Chapter 12 Porcelain, Porcelain, Porcelain... Sister Porcelain?!

However, Gu Ci’s pace was swift, and Chu Shixian didn’t catch up at all; she could only watch helplessly as Gu Ci walked away.

Gu Changfeng’s brow furrowed as well, his expression darkening. Passing by “Gu Ci’s room” just now had made his heart sink.

“That’s enough! If you hadn’t spoiled Zhi Ran and neglected her, things wouldn’t be so strained! I told you to get things ready for her before she arrived—look at what you’ve prepared?”

At present, Gu Ci’s room—really just a storage room—had only been cleaned up today. There was a bed and a wardrobe, the space not even a fifth the size of Gu Zhi Ran’s room, and nothing had been prepared in the wardrobe, not a single article of clothing.

It looked nothing like the room of a daughter of the Gu family!

If outsiders saw this, they’d think the Gu family had fallen into destitution!

Chu Shixian’s face flushed with anger. “She’s my own daughter. Would I really mistreat her? What is she so upset about? Yesterday, I just wanted her to spend a night in Aunt Wang’s room—what’s the big deal? And yet she gives me attitude!”

“If Aunt Wang can stay there, why can’t she? And she even had the nerve to lose her temper at me!”

Recently, Chu Shixian had been worried that Zhi Ran would be hurt by suddenly learning the truth about her background, so all her attention had been focused on Zhi Ran. When did she have time to decorate Gu Ci’s room or buy her things?

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. “You keep blaming me, but didn’t I already get her room ready? Aunt Wang has been cleaning it all day, and just because she broke a few of her things, Gu Ci started a fight! I’m her mother, but she won’t even listen to me!”

“And wasn’t it you who suggested registering her under the second branch? Now it’s all my fault? You think I’m not worried seeing her go live on her own? But does she ever listen to me…”

Chu Shixian’s voice trailed off, anxiety creeping in again.

If anything happened to Gu Ci out there, what would people think of her?

The endless tirade made Gu Changfeng’s head throb. He scowled and barked, “Enough! She has no relatives in Songdu—she won’t last long out there before she comes back. Why are you so worked up?”

With that, he headed upstairs to his study, leaving Chu Shixian alone in the living room, upset and frustrated.

Through the window, Gu Zhi Ran watched Gu Ci get into a black Cayenne.

Her fists clenched slightly. She turned to Chu Shixian and walked over. “Mom, don’t be sad. I’ll always be here with you.”

Hearing this, Chu Shixian hugged Gu Zhi Ran, moved. “My Zhi Ran is still the best.”

Gu Zhi Ran patted her back gently. “Mom, don’t be too angry with my sister. I think maybe someone’s led her astray, that’s all.”

She hesitated, then added, “Just now I saw her get into a… very expensive car. I’m a little worried about her. Maybe you should try to persuade her to come home?”

At these words, Chu Shixian’s face darkened instantly. “That’s the bad character she brought from the backwater she grew up in. If she insists on going down the wrong path, let her!”

——————————————————————————————

The next day, as soon as Gu Ci arrived at class, Wen Zixin waved excitedly at her, pointing at Gu Ci’s desk as if she had something to show her.

Raising an eyebrow, Gu Ci walked over and glanced inside the desk, spotting a heap of pink envelopes.

She took one out unhurriedly, and a wicked, almost feral smile appeared. Her aura shifted instantly. “Challenging me with a battle letter? Is this a provocation?”

Wen Zixin, along with the eavesdropping classmates nearby, felt all out of sorts. One boy, leaning on his chair, was so startled he tipped over, chair and all.

When Gu Ci looked over, he shuddered and smiled awkwardly. “Ahem, just an accident.”

At that moment, everyone was thinking the same thing.

They’d poured out their hearts, sending love letters in earnest, but she thought it was a challenge?

Wen Zixin ventured weakly, “Ci-jie, have you ever been in a relationship before?”

Gu Ci gave her a puzzled look. “Why would I waste my time on something like that?”

Wen Zixin understood. Of course, the mindset of a true boss was on a different plane from ordinary people.

Don’t ask her why she was sure Gu Ci was a boss; it was just a girl’s intuition.

She kept quiet, just waiting to see Gu Ci’s reaction after opening the letter.

Silence.

That was all—just silence.

Gu Ci finished reading the letter in a flash, her eyes skimming the lines, then fell into a long silence.

Combining that with Wen Zixin’s earlier question, it wasn’t hard to reach a conclusion.

Touching her nose, Gu Ci glanced at the pile of pink envelopes in the desk, speechless. “Are they all like this?”

“Yep, and a bunch of students from other classes came by just to see you!” Wen Zixin nodded energetically, hoping to catch some reaction from the boss’s face.

But there was none.

Aside from that initial silence, Gu Ci barely reacted.

She simply took the stack of envelopes and, without hesitation, tossed them all into the trash can.

Excellent—so cool, so boss-like!

After that, Gu Ci clapped her hands, pulled out her chair, and sat down, glancing out the window.

Only then did she notice the crowd outside their classroom.

As her gaze swept over them, the students from other classes—who had been pretending to pass by but were really there just to see the new transfer student—scattered in panic.

Wen Zixin stared in amazement, then leaned over, chattering, “Ci-jie, you don’t even know—you’re already famous on the school forum! Look, almost all the posts today are about your godly looks…”

Gu Ci nodded, took out her phone, logged into the forum, and scrolled through the posts, her fingers moving thoughtfully.

A moment later, Wen Zixin, scrolling through the forum herself, made a confused sound. “Hey, Ci-jie, why are all your photos gone from the forum?”

“That’s weird. The photos I saved of you on my phone are gone too…”

The first class today was math with Jin Jie Jiao.

Halfway through, a boy with bright red hair, his whole demeanor screaming “I’m the king of arrogance,” appeared at the back door.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and, right in front of Jin Jie Jiao, swaggered into the classroom.

The moment he appeared, the class grew lively, everyone greeting Xiao Yang enthusiastically.

Jin Jie Jiao took a deep breath, exasperated. “Quiet down, everyone! Please settle down!”

Xiao Yang pulled out the seat behind Gu Ci, sitting with a boss-like pose, one long leg propped up against her chair.

He glanced at Gu Ci, feeling both unfamiliar and oddly familiar. Unfamiliar, because no one had ever sat in front of him before; familiar, because there was something about that silhouette.

Not thinking much of it, he rapped on the desk, grinning cheekily. “Didn’t you hear what Jingjing said? Quiet down, all of you.”

Jin Jie Jiao was forever exasperated by these kids, always saying, “I just want peace.” So they’d given her the nickname “Jingjing,” which means “Peace.”

Xiao Yang’s words worked far better than Jin Jie Jiao’s. The class fell silent at once, making Jin Jie Jiao both annoyed and amused.

Feeling the leg resting against her chair, Gu Ci turned around and said, “Could you move your foot, please?”

Wen Zixin nearly knelt to Gu Ci then and there, tugging at her sleeve with frantic glances.

Ci-jie, that’s our school tyrant! The tyrant!

All the other students held their breath.

The new transfer student was either incredibly bold or simply reckless to provoke him!

This time, the new girl was really in for it!

Xiao Yang hadn’t been spoken to like that in ages and found it quite amusing.

But all his swagger vanished the moment he saw Gu Ci’s face—replaced by pure shock.

He jumped up reflexively, stumbling backward until he hit the wall. “Ci—Ci—Ci… Ci-jie?!”