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Pampered by Love, Chapter 3: The Little Mute

The next day was Friday.

After Meng Ting finished her milk, Shu Zhitong checked her eyes as usual. Then he said, "From now on, Dad can only come back on weekends to cook for you. The research institute is very busy. Can Tingting and Shu Yang eat at school from now on?"

Shu Yang nodded.

Meng Ting also nodded.

Shu Zhitong continued, "Shu Yang, take good care of Tingting, okay? She's your older sister. Her eyesight isn't good. You're in the same grade, so don't let anyone bully her."

Shu Yang said, "She doesn't need me to take care of her."

"This child..."

Shu Zhitong was a little embarrassed, then pulled Meng Ting aside and said apologetically, "Tingting, don't hold it against him."

Meng Ting smiled and said, "I won't. Shu Yang is tough on the outside but soft on the inside."

Shu Zhitong was a little embarrassed: "Dad, I need your help with something." "

Xiao Lan didn't come back last night. She said she slept at a classmate's house. She's grown up, and there are many things I can't control. I'm worried that at school..." He paused, and finally sighed, thinking of his daughter. "I'm afraid she'll go astray if she falls in love too early. You're so well-behaved and sensible, can you teach her a little more?"

Meng Ting was still bothered by Shu Lan's decision to let herself die in her previous life.

If Shulan hadn't untied the rope, she wouldn't have died. Besides, she risked going down there to find her stepson who had gone missing in the landslide. She didn't understand why Shulan had untied the rope, but a thorn remained in her heart.

However, looking at the man before her, burdened with debt and with graying temples for his children, Meng Ting couldn't say anything, and finally nodded.

Meng Ting and Shu Yang walked towards the school one after the other.

They were both in their second year of high school at No. 7 Middle School; Meng Ting was in Class 1, and Shu Yang was in Class 2.

Both were top students in their classes.

Meng Ting looked at the boy's thin back; after the burns, it was Shu Yang and his father who insisted on her treatment. They had never given up on her.

Shu Yang's figure grew farther and farther away. A long time before crossing the road, he turned back to look at Meng Ting, stopped, and silently waited for her.

The two arrived at school together at 7:45, and then quietly entered their respective classrooms.

As soon as Meng Ting entered, many students greeted her.

"Good morning, Meng Ting."

"Good morning."

That year, Meng Ting was the class's English representative.

Everyone knew she came from a poor family; she and her mother were in a car accident, and her mother passed away while she lost her sight. However, due to her outstanding academic performance, she was directly admitted to No. 7 Middle School from her original junior high school.

She consistently ranked first in every exam, except for the one she missed due to surgery—a true inspiration. So when she went to school with a cane and sunglasses, no one mocked her. They were even very friendly to her from the start.

Her deskmate was a boy with glasses. Shy and reserved, he rarely interacted with others in the class, studying very hard, but his grades never improved.

The girl in front of her turned around excitedly: "Tingting, you're here!"

Meng Ting smiled, a touch of nostalgia in her voice, as gentle as a March breeze: "Zhao Nuancheng."

Zhao Nuancheng smoothed Meng Ting's hair, ruffled by the morning breeze, and lowered her voice: "Tingting, remember to apply for the scholarship; the forms have been sent out." She knew Meng Ting's family situation wasn't good and felt sorry for this hard-working girl.

"Okay."

The first class was with their homeroom teacher, Ms. Tang Xiaoli, a Chinese language teacher—intellectual and elegant.

Meng Ting listened attentively to the familiar material, slowly taking notes.

Her hand holding the pen was clumsy, but she was exceptionally focused.

Her deskmate, Hong Hui, couldn't help but peek at what she was writing. He was eager to learn and anxious about his grades, and since the top student was next to him, he couldn't resist "secretly seeking advice."

Meng Ting noticed his gaze and showed him her book.

Her clean and gentle demeanor made Hong Hui feel embarrassed. He thought to himself, no wonder so many people think Meng Ting is a good person; she's truly gentle and lovely.

After the class, Meng Ting finally started to get a feel for high school.

This year, because the school didn't have much money, the desks and fans were old. The chairs were shaky and creaked easily.

The only brand-new thing in the classroom was the multimedia blackboard at the front.

Fortunately, fans weren't needed in the fall, but these facilities made everyone feel a huge sense of inadequacy.

After all, the vocational high school next door had long since installed air conditioning and heating.

They enjoyed their comforts while they suffered from the heat in summer and the cold in winter—it was truly unbelievable.

The difference between the rich and the poor is just that big.

After the first class ended, something happened at school.

A commotion erupted outside, and Meng Ting sat on her stool. A while later, Zhao Nuancheng came in, her face beaming with excitement at having learned some gossip: "Shen Yuqing from Class 14 is going to the vocational high school next door. She's skipping classes. Guess why?"

