Li Ziqing turned around, only to see Pan Mingzhe standing not far away. The moment he caught her eye, he broke into a quick run, stopping just a few steps short of her.
Li Ziqing's brows furrowed slightly. Her tone was cool and distant.
"Do you want something?"
Pan Mingzhe wasn't offended by her coldness—he was far too used to it by now. He simply answered, almost matter-of-factly,
"I'm here to keep an eye on you."
That caught Li Ziqing off guard.
"Keep an eye on me?" she repeated, puzzled.
Scratching the back of his head, Pan Mingzhe looked almost embarrassed. His voice dropped, carrying a mixture of awkwardness and concern.
"Look… what happened on Renren is nonsense. I don't believe a single word of those rumors. But I'm sure Teacher Lu made things difficult for you today. I just… I don't want you to do something rash. Think about your family, your friends, before taking any wrong step."
Li Ziqing blinked in confusion, his words not quite clicking.
"What wrong step?"
Pan Mingzhe suddenly straightened, his tone turning serious, almost sharp. He pointed toward the far end of the corridor where the principal's office opened onto a wide balcony.
"You're not… planning to jump, are you?"
For a split second, Li Ziqing froze. Her gaze followed his finger to the balcony. The sixth floor. The emergency stairs and elevator entrance were right there. She suddenly understood—her hurried pace had led him to the worst conclusion.
Her lips twitched, and she rolled her eyes.
"I'm not that fragile. Relax. Ending my life over something like this? That's not me."
Pan Mingzhe exhaled, relief softening his expression.
"Oh. My mistake."
The sincerity in his face made Li Ziqing pause. For the first time that day, her guarded expression eased, just slightly. A faint, almost amused smile tugged at her lips.
"I'm just going home. Don't worry, I won't do anything foolish. I'm not the type to crumble because of a few nasty words from a bunch of middle schoolers." She lifted her wrist, glancing at her watch. "You should head back to class. Don't skip your lessons because of me."
But Pan Mingzhe shrugged as if it were nothing.
"Too late. I took the whole day off."
He started walking ahead. When he realized Li Ziqing hadn't moved, he turned back and gestured.
"What's wrong? Aren't you coming?"
She frowned but ended up following him anyway—they were heading the same way. Still, suspicion lingered in her voice.
"Why did you take leave today? Don't tell me it was just to 'keep an eye' on me?"
Pan Mingzhe didn't hesitate.
"Yes. Usually in dramas, when someone's humiliated, they… do something extreme."
Li Ziqing gave him a sideways glance, her eyes flashing with disdain.
"Those are dramas. Fiction. People shouldn't be so stupid as to take them seriously."
Her steps slowed as another thought crossed her mind. Her gaze shifted to him, thoughtful.
"Back in class, why did you defend me? You saw what happened. I was holding a real Hermès bag. Doesn't that make you suspicious too?"
Pan Mingzhe's reply came without a moment's doubt. His tone was steady, almost stubborn.
"What's suspicious about it? Poor people can't suddenly become rich? Can't have a stroke of luck? Their brains are rotten—they never consider any possibility other than their own prejudice. But me…" He looked her square in the eye. "I don't think you're that kind of person. If you were, you would've taken advantage of all those people swarming around you, but you didn't. My instincts tell me you're different. And I trust my instincts."
Li Ziqing stopped walking for a moment, startled.
Trust.
That single word pierced deeper than any insult hurled at her that day. In two lifetimes, no one had ever said such a thing to her. Not once.
When she was expelled in her past life, not a single soul had stood by her side. She had been left to crumble alone, the world turning its back on her without hesitation. Yet here she was, in this life, and in the span of a single day, two people—Principal Bao and now Pan Mingzhe—had uttered those precious words to her.
We trust you.
Why?
What had changed?
If only she had been granted the trust of just a few people in her previous life, perhaps her story would not have ended in such unbearable tragedy. The thought made her chest ache.
