After Becoming the Abused Heroine in a Campus Story - Chapter 38: She Didn’t Have Me in Her Heart at All

Chapter 38: She Didn’t Have Me in Her Heart at All

He thought for a moment and decided he had to shift this blame away, or else offending the Jiang family would make his father hunt him down.

Zhang Ye organized his words for a while and then called Jiang Yueyi again. “President Jiang, I suddenly remembered something. I think Jiang Xianzhi was acting strange today, possibly related to that matter,” he said.

“What matter?” Jiang Yueyi asked coldly.

“Jiang Xianzhi recently got close to Zhou Yining. Zhou Yining was bullied at school, and Jiang Xianzhi probably only found out this morning. Anyway, her mood seemed off after she learned about it. It really wasn’t me who upset her,” Zhang Ye defended himself again.

“I’ll ask Zhizhi later,” Jiang Yueyi said and hung up the phone.

On the other side, Liang Jing hurriedly returned from the company. Jiang Shengde was still abroad in a meeting and couldn’t come back, but he called Jiang Yueyi and told her to make sure to comfort Jiang Xianzhi.

Liang Jing rushed to the second floor as soon as she entered the villa’s gate. “What happened?” she asked.

Jiang Yueyi shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’ll go in and ask again. She should be feeling a bit better now,” she said.

“I’ll go in with you,” Liang Jing said quickly.

Jiang Yueyi gently pushed open the door and saw her little sister still buried under the blanket, but from the sounds, it seemed she had stopped crying.

Jiang Yueyi and Liang Jing exchanged a glance before Jiang Yueyi carefully spoke. “Zhizhi, are you feeling better? Don’t keep anything bottled up in your heart. Tell us what’s wrong,” she said.

Jiang Xianzhi was tired from crying by then. She lay there for a while, and her spirits lifted a bit.

Hearing her sister’s voice, Jiang Xianzhi reluctantly turned over and sat up.

Liang Jing saw her daughter’s eyes red and puffy and was extremely worried. “Yes, what’s wrong? Tell us. Who dared to bully you? Your sister and I definitely won’t let them off,” she said.

Jiang Xianzhi twisted her hands together. She hesitated for a long time, feeling that if she didn’t speak, she would only get angrier.

“Zhou Yining was bullied at school. Someone secretly filmed her while she and some girls were changing in the locker room,” Jiang Xianzhi said.

Liang Jing glanced at her daughter and spoke. “Does she want your help? Does she need a lawyer, or should we help report it to the police and use our connections there? That’s all doable. For our family, it’s not a big deal. Why are you crying?” she asked.

Jiang Xianzhi knew these things weren’t difficult for her family. The problem was that Zhou Yining didn’t ask her for help at all, and that was what upset her the most!

Thinking of this, Jiang Xianzhi’s eyes filled with tears again, ready to fall.

“Yes, Zhizhi, if you want to help her, just tell me. I can arrange everything for her. Don’t cry,” Jiang Yueyi said, somewhat puzzled. This was a simple matter for their family. Why was her sister crying so much?

Jiang Xianzhi sniffled and sobbed. “No, that’s not the point. The point is, she didn’t ask me for help at all. She went to Zhong Yumeng for help and didn’t even tell me about it. I only found out this morning from people in class. She doesn’t treat me as a friend at all. Something this big happened, and she didn’t tell me. She must trust Zhong Yumeng more and goes to her for everything,” she said.

As she spoke, Jiang Xianzhi’s tears fell again. Liang Jing and Jiang Yueyi looked at each other. Was it really a problem that someone didn’t ask her for help?

Liang Jing cleared her throat and advised. “She probably didn’t want you to worry. Besides, you know Zhong Yumeng’s family situation. It’s not a problem for Zhou Yining to ask her for help. The Zhong family can handle this kind of thing easily,” she said.

“Yes, as long as your friend’s problem is solved, isn’t that enough?” Jiang Yueyi said, not understanding why her sister was so upset.

“It’s not the same. When she faced trouble, the first person she thought of wasn’t me. She didn’t have me in her

System: heart at all,” Jiang Xianzhi said, crying aggrievedly again.

