Rumors

Jiang Shen stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. The stinging sensation on her cheek had died down.

She then said, "If there is nothing else, grandfather. Then I will retire to my room."

Jiang Feng made no moves to stop her as her footsteps gradually faded away into the distance.

Sitting in front of the window in his wheelchair, Jiang Feng heavily breathed through his nose, forcing himself to calm down. The rapid rise of his blood pressure almost made him have a stroke.

In the dead of the night where there was not a single flicker of the lights, Jiang Feng retreated to his bedroom. The wheels creaking with every movement.

The next morning when Jiang Shen woke up, her swelling cheek had not disappeared. To make it worse, she didn't get a wink of sleep.

Not wanting to waste a single moment in the house, Jiang Shen washed up and covered up her face with a mask.

If anyone asked her why she was wearing one, she could simply say she was sick. That ought to stop them from asking more questions.

The moment she arrived at Hua Institute, the blatant stares she was so used to receiving felt different.

It was more... condescending.

As if they were looking at a piece of lowlife. If this was any other day, then she would've ignored it, not caring at all about the whispers.

But her emotions had hit an all time low. Their stares became the source of her anxiety as she bit her lower lip walking to class.

When she arrived, neither Shi Fen nor Yang Mu was present. Their empty desks made her stomach queasy. When she sat on her desk, the whispering stopped.

Jiang Shen was about to heave a sigh of relief when Shi Fen came about crashing through the doors of the classroom panting for air.

"Did you see?!"

Jiang Shen felt unsettled. But she still pretended to be fine. "Did I see what?"

"The forum! And—" Shi Fen began to ramble one but then noticed she was wearing a mask. "—Why are you wearing a mask? Are you sick?"

Shi Fen reached out to her forehead but before he could another hand reached out to stop him. "Hey!"

Oh great. It was the annoying fly buzzing around Jiang Shen. Shi Fen rolled his eyes, yanking his arm away.

Yang Mu had his everlasting smile as he said, "The teacher is here."

On cue, the professor arrived in his suit and immediately began to dive in the lecture. His powerpoint presentation had already been set up as he wasted no time teaching.

Jiang Shen heaved a sigh of relief. She threw a grateful gaze at Yang Mu, who had already sat on his seat, to which the latter nodded.

Although he was not active on the student forum, he was always updated through the ramblings of his good friend, Mo Ran. The guy spent too much time browsing social media, it was a wonder why his grades were so good.

Li Er had also made it a point to inform him of any news he happened to come by that involved Jiang Shen.

So the news that are circulating in the Institute like wildfire was something he knew. In any case, it was bad.

Keyboard warriors kept spewing degrading insults at her and students who once admired her began to distort the truth. From a picture, everything went spiraling out of control.

Shi Fen kept tapping his foot on the ground as he bit his fingernails in anxiety, waiting until lunch. His blatant display of emotions affected Jiang Shen too.

Although it was hard to notice, she kept fiddling with her necklace and rubbing her earlobe in an attempt to calm down.

When lunch had finally began, Shi Fen practically jumped out of his seat and dragged Jiang Shen out of her seat to a secluded place.

Yang Mu also didn't fail to follow them to the usual place, already treating himself as part of her circle.

They successfully attracted the attention of students as the whispers grew louder and the stares were practically daggers. If looks could kill, Jiang Shen would've already died a thousand times.

There was even a horde of angry fangirls hot on her heels. If it wasn't because she was with their idol, they might've resorted to shouting like madmen.

When they arrived at the usual spot, their other friends were already there waiting, even Mo Ran and Li Er.

All of them wore an expression of worry and concern. Some had even hidden their worry as they approached Jiang Shen.

Cao Wei, no longer sporting the same lazy smirk on her face, had practically pulled Jiang Shen into a crushing hug.

"Are you okay?"

Jiang Shen was the only one among them that did not like to use social media. Thus, she had no idea what the fuss was about.

"I'm fine, why?" she confusingly asked.

Cao Wei met gazes with Shi Fen, who also shook his head. "I didn't get the chance to tell her earlier."

"Tell me what? Did I do something wrong?"

Was there a problem with the party last night? Did someone lodge a complaint? Or perhaps it was the three students she knocked out? All kinds of reasons ran through her mind as she ran a hand through her hand.

Sensing her tension, Yang Mu put a hand on her shoulder as he gripped it tight. "Relax," he whispered. "Nothing bad will happen to you."

Registering his words, Jiang Shen relaxed her body as she took a deep breathe. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Do you promise not to freak out?" Cao Wei nervously asked.

Jiang Shen was never the type of person to held a grudge. Even if one did attempt to tarnish her reputation, never once did she attempt to take her revenge.

It was not that she didn't think of it, per se. It was more like she didn't want to make an effort to bother with people who held no significant position in her life.

And so, Jiang Shen shook her head. "I promise."