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Yezhi was smiling as she prepared dinner. Xiaobinzi was truly her good friend; not only did he remain steadfast despite the rumors, but he also stood firmly by her side. Zhang Dou was quite the opposite; as soon as the rumors spread, he didn't even come to see her. Sigh! It was indeed the right choice for him to distance himself from her.
Yezhi placed the well-cooked spicy and sour Shredded Potatoes, pickled shredded pork, and clear soup with cabbage and vermicelli on the table, inviting Xiaobinzi to eat.
Lin Haitao washed his hands and took the bowl of rice that Yezhi served. The two ate in silence. “Why is it so quiet today?” Yezhi looked up. “Didn’t you say not to talk while eating?” Lin Haitao raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say it’s more enjoyable to eat without talking?” Yezhi buried her face in the bowl; she didn’t speak because her mind was filled with thoughts: who could be so ruthless as to tarnish her reputation?
“Who did you offend?”
“Lu Xiaoli! But she has been saying things about me for more than a day or two, and the version at school is different from what’s being said on the street?” Lin Haitao sensed that this matter was not just the doing of one person.
“It seems you’ve offended quite a few people!” Yezhi felt tears welling up; how could someone as kind and approachable as her end up in such a mess? She could take responsibility for her own reputation, but how could she compensate for the damage done to Xiaobinzi, Zhang Dou, and Xiao Cheng?
Seeing Yezhi furrow her brows tightly, Lin Haitao spoke softly, “You don’t need to worry about this; leave it to me!” If it weren’t for the fight between Zhang Ling and Lu Xiaoli, which turned into a public spectacle outside the Lin family home, he wouldn’t have realized how damaging rumors could be.
That night, Yezhi logged in with her consciousness. On the vast green grassland, there was no sign of Xiao Fang. She called out several times, but no one responded!
She opened the Cosmic Social Network, logged into her account, and saw that Hong Dou’s avatar was flashing non-stop. “Yezhi, you came just in time! Come with me to the dance party!”
Hong Dou was wearing an outfit that sparkled like neon lights, complete with antlers on her head; together they looked “ridiculous.” Yezhi burst into laughter. “What kind of dance party are you going to? A masquerade?”
“There’s no time! Quickly accept the invitation!” A red heart envelope popped up on the homepage. Yezhi clicked on it, and suddenly the world around her shattered into fragments. Hong Dou, glowing with Light Body, pulled her towards a source of light.
“We're here!” After the blinding white light faded, a dazzling carousel spun in mid-air, with various aliens riding on it. The aliens below danced joyfully amidst musical notes of all sizes. Hong Dou pulled her into the midst of the notes, and music filled their ears with a cheerful “ding ding dong.”
“Beautiful Miss Leaf, let’s dance!” Hong Dou took Yezhi’s hand and invited her. Yezhi shook her head with a smile. “I can’t dance!”
“Just spin around!”
It must be said that as a noble, Hong Dou had quite an impressive foundation in dancing. Under his guidance, Yezhi truly found herself enjoying the feeling of dancing gracefully.
"Beautiful Miss Leaf, you danced so well, it was amazing...!" Yezhi giggled non-stop, unable to compliment Red Bean's terrible singing voice.
They danced one song after another until Yezhi felt the whole world was spinning before they finally stopped. Red Bean took two cups of a strange drink with golden little stars from the waiter. Yezhi took a big gulp and immediately felt excited and happy, as if every cell in her body was jumping.
"Red Bean, I'm so happy!"
"Me too, haha! Let's come back next year!"
"Then you have to invite me, and don't you dare invite anyone else!"
"Don't go back on your word; I was stood up today, but luckily I caught you." Red Bean looked genuinely happy to see her, making Yezhi smile proudly. "Red Bean, I want to ride the carousel."
"I want to ride too! Leaf, you're so great; everyone says this is just for kids and laughs at me for not growing up!" Red Bean was very happy to find someone who also never grew up.
"Nonsense! Not growing up is great; there are no worries! Besides, it's clearly them who don't know how to appreciate it. Let's go!" Yezhi pulled Red Bean onto the beautiful carousel.
As the carousel spun, Yezhi felt as if she wanted to fly away. The beautiful night sky sparkled with stars, people danced below, and everything was so beautiful and dreamy.
Yezhi didn't know how long the ball lasted; anyway, she and Red Bean danced and ate until the music ended and left reluctantly. She suddenly appeared at the table, startling Xiao Fang. "Xiao Fang, why are you so jumpy! By the way, where did you go just now?" Xiao Fang put its racing heart back in place. "Master, Xiao Fang just went to Robot Paradise!"
Yezhi draped her arm over Xiao Fang's shoulder and said, "Was it fun? I just went to the ball with Red Bean; it was really fun!"
"Xiao Fang didn't go to play; Xiao Fang bought a pair of glasses!" A pair of goggles-like glasses appeared on Xiao Fang's square eyes.
"Master, Xiao Fang will get revenge for you!" Yezhi kissed Xiao Fang on the forehead. "Xiao Fang, you're so great; tell me how you'll get back at them."
"Master, wearing these glasses, the projection can reach 100 meters. Xiao Fang is preparing to show Zhao Yueying a horror movie." Xiao Fang said proudly.
Yezhi chuckled and said, "Xiao Fang, you've learned badly!" Xiao Fang shyly scratched its head. "Hehe, it's what Master said: treat friends warmly like spring and treat enemies coldly like winter."
