The summer camp hike. It was a favorite activity every year—group photos, bonding, and games on the edge of breathtaking scenery.
But for Song Mei, every step toward that cliff felt like walking toward a memory she'd buried deep—a memory soaked in pain and injustice.
This time, though, she wasn't going to make the same mistake.
As the students gathered near the trailhead, Song Mei kept her distance from the excited crowd that included Song Ning and her usual group. Chu Shaojia walked beside her, scanning the crowd nervously.
"Meimei, are you sure you don't want to go with the others?" she asked.
"I have no interest in sightseeing," Song Mei replied coldly. "Let the drama play out. We'll watch from a safe distance."
She made sure to sit with the teachers at a rest bench set farther back, her gaze fixed on the winding path that led to the cliff. Her instincts buzzed with tension, sharpened by what she had heard just a moment before.
She needs to be safe and near the teachers away from the trouble is the best place.
According to there plan she should be there but she's not. she's expecting that the incident just like her previous life will not play out again.
But Now, seated near the teachers, her heart started to pound. Screams echoed down from the trail.
"Someone call a teacher!"
"Song Ning—she almost fell!"
No, Not Again
Song Mei shot to her feet. Teachers and students rushed toward the sound. She and Chu Shaojia ran behind them.
When they arrived at the scene, Song Ning was seated on the ground, pale and trembling, tears running down her cheeks. Her friend Lin Jia held her tightly, clearly shaken.
"She almost went over the edge," a student said. "If Lin Jia hadn't grabbed her in time…"
Teachers tried to calm everyone down. Jiang Shixue and her two lackeys stood at the side, whispering among themselves.
"it was this girl Liu QianQian. She's the one who pushed song ning down the trail"
One of them, trembling, stepped forward.
"It was an accident! We were just taking pictures, and I tripped—Song Ning lost balance when I grabbed her arm. It wasn't intentional!"
"Yeah! It was just a mistake," Jiang Shixue added, her eyes darting nervously. "Why would anyone want to hurt Song Ning?"
The group murmured in confusion. Some students seemed convinced. Others suspicious. Hao Ran pushed through the crowd, kneeling beside Song Ning, his face full of concern.
"Ningning, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
Song Ning shook her head quickly, still crying. "No… I don't know what happened… It was so sudden…"
Just as the matter seemed to settle, Song Mei stepped forward.
Her phone was already out.
"Before everyone starts singing praises and brushing things under the rug…" she said, her voice sharp, slicing through the tension, "let me play something."
She pressed play.
Jiang Shixue's voice echoed through the speakers.
"We just need to provoke Song Mei. Let her lose control…"
Gasps filled the air.
"You… You recorded us!" one of the girls shrieked.
"You planned this?" one student whispered in shock. "They really were going to push Song Ning and blame Song Mei…"
"No! It's taken out of context!" Jiang Shixue yelled. "She edited it—she must have!"
"Enough," a teacher snapped, stepping forward.
But the damage was done. Everyone had heard it. Everyone had seen the truth.
Song Mei looked at Song Ning, her expression unreadable. "And once again… all this because of you."
Song Ning flinched. "Meimei… I didn't know anything about this—I swear! Please don't be mad at me…"
"You think I care whether you knew or not?" Song Mei's voice cracked like thunder. "It's always you. I get blamed, I get hated. Because of you, I've been called a monster, a murderer. Because of you, Song Lei and the rest of your precious family keep trying to erase me."
"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry!" Song Ning sobbed. "Please believe me—I never wanted any of this to happen…"
"She's crying again," someone whispered.
"She didn't do anything though…"
"Song Mei should be yelling at Jiang Shixue, not Song Ning."
Hao Ran stood up, eyes cold. "Enough, Song Mei. If you want to blame someone, blame Song Lei. Blame the girls who schemed against you. But don't throw your bitterness on Ningning. She's the victim here."
Song Mei stared at him, then at the others.
Every time she was hurt, every time she fought back—it always ended with everyone protecting Song Ning.
Even now.
"Let's all calm down," the teachers interrupted firmly, stepping between the students. "We'll deal with Jiang Shixue and her friends later. For now, everyone return to the cabins. We'll report this to the school authorities."
