The 99th Divorce

Yang Zihao felt so embarrassed that he couldn’t bring himself to look up. Reluctantly, he raised his head and looked at Quan Jingyi when he heard what Li Jianyue said.

Quan Jingyi was very tall.

For a boy in the first year of senior high, it was a little out of the ordinary that he had developed this big this fast.

Quan Jingyi was quite obviously way taller than Yang Zihao. The mere presence of Quan Jingyi in front of him was enough for Yang Zihao to sense the contempt Quan Jingyi had for him. It was an extremely unpleasant feeling. Yang Zihao’s hostility towards Quan Jingyi grew more bitter.

The teacher nodded her head, agreeing with Li Jianyue. “Indeed, you should apologize, Yang Zihao. I have no idea what your beef is with Quan Jingyi. But it was wrong of you to accuse two innocent and unrelated people in such a manner for no apparent reason.”

Yang Zihao was unrepentant. “But they were in it together! Otherwise, why would Li Jianyue bully Sun Xiaoyu if not because she wanted to sit with Quan Jingyi again?”

Sun Xiaoyue immediately chimed in. “It’s true, Ma’am! Li Jianyue bullies me all day!”

“I have never done such a thing!” Li Jianyue rebuffed him.

“Enough.” the teacher was getting impatient and annoyed. “Yang Zihao, apologize to Quan Jingyi first. In the future, broaden your knowledge so that you don’t make a fool of yourself again. You maligned Quan Jingyi for no reason.”

Yang Zihao’s face immediately turned as colorful as a painter’s palette, with red, white, and purple patches.

Yang Zihao looked at Quan Jingyi. “Sorry,” he said reluctantly, his head bowed.

His voice wasn’t loud. Quan Jingyi looked down at the back of Yang Zihaso’s head and asked, “What did you say?”

Yang Zihao felt even more humiliated. “I’m sorry! I was wrong! I was ignorant and maligned you! Will that do now?” he roared.

As he spoke, his eyes behind his glasses reddened. He shot a look at Li Jianyue and stormed out of the office.

The teacher frowned and called out, “Yang Zihao!”

Yang Zihao ignored her and ran off.

Seeing what had just happened, Sun Xiaoyu didn’t dare utter a word. He mumbled weakly, “Ma’am, I’ll take my leave too.”

“No, you can’t go yet,” the teacher stopped him. “The problem between you and Li Jianyue has not been resolved yet. And didn’t you say that Quan Jingyi hit you?”

“I did not,” Quan Jingyi said plainly. “I accidentally tripped him. But he’s to blame, too, for not watching his step.”

Sun Xiaoyu was furious. “Stop being so smug! You did it on purpose!”

“I’ve already said it wasn’t on purpose,” Quan Jingyi reiterated, giving him an icy look. “It’s your choice whether or not to believe it.”

Sun Xiaoyu’s chubby body withdrew a little. Anger bubbled up in him, but he had nowhere to vent it.

“Quan Jingyi, watch your attitude,” the teacher admonished. “Regardless of what exactly happened, it is a fact that you caused Sun Xiaoyu to fall, and you should apologize.”

Quan Jingyi pursed his lips and looked at Sun Xiaoyu. “Pardon me for being so tall and having such long legs. It was entirely my fault, and I’m now apologizing to you. But, please watch your step next time. After all, there isn’t enough space under the table for my legs. I have no choice but to stretch them across the aisle.”

Sun Xiaoyu was unsatisfied. He turned to the teacher, “How is that even considered an apology?”

“Should I apologize again, this time using Yang Zihao’s apology as a reference?” Quan Jingyi asked, feigning sincerity.

That seemed to remedy Sun Xiaoyu’s grievance.

“All right. I know that Li Jianyue is not one to bully her classmate. Since you can’t get along well, I’ll change the seats again. You may go back now.” The teacher brought the matter to a close.

The classmates exchanged glances and quickly walked out of the office.

Sun Xiaoyu ran off on his own, leaving Li Jianyue and Quan Jingyi alone behind.

Li Jianyue complimented Quan Jingyi. “You draw very well,” she said. “I used to learn how to draw, but I was never any good at it. Eventually, I gave up drawing. I bought the bunny ears in the picture you drew when I was out with Brother Mosen. How did you…”