Chapter 526 - 509+510: Bullying the Weak and Fearing the Strong (Part 2)

"Tell your sister about your life at college."

Chen Fengjiao watched them from the side, feeling a mix of envy and happiness. Seeing her two daughters getting along so well now, she could finally rest easy.

"Sis, let me tell you, there are eight of us in our dorm room. One of them is named Chen Xiaomei. Her family is really poor. Her whole village had to pitch in to pay for college, and they even sold their cow and everything just so she could attend. She only has a few outfits, and for meals, she just has steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and hot water. It’s really tough for her, so whenever I can, I’ll ask her to eat with me or just buy some extra for her. She feels bad about it and wants to treat me in return, but there’s no way I’d let her spend her money. But she’s great. She always fetches hot water for me and helps me tidy up a bit. Her grades are excellent, too. We study together a lot."

"Then there’s this other girl, Wang Shan. Her family’s pretty well-off. Her dad is some paltry deputy bureau director, and she acts like she’s all that because of it. She’s constantly showing off in front of us, bragging about her new clothes, how much allowance her family gives her, all the fancy food she eats... constantly flaunting it, as if no one else has ever owned new clothes or eaten a nice meal before. She’s always putting Chen Xiaomei down, too, calling her a disgrace and stuff. I really can’t stand her."

"One time, Wang Shan claimed she lost something. Without even looking for it, she insisted that Chen Xiaomei had stolen it. She even said people like her are born thieves and must have stolen it to sell because it looked valuable. Chen Xiaomei denied it, but Wang Shan was relentless. She made such a huge scene that students from several other dorms came to watch. A lot of them were saying Chen Xiaomei must have been the one who took it. At that point, she was so furious she was in tears. I was furious, too. Why should she have to put up with that kind of bullying just because she’s poor? So, I stepped in."

"I told Wang Shan not to go around accusing people without proof. She actually tried to warn me, saying her dad’s a deputy bureau director and that I should mind my own business, or else I’d regret it. Ugh, as if I care! So what if her dad’s a deputy bureau director? Does that give her the right to bully people? Judging by her behavior, her dad can’t be all that great either. So I started arguing with her. While we were arguing, someone else helped look and found her thing. It had just fallen into the crack by her bed. It wasn’t stolen at all; she had framed Chen Xiaomei."

"Even after they found it, can you believe she refused to apologize to Chen Xiaomei? She said stuff like, ’Even if she didn’t steal this time, she will in the future,’ and that she didn’t feel safe living with ’someone like her.’ She demanded that Chen Xiaomei move out of our room. She even told her to her face that people like her don’t deserve to go to school or be her roommate, and told her to get lost. Then, she actually pulled out some money and said if Chen Xiaomei knew what was good for her, she’d take the cash and find another place to live."

"I was so furious. I’ve never met anyone like that in my life! How could she humiliate someone like that? I grabbed the money and threw it right back in her face. I told her to apologize, or I’d get the rest of our roommates to kick *her* out."

Lin Sui’er’s face was still flushed with anger as she spoke.

Gu’er nodded. ’That sounded just like something Sui’er would do. Sui’er wasn’t a bad person at heart. In the past, she could be confrontational and would play the victim. She hadn’t faced many hardships growing up, so she was naive and never truly malicious. But Sui’er had changed. Now, she even knew to stand up for the weak.’

"I demanded Wang Shan apologize, but she refused. She said I was working against her and threatened to get me kicked out of the room, too. I wasn’t about to take that from her, so we really got into it. Eventually, the student union and some school administrators had to step in. Wang Shan was still trying to act tough with the student union, but they weren’t having it. After they investigated, they confirmed it was all Wang Shan’s fault and made her apologize. Oh, you should have seen her face! It was priceless. Watching her get forced to say sorry to Xiaomei... it was so satisfying."

Lin Sui’er was beaming with excitement.

"You’re still such a child. Does that Wang Shan hold a grudge against you now? Has she tried to cause trouble for you?"

Gu’er knew all too well that you had to be careful when you crossed a petty person.

"Of course she holds a grudge. She’s tried to make trouble for me plenty of times, but I’m not scared of her, and she hasn’t managed to hurt me. Later, I helped Xiaomei find a part-time job, so now she can earn a little money every month. It’s enough to support herself, anyway. I go with her sometimes, and Wang Shan must have seen me and thought I needed to work for money, too. So she started spreading rumors that my family was struggling and that I was just using my looks to get money from some man. She even claimed I’d do anything for cash and told guys not to pursue me."

Lin Sui’er curled her lip in disdain. ’She really couldn’t stand Wang Shan. The girl was plain-looking, but just because her family had some money, she acted high and mighty, looking down on this person and that. And she loved nothing more than to run her mouth and gossip.’