Chapter 18

As the English self-study period, which featured a movie screening, was about to end, Jiang Zhousi returned to his own classroom, content with the new gossip he had just discovered.

The English teacher, Chloe, entered the classroom just as the bell rang to signal the end of class. She turned on all the lights and gently reminded, “Boys and girls, it’s time to stop.”

“Nooo!” “Let us watch a little longer, please!” … A chorus of wails rose one after another.

“OK, OK…” Chloe couldn’t resist her students’ requests. “I’ll let you watch for a little longer, but as soon as the class bell rings, it must be turned off, okay?”

“Alright!” Yang Min and the other students replied in unison.

Not long after, she keenly heard the sound of the school bully pushing back his chair and getting up to leave. Curiously, she sneaked a glance back. The seat behind her was empty—both the school bully and Jiang Zhousi were gone.

She instantly felt completely at ease.

Yang Min’s gossip radar had long been ignited, so much so that she wasn’t even watching the movie anymore. “Xiao ah, Jiang Zhousi actually asked you for snacks?”

“What’s the relationship between you two?”

“And last time in the cafeteria—I haven’t forgotten—he even invited you to sit at the same table!”

Qin Xiaoxiao pulled two preserved plum candies out of her desk and placed them on Yang Min’s desk. “Here, have some.”

Yang Min grabbed the candies. “From Jin Guan^[1]金冠(Jīn Guān) = Golden Crown, is a name of a well-known candy brand in China, famous for producing sweets like fruit chews and milk candies.? Not bad, the taste is pretty good… Xiao ah, you still haven’t answered me!”

“Oh,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied slowly, “We’re just classmates at the same school.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Qin Xiaoxiao glanced at her: Don’t believe me if you don’t want to.

“?? I can’t believe I actually understood what you meant with that look.”

Her deskmate was utterly unyielding, so Yang Min couldn’t get any answers and had no choice but to continue watching the movie.

As soon as the class bell rang, Chloe promptly came in and turned off the movie as promised.

This self-study session was for math.

The math teacher was known for not staying in the classroom to supervise.

He had moved a chair to sit in the corridor outside, enjoying the breeze, letting students with questions come out to ask him on their own.

As a result, many students in the classroom were quietly holding little meetings or sneaking around doing their own things.

Yang Min, taking advantage of her seat being far from the classroom door, boldly placed her phone on the desk to play with it. After the last power outage, she realized that carrying her phone everywhere might risk being caught by a teacher, but it was absolutely necessary.

She often browsed the Second High Forum, and now she logged in, ready to post something casual about Jiang Zhousi, a senior, coming to their class to watch a movie.

But a popular thread on the forum’s homepage immediately caught her attention.

Yang Min immediately clicked on the thread.

After reading it, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at her deskmate—once, and then again.

Her fingers tapped lightly on the edge of her phone, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Qin Xiaoxiao was entirely focused on solving her math problems, as if she had a built-in filter that blocked out everything around her.

After sneaking a glance for the fifth time, Yang Min couldn’t hold back any longer and nudged her deskmate. “Xiao ah, take a look at this post…”

The post’s title read: “Is this Qin Xiaoxiao from our school’s second year??!!”

The string of exclamation marks clearly conveyed the poster’s shock.

The main post content read: “I just saw this on Douyin!!!!”^[2]抖音 (Dǒu Yīn) = Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. followed by a link.

After silently counting to three, Yang Min clicked on the link.

Of course, she played it on mute.

In the video, a girl wearing a green short-sleeved shirt and light-colored cropped jeans stood beside a makeshift stall set up on the back of a three-wheeled cart. She was handing fruit from a customer to place on the scale.

The fifteen-second video focused on the girl’s full figure, most of her profile, and a brief moment of her full face, lasting just over a second. The accompanying caption read: “This girl selling fruit! I’m smitten! I’m in love!”

It had over 90,000 likes and more than 8,000 comments.

As the video began to autoplay for the second time, Yang Min quickly hit pause.

The first time she watched it, she immediately recognized it was her deskmate, and she was genuinely surprised. She wanted her deskmate to see the post—not for any particular reason, just to let her know there was such a thread on the school forum.

But after showing it to her deskmate, she now felt a bit awkward.

They were both girls, so she could somewhat understand the kind of pride that didn’t want to be seen like this by people you know. Yang Min felt she might have overstepped, and with a pang of regret, she cautiously glanced at her deskmate.

