Bullying

After forty minutes of exercise, the remaining forty minutes were left for everyone to do as they pleased. Li Zhaoxi was sitting on the ground drinking water when her friend Yan Xiaoqing sat down beside her and snatched her bottle.

"I'm dying of thirst! Quick, quick, let me have a sip!"

"You look like you've never had water in your life. Careful you don't choke."

Yan Xiaoqing gulped down the remaining half bottle of water, then smacked her lips. "I'm still a little thirsty. Let's go buy some water."

Li Zhaoxi waved a hand. "You go ahead. I already drank too much."

"All right, then."

Yan Wen wondered, Li Zhaoxi was locked in the restroom the whole time, so shouldn't Yan Xiaoqing have noticed she was missing? How did Li Zhaoxi end up trapped there for hours?

Xiao Qi explained, When Yan Xiaoqing came back, she asked why Li Zhaoxi still wasn't back. Tao Niannian lied and said a teacher had called Li Zhaoxi to the office, and she'd left in such a hurry that she hadn't taken her phone. Yan Xiaoqing didn't suspect anything. She gave Tao Niannian the water and told her to remember to give it to Li Zhaoxi, then went home. Yan Xiaoqing's home is very close to Shengyuan, and a driver picks her up every evening.

Great. A plot bug.

Li Zhaoxi headed toward the restroom. Seeing her leave, Tao Niannian called over two classmates and followed her.

Yan Wen's thoughts kept running. Here comes the main event. Li Zhaoxi's about to get locked in the restroom, so how am I supposed to rescue her? I can't go in there and open the door for her.

Li Zhaoxi entered a stall, locked the door, then stood in the corner against the back wall.

A few seconds later, a basin of cold water poured down from above. Fortunately, Li Zhaoxi wasn't standing in the middle, and only her trouser legs got wet.

Tao Niannian's gloating voice came through the door. "Li Zhaoxi, just be a good girl and stay in there overnight."

Yan Wen had another question. But that doesn't make sense. There's still so much time between now and eight tonight. Nobody used the restroom that whole time, and nobody noticed Li Zhaoxi was locked inside?

Xiao Qi sounded deeply resigned. Yes, Host. It really was that much of a coincidence. No classes had PE here that afternoon, and nobody used the restroom. Li Zhaoxi stayed locked inside until eight that evening. A cleaner finally found her while cleaning the restroom.

Li Zhaoxi unlocked the door and pushed it, only to discover that it really wouldn't open.

After several failed attempts, Li Zhaoxi took out her phone and called Yan Xiaoqing. Before coming to the restroom, she had quietly slipped her phone into her pocket.

When Yan Xiaoqing heard from Li Zhaoxi, she hurried toward the restroom, but Tao Niannian stopped her. "Xiaoqing, where are you rushing off to?"

Eager to get there, Yan Xiaoqing spoke a little sharply. "Where else could I be going in this direction?"

"Xiaoqing, I was only asking. Why are you being so mean?" Tao Niannian lowered her head as though she had suffered a terrible injustice.

Yan Xiaoqing rolled her eyes discreetly. "What else would I be going to the restroom for? Besides using the toilet, do you go there to eat?"

Yan Wen, who had been watching everything unfold, let out a puzzled "Huh?" Yan Xiaoqing's going to the restroom, right? Is Tao Niannian keeping her here because she's afraid she'll let Li Zhaoxi out?

Xiao Qi asked, Host, are you going to help?

When you see injustice, give a shout! When it's time to act, act!

Humming the tune in his head, Yan Wen headed down.

Yan Xiaoqing couldn't get past Tao Niannian and remained stuck in a standoff with her. She was so anxious that she nearly hit her, but her upbringing wouldn't allow it.

Yan Wen found a girl from Li Zhaoxi's class. "Something seems to have happened to Li Zhaoxi in the restroom. Could you go check on her?"

The girl looked at Yan Wen in confusion. "How do you know something happened to Li Zhaoxi in the restroom?"

Yan Wen gave a plausible explanation. "She was shouting pretty loudly for help. I heard her when I walked past just now. She asked me to find her friend, but her friend seems to have run into some trouble."

Yan Wen pointed toward Yan Xiaoqing. Seeing what was happening, the girl frowned slightly. "That Tao Niannian keeps bullying Li Zhaoxi just because she's the Tao Family's daughter. I'll go check the restroom right now."

The girl sprinted toward the restroom, getting past Tao Niannian before she could stop her. Seeing that Tao Niannian had let her guard down, Yan Xiaoqing shoved her aside and ran toward the restroom too.

Tao Niannian stamped her foot in anger. Her two friends comforted her. "Niannian, let's let Li Zhaoxi off this time. There'll be plenty of chances to teach her a lesson later."

"Exactly. There'll be plenty of chances. Besides, Li Zhaoxi wouldn't dare tell your parents anyway. What are you worried about?"

On second thought, Tao Niannian realized they were right. She headed off for afternoon tea with her two friends. "Let's go. The usual place, my treat."

Yan Xiaoqing immediately spotted the mop handle wedged against the stall door. Once she removed it, Li Zhaoxi quickly opened the door and came out.

Yan Xiaoqing checked Li Zhaoxi from head to toe. Apart from her wet trouser legs, nothing else seemed wrong, and only then did Yan Xiaoqing relax.

Seeing that Li Zhaoxi was fine, the girl said goodbye and left.

Yan Xiaoqing said angrily, "Tao Niannian is getting more and more out of line. She kept blocking me just now so I couldn't come over."

"I'm fine, aren't I? My parents have just spoiled her rotten."

Though Li Zhaoxi outwardly brushed it off, she quietly saved an audio recording.

Xiao Qi called out, Host, Li Zhaoxi's out!

Yan Wen felt helpless. I saw. What are you so excited about? Sigh, poor girl. Her biological parents blindly believe their adopted daughter, while all they do is hit and scold their own flesh and blood. If she goes home and tells them, she'll probably just get another scolding.

Li Zhaoxi clenched her fists. Life with the Tao Family was worse than it had been with her adoptive parents. Though she hadn't been able to eat crab even once all year, at least with her adoptive parents, she had never gone hungry or been tormented until she fell ill.

Was this kind of familial bond really worth longing for?

Apart from their blood ties, she had nothing connecting her to the Tao Family.

That voice was right. If she was unhappy here, why not return to her adoptive parents? That was her home, where she had parents who loved her. That was the family she longed for.

Li Zhaoxi received a recruitment call from the overseas LNN Fashion Design Company, expressing their hope that she would join the company after graduation.

So excited that tears filled her eyes, Li Zhaoxi hurriedly replied that once she officially graduated in the second half of the year, she would definitely join the company as agreed.

Xiao Qi analyzed the situation for Yan Wen. Li Zhaoxi's name still hasn't been changed, and on the Tao Family's household register, she's listed as an adopted daughter. Leaving the Tao Family would actually be very simple for her. She could just leave. On the Li Family's household register, Li Zhaoxi is listed as the eldest daughter.

Li Zhaoxi carefully looked around and identified the source of the voice.

Wasn't that the junior who had just enrolled this year? He seemed to be ranked first in his year, too.

Li Zhaoxi walked over and greeted him. Yan Wen froze, then raised his hand and waved. "H-hi."

What's going on? Why did Li Zhaoxi suddenly come over to me? I barely know her.

Li Zhaoxi smiled. "I saw you on the noticeboard before. You're one of this year's freshmen, and you're ranked first in your year."