Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Slapping the Fake Heiress 21
Anning finally took out two bracelets.
She gave one to Song Ruyi: "Mom, I made this for my sister, could you please give it to her when you have the time?"
Anning lowered her head, looking rather embarrassed: "I... still feel afraid when I see my sister, and I dare not meet her, but Iâm trying. Hopefully, one day I wonât be so scared."
Song Ruyi accepted the bracelet with a smile upon seeing how delicately it was made.
She definitely loves Anning, but having raised Zhao Mingzhu for fifteen years, even knowing she is not her biological daughter, the emotions built over those years are real, and naturally, she loves Zhao Mingzhu too. Seeing that Anning still cares about Zhao Mingzhu made Song Ruyi feel relieved.
"Okay, mom will give it to Mingzhu."
However, Zhao Mingrui, who is usually quite straightforward, was momentarily stunned upon hearing Anningâs words: "You ran into Mingzhu at school? How has she been lately?"
Anning was a bit scared to lift her head, and her voice carried a sobbing tone: "Uh, sister, sheâs quite fine. She was worried about me being alone and unfamiliar with everything at school, so she came to find me after school. But I got scared when I saw her, and our classmates thought she was bothering me, so they defended me. They didnât say any good words for sister, and I really feel sorry for her. If you see her, please say sorry for me."
Seeing Anning still unable to face Zhao Mingzhu, Song Ruyi sighed and gently rubbed Anningâs head: "Donât think too much, itâs not your fault. Your classmates were just protecting you, and itâs not their fault either. Mom will clear things up with Mingzhu, sheâs very understanding and wonât mind these things."
But Zhao Mingzhu, whom Song Ruyi considers very sensible, was hiding in a corner and crying after school.
Just so, her admirers saw her and came over to ask.
Zhao Mingzhu spoke vaguely and couldnât explain clearly, only mentioned that she went to see her relative in Class Twelve, and ended up being bullied by the students there.
This made Zhao Mingzhuâs admirers quite angry and they felt pity for her.
They held resentment towards the unseen relative of Zhao Mingzhu, and even more so, were at odds with those useless ones in Class Twelve.
Zhao Mingzhu stirred things up a bit, then headed home with her backpack.
After arriving, she asked the nanny if Song Ruyi was busy today, as expected, she was quite occupied, so Zhao Mingzhu didnât call Song Ruyi right away.
After finishing dinner and homework, Zhao Mingzhu leaned against the headboard and called Song Ruyi.
"Mom."
She first called out: "Are you asleep?"
Song Ruyi had just finished her bath and was doing her skincare routine, her mobile phone was on speaker mode on the dressing table, and Zhao Han could hear everything clearly.
Zhao Han gestured to Song Ruyi, who whispered: "Itâs Mingzhu."
"I havenât slept yet, whatâs wrong?"
Song Ruyi asked with a smile.
Zhao Mingzhu put on a worried expression: "Mom, I think itâs better if you transfer sister to our class. I get along fine with my classmates, and I can take care of her if she comes. Class Twelve is not so good after all."
Song Ruyi frowned: "Whatâs wrong with it?"
Zhao Han had been reading documents and now put them aside to listen attentively.
"The students in Class Twelve donât like studying much, and, many of them love to fight. Iâm worried sister might get bullied. Today, I encountered students from Class Twelve and they even threatened and pushed me. Anyway... I canât be at ease about sister."
Zhao Mingzhu talked very persuasively, displaying the deep concern of a sister worried for Anningâs safety.
If Anning hadnât sent gifts to her family, hadnât made bracelets for Zhao Mingzhu, and hadnât explained the misunderstanding with her classmates who were protecting her, perhaps Song Ruyi and Zhao Han would have believed Zhao Mingzhuâs words and might have considered transferring Anning out of Class Twelve.
But since_Anning had clearly explained everything upon returning, and had even asked Song Ruyi to apologize to Zhao Mingzhu,
Song Ruyi felt good about Anning. Although the academic performance in Class Twelve might not be stellar, their moral character was quite decent.
She had no intention of transferring Anning to another class.
Moreover, with Zhao Mingzhuâs vague words, Song Ruyi wasnât taking them seriously.
Zhao Han, however, furrowed his brow, feeling that Zhao Mingzhu had some ulterior motives.
Anning had said it was all a misunderstanding, but when Zhao Mingzhu approached her, she was terrified, and Zhao Mingzhu seemed to have noticed it. To calm Anning down, the students from class 12 had asked Zhao Mingzhu to leave quickly.
But Zhao Mingzhuâs words implied otherwise.
In an instant, Zhao Han thought about a lot.
"Mom knows."
Thinking Zhao Mingzhu had good intentions, Song Ruyi did not want to upset her child by disagreeing, so she went along with her words in response.
Believing her instigation was successful, Zhao Mingzhu chatted with Song Ruyi for a few more sentences before happily hanging up the phone.
After ending the call, Song Ruyi looked at Zhao Han.
"Mingzhu really does care about Anning. If Anning wasnât so scared of her, it would be so nice if the two sisters could be close."
However, Zhao Han didnât think so: "Enough, donât overthink. Ningningâs mental endurance is still too poor, she canât meet Mingzhu right now. Let Mingzhu stay outside for now."
Zhao Han thought it was necessary to know more about his adopted daughter.
Song Ruyi nodded, "Iâll visit her another day, so the kids donât worry too much."
The following day, Anning went to school and encountered several boys stealthily sizing her up on her way.
She ignored them and went straight to her classroom.
During the morning classes, Anning listened attentively; at noon, she kept her promise to treat the whole class to a meal in the cafeteria.
In the afternoon, there was a sports class.
Most of class 12âs students disliked studying, but they enjoyed physical education.
Especially Gao Nana, who was tall and physically strong, always excelling in sports. She walked Anning to the sports field saying, "Donât worry, Iâve got you covered during class, otherwise your delicate little body..."
With a smile on her face, Anning kept thanking Gao Nana.
While they were laughing and talking, a basketball suddenly came flying towards them.
The basketball headed straight for Anningâs face at a great speed. If it hit, it could disfigure her.
Gao Nana, seeing the basketball heading straight for Anningâs face, was scared and immediately pulled Anning.
However, the person who threw the basketball must have planned it, calculating the timing so well that even if Gao Nana pulled Anning, she probably couldnât avoid it.
Anningâs mind raced in an instant.
She was deciding whether to take the hit or try to dodge.
After thinking, Anning decided to take the hit.
Of course, she wasnât planning to get hit in the head or face, but was preparing to take it with her shoulder.
After all, Anningâs current persona was that of a delicate, frail young girl whoâs often abused and physically weak.
If she dodged the basketball under these circumstances, it would be a bit out of character, and would give people with intentions a chance to figure out her persona might crumble.
Though Anning was ready to take the hit, she was still somewhat annoyed.
She hadnât provoked anyone, yet trouble had come knocking.
Anning squinted slightly, judging the direction of the basketball. Pretending to clumsily dodge but having already calculated its trajectory, the basketball would hit her shoulder, appearing severe but actually not causing injury.
However, just at that moment, a tall figure leapt forward, arms open wide, and embraced Anning, taking the full force of the basketball on his back.
Anning could hear the person who took the hit for her grunt softly.
She smelled a faint scent of sunshine and when she looked up, she saw Xiao Yuanâs handsome face and his signature red hair.