Cixi wanted her mornings at Westvale College to be filled with lectures and textbooks. But that would be a dream because her daily activity included figuring out how to get to her locker without crossing her bullies.
Before she entered the college premises, she had secured the sandwich in the innermost pocket of the backpack the stranger had given her. She wanted to keep it safe from her bullies, who had a habit of snatching it away and flushing it down the toilet right before her eyes, just as they had done so many times before.
When she neared her locker, her bullies came into view.
Silvia Ashford was leaning against her locker, her back arched as her boyfriend Kevin's hands traced over her body in a slow, intimate exploration. Noticing the entire gang gathered near her locker, likely waiting for her, Cixi decided to change her course. She adjusted her angle by fifteen degrees and picked up her pace, only to hear Ronny's voice echoing through the hallway. The state football player called out her name, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"Stinky Cixi is here!"
In that moment, she knew she was doomed. However, today she decided to test the waters by ignoring him. Gathering immense courage, she began to walk as quickly as she could. She had hardly taken three or four steps when Ronny's hand grabbed her backpack, wrenching her backward and nearly causing her to trip over her own feet.
"Where do you think you are going, Stinky Cixi?" Ronny mocked her while his grip remained firm on her backpack.
"I–I am heading to the administrative office. I have some work there," Cixi lied as evenly as she could. "Let me go!"
Ronny only laughed and swung her bag back and forth like a toy, clearly enjoying the way Cixi's feet kept scrambling to adjust so she would not lose her balance.
"Ronny, what are you doing? You will end up catching her stench! I am sure her bag stinks like her. Be careful!" Silvia's voice reached Cixi's ears, sending a chill down her spine. She moved closer to Cixi, and her nose theatrically wrinkled, as if Cixi had come out of the gutter.
Ronny pushed Cixi with a force as if he had been burned. She stumbled a few steps before falling to the floor, her bag slipping from her shoulder, yet she didn't show any sign of panic.
"You guys are monsters!" Cixi yelled. She couldn't stay quiet anymore. "Reeking of evil deeds," she added, surprised by her own boldness, yet she did not stop there. "I am beginning to think you have been personally blessed by the devil. And I am certain even flies flee your presence." The whole hallway fell silent before Silvia snappily commented. "Look who grew a tongue." She sauntered forward to where Cixi lay and placed her heel on Cixi's back, pressing her further into the floor.
Cixi moved without thinking. She turned and jerked Silvia's foot away from her. Silvia, on the other hand, couldn't adjust her balance in time. She fell, her expensive skirt hitting the linoleum with an embarrassing thud.
The surrounding students gasped. Someone had already pulled out their phone and hit record, hoping to capture a catfight.
"You bitch! You are courting death today!" Silvia clamoured.
Kevin instantly stepped forward to help his girlfriend to her feet, then, without warning, removed Cixi's winter cap with force before she could react. His long, strong fingers found her hair, and he pulled up.
Cixi's scalp screamed, her eyes stung, yet she didn't cry out. She bit her lip to stay quiet and not give her bullies the satisfaction of hearing her whine in pain. She then tried to free her hair from Kevin's grasp, but he only tightened his hold, sending waves of pain through her scalp. Kevin shoved her toward the lockers forcefully, causing her to slam against the metal with a noisy thud, and for approximately three or more seconds, Cixi's world turned dark. When her vision returned, she felt a thin line of warm liquid trickling down from her temple. Before she could fully grasp the situation, Silviya turned to face her and slapped her hard. The noise echoed against her right cheek, followed quickly by another on the left. Silvia couldn't let Cixi off easily, for she dared to defy in her presence.
"Cockroaches are meant to be crushed beneath our feet. One day, I'll be doing just that to you, Stinky Cixi," declared Silvia. Satisfied with her words, she and her gang turned and walked away, leaving Cixi humiliated in front of other students who enthusiastically snapped photos and videos of her dishevelled appearance.
Summoning her shattered will, she lifted her backpack with a trembling hand. Though her legs felt shaky, she managed to make her way to the washroom.
Once there, she stood in front of the mirror for several minutes, staring at her swollen, red face, with fingerprints left on both sides, a wound on her temple, blood and bruised lips. Was she born to be a punching bag for others? What had she done to deserve such hate from people she never offended?
Her thoughts drifted back to the day her parents were taken from her. Why had the shooter spared her life? Why is she alive? The question once again echoed in her mind.
She opened her backpack, retrieved the first-aid kit she always carried, and began cleaning her wound, applying ointment and securing a bandage on her temple.
Rather than leaving the washroom, she took out the sandwich the kind stranger had given her and began to eat, hoping it would make her feel better.
