Chapter 157 Huo Shuyue... On her face...

In Class 11, as soon as the class ended, everyone could not help but gather together in small groups, whispering amongst themselves.

Shi Xuetong sat nearby, listening to their conversation.

Someone couldn't help but sigh, "Seriously, how can Gu Ci be so lucky to have a group of classmates like that?"

"Isn't that the truth? So many Mianzhong study materials! Throughout my entire high school career at First High, I'm not even sure I could lay eyes on one or two of them. Yet the people in Class 12 just casually pulled out a handful here and there, giving her all those!"

"I was right there watching it happen. Her desk mate pulled out those Mianzhong materials from her schoolbag one by one. Talk about being wealthy..."

Another person chimed in, their tone thick with unmistakable envy.

"I've heard of people relying on their wealthy fathers, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone rely on their wealthy classmates!"

"In my opinion, Gu Ci doesn't even need to study hard anymore. From now on, as long as she clings tightly to her classmates' coattails, won't she have everything she could ever want and become a winner in life within minutes?"

Hearing them mention Gu Ci, then the students of Class 12, and even the Mianzhong study materials, Shi Xuetong finally couldn't help but ask.

"What are you all talking about? What Mianzhong materials? And what do they have to do with Gu Ci?"

She didn't understand why, after just a single class period, everyone seemed to know all about something while she was left completely in the dark.

Moreover, this concerned her former class, which made Shi Xuetong feel more than a little uneasy.

Seeing Shi Xuetong ask this, a girl who was currently on good terms with her immediately asked with a suspicious look, "You didn't know? Weren't everyone discussing this in the class group chat during the last period? Didn't you check your phone?"

Hearing this, Shi Xuetong became even more baffled. She couldn't help but pull her phone out from her desk drawer to check, only to find not a single red notification dot.

"No, the class group chat..."

As a thought struck her, Shi Xuetong's expression turned somewhat ugly.

"Oh!" The girl smacked her forehead in sudden realization and said, "I'm sorry, Xuetong, I forgot to add you to our private class group chat. I'll add you right now."

Basically, every class had more than two group chats nowadays.

One muted group used for broadcasting official announcements, one communication group that included teachers, and another group consisting solely of students with no teachers present.

As for Class 12, where Shi Xuetong had previously been—fearing nothing and fearing no one—they only had a notification group and a group that included the teachers.

Whenever they had something to say, they would just brazenly blurt it out in the teacher-inclusive class communication group. Were they worried the teachers would say something because of it?

Not at all.

After transferring to Class 11, the groups Shi Xuetong was added to were simply the muted announcement group and the teacher-inclusive group. Whenever the classmates discussed private matters, they always did so in the teacher-free group, which was why she hadn't received any messages...

After saying that, the girl took out her phone and added Shi Xuetong to their private class group chat.

Back when she first joined the class, adding students to the groups had been initiated by the teacher right in front of them, so the class monitor had only added people to the notification and communication groups. The girl hadn't given it another thought and simply let it slide until now.

Shi Xuetong forced a smile and muttered a thank you, but deep down, she felt even more uncomfortable.

Claiming she forgot—wasn't it clearly done on purpose?

Remembering that Shi Xuetong originally came from Class 12, someone curiously asked, "Xuetong, when you were in Class 12, did they ever give you any Mianzhong materials?"

"No. Where would I get any Mianzhong materials..." As she spoke, Shi Xuetong was already impatiently scrolling through the messages in the group chat.

Combining this with what they had just been discussing, Shi Xuetong had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The moment she finished reading through the entire chat history, Shi Xuetong instantly understood what had happened.

Upon realizing that Gu Ci possessed so many Mianzhong study materials, Shi Xuetong's eyes turned red with jealousy, and the expression on her face twisted into something truly ugly!

She thought the exact same thing as the students in Class 11: these materials couldn't possibly have been obtained by Gu Ci on her own; they must have been given to her by the people in Class 12.

Yet she had been in Class 12 for nearly three years, and the people in Class 12 had never once given her even a single booklet of Mianzhong materials!

What made it even more infuriating was Huo Shuyue, who constantly claimed they were best friends, yet had never given her any of these things. Instead, she always tried to brush her off with money! Since the rest of them only knew how to play around and didn't need to study, couldn't they have spared a thought for whether she needed them?

Shi Xuetong's grades weren't particularly good, but her original plan had been to latch onto Xiao Yang and successfully marry into a wealthy family. However, that plan was now clearly out of the question.

Therefore, she now desperately wanted to get into a decent university. Yet precisely because she had spent three years accompanying that willful and domineering young miss Huo Shuyue in her endless entertainment, she had never managed to study properly.

Now that she wanted to turn over a new leaf and study hard, she found that she could no longer keep up with the pace of Class 11.

Shi Xuetong was naturally anxious inside. Hearing this news out of the blue, she couldn't help but imagine how wonderful it would be if those Mianzhong materials were in her hands. With those legendary study materials, her grades would definitely rise to the next level!

Yet solely because of those two bitches Gu Ci and Huo Shuyue, she had been forced to leave Class 12—and in such a manner that almost completely severed ties with everyone there!

Shi Xuetong regretted it so much her intestines turned green!

Even if she didn't study them, just being able to tell others that she possessed a few coveted Mianzhong study materials would have been an immense boost to her pride and prestige, wouldn't it?

The more she thought about it, the more furious she became with Gu Ci and Huo Shuyue.

A trace of slightly sarcastic laughter appeared on her face. "Huo Shuyue only made friends with me back then because no one else was willing to hang out with her. How could she possibly have given me those kinds of materials so I could study hard and leave Class 12 behind?"

"What's going on? What happened?" Hearing words that clearly hinted at a juicy story, the crowd eagerly crowded around her.

Seeing everyone swarm toward her and instantly finding herself at the center of attention, a sense of spontaneous satisfaction and complacency welled up inside Shi Xuetong.

Assuming a mysterious air, she said, "Do you guys know why Huo Shuyue always wears that exaggerated and ugly makeup year-round?"

Prompted by Shi Xuetong's hint, everyone recalled that every single time they saw Huo Shuyue, her face was caked in thick, ghostly-pale makeup.

Previously, they had simply assumed Huo Shuyue was just into the non-mainstream subculture, but now that Shi Xuetong specifically brought it up this way—did that mean... there was a secret behind it?

A thrill of vengeful glee flickered deep within Shi Xuetong's eyes, mixed with a calculated look of feigned pity. "You guys have no idea. Actually, Huo Shuyue... she has a birthmark on her face... and it is truly terrifying to look at, which is why she deliberately uses thick foundation to cover it up... I was only kept by her side and bullied because I accidentally found out about this..."