For reasons unknown to Tang Xi, her stepmother would order the servants to bald her head constantly on every weekend.
With her bald head, bruised pitie figure, and malnourished self, nobody wanted to sit with her.
Everyone used to pinch their nose looking at Tang Xi with naked disgust in their eyes. Wherever she went, people would shoo her away, as if she was some kind of contagious disease.
Tang Xi could count out those kids of that time, taking it as their callowness. However, even their parents used to warn the children not to mix with her.
One could never see the forlorn girl abandoned by her parents, mistreated and tortured by step mother and her daughters behind her torn clothes.
No one saw how many times she slept on the floor, curling into a ball in the middle of winter. No one knew how many nights her tears lured her to sleep after getting beaten up by them.
Her four years old self, at that time, was crying, hugging her stomach in a corner, as nobody was letting her sit on any chairs. Just then a chubby hand was extended towards her, following which two voices rang out.
"You can sit with us. I will share my lunch with you, you know my mommy is a master chef."
"And I can give you free medicine, my daddy is a doctor."
Little Tang Xi, who used to be very miserable, reaching for anything that showed her love, immediately nodded her head. Not because of the delicious food or free Medicine though, it was solely for some love.
Recalling the hardships and bullying she had been forced to endure in her childhood, tears of sadness gathered in Tang Xi's eyes.
However, she wasn't someone to dwell on the past, so she collected herself quickly. Before Song Ah Lam could see, Tang Xi wiped her eyes.
She turned her head to look at Song Ah Lam, who blabbered incessantly, grabbing her arm and swaying her side by side.
A genuine smile bloomed on Tang Xi's face from the depth of her heart. Befriending these two people was the most innocent, yet the best decision she had ever made.
After their high school graduation, all of them went into different directions following their dreams without parting their ways.
Tang Xi had decided to major in Fashion Designing in her middle school. Again it might sound cliche, but she would have probably sunk in a pit of depression, had it not been for her drawing and scratching.
Tang Xi didn't have any art book back then; whenever she was given any by her grandfather, those stepsisters of hers would cut it into tiny pieces before tossing it in the air. She used to draw pictures of beautiful dresses and shoes after seeing them on her school alumni under a Cherry tree in their garden.
Song Ah Lam, on the other hand, came from a well-off family, and her parents were in the restaurant business. They had a chain of restaurants in different cities named Eternal Delicacy. It was probably due to the fact, growing up she spent most of the hours in the kitchen with her mom, who was a renowned master chef, but Song Ah Lam had a knack for cooking.
Moreover, she hated textbooks and assignments more than anything in the world. The fact that she was even able to graduate highschool was all thanks to Tang Xi.
Song Ah Lam would sleep oiling her nose all throughout the year, and it was only a week before exams, she would come to Tang Xi all in tears and anxiety.
Anyway, as Tang Xi decided to have her own start-up after graduation, and Song Ah Lam being the only heir of their restaurant business would be the one managing it in the near future, they were taking a side course in business management beside their major.
Gu Liang, on the other hand, had no reason to take this course. However, it was highly doubtful whether he would have been able to restrain himself from joining in the course, was his university not located beside theirs.
Tsinghua University was number one in mainland China, for Fashion Designing. It was very competitive with only a 13% acceptance rate. However, as Tang Xi topped the college entrance examination with 98.6% marks, she was admitted here with a full scholarship. Nevertheless, the side course programme was a different thing, anyone with money could take this two years course.
Hand in hand, Tang Xi and Song Ah Lam reached their destination.
It was a new building, but there were no elevators. Thus, they took the stairs two at a time as always. Upon reaching the second floor, Tang Xi looked up and saw a group of girls discussing something seriously standing in a circle.
All of them turned their heads and looked on quietly while Tang Xi and Song Ah Lam were halfway up the flight of stairs–they must have heard the footsteps.
The scene in front of Tang Xi was clear and also the ears heard the girls whispering together.
"Hey, Tang Xi and Song Ah Lam, you are here. Have you heard the news yet? Professor Qin quitted yesterday! Something must have gone crazily wrong, no? Why would he leave otherwise? He was such a great master, it's such a loss!" One of the classmates rushed towards them and delivered the news.
"It's a good thing that old fart has left, why are you making a face? Apart from ogling at the girl's chest, he doesn't do anything anyway." Song Ah Lam said her mind out.
"How can you say something like that about a senior person? Professor Qin was an amicable person. You not only took his friendliness as his loose character but also libeld him openly!" A girl named Feng Lan screeched at Song Ah Lam, her voice rising louder and louder.
"You are a D student, what will you understand about a great professor? If he didn't know anything, how would you explain the high marks all of our seniors got? All the previous graduates passed with flying colours in professor Qin's subject. Shame on you for judging people without knowing anything!" Wang Zhan spat out viciously, as her face turned red in unreasonable anger.