Still, Pan Mingzhe's words felt unusual. After all, she knew him—one of many who had once confessed to her. He had pursued her relentlessly: love letters folded neatly into her desk, boxes of sweets, trinkets, and flowers left behind with maddening persistence. Every day had been another attempt, another reminder.
And she, being introverted and painfully self-conscious, had grown irritated. When he finally gathered the courage to propose formally, she rejected him without hesitation, her refusal merciless and sharp.
Yet, to be fair, Pan Mingzhe was hardly unattractive. On the contrary, he was jolly, effortlessly charming, and undeniably good-looking—the type of boy who could turn a hallway into a runway with nothing more than his smile. He was the quintessential heartbreaker, the sort of playful rogue whom girls admired from afar and flocked toward without shame.
For a long time, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched between them until they reached the school gates. Li Ziqing slowed her steps, expecting him to bid her goodbye. Though she no longer held the same coldness toward him as before, she certainly had no intention of spending the entire day in his company.
But Pan Mingzhe remained strangely silent, his brows furrowed in thought. Then, abruptly, he asked,
"So… do you have a way to clear your name?"
The question caught her off guard. Her breath stilled, for it was the very thing that had plagued her mind. Yet, despite her efforts, she had found no solution. She simply shook her head.
Pan Mingzhe exhaled heavily, shoulders sagging. "It's such a damnable situation," he muttered, frustration threading his tone. "People are so idle and foolish—believing whatever picture they see, without thought, without proof. I wish I could find the one behind all this and confront him myself." His words were heated, spoken on a whim, but sincere.
Li Ziqing's eyes flickered with sudden light. His outburst had ignited something within her. Yes… the root of it all—the person behind the thread.
She stopped abruptly, turning to him, her gaze burning with new determination. "Exactly! If I can track down the person who started this, if I drag him into the open and confront him in front of the entire school… then the truth will speak for itself. His lies will collapse. I can make him confess!"
Her lips curved into a radiant smile. It was not the bitter, guarded expression she usually wore, but a smile that bloomed like spring after endless winter—pure, luminous, breathtaking.
Pan Mingzhe froze.
The sound of her exclamation had startled him, but what truly unraveled him was that smile. It washed over him like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, scattering every shadow in his heart. His steps faltered, his breath caught, and in that single instant, time itself seemed to fracture.
Li Ziqing's smile was ethereal—fragile yet powerful, fleeting yet unforgettable. The world around them dulled, and in his eyes, only she remained.
Though she had rejected him the year before—harshly, without remorse—he had never truly let go. Yes, resentment had lingered for a time, but it had been powerless against the hope he clung to every day, the hope that perhaps, one day, she might look his way.
People called him a playboy, and outwardly he fit the image well. He laughed too easily, flirted too recklessly, and indeed, he had dated many girls. But none of them mattered. None could ever dislodge the sovereign who sat atop the throne of his heart. Every fleeting romance had been nothing more than a futile attempt to bury her shadow.
But Li Ziqing remained. Always.
She possessed his every heartbeat. She haunted his every dream.
Every time he looked at her, one line of an ancient poem surfaced in his mind, unbidden, like a wound that refused to heal:
Her beauty rivals blossoms in spring, her grace like drifting clouds in bloom.
Pan Mingzhe's lips parted, but no words came. He could only watch her, silently captivated, as if she were both his curse and his salvation.
And in that moment, his heart whispered a truth he could never admit aloud— he could only love her in this life.
Li Ziqing was so exhilarated that she failed to notice the flicker of unease in Pan Mingzhe's expression. Only when she caught his dazed look did she frown and ask,
"What's wrong with you?"
Pan Mingzhe snapped out of his trance, quickly shaking his head.
"Nothing… So, what were you saying?"
But Li Ziqing, too excited to repeat herself, waved it off.
"It's nothing. I've found a way to solve the situation. I'll be leaving first."
Her sudden dismissal made Pan Mingzhe's chest tighten with disappointment. He blurted out before he could stop himself,
"But how will you find the person? The names on Renren are all anonymous! You won't get anywhere. There are thousands of students in school—how can you possibly identify that one individual?"