“I’ve seen it,” Qin Xiaoxiao said calmly, meeting Yang Min’s gaze.

Yang Min observed her deskmate’s expression and let out a sigh of relief. It seemed her increasingly laid-back deskmate wasn’t bothered by the matter.

“That’s me,” Qin Xiaoxiao admitted calmly. She didn’t think there was anything shameful about helping her family sell goods, even if their financial situation wasn’t great. She openly acknowledged it to Yang Min—assuming Yang Min wasn’t sure it was her and was seeking confirmation.

“Ah…” Yang Min put away her phone, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. “Who recorded this Douyin? It’s got quite a lot of likes, haha.”

“Qin…” Tao Lei suddenly turned his head toward Qin Xiaoxiao.

Yang Min instinctively prepared to snap at the class monitor, “What’s it got to do with you if the two of us are talking?”

Tao Lei ignored her and looked nervously at Qin Xiaoxiao. “Q-Qin Xiaoxiao, that… that video wasn’t taken by me!” He stammered, as he often did when flustered. Having overheard their conversation, he checked the post on the forum and was deeply worried that Qin Xiaoxiao might misunderstand and think he was the one who recorded it.

“Alright,” Qin Xiaoxiao nodded, ready to continue working on her problems.

Over the next several days, whether on her way to the cafeteria, doing exercises, or heading to the classroom, Qin Xiaoxiao noticed she was receiving far more attention and hushed whispers than usual.

She didn’t feel much about it.

It was just a short video that caused a minor stir. As for some of the chatter labeling her as an “internet celebrity,” forget it. Without follow-up capital to promote and maintain the hype, the video—and her appearance in it—would be no more than a brief summer rain, fading away quickly with no lasting impact.

That said, it did bring a small surge of business to Mother Qin’s fruit stall during this time.

***

On Sunday, after finishing the morning classes, Qin Xiaoxiao returned home to find that her father, who worked the mid-shift, had already prepared lunch and was waiting.

“Do I need to take lunch to Mom?” Qin Xiaoxiao asked before sitting down.

Her father smiled and said, “No need, I’ve already delivered it.”

Qin Xiaoxiao began eating with ease.

She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and put it in her mouth. The balance of sweetness and sourness was just right. She praised generously, “Delicious.”

“If it’s good, eat more.” Receiving such praise from his child made Father Qin very happy.

He even talked a bit more than usual.

“These past few days, your mom said business has improved quite a bit.”

“Mm, that’s great.”

“A lot of people who went to buy fruit asked her who that young girl in the audio or video was,” Father Qin said. “Don’t worry, your mom didn’t say anything. She only answered questions about the fruit.”

“It’s fine, even if she told them. My classmates already know.”

“Xiaoxiao…” Father Qin wasn’t sure what his daughter was thinking now. In the past, Xiaoxiao had been very reluctant for her classmates to know that Xiuling ran a small business…

What Qin Xiaoxiao was concerned about was: “Those idle people asking questions didn’t affect Mom’s business, did they?”

“No, no,” Father Qin quickly replied. “They were all very polite. Some young men even bought quite a lot of fruit.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then, Xiaoxiao, at school… has this affected your studies?”

“No, it hasn’t,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied. She knew her father was an honest and straightforward person who rarely went online. Realizing he was likely worried about the impact of those videos, she reassured him, “It’s fine, Dad. This kind of attention will fade in just a few days.”

Father Qin hesitated but nodded.

In the evening, Qin Xiaoxiao’s uncle brought some specialty products that his colleagues and friends had given him to Qin Xiaoxiao’s house. He also gave her a ride back to school.

“Xiaoxiao, how’s your studying going? Are you still learning new material?” Like most Chinese elders, Feng Zhenting inquired about Qin Xiaoxiao’s academics.

“It’s okay. We’re still covering new material.”

“The science classes, especially physics, are quite interesting. Back when I was in high school, I loved physics and chemistry the most. I really enjoyed delving into problems and solving them,” Feng Zhenting reminisced without realizing it. “There was this one time—I spent the entire afternoon stuck on a chemistry problem with no clue. Then, right before bed, I finally solved it. The joy and satisfaction I felt were indescribable!”

“I used to often rank first in my grade back then. Those two teachers still remember me vividly to this day…”

“Alright, Dad, enough. A true hero doesn’t boast about past glories. How many years has it been, and you’re still bringing it up?” Feng Maoxing, who had heard this story several times before, poured cold water on his father’s enthusiasm.

