In a dimly lit room, kneeled two people. One was a teenager, and the other an adorable five-year-old. Both boys had their hands behind their backs and heads hanging low.
"Pl-please, don't ground me." A tiny terrified voice spoke out.
"Thirty days, no hugs or kisses."
"But Yaorui Jie!" the child whined.
"You are five-years-old for goodness sakes Cheng Cheng! You aren't even supposed to know those words yet! I thought you were an innocent cute baby. But you told me lies like it was nothing, a five-year-old shouldn't even know how to lie. It breaks my heart to think that. I am going to have a talk with your father after this. And you should be thankful that a month is all I'm giving you." Li Yaorui gently grabbed Licheng's chin and made him watch as a single tear slid down her face.
"I'm sorry, Yaorui Jie. I-I'll never lies again." Gu Licheng started to weep, never in his life has he seen his Yaorui Jie cry. Not even once, so seeing her cry for the first time and knowing he was the cause...Licheng could not take the pressure. "Jie Jie," he cried.
"We're...super sorry Yaorui-ah. We are so, so, so sorry. If we'd known that a little play fight would turn out this way..."
"Hu Angli, I thought you'd be better. I let you in. You are lucky that you did not do any wrong. But just to teach you a lesson, I will not speak to you for two weeks. If I ever see that behaviour to a child, I'm not what would happen. I believe that the way you treat a person, especially a child, will give either a positive or negative impact on one's life. If you yell at a child, they will not trust you. If you care and encourage a child, they will become a close confidant for you."
"I-I understand. Thanks though...for giving me a shorter punishment." Yaorui nodded in acknowledgment.
"Same rules apply as before. If you want to shorten your punishment, do something good, don't pay or bribe people into tricking me. Simple as that, any questions?"
"I can still talk to you, right?" Hu Angli asked.
"I guess, I'm just going to ignore though."
"That is all I need to know." He smiled.
"If there is nothing else, your punishment begins...now." Both boys stood up, accepting the fact that this was their punishment. Hu Angli picked up the crying boy and comforted him as he carried Licheng out of the surveillance room behind Yaorui.
"Are we going back to the classroom?" He could only ask yes or no questions now that detailed verbal responses were going to be off-limits. He saw Yaorui's head move up and down. He turned towards the sniffling boy in his arms.
"You have to be strong now. We are going to see your father right now, so you have to be strong for him, okay?" The boy nodded, his sniffling dying down. Hu Angli wiped off the remaining tears and held the boy tighter. If he was going to win Yaorui's heart, he'll need some help.
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Yaorui's POV
Yaorui could hear Angli's whispering something to Cheng Cheng, and she wanted to know what he said. But she couldn't, she was to ignore the teenager for two weeks. Though she knew that it was going to be less than two weeks due to the mysterious and determined glint she saw earlier in his eyes.
"Let's see what he has in store," Her face revealed nothing, but her eyes said it all. (she needed to work on that.)
The three of them were led back to the classroom where Lu Sheng Rong, Song Gebao and another boy stood.
"Yaorui, we got the text. What did our Meng Bao do to be punished like this? He is only five, what could he have done to deserve this punishment in return?" Gebao worriedly consulted Yaorui.
"His lies are too big, his acting too good, and his mind is becoming the mind of a schemer. He knows how to use others' feelings to his benefits, he needs to learn that lies and schemes will eventually lead to something dangerous. If he doesn't learn now, he will continue with his ways." Her voice was laced with disappointment and seriousness. "I'll show you the recording later." Yaorui's two friends nodded in acknowledgement. Their friend is rarely wrong and is very serious when it comes to justice.
"And Hu Angli? What about him?" Sheng Rong asked.
"He was grounded too."
"Why?" this time it was Gebao.
"He needs to know how to treat a child if he does not know how than his child will overthrow him in the future. Being a good parent means to care and encourage, not to shout and abuse." Sheng Rong and Gebao nodded in agreement. Even if the child was your own, you still have to earn the love and trust of the child.
"What is his punishment?"
"I'm not speaking to him for two weeks."
"WHAT!"
"Shhhh! Gebao you have to be quiet, there are other students taking exams."
"Sorry, but the poor boy will be heartbroken. Sheng Rong, we have to help him!"
"Why would he be heartbroken?" I asked.
"H-he's your friend r-right? So he might be upset that his friend is ignoring him?" Gebao answered.
"Okay...?"
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Meanwhile
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Angli's POV
I stared after her back as she approached her friends in solemn steps.
"Hey man, what's up with the kid?"
"He's Teacher Gu's kid, Gu Cheng Cheng."
"It's Gu Licheng! Only my Jies' get to call me Cheng Cheng."
"Okay, Gu Licheng," he rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, little young master," Mu Jian Nu bowed.
"I like him, you have been approved."
"What about me, Licheng, do you like me too?" Angli poked at him.
"You are okay. At least I know that you won't let Yaorui Jie be stolen away."
"Good enough." he nodded, satisfied, "How do you think Jiexu is doing? You'll think he'll pass?"
"I don't know, I mean, he's been a Class C student for...like ever! A jump that big seems kinda impossible."
"You're right. It all comes down to how determined he is to impress sister-in-law Gebao,"
"That reminds me, what happened between you two." Jian Nu glanced at Yaorui.
"I got grounded."
"Did I hear that, right? The Hu Angli of the Bloody Rose got grounded!" His friend nodded. "This is too good!" Jian Nu dropped onto the floor laughing, "Sis in law, must really be something! Man, imagine what would happen if I got into her good books! Oh god, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts! I can't take it! This is too good!"
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"Is he okay?" Sheng Rong asked.
"I don't know," Yaorui answered.
"Sheng Sheng, you check on him." Gebao urged.
"What! Why me?"
"Because you are the one worrying about him."
