeting. In the past, Cheng Shuo had always attended Cheng Mingze’s meetings, while she attended Gu Xue Jiao’s. If the students in Xue Jiao’s class all misunderstood her and truly believed she was some kind of seductress...
Moreover, No. 7 High School was a prestigious institution, and the advanced class was full of talented students—many of whom were children of influential figures in their social circle. If rumors about her spread, how could she face people in the future?
At this thought, she tugged at Cheng Shuo’s sleeve, her face full of worry.
Cheng Shuo patted her hand and stood up. "It really is necessary to clarify things during the apology. Mingjiao, if you’ve made a mistake, you should correct it. The consequences of your careless words are yours to resolve."
"No!" Cheng Mingjiao’s gaze swept over to Xue Jiao, who was still smiling.
Her eyes were half-lidded, filled with the smug challenge of a victor.
Cheng Mingjiao was instantly infuriated by that look, her entire body burning like oil set aflame.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I won’t apologize publicly! She didn’t have to apologize, so why should I do it in front of the whole class?!"
She couldn’t even imagine standing in front of the class and admitting she had slandered Gu Xue Jiao.
No way! Not in her wildest dreams!
"Mingjiao, it was your reckless words that caused this..." Xue Jiao’s every sentence emphasized that Cheng Mingjiao’s statement had been baseless, forcing her to relive her own words again and again.
So when Cheng Mingjiao’s rage left her mind blank, she blurted out: "I will never apologize publicly! I wasn’t wrong—your mom and you are both seductresses!"
Slap!
Cheng Mingjiao was struck across the face.
The one who had slapped her was none other than Li Sitong!
This time, not just everyone else—even Xue Jiao was stunned.Previously, Li Sitong must have been angry, but no matter how furious she was, she never thought of doing anything to Cheng Mingjiao. She had always been cautious in the Cheng family, and the idea of hitting Cheng Mingjiao was something she wouldn’t have dared to imagine before today.
But she did it anyway!
Li Sitong’s hands trembled as she cried after striking her: “Cheng Mingjiao! How dare you say such things about me and Jiao Jiao!”
“You hit me! You actually hit me!” Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Cheng Mingjiao!” Cheng Shuo roared at her. “Look at the kind of nonsense you’re spouting!”
“She hit me! I don’t have an aunt like her!”
“Then don’t call me your uncle either!” Cheng Shuo said coldly.
Bai Xiumei gasped for breath, her fingers shaking slightly. How had things escalated to this point?!
“Cheng Mingjiao…” Compared to Cheng Shuo’s furious shouting, Bai Xiumei’s voice was almost soft. She stared at the hysterical girl before her and murmured, “You’ve truly disappointed me…”
“You’re all bullying me! All of you!” Her words came out in a near-silent whisper as she turned and stumbled away in a rage.
Bai Xiumei swayed slightly. “Eldest! Go after her!”
“Mom!”
“No matter how disobedient she is, we can’t let anything happen to her. Find her and take her home first!” Bai Xiumei ordered.
Despite his earlier angry words, Cheng Shuo still cared for his only niece. Grabbing his coat, he hurried after her.
Xue Jiao turned and walked to the dining table, drinking a glass of milk and picking up a piece of bread.
Time was up—
She ate the bread as she walked outside.
Cheng Mingze, who had remained silent the entire time, was momentarily stunned before grabbing his schoolbag. “Grandma, Aunt Li, I’ll head to class first!”
—
By the time she got into Uncle Xing’s car, Xue Jiao had just finished her bread. She sat quietly in the backseat, holding her schoolbag.
Cheng Mingze sat beside her, his gaze lingering on her.
“You…”
Xue Jiao turned her head, looking at him expressionlessly, her eyes cold.
Cheng Mingze hesitated before speaking. “Today, you…”
“What? Going to stand up for your sister?” Her tone was mocking, her expression half-smirking. Yet some people were so striking that even a scornful look couldn’t diminish their brilliance.
Cheng Mingze averted his eyes uncomfortably, frowning. “You’re also my sister.”
“Oh.” Xue Jiao neither agreed nor disagreed.
Silence fell between them.
Xue Jiao’s gaze drifted to the window. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the road leading to Seventh High School was already bustling with traffic.
Cheng Mingjiao had lost—not only lost but also clashed with Li Sitong. Would this mean they’d have to deal with her antics less in the future?
Her eyes remained unfocused, idly watching the passing cars outside.
Suddenly, Xue Jiao recalled the message she had received that morning—from that cunning man.
Back then, when she had mentioned that Cheng Mingjiao had come with Bai Xiumei, his reply had been—
"Since her grandmother came with her, it means Cheng Mingjiao wasn’t here willingly—at least not sincerely to apologize. She still believes she was right. But she will apologize to you. If you outright refuse, the label of ‘being unreasonable’ will shift from her to you. However, you can’t simply accept it either, or else the matter will be resolved, and next time, she’ll only escalate further." ["I suggest you try to shift the conflict. Personally, I believe your mother's attitude is problematic. Between you and Cheng Mingjiao, she will always go out of her way to protect Mingjiao due to her own position. Since Mingjiao hasn't recognized her mistake, you can keep reminding her of what she said and then provoke her with the approach she finds most unacceptable. When she's furious and that phrase keeps echoing in her head, she'll definitely blurt it out again."]
["As long as she says those words a second time—especially in front of your mother—that becomes proof of her disdain for your mother. Then your mother's attitude won't matter anymore. After she says those words, your stepfather will surely be furious. Between an angry stepfather and your cousin, your grandmother won't be able to simply shield Mingjiao anymore. From then on, the core conflict in the Cheng family will no longer be between you and your cousin, but between your mother and Mingjiao."]
Thinking of those words, Xue Jiao's lips twitched slightly. Lin Zhihua's idea grew more brilliant the more she considered it. This way, at least she could relax for quite some time, right?
But... if he found out she'd called him a cunning old fox, would he glare at her in anger?
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