Chapter 8: Comfort

Wang Kailin, who was a head taller than Qiu Xuan, was stunned by her fierce aura.

His earlier guilt vanished in an instant, replaced by a conciliatory expression that said, “Let’s just let this slide.” He said, “I can understand how you feel now, even though you broke my limited edition signed water cup. But I have to say, I’m not the one who spread this. It just happened that our circles overlap, and since my dad is so close with your dad, when someone asked me, I just told the truth.”

“The rest is all their speculation— that your dad is hiding you away, which is why you’re not allowed to go to the Foreign High School. Otherwise, why would you come to No.1 High School?”

“That’s not something I said. If I’d known you cared this much, I would’ve kept your secret when people asked.”

All this rambling sounded like a rehearsed excuse.

Qiu Xuan reluctantly believed he hadn’t originally spread the rumor; maybe at first, he only wanted to cozy up, to show how familiar he was with her and the whole Wu family. But then things got out of hand.

Yet now, with talk of “our circles,” “telling the truth,” and “keeping secrets,” the more he said, the worse he sounded— both foolish and malicious.

Qiu Xuan glared at him and turned back to her seat.

Everyone else thought she was hurt and had backed down, and Wang Kailin thought so too, bowing apologetically as he stooped to pick up the mess on the floor, looking both magnanimous and wronged.

Who would have expected that Qiu Xuan would pull out her phone from her bag, make a call, and then her resentful voice echoed in the silent classroom: “Old Wu, your friend and his son are spreading rumors about you having an illegitimate daughter— what do you want to do about it? They even say your not letting me go to the Foreign High School is to hide me away?”

The person on the other end seemed to reply. She held the phone a little away and shouted toward Wang Kailin, “Idiot, what’s your dad’s name?”

Wang Kailin froze, standing silently, unwilling to answer for fear of causing trouble for his father.

Qiu Xuan pressed, “Say something, weren’t you so talkative just now?”

He still didn’t answer.

She said into the phone, “Your friend’s son is called Wang Kailin. He says his dad is in the same circle as you. If he knows his son, he should know his dad, right? What? You don’t know him? Then I’ll ask about his dad’s name… He won’t tell? Old Wu, maybe you should call the police?”

Wang Kailin suddenly blurted out a name and then tried to soften it: “He’s a colleague.”

Qiu Xuan repeated the name, turned on the speakerphone, and cranked it up loud.

From the phone came a calm, refined middle-aged male voice: “I don’t know him… Let the secretary check…”

The fake dad’s staff were efficient; less than half a minute later, they got a reply: “He is indeed the sales manager at one of our company’s branches. We mentioned him briefly when giving out awards at last year’s annual meeting. The company will have a talk to handle this matter. You focus on your studies. This weekend, I will…”

Qiu Xuan promptly turned off the speakerphone after hearing the fake dad’s few polite words. “Okay, got it. Bye, Old Wu.”

She hung up, crossed her arms, and looked leisurely at the pale Wang Kailin. “If you want to play dumb, go guard the Versailles Palace as a security guard. You had a perfectly good classmate, but you insisted on doing something so disgusting. You just kicked a diamond mine in trouble—understand what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

If it weren’t for this guy’s obsession with calling it a “limited edition,” Qiu Xuan wouldn’t have taken it this far. Neither Old Sheng nor Old Wu’s friends had children this stupid.

Vanity is a product of comparison; the high and low take it lightly, but the mediocre love to pretend.

The classmates whispered and gossiped, only the subject had changed to Wang Kailin. He always acted so high and mighty, but today he was exposed as a fraud.

There was no better topic for conversation.

The class bell finally saved Wang Kailin, or else he would have died from embarrassment under the whispers and disdainful looks.

Qiu Xuan, this diamond mine, sat back down and focused intently on the lesson.

She didn’t particularly like the class; she was just afraid of getting lost in the admiring or envious gazes around her.

After all, she really was that cool.

And it was true. Even after fifteen minutes into class, people still occasionally glanced at Qiu Xuan.

Only Lin Xiqiao noticed that Qiu Xuan’s hand, furiously taking notes, trembled slightly.

–

Rumors spread with a single word, but debunking them took running in circles. Because of Qiu Xuan’s direct confrontation, new gossip soon circulated throughout the grade.

When Jiang Chuhuai heard the news, his eyelid twitched. He pressed his fingers to his forehead and asked, “Did they fight?”

