9. Apology

Although Chen Ruowen ultimately compromised, the fact that she had been forced to go against her own nature left her feeling stifled. After leaving the principal’s office, she didn’t spare Bai Jinyan even a glance, slamming the door behind her without a word.

Bai Jinyan was at first somewhat helpless at her reaction, but when Principal Xiong emerged from his office to announce the resolution of the matter, Bai Jinyan stood there stunned for a full minute before he could process it.

What was going on? Chen Ruowen had only demanded a public apology from the other party? With her vengeful disposition, it was unthinkable for her to let someone who had nearly laid hands on her off so easily.

And yet… Had Chen Ruowen really changed her ways?

The thin, dark-skinned girl clearly refused to accept this outcome. Not until the principal kept her back for a talk did she reluctantly return to write the apology letter.

For two days, Chen Ruowen ignored Bai Jinyan completely. She did not cling to him at lunch or dinner, nor did she accompany him to the cafeteria. Instead, the moment the bell rang, she would leave the school grounds and slip into a discreet BMW, heading for a nearby restaurant. Bai Jinyan tried to approach her twice, but both times Chen Ruowen met him with an icy indifference, refusing to acknowledge him.

On Friday at noon, after returning from lunch, Chen Ruowen stood by the corridor railing, lost in thought, when someone timidly tapped her on the shoulder. Chen Ruowen turned around coldly and saw a beautiful face, unfamiliar yet somehow recognizable.

It was Guo Jingyuan, the protagonist of the recent turmoil.

Today, she was wearing the same white dress as before. Though a bit worn, it was spotless and neatly pressed. Her back was slightly stooped, not from poor posture but rather as if she were burdened by a profound sense of insecurity.

Chen Ruowen had once felt a measure of goodwill toward her, but after Guo Jingyuan had fled amidst the chaos the other day, that feeling had faded. So she merely glanced at Guo Jingyuan before turning away, staring off into the distance below.

Left unacknowledged, Guo Jingyuan grew even more anxious. She stood beside Chen Ruowen, fidgeting awkwardly, before finally speaking in a barely audible voice.

“Cl–classmate… last time… I accidentally bumped into you… I’m… I’m sorry.”

So she had come to apologize? Chen Ruowen gave a derisive snort and finally looked seriously at Guo Jingyuan.

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”

This made Guo Jingyuan’s already pale face turn even whiter. She lowered her head further, but when she spoke again, her voice was a little louder.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Still can’t hear you!”

“I’m… I’m sorry!”

Eyes shut tight, Guo Jingyuan shouted the words, bowing deeply to Chen Ruowen.

Hmph, now that’s more like it.

Unfortunately, Chen Ruowen was hardly the forgiving sort. Though satisfied with the volume, she still had to find fault.

“No one ever told you? If you want to apologize sincerely, you should look the other person in the eye.”

Guo Jingyuan’s body trembled slightly. Then, slowly, she raised her head and met Chen Ruowen’s gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

Her eyes were clear as spring water—pure, serene, yet deeply wounded.

“And?” Chen Ruowen, momentarily stunned by those eyes, pressed on relentlessly.

This further humiliation brought a flush to Guo Jingyuan’s pale cheeks, but she mustered her courage and continued.

“Thank you… for standing up for me last time.”

“And?”

“I shouldn’t have run away in the chaos. I’m sorry.”

She said this last part far more smoothly than anything before, and Chen Ruowen finally nodded in satisfaction, saying nothing more.

Yet Guo Jingyuan remained beside her, shifting uneasily as if struggling to find the words.

“Why are you still standing here?” Chen Ruowen’s impatience flared again.

After a long, stammering silence, Guo Jingyuan finally whispered, “I… you… could you… help me?”

Ever since that incident, she had suffered from hostile stares at school. Her classmates whispered about her behind her back, looked down on her, and invented countless malicious rumors.

Things like the other day—being harassed by a male student and then chased around for uttering a single word—had happened more times than she could count. Yet not a single person had stepped in to stop it. The girl before her was the first, and the only one.

Guo Jingyuan didn’t know why this girl had helped her, but she was her only hope.

It was their final year of high school. If she continued to be plagued by rumors, unable to focus on her studies as she had in her junior year, then when next year’s college entrance exams came…

Guo Jingyuan dared not imagine the outcome.

With the recent storm just subsiding and no one daring to trouble her, Guo Jingyuan had immediately thought of the girl who had stood up for her.

“Help you?”

Chen Ruowen studied Guo Jingyuan. It wasn’t hard to guess what she wanted, but remembering her poor showing last time, Chen Ruowen snorted and looked away.

“Not interested.”

Guo Jingyuan’s face went white. Had she heard the rumors too, and now looked down on her? Was she unwilling to speak to her for the same reason?

Lowering her head in dejection, she whispered, “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

Her eyes were like a candle guttering in the wind—one turn away from being snuffed out, plunging into darkness.

Chen Ruowen sighed.

She suddenly realized that lately she seemed to have developed a habit of meddling in other people’s business.

“If you want someone’s help, shouldn’t you start by explaining the whole story?”

Guo Jingyuan’s head jerked up in surprise, hope rekindling in her eyes. She took a moment to steady herself, then began telling her tale.

“My relationship with my family isn’t good. The year before last, they arranged a marriage for me…”

“The man they chose was nearly forty. Of course I couldn’t accept it, but he didn’t care—he even followed me to school, spouting all sorts of filth, and enlisted others to make my life miserable here.

All my classmates began gossiping behind my back, and because of it… some people…”

Her voice trembled, and she bit her lip.

“I refused, so they called me a prude, saying I was only pretending to be pure, and spread rumors that I was deliberately seducing them. The boys despised me, and the girls even more so. I used to be in the honors class for liberal arts, but all this made it impossible to study, so I was transferred to the regular class. The college entrance exam is approaching, and if things go on like this, I’m afraid…”

“The exam is my only chance to change my fate and escape my family. I’m terrified—afraid that in this final year I’ll still be surrounded by all these rumors and chaos. If I don’t get into a top university, my life will be over! So… could you… could you please…”

Under Guo Jingyuan’s hopeful yet cautious gaze, Chen Ruowen rubbed her temples.

“Tell me… I suppose your family includes a stepmother?”