15 We Can Change That

When Zheng Hualian was in her first year of middle school, she had a friend named Xiao Mei. She was the prettiest girl in their grade.

Xiao Mei's family was on the wealthier ones in A City, she always wore pretty things to school.

Boys liked her, girls were jealous of her, and Zheng Hualian— she wanted to be her.

She was very quiet in school, so when Xiao Mei approached her, she was ecstatic.

It was to her that she confided all of her deepest secrets in.

She had been so foolish. She refused to believe the reason behind the rumors was her most trusted friend.

. . .

During their second year of high school, Zheng Hualian was heavily bullied by upperclassmen and classmates.

Rumors were spread that she slept with people for money leading to a rather unpleasant message on her desk written in paint.

It was that day, that she heard what Su Meizhen was really like.

"She's so poor that she wears her mom and her grandmother's clothes! If we didn't have a uniform, she would have to come to school looking like a farmer!" Su Meizhen gossiped with a circle of popular students on the stairs-- students that liked to torment her.

"Meizhen, why do you even talk to that bumpkin, Zheng Hualian. She's such a weirdo, all she does is study."

"Hehe, if I didn't talk to her, how would I get all this information then? She's so desperate since she had no friends!"

A girl with her hair in pigtails hugged the boy next to her's arm, "Then it's really true that she used to like my Ah Ting?"

"Of course it's true! Why would I make this up?" Su Meizhen earnestly insisted.

"Ew, that's clearly a toad wanting to eat swan meat! In what way does she measure up to any of us?"

Overhearing their hurtful words made the young Zheng Hualian cry silent tears under the staircase. Originally, she just wanted a quiet space, but right now she really needed a friend. Too bad the one she thought was one turned out to be fake.

. . .

"Teacher Zhou, there's someone here for you!" One of the assistants popped her head in from the door.

After a long day of shooting, Zhou Lengxin was ready to get food, then nap, and then play games.

'Who could it be? The only ones that know I'm here are my dorm mates, but they've never come before...'

"Wow, who is that? He's so handsome!"

"Do you think he's someone famous? Maybe he's a rich heir!"

"Stop dreaming! He's probably someone's boyfriend here to pick them up!"

She could hear the whispers all around her. She already had an inkling on the identity of this mystery visitor as she made her way out.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up." His face lit up as he saw her arrive, "Your roommates ended up mentioning that you were here and you didn't have a ride back and... uh, I was just going back to campus..."

"I can just take the subway, no need to trouble Senior."

"It's no trouble, get in." He who was leaning against a Tesla stood up and opened the passenger door.

Reluctantly, she did sit down. Since he was already here, why should she pay for a subway ticket?

"Let's exchange contacts, I can pick you up from work."

"No need, we're not that familiar with each other." Zhou Lengxin immediately refused.

The car slowed to a stop at a red light.

Xia Minghua turned his head and looked at her dead in the eye, "Well, we can change that."