Chapter 22: The Petty Scheme of Revenge Succeeds

Seeing Li Heng and Zhang Zhiyong, people she’d known since childhood, targeting her like this, Yang Yingwen finally stopped tolerating them and fired back: “Hey! Are you two even men?”

I’m terrified of ghosts—you know that—so why be so petty?

Do you expect me to scream and run all the way down with you two every morning? I’m a girl.

Zhang Zhiyong puckered his lips and muttered: “So what if she’s a girl? Do girls not shit or piss? Stink!”

Yang Yingwen ignored him and fixed her gaze directly on Li Heng.

In her mind, Zhang Zhiyong was just Li Heng’s shadow, so she struck at the vital point.

After being stared at too long, Li Heng felt uneasy and protested bitterly:

“Don’t play the victim with us. I’m heart and soul with you, yet you scheme behind my back—what use is a friend like you? Get lost!”

Zhang Zhiyong immediately chimed in: “Exactly! Ugly too—get out, get out!”

Yang Yingwen kicked Zhang Zhiyong hard, furious and half-delirious, glaring at Li Heng: “Who’s heart and soul with you? Who even cares? I’d rather find Zhu Bajie—he at least knows how to soothe his wife!”

Li Heng shot back: “Then go find Zhu Bajie. But he can’t register for marriage—close relatives aren’t allowed.”

“Hehehehe!”

At this, Yang Cheng in the front row could no longer hold back and let out a pig-like cackle.

Even Xiao Feng, whose temperament was usually stiff, perked up her ears, her book forgotten for long stretches, and even turned back with a look of surprise to glance at the bickering pair.

Xiao Han was naturally a girl who exuded effortless arrogance; when others lost composure, her detached, serene poise stood out all the more.

But she knew to keep her arrogance in check if she wanted to get along with everyone, so she smiled faintly, pulled on Yang Yingwen—who still looked like a rooster ready to fight—and stepped in as peacemaker.

As the old saying goes: everyone lifts the sedan chair.

They were all close friends, no deep grudges, their bonds strong as ever. When Xiao Han gracefully offered a way out, Li Heng and Yang Yingwen, amid their squabbling, subtly retreated a step each, gradually calming down.

The bus started moving.

The distance from the former town to Shaoshan was over two hundred li; road conditions were terrible, full of potholes, jolting them up and down so badly that even if the driver sped, it would take at least four or five hours to reach school.

In this tedious, endless journey, the six who had attended junior and senior high together naturally gravitated toward each other. After Li Heng and Yang Yingwen’s outburst, the mood shifted, and the group slowly fell into conversation.

Even Xiao Feng, who rarely chatted, joined in occasionally.

As they talked, Zhang Zhiyong suddenly brought up the feud between Li Heng and Xiao Han back in seventh grade.

Seated beside Li Heng, Zhang Zhiyong’s courage swelled, and he turned to Xiao Han:

“Xiao Han, I’ve had a question stuck in my head for nearly six years—I’ve never figured it out. Mind if I ask you now?”

Xiao Han looked at him, puzzled. “What question?”

Zhang Zhiyong asked: “Why did you and Li Heng fight over his desk chair in seventh grade?”

It was a sharp question.

Since both Li Heng and Xiao Han had been school celebrities since junior high, everyone nearby perked up, staring expectantly at Xiao Han.

In truth, not just Zhang Zhiyong was confused—Yang Yingwen, Xiao Feng, and Yang Cheng were too. Xiao Han, though inwardly proud and aloof with strangers, was easygoing with friends—so why would she randomly snatch Li Heng’s chair?

And she did it twice—absurdly so!

A mystery that baffled them all.

Meeting their gazes, Xiao Han lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, then lifted her head, pursed her lips once, then again, and finally smiled shyly.

She said brightly: “Because back then I thought he was a thug—didn’t need to study. I took his chair with a clear conscience.”

Hearing this, Li Heng glanced sideways at her.

Sensing his strange look, Xiao Han kept smiling, but less naturally now. She lowered her head again, tucking stray strands behind her ear, her fingers brushing her left earlobe—burning hot.

Having snatched his chair twice, she’d spent six years silently wondering how Li Heng viewed this incident.

How did he view her?

After all, from junior to senior high, she’d been a celebrity—beautiful, top grades.

With so many compliments and admiring glances, she’d quietly accepted the idea that she was someone special.

And now, at last, she’d uncovered the answer she’d longed for.

What celebrity? Just a meaningless name.

But she was best at masking sincerity—never letting her sadness show.

Besides, even if it was a failure, today was a record-breaking day, a milestone—even if not joyful, she’d for the first time mustered courage and personally greeted him, though he gave no response.

She reflected: had the ticket seller interrupted her?

Or had he deliberately pretended not to see her?

Or was it because Chen Zijin sat between them?

Outside, the others still laughed and chatted merrily, but she drifted off—until a piece of horse biscuit waved before her eyes, snapping her back. She quickly smiled and took it.

Reciprocity: Xiao Han pulled out half a bag of White Rabbit candy from her bag and handed it around, smiling: “Good things are meant to be shared—no hoarding.”

White Rabbit candy was a luxury back then—expensive, scarce, hard to get.

Of course, its reputation was well-earned—it tasted excellent.

With snacks in hand, their chatter grew livelier; the back of the bus became more festive than a party.

The bus stopped for a few minutes at Liudouzhai gas station—to refuel and let passengers use the restroom.

Seeing Yang Yingwen, Xiao Feng, Yang Cheng, and Zhang Zhiyong all get off, Xiao Han retracted her foot and smiled sweetly at Li Heng, who lagged behind:

“Mr. Li, may I ask you a question?”