Feng Zhenting was momentarily at a loss for words and then, embarrassed and angry, retorted, “You little brat!”

“And you! I told you to choose science, but no, you insisted on choosing liberal arts!”

Feng Maoxing leaned against the car window, feeling a headache coming on. “I just like liberal arts.”

“Can liking it put food on the table? Science has way more prospects than liberal arts! Your math and chemistry are clearly good, so why choose liberal arts? People only go for liberal arts when they can’t handle science…”

“Dad, that’s just your bias.”

“What bias? Liberal arts is just about rote memorization! Ask Xiaoxiao, isn’t science more promising than liberal arts?”

Dragged into the debate, Qin Xiaoxiao answered truthfully, “Not really. Science students do have more options when it comes to universities and majors. But, both science and liberal arts have excellent majors, as well as some that make it relatively harder to find a job.”

What Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t say was that she felt the question, “Is science more promising than liberal arts?” was flawed to begin with.

Whether there’s a promising future depends entirely on whether a person is suited for a particular field, if they choose the right major, and whether they put in the effort. Moreover, no matter the major—even those traditionally considered less favorable—if someone excels in it and has strong personal abilities, they can still have a bright future.

Additionally, liberal arts is not just about rote memorization. It involves a vast amount of knowledge and requires analyzing and interpreting materials to draw conclusions, assessing students’ multifaceted abilities.

However, just like the world Qin Xiaoxiao lived in during her past life, the trend in this world is also moving toward removing the division between liberal arts and science. This would save students and parents from debating which has a better future.

“Exactly, Qin Xiaoxiao is right!” Feng Maoxing winked at Qin Xiaoxiao.

“You brat, call her ‘Cousin,’ show some respect!”

Feng Maoxing mumbled a few vague “mm” sounds, thinking to himself: I’m used to calling her by her name, and besides, Cousin doesn’t even mind. He knew his dad was just embarrassed and needed someone to take it out on.

“Make sure you focus on your studies at school and stop coming up with all those silly antics!”

“What? I only play basketball three or four times a week…”

“It’s not just that. I know you’ve got little schemes, but during high school, you better focus on your studies and absolutely no dating!”

Feng Maoxing was utterly confused. “Schemes? Dating?”

Originally, he didn’t want to bring it up, but this kid was playing dumb! Feng Zhenting let out a cold snort. “That love letter in your backpack…”

“Injustice! I don’t even know when someone slipped that in! Dad, how could you go through my backpack? That’s a complete invasion of my privacy!”

“I didn’t go through it. Your mom was cleaning the room, and the backpack fell over. The love letter just slipped out on its own.”

“I don’t believe it.”

…

Amid the bickering between Feng Maoxing and Feng Zhenting, the car arrived at the school gate.

“From now on, no one is allowed to touch my stuff in my room,” Feng Maoxing huffed as he pushed open the car door.

“Hmph,” Feng Zhenting snorted, his mustache quivering. “Like I’d want to touch it in the first place!”

Turning to his niece, Feng Zhenting softened his tone, trying to sound as gentle as a spring breeze. “Goodbye, Xiaoxiao.”

“Goodbye, Uncle,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied.

The cousins walked through the school gate together.

Feng Maoxing was still muttering to himself and finally added, “My dad is such a fossil. He won’t even allow dating in high school.”

Qin Xiaoxiao, now in “concerned teacher mode,” couldn’t help but say, “Dating in high school is indeed a bit early…”

“What’s early about it? Plenty of middle schoolers are already dating. And aren’t you dating in high school right now too?”

For a moment, Qin Xiaoxiao found herself unable to refute him.

“Uh, well…” Feng Maoxing scratched the back of his head. “I won’t bring it up again.”

Although his cousin had previously said she didn’t like Ji Wenchen, after lying in bed thinking it over that night, he still found it hard to believe. If she didn’t like him, why would she agree to be with him?—he still didn’t know it was Qin Xiaoxiao who had confessed to Ji Wenchen.

“It’s fine.” 

Qin Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and then said, “High school is an important stage in both academics and life. If you want to get into a good university, it’s best not to date. Focus all your energy on your studies.”

Feng Maoxing replied, “Mm.”

Whether he actually took it to heart was another matter entirely.

Qin Xiaoxiao arrived at the dormitory earlier than usual, with more than an hour left before the evening self-study session.