"Xiao Fang, let's forget about that; there are so many happy things. Why should we get tangled up in this? Besides, we're going home the day after tomorrow!" Seeing her master lazily leaning against it made Xiao Fang feel really peaceful inside. It nodded in agreement. "Okay! Xiao Fang will listen to Master!"
In the morning, Yezhi packed Xiaobinzi's lunchbox and left a note for him. Wrapping herself in a large scarf, she braved the wind and snow to reach the classroom. As soon as she entered, she saw Zhang Ling, her face marked with scratches, slumped over her desk, looking dispirited. Yezhi felt guilty because it seemed that Zhang Ling had also been isolated by Everyone because of her.
"Hey, have you reviewed?" Yezhi asked with a bright smile.
Seeing her, Zhang Ling instantly perked up. "Sister Ye, what about you? We must beat Lu Xiaoli in the exam!"
"Of course! If I don't come in first, how can I justify Teacher He's hard work in teaching us?" Yezhi replied boldly.
"Yezhi, if you come in first, it would be against nature!" Lu Xiaoli shouted as she entered the room, slamming her hand on the desk.
Yezhi sat down at her desk and took out her notes to review without paying any attention to Lu Xiaoli's outburst. Zhang Ling couldn't understand why Sister Ye was so calm. "Sister Ye, why aren't you angry?"
She had been angry yesterday, but that only made her feel conflicted and unhappy. Why bother? As long as the rumors weren't true, they would eventually fade away. Being surrounded by such negativity made her miss the simple beauty of Zhoujiatun even more.
Teacher He came in holding a stack of exam papers, and the noisy classroom fell silent. As the papers were passed around, everyone focused all their attention on answering questions after nearly two months of studying.
The entire morning passed in the exam. When Yezhi and Zhang Ling finally walked out of the classroom, Sun Dajiang appeared in front of them. "Sun Dajiang, what brings you here?"
"Sister Leaf, I'm really here on business this time; I just happened to stop by to see you," Sun Dajiang explained with a chuckle.
"Come on! Sun Dajiang, this time I'm treating you to lunch!" Yezhi said as she pulled Zhang Ling along with her while Sun Dajiang headed straight for the "Grand Restaurant."
Lu Xiaoli watched Yezhi and the others leave and shouted loudly, "Did you see that? She was cold to him before, and now that no one wants her, she's being nice again!" This remark surprisingly garnered nods of agreement from most of the classmates in the classroom. In fact, Yezhi's indifference to the rumors only fueled their spread; as the saying goes, three people can create a tiger—her reputation in town was tarnished!
"Sun Dajiang, eat up!" Sun Dajiang looked at the table full of delicious dishes and hesitated to pick up his chopsticks until Yezhi placed a piece of sauced bone into his bowl before he finally started eating.
"Come on, do you need us to keep urging you?" Yezhi called out to Zhang Dou, Xiaobinzi, and Zhang Ling.
When the waiter brought over drinks, Yezhi poured for Zhang Dou, Xiaobinzi, Zhang Ling, and Sun Dajiang. "Today we gather together; it's fate. Xiaobinzi and Zhang Dou, thank you for taking care of me these past two months!"
"Xiaobinzi, once I leave, your peaceful life will return. Sorry for causing you trouble these past two months!" Yezhi had many things she wanted to say but felt a bit dizzy after just two cups of wine. After pouring a third cup and coming to Sun Dajiang's side, she said, "Sun Dajiang, I wish you find your beautiful companion soon!" Sun Dajiang's eyes flickered as he looked at Yezhi before he raised his glass and downed it in one go. Seeing him so decisive made Yezhi feel he had truly let go; she happily served him more food.
"Yezi, why did you put all the dishes in front of Dajiang?" Zhang Dou shouted as he saw his favorite braised pork being taken away by Yezhi.
"I'm not letting you eat it. Zhang Ling fought for me, and Xiaobinzi didn't kick me out, but you wouldn't even step into the Lin family door!" Zhang Dou was anxious, scratching his head; he felt wronged, this was a huge misunderstanding.
"Alright, stop drinking!" Lin Haitao snatched the wine cup from Yezi's hand. Yezhi smiled at Xiaobinzi, raising her finger, "Last cup!"
Unable to refuse Yezhi, Lin Haitao poured her half a cup. Yezhi raised her cup, "Tomorrow, after classes end, I’ll be going back to Zhoujiatun. Friends, if you miss me, come to Zhoujiatun! Yezi, you're welcome! Cheers!" The wine was too strong; her throat hurt and she felt dizzy.
When Yezhi woke up, it was already dark outside. She rubbed her aching head, unable to remember what she had done before. Putting on her Cotton Padded Jacket, she went to the kitchen where Xiaobinzi was cooking. "You're awake!"
After finishing a glass of water, Yezhi finally had the strength to speak, "How did I get back? Was it very rude of me?"
"No more drinking in the future!" Lin Haitao said coldly. Yezhi's face turned pale; she must have embarrassed herself terribly; otherwise, why would Xiaobinzi have this attitude?
"Okay! No drinking!"
The two sat facing each other at the dining table. Yezhi kept serving food to Lin Haitao, who accepted everything silently and swallowed it all.
"Xiaobinzi, thank you for renting me a place to stay; I'm leaving tomorrow! Your cooking has gotten better and better; take care of yourself and don’t forget your meals...!" Yezhi was a bit chatty while Lin Haitao listened quietly until she felt dry in her mouth.
After cleaning up the dishes, Lin Haitao only told Yezhi, "I have work tomorrow, so I won't see you off!" before returning to his room. Yezhi looked around the small courtyard where she had lived for two months, gazing at the beautiful "Winter Beauty", feeling a twinge of reluctance in her heart.
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