Li Ziqing's smile faltered instantly. Her steps slowed to a halt as the weight of his words sank in.
Yes… How could she have forgotten? No one used their real names on Renren. Tracking down a single person would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Seeing her hesitation, Pan Mingzhe grew irritable.
"I'm sure it's one of those bitches around Gong Xinyue—or maybe Gong Xinyue herself! Didn't you see the way they were squealing like birds this morning? So damn annoying."
Li Ziqing didn't lash out at him for the crude remark. Deep down, she had considered the same possibility. It wasn't improbable. But without proof, confronting them would only hand them more ammunition to mock and humiliate her.
Just then, an idea sparked in her mind. She turned sharply to Pan Mingzhe.
"Do you… know any hacker?"
He blinked, startled.
"Hacker? You mean—like those guys in movies who can sneak into other people's devices remotely?"
Li Ziqing nodded earnestly.
"Yes. Something like that."
Pan Mingzhe hesitated before shaking his head.
"I don't know anyone like that. But… I do know someone who's good at programming."
Li Ziqing sighed. Programming was indeed the foundation of hacking. If someone understood the way systems were built, they could also find ways to exploit them. But hacking wasn't so simple—it required much more than just knowing how to code. She didn't need a programmer right now.
"I don't need a programmer," she replied firmly. "And even if I did, my brother already knows programming and development."
Her gaze softened briefly at the thought of Li Zian. He had long been creating online games, and his skills in coding were far from ordinary.
With that, she straightened her posture and forced a smile.
"I'll just head home and think of something. You should go back too. Don't worry—I'll be fine."
She turned quickly, disappearing around the corner that led to her home.
Pan Mingzhe stood frozen, staring at her retreating figure. A dull ache settled in his chest. For the first time in his life, he felt utterly useless—unable to help her, unable to protect her, only watching as she bore the weight of everything alone.
---
That afternoon, the atmosphere in the Sophomore Rocket Class was unusually light, almost celebratory.
Fan Yuelin leaned lazily against her desk, eyes flicking toward the empty seat tucked away near the trash can. A smug smile tugged at her lips.
"I think we've finally gotten rid of Li Ziqing. She hasn't shown her face in class all day. Even Teacher Lu looked like she was in the best mood she's had all semester."
Meng Qianyi sneered, her voice dripping with mockery.
"Exactly. And with her reputation in ruins, no homeroom teacher will dare let her into their class. Let's face it—Li Ziqing is done here."
Fan Yuelin turned expectantly to Gong Xinyue.
"What do you think, Xinyue? Now that Li Ziqing is finally out of the picture?"
Gong Xinyue didn't reply. She merely smirked, the corners of her mouth curling upward in quiet satisfaction.
Meng Qianyi caught her expression and chuckled.
"See? Even Xinyue is happy. Serves that little fox right."
Across the row, Rong Ruxue, who had been quietly scribbling on a notebook, pretended to stay detached. But inside, her heart leapt with glee. She hadn't needed to lift a finger; Li Ziqing's enemies had done all the dirty work themselves. Now, with Li Ziqing gone, the stage was hers alone. Soon, no one could rival her—not in academics, not in beauty, not in status.
Just yesterday, when she had anonymously shifted the narrative on Renren, the results had been exactly as she expected. The scandal had spread like wildfire, and now the campus buzzed with one topic: the re-election of the Campus Belle. The student body was already abuzz with speculation. The thought made her restless, though she kept her expression carefully composed. She knew better than to nominate herself too eagerly—it would look desperate. No, she needed someone else to suggest it for her.
Her annoyance grew as Meng Qianyi and Fan Yuelin kept babbling about Li Ziqing instead of bringing up the Campus Belle poll. She tapped her pen lightly against her desk and then, with a well-practiced sigh, put on an expression of gentle melancholy.
