She had already prepared herself thoroughly. No matter how coldly these people spoke to her, her resolve wouldn't waver in the slightest.
But she had never expected them to go straight after her Su Moqian...
That was just too despicable!
Raiden Mei watched the girls surrounding Su Moqian. She even spotted a few of her former closest friends among them.
Watching those old friends strike up conversation with the man she cared about, Mei was overcome by an unbearable sense of grievance.
They had been so close before, inseparable and always together.
But after she lost her status as the heiress of Me Corp, they had deliberately distanced themselves from her.
That alone would have been bad enough, but now they were trying to hit on her man?
"Su, what do you usually like to do?"
"I guess I spend most of my time practicing martial arts. But I wouldn't really call it a hobby. It's just something I've done for a long time."
"Oh? Why do you say it's a habit?"
"Because my mom is the president of Shenzhou Headquarters here, and she's incredibly skilled. I've been learning Shenzhou Martial Arts from her since I was little."
"Shenzhou Headquarters? Wow, it's super famous in Changkong City! I heard Shenzhou Martial Arts is especially powerful, and unbeatable against opponents in the same weight class!"
Raiden Mei unconsciously pursed her lips.
"You can't really put it that way. Every country's fighting style has its own strengths and weaknesses. There's no such thing as being unbeatable."
"Is that so? What about Shenzhou, then?"
"Ah, we in Shenzhou know a little bit of everything."
"I see. You're so refined and easygoing, Su. Since we're friends now, can I just call you Moqian?"
Raiden Mei quietly clenched her fists.
"Uh, sure. We Shenzhou people aren't particular about formalities like how people address us."
"That's great! Then I'll just call you Moqian from now on!"
"Damn it! I'm the only one who gets to call him that so affectionately!"
Hearing them put on those sickly sweet voices to win Su Moqian over, Raiden Mei was so furious her teeth ached!
"Stay away from him! He's my ex-boyfriend!"
At that moment, Raiden Mei wanted nothing more than to roar at them.
Then she wanted to charge over and shove all those squeaky-voiced girls away from Su Moqian.
But reason told her she couldn't do that.
First, she was afraid of dragging Su Moqian into her problems.
Mei knew what her situation at school was like. If she acted too close to Moqian, he would inevitably be caught up in it too.
Second, Raiden Mei was afraid.
After Su Moqian arrived, he hadn't come over to greet her. That couldn't help but set her imagination running wild.
She didn't know whether he was keeping his distance because they had broken up, or if Su Moqian, like everyone else, had turned cold toward her because her father had gone to prison.
Although Raiden Mei didn't think Su Moqian was that kind of person, she was now in a state where one snakebite could make her fear a rope for ten years.
Raiden Mei had once had plenty of close friends, too. But after that, even those friends who had been so close to her began keeping their distance and ignoring her.
What would she do if Su Moqian kept his distance from her too?
Finding hope amid disappointment was certainly wonderful, but what people feared most was having that hard-won hope shattered all over again.
Besides, even if she took the most generous view of things, she was only Su Moqian's ex-girlfriend now. She had no right to manage his private life...
Chapter 12: After All, He Was Only Pretending
(Advance notice: the editing is complete. Since some parts have been revised, it's recommended that you reread from the beginning. Remember to refresh the table of contents!)
At that moment, Raiden Mei felt as if she were a helpless loser.
"Forget it. If I can just get through this month, Moqian will come back to me..."
"If I can just get through this month, Moqian and I will never be apart again... Mei, you have to hold on!"
Raiden Mei kept encouraging herself in her heart, and only then did she manage to pull herself together.
But just as she forced a smile, those girls' voices rang out again:
"Su, where are you having lunch?"
"Eating alone at noon sounds kind of lonely. Why don't we have lunch together?"
"Brother Moqian~ You're new here. How about I show you around Senba Academy later?"
"Damn it!" Raiden Mei slammed her hand on the desk.
Listening to those girls hit on her boyfriend, Mei nearly ground her teeth to dust.
She had already set her lunchbox on the desk, but hearing the girls over there made her so furious she couldn't eat a single bite.
In the end, Raiden Mei, with no appetite at all, slammed her lunchbox onto the desk and walked right out of the classroom.
The girls beside Su Moqian could only stare at one another.
After a moment of shock, the girls immediately put on disdainful expressions.
"Tch. The daughter of a criminal—who's she putting on that act for?"
"Does she still think she's the heiress of Me Corp? Throwing a tantrum at us? Honestly."
"Hmph. We're already being nice by not giving her trouble, and she still gives us that look?"
"Exactly. What does it have to do with her if we want to be friends with Su? You'd think he was her boyfriend or something!"
Su Moqian: "..."
