There are three teaching buildings in the Experimental One, with a long corridor connecting the top floor of the second and third year buildings, and the area that Su Junxin was responsible for was the railing on this corridor.
Now is the time when the campus is most lively, with people constantly walking up and down the corridor. Su Junxin quickly finished cleaning half of it.
However, just as she was about to go to the restroom to clean her rag, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly called out to her.
"Su Junxin?"
She turned her head at the sound and saw three girls standing behind her.
The two on the side were unfamiliar, but the one in the middle caused a host of memories to flood back.
He Wei, the original owner's only friend at school, and also her "best friend". When they were freshmen, He Wei, with her gentle temperament and understanding nature, quickly became the most popular person in their class. Yet, she took the initiative to chat with the original owner, invite her to meals, and even occasionally present her with small gifts. This moved the original owner deeply, and she once even believed that He Wei was the best person to her outside of her parents.
While He Wei deceived the original owner, she could not fool Su Junxin.
The reason she befriended the original owner was simply because she was the class's study committee member, responsible for the daily collection of homework and handing them over to the homeroom teacher. After becoming close to her, He Wei often avoided turning in assignments using various excuses.
The original owner, not wanting to lose her only friend, complied with He Wei's manipulations each time and removed her name from the list.
And so, this situation escalated further. Not only did He Wei engage in this behavior, her friends started to follow suit. The original owner unknowingly became their tool to escape from homework and punishment, sometimes even having to stay up late to help them finish it.
The original owner did try to advise her, but He Wei's skills in manipulation were unmatched. She would always make solemn promises and put on a pitiful appearance, causing the original owner to soften up and let her off time and time again.
He Wei's treatment of the original owner was evidently another form of schoolyard bullying!
While Su Junxin was sizing up He Wei, He Wei was doing the same to her.
She had actually grown tired of Su Junxin a long time ago. Moreover, since they were assigned to different classes, Su Junxin no longer bore any value to her. Hence, she intentionally avoided her today, with plans to make it clear when Su Junxin came looking for her in class. This way, she could not only rid herself of this clingy person but also take the opportunity to curry favor with a few newly acquainted rich second-generation classmates.
He Wei schemed in her mind, but she didn't expect Su Junxin to be absent the whole morning. Feeling both annoyed and puzzled, she decided to investigate during the cleaning time.
But what she saw made her eyes open wide in surprise.
She had known long ago that Su Junxin was beautiful, but due to Su Junxin's weak and self-conscious personality, she was usually slumped over, and always wore a pair of outdated prescription glasses. This resulted in her beauty being largely overlooked. Hence, He Wei never placed her in the forefront of her mind.
But the Su Junxin of now seemed like a completely different person. Her shiny, sleek hair was tied up in a neat high ponytail, her prescription glasses were taken off, and her exquisite features were fully showcased. Her near 1.7m height was already conspicuous, and when she straightened her back, it made her even more striking.
What shocked He Wei the most was Su Junxin's air. Not only was her appearance dazzling, but even her aura had changed. When Su Junxin turned around to look at her, she visibly flinched unintentionally.
He Wei was dumbfounded, and asked uncertainly again: "Su Junxin?"
Su Junxin responded nonchalantly, "What can I do for you?"
Startled by her sudden change in demeanor, He Wei wondered if she had found out about something. She tentatively asked, "We haven't seen each other over the summer, Junxin. You've changed a lot... By the way, I didn't feel well today so I didn't come looking for you. You're not upset with me, are you?"
Su Junxin raised an eyebrow slightly, her voice remained indifferent: "No."
Seeing Su Junxin didn't seem like she was lying, He Wei quietly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly put on a friendly smile.
"Why didn't you come looking for me today? I've been in the classroom waiting for you. I wanted to introduce you to my new friends."
Su Junxin, upon hearing this, scanned the two girls standing beside He Wei and gave an understanding "Oh."
As she spoke, she took a few steps towards He Wei, slightly bent over, narrowed her eyes, and let her gaze slide from He Wei's eyes to her lips. Then, she stared directly at her.
Confronted with her ambiguous gaze, He Wei felt a chill run down her spine, prompting her to instinctively step back.
However, Su Junxin took a step forward in response.
"Junxin, what are you--"
Su Junxin interrupted her by showing a grin that revealed her white canines. The devilish smile on her face and the deep tone of her voice created a chilling effect. "Introduce me to your friends? And then... have me help you do your homework, draining me of my last bit of value, right?"
He Wei's face turned a ghastly white, and she stood there, speechless.
Quickly regaining her composure, Su Junxin stood up straight, motioning with the rag in her hand. "Anything else? I need to clean now."
A few droplets of murky water fell upon He Wei's collar as she moved. Shocked, He Wei stepped back, ready to retaliate. But when she saw Su Junxin's indifferent gaze, she was stuck like a mute.
Su Junxin left without looking back.
Seeing this, the girl on He Wei's left couldn't help but remark sarcastically, "He Wei, is that the girl you referred to as your little follower? She doesn't seem like it."
"Yeah, didn't you say she is indecisive and likes to stick with you? She seems quite indifferent towards you."
Only then did He Wei snap back to reality. Inwardly shaken but appearing composed on the outside, she turned to the two and put on an understanding smile again.
"Junxin might not be in a good mood today, after all... the situation in her family is quite complicated."
As she said this, she glanced briefly in the direction Su Junxin had disappeared to. The hand by her side clenched tightly, her eyes flashed with anger and cruelty.
Su Junxin, since you've torn our relationship apart, don't blame me for being ruthless. Once I completely isolate you, no one will believe your words…
At the promise of gossip, the two immediately showed interest.
"What do you mean, what's wrong with her family?"
He Wei pretended to hesitate for a moment before finally giving in with a sigh, "Actually... Su Junxin's mother passed away from an illness long ago and her father also committed suicide due to suspected usury debts..."
"No wonder she dresses so plainly, all her clothes are out of fashion, it turns out she's an orphan with no parents..."
"Pfft. An orphan who has a huge debt, how pitiful!"
"What else do you know, He Wei? Tell us, tell us!"
"Ah, you guys must not spread this around, okay? I'm only telling you all this because I trust you!"
"We promise not to tell anyone!"
"We keep our mouths shut! You're the best, He Wei, tell us more!"
"Alright, here's what happened..."