"Everyone, today I've got a very special letter to share with you."
The school beauty, Li Ya, stood on the podium.
She cleared her throat, her voice sweet to the point of nausea.
"Hello, Li Ya. I'm a boy from Class Three, the one who always sits by the window…"
She deliberately dragged her tone,
every word like a blunt blade sawing straight into my heart.
My fingers tightened around my backpack strap.
That letter…
I wrote it myself—
so private that I didn't even dare reread it.
"You might not know my name, but you should remember last Wednesday afternoon. When you were on duty in the hallway, and you asked me: 'Classmate, do you have an extra trash bag?'"
Soft giggles spread across the classroom.
"Last Wednesday?"
Li Ya tilted her head, pretending to think.
"I ask like… ten different 'classmates' a day."
Laughter exploded.
Someone even whistled.
"Keep going~"
She flipped to the next page, her voice light and careless.
"You left a rubber band on my desk that day. I secretly kept it. When I lie in bed at night, I always think… if I try harder, and get into S University's Computer Science Department, maybe then I'll—"
"Hm?"
She stopped on purpose, smiling innocent and mocking at the same time.
"Maybe then you'll what?"
"The admission score for S University Computer Science is 660,"
she added lazily.
"Anyone wanna guess how much this guy scored on his last mock exam?"
The classroom went dead silent.
All eyes turned toward me.
It felt like my blood drained from my head straight down to my feet.
I was frozen solid.
"Four hundred and ninety-two."
She smiled.
"Well… that's quite a gap, isn't it?"
Every syllable cracked across my back like a whip.
And then, she slowed down for the final part.
"I know I'm not worthy of you now. But I'll work harder. One day… you'll spot me instantly, even in a crowd."
One second of silence.
Then—
Laughter.
Louder than before.
"Lin Han actually dared to like the school goddess?"
"Dude's a toad dreaming of eating swan meat."
Their words pierced straight into my chest.
Every sentence full of malice.
Every sentence making me hate my own existence even more.
Suddenly—
a crumpled paper ball slammed into my forehead.
I looked up.
Li Ya was staring down at me, the corner of her lips curved in a cold smirk.
"What?"
"Still not convinced?"
"You're a walking curse. Your parents died just for having you."
Something inside me snapped.
I stood up abruptly—
my chair crashed backward with a sharp screech.
"That's enough!" I roared.
The next second, I was shoved down onto the desk.
Several boys rushed over.
Fists and palms rained down on me.
"Still trying to fight back? You got a death wish?"
Pain exploded across my body,
but I clenched my teeth and stayed silent.
The more I endured, the more excited they got.
Like predators playing with injured prey.
Finally, they stopped.
The classroom filled with clapping and laughter.
I slowly pushed myself up.
Dust covered my clothes.
My face burned with pain.
But I didn't cry.
My tears had already dried deep inside my heart.
The bell rang.
I grabbed my backpack and stormed out of the classroom.
Outside, rain poured down mercilessly.
My shoes splashed into muddy puddles.
My pants soaked through.
Cold wind sliced into my bones.
But I kept walking.