To everyone else, however, this looked like undeniable proof of something more.
They mistakenly thought he was putting in all this effort to woo Shanshan, and they were sick with jealousy.
The girls who usually only dared to sneak glances at Ling Zhiwei's back now gathered together, seething.
Low voices drifted from the break room.
"What gives her the right? So what if she's pretty? She's just a stuck-up snob!"
"As if we don't know what she's really after."
As their resentment festered, someone finally decided they couldn't take it anymore.
Not daring to confront Ling Zhiwei, they took all their anger out on Shanshan.
A few of them planned a time and place, choosing the alley behind the school building after evening study hall.
The lighting there was dim and full of surveillance blind spots. They could make their move without being immediately discovered.
They cornered Shanshan just as she left the classroom, quickly forming a circle around her.
