Chapter 358: Chapter 358

It’s likely that Wei Lejun called her dramatic, and Huang Chengzi feels really aggrieved. Even with the blanket over her, Sang Ning can clearly see her sobbing uncontrollably.

Sun Bangyu slipped Sang Ning a note before heading back to his desk, put on his headphones, and blocked out all the noise from the outside world.

Sang Ning glanced at Huang Chengzi a couple of times but didn’t say anything. Instead, she quietly walked to her bed, took off her shoes and coat, and lay down.

Without a phone, life is really boring. All you can do is zone out and daydream.

She suddenly felt envious of Sun Bangyu, who was forward-thinking enough to bring an old-school MP3 player along. At least he can pass the time by listening to music.

Even lying on the bed, Sang Ning couldn’t sleep. She stared blankly at the plank at the top bunk.

Suddenly, Sang Ning felt a gust of wind sweep by. She turned her head and saw Huang Chengzi throwing off her blanket, glaring at her with puffed-up cheeks.

Huang Chengzi is the type of person with an exceptionally rich collagen supply in her face. When she’s puffed up and angry, it makes the fleshy parts of her face look even more pinchable.

Sang Ning, lying on her bed with one leg crossed over the other, hands folded behind her head, turned her head lazily to look at Huang Chengzi—her expression casual, unbothered.

Huang Chengzi couldn’t wait for Sang Ning to speak, so she got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and sat by Sang Ning’s bed: "Sang Ning, why don’t you ever take the initiative to care about me?"

Sang Ning turned her head to face Huang Chengzi directly: "When a girl’s upset, shouldn’t you give her enough emotional space to sort herself out?"

"Sang Ning, do you realize how much you sound like a jerk when you say stuff like that?" Huang Chengzi suddenly choked up.

"I thought I’d finally found someone to talk to, but you turn out to be just like the others?" Huang Chengzi pouted, looking like a wronged child seeking comfort.

"Just like who?" Sang Ning asked.

"You’re obviously not socially anxious like Xiao Yu, so it must be that, like Lejun, you think I’m overreacting and don’t want to talk to me." Huang Chengzi said pitifully.

Sang Ning sat up, making her gaze level with Huang Chengzi’s. She raised her hand and patted Huang Chengzi’s head like one would reassure a small animal: "Then why don’t you tell me, sweetie, why you started crying all of a sudden?"

Sang Ning felt like she was becoming increasingly compassionate—plus, Huang Chengzi was the first person in the dorm to show kindness toward her.

With nothing else to do, no phone, and no other distractions, why not play the role of a wise big sister and comfort the little crying sibling?

But honestly, Sang Ning couldn’t figure Huang Chengzi out. Somehow, something she said must’ve poked one of her sensitive spots, and now here she was, crying again.

Afraid that Sang Ning might grow tired of her, Huang Chengzi sobbed a few times, then held back her tears and apologized: "Sang Ning, I’m sorry for embarrassing myself in front of you. It’s just... Whenever I think about how strong I am physically, I can’t help but cry."

People cry for thousands of reasons, but Huang Chengzi’s reason felt so outlandish to Sang Ning that it might qualify for the year’s top-ten bizarre reasons-to-be-sad list.

"What? Is it because you’re strong that the male students always make fun of you? Why don’t you just beat them up? They can’t take you down anyway. The best way is to make them shut up." Sang Ning was patient as she tried to comfort Huang Chengzi.

"No, that’s not it." Huang Chengzi shook her head, refuting, "Because of my strength, I’ve been bullied ever since I was a child. Don’t be fooled by how lively and cheerful I am now. I was even worse off than Xiao Yu before."

When she heard the word bullying, Sang Ning’s expression turned serious.

It turns out Huang Chengzi had been showing signs of extraordinary talent ever since elementary school—not only eating a lot but also being incredibly strong. Fınd the newest release on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽

But because of this, she became the target of viciousness from her classmates. None of them thought Huang Chengzi’s talent was impressive; they just relentlessly mocked her as a "pig who eats like a garbage can."

As children, self-esteem runs high. Despite being taught since young to be a well-behaved, obedient child, Huang Chengzi eventually couldn’t take the merciless teasing from her classmates and resisted.

One day, when someone called her a "garbage can pig" again, she grabbed one of the boys and slammed him into the ground with a solid over-the-shoulder throw.

She thought that by doing this, the mouthy classmates would learn their lesson and stop calling her names. But the boy she’d thrown happened to be the school’s notorious bully.

Feeling humiliated at being thrown to the ground by Huang Chengzi, the bully rallied a group during classroom cleaning time to surround her and teach her a lesson.

Despite being strong, Huang Chengzi’s core personality was still timid. The over-the-shoulder throw was sparked by a moment of rage. When faced with a group bent on troubling her, she was naturally so scared she couldn’t say a word.

They easily cornered her, took apart her braided hair, yanked her hair into a mess, and used marker pens to scrawl pig drawings on her face.

What seems like childish antics now left a lasting scar on young Huang Chengzi. At the time, she couldn’t even recall how she felt—all she remembered was crying before throwing each of the bullies to the ground one by one with her signature move.

After that incident, Huang Chengzi became infamous, and the bully ended up becoming her little follower. The other students stopped calling her a "garbage can pig" behind her back. However, the incident also turned her into a crybaby, with incredibly strange triggers—any minor thing could set her off.

Even though the elementary school bullying was long behind her, Huang Chengzi didn’t dwell on it intentionally. Yet after entering the training camp, where her strength became a topic again, some annoying male students would sarcastically call her a "tomboy" behind her back. This reminded her of her terrible experiences with bullying, and her tear threshold dropped significantly.

After hearing Huang Chengzi’s story, Sang Ning finally understood why she was so resistant to wrestling with the male students.

Sang Ning patted Huang Chengzi’s shoulder to comfort her, saying: "You’re not a little kid anymore. Whoever gets on your nerves, just take them down—slam them to the ground. Don’t ever feel self-conscious because of your strength."

"I’m not self-conscious at all." Huang Chengzi wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Sang Ning, if anything, I’m super proud of my strength! Do you know why I stood out among thousands of applicants and got into this production crew?"

"Why?" Sang Ning asked, playing along.

Huang Chengzi’s eyes suddenly lit up brightly, and a smile blossomed on her face: "Because during the audition, I single-handedly lifted Director Qin. When I set him down, he was completely stunned. He grabbed my hands excitedly and said his new film couldn’t be made without me."

Sang Ning: "..." Suddenly, it felt less like Huang Chengzi came to vent and more like she was here to show off.

"I really don’t know if I should comfort you or congratulate you." Sang Ning was at a loss for words.

Huang Chengzi gave a sweet smile: "It’s okay, Sang Ning. You don’t need to comfort or congratulate me. I was just bored and wanted someone to talk to. After chatting with you, I feel a lot better."