The more Liang Jing thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Was her daughter really so jealous over a friend? Why did it feel like Zhou Yining was some heartless woman who abandoned her daughter?

“No, she might have her own reasons. It’s not a big deal. The important thing is to bring the bad people to justice. Stop crying. Today is your birthday,” Liang Jing hurriedly advised.

“Yes, Zhizhi, your friend’s problem is solved. You should be happy. Don’t cry. How about inviting Zhou Yining to your birthday party tomorrow to celebrate with you?” Jiang Yueyi suggested.

“No way. She doesn’t even think of me. Let her go be with Zhong Yumeng,” Jiang Xianzhi said, feeling upset again and burying herself back under the blanket.

Liang Jing and Jiang Yueyi exchanged a glance and quietly left Jiang Xianzhi’s room. Once they were far enough away, they started talking.

“This doesn’t seem like a big deal, does it? Why is your sister so upset?” Liang Jing said, very puzzled.

“I think she’s a bit jealous. She’s upset that Zhou Yining didn’t come to her first and instead asked another girl for help,” Jiang Yueyi said, feeling it was odd but still voicing her thoughts.

Liang Jing nodded in agreement and defended her daughter. “Maybe Zhou Yining is a friend Zhizhi genuinely cares about, so she’s very sensitive about her. Should we ask for Zhou Yining’s contact information?” she suggested.

Jiang Yueyi shook her head. “No, Mom, let’s not. It’s between friends, and they should sort it out themselves. I’m worried that the more we get involved, the messier it’ll get. I was mainly concerned before that some jerk might have tricked Zhizhi. Now that we know why she’s crying, I’m relieved,” she said.

Liang Jing nodded, agreeing with the reasoning. Her daughter’s friendships didn’t need too much interference from her. It was normal to have little disagreements with friends. Even she sometimes got upset with her close friends, but they’d make up after a while and still go for beauty treatments or afternoon tea together.

“Alright, let her stay alone for a bit to process things. By the way, make a call to the police station. Since Zhizhi cares about this friend, even if they didn’t ask us for help, we should lend a hand where we can,” Liang Jing said.

“Okay, I’ll arrange it later. Don’t worry, Mom,” Jiang Yueyi said.

“Hmm, I have a few more meetings later, so I’m heading back to the company. You don’t need to go to the office today. Stay home and keep your sister company,” Liang Jing said, still worried about her younger daughter.

“Alright, I’ll have my secretary arrange my work. Don’t worry,” Jiang Yueyi said.

In the room, Jiang Xianzhi was exhausted from crying. She lay on the bed for a while, then took her pajamas and went to take a shower. In her current state, she didn’t want to go to school in the afternoon and decided to rest at home instead.

Before going to shower, Jiang Xianzhi asked the household staff to change her bedding to fresh ones since she had gotten into bed without changing her clothes earlier.

After her shower, her emotions had stabilized a bit, but she felt sleepy again. Jiang Xianzhi slept until two in the afternoon. During that time, several rich second-generation friends sent her birthday greetings.

Jiang Xianzhi didn’t want to deal with Zhou Yining, but her gaze still fell on Zhou Yining’s chat window. She opened the messages, and Zhou Yining’s last message was still from the morning.

Jiang Xianzhi pressed her lips tightly together. Why wasn’t Zhou Yining trying to comfort her anymore? She hadn’t sent any more messages since then.

Indeed, after being bullied at school, Zhou Yining must have suffered a lot. Was she wrong to be upset with her? Would Zhou Yining be mad at her?

Jiang Xianzhi quickly shook her head. No, Zhou Yining hadn’t comforted her enough yet. If she kept thinking like this, she’d end up feeling okay on her own. She needed Zhou Yining to comfort her! Otherwise, she wouldn’t pay attention to Zhou Yining.

Jiang Xianzhi rolled on the bed a couple of times, recalling that she seemed to have forgotten something important. When she saw Zhou Yining that morning, Zhou Yining had mentioned preparing a birthday gift for her, but she had pushed it away. In her anger, she even told Zhou Yining to give the gift to Zhong Yumeng.

