Chapter 2

“Okay. What time tomorrow?”

What’s the big deal about calling the parents? Jiang Zhiyu wasn’t worried at all. After all, she had just transmigrated here and didn’t really know the parents of this body.

The homeroom teacher was momentarily speechless, as if they’d prepared something else to say but had to swallow it back.

He Shiduo muttered quietly, “What’s with this dumb donkey today? Why isn’t she crying from fear…”

“Ten o’clock tomorrow morning,” the homeroom teacher coughed, then motioned for Jiang Zhiyu to go back to her seat.

As Jiang Zhiyu walked through the classroom door, she immediately noticed He Shiduo throwing her secretive glances, so she smiled meaningfully in her direction.

The girl sitting behind He Shiduo tapped her on the back and whispered, “I think Jiang Zhiyu actually looks kinda nice after taking off her glasses and tying her hair up.”

“Then don’t look if you don’t have taste. She’s so fat and stocky, plus she’s got acne all over her face. I really don’t see what’s pretty about her!” He Shiduo rolled her eyes, annoyed.

“Her facial features! I meant her features…” the girl behind her trailed off, her voice growing weaker.

—-

At lunchtime, the students all left in groups to eat together.

Jiang Zhiyu packed up and headed alone to the cafeteria.

Suddenly, a girl in a minimalist black tracksuit, with short hair, a lollipop in her mouth, and her bag slung over one shoulder, blocked her way.

“Yo, what a coincidence.” The girl looked like a street punk, speaking with a lazy tone.

This kind of person was the most troublesome to deal with. How had the original owner of this body managed to provoke her…?

“Co… coincidence. What’s the matter?” Jiang Zhiyu played along nervously, swallowing hard.

By the look of it, she’d probably have to fight her way out. At worst, both sides would get hurt—anything was better than being bullied.

The short-haired girl stared her down, her expression fierce. “Do I need a reason to find you?”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.” Jiang Zhiyu quickly tried to walk away.

Unexpectedly, the short-haired girl grabbed her hand. “Come on, Yuyu. Just because I’m bad at studying and don’t wear the uniform, does that mean you have to avoid me at school?”

“Huh?” That affectionate nickname—could this girl actually be an ally?

The girl continued, “I transferred here in senior year just to protect you from being bullied. You’ve been ignoring me these past few days… It really hurts my heart.”

—-

Seeing Jiang Zhiyu speechless, the girl asked again, “Want to have lunch with me today?”

After thinking it over, Jiang Zhiyu nodded. “Sure.”

So the timid and shy “she” actually had a friend.

The girl’s eyes lit up. She quickly handed Jiang Zhiyu a meal card. “Get whatever you want. My treat.”

Glancing at the card, Jiang Zhiyu finally learned the girl’s name: Zhang Qiangyi

“I’ll pay,” Jiang Zhiyu said, pushing the card back. She felt too awkward letting someone else treat her.

“Oh right, didn’t you say a few days ago you gave your class monitor… what’s his name, Lin Yeci?—a love letter? Did he say anything?” Zhang Qiangyi stuck out her tongue playfully, walking beside her and gossiping away.

Whoosh—Jiang Zhiyu’s face turned red. She suddenly remembered what the boys had said during morning reading. So they had seen the love letter!

Just as they stepped into the cafeteria, Lin Yeci also walked in behind them.

Even though it wasn’t her who wrote the silly love letter, it was still sent using this body—so it counted as hers anyway!

She grabbed a few simple dishes and pulled Zhang Qiangyi to a corner to sit down.

Even though she still didn’t understand how someone as cool as this girl could be friends with someone as shy as herself, Jiang Zhiyu could feel that she was dependable—way better than the two-faced classmates in her class.

“Hey, Yuyu, I think Lin Yeci is sitting right behind you,” Zhang Qiangyi whispered, signaling with her eyes.

Jiang Zhiyu turned around in disbelief to confirm.

It was true!

He was sitting directly behind her.

“Campus belle Ye Muwan and some of the other girls from your class are sitting nearby too,” Zhang Qiangyi said, curling her lips. “Honestly, I think you’re prettier than the school belle. Who knows, maybe Lin Yeci likes your type more.”

Jiang Zhiyu rolled her eyes. “Can I even be compared to her? Don’t exaggerate—I do have some self-awareness…” She started gathering her tray. “Let’s move seats. Sitting here is making me anxious.”

Zhang Qiangyi sighed and shook her head in resignation. Women are really hard to understand. Just a few days ago, this girl was completely ignoring her at school. Now she was agreeing to eat lunch together. A few days ago, she was desperate to give Lin Yeci a love letter—now she was avoiding him like the plague.

They had just picked up their trays to move when Lin Yeci suddenly stood up and followed them.

Before Jiang Zhiyu could figure out what was going on, Lin Yeci stepped in front of her, blocking her way, and handed her a fancy envelope.

On the front, in big letters: Love Letter.

Oh no—this was a social death moment!

This damn straightforward guy was really trying to return her love letter… in a packed cafeteria!

If nobody knew her, it’d be fine. But with one glance, she spotted her gossipy classmates all present and watching.

Just as Lin Yeci looked like he was about to speak…

Panicked, Jiang Zhiyu quickly grabbed the untouched duck leg on her tray and shoved it into his mouth.

Their eyes met—pure, awkward chaos.

Nearby, He Shiduo started chatting with her friend, deliberately speaking loud enough for the campus belle Ye Muwan to hear:

“That looks like a love letter.”

“Yeah, I saw Lin Yeci holding onto that thing tightly. Was it from Jiang Zhiyu? And now he’s giving it back?”

Jiang Zhiyu wasn’t deaf—she clearly heard that wretched He Shiduo.

What she did next stunned everyone in the cafeteria.

Taking advantage of the fact that Lin Yeci’s mouth was still stuffed with duck, she raised an eyebrow, smiled slightly, and said loudly, “I appreciate the class monitor’s kind intentions.”

Then, she began tearing the love letter into pieces.

Originally, she’d planned to toss the pieces into the air, letting them flutter like flower petals.

But she knew those nosy people would definitely try to piece it back together word by word—so she tightly clenched the scraps in her hand and, while Lin Yeci was distracted, grabbed Zhang Qiangyi and ran out of the cafeteria.

Lin Yeci paused, a little surprised. Jiang Zhiyu seemed different today—more confident. She even had a friend now.

“Yeci?” Ye Muwan’s soft voice drifted over, her long black hair falling naturally over a beautiful, delicate face.

“What’s up?” Lin Yeci’s face flushed a little as he removed the duck leg from his mouth and placed it on his plate.

Ye Muwan’s eyes flickered with curiosity. She stepped closer and asked, “That girl just now—who is she?”

“She’s a classmate,” Lin Yeci replied blankly, staring at Jiang Zhiyu’s retreating back as if nothing had just happened.

“I think I saw you giving her a love letter just now. Was it the one she gave you, and you were returning it today?” Ye Muwan pressed on.

At the nearby table, He Shiduo and the others were eagerly eating while waiting for more juicy gossip.