“Won’t the class leader be unhappy if you don’t have a single Chinese word on it?”

I questioned.

“If the class leader isn’t satisfied, then she can supervise me tomorrow as I redraw it.” It seems Zhuang Ni already had a contingency plan, “Also, this is the fruits of our labor between me and Cai Cai, you have no right to criticize it.”

Hey, why can’t you say it’s the results of your hard work? Why do you have to use the word ‘fruit’? Both you and Gong CaiCai are girls, so you won’t produce any fruits no matter how hard you work.

Gong CaiCai’s sprained ankle from the morning was still hurting. She had to support herself on the wall or use something to take the stress off her ankle every time she stood up.

“Please don’t… please don’t fight.” Gong CaiCai said, “Zhuang Ni classmate is good, Ye Lin classmate is also good. Both of you have protected me before and I know the two of you are good people. Can you please stop fighting because of some misunderstandings that happened in the past…”

Her pitiful appearance made it seem like we would be bullying her if we didn’t agree to her request.

But Zhuang Ni had no intention of reconciling with me. When Gong CaiCai wasn’t paying attention, she slid her index finger across her neck and made a threatening throat cutting gesture.

Zhuang Ni’s actions wasn’t able to escape from Xiao Qin’s eyes. Xiao Qin looked unhappy and pressed her right fist against her cheek as if she was saying to Zhuang Ni that she would beat her up if she touched me.

After Xiong YaoYue ate a lot of dried fish snacks and drank a lot of water, she made a unladylike burp.

“Burp~ by the way, what do those English words mean?”

“Huh, doesn’t it just mean ‘new semester, there is still hope’?” Xiao Qin asked, “Winnie, didn’t you hear them earlier?”

“Um, I wasn’t paying attention.” Xiong YaoYue flattened a lock of hair behind her head that was sticking out and continued to say, “Xiao Qin, you probably heard what I was talking about with the class leader. Whenever Zhuang Ni is present, call me Yue Yue instead of Winnie. I don’t want to get mixed up with Zhuang Ni.”

“But don’t you really like the nickname Winnie?” Xiao Qin furrowed her brows, “It’s a shame to not use a nickname you really like simply because of Zhuang Ni’s existence.”

“There’s no other way.” Xiong YaoYue shrugged, “Once we graduate, I won’t be at the same place as Zhuang Ni anymore, so I would be able to use Winnie whenever I want.”

“There’s no need to wait that long.” Xiao Qin said in an encouraging tone, “I could help you so that you nickname wouldn’t get mixed up with Zhuang Ni’s name.”

She said as she glanced at me as if she was reminding me she was doing a good deed by helping her friend.

“How will you help me?” Xiong YaoYue was curious.

“It’s simple.” Xiao Qin wagged her finger in front of her, “The problem will be solved as long as Zhuang Ni picks a nickname for herself that doesn’t end in the Ni sound.”

“I won’t waste any time by giving myself a nickname.” Zhuang Ni pointed out coldly.

“No problem, I could help you!” Xiao Qin said enthusiastically, “I’m great at giving other people nicknames. I don’t have any inspirations right now, but I could let you use some names with good meanings behind them.”

I asked, “What kind of names with good meanings behind them?”

“Don’t Chinese people love names with happiness, wealth, and longevity?” Xiao Qin racked her brains, then said: “Why don’t we call you… ‘Wang Cai’.”

Zhuang Ni’s face instantly darkened. In order for her friend to use her Winnie nickname, Xiao Qin wanted Zhuang Ni to stop using her full name. She even gave Zhuang Ni a nickname that Chinese farmers often gave to dogs.

It’s fine that you gave me a nickname of Ye Lu, it’s fine you gave Gong CaiCai the nickname of Gong Cai Cow, it’s fine you gave He Ling the nickname Little Strawberry, and it’s fine you gave Kyle the nickname of hemorrhoid warrior (good job). At least those nicknames have some similarity with the person you gave it to!

In comparison, what does ‘Wang Cai’ have to do with Zhuang Ni? Zhuang Ni had a gothic vampire style, what does “Wang Cai”, a name for dogs, have to do with her? Xiao Qin, are you trying to make her mad on purpose?

After making an outrageous statement, it looked like Xiao Qin still had no self-awareness and applauded herself by saying:

“Now, Winnie can continue to use her favorite nickname and Zhuang Ni will have a new start in the new semester, so everyone’s happy, congratulations!”

Zhuang Ni raised her brows and clenched her teeth. It seems like she was really angry, but she used her strong self-control to suppress her anger. She narrowed her eyes as if she was thinking about what Xiao Qin said and planning a counter-attack.

When we were at Cui Song mountain, Xiao Qin once crushed a pine-cone with her bare hands in front of Zhuang Ni, so she knew Xiao Qin had unparalleled strength. It wasn’t smart to go against Xiao Qin face to face, so it was better to hold it in then wait for the perfect opportunity to get vengeance.

Seeing Zhuang Ni’s indignant expression, Gong CaiCai timidly said: “Everyone… can we get along? If Zhuang Ni doesn’t like being called with a nickname, then let’s not force her…”

“It’s temporary.” Xiao Qin added, “If you don’t like ‘Wang Cai’, we can also call you ‘Sang Biao’.”

“Xiao Qin, forget it.” Xiong YaoYue noticed Zhuang Ni’s bad complexion and told Xiao Qin to stop.

