Those naive and tender years of paper ball

  She was lost in thought when a paper ball hit her back, Tian Tian slightly furrowed her brow, opened the paper ball, and on it were some awkwardly written big characters: Tian Tian, I like you.

  She turned her head and glanced at the boy in the corner, who was smiling foolishly at her with his nose running to his mouth, and he was also supporting his cheek with a dirty little hand. He noticed that Tian Tian was looking over at him, so he immediately sat up straight. He nervously cleared his throat, smacked his lips, and accidentally swallowed the snot in his nose, not knowing what to do next.

  He stiffly grabbed his fluffy hair with his hand, pulled out a small mirror from the drawer, and made an effort to take a look at himself. Feeling that he looked presentable, he lifted his head and made what he thought was a charming smile. However, when he turned around, he found that Tian Tian had already turned her head away, leaving him greatly disappointed, with the hand holding the mirror suspended in mid-air.

  The teacher who was teaching at the time happened to notice the boy's silly expression and the mirror facing him, and couldn't help but get angry, saying "Zhao Lei, stand up for me!"

  The boy was shocked in his heart, trembling and got up, reacted for half a day, finally put the small mirror into the drawer, with an innocent face.

  "What are you doing looking at a mirror in class? Is there knowledge in the mirror?" The teacher raised an eyebrow, holding a ruler and seriously criticizing.

  Before Zhao Wei could speak, a girl interrupted and said: "There is Tian Tian in the mirror."

  The whole class burst into laughter, and the teacher's face turned pale, pacing back and forth on the podium unconsciously. "Tian Tian? What does it have to do with Tian Tian?"

  The girl snorted, "Just now Zhao Wei even threw a paper ball at Tian Tian."

  The teacher turned her gaze to Tian Tian and asked, "Is this true?"

  Tian Tian remained silent and didn't make any excuses for herself. She stood up, her sharp eyes scanning Zhao Lei's stunned expression and the gloating girls before turning to the teacher and obediently handing over the note.

  The teacher was furious after reading it, crumpled the note into a ball and threw it in the trash can. In a thunderous voice, he shouted: "You're still an elementary school student... how dare you be so reckless! What kind of behavior is this? Get out, get out now! Stand under the sun for two hours!"

  Zhao Lei was originally timid, and had never seen the teacher's furious appearance before, so he immediately ran out with a pale face. As he passed by Tian Tian's seat, he still glanced at her with his peripheral vision.

  Tian Tian still stood there with an air of indifference, the teacher raised an eyebrow, "What? You're not going to stand out?"

  "What does it have to do with me?" Tian Tian retorted, her face calm and her back straight. "Firstly, I didn't look in the mirror, secondly, I didn't pass any notes. Logically speaking, I'm still the victim because I was hit by a paper ball while listening attentively to the lesson. Thirdly, this incident will affect my mood for the rest of the day." She stated the facts slowly and clearly, finishing with an innocent gaze that held back tears as she looked at the teacher.

  The teacher was suddenly speechless and had no choice but to change the subject. He knocked on the lectern again and shouted loudly, "Continue with the lesson!"

  The class ended in a hurry, Tian Tian put all the textbooks neatly into her backpack, and also put on her headphones. The music filled her ears instantly. When she slowly zipped up her backpack, most of the students in the class had already left.

  Yu Guangzhong, the girl was copying notes at her seat, Tian Tian slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked to the girl's seat, calmly pulled out her notebook, and flipped through it page by page as if she owned it. The girl didn't react excessively, but looked at her pale face with a hint of mockery on her delicate features. After a while, Tian Tian put the notebook back on the desk and said with a smile: "Your handwriting is really ugly." Her eyes were like two sharp knives piercing into the girl's skin as she spoke.

  The girl's hand clenched into a fist, her head tilted to one side, and her bright, moist eyes darted around Tian Tian. She pursed her lips tightly, "Are you looking for trouble?" Her soft voice was slightly sharp, with a hint of tremble. Her small collarbone floated up and down with the movement of her chest, and the blue veins on her pale neck stood out.

  "This sentence should be asked of you, Liu Liangwei." Tian Tian bent down and stared at the girl.

  "Oh?" Tian Tian's breathing was close to her ear, and Liu Liang suddenly tensed up. The girl in front of her wasn't as easy to bully as she had imagined. Her clear eyes hid a sharp blade, and at this moment, she felt that the air around her was filled with a deadly aura, making it hard for her to breathe. She let out a light cough to relieve the tension in her heart.

