C14 14

"What did you say?!" Pei Na's eyes bulged in disbelief. Tong Nianyu had been gracious enough not to hold her illegitimate status against her, treating her like a sister, and yet she had the audacity to speak to her in such a manner. Tong Qing shot her a look and said, "Can't you understand plain English?" Pei Na's face flushed with anger. "You! How can you be so rude?" "Na," Tong Nianyu said, giving her a gentle tug and shaking her head, "let it go. She's always been like this. I'm used to it." Tong Qing smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, I do have a bad temper, and I'm not exactly the picture of manners. When I'm upset, I tend to get physical, so it's best not to provoke me, or else..." She paused, giving Tong Nianyu a pointed look. "If it comes to blows, your pretty little face might not stay that way. That would be a real shame." At those words, Tong Nianyu clenched her fists, her face seething with loathing. That wretch, she had the nerve to bring it up. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have had to hide at home with a swollen face until school started. Seeing Tong Nianyu's distressed expression, Pei Na lost her composure and lashed out. "You're just a country bumpkin. Who do you think you're scaring?" Tong Qing caught the motion out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze intensified as she seized Pei Na's wrist, pinned her hand to the table, and twirled a pen in her other hand before thrusting it downward. Pei Na, terrified, squeezed her eyes shut and let out a piercing scream. "Ah!" The classroom fell silent, everyone holding their breath. A second later, the pen's tip halted just a centimeter from her palm. "Tsk!" Instead of pain, a mocking chuckle filled the air. Pei Na slowly opened her eyes, only to meet Tong Qing's scornful look. The tears that had sprung from fear now made her face seem both comical and pathetic. She spat out angrily, "You little tramp, how dare you trick me?" Tong Qing released her hand and pointed the pen at her, her eyes icy. "Leave now, or don't blame me for not being polite."

Tong Nianyu quickly warned, "Na, the teacher's coming." Pei Na, having just been reduced to tears in front of everyone, was seething with humiliation. She turned her head furiously and hissed, "Tong Qing, you'll regret this!" Tong Qing ignored her, seemingly indifferent to her presence. Settling back into her seat, Tong Nianyu glanced at the disgruntled Pei Na, barely containing a smirk. Having made an enemy on her first day, she was curious to see how long Tong Qing, who had apparently used connections to get in, would last at Jiangcheng University. After class, a classmate approached Tong Qing, mentioning that the teacher wanted to see her in the office. Without hesitation, Tong Qing rose and exited the classroom. But upon arrival, the teacher claimed she had not summoned her and sent her back. Pei Na, watching from the window, caught sight of Tong Qing as she returned and shot Tong Nianyu a conspiratorial look, as if to say, "Watch what happens next." Tong Qing stood at the doorway, eyeing the slightly ajar door. With a sly grin, she forcefully kicked it open. "Bang!" "Crash!" As the door fell, a bucket of water came tumbling down, soaking the floor. Tong Qing strode in, unflustered, and took her seat as if the incident were trivial. The classroom fell silent, and the students stared at Tong Qing as if she were an enigma. Pei Na was incredulous. "You." Tong Qing gave her a brief glance. "What's the matter?" Confronted by her gaze and recalling the force of that kick, Pei Na nervously swallowed. "Nothing. It's nothing." With a scoff, Tong Qing rolled her eyes and dismissed the matter. These pampered heirs and heiresses were so juvenile. The simple pranks they played, long obsolete in the rougher neighborhoods, were supposed to unsettle her. She thought not. Pei Na, feeling mocked, glared at her furiously. Just then, Tong Nianyu leapt from her seat, her face etched with panic. Pei Na's eyes briefly lit up with concern as she asked, "Nianyu, what's the matter?" "The necklace." Tong Nianyu frantically searched her desk, turning it inside out, her eyes brimming with tears. "The new necklace my dad bought me is gone."

"Is it the pearl necklace that's worth over a million yuan?" Tong Nianyu nodded in confirmation. Pei Na's piercing gaze swept the classroom and finally settled on Tong Qing. "It was you, wasn't it?" Tong Qing, taken aback, responded, "What?" "Don't play dumb with me," Pei Na's voice escalated. "Who else here would stoop so low?" At that accusation, all eyes turned to Tong Qing with suspicion. Pei Na had a point. Only the wealthy or the noble attended here, so who would covet Tong Nianyu's pearl necklace? Except, perhaps, the newcomer from the slums, Tong Qing. Tong Nianyu approached Tong Qing with a generous offer. "Qing, if it was you who took it, please just give it back. I won't hold it against you." Tong Qing looked amused. "I have nothing of yours. What could I possibly return?" "Qing..." Before Tong Nianyu could continue, Pei Na charged forward, rifled through Tong Qing's desk, and, to everyone's shock, pulled out the valuable pearl necklace. Pei Na fixed her intense stare on Tong Qing and demanded, "You claim you didn't steal it, so explain this."

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