chapter 4: WHAT THEY SAID BEHIND MY BACK

The thing about rumors is—they never really die.

They just change shape.

By the second day of Liang Yuxin’s return, whispers followed her like a shadow with teeth. The students at Huaiyin No. 3 weren’t brave enough to confront her directly, but they were vicious when backs were turned.

“She’s acting like she owns the place.”

“I heard she went crazy after Jiahao rejected her.”

“Maybe she came back for revenge.”

“Is she… into girls now?”

Yuxin heard it all.

She was quiet, yes. But not deaf. And never blind.

She watched the way they stared. The way they laughed when they thought she wasn’t listening. How they avoided meeting her eyes like they were afraid of what they’d see.

They should be.

In the girls’ bathroom, Zhou Qian leaned against the sink, lips painted with her usual glossy pink.

“She’s trying too hard,” she said to Lin Yue, brushing her hair casually. “She thinks looking pretty will make everyone forget.”

Lin Yue giggled. “She actually looks kind of hot now, though.”

Zhou Qian’s eyes narrowed.

“She’s just desperate. She’s faking confidence.it won't last ".

But her voice wasn’t as steady as she wanted it to be.

Because in the hallway earlier that morning, Yuxin had walked right past her…

And Zhou Qian had flinched.

Not because Yuxin looked angry.

But because Yuxin didn’t even look at her at all.

---

In class, Yuxin sat in her usual spot at the back, watching everything. She took notes. Not just on chemistry or math, but on people.

Who gossiped the loudest.

Who spread the rumors.

Who laughed at the right moment when someone else mocked her.

She remembered them all.

And then, there was Xu Meiling.

Sitting in the middle row. Cute handwriting. Nervous smile. The kind of girl who picked up other people’s pencils when they dropped. The kind of girl who apologized when you stepped on her foot.

Yuxin caught her sneaking glances again.

So during lunch, she made the first move.

---

“Your hair looks nice today,” Yuxin said, sliding her tray next to Meiling in the cafeteria.

Meiling nearly choked on her rice. “W-what?!”

Yuxin smiled faintly. “I mean it.”

“Oh. Um… thank you.” Her ears turned pink.

Yuxin looked around. Several students were staring. Murmuring. Some even snickering.

Perfect.

“I like being around you,” Yuxin added, her voice soft but just loud enough for others to hear. “You make things… quieter.”

Meiling blushed again. Her chopsticks trembled. “I—I don’t know what that means…”

“It means,” Yuxin leaned in just a little, close enough for Meiling to smell the faint citrus scent of her perfume, “I’d like to have lunch with you again tomorrow.”

The whole cafeteria felt like it paused.

Then—

A fork dropped.

Someone whispered, “No way…”

And Zhou Qian, from the far table, crushed her juice box in her hand.

---

That night, Yuxin stared at her phone screen, her chat history empty.

Zhou Qian hadn’t messaged. She wouldn’t dare. Not yet.

But soon.

Yuxin clicked open her notes app.

She wrote a new list:

Targets:

Chen Jiahao – humiliation pending

Zhou Qian – pain through patience

Lin Yue – easy to crack

The gossipers – watch and burn

Xu Meiling –

  ✔️ Phase 1: Curiosity

  ⬜ Phase 2: Trust

  ⬜ Phase 3: Emotion

  ⬜ Final Phase: Realization

She saved the file and whispered to the empty room:

“Let them talk behind my back.

Soon, they’ll be begging at my feet.”

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