Pei Jiangmu saw Meng Ruochao looking utterly confused.
She was completely unaware of the huge blow her words had dealt to Lu Cheng just now, nor did she detect the hidden meaning in them. Pei Jiangmu felt both annoyed and helpless.
He tightly grasped Meng Ruochao's hand and coldly said to Lu Cheng, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
Lu Cheng gritted his teeth, his eyes slightly reddening. He cast an unwilling glance at Meng Ruochao, then turned around and quickly left the classroom.
Meng Ruochao watched his departing back and felt a bit uneasy.
After all, she had previously thought that Mei Mei was unfoundedly slandering someone, so she was extremely angry.
Unexpectedly, the truth turned out to be a big misunderstanding.
She had no feelings for Lu Cheng, but instead felt an inexplicable sense of guilt towards Mei Mei.
Pei Jiangmu noticed the change in Meng Ruochao's mood and thought she was still immersed in the confession just now.
He felt even more annoyed, and the strength in his hand unconsciously increased a bit.
Meng Ruochao couldn't help but let out a hiss. Then, while pulling her hand back, she looked up at Pei Jiangmu and said, "It hurts."
Pei Jiangmu gave a soft snort, loosened his grip, but didn't let go immediately.
Instead, he looked at the red mark on Meng Ruochao's wrist that he had pinched out and gently rubbed it with his fingertips.
But his words were still domineering and sarcastic. "When he was holding your hand just now, why didn't you say it hurt?"
Meng Ruochao didn't react at first and looked innocent. "He didn't pinch me."
Pei Jiangmu's fingertips were still circling around the red mark on Meng Ruochao's wrist.
It was like an archaeologist caressing the cracks on a thousand - year - old pottery, or a jailer inspecting the shackles of a prisoner.
Hearing her words, he was instantly amused by anger.
"So, it seems you're quite regretful?"
The wind started to blow outside, swirling the petals of the cherry blossom tree downstairs into the classroom. They happened to land on his tense shoulder line.
Meng Ruochao's attention was attracted by the slightly pink petals. She suddenly leaned closer to him.
The girl carried a fresh fragrance like a dewy daisy, which made Pei Jiangmu, who was just a young boy at that time, hold his breath instantly.
But she was completely unaware of the change in his mood. She reached out and picked the petal off his shoulder.
Then she said with a bright smile, "Even the spring flowers favor Brother Jiangmu so much. So, don't be too sad even if you failed in the competition. I'll treat you to a meal."
The girl's lips were as lovely as the cherry blossoms.
Pei Jiangmu's gaze lingered on her lips for a moment, then he suddenly grabbed the back of her neck.
The moment their noses touched, he let out a sneer. "Ruochao, diverting the topic like this is not the right way."
Meng Ruochao was startled by this sudden pull and didn't control her strength well. She almost crashed into his arms.
Since they had grown up together since childhood, there was never any sense of personal space between them.
Moreover, thanks to Pei Jiangmu's deliberate protection, she was rather insensitive in some aspects.
So she didn't realize that the distance was too close. She just blinked at him.
She thought to herself that he must have really done badly in the exam, which was why he was in such a bad temper.
"Well, if you don't want to have a meal, then what do you want to do? I can accompany you in anything."
She clutched the school uniform on his chest, with a look of consolation all over her face.
Pei Jiangmu had a bad temper. No one in his family dared to provoke him, and even the servants in his family would avoid him.
Only in front of Meng Ruochao would he restrain himself a bit.
So Meng Ruochao wasn't afraid of him. In fact, she always knew how to soothe his bad temper.
Pei Jiangmu looked into her eyes and finally confirmed that she really thought he had failed in the competition.
He was strangely comforted - in her heart, the result of his competition mattered more than the confession.
The jealousy and the unbridled possessiveness in his heart dissipated a bit.
"Do you look down on me so much?"
He let go of the back of her neck but didn't immediately pull away.
Instead, he picked up a wisp of her hair and twirled it around his fingertips.
Meng Ruochao's eyes suddenly lit up. "So the result of the competition is really good, right?"
She was a real good student and always admired those with good academic performance.
Pei Jiangmu watched her expectant and excited look, and the corner of his lips twitched slightly, showing a hint of a proud smile.
"Want to know the result?"
He squinted at her and teased her.
She nodded repeatedly.
"I'm not telling."
After saying that, Pei Jiangmu turned around and walked away.
Meng Ruochao was stunned for a moment, then grabbed her schoolbag and followed him. "Please, just tell me. I'm dying of curiosity."
Meng Ruochao was so innocent and naive at that time.
If it were the later her, she would have guessed that since he could notice that she didn't go home after school and come to the school to find her, he must be there to share good news with her.
But at that time, she didn't understand. She didn't even know how to complain.
As a result, it was a few more days before Pei Jiangmu found out that she had been bullied and ostracized at school.
It was all because of that Cheng Lu.
A stupid person who even put the love letter in the wrong place, making his Ruochao suffer, but didn't even dare to come out and clarify.
Stupid and cowardly.
His little girl, of course he would stand up for her.
So he skipped class openly and went to the junior high school department in his senior high school uniform.
Since they were in the same school, the school uniforms were the same.
Coupled with Pei Jiangmu's face that everyone in Haicheng International recognized, he got in smoothly.
It happened to be Meng Ruochao's class's P.E. class at that time.
She was still being ostracized. And because of the complicated feelings she had for Mei Mei that she couldn't put into words, she didn't even resist.
So during the badminton game in class that day, she was the extra one.
In order not to be too embarrassed, she had to tell the teacher that her foot hurt and she couldn't play.
The teacher told her to rest on the side.
As a result, when she was sitting there watching her classmates having a great time in groups, she suddenly felt extremely aggrieved.
What exactly did she do wrong in this matter?
It wasn't her fault that Lu Cheng liked her and even gave the wrong love letter.
Why did Mei Mei lead everyone to isolate her?
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She really wanted to stand up and shout, "Mei Mei, you coward! You don't deal with Lu Cheng. Why do you pick on me?"
But then she thought that she was also a coward.
Because she didn't dare.
No one noticed that she was sitting in the corner, having an internal struggle until she was almost fuming with anger.
And that was when Pei Jiangmu showed up.
He strode over. When he was about to reach her, he deliberately slowed down his steps.
She never expected him to come. She was stunned for a long time, then suddenly lowered her head and pretended to tie her shoelaces.
Pei Jiangmu felt as if his heart was being grasped tightly, and it hurt.
"Ruochao, have I ever told you that when you're bullied, you should fight back?"
"If you're hiding in the corner crying now, it will only make those people laugh even more happily."
He squatted in front of her. Watching her tears fall to the ground, his voice was gentle yet firm.
Meng Ruochao actually didn't want to cry, but the moment she saw Pei Jiangmu, she couldn't hold it in.
Later, Pei Jiangmu stepped in and made a big deal out of this incident. It even reached the principal.
The principal, of course, knew Pei Jiangmu's real identity. The Pei family was a major shareholder in Haicheng International. How dare he offend this young master?
Moreover, Meng Ruochao was in the right. So in the end, it ended with Mei Mei apologizing and writing a guarantee letter.
For Meng Ruochao's sake, Pei Jiangmu didn't want to go too far. On the surface, he stopped when he saw the situation was favorable.
In fact, in private, he locked Mei Mei and her little followers in the school infirmary for a whole night.
This time, no one came to rescue them.
From then on, they would avoid Meng Ruochao whenever they saw her.