Chapter 3

Would Lu Xun regret it? Jiang Qiao didn’t know. But she definitely regretted it.

In all her years of acting, she had never said such a narcissistic line. How humiliating…

Back at the Jiang family villa, she lay sprawled on the large bed like a corpse, not moving an inch, her voice weak and lifeless:
[“166, this job is inhumane. Why did you choose me?”]

166 snorted twice. Maybe afraid she’d quit, this time it didn’t feign ignorance:
[“The resentment left by the original host’s death was too strong, which caused the plot to collapse. To rebuild the storyline and reach a proper resolution, someone had to take her place. Since your appearance is identical to hers, you were the natural choice.”]

So that’s how it was. No wonder it was a body transmigration rather than soul transmigration.

…

The next morning, Jiang Qiao was woken up by the system.

[“Hurry up! Today’s an important plot point. Move, move, move!”]

So annoying.

Jiang Qiao wrinkled her beautiful little face, nostalgic for the days when she could sleep until she woke up naturally.

Do all high school students wake up this early? No wonder they sleep during class.

In line with her character, Jiang Qiao arrived at school in a luxury car, stepping out ostentatiously at the school gate, drawing a storm of envious, jealous, and hateful gazes.

She yawned, half-asleep as she walked forward—and was suddenly stopped.

“Hey, where’s your school uniform?”

The girl who stopped her was half a head shorter, wearing a badge identifying her as a disciplinary committee member. Her hair was tied in a neat high ponytail, and her voice was soft and gentle.

Jiang Qiao squinted at her, looking pampered and pretty—though in truth, she was still half-asleep and had no idea what was going on.

The system frantically reminded her:
[“It’s time! Start the plot! Provoke her, bully the female lead!”]

[“…………………”]

Jiang Qiao slipped into character, folding her arms with a disdainful expression. Her alluring peach blossom eyes were full of contempt as she snapped into her arrogant persona:
“Are you blind? Can’t you see I’m wearing it?”

Seeing Song Qingying’s expression turn from wronged to bravely composed, 166 shouted:
[“Nice job!”]

Song Qingying was clearly unused to such unreasonable behavior. She froze for several seconds before taking a deep breath and suppressing her feelings.
“You’ll lose points if you’re not wearing your uniform.”

Girls like this rich young lady were always annoying, no matter the time or place.

So what if she was pretty? She was all flash and no substance.

Jiang Qiao didn’t miss the disgust in her eyes. Her tone grew nastier:
“So dock the points. Who’s stopping you?”

As she spoke, she reached for the attendance list.
“My name is Jiang Qiao. Want me to help you write it down?”

“Jiang Qiao, don’t go too far!”
Song Qingying panicked and backed away, her distressed expression making Jiang Qiao feel like she was being too villainous.

But before she could touch the list, her hand was suddenly grabbed—hard. Jiang Qiao cried out in pain and tried to pull away, but couldn’t. She looked up angrily.

“Lu Xun, I’m fine. Let her go,”
Song Qingying said quickly, her voice full of worry and gratitude as she saw Lu Xun come to help.

She instinctively reached out to pull his hand away from Jiang Qiao—but just before she touched him, he let go.

Jiang Qiao’s eyes welled up with tears from the pain. She blew on her wrist, which was now bright red.

Damn it, what’s wrong with Lu Xun? Why’s he so strong? I thought my wrist was going to break!

Even Song Qingying was shocked by the sight of the red mark. Fearing the rich girl would cause trouble for Lu Xun, she quickly said:
“Jiang Qiao, I… I’ll take you to the infirmary to get some medicine.”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Qiao wasn’t grateful at all. Her red-rimmed eyes widened angrily as she snapped:
“Mind your own business!”

“You—!”

Lu Xun stepped in front of Song Qingying, his gaze piercing through the fuming girl.
“I’ll take you.”

“Lu Xun, you don’t have to do that for me—”

“Alright, then I want you to carry me.”