Jiang Xianzhi rubbed her face hard. Was she crazy? How could she tell Zhou Yining to give the gift to someone else? And what if Zhou Yining, in a fit of anger, actually gave her gift to Zhong Yumeng?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xianzhi lay listlessly on the blanket, feeling upset again.

No matter what the gift was, as long as it was from Zhou Yining, she would definitely like it.

Jiang Xianzhi deeply regretted not taking the gift. She buried her face in the blanket and sighed heavily. Then her stomach growled.

Jiang Xianzhi got up from the bed and went downstairs. Jiang Yueyi was sitting in the living room. Seeing her sister come out, she stood up quickly. “How are you? Feeling better?” she asked.

Jiang Xianzhi nodded to her. “I’m hungry. I’m going to eat something,” she said.

“Okay, I’ll keep you company,” Jiang Yueyi said. She hadn’t eaten much earlier and now joined her sister to eat more.

“Zhizhi, I just contacted the police station again. Don’t worry, Zhou Yining’s case is solid. Those boys won’t get away. Zhou Yining was smart and prepared thorough evidence. They can’t overturn it,” Jiang Yueyi said.

“Hmm,” Jiang Xianzhi nodded, waiting listlessly for her food.

In the afternoon, Zhou Yining attended classes at school as usual, but she was still thinking about Jiang Xianzhi. She checked her phone and saw that the dozen WeChat messages she sent to Jiang Xianzhi in the morning had no replies. Zhou Yining didn’t dare send more, afraid of making Jiang Xianzhi even unhappier.

After the first class, Zhou Yining went to Class One and grabbed a girl who had just left the classroom. “Hi, could you please call Jiang Xianzhi for me?” she asked.

“Jiang Xianzhi was picked up by her family this morning,” the girl said.

“What happened? Is she unwell?” Zhou Yining asked.

“I’m not sure, but she seemed to be crying this morning, and then her sister took her away,” the girl said.

“Okay, thanks,” Zhou Yining said, thanking the girl.

As she was about to head back to her class, Zhang Ye, who had just come out, called her. “Zhou Yining, wait a moment,” he said.

Zhou Yining turned around, saw it was Zhang Ye, and frowned. “What’s up?” she asked.

Zhang Ye nodded and stepped closer, speaking quietly. “What did you do to upset Jiang Xianzhi? Her sister called me this morning, insisting I made her cry. I’m telling you, I’m not taking the blame. She was clearly upset after hearing from classmates about your bullying, and somehow it got pinned on me,” he said.

“Oh, that’s it?” Zhou Yining said, not wanting to engage much but still asking, “How’s Zhizhi doing?”

“I don’t know. How would I dare talk much with her sister? How about I give you her sister’s number, and you ask her yourself?” Zhang Ye said, not out of kindness but to shift the focus to Zhou Yining.

Zhou Yining shook her head. Asking for someone’s contact information from another person was impolite, especially since it was Jiang Xianzhi’s sister. “No need,” she said and walked away. Zhang Ye called after her a few times, but she ignored him.

Zhang Ye scratched his head, unsure about how his family’s business was doing.

Zhou Yining’s mood remained low after that. When it was time to eat, she called Tian Xue to go to the cafeteria. “Let’s go eat,” Zhou Yining said listlessly.

Tian Xue noticed her lack of energy and thought it was because of Lin Shaohui’s matter. “Are you okay? You seem out of sorts,” she said.

Zhou Yining shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said.

“By the way, did you report Lin Shaohui and the others to the police?” Tian Xue asked. At noon, Zhou Yining had been in a bad mood, so Tian Xue hadn’t asked anything, holding back until now.

Zhou Yining glanced at her. “Hmm, I said before that anyone who harmed me would pay a price,” she said.

Tian Xue pursed her lips and asked, “What about the person who spread your love letter to the confession wall? Any leads?”

Zhou Yining shook her head. “No clues yet. I’ll let it go for now. I have too many things to deal with. I’ll focus on settling Lin Shaohui’s matter first,” she said.

