The dawn came gently, golden light spilling across the campsite, but the peace of the morning couldn't ease the tension in Meiyu's chest. She woke to the distant laughter of students, the chatter of boys daring each other to jump into the cold river before breakfast.
For a fleeting moment, she thought everything might be normal. The lanterns of last night had carried away her fears.
But as soon as she stepped out of her tent, she felt it—the shift in the air. Whispers. Stares. The kind that pricked against her skin like needles.
"…really? With both of them?"
"I knew she was pretending to be innocent…"
"Disgusting."
Her steps faltered.
It didn't take long to understand why. A teacher stood at the center of the gathering, holding a folded piece of paper. His brow was furrowed, his voice stern as he called out, "Liang Meiyu. A serious matter has been brought to our attention. Come forward."
The camp fell silent.
Meiyu's throat went dry as dozens of eyes turned toward her. She walked stiffly, each step heavier than the last, until she stood before the teacher.
He unfolded the paper and read aloud:
"Liang Meiyu has been sneaking out of her tent at night, meeting with boys in secret. She has become a distraction to others."
Gasps. Murmurs. Some girls smirked knowingly; others widened their eyes as if scandalized.
Meiyu's body froze. The words sliced deeper than she expected, not because they were true—but because they were close enough to be believed.
"I—" Her voice cracked. She wanted to say she hadn't done anything wrong, that she had only been by the river, talking. But who would believe her when Yichen had dragged her away so roughly, when Haoran had been there too?
The teacher's sharp gaze pierced her. "Do you deny this, Liang Meiyu?"
Before she could gather her voice, Yichen stepped forward, his tone laced with cold defiance. "She wasn't sneaking anywhere. I was with her. If you've got a problem, point it at me."
A collective gasp ran through the students.
The teacher frowned. "Han Yichen, you admit—"
"I admit nothing," Yichen cut him off, his jaw clenched. "But if you want to punish someone, punish me. Not her."
The whispers grew louder, twisting his words, making them sound more like a confession.
Meiyu's stomach dropped.
"Enough," Haoran's calm but firm voice cut through the noise. He walked forward, his expression steady but his eyes burning with quiet anger. "This entire accusation is baseless. I was there as well. Nothing inappropriate happened."
The teacher hesitated, caught between the weight of Haoran's calm honesty and Yichen's confrontational stubbornness.
The students, however, didn't hesitate at all.
"She was with both of them?"
"So it's true then…"
"She's playing with them."
Meiyu's ears rang with the vicious words. She opened her mouth to defend herself—but nothing came. Every explanation sounded like an excuse. Every truth sounded like a lie.
Her chest tightened. Why does it always end up like this?
Lin Qian stood at the edge of the crowd, her lips curled in a delicate smile. No one noticed the triumph flashing in her eyes.
---
The teachers finally dismissed the students to breakfast, but the damage was done. Wherever Meiyu walked, eyes followed. She heard the laughter, the judgment, the unspoken accusations.
She tried to sit quietly at the edge of the dining area, but Yichen slammed his tray down beside hers, his glare sweeping across the onlookers like a warning.
"Eat," he muttered.
She stared at her untouched food. "How can you act like it doesn't matter?"
"Because it doesn't," he said, his tone harsh. "They can think whatever they want. I know the truth. Isn't that enough?"
She shook her head, her throat aching. "It's not just about what you know. It's about what they'll keep saying. Tomorrow, next week… I'll never get rid of it."
His fist clenched around his chopsticks. For once, he didn't have an answer.
Haoran sat across from them, his calmness fraying at the edges. "She's right. Reputation matters. And if we don't handle this, it will only get worse."
Yichen snapped his head toward him. "So what? You want her to stand up in front of everyone and beg for their forgiveness? That's pathetic."
"It's not about begging," Haoran shot back, his voice sharper than usual. "It's about control. If she doesn't take charge of the story, someone else will write it for her."
The tension between them crackled like lightning.
Meiyu pressed her palms to her knees, her voice trembling. "Stop… please."
Both boys fell silent at the same time, their gazes flicking to her.
She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the ground. "I'll figure this out myself."
And she walked away before either of them could stop her.
---
Behind her, whispers swelled like waves. Ahead of her, the path to the river lay quiet, the water glinting with early sunlight.
She clenched her fists. She was tired of being cornered. Tired of letting others decide who she was.
But the question clawed at her mind as the voices echoed behind her:
How do you fight back against lies without becoming part of them?
---
❓️❓️❓️❓️
If you were Meiyu, would you confront the gossip directly in front of everyone, or quietly search for the person spreading the lies in secret?