CHAPTER 130: CHAPTER 129: RUMORS AND GOSSIP

The town’s education bureau was quite a distance from their shop, so He Chen rode a bicycle to take her there.

Fortunately, they came early; if they had been a few days late, they wouldn’t have been able to register.

After Ye Manman filled out the various forms and submitted her registration photo and payment, she quickly tugged on He Chen’s sleeve.

"Shall we visit Cheng Yuan after this? I don’t know if she’s registered yet, and there won’t be an opportunity in a few days."

She had heard Cheng Yuan talk about wanting to take the exam in Jing City, and since Cheng Yuan was also considered an external student, she was really concerned whether the girl had registered.

The two of them rode to the "Mandarin Duck Wardrobe" again, but for some reason, it wasn’t Cheng Yuan who was in the shop that day, but her mother.

Cheng Yuan’s mother was usually very busy, generally out getting goods and running the market. Ye Manman had been to their shop many times before, but she could count on one hand how many times she’d seen Cheng Yuan’s mom.

Moreover, every time her mom was in the shop, it was only for a brief moment to give Cheng Yuan some instructions before quickly leaving. Sitting in the store to keep watch was even rarer.

If something unusual happens, there must be something wrong.

Ye Manman always had an ominous premonition.

"Auntie, why are you watching the shop today? Where is Cheng Yuan?"

Auntie recognized her and sighed.

"I don’t know what’s the matter, but some shameless people have been badmouthing outside the shop lately, calling Yuanyuan a mistress, a vile woman, and a homewrecker. They can’t be chased away, so Yuanyuan locked herself in her room and refused to come out."

Ye Manman frowned, glanced at He Chen, and decided to go in and check on her herself.

"Auntie, may I go see her? Perhaps I can console her a little. After all, it’s not her fault; she’s a victim too. She mustn’t be crushed by these rumors."

She was most afraid that Cheng Yuan might do something foolish.

These days, rumors are like modern cyberbullying, not exactly illegal, but they directly hit the softest spot of a gentle person’s heart.

Insults, slander, and defamation can easily shatter the heart of a gentle girl. Some with weaker mental fortitude can’t handle the strange looks from others and, at best, may stay home in seclusion, but in severe cases, it often leads to tragedy.

No matter what, as a friend, Ye Manman didn’t want Cheng Yuan to do anything foolish because of Xie Fengmian’s bizarre family.

Auntie nodded and opened the back door to the second floor for her without much hope, sighing again just before she went in.

"Girl, it’s good that you’ve come to see her. You seem like a kind girl. If you really can’t convince her, don’t take it too much to heart, okay? Time should make it pass. Jiang Yuan has been coming daily to help too, but it doesn’t work. Yuanyuan is just too proud; she can’t take people’s words."

"It’s alright, Auntie. You can relax, I understand. I’ll go up and see her first."

Ye Manman let He Chen sit in the shop for a bit while she went upstairs.

Houses of this era had similar layouts, and the second floor of the Cheng Family was also two rooms. The two rooms were about the same size, and the room where Auntie lived wasn’t closed, and there was no one in it, so the room with the tightly closed door must be Cheng Yuan’s.

Ye Manman knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

Worried, she knocked heavily again and spoke loudly to the door.

"Cheng Yuan, it’s Manman. I’m here to remind you to hurry up and register for the exam. Aren’t you planning to go to college? You can’t be giving up because of baseless things people are saying, right?"

Cheng Yuan’s greatest dream was to go to Jing City and find her love. Ye Manman seized on this point to knock some sense into her amid the chaos of rumors.

Sure enough, after a moment of chaotic noises from inside, Cheng Yuan opened the door.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her lips dry and peeled, appearing in a very poor state. At the sight of Ye Manman, tears started streaming down her face again.

"Manman, I, I..."

As soon as she spoke, she was sobbing uncontrollably. Her slender shoulders seemed to have become even thinner in just a few days, as if a gust of wind was enough to blow her away.

Ye Manman was overwhelmed with heartache and immediately hugged her, gently patting her frail back.

"I know, I know. I’m sorry. I found out too late. I never thought they’d be so shameless as to attack you like this when I wasn’t around."

"But don’t worry, let’s first go register for the college entrance exam, then report it to the police and make those rumormongers face the consequences."

Spreading rumors requires no cost, solely with words, yet it can destroy a vibrant, kind-hearted girl in an instant.

Cheng Yuan was timid and weak, but Ye Manman was not the type to shy away.

If they dare show up in front of her, even if she can’t get them jailed, she’d at least make sure they suffer enough to never dare speak recklessly again.

She helped Cheng Yuan sit back on the bed, noticing the once neatly arranged papers and books strewn about on the floor. She proactively picked them up.

While helping to tidy up, Ye Manman spoke to Cheng Yuan.

"Cheng Yuan, it’s pretty easy to be ruined by others, but think carefully, is it worth it to let those worthless people ruin your once-bright future?"

"You haven’t done anything wrong. If you did, you should bear the responsibility. But you haven’t, so they are the ones at fault. Whether it’s the rumormongers, Xie Fengmian, or Ye Xiaotong, they are the ones who deserve to be insulted."

"If you let them knock you down so easily and you’re too scared to even go out, that’s exactly what they want. Who knows, they might be hiding somewhere laughing about it right now."

By the time she said these words, Cheng Yuan wasn’t crying anymore. Her shoulders were still trembling, but it was clear she was listening and thinking seriously.

Ye Manman continued to encourage her.

"Moreover, right now, you may be able to hide at home, but what about in the future? Are you planning to never go out again? Let Auntie continue to support you for the rest of her life? Or are you willing to give up the one you’re fond of for these crappy people?"

"If you decide to do that, they’ll only escalate, and once time passes, when even the witnesses forget what really happened, you really won’t be able to clear your name."

"So you need to adjust your mindset. If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you never need to hide away. Brave the world and protect yourself with the law, making sure those villains face justice, understand?"

Having tidied up the books and papers, she sat beside Cheng Yuan, holding her hand, sincerely saying.

"Plus, you have me, Auntie, Jiang Yuan, and your dreams. How can you be defeated by those trashy people so easily? We’ll all be here for you."

Ye Manman wasn’t very fond of saying things like preaching platitudes for the soul, and she wasn’t very good at comforting. But comforting doesn’t necessarily mean you have to say nice things.

Just like how to destroy someone is to strike at their weakest point, helping someone regain courage is also about hitting the mark.

Cheng Yuan was very soft-hearted.

She wouldn’t want her mom to bear all the hardship alone, nor would she easily give up on someone she had liked for so long.

However, Cheng Yuan was also extremely timid, even more so than ordinary girls.

So Ye Manman held her hand, telling her there are many people around to help her, she wasn’t alone fighting.

Cheng Yuan’s heart, oppressed by slander and insult to the point of suffocation, finally began to breathe again at this moment.

It was like she suddenly made up her mind, wiped her tears, and with gratitude, squeezed Ye Manman’s hand, smiling earnestly.

"Thank you, Manman, I know what to do now."

Seeing some color finally creep back onto her face, Ye Manman couldn’t help but laugh too.

"That’s more like it."