Chapter 5: Return to the Battlefield

"Okay then, give it to me. I’m leaving," Song Mei said to Lilac, her voice calm yet determined.

Lilac handed her the carefully packed bento box, bowing respectfully. Song Mei took it with a brief nod and descended the stairs. Outside, Mr. Shi already stood beside the car with the door open. She stepped inside, and the vehicle smoothly pulled away from the villa.

As the cityscape blurred past the window, a storm of memories crashed into her mind—faces twisted with mockery, hushed whispers behind her back, the suffocating scorn of her classmates, and the ever-gentle, always-adored Song Ning standing in the center of it all like a saint. In contrast, she—Song Mei—had been painted a villain, banished to the shadows.

“This time… I will pay it all back. Every smile they stole from me. Every bruise, every tear. With interest.”

At the school gate, two boys stood idly, gossiping.

“Hey, who’s that? I’ve never seen her before. Man, she’s stunning. Like—model level stunning. Is she a transfer student or something?”

“No way, bro. Maybe she’s a new girl in a senior year or something. But seriously, if I’d seen someone like her before, I’d never forget her face.”

“She kind of looks like... no, impossible. That devil Song Mei? The one who bullied poor Song Ning? That girl’s hideous. Besides, my dad said she was kicked out of the Song mansion and sent to live in a regular villa in Sun City. Not even the nice one. Says a lot about how much her family cares.”

Song Mei heard them, every venom-laced word. And yet, her face remained emotionless. She had once cried over such things—burned with shame. Not anymore.

She walked confidently through the corridors, her beauty turning heads left and right. Without the heavy makeup, her face—sharp, ethereal, and commanding—shone with unshakable confidence. Whispers followed her like a tide.

When she entered the classroom, everyone froze. The sight of her was stunning enough to draw gasps.

A boy frowned, stepping forward. “Hey, you’re in the wrong seat. That’s Song Mei’s. You don’t want to be sitting there. She’s... not the type to go easy.”

“I am Song Mei,” she declared, loud and unwavering.

Silence.

The jaws that dropped couldn’t have dropped lower.

“You… you’re Song Mei?” Gu Jiaojiao finally squeaked, her voice nearly cracking. “What kind of transformation is this?!”

“No way… That can’t be her. She always looked… you know, awful. Are we sure she’s not some cousin or someone helping her cheat the system?” another girl said, suspicious.

“She must be wearing makeup. No one just transforms like that overnight,” another muttered.

Then, a new voice joined in. “If I’d known she looked like this under all that gunk, I’d have asked her out ages ago.”

The speaker was Hao Ran.

Song Mei’s eyes narrowed.

Hao Ran… the same boy who called me trash. The one who spread rumors, tripped me in the halls, laughed as I cried. All for Song Ning.

And now here he was, drooling over her beauty, forgetting every cruel word he once said.

This world is really shallow. No, not the world—the people in it.

Suddenly, the classroom door slammed open.

“What is this noise?!” Mr. Pan, the math teacher, stormed in. “Class A is leading again. Even Class D is ahead of you! And yet you’re here gossiping like you’ve got nothing better to do. Since you’re all so free, let’s see how you perform in a surprise test. Fail it, and you’ll pay double for the summer trip. Understood?”

“Yes, sir…” the class groaned collectively.

Chu Shaojia leaned close to Song Mei. “Hey… you okay? You look… different. Did something happen at home?”

Shaojia. The only friend who ever saw her past the lies. The one who died too early, too painfully, in her last life. Song Mei’s heart tightened.

“I’ll tell you everything later,” she replied. “Focus on this test first. You really want to miss the City D summer trip?”

“You’re right! Let’s do our best,” Shaojia grinned.

Mr. Pan began writing equations on the board. One by one, students went up to solve them. Two failed spectacularly, but shrugged it off—their rich parents could easily cover the penalty.

Then it was Song Mei’s turn.

Mr. Pan gave her a tough one. Whispering began.

“He gave her the hardest one. She’s going to fail. There goes her summer trip,” Gu Jiaojiao said smugly.

Song Mei approached the board, eyes scanning the problem. Inwardly, she laughed.

They think this is hard?

Her hand moved confidently across the board. Each step was precise. Logical. Elegant. When she turned around, the classroom was stunned.

Even the class monitor blinked. “That was... brilliant.”

Mr. Pan smiled. “Well done, Song Mei. You’ve improved. Keep studying like this.”

“Even Song Mei’s studying now. What about the rest of you?” he scolded. “Anyway, test’s over. Start preparing for the summer trip. We leave at the end of the month.”

As he left, the gossip resumed like wildfire.

“How did she solve that so fast? Did she study it before?”

“Did she cheat?” Gu Jiaojiao’s friend muttered.

“You shut your mouth!” Shaojia snapped. “Our Meimei is smart. Smarter than you’ll ever be. Try slandering her again and I’ll report you for defamation!”

“It’s okay, Shaojia,” Song Mei said softly. “Let them bark. If a dog yaps at you, you don’t bark back. Otherwise, you’re no different.”

“You… You called me a dog?!” Gu Jiaojiao shrieked. “You know who I am?! My father is powerful! He’ll throw you out of this school like the trash you are! Even the Song family threw you away!”

Song Mei smiled, unbothered. “Did I mention your name? I only said a dog was barking. If you feel that fits you, then maybe you should reflect on why.”

The room burst into laughter. Even Gu Jiaojiao’s cronies chuckled behind their hands.

Humiliated, Gu Jiaojiao stormed over to Song Mei’s desk, hand raised to slap her.

“Stop right there, Gu Jiaojiao!”

The authoritative voice cut through the room like a knife. Song Feng stepped in, eyes cold. Behind him stood Song Ning.

They had come because Song Ning insisted she wanted to make peace. But what they saw left them stunned.

The timid, broken Song Mei they remembered had disappeared. The girl before them radiated defiance.

Even if Song Feng disliked Song Mei, no outsider was allowed to raise a hand against her. She was still Song family.

“Meimei, are you okay? Did she hurt you?” Song Ning stepped forward.

Song Mei’s glare was sharp. “Don’t touch me. Don’t act concerned. I told you—I hate you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

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