Su Wanli sat atop the high platform she had built with gymnastics mats, lightly raising her cheekbones and narrowing her eyes as she gazed at the brown-haired girl standing before her.
Meng Huange appeared fairly composed now, but with a moment’s thought, it was clear she must be feeling confused and uneasy, unsure of why she had been summoned or what Su Wanli was about to do.
In truth, Su Wanli herself had only just decided what to do, but it didn’t matter—she still held the higher position and controlled the initiative.
Watching Meng Huange’s silent and uncertain expression, Su Wanli curled the corner of her lips and was about to recite the rehearsed lines she had planned.
“Heh heh, you can’t even guess that? That’s why you’re such a fool…”
“… Miss Wanli, are you still angry about what happened during the first class?”
Meng Wange bit her lip and lowered her head slightly, resembling how she looked during the break in the second class.
“No, no! I already said I’m not angry! Well, maybe just a little bit… I mean…”
It was a familiar counterattack again, but this time Su Wanli’s initial irritation was brief, as she quickly regained her composure with preparation.
“Ahem, of course I’m not angry—this Miss Wanli is magnanimous, after all. But that doesn’t mean I can easily forgive every mistake.”
Su Wanli brushed back her bangs, lightly jumped down from the gymnastics mat, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“If someone says the wrong thing, or does the wrong thing, then they deserve to be punished. Don’t you agree, Meng Huange?”
Although the Physical Education Equipment Room was right next to the Playground, the soundproofing was excellent; with the doors and windows closed, even the rustling of clothes and mats sounded incredibly clear.
Outside the window, the occasional whistles used to hype up the students made the equipment room feel even quieter.
Facing Meng Huange, Su Wanli silently raised a finger—
“Meng Huange, this morning, seeing that you got up early but looked listless, I specially gave you the car from the Su Family. But even now, you haven’t once thanked me. That is your first mistake today—rudeness.”
Su Wanli slowly stepped closer to Meng Huange, raising a second finger—
“Then at school, after I clearly told you not to expose our relationship in class, you still boldly handed me your schoolbag and said those misleading words in front of everyone. That is your second mistake today—disloyalty.”
Stepping right in front of Meng Huange, Su Wanli sneered and raised her left hand to Meng Huange’s eyes, lifting a third finger—
“Later, during your self-introduction, if I hadn’t intervened, you would have painted yourself as a lonely and pitiful orphan. Not only would you be mocked, but you would further disgrace the Su Family. That is your third mistake today—incompetence.”
Su Wanli lifted her head, circled behind Meng Wange, and gently lifted the ends of Meng Huange’s hair with her fingertips—
“Finally, you even dared to mock me in class, causing me to lose face publicly and almost become the laughingstock of the entire class. That is your fourth mistake today—injustice.”
Meng Wange helplessly curved the corner of her mouth, feeling the faint disturbance at the back of her head.
“Sorry, Miss Wanli, this may be because today is my first day at Baiying Academy, and my mindset isn’t stable enough yet. Please forgive me.”
“Heh heh, I don’t care why. A mistake is a mistake. This is not something I can forgive just because I say so.”
Su Wanli’s fingertips slid along Meng Huange’s hair, gently trailing down her back, then pressed forward slightly—
“Just as I said before, Meng Huange, you deserve to be punished. Or do you have any excuses to defend yourself?”
Taking two steps forward with the force, Meng Wange glanced back and smiled at Su Wanli—
“Miss Wanli, I…”
“Jin Xinxin.”
“Du Xinxin.”
“Zhang Shiyu.”
Suddenly, a rigid arm shot up at the very end of the line.
The Physical Education Teacher glanced calmly at the raised hand, flipped open the roster, and turned to the next page.
This time, the position of the raised arm had shifted to the far side, but the voice was still familiar.
The Physical Education Teacher cracked his knuckles and rolled his eyes at the sky—
“Su Wanli.”
“Present.”
This time she didn’t even bother to change her spot! These kids…
He flipped through the roster again, walked to the very end of the line, and faced a girl slightly taller than himself—
“Wen Huangzhou.”
“No answer. Do you know how many people you covered for this time? Jin Xinxin even knew to change her tone when answering for Kong Xiaoyu. What about you? Just shouting out loud. How should I describe you? Brave or just plain foolish?”
“Sorry.”
“Heh, fine. But if I catch you again…”
The Physical Education Teacher sighed, shook his head at Wen Manman, and opened the roster again, pointing at a new name at the very bottom—
“Meng Huange.”
Wen Manman blinked, cleared her throat, and made her voice sharper.
“Present.”
“Ugh, you—”
The Physical Education Teacher gritted his teeth and slammed the roster down on the ground.
“Where are those others?! What are you doing? This isn’t dismissal time. Explain yourselves!”
“Alright, don’t say it’s loyalty or righteousness. Don’t think I haven’t caught you before. I just didn’t bother.”
The Physical Education Teacher clasped his hands behind his back and strode toward the equipment wall—
“Are you hiding in that Spare Physical Equipment Room again? I’ve caught you there several times already. Day after day… who knows what you’re up to.”
It was over.
Clinging to the last thread of hope, Wen Manman hurried in front of the teacher to explain—
“Teacher! Su Wanli and the newcomer Meng Huange are not there! Du Xinxin and Zhang Shiyu were just studying together with them in the classroom!”
“Ha! The three of them bullying new students in the Equipment Room, right? Alright, alright.”
The Physical Education Teacher flung his hand in frustration and quickened his pace.
Wen Manman bit her lip and ran after him. Only Class Three, Year Two’s students remained on the Playground, neatly lined up.
“What are they doing?”
“I don’t know, but it sounds like Su Wanli and the others are confronting some bullying.”
“Really? I thought Meng Wange was…”
“Wow, caught in the act? I like this.”
The students exchanged looks silently for a moment before breaking formation, scattering in small groups as they headed in the direction of the two girls.