Tian Xue nodded. “True, it’s great that Lin Shaohui and the others will pay a price,” she said.

They talked as they went to the cafeteria. Zhou Yining had no appetite, so she bought spicy hot pot, hoping the flavors would stimulate her taste buds and help her eat more.

But with her mind preoccupied, the spicy hot pot tasted bland. After leaving the cafeteria with Tian Xue, before they reached the teaching building, Zhou Yining and Tian Xue were stopped by three other girls.

Zhou Yining glanced and saw it was Li Yuting and her group. “Looking for me?” she asked.

Li Yuting nodded with an unfriendly expression. Zhou Yining didn’t know what they wanted to say but turned to Tian Xue. “You go back first. I’ll talk to them and come back,” she said.

Tian Xue saw there were more of them and didn’t move. “Can you handle it alone? Should I stay with you?” she asked.

Zhou Yining shook her head. “This has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to get involved. Besides, nothing will happen. Go ahead,” she said.

“Alright, call me if you need me,” Tian Xue said, gesturing a phone call. Zhou Yining nodded to her.

“Let’s find a place to talk,” Li Yuting said, looking at Zhou Yining.

Zhou Yining wasn’t afraid of them and nodded to follow.

Soon, they went around to the back playground near the basketball court. It was getting dark, and there were few people around.

Zhou Yining stopped and waited to hear why they wanted her.

Shi Qian couldn’t hold back and angrily questioned, “Zhou Yining, do you know how much reporting to the police affects us? Why didn’t you discuss it with us first?”

Zhou Yining looked at her calmly. “I was harmed. Why can’t I report it? Besides, I reported it in my own name. I never mentioned your names from start to finish. The school shouldn’t know you were filmed either, right? So, I’m not afraid. Why are you?” she asked.

“Nonsense. The police said Lin Shaohui and the others mentioned us during their confession. They even called our parents over. Do you know what that means?” Shi Qian said, her face red with anger.

“What could it mean? Normal parents, knowing their child went through this, would choose legal means to bring the perpetrators to justice and support their child unconditionally. If your parents think you embarrassed them because of this, that’s on them. Is face more important than everything?” Zhou Yining said.

Shi Qian was speechless from the retort but still fumed, her chest heaving.

Li Yuting pulled Shi Qian back and spoke. “Zhou Yining, we don’t mean anything else. You’re indeed braver than us, but I’m only 17. I have a long life ahead and don’t want to hear gossip,” she said.

“I won’t tell anyone, and the school will protect your privacy, so you don’t need to worry too much,” Zhou Yining said. The version circulating among students was about her being bullied, and Li Yuting and the others’ names hadn’t spread.

“Hmm, thank you,” Li Yuting said, expressing gratitude.

Shi Qian got anxious. “Why are you thanking her? If she hadn’t reported it, my parents wouldn’t know. How will they look at me now?” she said.

“How your parents see you is your private matter. I can’t avoid protecting my rights because of that. Lin Shaohui and the others did what they did, and they deserve to go to jail,” Zhou Yining replied calmly.

“Sure, you’re noble and fearless. I’m a coward, okay?” Shi Qian said, breaking down and crying.

Li Yuting and Tan Yue quickly crouched to comfort Shi Qian. Zhou Yining didn’t go over. She sighed, turned, and left the back playground.

Zhou Yining could understand, as not all parents were reasonable. Some, like Zhou Yuanfei, blamed their own children. Perhaps Shi Qian’s parents were like that, but that didn’t mean Zhou Yining would compromise. Lin Shaohui and those beasts deserved to pay for their actions.

Zhou Yining didn’t take the encounter to heart and didn’t blame Shi Qian for lashing out. Time would prove everything.

~~

After lunch, Jiang Xianzhi went back to her room to rest. Perhaps the stress of senior year was too much, or maybe she had cried too much that day, but she slept deeply until six in the evening.

When she went downstairs, Liang Jing was back, talking with Jiang Yueyi in the living room.

