Chapter Fifty-Two: Your Father Has Returned (VIII)

While Chao Xu stood in the center of attention, she too swept her gaze, almost imperceptibly, across the faces of the students below. Human microexpressions are the most telling indicators of what lies beneath the surface. She could easily discern that the majority of the class had, at some point, taken part in the bullying of the former Chao Si. The instant their eyes landed on her face, a fleeting confusion passed, followed by a barely noticeable flicker of guilt.

Alright then, all duly noted. Meticulously, in her mind’s notebook, Chao Xu matched names to faces, quietly relegating those individuals to her blacklist. Reining in her thoughts, she looked up just in time to catch sight of the girl who had been bullied earlier—a thoughtful glint flashed in her eyes.

This girl was different from the others. At the sight of her, the girl instinctively lifted her head, her eyes bright and brimming with joy. But almost immediately, upon recognizing the differences between the person before her and the one in her memory, she quickly lowered her gaze again, shrinking back into her timid, shadowed self.

Instinct told Chao Xu that this girl must have been close to the original Chao Si. Judging by her earlier fury, she might be one of the rare few in this class to have had a good relationship with the former occupant of this body. For now, she’d be placed on the probationary whitelist.

Having more or less categorized everyone in the class, Chao Xu turned slightly and asked, “Teacher, where is my seat?”

Lu Yuehong was momentarily stunned, suddenly realizing that in her excitement, she had completely forgotten to assign a seat in advance—a grave oversight! Lu Yuehong nearly wanted to slap herself. As she fretted, a sweet, delicate voice rose from below.

“There’s an empty seat next to me, teacher. You can let Chao sit beside me.”

All eyes turned to the speaker, Chao Xu’s among them. Only then did she realize it was Shen Lu, the familiar face she’d met just two days before.

Ah, a green tea schemer.

Recalling how Shen Lu had clawed her flesh that day, Chao Xu’s expression remained placid, but privately she moved Shen Lu’s name to the top of her blacklist.

Not knowing any better, Shen Lu glanced shyly at Chao Xu, mistaking the attention for interest. With downcast eyes, she murmured softly, “Chao Si isn’t here now; you can sit here instead.”

This demure, blushing damsel act was the very image of first love in the dreams of most boys. Yet the girls, seeing such feigned delicacy, yearned to scratch that pretty face.

After all, who didn’t know that the new transfer student was heir to one of the Ten Great Families?

Clinging to such a figure would guarantee success; even catching a stray hair from her would be enough to ensure prosperity. Not to mention, she was beautiful enough to embody every girl’s fantasy of a princely figure. Normally, Shen Lu was popular among the girls, but at this moment she’d become public enemy number one.

Shen Lu, however, cared little; to the victor go the spoils. If the others hesitated to speak up and she seized the chance, that was their own fault.

Just as everyone, Shen Lu included, assumed Chao Xu would take the offered seat, Chao Xu declined lightly.

“No need. I don’t particularly like that spot.”

She dreaded lingering near a green tea schemer for too long, lest she absorb some of that tainted air.

And to rid oneself of such a foul taint required many baths—a waste of water, and that simply wouldn’t do.