The girls around them quickly came to their senses. Realizing Su Moqian was still there, they hurriedly began talking over one another to explain themselves.
They kept badmouthing Raiden Mei in front of Su Moqian.
Rather than an explanation, their behavior seemed more like an attempt to drag their new classmate down with them!
The more Su Moqian heard, the more contempt he felt for these girls.
After spending so much time with the Raiden Family, how could Su Moqian not know Uncle Ryoma's character?
So, firmly convinced that Raiden Ryoma had been framed, Su Moqian added another item to his plans:
"Do everything possible to clear Uncle Ryoma's name."
After noticing out of the corner of his eye that Raiden Mei had left, Su Moqian instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
He was in a hurry to catch up with her and see what was going on.
In truth, Su Moqian had wanted to talk to Raiden Mei a little as soon as class ended, if only to say hello.
But perhaps because of his looks and talent, the girls who had been drawn to him didn't even plan on eating during lunch break. The moment class ended, they crowded around him with question after question, leaving him no chance to get near Raiden Mei.
"I'm sure everyone's getting hungry. Why don't you all go eat? We can talk this afternoon," Su Moqian said, casually making up an excuse.
That was how socializing in the Far East worked. Sometimes, one sentence was enough to make everything clear, but in the Far East, you had to be tactful, then more tactful, then even more tactful, circling around the point three or four times. It was a real hassle.
After escaping the crowd, Su Moqian picked up the bag containing his lunch and immediately got up to chase after her.
When he reached the corridor, Su Moqian looked around. He quickly spotted Raiden Mei's retreating figure and called out to her.
"Hey, Mei."
Since Su Moqian had lunch as an excuse, he could greet Raiden Mei without any pressure.
But after pausing for a moment, Raiden Mei didn't turn around. Instead, she walked faster and faster.
Seeing this, Su Moqian was puzzled.
"Strange. What's wrong?"
Unable to figure it out, Su Moqian didn't give up. He went straight after her.
Raiden Mei didn't stop until they had reached the deserted area behind the school building.
"What did you come here for? We've already broken up."
Raiden Mei didn't look back. She did her best to make her voice sound cold.
"Huh? You really think I transferred here for you?"
Su Moqian folded his arms and put on an impatient expression.
"If my parents hadn't insisted, I wouldn't have wanted to come to this all-girls' school."
"Your parents and Uncle Ryoma asked you to come?" A trace of disappointment flashed in Raiden Mei's eyes.
"Yeah. My parents were worried you might do something drastic, so they sent me to keep an eye on you," Su Moqian said with a shrug.
"Tch. I'm not that fragile. Thank them for their concern, and then go back to your own school without worrying about me." Raiden Mei waved a hand as if sending him away.
"Why should I do what you say? Since you put it that way, I'm going to stay at Senba Academy no matter what," Su Moqian replied calmly.
After all, he was only pretending. He didn't really hate Mei.
If he actually left Senba Academy, it would be much harder to get anything done later.
"Fair enough. I'm only your ex-girlfriend now. Do whatever you want." Raiden Mei shook her head indifferently, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, she was only pretending. She didn't really hate Moqian.
If he actually left, wouldn't that mean she wouldn't get to see him during this time?
Besides, if he was right in front of her, he would be safer.
At least she wouldn't have to worry about another woman stealing the man she loved.
Thinking of this, the corners of Mei's lips lifted slightly, but she quickly hid it and continued in a cold voice:
"Speaking of which, what did you come looking for me for?"
"Nothing much. I just came to bring you lunch."
As he spoke, Su Moqian took a lunchbox from his backpack and held it out to Mei.
He also wore a helpless expression. "I don't mean anything by it. My mom was just worried you wouldn't eat properly, so she insisted on making an extra lunch for me to bring you."
"You don't have to trouble Auntie. I can cook for myself," Raiden Mei said softly.
Hearing that brought back some unpleasant memories, and Su Moqian's eyes flew wide open.
"What? Say that again?"
"I said I can cook for myself! What's wrong?" Raiden Mei glared right back at him.
"Who gave you the nerve to say something like that?"
"What's wrong? Even a professional chef couldn't find anything to criticize in my cooking!"
Su Moqian's mouth twitched. "Are you sure they couldn't find anything to criticize because of your status?"
Raiden Mei nodded firmly. "Absolutely!"
"...That's true. If they're dead from poisoning, they really can't criticize anything." Su Moqian considered this thoughtfully.
Chapter 13: A Broken Future
Raiden Mei had always been doted on. When had she ever heard someone talk about her like that?
She immediately flared up. Her cheeks puffed out as she shouted:
"Su Moqian!"
On any other day, hearing his beloved call him by his full name like that would have made Su Moqian panic.
But for some reason, he blurted out without thinking:
Before you continue