Chapter 03

Of course, Qin Xiaoxiao had no intention of slacking off.

Having transmigrated into a high school beauty destined to be a future cannon fodder, Qin Xiaoxiao only wanted to study quietly and experience an ordinary, mundane campus life.

She wasn’t sure if she could deviate from the novel’s plot. If possible, she wouldn’t stir up trouble or act recklessly. In that case, surely the male and female leads wouldn’t be able to do anything to her, right?

That evening, as the end of the night self-study session approached, Yang Min invited Qin Xiaoxiao, “Come grab a late-night snack with me after class.”

Feeling a bit hungry, Qin Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement.

“You’re really coming with me? Didn’t you rarely eat before? I thought you were on a diet!”

Qin Xiaoxiao smiled. “Do you think I need to lose weight?”

Yang Min glanced enviously at her deskmate’s slender and well-proportioned figure and muttered, “Damn it!”

As soon as class ended, Yang Min, who had been itching to leave, grabbed Qin Xiaoxiao and headed straight to the cafeteria.

When they arrived, they saw that the lines at the two late-night snack windows stretched all the way to the stairwell entrance.

“What the hell, how can these people be so fast?!” Yang Min rolled her eyes on the spot.

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t respond, still trying to catch her breath. This body was truly fragile—running just a few hundred meters left her both exhausted and gasping for air.

“You’ve got to be kidding…” Yang Min awkwardly grabbed Qin Xiaoxiao’s arm for support. “Are you okay?”

Qin Xiaoxiao’s chest heaved as she leaned sideways against Yang Min. “I’m fine.”

“This is what happens when you slack off and skip running every day—your body’s gotten this weak.”

Qin Xiaoxiao knew Yang Min didn’t mean any harm, so she couldn’t be bothered to snap back.

What she said wasn’t wrong. The grade director for second-year students had required everyone to run laps on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons to promote physical health. The original Qin Xiaoxiao, unwilling to sweat or mess up her hairstyle, strongly resisted running laps. She even pressured her parents to come up with excuses and get a long-term exemption note from the homeroom teacher. Wasn’t that just pure laziness?

“Oh no!”

“I left my meal card in the classroom! I need to go back and get it…”

“Just use mine for now,” Qin Xiaoxiao offered.

“No, I left my wallet there too,” Yang Min said anxiously. “You stay here and hold our spot in line; I’ll run back to grab it.”

Qin Xiaoxiao stared idly at the back of the head of the student in front of her, moving forward with the line.

“Cla-classmate.”

Qin Xiaoxiao tilted her head and looked toward the male student in the neighboring line, a hint of confusion appearing on her face. “Are you talking to me?”

“Y-yes,” the male student stammered, wanting to look at her but too shy to meet her gaze. “What do you want to eat? I… I’ll treat you.”

“There’s no need. I’m already in line myself.”

Qin Xiaoxiao, who considered herself pretty good at reading people, was ironically a bit oblivious when it came to romantic feelings. She couldn’t help but wonder: Are high school students these days all this friendly and generous?

The male student was momentarily stunned by her response.

Seeing the goddess-like beauty turn her face away, he panicked at the thought of missing this chance. Out of nowhere, a surge of courage welled up in him. “Qin Xiaoxiao, I like you!”

He accidentally shouted a bit too loudly.

Huh?

Qin Xiaoxiao blinked, quickly putting on a natural smile. “Thank you.”

“C-can I date you?”

Does this guy not understand rejection? Qin Xiaoxiao maintained a polite demeanor. “Sorry, no.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “But thank you for liking me.”

“Y-you’re welcome.”

“Hahaha—”

In the dimly lit dining area, a boy with a quiff hairstyle looked over at the line and burst out laughing. “Look at that! She’s kind of funny. Someone just confessed to her, and do you know how she responded?”

The boy with the quiff hairstyle was eating barbecue across the table, his tone casual and indifferent. “No idea.”

“Damn, that’s so cold! Isn’t she your girlfriend or something?”

Ji Wenchen chewed his food twice, then lazily lifted his eyelids. “Oh.”

The boy with the quiff hairstyle, Jiang Zhousi, rubbed his nose. His buddy having a “girlfriend” was actually a result of his own doing.

A while back, on Jiang Zhousi’s 18th birthday, he had gone out to party with a few close friends. During the gathering, they played a game of Mahjong with penalties. Ji Wenchen had terrible luck and lost, leaving Jiang Zhousi, the birthday boy who had drunk quite a bit, to come up with the punishment.

At the time, someone suggested Ji Wenchen confess to Qin Xiaoxiao, the famously beautiful girl from the second high school.

Jiang Zhousi immediately thought: wasn’t Qin Xiaoxiao in the very class Ji Wenchen had been held back into?

This punishment sounded fun. Jiang Zhousi egged Ji Wenchen on. Worried that Ji Wenchen might refuse, Jiang Zhousi grabbed his phone. Hey! What a coincidence—he stumbled upon a confession text from none other than Qin Xiaoxiao herself.

Jiang Zhousi, always eager to stir up trouble, directly demanded that Ji Wenchen accept Qin Xiaoxiao’s confession and date her for at least 30 days before breaking up with her. Why did it have to be Ji Wenchen breaking up with Qin Xiaoxiao? Because Jiang Zhousi firmly believed that no girl would ever willingly dump his handsome and wealthy friend.