That was how Cixi's mornings started almost every day, except on Saturdays and Sundays. Why they hated her so much, she had yet to find out.
After an eventful day at college, Cixi went back to her small apartment first, only long enough to drop her bag and change into the company's uniform. Then she set out on foot toward the professional cleaning company, a walk that took her about twenty minutes when she did not slow down to think too much.
She had barely stepped through the company's glass door when the first taunt reached her.
"Look who decided to show up today."
Cixi closed her eyes for a brief second and muttered a curse under her breath before turning, forcing herself to greet Nelson, the manager, the horn-dog!
"Did you have a good nap yesterday?" He asked, his voice dripping with mockery as his gaze landed on her wounded lips. His hand lifted to touch her mouth, and Cixi immediately drew back.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Your lips and face look swollen. And your head... looks like your day did not go as planned. I only wanted to make sure you were feeling better," he replied smoothly, as if he were genuinely concerned for her.
Cixi clenched her fists at her sides, gritting her teeth. "I am all right. Thank you for being so considerate," she said stiffly, and without waiting for a response, she turned away and chose the stairs rather than sharing a lift with Nelson.
Behind her, Nelson's laughter drifted distantly and cruelly, catching sunlight on one of his teeth, revealing the ugly flash of gold that did not suit him.
"Cixi! How are you?" Marion pulled her into a hug the moment Cixi stepped onto the company floor.
"We just spoke yesterday, Marion," Cixi replied, returning the hug, thinking Marion was so dramatic at times. "You always hug me as if we haven't seen each other in years."
Marion only shrugged, unbothered by Cixi's words. "How can I not hug my friend, who deserves all the care and happiness in the world?"
They were in the middle of their small exchange when Nelson's voice interrupted their heartfelt conversation.
"Cixi, come to my office. Now!"
Marion instantly shot her a worried look and gave a small nod, and Cixi, with no real choice, headed toward Nelson's chamber. She knocked once before entering.
He was already facing the door, lips stretched into a wide smile that showed his gold tooth again, making him look even more unpleasant than his cunning heart already was.
"I wanted to give you something," Nelson began, leaning back in his chair as though he were about to grant her a favour. "I have a ticket for a cruise for two people. It's a one-week tour with unlimited food, spa, swimming, and more luxuries. I was thinking of taking you with me. I am sure you haven't been on a vacation since you are an orphan and also have no money to afford one. Because of your unprofessional attitude, you always lose your money. So, I thought, why not take you on a holiday? With me! And teach you some valuable lessons!"
For a moment, Cixi could not find her voice and stared at Nelson in silence. Has he lost his mind?
"Your wife will be very happy to go with you," she replied plainly. Cixi couldn't fathom how he always managed to find new ways to make her feel uncomfortable. If he were so free, he should probably start cleaning the apartment and helping the company and himself.
"I have taken her on enough trips this year. She is well satisfied." And then his eyes slid over Cixi's curves, making her feel disgusted. "And why are we talking about her," he continued, pushing himself up from his chair and walking toward her, "when I am bestowing a gift on you?"
Cixi's insides coiled with dread, but on the surface, she held her stance, with spine straight and chin up.
Nelson began to circle her, his gaze roaming over her as if she were merchandise on a shelf.
"You have good assets," he remarked casually. "I don't know why you are not using them."
Cixi said nothing. She kept her hands at her sides, refusing to fold in on herself even as her skin crawled.
"Look at your hands," he went on, as if they were discussing something as ordinary as cleaning supplies. "They are getting rough. You need a good moisturiser to keep your skin supple." He completed another slow circle, then took two steps back to his desk and half-sat on the edge, one hip propped against the wood as he studied her again from head to toe.
"I can give you a good life, Cixi. You wouldn't have to work so hard for so little money. Why don't you become my mistress?"
Her stomach twisted. Bile rose to her throat, but she had to swallow it down with force. "I would rather die than be your mistress!" Her chest heaved with anger. "Next time you say or try anything inappropriate, I will call your wife and tell her everything." She then left his chamber with that ultimatum and walked out without taking his permission. Her heart quivered in her chest in fear, and her body trembled in anger.
Why couldn't people just let her be when she hadn't done anything to them? This was the constant nagging thought that Cixi couldn't get rid of.
At the scheduling desk, she picked up her slot paper, where the day's assignments were listed. Nelson allotted more apartments than usual again. Her gaze slid to the last line.
10:00 p.m.–Sinn Valley. She can hardly believe he is making her work so long instead of giving the time to the night shift employee.
"Bastard," she muttered under her breath, folding the paper and slipping it into her pocket before heading out to earn the money she could never quite have enough of.