Chapter 27 Zhao Mei

"Late on your first day of school? Get back to your seat!"

Teacher Zhuo in Class Ding was a very old man. When he spoke, it was as if he had a mouthful of water in his throat. His sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, made people's hearts tremble.

Xiao Yuxuan wasn't really a fourteen-year-old girl, so naturally she wasn't afraid of such a teacher. She smiled and bowed, instructing Hongzhu to sit outside with her companions, before stepping to the only empty seat in the corner.

The classroom was already filled with a dozen or so female students of varying ages, ranging from fourteen to sixteen, and most of them looked at Xiao Yuxuan with a strange expression.

The whispers reached Xiao Yuxuan's ears:

"Is she Xiao Yuyao's younger sister? The one who makes her take leave every other day? How dare she come to the girls' school? Does she even deserve to?"

"She doesn't seem like an arrogant or domineering person, or is she just putting on an act?"

"I heard that she used to be an embroiderer in an embroidery shop when she was away from home. Her hands, which were used to holding needle and thread, were also able to hold a pen?"

"Silence—" Master Zhuo patted the ruler, cleared his throat and said, "This is your new classmate, Xiao Yuxuan. From now on, you should respect and love each other and not cause trouble."

Master Zhuo originally came from the Imperial Academy, where the students had no pressure of the imperial examinations, and the teaching was all rather basic. The girls, on the other hand, weren't really interested in the subject, so it was quite relaxed. But a month ago, even this old scholar, who seemed detached from worldly affairs, heard about it—

Xiao Yuyao from Class A, the student who consistently ranked in the top ten in every exam, was discovered to be not her parents' biological daughter. But that wasn't the end of it; after her biological daughter returned, she subjected Xiao Yuyao to all sorts of humiliation and torment. The student frequently had to take leave to stay home and recuperate, and many students and teachers felt indignant on her behalf.

Having lived to this age, he had more experience than these young women. He had only wanted a leisurely job, but unexpectedly, the Princess placed the child in his class, and Lin Kuangzheng, the former superior of the Imperial Academy, even personally visited him to ask him to take good care of her.

So be it, what difference does it make whether I manage one more or one less? If Xiao Yuxuan's personality is really as bad as the rumors say, he has plenty of ways to set things right.

Xiao Yuxuan took her seat and arranged the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone herself. Besides Master Zhuo in front of her, there were quite a few other people observing her actions.

She had wanted to see how she would make a fool of herself on the first day, but to her surprise, everything became obedient in her hands. She calmly arranged everything, opened the book on the table, and as she looked up, she inadvertently met a pair of eyes.

There was no malicious speculation or expectation in those eyes, only pure curiosity and kind observation.

The girl sitting to her left had a youthful face with a bit of baby fat. She wore a pale yellow dress and jewelry that was priceless, but she had never seen it before in her previous life.

"Today we will talk about Zheng Bo Ke Duan Yu Yan..."

Master Zhuo had already started lecturing. Xiao Yuxuan smiled at her but didn't say anything more.

A class lasts half an hour, followed by a break of about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The little girl in yellow seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still came closer and asked:

"Miss Xiao, my name is Zhao Mei. If you have any questions, you can ask me."

"Pshaw, you talk as if you're very knowledgeable. You're last in your class, and you still have the nerve to ask people questions? It's laughable."

On the other side, among a group of people whispering together, a girl in white was the first to mock Zhao Mei. After she finished speaking, the others also laughed softly, clearly disliking her.

Xiao Yuxuan stood up, subtly shielding the girl who had just shown her kindness behind her, and whispered to the group:

"Dear classmates, harsh words can be hurtful, even in the heat of summer. It's best to be mindful of your words."

She remembered those people; they were the ones who had whispered mocking remarks to her when she entered the classroom.

"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, ask her if she's always last place. As for you, we don't need to say anything more, right?"

"What kind of kind person would be capable of being so harsh on my older sister?"

"Yeah, it's not surprising that one is stupid and the other is bad, they can hang out together."

Before Xiao Yuxuan could speak, Zhao Mei jumped out and shouted weakly:

"If you keep saying that, I'll tell the Master!"

"And tell the teacher that people only pity you because you spend so much money. What else do you have besides a rich father?"

The group chattered amongst themselves, and Zhao Mei's face quickly flushed red. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let a drop fall. Seeing that she couldn't win the argument, she turned to meet Xiao Yuxuan's gaze and said dejectedly:

"I'm sorry, my grades are really bad. Please just pretend I didn't say anything."

She feared that the classmates she had finally mustered the courage to befriend would still look down on her because of her grades and her merchant background, and become one of those who mocked her.

Can academic performance be used to measure whether you are a good or bad person?

Xiao Yuxuan took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears from Zhao Mei's eyes, then looked at the other girls:

“You say her father paid a lot of money to get her in. Is there any difference between her, me, and you? Yuxiu Academy is no longer the place where women of the world could fight for a place to stand. Money, power, and influence make no difference here.”

These words were sharp and biting, almost insulting every girl who went to the girls' school, but they were impossible to refute because what she said was true.

The group exchanged glances, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.

Xiao Yuxuan turned to look at Zhao Mei, only to find that the other woman's eyes were frighteningly bright, and she subconsciously took a step back.

"Miss Xiao, you are amazing."

Zhao Mei praised her softly, "I just can't say things like that. I clearly think the same thing, but when the words get to my lips, I just don't dare to say them..."

Xiao Yuxuan understood. She had been the same way in her past life. She had so many things she wanted to say to explain and defend herself, but for one reason or another, she didn't say them. In the end, she suffered injustice for nothing and had to bear the blame that wasn't hers.

"You're still young, things will get better."

She didn't understand this principle until she was in her thirties.

So Hongzhu brought in some snacks and saw Xiao Yuxuan and Zhao Mei huddled together discussing the previous lesson.

"Girl, have some snacks before you start learning."

She pushed over a small plate of delicate pastries, and Xiao Yuxuan introduced them to Hongzhu:

"This is Miss Zhao Mei. Her family are imperial merchants who supply the Imperial Workshops. We met today, but we hit it off immediately."

Hongzhu greeted him politely, but Zhao Mei didn't care about such formalities. Seeing that Hongzhu was young and cute, she took her hand and invited her to eat the snacks that the Zhao family had prepared for her.

"Wow, it's quite lively here."

A figure in red squeezed in; it was Zheng Yanling, who had come from Class A for a visit. Seeing the books spread out on Xiao Yuxuan's desk, she pointed out the errors in the annotations without any politeness:

"This sentence is miswritten; it should be..."

Zhao Mei blushed again; that book was hers.