Ji Wenchen, however, was deeply resistant to doing something so pointless and boring.

However, first, he had to honor the bet. Second, he didn’t want to ruin the birthday boy’s fun. And third… Jiang Zhousi had teased him, saying, “It’s not like no girls are into you. Why don’t you ever date anyone? Damn, don’t tell me you’ve secretly fallen for me!” The comment was so nauseating that Ji Wenchen wanted to punch him. In the end, he didn’t care how Jiang Zhousi replied to the text.

Today marked the 13th day of Ji Wenchen and Qin Xiaoxiao’s “relationship.”

Eighteen days left until he was single again. Ji Wenchen thought about it nonchalantly.

In fact, he had also noticed Qin Xiaoxiao earlier. However, before Jiang Zhousi turned to speak to him, he had already averted his gaze.

“Phew… I’m exhausted… Damn it…” Yang Min returned just as there were only three people left in front of them.

Qin Xiaoxiao genuinely said, “You ran really fast.”

“Of course!”

“Ah, what should I eat? Grilled chicken wings, grilled chives, or stir-fried noodles?” Yang Min swallowed her saliva, torn with indecision.

Qin Xiaoxiao casually ordered a bowl of tofu pudding. Yang Min stared at her. “That’s all you’re getting?”

“Yep.” Qin Xiaoxiao carried her tofu pudding out of the line and waited for her.

Yang Min came over with a tray full of food. “Where should we sit? Everywhere’s full!” She looked around, trying to spot an empty table.

The second floor of the cafeteria didn’t have many seats to begin with, and this semester’s late-night snacks were both diverse and delicious, making it a favorite spot for students. At this moment, looking around, the dimly lit dining area was packed with people.

“Ah, over there…” Yang Min’s eyes lit up as she spotted an empty seat, but when she saw who was sitting at that table, her flicker of hope instantly died. “Forget it.”

Qin Xiaoxiao had also noticed the same spot.

About ten meters away, there was a four-person table. Ji Wenchen and his friends occupied half of it, while the other half was empty.

“I’ll just find a spot to stand and eat,” Yang Min said. Among the food she ordered, one dish was noodles served in the cafeteria’s bowl, which wasn’t convenient to take outside.

Qin Xiaoxiao felt a bit sympathetic. “I’ll wait for you.” Her tofu pudding came in a disposable bowl, and she had no intention of standing and eating in the crowded cafeteria.

Yang Min grumbled, “Stupid school, can’t even bother to set up a few more tables!”

“Hey, Qin Xiaoxiao.”

Yang Min, awkwardly holding her chopsticks, lifted her head. “Someone’s calling you?”

Qin Xiaoxiao turned her head toward the source of the voice, her delicate eyebrows raising slightly.

“Hey!” The boy with the quiff hairstyle called out again. “Come sit over here!”

Yang Min nearly dropped her chopsticks. “Jiang Zhousi is calling you?”

“Oh, The Governor of Jiangzhou, his green robe is soaked in tears.”^[1]哦, 江州司马青衫湿 = “Oh, The Governor of Jiangzhou, his green robe is soaked in tears.” This is a famous line from the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi’s poem, “Pipa … Continue reading—Qin Xiaoxiao couldn’t help thinking of this line every time she saw his name while reading. In the original novel, this guy was one of Ji Wenchen’s few acknowledged friends and had been his classmate before Ji Wenchen repeated a grade.

His name sounded rather refined, but the person himself didn’t seem to have anything to do with “refinement.”

“There’s a spot here, come over!” Jiang Zhousi didn’t care at all about the gazes around him.

“What the…”

“Let’s go sit there!” Yang Min whispered excitedly. “We can’t eat while standing.”

Alright then.

Qin Xiaoxiao was “encouraged” by Yang Min to walk in front.

When she reached the table, she set down her tofu pudding and politely said to Jiang Zhousi, “Thank you.”

“No need, no need, after all…” Jiang Zhousi smiled subtly and glanced at Ji Wenchen.

Qin Xiaoxiao followed his gaze, meeting Ji Wenchen’s eyes. She immediately and naturally shifted her gaze away.

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t realize that what she considered a “natural” reaction caused Ji Wenchen to furrow his brows ever so slightly.

Yang Min, who was quite intimidated by the school bully who had recently transferred to their class, opted for the seat furthest away from him.

With only the spot next to Ji Wenchen left, Qin Xiaoxiao had no choice but to sit down.

Yang Min, who usually never stopped talking, wanted to speak but didn’t dare to. She kept giving Qin Xiaoxiao meaningful glances, but the latter didn’t pick up on them at all and focused on quietly eating her tofu pudding.

“Want to get anything else to eat?” Jiang Zhousi asked.

Qin Xiaoxiao knew the question wasn’t directed at her. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the figure beside her stand up.

He’s leaving. For some reason, Qin Xiaoxiao felt a slight sense of relief.

“I’m off,” came the somewhat lazy yet clear and magnetic voice.

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Author’s Note:

Young Master Jiang and Young Master Ji say: “Money’s not an issue, so leave a comment! Red packets will be handed out freely!”