"You really shouldn't speak about Li Ziqing like that," she said softly, her voice tinged with false pity. "After all, she was still our classmate. No matter what mistakes she made, we should at least respect her."
Meng Qianyi scoffed immediately.
"Respect? Does she deserve any? Didn't you see how she insulted us yesterday? Ruxue, you're just too kind. You never see the bad in people—but we know her inside out. Whatever happened to her is nothing more than she deserves."
Rong Ruxue shook her head slowly, letting another sigh escape as though she were genuinely disheartened.
"I still find it hard to believe… She was such a good student, after all. Getting admitted into Rocket Class isn't easy, and she was even elected as Campus Belle once. Shouldn't someone like her have been a role model for others? So many students admired her. But…" she lowered her gaze delicately, "I suppose I'm not the one to judge."
Her words were perfectly timed, her expression flawless.
Gong Xinyue watched her carefully from the corner of her eye. Though she didn't interrupt, irritation flickered in her chest. She knew very well who had first pushed the sugar-daddy rumor onto Renren—it was none other than Rong Ruxue. Yet here she was, acting virtuous, her every word dripping with false compassion.
But Fan Yuelin and Meng Qianyi were already ensnared, bewitched by Rong Ruxue's poised kindness and the unspoken weight of her wealthy background.
"Campus Belle?" Meng Qianyi snorted. "She was nothing but a pretender—always lowering her head and acting all shy, like some fragile little flower. Boys eat up that type. Pathetic."
Fan Yuelin chimed in with a laugh.
"Exactly. Even Pan Mingzhe was drooling over her. Don't think we didn't notice his gaze. And him skipping class today? Please. The Campus Belle is supposed to represent the whole school. We can't choose someone like her so casually."
Meng Qianyi crossed her arms, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
"I was always against Li Ziqing as Campus Belle. She only had those fox-like looks. But now? I'm thrilled the election is being redone."
At that moment, Rong Ruxue leaned forward, feigning surprise.
"The Campus Belle is being re-elected?" She widened her eyes with perfect naivety. "How exciting! Who do you think will win this time?"
Meng Qianyi scoffed again.
"Anyone but Li Ziqing, that's for sure."
Fan Yuelin nodded in agreement.
Rong Ruxue's fingers tightened around her pen beneath the desk. Idiots. Can't you see it should be me?
Gong Xinyue noticed the flicker in Rong Ruxue's eyes and finally understood her game. She decided to stir the pot. With a casual smile, she suggested,
"Rong Ruxue, why don't you register for the Campus Belle election yourself?"
Rong Ruxue's heart leapt, but outwardly, she blushed faintly and lowered her lashes, twisting her fingers together as though embarrassed.
"Oh, I… I wouldn't dare. I've seen how beautiful Li Ziqing was. The standards for Campus Belle are so high. I don't think I could compare to her. It would feel too shameless to register myself so casually."
Her words dripped with humility, but her tone was crafted to bait encouragement.
As expected, Meng Qianyi slapped her desk and leaned forward eagerly.
"What are you talking about? If not you, then who? You're the obvious choice! You're beautiful, you're smart, and you're from Beijing. None of those other girls can even stand next to you."
Fan Yuelin nodded vigorously.
"Exactly! Who else could it be? Yao Yuyi? Please. Just because her father's the richest man in Wuhan, she throws her weight around like she owns the school. But even her background can't compare to yours."
Meng Qianyi leaned closer, voice persuasive.
"Campus Belle should represent more than just a pretty face. You're top in academics, you have grace, and your family background is also good. Honestly, Ruxue, who else but you?"
Fan Yuelin added, her voice rising with excitement,
"Yes! You're not just another spoiled rich kid—you're different. You're elegant, reserved. Everyone already admires you. Trust me, you'll win without question."
Rong Ruxue bit her lip gently, as though struggling with the decision. She looked from one eager face to another, letting silence stretch until anticipation filled the air. Finally, she exhaled softly, lowering her gaze again.
"If… If you really think I should… then I'll register."
