Chapter 19: Falling from the Pedestal

As a transfer student, Jiang Mingzhi didn’t hold any official position, just a “commoner.” She didn’t join any clubs, and sometimes after school, while other students went to club activities, she would either stay in the classroom solving problems or wander around the campus.

The pavilion at the northwest corner of the school was covered in purple flowers, and it was Jiang Mingzhi’s favorite spot to sit and read.

The green shade blocked part of the sunlight, and the dappled light spots scattered across the stone table, creating a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere.

Not far away was the school’s arts building, which housed the music room, painting room, and dance room. Young, bright figures came and went, and just by observing from afar, one could feel the vibrant energy in the air.

Occasionally glancing up, Jiang Mingzhi saw a tall, light-footed boy jogging toward her direction.

His hair was flying, exuberantly untamed. Jiang Mingzhi couldn’t bring herself to look away until Guan Jingxu stopped in front of her. The wind-blown school uniform clung obediently to the boy’s slender frame.

She couldn’t help but think: How many girls’ youthful secrets must be wrapped in that wind-blown school uniform?

“Old Yu is looking for you.”

When Jiang Mingzhi heard that the class teacher was calling for her, she stood up and closed her book.

“Is it in the classroom or the teacher’s office?”

As she moved, the light spots shifted on her, like a dancing fairy.

Earlier, from a distance, he had noticed the divine-like girl sitting under the pavilion. He didn’t need to get closer to know it was her.

Guan Jingxu collected his thoughts. “Old Yu is in the office.”

The two of them walked side by side toward the teaching building.

At this school, there was no explicit ban on early romantic relationships. It wasn’t uncommon for a boy and a girl to walk together on the campus without being caught by the disciplinary director for a talk.

The handsome boy and beautiful girl combo was particularly eye-catching on campus, and many eyes secretly watched them.

Jiang Mingzhi had already gotten used to these curious and probing gazes.

She looked sideways at Guan Jingxu, first noticing the prominent Adam’s apple on his throat, then up to his sharp jawline and the flawless side profile of his face.

Why had she only seen Pei Jinyang in her eyes in her past life? It was as if she missed out on many beautiful sights.

And in the end, it all turned out the same.

Heartbreak seemed hard to heal, and by the time she was 17, some of the negative emotions had faded, but she still unconsciously remembered certain things.

Guan Jingxu sensed Jiang Mingzhi’s gaze, and his cheek seemed to burn.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and in a soft voice, he reminded her, “Watch the road.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Mingzhi shifted her gaze, but she didn’t notice that the boy’s eyes had lingered on hers.

Guan Jingxu, for some reason, felt that Jiang Mingzhi, at this moment, seemed to be shrouded in sadness. Why was she staring at him with such sorrow in her eyes?

Not far away, on the fourth floor of the teaching building, Chen Zhanbei leaned against the railing in the corridor, watching Jiang Mingzhi’s movements. He turned to Pei Jinyang, who was standing beside him, and asked, “Has your cheap sister started dating Guan Jingxu?”

Pei Jinyang stood lazily, his gaze unfocused. “How would I know?”

Chen Zhanbei said, “Even if they’re not dating now, they will be soon. Otherwise, why would they be so openly walking around the campus together? It’s really cute and pure, isn’t it?”

Pei Jinyang rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked toward the classroom. “Boring.”

Chen Zhanbei followed behind, chattering non-stop. “Ah, it’s a pity that Sun Shiyao said he was going to pursue Jiang Mingzhi. Maybe he’ll dump her later, make her heartbroken.”

Everyone who hung out with Pei Jinyang knew that he didn’t like this “cheap sister” of his, but they thought she was pretty and wanted to have some fun with her.

Pei Jinyang furrowed his brows. “When did he say that?”

“That day when we had barbecue… Oh, you weren’t there.”

On the other side, Jiang Mingzhi arrived at the teacher’s office.

Teacher Yu, brushing his thinning hair, smiled and asked, “Are you getting used to school?”

Jiang Mingzhi nodded.

Teacher Yu then asked about her interactions with the other students, and finally got to the point of why he called her in.

“You came in the second semester, so you missed the club and student council recruitment. I only remembered recently, but look at this list of clubs. See if there’s anything you want to join, and I’ll help you get in.”

As he spoke, Teacher Yu handed Jiang Mingzhi an A4 sheet of paper, which listed all the school clubs. At a glance, there were over a hundred.

The school day ended around 4 PM, with evening study sessions starting at 5:30. In between, there was a one-hour gap.

Jiang Mingzhi put the paper down and obediently said, “Teacher, I don’t plan to join any clubs.”

Since she had skipped a grade, she was essentially in a semi-retired state, with less than half a semester left. She didn’t want to waste time on club activities.

Seeing that she wasn’t interested, Teacher Yu still tried to persuade her, “Our school has plenty of free time after class. You could join some extracurricular activities to enrich your school life. Or, if you were in a club at your previous school, you can join that same club here.”

Jiang Mingzhi shook her head. “Thank you for your concern, but since I skipped a grade, my coursework is quite intensive, and I’m worried I won’t be able to keep up.”

Upon hearing this, Teacher Yu smiled with satisfaction, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Your results on the recent monthly test were good, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

This was her second monthly test after skipping a grade. Her first results hadn’t been ideal.

As Jiang Mingzhi’s homeroom teacher, Teacher Yu knew just how much pressure she was under.

She seemed quiet and gentle, but she had a strong-willed nature.

After this test, Jiang Mingzhi had a general sense of her performance, but hearing these words from her homeroom teacher didn’t make her show any signs of excitement.

Teacher Yu tapped his plump fingers on a stack of test papers. “How about trying out for the broadcasting station? Your voice is different from the other girls from Jing City, and I’ve heard your foreign language teacher praise your excellent English.”

The more Teacher Yu thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He paused and continued, “I know the person in charge of the broadcasting station. I’ll go tell them about you later.”

Feeling bad about rejecting her homeroom teacher’s suggestion, Jiang Mingzhi simply agreed.

The next day, Jiang Mingzhi entered the broadcasting station as a “connected person.”

The station wasn’t crowded, and the person in charge was a girl from Class 5, named Liao Jinyi. She was quite tall, around 172 cm.

“Usually, we have designated people handling things. We students mostly read scripts for about fifteen minutes after school. It’s usually done in pairs, or we play songs that students request on the campus wall.”

Jiang Mingzhi nodded. “Got it.”

Liao Jinyi had heard of Jiang Mingzhi, who was the accelerated student from the beginning of the term.

They said she was a study prodigy, but her results in the first monthly test were average. It was as if she had fallen from the pedestal.

Liao Jinyi found it rather intriguing. She hadn’t expected Teacher Yu to come looking for her to take care of Jiang Mingzhi.

The opportunity came so suddenly that Liao Jinyi was still a bit confused.

“After school, I’ll gather everyone for a meeting so you can get to know them. I’ll add you to our WeChat group.”

Jiang Mingzhi took out her phone and added Liao Jinyi as a friend.

The broadcasting station’s group had 9 members, and after Jiang Mingzhi joined, it became 10.

Jiang Mingzhi noticed a familiar profile picture in the group members.

How was Guan Jingxu in here?