After the dramatic events at the cliff trail, the rest of the hike was subdued. Teachers kept the students in tighter formation, while most of the students whispered restlessly among themselves. The confrontation, the recording, the truth—everything that had been revealed was still fresh in their minds.
Song Mei walked behind the group with Chu Shaojia, quietly, her mind drained. The anger, the accusations, the helplessness in Song Ning's tears—it all left her bitter. The look in everyone's eyes afterward wasn't much different from the past.
As the students walked down the trail, whispers followed them like shadows.
"They really plotted that?"
"Who'd think Jiang Shixue would do something so vile?"
"But still… why does Song Mei always attack Song Ning?"
"Maybe she's just jealous…"
Behind them all, Song Mei walked in silence, her eyes locked on the setting sun over the cliffside.
The truth had come out—but once again, she was the villain in everyone's story.
She had the recording. She had the facts.
But even truth wasn't enough.
Because no matter what, they would always choose Song Ning.
Back at the campsite, the teachers dismissed everyone to return to their respective cabins and freshen up before the evening campfire. Laughter returned in some groups, chatter picked up, but for Song Mei, it all felt too loud, too fake.
"I need air," she muttered.
Chu Shaojia looked at her with concern. "Do you want me to come with you, Meimei?"
"No. I'll be fine. Just need a moment alone."
Without waiting for more questions, Song Mei turned away from the wooden cabins and silently made her way into the woods—toward a quieter path she had noticed earlier in her previous life. Winding between tall trees and climbing over damp mossy rocks, she soon heard the familiar sound of water rushing.
There it was. Same as always.
A small waterfall cascaded into a clear, shallow pool, the water glowing under the dying rays of the sun. Light danced on the surface, and the breeze carried the sweet scent of wet earth and summer air. It was secluded, hidden—untouched.
Song Mei let out a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding. She stepped onto a flat rock near the edge of the pool and sat down, hugging her knees.
Here, there were no whispers. No judgments. Just the sound of water. Just peace.
But peace, as usual, never lasted long for her.
Crunch.
The sound of footsteps behind her broke the stillness. She turned her head slightly, her shoulders already tense.
Hao Ran stood there, hands in his pockets, looking casual but slightly breathless—as if he'd been looking for her.
"Took a while to find you," he said, trying to sound light.
She turned her gaze back to the waterfall. "You shouldn't have bothered."
Hao Ran sighed and walked closer, stopping a few feet away. "You always run away to places like this?"
"Only when I need to breathe," she replied coolly.
He looked around, genuinely impressed. The place felt like a hidden world. "It's… beautiful. How did you find it?"
"I wasn't looking for beauty," she said. "Just silence."
Her voice was sharp, but there was something fragile beneath it—like a glass edge on the verge of shattering.
Hao Ran sat down beside her, leaving a respectful gap between them. "You know… for someone who's always angry at the world, you pick surprisingly peaceful places."
Song Mei smirked faintly, not looking at him. "Because when everything around you is chaos, you cling to what little calm you can find. Even if it's just for a few minutes."
There was a silence between them then—not uncomfortable, but heavy with things unsaid. For once, Hao Ran didn't tease, didn't try to be flirty or smug. He simply sat, watching the waterfall, listening.
"I'm not like what you think, you know," he said after a while.
"You think I care?" she replied without missing a beat.
He chuckled softly. "No. But I thought I'd say it anyway."
Their shoulders brushed slightly as the wind picked up. She didn't move away, but she didn't look at him either.
Neither of them noticed the figure hidden behind the trees some distance away. A phone was raised. Click. Click. The shutter captured the two of them seated close by the water, the sunset casting a golden glow over their silhouettes.
The girl behind the phone smirked before silently retreating back toward the camp.
**Jiang Shixue's lackeys personalities: **
1. Liu Qianqian (刘倩倩)
Personality: Timid but blindly loyal to Jiang Shixue. She's easily manipulated, follows orders without question, and often giggles nervously. She secretly enjoys watching others suffer if it makes her look superior.Role: The one who actually "accidentally" pushed Song Ning at the cliff.
2. Zhao Minyu (赵敏雨)
Personality: Sharper and more calculating than Qianqian. She doesn't like Song Mei because of her sudden transformation and used to enjoy mocking her in the past. She's the one who records gossip, spreads rumors, and tries to stay close to whoever has power.Role: The one who expresses concern that their plan might backfire—but still goes along with it.