  "Are you kidding me? Do you think I don't know that crumpled paper was written by you? Classmate, if I've done something to offend you, come at me openly and we can settle this with a fight. Even if you break my arm, I won't say another word. I admit defeat, but if you stab me in the back, I'll make sure you don't even have a chance to breathe. Tian Tian puffed out her chest, her hands gripping the desk tightly, completely overwhelming Liu Liangwei with her aura. This young girl still had a long way to go before she could rival her. Tian Tian ignored Liu's pale face and continued, "Or is it that you don't like that silly boy and want to bully him in secret? You're free to do whatever you want to him, but don't drag me into your mess, I find it disgusting."

  Liu Liangwei "ah" for half a day, and couldn't say a complete sentence. Her forehead unconsciously sweated fine beads of sweat, which made her scalp feel numb. "Why do you suspect me? Zhao Lei didn't deny it."

  Tian Tiantian sneered, "How could Zhao Lei's seat be so far away from me and yet he managed to throw it so accurately? There must be someone else involved. Besides, haven't you noticed that a page is missing from your notebook? The torn edge of the paper ball matches perfectly with the missing page. And I took a glance at what you wrote earlier, your handwriting can't be faked. You're pretending to be innocent, but you should just admit to what you've done."

  Liu Liang suddenly stood up, her eyes fixed on Tian Tian. "Yes, it was me who did it. I knew Zhao Lei wouldn't deny that crumpled paper wasn't his doing. And I know he likes you. But I just can't stand the way you look down on others with your self-righteous expression, the way those boys fawn all over you, the way you always come in first and act like it's your birthright. Do you know how much sweat and tears others have shed for things that are worthless to you?"

  "My stuff, how I treat it is my business, don't intervene, don't you think you're like a dog trying to catch a mouse? From now on, take care of yourself, worry about whether your house's roof leaks when it rains, worry about the tomatoes in your fridge going moldy, worry about your mom's old arthritis acting up again, and whether your family has spare money for you to continue studying. Only then can you think about other things!" Tian Tian's tone was light and casual, but full of disdain. If Liu Liuyi couldn't even solve these difficulties, what could she use to fight against herself?

  Liu Liu's eyes were already filled with tears, as if they would burst out at any moment. Her pale face had turned bright red, and her hand holding the pen was trembling uncontrollably. Her tense nerves seemed to be on the verge of exploding at any second. She was furious, and the explosive factors in every pore of her body could set her ablaze at any time. Liu Liu felt that her brain was no longer under control, due to the pain and stimulation. "Leave..." she said.

  Tian Tian stood still, gazing at her with great interest, without any intention of leaving.

  "Get out! Scram!" Liu Liangwei finally burst into a roar, her tears falling like a flood, pattering down onto the ground, and flowing into her mouth. She tasted that bitter flavor, just like her gloomy life. Yes, Tian Tian was right, she not only had to worry about these things, but also had to anxiously think about how to solve the problem of the next meal after finishing this one. Her mother, because of her shabby clothes, suffered ridicule from their neighbor, Hua Jie, and the children in the courtyard were playing a silly game of who could hit each other's backs with small stones...

  Every time at the end of the semester, she quietly handed over the rolling pin to her mother's hand and then obediently grasped the test paper and lay on the old sofa, waiting for a violent beating like a storm.

  Who says God is a fair creator, God's eyes are only staring at those who live in luxury villas, drive sports cars, and wear high-end brands. He has never paid attention to the farmers' land that has been ruined due to the unusually low rainfall this year, nor has he ever cared about the migrant workers who have been owed wages by their bosses, while their wives and children at home can only eat plain food but still hold onto the meager returns. So, God thinks that this world is beautiful, under his will, people's lives are happy and peaceful, and the world is in harmony...

  "Please leave... " Her voice grew weak, and Liu Liangwei fell onto the stool, muttering to herself, "Leave, leave, let me be alone for a while."

  "Uh-huh." Tian Tian finally responded with a soft murmur, she too couldn't bear to say more. Ever since learning about Liu Liangyi's family situation from the class teacher, she had always felt sympathetic towards this unfortunate girl. The class teacher told her that even Liu Liangyi's name was self-chosen, originally named Liu Xiaofang, her parents who hadn't received cultural education could only give her such a name, fearing being ridiculed by classmates, she changed it to Liangyi. She looked elegant, her school uniform was always clean, and her grades were among the top, so few people in the class knew about her family situation.

  Tian Tian walked halfway when she heard a faint voice behind her, which was particularly clear in the empty classroom. "I hope you don't tell anyone else."

  Tian Tian's footsteps stopped in place, without turning around, she straightened her weak back, nodded slightly, she didn't know if Liu Liangwei had seen it, nor did she care, then walked steadily out of the classroom.

  Digression

  I hope you all like it, don't forget to leave a message for me.