Zhao Shui stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a bath robe. She felt refreshed after a warm shower and hummed sweetly as she air- dried her hair.
Suddenly, her phone lit up with a notification. She frowned, wondering who could it be and glanced at the screen, but when she saw that it was someone from her class group, she decided to simply ignore it. She wasn't in the mood for gossip.
However, her phone kept buzzing with notifications, which irritated her. Annoyed, she grabbed her phone, sat down on the bed and started scrolling through the texts from her class group.
As she read through the messages, her body started to shiver. Someone had posted pictures of her from last night's banquet. The photos showed her lying disheveled in a bed with a servant.
Her eyes widened in shock upon seeing her pictures. Who could have taken those pictures? And why would they make a post like this? She was confused with such questions.
She immediately looked for the information but the publishing account was anonymous, and the post was already at the top of the school's trending list. Zhao Shui anxiously bit her nails as she read the comments.
Just then, a text from Mo Ting, her close friend, popped up: "What is going on, Xiao Shui?", "Have you read the recent post?" , "Is it true?" She shot one text after another.
Zhao Shui felt a surge of anger rising within her. She was already feeling embarrassed and now Ting Ting's questions were like salt on her wounds. She quickly typed out a response: "It's not true! Ting Ting, you know me the best, I would never do anything like that."
As soon as she hit the send button, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Mo Ting calling, she quickly picked it up. "Xiao Shui, tell me what happened?" Ting Ting asked.
The two friends talked for a long time, discussing details and whatsoever. It wasn't until midnight that they finally said goodbye. After cutting the call, Zhao Shui scrolled through her contacts and sent a message to an unknown number before turning in for the night.
~~~~~
The next day, at the school gate, a luxurious car came to a halt and Li Yue stepped out of it. Today, unlike usual, her hair wasn't tied in a bun, and she wasn't wearing glasses. Instead, she let her hair down and loosened her uniform, revealing an unusually bold appearance that caught everyone's attention.
"Who's she? So pretty!" Someone exclaimed.
"Is she a transfer student? I've never seen her before," another student asked.
A group of three boys, standing nearby, couldn't take their eyes off her. "Whoever she is, I'm definitely going after her!" one of them boldly said. "No way, I saw her first!" his other friend denied and they started arguing among themselves.
As she walked past them, she heard their whispers and comments but paid them no mind and simply focused on her way. That was, until someone suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
~~~~~
Behind the school building, Li Xiang was resting under a tree, waiting for the school to begin, when all of a sudden, a group of five students nearby, engaged in a lewd conversation. One of them sneered, "That Zhao Shui is so hot! Have you seen those pictures? Her figure is so..." His tone was lecherous.
Another student chimed in, "Of course, I did! I always thought she was a pure one, but to think that our school belle is so wild..." The group erupted into a laughter, upon hearing his words.
A third student spoke up, "Say, how much do you think she'd charge per person? We should give it a try-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence when a punch came flying towards him, hitting directly on his cheek. The impact was so strong that he stumbled and fell to the ground.
The group turned to face Li Xiang, who looked very angry. "Calm down, man! Why are you suddenly getting worked up?" the first student calmly asked, attempting to touch Li Xiang's shoulder in a friendly gesture. However, he was also met with a punch in the face.
Li Xiang was clearly irritated by their conversation and had a fierce look in his eyes as he glared at them. The air was thick with tension.
~~~~~
In the classroom, Zhao Shui sat in her chair, sobbing uncontrollably. Her three friends, Mo Ting, Yang Li, and Shen Ying, surrounded her desk, trying to comfort her.
Shen Ying gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Don't cry anymore, Xiao Shui. We trust you. We know you'll never do something like this. You've clearly been set up."
Yang Li clenched her fists as she also added, "Yeah, we'll definitely make that bitch pay for what she's done to you. How dare she set you up?" When the other students heard their conversation, they began to murmur among themselves.
Zhao Shui, through her sobs, whispered, "Thanks, guys... But please don't do anything for me. She's still my sister.... I don't want to harm her, even if she hurts me this way." She pleaded, wiping the tears off her cheeks.
However, Mo Ting's temper flared up. She angrily banged her hands on the desk and said, "No way! She's so cruel to you, but you're still being nice to her? It's not fair to you. I can't stand this injustice."
Shen Ying and Yang Li, both nodded in agreement. "You guys-" Zhao Shui spoke, her voice cracking, overwhelmed by her emotions as she shook her head, "No, it's okay.. I-"
Mo Ting didn't let her continue any further and interrupted mid- way, "Don't worry, Xiao Shui. We won't let her get away with this."
With that, they quickly spun around and stormed out of the classroom without wasting any time. After the trio left, a subtle smirk played on Zhao Shui's lips, which vanished as soon as it formed, replaced by her sobs.
Puff, who had been hovering silently in the air and had witnessed the earlier dramatic emotional exchange between Zhao Shui and her friends, ended the recording session with a soft beep.
It then swiftly flew out of the classroom, disappearing into the hallway, on its way back to Li Yue....