Meng Ting's heart skipped a beat.

Why? What could it be? Of course, it was because of Jiang Ren.

Sure enough, Zhao Nuancheng said, "She's actually going for a boy from the vocational high school. Look at how arrogant she is, she's got the title of school beauty, she looks down on everyone, and now she's going to steal a boyfriend from a girl from the vocational high school, isn't that ridiculous?"

Liu Xiaoyi, who sat behind him, also heard this and chimed in, "That's because that boy has a powerful background."

Information was scarce at No. 7 Middle School. Jiang Ren enrolled at Licai Vocational High School in September. He was famous there, but few of the good students at No. 7 Middle School knew about him.

Zhao Nuancheng rolled her eyes, a hint of superiority in her eyes as a model student creeping in: "How amazing can he be? Is he some kind of superhuman?"

Liu Xiaoyi shrugged: "He's practically superhuman. You know Junyang Group, right? The biggest real estate company in the country, that's his."

Zhao Nuancheng: "...Holy crap."

Liu Xiaoyi, always on the cutting edge of the news, couldn't help but add: "Last week he beat up their homeroom teacher in class, sending him to the hospital, and he's still perfectly fine at school. It's no wonder Shen Yuqing is interested in someone like that."

Being arrogant in youth is a kind of capital.

Many classmates gathered around: "Why did he hit the teacher?"

"Wow, he's got guts! He even dared to hit a teacher."

"So what if he's rich? Being so arrogant, society will teach him a lesson someday."

"So what? If he doesn't work hard, he'll just inherit the family fortune."

A group of people laughed and told him to get lost.

Amidst the chatter, Meng Ting suddenly stood up.

Zhao Nuancheng quickly asked, "Ting, where are you going?"

Meng Ting frowned. This matter wasn't her concern, but she knew. Who was the current school beauty, Shen Yuqing, going to see? Her younger sister, Shu Lan.

She didn't want to care about Shu Lan anymore, but Shu Lan's father's instructions from that morning still echoed in her ears.

Shu Lan's father was getting old, and his health was deteriorating. Sometimes, if he wasn't careful while working in the lab, the radiation could destroy him. His whole life had been about his children; one could say he died for Meng Ting.

Meng Ting turned to Zhao Nuancheng and said, "I'm not feeling well. Could you ask my teacher for leave for me?"

Zhao Nuancheng nodded quickly.

Meng Ting reached the school gate, but the security guard wouldn't let her out. She rarely lied, but thinking about what she would face if she didn't stop, she pointed to her eyes: "Uncle, my eyes are uncomfortable."

The guard recognized her—the school's famously well-behaved and inspiring girl—and quickly let her through.

The vocational high school next door was much easier to get into; the security was practically non-existent. When Meng Ting reached the door of Class 8, Grade 11, the classroom erupted in cheers.

Shen Yuqing hadn't come alone; she had a group of girlfriends.

Shu Lan was also stubborn. Meng Ting walked in and heard her say, "So what if you're Jiang Ren's girlfriend? Everyone knows he didn't even go to your birthday party the day before yesterday, and then he threw your wallet at you."

Shen Yuqing was arrogant, but her fighting spirit was not weak either: "Even if he doesn't care about me, I'm still his official girlfriend. How old are you to have learned to steal other people's boyfriends? Don't you have any manners?"

The people around cheered.

The wife was tearing into the mistress on the spot, all for the sake of the influential Jiang Ren. It was quite a show.

When Meng Ting came in, everyone's eyes fell on her.

Her blind person's outfit was too eye-catching. She walked around the crowd, grabbed Shu Lan who was about to retort, and walked out of the classroom. Shu Lan was angry: "What are you doing here? I know my place. Go back to your studies."

The scrutinizing gazes of others made Shu Lan feel ashamed, as if to say, "Is your sister blind?"

Meng Ting said calmly: "Shu's father told me this morning that he was very worried about you. It wasn't easy for him to raise us."

Shu Lan frowned, still wanting to retort.

"Even if you beat Shen Yuqing, how will others treat you? Jiang Ren doesn't even care about Shen Yuqing, why would he care about you?" Meng Ting asked. "Your friend knows about you asking me to play the piano, right? Can you guarantee she won't tell anyone?"

Shu Lan was startled.

She hadn't gone home last night, and many people saw her go to see Jiang Ren. Driven by vanity, rumors circulated the next day that Jiang Ren liked her and had taken her out all night. She didn't deny it, and then Shen Yuqing came looking for her.

