Shu Ran's scalp throbbed with pain, forcing her eyes open. Her long lashes were still damp with tears, glittering like jewels in the sunlight and blurring her vision. Her wet hair clung to her skin, and the soaked clothes wrapped tightly around her. She shivered from the cold.
A girl with a ponytail was yanking her hair hard, standing over her with a smug expression. At Shu Ran's feet was a metal bucket, still dripping water from the rim. The girl shouted arrogantly, "Shu Ran, don't you have any shame? Your mom stole Yuan Yuan's dad, and you still have the nerve to bully her? You think no one's going to stand up for her?!"
Shu Ran quickly spotted Gao Yuanyuan squatting nearby, crying softly. A short-haired girl was gently comforting her. Shu Ran was stunned. Wasn't she supposed to be the one pushed down the stairs by Gao Yuanyuan just now? Why did things look so twisted? The pain in her scalp was unbearable. She tried to push the ponytail girl away, but she was too weak—it barely made a difference.
"You dare fight back?!" The ponytail girl's face flushed with anger when she saw Shu Ran resist. She shoved Shu Ran to the ground and pointed at her nose, shouting, "If you don't apologize to Yuan Yuan today, you're not leaving!"
Sitting on the floor, Shu Ran finally got a clear look at the girl's face and frowned. She recognized her—it was Shen Meng, her childhood nightmare. Back in elementary school, Shen Meng used to bully her all the time, always egged on by Gao Yuanyuan.
Was this a dream? Why did it feel so real? Why, after going through so much pain, was she still stuck in this hellish scene upon waking up? Was this another endless loop?
Noticing Shu Ran staring at her, Shen Meng suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She couldn't tell if she was overthinking, but Shu Ran's gaze was different now—no longer timid or flattering, but sharp, even laced with hate. Proud as she was, Shen Meng refused to be afraid of someone everyone looked down on.
"What, cat got your tongue? Apologize!" Shen Meng barked.
Shu Ran moved her lips but said nothing. Dream or not, she wasn't going back to the life she had before—the hellish existence she barely survived.
Gao Yuanyuan started crying louder and whimpered sweetly, "I'm the older sister, so I should let her have her way."
Shu Ran rolled her eyes. Gao Yuanyuan always played the kind, soft-hearted girl in front of others. No one knew her true nature—a devil behind the mask. It took Shu Ran years to realize that.
"People are born good"? Whoever said that clearly never met Gao Yuanyuan. And yet, people always bought into her act—like these two girls right now. Or like the boyfriend Shu Ran had spent five years with...
"You all heard her. She said she's letting me have my way. And this is a family matter—it has nothing to do with any of you," Shu Ran said coldly, standing up slowly and facing the three of them with an eerily calm expression.
All three were stunned. Gao Yuanyuan forgot to fake her tears and just stared blankly at her. No one expected the usually meek Shu Ran—who never even dared breathe too loudly—to talk like that.
"You think you're in the right now?" Shen Meng exploded with rage. She had always sympathized with Gao Yuanyuan, and now her sense of justice surged. She stepped forward, shouting, "Your mom shamelessly stole someone else's husband, and you're just as shameless as she is!"
Shu Ran didn't want to keep arguing. Her head was throbbing. She shoved Shen Meng aside, knowing full well she was no match physically. So she used a shoulder strike—one she learned from her karate classes—and hit Shen Meng square in the chest. Shen Meng lost her balance and fell on her butt.
"You hit me..." Shen Meng looked at her brand-new dress now soiled with dirty water. Her nose twitched, eyes turned red, and she burst into tears.
Gao Yuanyuan and the short-haired girl rushed to help her up.
"Are you okay?" the short-haired girl asked worriedly, looking at the soaked dress, the original design now completely unrecognizable.
"Shu Ran, aren't you going to apologize for what you did?" Gao Yuanyuan shouted angrily.
"Why should I?" Shu Ran sneered. "Shen Meng pulled my hair and dumped cold water on me. If anyone should apologize, it's her."
"You—" Shen Meng was furious. Seeing Shu Ran acting so bold and unapologetic reminded her of what she had just done. Her frustration turned into more tears. "I'm telling Ms. Zhou about this!"
Shu Ran's temples ached. Kids—when they couldn't win, they'd run and tell the teacher. And when that didn't work, the teacher would call the parents.
This was just a dream, right? She didn't want to take it seriously. Getting this much off her chest was already satisfying. Years of resentment seemed to have finally found a tiny outlet.
But as reality would prove—there's no such thing as rewriting your fate like they do in novels.
Before Shu Ran could figure out whether she was still dreaming or not, Ms. Zhou, their homeroom teacher, summoned her to the office. Everything looked familiar—the wooden desks, the notebooks piled up, the teacups. Nothing seemed out of place.
Ms. Zhou frowned when she noticed Shu Ran spacing out and tapped the desk to get her attention.
"Well? Why did you bully Shen Meng?" she asked calmly, sipping her tea.
"I didn't," Shu Ran replied, meeting her gaze head-on without flinching.
Ms. Zhou was taken aback. Shu Ran didn't have the best reputation, but she'd always seemed like a quiet, obedient child. Now those bright, clear eyes in front of her carried something else—curiosity, analysis, even mockery.
This was the same girl who used to speak like a mosquito, always with her head down?
"Then how did her dress get soaked?"
"She lost her balance and fell."
"But Gao Yuanyuan and Li Qian both saw it. They said you pushed her."
"Ms. Zhou," Shu Ran said coldly, "First, you didn't witness it yourself. Second, the three of them are as close as sisters—it's easy for them to frame me. Third, you've already made up your mind. So why bother pretending to ask for my side of the story?"
Ms. Zhou's heart skipped a beat. This girl—barely twelve—was so calm, logical, and sharp. And more than that, she dared talk back to a teacher.