Chapter 140: Ye Zhen, I've Let You Down
The emotion called envy can drive people to do many irrational things.
Jiang Zao, who had been sent to the Academic Affairs Office, sat with her head bowed. No matter what the counselor or director said before her, she remained silent.
For her, only the phrase "heart as cold as ashes" could describe her state of mind at that moment.
The moment she left Room 404, a powerful wave of guilt washed over her.
She wanted to grab Ye Zhen and jump together from the tallest clock tower on campus.
This sinister thought made her acutely aware of the ugliness lurking within her soul, plunging her into profound panic.
How could this be?
When the orphanage caught fire, she and her teacher were carried out on stretchers.
Biting back the searing pain on her face, she stared wide-eyed at the teacher's hand dangling from the stretcher as tears streamed down her cheeks.
She had always adored this teacher, even secretly calling her "Mom" behind closed doors.
The teacher often told her that life was like a book, full of twists and turns. You wouldn't know what kind of story it was until you turned the last page.
Therefore, she must respect life and maintain hope for the future.
…But where was that hope?
"Jiang Zao, considering this is your first offense, you caused no tangible harm to the residents of Room 404, and they have chosen not to pursue further action… The college has decided that you will write a written reflection and be relocated from your current dormitory."
Jiang Zao lifted her head slightly, meeting the gaze of the counselor before her.
This outcome caught her off guard.
She had expected disciplinary action.
The counselor sighed, softening her tone. "You consistently ranked at the top of your class before entering the academy, won numerous prestigious awards, and secured a full scholarship upon arriving at Mondstadt. You are a bright and hardworking individual."
Jiang Zao's eyes clouded over with confusion.
Her sole strength in life was simply being good at studying.
But was academic excellence truly enough?
In a place like Mondstadt, what truly mattered more were family background, net worth, looks, connections…
And among those second- and third-generation wealthy who'd received elite education since childhood, how many truly had grades significantly worse than hers?
She could never again effortlessly pull ahead of others like she had in her small hometown.
Not long after the semester began, she already felt immense academic pressure.
"With your grades, if you maintain them until graduation, you'll at least secure a recommendation letter from the school and land a very decent job."
The counselor paused briefly after saying this.
He gave Jiang Zao a light pat on the shoulder.
"It's not too late now, of course. It all depends on whether you can find the right direction in life."
…
After leaving the Academic Affairs Office.
Jiang Zao returned to his dorm room, head bowed, and began packing his belongings, preparing to move out.
The room felt empty.
During every dorm activity, everyone would selectively ignore her.
Of course, she would tactfully keep quiet and not ask too many questions.
She packed her belongings into large plastic bags and carried them out of the dorm.
Just as she was about to return to push her suitcase back in, her dormmates came back.
They stared at her with mocking eyes for a long moment.
They said nothing, yet it felt like they had said everything.
Only after Jiang Zao had walked far away did one roommate suddenly step out of the dorm, stand at the doorway, and loudly demand, "Hey, thief! You didn't take anyone else's stuff, did you?"
Her voice was so loud that girls from other dorm rooms heard it.
Jiang Zao froze in place, standing motionless for a long moment.
Slowly, she crouched down, opened her suitcase, and dumped everything onto the floor. Then she tore open the plastic bag and emptied its contents onto the ground as well.
"Come over and look. See what belongs to you."
The roommate clearly hadn't expected Jiang Zao to do this.
Under Jiang Zao's intense, unblinking stare, she grew visibly frightened. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that? I-I was just asking a question!"
"You. Come. Over. And. Look."
Jiang Zao said, enunciating each word deliberately.
She had never spoken so defiantly in front of others before, which surprised everyone else.
The roommate who had tried to pick a fight, sensing things were going south, attempted to pretend nothing had happened and slip back into the dorm room.
But Jiang Zao hadn't handed over the key yet.
The moment she stepped into the dorm, Jiang Zao followed right behind, twisting the lock open.
Soon after, a shriek erupted from their dorm room.
Jiang Zao swiftly grabbed the girl by the hair and dragged her out of the room. "Come find it! Find it! See what exactly is yours! You're always accusing me of taking your stuff, aren't you? Come on, find it! Find it!"
The others in the dorm were too terrified to intervene.
Jiang Zao ripped off her mask, revealing the face everyone despised.