Shu Lan hesitated, "They won't tell anyone, will they?" However, she still had some reservations. After returning home, she dropped the matter and told Shen Yuqing, "That's just a rumor. I slept at Lin Meng's house yesterday; she can testify."

Lin Meng nodded.

"That's true, don't you see what you're like?" Shen Yuqing said sarcastically, then stopped.

As she left, Shen Yuqing specifically glanced at Meng Ting outside the classroom. She knew this girl. The top student in their grade. Meng Ting from Class One, with poor eyesight. Did

Meng Ting know Shu Lan?

Shu Lan, thankfully, didn't confront Shen Yuqing out of vanity like she had in her past life.

Shu Lan's expression was grim: "Go back quickly, sister. Don't let anyone find out about your piano playing."

Meng Ting turned and went downstairs: "I know." Her purpose was different from Shu Lan's, but she also didn't want Jiang Ren to know that it was her who played the piano.

The campus was cool in October.

The environment at Li Cai was more than twice as good as No. 7 Middle School, with brand-new teaching buildings and facilities. The greenery here was good, and the school was large. Compared to it, No. 7 Middle School was indeed terribly bleak.

She went downstairs, crossed the path, and planned to hurry back to class.

A basketball grazed past the camphor tree and flew over. It barely passed her ear.

Fang Tan frowned: "Did it hit someone?"

Jiang Ren didn't move like a boss. He Junming ran over, saw Meng Ting, turned around and shouted: "Brother Ren, it's that blind classmate from yesterday."

Jiang Ren's gaze came over.

Meng Ting was stunned for a moment, then walked out of the school.

Jiang Ren caught the ball from Fang Tan, tossed it with a shooting motion, and the ball bounced far in front of Meng Ting, causing her to stop in her tracks.

Jiang Ren put his hands in his pockets; he was wearing a number five jersey, tall and long-legged, and had only been walking for two minutes.

He stepped on the ball, his smile cold: "Hey, can you see, classmate?"

Otherwise, why would you stop? A blind person wouldn't know the danger.

He was very close; despite it being autumn, his silver hair was damp with sweat from exercise. The upstairs neighbors were making a racket for him, but he didn't seem to care.

Meng Ting frowned. That year, he was 187 cm tall, 27 cm taller than her, and looking down at her was very intimidating.

When he reached for her sunglasses, she hurriedly used her white cane to deflect his hand.

The solid wood cane was heavy and hard, and the sound of it hitting bone was chilling.

Everyone present was stunned.

Jiang Ren's smile vanished. He said, "I don't have a principle of not hitting girls."

He Junming quickly pulled Jiang Ren back, "Brother Ren, let it go, she's blind. Maybe she just happened to hit her."

Jiang Ren had a violent temper, an uncontrollable condition.

No one dared to provoke him. Seeing the lack of a smile on his face, He Junming didn't dare pull him back.

Meng Ting knew this too.

The air was silent for a long time.

Meng Ting was a little scared and lowered her head, whispering, "I'm sorry, my eyes can't stand light." Her voice was soft, like the most lingering breeze in Jiangnan, with a sweet quality.

Jiang Ren was momentarily stunned.

When he came to his senses, she had already hurriedly walked away.

This time, her steps were unsteady, clearly believing he would hit her.

In the autumn colors of October, her blue and white school uniform silhouette was slender and graceful.

He Junming said blankly, "She's not mute." Her voice was quite pleasant, sweet to the core. Not overly coquettish, but unexpectedly sweet.

Jiang Ren looked down at the back of his hand; it was a large red patch.

That cane really hurt when it hit someone.

Fang Tan came over after a while and asked, "Brother Ren, why did you touch her sunglasses?"

He hadn't heard Jiang Ren say that Meng Ting wasn't blind, and based on his own understanding, he said, "She's blind, you know. What if she takes them off and stares at you with two empty holes without eyeballs?" He even made a gesture of gouging out his eyes; it was fucking terrifying, practically an eyesore.

Jiang Ren didn't say anything.

He watched her walk away, and for some reason, he suddenly remembered the box of strawberries he had snatched.

If she wasn't mute, why hadn't she spoken to him before? Did she look down on people from vocational high school?

He slapped his hand hard. Damn it, what's with the arrogance? Women like his mother at least had some assets.

And her? A blind woman with an eye problem, what was she so self-important about?

Author's Note: Have you guys who keep urging me to start writing on Weibo come yet?

We agreed that if you come, we'll be best friends. If you don't come… Waaah… Come on, take a look! (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻

Tell me if you like it, be honest. Only kids give random compliments; we adults like to engage in mutual flattery.

For example: Zhizhi, I think it's beautiful.

Me: Thank you, you're beautiful too.

Reader: Zhizhi, the writing is ugly.

Me: Thank you, you're ugly too.