Seeing her daughter, Liang Jing smiled. “Zhizhi, come sit. I’m not busy today, so let’s eat together. By the way, I prepared your dress for tomorrow’s birthday party, and the invitations have been sent out. Are you sure you don’t want to invite Zhou Yining?” she asked.

Jiang Xianzhi pressed her lips tightly together and looked down. “No,” she said.

If Zhou Yining didn’t care about her, she wouldn’t bother with her either. Thinking that Zhou Yining hadn’t sent her any more WeChat messages, Jiang Xianzhi got angrier.

“Okay, okay, no invitation then. Just the people on the list,” Liang Jing said, quickly soothing her.

“Hmm,” Jiang Xianzhi replied, her mood sinking again.

At dinner, Jiang Xianzhi had no appetite. She only drank a bowl of fresh fish ball soup before returning to her room.

Having slept all day, she wasn’t very tired. She lay on the bed, playing with her phone. As she played, she opened WeChat, and her gaze fell on Zhou Yining’s chat window, where no new notifications appeared.

Jiang Xianzhi sighed and buried her face in the blanket, feeling aggrieved. How could Zhou Yining comfort her like this? When she didn’t respond, Zhou Yining just stopped trying?

Angrily, Jiang Xianzhi closed WeChat and randomly picked a TV show to watch, but she didn’t register any of its content, lost in her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yining finally finished school at 9:30 p.m. She went home, showered, washed clothes, and tidied up. By the time she was done, it was nearly 11 p.m.

She had planned to attend Jiang Xianzhi’s birthday party, but now that Jiang Xianzhi was mad at her, Zhou Yining worried that going might make things worse.

After thinking, she lay on her small bed and sent Jiang Xianzhi a WeChat message.

Zhou Yining: [Zhizhi, are you still mad? (Dog sliding on knees jpg)]

Zhou Yining: [I was wrong, okay? Can I come to your birthday party tomorrow? I haven’t given you my gift yet.]

Zhou Yining: [Zhizhi, Zhizhi~]

Zhou Yining: (Dog nuzzling jpg)

She sent several messages, but Jiang Xianzhi didn’t reply. Zhou Yining sighed, realizing the little fox was still upset with her.

On Jiang Xianzhi’s side, she had been waiting for Zhou Yining’s messages. When the chat notification popped up, she immediately opened it. Seeing Zhou Yining apologize again, Jiang Xianzhi’s expression softened a bit.

She thought for a moment and typed a reply.

Jiang Xianzhi: [You can’t come.]

After sending it, she felt a bit regretful. Did she really not want Zhou Yining at her birthday party?

But thinking about how close Zhou Yining was with Zhong Yumeng, she pressed her lips tightly together again. She was still mad and definitely wouldn’t let Zhou Yining come.

Jiang Xianzhi rolled on the bed a couple of times, clutching her phone and grumbling. Her heart felt sour and tangled, angry that Zhou Yining didn’t prioritize her. Her emotions were mixed, and no position felt comfortable.

She casually replied to other people’s birthday greetings. When she saw Zhong Yumeng’s message wishing her well, her heart ached for no reason.

She opened Zhong Yumeng’s chat and replied.

Jiang Xianzhi: [Thanks, remember to come tomorrow afternoon.]

Zhong Yumeng replied quickly.

Zhong Yumeng: [Got it, I won’t forget. I’ve prepared my dress.]

Jiang Xianzhi: [Good. By the way, are you close with Zhou Yining?]

Zhong Yumeng: [Pretty close, I guess. She helps me with math on Sunday afternoons, and we chat sometimes.]

Seeing this reply, Jiang Xianzhi pressed her lips tightly together. Zhou Yining had mentioned tutoring Zhong Yumeng, saying it was repayment for her help.

But even knowing this, Jiang Xianzhi still felt sour, especially at the part about Zhou Yining chatting with Zhong Yumeng casually. How was that not close?

Zhou Yining treated Zhong Yumeng no differently than her. Maybe when Zhou Yining talked to Zhong Yumeng, she was gentle too.

Thinking this, Jiang Xianzhi got angrier. She turned off her phone and didn’t want to reply to Zhong Yumeng anymore.