"YES!" Meng Qianyi and Fan Yuelin cried out in unison, their voices ringing with excitement. They clapped their hands together, practically bouncing in their seats.
Meng Qianyi suddenly sprang onto her desk, her eyes glittering with excitement as she raised her voice above the noisy classroom chatter.
"Everyone listen up!" she shouted, her tone brimming with pride. "Our classmate Rong Ruxue will be registering for the new Campus Belle elections! From today onwards, every single one of us must support her and cast our votes for her on the school forum!"
For a moment, there was stunned silence. Then, like sparks catching dry tinder, the entire classroom erupted into a storm of cheers and chatter.
"Wow, that's amazing news!"
"Of course we'll support her!"
"Rong Ruxue should definitely be the new campus belle!"
"Exactly! She's not only beautiful but also a top student from Beijing. Who could compare to her?"
"I'm absolutely voting for her," another voice added firmly.
The excitement in the room swelled. Many students vividly remembered yesterday, when Rong Ruxue had stepped into class dressed head-to-toe in luxury brands, her poise and aura radiating superiority. A girl from Beijing, wealthy, refined, and accomplished—she was the perfect candidate for their admiration.
One boy laughed sycophantically, "Honestly, supporting Rong Ruxue is the least we can do. At least she's a thousand times better than that shameless Li Ziqing."
Another immediately echoed, her voice sharp with disdain, "Exactly! Didn't you see how brazen she was this morning? Acting completely unbothered after doing something so disgraceful. Truly shameless!"
The atmosphere buzzed with derision, yet not everyone joined in. A few hesitant voices rose cautiously in defense.
"I don't know… I still can't believe Li Ziqing is that kind of person."
"That's right. If she really was so cheap, then why did she reject so many boys in the past? And think about it—why would she always wear such plain clothes before? Doesn't add up."
Before those words could gain traction, Meng Qianyi's face darkened. She snapped furiously, "Enough! Don't bring up that bitch Li Ziqing again. We're here to focus on Rong Ruxue and her election, not waste time on that pretender!"
Fan Yuelin immediately backed her up, his voice sharp as a blade. "Exactly. Don't be fooled by Li Ziqing's act. She was always sly and foxy behind that innocent face. I've seen it myself."
"True!" someone chimed in instantly, emboldened. "I've always felt something was off about her. It's no surprise she ended up like this."
"Forget Li Ziqing!" another girl shouted, her eyes shining with excitement. "Let's talk about the reelections themselves. Do you know who else might be running for campus heartthrob?"
That single remark shifted the tide like a sudden gust of wind.
A group of girls squealed in unison, their voices rising above the din.
"Yes! I heard about it too!"
"I'm telling you, I'm definitely voting for that new boy from the final-year Rocket Class."
"Shen Zeyan," one of them whispered almost dreamily, her cheeks flushed. "Did you see him? He's unbelievably attractive… There's something magnetic about him, like he doesn't even need to try."
As soon as his name was mentioned, the classroom erupted again. The previous enthusiasm over Rong Ruxue dimmed in comparison, swept aside like a tide retreating before a greater wave. Now, every girl seemed to be gushing about Shen Zeyan, their voices higher, their expressions brighter, their excitement multiplied tenfold.
"Oh my god, yes! His looks, his aura—it's impossible to ignore him!"
"He's in a completely different league. Even standing quietly, he feels untouchable."
"Forget campus belle—if Shen Zeyan becomes campus heartthrob, no one else could ever compare!"
The shift was so sudden, so dramatic, that even Rong Ruxue's dazzling presence seemed to pale. The girls were intoxicated by the thought of Shen Zeyan, their conversations spilling over each other with the kind of feverish excitement that eclipsed everything else.
In just a matter of minutes, the classroom was no longer centered on Rong Ruxue's campaign. Instead, all talk revolved around the boy whose name carried a gravity none of them could resist—Shen Zeyan.
___
Thank you so much for your support P_Lilly, mwansa0, Cindy_Rella_4389🙏🥰❤️