Chapter 1
The day my parents threw me out, I had just started my senior year of high school.
My father jabbed a finger in my face, his features twisted with rage. “Girls your age are already bringing home bride prices. You’re the only one still wasting my money. What a useless burden.”
My mother chimed in as if she were giving me heartfelt advice. “If you don’t marry, where will your brother get the money to marry and carry on the family line?”
Clutching stacks of certificates and awards, I argued until I was hoarse. It changed nothing, so I fled.
My father’s voice chased me down the road. “Let’s see how you make it to college without this family supporting you!”
I took my grades from school to school. Every answer was the same.
“Your scores are decent, but who knows whether they’ll drop in senior year?”
“The most we can offer is free tuition.”
That was not enough.
With my last scrap of hope, I stood outside Shengren Elite High School.
The place was full of children from wealthy families. They fought, flaunted their money, and did everything except study. To them, the national college entrance exam was a formality. They were all going abroad anyway.
I stood timidly in the office, wearing clothes so old that their edges had frayed. The grade director looked me up and down.
“You’re sure you want to come here? Aren’t you afraid you’ll be bullied?”
I shook my head hard. “As long as you waive my tuition and give me just a little scholarship…”
“Really, only a little. Three hundred yuan a month—no, even one hundred will do. I promise I’ll study hard and bring honor to the school in the entrance exam.”
The director agreed. She even advanced me ten thousand yuan in scholarship money. I thanked her over and over as I left.
Just as the door closed, I heard her mutter in disgust, “Only a hundred yuan? Who does she think she’s looking down on?”
That was how I ended up standing in my new classroom.
The young masters and heiresses stopped shouting long enough to inspect me with open curiosity.
“What is she wearing? Why are there holes in it? Did Louis Vuitton release some new battle-damaged collection?”
“Why not say it’s Chanel?”
“That fabric must be amazing if it still hasn’t fallen apart. It probably isn’t designer. Only bargain-stall clothes are made that tough.”
“You know an awful lot about bargain-stall clothes. Have you worn them before?”
“How dare you say I wear bargain-bin clothes! I’m going to make my father pull out of your family’s business tomorrow!”
The two rich boys started wrestling.
Calmly, I stepped around them and went to my assigned seat in the back corner, right beside the trash can.
I shut out every whisper. Nothing they could say was worse than what I had already heard from my parents. Besides, I finally had a school and the right to sit the entrance exam.
No one bullied me. During break, a pretty girl even came over and studied me with fascination.
“Song Yao, why are your clothes so torn? Was this year’s haute couture that ugly?”
“Is it possible that I simply can’t afford new haute couture?”
“Why not? Did your allowance get frozen? You can always draw from your trust.”
I sighed. What was a trust?
Cen Yue propped her chin on her hand. “How did you get here?”
“I walked. I left very early.”
“Why didn’t your driver bring you?”
“I don’t have a car or a driver.”
“Then why didn’t you ride a motorcycle?”
“I don’t have one of those either.”
“Oh, I get it. You only travel by helicopter, but it broke down this morning, so you couldn’t fly it. Right?”
I raised my book over my face.
Never mind. There was no explaining this.