Chapter 5: Is This Playing Hard to Get?

Ling City No. 1 High School.

Tang Susu hurried toward the school. The strange environment and the series of unexpected events last night had kept her up for hours, so she overslept.

At the school gate, several students wearing uniforms and red armbands indicating their duty were stopping others.

Tang Susu’s heart tightened. She glanced at her watch and let out a breath of relief.

There were still three minutes until 7:30—she wasn’t late. No need to panic.

With her fair slender fingers, she adjusted her backpack strap, straightened her back, and walked toward the campus.

Suddenly, a long-fingered hand blocked her path. “Where’s your school uniform?”

Tang Susu froze. Uniform?

She looked up and was momentarily stunned by the sight of the boy in front of her. Rosy lips, white teeth, sharp brows, and starry eyes. Even a random passerby in this novel world looked this handsome?

She tilted her head, her clear eyes filled with confusion. “High school students are required to wear uniforms?”

She had studied piano since childhood at an arts school, where the teachers didn’t care what students wore. She always wore whatever she wanted.

The boy frowned slightly. “It’s Monday. We raise the national flag. Not wearing a uniform will cost the class points.”

“Points deduction?” Tang Susu bit her lip unconsciously. Even as an art student, she knew losing points would affect the class’s honor.

The boy looked down, pulled out a notebook, and asked coldly in a procedural tone, “Class and name.”

Tang Susu blinked for a second, then stepped closer to him with a sweet smile. “Classmate, do we know each other?”

The boy turned his head slightly, keeping a cold and composed expression. “No.”

“Really don’t know me?” Her big, dark eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“No.” He took a step back, putting distance between them.

This girl was always unpredictable. If he weren’t on duty today and she wasn’t so persistent, he wouldn’t even bother talking to her.

“Alright then, goodbye!” Tang Susu smiled brightly, adjusted her backpack, and ran off quickly.

Jin Yuhao stood still, watching the girl disappear like a gust of wind.

His cold, handsome face showed a rare expression of disbelief.

Tang Susu… what was she doing?

“Boss, was that Tang Susu who just ran off?” Li Yang came over and followed Jin Yuhao’s line of sight.

Jin Yuhao turned slightly and nodded, visibly annoyed.

Li Yang asked curiously, “She didn’t pester you?”

Jin Yuhao shook his head, expressionless.

“She’s switching tactics? Playing hard to get now?” Li Yang thought for a moment. “Yeah, that must be it. That woman just left at your birthday party the other day after bumping into you and running off!”

Jin Yuhao said nothing. He simply wrote down Tang Susu’s name, handed his duty log and red armband to Li Yang, and walked back to the classroom.

Once he left—

Li Yang slung on the armband and hummed casually. If anyone was late, he’d write them up—but if they offered a little bribe, maybe he’d let them slide.

A moment later, a girl rushed in, looking fragile and flustered.

“S-Sorry, I’m late!” she nearly cried. If the class lost points, the teacher would scold her—especially since their class was about to get the rotating red flag award.

Li Yang checked his watch—one minute late.

He took a closer look. The girl looked like she was about to cry, and it tugged at his heart.

He waved her in with a smile. “I remember you. You were at the math competition with the boss, right? Go ahead. I won’t write your name down.”

“Thank you,” Meng Xue said gratefully, then ran off toward her classroom.

Oddly, her heart felt hollow.

She should be happy about not being marked late—but why did it feel like she had lost something that belonged to her?

…

Class 5, Grade 11.

During morning reading, the classroom was filled with the sound of students reciting.

Tang Susu sat in the back row, curiously observing everything.

Unlike typical high schoolers, she had shown exceptional talent in piano from a young age and had always studied at arts schools. Her life had been smooth-sailing, and she was already guaranteed admission to the best art university in the country. Many famous pianists had fought to take her on as their student.

No one had ever demanded academic performance from her.

She had never experienced a normal high school life like this.

Her days had always been monotonous: piano practice, performance, competition.

At just over ten years old, if she wasn’t practicing, she was performing.

On the surface, she was the kind of child every adult dreamed of—winning prizes and performing—but deep down, she longed for a normal life.

Aside from secretly reading novels, her entire life was piano.

If life could be more than just music and applause—wouldn’t that be amazing?

Thinking about it this way, these three extra years might actually be… kind of interesting.

A girl ran in late and sat in the front row, immediately pulling out her book and reading seriously.

She was fair and delicate—not exactly beautiful, but very pleasant-looking. Tang Susu instinctively recognized her as the female lead, Meng Xue.

Tang Susu glanced at her a few times, then also pulled out her book and started reading.

Near the end of the morning reading session, the homeroom teacher walked in, and the classroom instantly quieted.

“Tang Susu!” he called from the podium.

“Here!” she stood up and looked at the teacher with a slight smile.

Laughter broke out below.

Tang Susu was confused—why were they laughing?

But soon the students quieted down, watching her seriously.

She was still the same girl, but something about her felt different.

She wasn’t wearing makeup today. She looked more natural and… her temperament was really nice.

The teacher, a man in his thirties, adjusted his glasses and sighed, looking at her innocent face.

“Why didn’t you wear your uniform today? Because of that, our class lost points. We were about to win the rotating red flag next week, but now we’ve lost our chance.”

Tang Susu froze. Deducted points? But she ran off before her name was recorded!

She even asked that boy if he knew her—he said no!

So why was her name still written down?

She looked up and sincerely apologized. “I’m sorry, teacher. It won’t happen again. I’ll remember to wear my uniform next time.”

The teacher was taken aback. He had expected her to argue like usual, but her attitude was surprisingly good.

She was still just a kid, after all. Since she was behaving, he didn’t want to scold her harshly.

“Alright, sit down.”

“Thank you, teacher.” Tang Susu sat down.

Morning reading resumed. Behind her, two girls whispered.

“Meng Xue was also late. Why didn’t the teacher call her out?”

“Maybe the rumors are true?”

“What rumors?”

“That Jin Yuhao likes Meng Xue! Think about it—he was on duty today, and the teacher only mentioned Tang Susu. But Meng Xue was also late, and the famously strict Jin Yuhao let her go!”

Tang Susu clenched her fingers around the book. She remembered this part of the plot.

Because Tang Susu didn’t wear a uniform and Meng Xue was late, the class lost two points. The teacher called them both out.

Tang Susu argued, and both girls were sent to stand in the hallway.

Meng Xue, being thin-skinned, was so embarrassed she started crying.

Jin Yuhao happened to walk by and saw her.

He later learned Meng Xue had been late because she had to make medicine for her father each morning. Moved by her filial piety, he began to notice her more.

That, combined with Tang Susu and other girls acting out, helped develop the romance between him and Meng Xue.

In the novel, even though he was strict, he did mark Meng Xue down when she was late.

But now… things had clearly changed.

Because of her, their relationship progressed faster—Jin Yuhao was already letting her off the hook.

Later in the novel, even when he fell in love, he never opened backdoor favors. He just started personally escorting her to school.

Wait—wasn’t the boy who stopped her today the male lead?

And he said… he didn’t know her?

He lied! How could someone be this shameless?

Ugh. Whatever. It’s normal for the male lead to hate the female supporting character.

She took a deep breath to calm down.

Study. Focus. She was determined to be a model student.

She had talent in piano—she could certainly handle academics too.

She smiled to herself.

“Scholar Tang Susu” didn’t sound any worse than “Piano Prodigy Tang Susu.”