“No, they couldn’t start a fight. I heard it was one-sided all-around mockery and suppression!” a classmate answered, then realized who was asking.

Jiang Chuhuai never involved himself in irrelevant matters.

Still, he only asked that one question and made no comments.

Earlier, because of the campus bulletin board incident, everyone had figured out that the net user Peipei was the well-known Blue-Haired Sister, whose real name was Wu Qiu Xuan.

Wu Qiu Xuan was the first person in the grade to call Jiang Chuhuai by his childhood nickname.

He was the only junior high school classmate Jiang Chuhuai had in the grade.

When the rumor first spread, Class 1 was too far away and the top students ignored it. But the debunking process was too explosive, and even the top students couldn’t resist gossiping.

Now that Jiang Chuhuai was involved, someone asked him, “Chuhai, were you and Wu Qiu Xuan from Class 16 in junior high together?”

Jiang Chuhuai: “No.”

“Then are you familiar with her? Is she really an illegitimate child?”

“Not familiar, but she’s not,” Jiang Chuhuai answered shortly, then paused and said calmly, “This really isn’t anyone else’s business.”

Everyone was stunned. Although he didn’t sound accusatory, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

“The rumor-makers should apologize, and so should those who spread it,” Jiang Chuhuai commented on the whole matter amid the silence.

The ones chatting most animatedly gave an embarrassed laugh: “Yeah, we also think it’s just a rumor. They said her dad didn’t let her go to Foreign High School and sent her to No.1 High School to hide her — so funny. If that logic holds, then is Chuhai also an illegitimate child?”

“Stop laughing, that guy is the real joke — such a fraud crashing spectacularly.”

The topic turned to how “that guy” pretended before, with his junior high and elementary classmates exposing his antics.

The usually taciturn Jiang Chuhuai suddenly reminded in the lull, “His name is Wang Kailin.”

“Right, right.”

Other classmates kept chatting and laughing, but those in room 206 seemed to get it—

The victim of the rumors, Qiu Xuan, has a full name; how can the rumor-maker just be “that guy”?

They were visibly annoyed.

Ordinary classmates only knew they were from the same junior high, but a few roommates in 206 knew that Peipei was someone Jiang Chuhuai would reply “Received” to.

–

Wang Kailin still complained.

That night, Wang Lianhua called, opening with a blow: “Are you trying to drive me crazy so no one will give you living expenses?”

Qiu Xuan, sneaking a kitten transfer under the cover of night: ?!

Could it be her plan to keep a cat in the dorm had already been exposed?

“Um…” She tried to think of a reasonable excuse but was tongue-tied.

She was great at cursing but hesitant at begging.

Wang Lianhua didn’t give her a chance to argue: “A gentleman uses words, not fists. How many times did I tell you that in junior high? Now you don’t hit people on the head anymore, but can’t you control yourself a little and not damage private property? A water cup? Your mother demands your grandpa and grandma sue them! Where else do people get limited edition signed cups?”

“Whew—” Qiu Xuan sighed with relief.

That was much easier to deal with.

“That guy’s cup must be fake. If it were real, he’d have gone on Xianyu to check the price and demanded money from you, believe it? He just wants to make money off your real one.”

Wang Lianhua was stunned by this high schooler’s trick.

Qiu Xuan sighed: “Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle it myself.”

“You’ll handle it? Honestly, I might trust the cup is real more than that. Even if I step back ten thousand paces, your behavior itself is wrong…” Mrs. Wang began her usual lecture.

Qiu Xuan was tired and sat on the steps, opening the Shunfeng box a crack so Xiao Zei could breathe fresh air. She didn’t want the little thief suffocating inside while pretending to be a delivery item.

Xiao Zei eagerly poked out its head. Just as it was about to meow, Qiu Xuan quickly covered its mouth. Xiao Zei glared: ?

Mrs. Wang on the other end noticed her distraction and warned, “Where are you? Not a word, and you muted me?”

Qiu Xuan hurriedly grabbed the phone again: “No, no, not at all. How dare I? If the boss is talking, I wouldn’t dare talk back.”

Between a mother constantly needing instant responses and a kitten she couldn’t control, Qiu Xuan’s energy was running thin.

One careless moment, and Xiao Zei jumped out of the box. She reached to catch it but missed.

Suddenly, a hand with slender fingers grabbed the back of Xiao Zei’s neck, firmly restraining it.

Qiu Xuan looked up into the impatient eyes of a young man.