“Zhuang Ni is her actual name. We would be bullying her if we didn’t let her use her real name so I could use my nickname… Xiao Qin, just call me ‘Yue Yue’ or ‘Winnie’. It doesn’t matter if you get it mixed up a bit.”

“Alright then.” Xiao Qin sighed, “It was hard to do a good deed and get a star…”

“What?” Xiong YaoYue didn’t understand.

Xiao Qin, keep dreaming. How is forcing Zhuang Ni to change her name to ‘Wang Cai’ a good deed? Winnie wouldn’t even be happy with your ‘help’. I’ll have to scold you in private later. After all, it’s only considered discipline if there’s a reward and a punishment.

After the nickname fiasco was averted, Xiao Qin and Xiong YaoYue began to evaluate Zhuang Ni’s chalkboard art.

“What a shame. If it was me, I would have drawn a gigantic Cthulhu evil deity to make everyone understand what’s so frightening about the third year.”

Xiao Qin opened her arms wide as she said gigantic.

“That’s a good idea.” Xiong YaoYue clapped, “Then in the middle we can write ‘attack on start of school’, we can even write start of school in red to express that it’s going to be a bloody new year.”

“Evil deity?” Gong CaiCai said blankly, “What’s that?”

“It’s just an evil god.” Zhuang Ni said with ridicule, “Although I like the original Cthulhu, what Xiao Qin drew can’t express its scariness at all, at most it’s her art skills that’s scary.”

Gong CaiCai shivered, “Why are there evil gods, aren’t all gods supposed to be kind?”

Zhuang Ni was filled with a burst of inexplicable joy, she faced Gong CaiCai and whispered, “I really look forward to seeing when that innocence of yours will be broken, stay with me…”

After dilly-dallying, it was soon 7:00 pm, and everyone decided to lock the classroom door and leave.

Before that, it seems Xiao Qin received a phone call from Auntie Ren.

Auntie Ren went straight to work today from the hotel. After she returned home, she realized Xiao Qin’s bag was at home but she wasn’t, so she quickly gave her daughter a call.

After confirming that Xiao Qin was at school, Auntie Ren still wasn’t relieved and had to come pick up Xiao Qin, no matter how Xiao Qin tried to decline.

The five of us had just left the school when we saw Auntie Ren’s bumblebee drive over. Auntie Ren stopped the car and walked towards Xiao Qin with a very unpleasant look on her face. She took Xiao Qin by her hand and dragged her towards the car.

“Mom, why are you so angry?” Xiao Qin complained as she was being dragged, “At least take Ye Lin classmate home along with us, okay?”

“Who cares about him.” Auntie Ren grunted, “Anyone with the surname of Ye isn’t a good person. Where did you sleep last night, why didn’t you take your bag to school today?”

“I forgot to take it…” Xiao Qin intended to get away with it by pouting, but Auntie Ren forced her into the car and was going to interrogate her on the way home.

The bumblebee soon drove away and Xiao Qin could only wave goodbye to me and Winnie from inside the car reluctantly.

“Huh, it’s the beginning of the school year, but 28 Middle’s third years already started their nightly study sessions?”

A few passing high school students said in astonishment. They seemed to be students from Dong Shan First High School and were all male and just came back from drinking.

“Hey, looks like the girls of 28 Middle seem to be of pretty high quality on average.” A slightly fat boy, who was being supported by his companion, said drunkenly.

“Come on, it’s none of your business even if they are. Let’s go, if we don’t go, they’ll think we’re hoodlums.”

His companion was quite reasonable and dragged the drunken fat boy away and the group soon disappeared into the darkness.

After Xiao Qin was caught by Auntie Ren, only four of us were left. Gong CaiCai’s father had just called and told her to wait for him at the school gate, he was stuck in a traffic jam and would soon arrive.

Zhuang Ni suggested she would wait with Gong CaiCai, then head home herself once Gong CaiCai’s car arrives.

The reason why she refused to ride with Gong CaiCai was simple: Gong CaiCai’s father is a man.

Zhuang Ni’s home wasn’t particularly close to the school, but she insisted on walking home when there were bus and subway options available. She insisted on walking home simply because she wanted to avoid sharing a ride with a man.

Zhuang Ni wouldn’t even use a cab, because cab drivers were mostly men.

“Zhuang Ni classmate, if you really don’t want to get into my dad’s car, then please go home first.”

Gong CaiCai softly pleaded under the street light in front of the school.

“It’s getting darker, so if you insist on walking home, it’s better to leave early. Otherwise, what if you run into bad guys.”

Although those drunken high school students from earlier didn’t make a move on the girls, it still made Gong CaiCai unsettled.

Xiong YaoYue, who had been silent for a while since Xiao Qin was taken away by Auntie Ren, suddenly said:

“Ye Lin, you stay with Gong CaiCai to wait for her ride. I’ll walk home and I’ll take Zhuang Ni with me.”

Zhuang Ni immediately refused, “I don’t need you to come with me.”

“I want to follow you.” Xiong YaoYue said, “Otherwise, what if you’re unlucky and get raped by bad people, then I’ll also have to suffer with you.”

Zhuang Ni’s face darkened: “I have the ability to protect myself, also why would I affect you?”

“Of course you would.” Xiong YaoYue grumpily crossed her arms and said, “If people aren’t able to distinguish between ‘Zhuang Ni’ and ‘Winnie’, then it would be humiliating if people spread a rumor that I was the one who was raped.”