This girl was Xiao Han—the one who’d tormented him endlessly in his past life. Li Heng instinctively refused: “No!”

Hearing this, Xiao Han felt a momentary suffocation—but she was a girl who prized her dignity above all. She forced her smile to stay fixed on her stiff face.

Still, she felt embarrassed, immediately turning her head away from his piercing gaze, about to apologize—“Sorry, I disturbed you”—when a voice came from behind.

Li Heng, on autopilot, said: “If you’re going to ask me ‘Who’s prettier, you or Song Yu?’—save your breath. I won’t answer.”

This was the question Xiao Han had cared most about in her past life—the one she’d chased him with until his rebirth.

After speaking, Li Heng froze. He realized he’d made a mistake—he’d slipped into old habits, muscle memory from his past life.

His past life wasn’t his present.

In this life, Xiao Han was still just a classmate—how could she possibly blurt out such an intimate question?

Indeed, Xiao Han stared blankly. When she finally processed it, her stunning eyes flickered, and, almost against her will, she leaned forward slightly and asked:

“Then in your heart, who’s prettier—me or Song Yu?”

The moment she spoke, Xiao Han knew she was insane—she must be insane!

She screamed inside: What are you doing?

Though her heart was shattered, ruined, her face remained calm, composed, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips as she gazed at him.

Li Heng was speechless. He knew this girl was the type to seize any opening—cold-hearted.

Honestly, they were the two most beautiful girls he’d ever seen in his past life—one from junior high, one from senior high—and afterward, they became his final, unrepeatable masterpiece. He treasured those years too much to pit his two brightest jewels against each other.

He believed every boy who’d secretly loved them felt the same—it was a desecration.

A desecration of them, and of his own youthful devotion.

Li Heng dodged the question: “What did you originally want to ask me?”

Seeing him avoid her sharp question, her heart inexplicably eased. She kept smiling:

“Oh, that… wouldn’t you be afraid my question’s even more embarrassing?”

Li Heng nodded: “So I’ll consider carefully before deciding whether to answer.”

She held his profile for two seconds, then, hands behind her back, cleared her throat: “When I came back from winter break, I kept hearing rumors about you and Chen Zijin. Is any of it true?”

Li Heng smiled, revealing clean white teeth: “Then do you hope it’s true—or false?”

His easy smile suddenly pierced Xiao Han. Years of suppressing her pain at watching him and Chen Zijin display affection in front of her turned cruel. How long must she yield?

How long must she cower?

What exactly was she afraid of?

Xiao Han looked pitiful, pleading: “In junior high, in the dorms, on the road—I always heard girls whispering about you. Some good, some bad—you were famous.”

“In three years of senior high, girls from other classes came up to me asking your name—even some of my friends.”

Li Heng asked curiously: “Did you tell them? How did you describe me?”

She twisted her right toe lightly in the dirt, smiling faintly: “We’re all at that age—finding someone who feels like ‘home’ is rare. Back then, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about you and Chen Zijin.”

“But now I can finally breathe easy—I can tell them plainly: the poor boy slept with the Chen family’s noble daughter. Don’t bother dreaming anymore.”

Hearing this aggressive remark, Li Heng’s face twitched, his expression hardening into silence.

Poor boy and Chen family’s noble daughter…

The destructive power of that phrase exceeded Xiao Han’s expectations.

Why had she said such cruel words? Why say something to make him hate her? Especially to Li Heng.

The man across from her was Li Heng!

But her mind had gone hot, and the words slipped out. Seeing his reaction, she felt no regret—only a quiet thrill.

A joy without moral distinction.

Like a petty schemer’s revenge finally succeeding.

Let you sleep with Chen Zijin!

Let you smile more carefree than me!

Let you be intimate with Chen Zijin right in front of me for five whole years—did you really think I was a doormat?

Did you really think I was a coward?

At this moment, Xiao Han’s mind seemed to split into three identical versions of herself.

One watched him calmly, rationally.

A person with a venomous gaze and sneering contempt looked down at him.

Another stood with a dull expression, heartbroken, staring at him.

As for which of these three versions of herself held dominance, she could not tell for now.

She only knew that as the two locked eyes for a long time, her thoughts drifted farther and farther, until her mind turned utterly blank.

…

“Xiao Han, Li Heng, what are you two standing there like fools for? There’s still a long way to go—aren’t you going to the toilet?”

Just as the two stood awkwardly, lost in thought, Yang Ying rushed over and stepped directly between them, patting one on the shoulder, then the other, urging them along.

Seeing neither moved, Yang Ying glanced left and right, worried: “You two aren’t fighting, are you?”

“No, I was just talking to him about rice—my dad really likes his family’s rice; he said he wants to buy more after finishing it.” Xiao Han snapped back to reality, smiling with crinkled eyes.

The fact that Tian Rune regularly carried rice to market was no secret in Shangwan Village; everyone knew it. Yang Ying had no suspicion, yet he asked again: “So are you going to the toilet or not?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’ll go with you.”

As they turned to leave, Yang Ying glanced back at Li Heng: “Aren’t you coming?”

Li Heng waved his hand: “You two go ahead. I don’t need to. I’ll wait here for you.”

…

When the vehicle started again, it felt as if some vital spirit had been severed—the group lost all previous eagerness to talk.

Zhang Zhiyong and Yang Cheng were asleep, both in identical postures: mouths open like sharks, heads tilted sideways.

The difference was that the chubby Yang Cheng was snoring.

The snore, louder than an aerial bomb, seemed to disturb Xiao Feng; she glanced at the only empty seat in the back row and moved over.

Soon, the three girls were chattering again, huddled tightly together.

PS: Afraid the seniors might wait too long, I’ve merged these 4000 characters into one.

(End of Chapter)