CH 1

The dawn sky was still colored with tranquil gray-blue color, but the streets under it were already lively with activities. The stalls were selling their vegetables, the rickshaws were shuttling back and forth, while the clothing shops and cake shops around had all put up their respective signboards.

At the gate of Ye Xin Girls’ Middle School, there were groups of girls in twos and threes walking. They were neatly wearing their blue coats, black skirts, and white socks. The sound of their footsteps cluttering together and the peddlers’ shouts to promote their wares, all of these disturbed the initial tranquility of the area. At this time, from some distance away, a carriage appeared as the first ray of sunlight in the morning slant on top of it.

Since I liked to ride the carriage, my father asked a craftsman to make the carriage very exquisite with a size twice the ordinary one. Because of its enormous size, when there were too many people on the road, the carriage with two horses, red and brown, had to slow down for fear of hitting someone accidentally.

Meanwhile, the peddlers who had set up their stalls did not step aside because they wanted to gather their wares so as to prevent them from the wild animals rushing over blindly and trampling. Because of this situation, the carriage slowed down even more.

“It is the carriage of the Second Young Lady from the Ye Family.” Someone muttered.

The carriage then stopped at the gate of Ye Xin Girls’ Middle School. Before the housekeeper could get out of the carriage and bend down to put a foothold for me to step on, I had already jumped out of the half-meter high carriage and rushed into the school. Due to the dash, my white dress fluttered from the rushing wind. But I ignored that and shouted at my housekeeper, “Uncle Zhao, go back——”

Quite helpless, Uncle Zhao could only say, “Young lady, slow down a bit and don’t run.”

However, if you looked at the wrinkles adorning his face, apart from the obvious love lining reflecting in his smile, you could see the helpless doting affection he had for me, the naughty young lady. 

Uncle Zhao was the one who watched me grow up. Although he had a son, who also worked for Ye Family, in his old age, he had always felt that having a son was not as intimate as having a daughter. Alas, he did not have the fortune of having his own daughter.

In spite of Uncle Zhao’s gentle reprimand, I still ran inside the school until I found Yue Xiaoman, holding her English textbook and reciting the content while sitting on the swing. And I burst out laughing, making her notice my presence. She then closed the book and knocked my head with it while asking, “Silly girl, what are you laughing at?”

“Did you really go on a blind date with Yu Ziyang from Jingde High School during the weekend?”

At that, Yue Xiaoman’s face immediately bloomed, looking like a ripe cherry. She awkwardly twisted the corner of the book in her hand and said, “Well, it was arranged by his parents and mine. However, I just read my Song Ci book and did not even look him straight in the eyes the whole time.”

“Yu Ziyang’s family is a famous silk merchant in Shanghai. Last time, at the end of the year, they had sent a lot of silk and satin to my family. My mother, Mother Yun, and Mother Ling all laughed so much that a whole jar of powder couldn’t even cover the laugh lines on their faces.”

Listening to my words, Yue Xiaoman couldn’t hold back her laughter and she said, “If you like the Yu Family so much, you may as well marry in.”

“What’s the point of me marrying into the Yu Family? It’s not like I am the one they put into their eyes! Besides, Yu Ziyang is very gentle. Be careful that the son-in-law your father, that old teacher, was eyeing is going to be stolen. At that time, it would be weird if he didn’t get mad!” I kept joking with Yue Xiaoman, talking and laughing until the school bell rang. After that, I had to rush to the classroom. 

But I suddenly remembered something Principal Wang had mentioned at the end of the school last Friday. He said that Teacher Qin from Jingde High School would be dropping by to teach starting this Monday. And he also said that he hoped the students would pay attention to their appearance and make a good impression on the teacher.

Recalling that, I was not surprised that when Yue Xiaomen and I arrived at the classroom, Teacher Qin was already standing on the podium. When Principal Wang saw us rushing into the classroom, he was about to get angry. But, seeing my breathless self, he forced down his anger and spoke with a non-aggressive voice, “Those two students, please go to your respective seats quietly.”

Hearing that, I quietly stuck out my tongue at the nervous Yue Xiaoman. Unfortunately, this small gesture happened to fall into the eyes of the man standing on the podium.

“That student, please stay behind.”

“Ah?” I looked back at the podium, uncertain of what the teacher wanted. But when my eyes fell on the so-called Teacher Qin, I was startled. Most of the teachers teaching us were all middle-aged people or above, but the new teacher in front of us today was incredibly young.

“What’s your name?”

“Ye Bingqing.”

“There is a rule in the school that states that each student must wear school uniforms while they are inside the school premises. Why is it that all other students obey the rule, but you don’t?”

This teacher was not good news to me. He’s just the same as the other teachers picking on me at the beginning, but once he knew I’m Ye Guangrong’s daughter, he would immediately become humble. This kind of sanctimonious person made people angry. So, I raised my chin, laughed cleverly, and spoke. 

“I don’t like the school uniform. It’s too ugly. I like to wear dresses, that’s why I wear them. And I dislike braiding my hair, so I didn’t. No one can ever force me to do what I don’t like.”

At this point, Principal Wang was already taking out his handkerchief and wiping his cold sweat. I knew that he was afraid of offending me, in case I complained to my father. After all, Chairman Ye could easily give him a hard time. So, I was not surprised when he spoke to this new teacher.

“Mr. Qin, you see…Mr. Ye Guangrong, Student Ye’s father, is the investor of our school—”

At this, Qin Shuyue also smiled and looked at me while saying, “So, if this is the case, then, student, please listen to my class while standing on your seat.”