"Yaorui, help me!"
"I agree with Gebao, go check on him."
Angrily, Lu Sheng Rong stomped her way towards the dying boy and squatted next to him with her feet flat on the floor and her knees together.
"Wai! What's wrong with you? Are you dying?"
Mu Jian Nu stopped laughing and looked at the person who questioned his health.
"YAH! What makes you think I'm dying?" Jian Nu sat up and looked at Sheng Rong dead in the eyes.
"You are holding your stomach like your water broke."
"Are you calling me a girl!?"
"You are not pretty enough to be a girl."
"Are you calling me ugly!?"
"No, you look like a decent guy."
Mu Jian Nu stared at the daring girl. What does she mean decent!? He was deemed one of the most handsome teenage models in all of China!
Out of rage, his arm flew up intending to whack some sense into this girl's head.
"Why did you stand? It was so comfortable to sit like that~." Sheng Rong whined, standing up.
Jian Nu looked at her whiney face and realized that the brat's whiney face was too adorable to hit. Her face was shaped into a desirable V-shape and her eyes, fierce and mono lidded. Perfectly matching her sharp nose and cheekbones.
"You are lucky that I don't hit girls."
"Coward," She stuck out her tongue.
"Sheng Rong just leave it. Let's go see if my sisters' are done." Listening to Yaorui's advice, Sheng Rong turned around and left with her friends. Mu Jian Nu glared after her.
"You should control him, or Yaorui Jie will extend your punishment." Hu Angli nodded in understanding. Li Yaorui was not one to let her friends be bullied.
"He's right Jian Nu. If Jiexu finds out you ruined his chances with Sister in Law Gebao, he'll beat you up." he decided to go with a more threatening reason.
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Meanwhile, three girls silently made their way towards the first floor where the first years were placed. First years were restricted to the first floor unless they were permitted to go to the other floors by the teachers. They were not sorted into classes by knowledge but by talents or expertise, meaning, whatever you were worst at, you would study. This just makes sure that everyone was able to at least keep up with each other when they reached their second year, it was also a good way to maximize one's learning and knowledge.
Yaorui, Sheng Rong, and Gebao were able to find the twins in the first year cafeteria with a couple of other students. They were enjoying all the attention, mostly because everyone was giving them desserts and praising them.
"Here, I got you ten more steam buns, and another Pearl Milk tea for you, Aishi Xue Jie [1]!"
"Anshi Xue Jie, look I got you a bouquet of chocolate flowers!"
"Try my mother's egg tarts, they are homemade and contain all-natural ingredients!"
"Look how beautiful our goddess is! Li Anshi, I love you~!"
"Can I have an autograph!"
"Are you crazy?! Li Aishi is more beautiful! She so quiet and well behaved."
"Shut up they are both goddesses! Now let me admire them in peace."
Everyone was eager to get the Li twins acknowledgement, in their minds if they can get acknowledged by the twins, they will automatically become one of their people. Therefore, they gain the protection of the Li family, and it was common sense to know that the Li twins are famous gluttons. Their tastebuds are so good that they have been invited to judge at several international cooking competitions. And so, the best way to get acknowledged is through delicious food.
"Look at these first years. They are here to study and learn, yet here they are fangirling over your sisters. They should be studying in the library if you ask me." Sheng Rong looked at the fangirls and fanboys in disdain.
"At least the girls know to ignore them and focus on their tablets," Gebao added.
"I have taught my disciples well in the art of ignoring." I pretended to be one of those old mentors you see in movies, stroking my imaginary beard with my head held high and another arm behind my back. This caused Sheng Rong and Gebao to giggle a bit.
"I supposed we should save them though, I don't think they will last long with all the food surrounding them." Sheng Rong sighed.
"Bei Bei [2]! Meng Mei [3]! Sister is here!" Yaorui yelled out, attracting the attention of her sisters and unfortunately their fans.
"YAORUI~~~~ JIE~~~! SAVE ME~~~~!" Their Bei Bei Anshi ran towards them with her arms wide open, forgetting her things in the spur of the moment.
By now, the fangirls' and boys' were frozen. In the public eye and to the world. She was cold and ruthless, it was said that she was so formidable that she could take down an army of fully grown men at the age of seven. She had attended several fundraisers and charities for the poor, orphanages, environmental issues and cancer all around the world at the age of ten. Her social media was strictly for awareness issues and filled with posts about the hidden truths of the world. At eleven, she was given a noble peace prize award for contributing so much towards the world and became the youngest ever to receive one.
At twelve she had a group of boys thrown out of the country for molesting a girl on the streets. No one knew what happened to the boys, but everyone knew the message that she put out to the world.
They would have to be crazy to offend her, but Li Anshi's words may have made her misunderstand.
"Get your stuff, we are going to the library." Anshi nodded and ran back to find that several of her fans have already packed her things neatly away into her bag.
"Here you go Xue Jie, we packed your things for you."
"Thank you," She bowed her head, and left.
"HEY! Give that back! Are you crazy?!"
Compelled, Li Anshi made her way towards the crime scene where she saw a short-haired girl reaching for a tall and brooding boy's hand that was stretched above his head.
"What is going on?" She said both of them turned towards her.
"A-ah, Anshi Xue Jie. I saw him take your pen, so I was trying to get it back for you." The girl said timidly.
"And you?" Anshi pointed her chin towards the boy's direction.
"I-I um..."
"Hand over the pen, I want to see it." she held her hand out.
The boy placed her favourite craved wooden pen in his hand.
"Y-you...THIEF! You stole my favourite pen!"
"W-what, I didn't steal it! She did!"
"Hmph, like I'm going to believe you now! I'll let you off this once, but from this day on we will never be friends! Never!" She declared and ran back towards her sister.
"Let's go." Yaorui led the group off.