“Alright, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. My dad’s calling—I’ll hang up first.” She fibbed and immediately ended the call.

“Why are you here?” She had just picked up Xiao Zei from the animal hospital, snuck past the gatekeeper, and took a secluded back route back to the dorm.

Jiang Chuhuai lifted the kitten and placed it back into her cardboard box, patting off the cat hair. “If it meowed at the gate, all your efforts would’ve been wasted.”

Qiu Xuan rubbed Xiao Zei’s head. “That’s just a coincidence, right?”

Jiang Chuhuai pursed his lips, saying nothing, then pulled a meal box from his pocket and handed it to her: “Feed it before going in.”

Qiu Xuan’s eyes lit up, smiling brightly as she took it. “So it’s you, the top student. Even when doing bad things, you’re so thorough.”

Jiang Chuhuai wished he could take back his words: …

“Oh, right!” She was startled. “Aren’t you allergic? You just touched the cat!”

Jiang Chuhuai poked his fingertip. “Short time. It’s fine.”

She relaxed.

No one was around. Night insects chirped from unseen places. The winding grassy path was dotted with dim yellow lights.

It was incredibly romantic.

Qiu Xuan felt reluctant to leave but worried about not being able to control the kitten. Night is long and dreams are many.

Just as she hesitated, her phone suddenly vibrated. She glanced: Sheng Mingfeng was calling.

True to form—always the harbinger of bad news.

Jiang Chuhuai signaled her to answer. He watched Xiao Zei by her side.

Qiu Xuan didn’t move away or avoid him. She answered: “Dad.”

“Xuan, I heard from your godfather that some classmates are causing trouble about your identity?”

“Solved.”

“You were wronged. Dad’s sorry. Just wait a bit longer. It’s no longer a principle issue about multiple children. Once things stabilize, I’ll move both you and your sister back,” Sheng Mingfeng coaxed kindly.

“Oh, no need. In a few years, I’ll be able to register my own household,” Qiu Xuan didn’t fall for it. If it could have been moved earlier, why wait now?

Sheng Mingfeng paused. “Better to keep a low profile now. I’m about to transfer to Dongzhou. Try not to get into conflicts at school, okay?”

Hmph. She’d rather have Mrs. Wang scold her sharply.

She knew all about soft-power policies.

“Got it, Secretary Sheng,” she replied crisply and hung up first.

Jiang Chuhuai kept his eyes on the kitten, showing no curiosity about the call.

Qiu Xuan looked up. The night sky was pitch black—no moon, no stars. A few sparse branches framed one corner of her view.

“Let me tell you a secret. My dad is Sheng Mingfeng.”

For ordinary high schoolers, the name might be unfamiliar, but to the Jiang family’s children, it was well-known.

Jiang Qingshan’s company’s projects mostly came from government agencies.

So Jiang Chuhuai had heard the name and had known for a long time—Sheng Mingfeng, former top leader at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, soon to transfer to Dongzhou.

Qiu Xuan didn’t care whether he knew or not. She just wanted someone who wouldn’t blab to talk to.

“Being born like this isn’t my choice. Whether an illegitimate child or without registration, that’s not up to me. I even have to thank that idiot for hyping me up—at least illegitimate daughters have status.”

She was just an excess child, one registered under someone else’s household, a child who had to call strangers “Dad” to the outside world.

Not even an illegitimate child.

She turned to him, but saw no pity or anything in his eyes. She felt a little comforted but also disappointed. Couldn’t he say something?

She knew her twelfth birthday had only been a dream.

“The cat doesn’t know it might become stray when born,” Jiang Chuhuai suddenly said, not mentioning he’d just learned the truth. He opened the box, grabbed the back of Xiao Zei’s head, lifted it out, and placed it on Qiu Xuan’s lap. “But there’s a chance it’ll find a new home.”

Xiao Zei wobbled as it stood on her lap. Once steady, it began to climb on her, its fluffy little paws batting at her face.

Qiu Xuan suddenly realized—he seemed to be comforting her?

Jiang Chuhuai sat on the other side of the bench, far from her and the cat.

But Qiu Xuan felt wrapped in the warmth radiating around him and naturally asked, “Jiang Chuhuai, do people have to be the same as everyone else to be right?”

He didn’t answer immediately. She thought he wouldn’t answer at all, until she heard him say, “Being the same as everyone else isn’t necessarily right. It’s just safe.”

Qiu Xuan: “What about you? What do you choose?”

He looked at her: “I’m not as good as you.”