Lu Xun’s brow furrowed. He was about to refuse when his eyes met Jiang Qiao’s slightly flushed cheeks, wide eyes, and the tears still clinging to her lashes.

Already crying, and still making trouble.

“Are you sure?”

“Nonsense! Bro, I was just kidding!”

Breaking character is the one thing you can’t mess up—it’s an actor’s basic professionalism. Jiang Qiao glared at him with her neck stiff, then blurted out,
“What? You’re not willing?”

He could go so far for Song Qingying, but now he was acting reluctant just to take her to the infirmary?

“Heh.”

With a cold laugh, Lu Xun stepped closer. Ignoring Song Qingying’s attempts to stop him, he grabbed Jiang Qiao’s arm and started walking.

Jiang Qiao was stunned. After a few meters, she began to struggle.
“Lu Xun! Where are you taking me?!”

Lu Xun kept walking at a steady pace, voice cold:
“Didn’t you say you wanted to go to the infirmary?”

At this point, it felt less like he was taking her to the infirmary and more like he was about to bury her in the woods.

Backing down was not an option.

Jiang Qiao swallowed nervously and snapped,
“I said I wanted you to carry me!”

Lu Xun ignored her.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?!”

Still, no response.

Jiang Qiao was fuming.
“Lu Xun, are you deaf or mute? I told you to—”

She was suddenly yanked to a stop. Meeting his icy, frostbitten glare, her face turned pale and her voice cut off instantly.

Lu Xun’s expression was stone cold. His stare made Jiang Qiao’s scalp tingle.

For once, she felt a little guilty. But she still had to keep up the arrogant persona.
“I mean, well… you were ignoring me first…”

She really hadn’t meant to rub salt in his wounds.

But this guy was so two-faced—what if he really did want to murder her for revenge?

Noticing there weren’t many people around, Jiang Qiao started to panic. When Lu Xun moved, she instinctively backed away.

Without even glancing at her, Lu Xun said coldly:
“Keep up.”

“…Huh?” What did that mean?

She stood frozen for two seconds. By then, Lu Xun had already walked ahead. Jiang Qiao frowned but still followed.

At the infirmary, the school nurse applied some cream to reduce the swelling. Only then did Jiang Qiao’s brain finally catch up.

“36 yuan. It’s nothing serious, just apply the cream a few times and you’ll be fine. You two fighting?”
The nurse sounded both gossipy and concerned.
“Even in a couple’s quarrel, you can’t treat your girlfriend like this. Girls have delicate skin—how could you use so much force…”

Lu Xun took some crumpled small bills out of his uniform pocket—one-yuan, five-yuan notes—and frowned as if he wanted no part in the conversation.
“We’re not a couple.”

That annoyed Jiang Qiao. She took out her phone, scanned the code, and paid for the cream herself. Then she raised her chin on purpose and said mockingly:
“So slow. If you’re broke, stop pretending.”

The nurse, who had just thought she was a sweet delicate girl, suddenly looked at her with a complicated expression.

Jiang Qiao ignored it all. She waited to see Lu Xun embarrassed—but his expression didn’t even twitch. With his usual cold face, he simply put the money back in his pocket without hesitation.

So he has a thick skin after all.

He was probably even secretly relieved that he didn’t have to spend 36 yuan on her!

Seriously?! Was it that big of a deal to spend 36 yuan on her?

[It kind of is…]
166’s voice floated up:
[That’s two days’ worth of food money for the male lead.]

At sixteen or seventeen, boys were in that stage where they could eat their families into bankruptcy.

Lu Xun’s parents were both gone. He lived alone. Even though the school waived his tuition, he still had to pay for books and miscellaneous fees himself.

He had to work to pay for his own education while also covering daily expenses. He usually ate cheap but filling food like buns or steamed rolls. But because he ate a lot, he still spent nearly 20 yuan a day.

So yeah—36 yuan really was nearly two days of food.