Her eyes reddened as she glared viciously at her roommate, who was now cowering on the floor.
"Come find it! Hurry up, find it!"
……
……
Room 404.
When Ye Zhen heard the news about the floor where Jiang Zao and the others were staying, she was startled too.
Her roommates exchanged glances, their emotions complex.
By this point, both Ye Fuli and Zhao Mengde had already left their dorm room.
Lu Chengcheng stood silently for a moment before rising and heading toward the door.
Qiao Xin propped her chin on her hand and asked, "Chengcheng, are you going to watch the show?"
Lu Chengcheng nodded, then shook her head. "I want to see whether people will explode in silence or perish in silence."
"Playing the big philosopher again, huh?"
"So, are you two going?"
She looked at Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen nodded and stood up. "Let's go see."
They soon arrived at the noisy hallway.
By then, school administrators had rushed over. Seeing the female student crying her heart out and the silent Jiang Zao, they immediately began berating Jiang Zao.
"Jiang Zao, do you want to forfeit your diploma? Apologize to this girl!"
Jiang Zao stared expressionlessly at the administrator. "Apologize to her? Why should I apologize to her? It's only been a few days since school started, and she's already slandered me three times, accusing me of stealing her things and spreading rumors about me everywhere. Why should I apologize to her?"
The administrator was momentarily speechless.
Other teachers and counselors immediately stepped forward, pointing fingers at her.
"That doesn't justify you hurting your classmates!"
"Don't push it too far, Jiang Zao!"
"Don't forget what you did today!"
Jiang Zao smiled and said earnestly:
"Fine. First, make her apologize to me. Then I'll jump off that tower to apologize to her."
At those words, even the girl who had been crying as if her life depended on it froze in shock, forgetting her tears.
Jiang Zao looked down at her. "Is that okay? If it is, apologize to me first."
"My… my dad donated a building to the school!"
Terrified beyond reason, she blurted out this utterly useless statement.
Jiang Zao still smiled: "What the hell does that have to do with me? Apologize or not—if you don't, we'll die together. That way, I'll forgive you."
As she spoke, she reached to grab the girl's hair.
The principal grew impatient.
He immediately pointed at the disheveled girl on the ground.
"This student, apologize to Jiang Zao immediately!"
The disheveled girl: "…"
The other students watching were all dumbfounded.
They had never seen Jiang Zao lose her temper before. At that moment, she seemed like a ferocious beast ready to devour anyone in her path.
"I'm… I'm sorry…"
The girl sniffled, offering a quiet and highly reluctant apology.
Jiang Zao released her hair.
Immediately, Jiang Zao's gaze began scanning the crowd.
Soon, it settled on another student.
She strode toward him, swung her arm wide, and delivered a hard slap across his face. "This is payback for what you did to me before. I'm returning the favor today."
The girl was stunned, frozen in place, unsure how to react.
Only when the stinging pain hit her face did she burst into tears with a wail: "Jiang Zao! I'll have my dad expel you! Aaaah…!"
The others who had once bullied Jiang Zao for no reason trembled on their legs and slowly backed away upon witnessing this scene.
But Jiang Zao wasn't done with them.
The administrators exchanged nervous glances, not a single one daring to intervene.
"The school's about to solicit sponsors. We can't afford any suicide scandals—it'd hurt future enrollment," a more level-headed teacher murmured under his breath.
"Besides, these kids getting beaten up aren't exactly angels either."
"Their parents are all tied to the academy's interests. They won't make a fuss."
"Just let her be. Calm her down first, then we'll see…"
They weren't unaware of Jiang Zao's situation at school; they'd simply chosen to sacrifice her interests all along.
Now that the matter had been brought out into the open, they could no longer contain it.
After venting her fury, Jiang Zao's eyes held no trace of will to survive.
She walked up to Ye Zhen, gazed at her beautiful face, and sighed softly.
"I'm sorry, Ye Zhen. I've let you down."
With that, Jiang Zao turned to leave.
Ye Zhen called out to her.
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Zhen said, "I have a job opening. I'm looking for a few people who aren't afraid of hardship, dirt, or exhaustion. The monthly salary is ten thousand yuan. Would you like to give it a try?"
"…What kind of work?"
"Chicken farming."
Seeing Jiang Zao's stunned expression, Ye Zhen added, "I'm not joking. Think it over."