After putting away the items she had brought from home, she sat on the edge of her bed.

“Xiaoxiao, I’m heading to the classroom. Do you want to come with me?” Wu Li asked her.

“You go ahead.”

“Alright.”

As Wu Li walked past Qin Xiaoxiao, she noticed: Xiaoxiao’s expression looked a bit serious…

The somewhat serious-looking Qin Xiaoxiao was pondering a question.

The words she had shared with her cousin Feng Maoxing were her heartfelt thoughts. She truly believed that dating during high school was inappropriate.

Although her relationship with the original novel’s male lead was more like “what’s yours stays yours, and what’s mine stays mine,” the issue was… the transfer student female lead was about to arrive, and the male lead seemed to have forgotten about breaking up with her.

So, she was contemplating: should she be the one to bring up the breakup now?

If it had been the time when she had just entered this book world, Qin Xiaoxiao would never have dared to entertain such a thought. But now, after observing for a while, she realized that Ji Wenchen wasn’t as terrifying as she had imagined. At least, she hadn’t seen the scary side of him… In any case, she found herself feeling less and less afraid of Ji Wenchen.

“Xiao ah! You’re back at the dorm so early?” Yang Min, who had just returned, peeked her head inside as she passed by the doorway.

Qin Xiaoxiao, holding her phone, replied, “Mm.”

“Playing on your phone? Wait for me to tidy up when I get back, and let’s head to the classroom together! It’ll only take a few minutes!”

Without hesitating any further, Qin Xiaoxiao quickly typed out a message and sent it.

The message showed as successfully sent.

She immediately turned off her phone and hid it under the bedsheet.

…

Ding.

His frequently used phone received a new text message.

Ji Wenchen tore open a slit on the packaging of the Jin Guan (Golden Crown) preserved plum candies. He glanced at his phone casually, which was lying next to him.

The lit-up screen displayed the most recent text message—

Qin Xiaoxiao: 【Sorry, let’s break up.】

Rip. The preserved plum candy packaging tore wide open, and individually wrapped candies spilled all over the floor.

The instigator didn’t spare the mess a single glance. With a cold expression, he grabbed his phone and walked straight out of the room.

“Ah Chen, dinner is almost…” Aunt Lin, who had been taking care of Ji Wenchen for years, came out of the kitchen when she heard him coming downstairs. “Heading to school now? Aren’t you having dinner?”

Ji Wenchen, already opening the front door, replied, “Mm.”

Aunt Lin hurriedly said, “At least have a bite to eat—”

Before she could finish, the young master’s figure had vanished in the blink of an eye. Bang—the door slammed shut.

…

The supposedly “just a few minutes” Yang Min ended up taking almost half an hour and still wasn’t ready. Qin Xiaoxiao went over to check on her and found her hair still damp.

Yang Min, with a bitter expression, complained about how her hair got soaked by the faucet spraying water. Feeling embarrassed to make her deskmate wait any longer, she said, “You go to the classroom first. I’ll come later.”

And so, Qin Xiaoxiao left first.

She went down the stairs, exited the dormitory building, and turned right.

Suddenly, catching sight of the person standing by the wall, Qin Xiaoxiao’s heartstrings tightened.

Ji Wenchen’s gaze was fixed directly on her, his voice carrying an inexplicable depth beyond its usual clear timbre: “Come with me.”

“I won’t…”

“Then we’ll talk here,” Ji Wenchen said as he walked straight toward her, his tongue pressing against his back teeth.

At this time, the flow of people entering and leaving the dormitory building wasn’t small. Qin Xiaoxiao could already feel several curious, gossiping gazes directed at them.

Not wanting to be the center of attention, Qin Xiaoxiao relented. “Let’s go.”

Ji Wenchen headed toward the quiet grove behind the dormitory building.

Qin Xiaoxiao followed from a meter away, keeping her distance.

She began to feel a bit apprehensive. Ji Wenchen’s expression just now… could hardly be described as friendly.

She had acted impulsively. A lot of people didn’t seem to like being “dumped.” What if the school bully was one of those people… Was he planning to give her a harsh “lesson” now?

No, Qin Xiaoxiao lowered her gaze to the ground. Ji Wenchen had used the word “talk” earlier. He probably wouldn’t resort to violence…

“Ah!”

Her vision blurred as Ji Wenchen grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the trunk of a sturdy banyan tree.

“What are you trying to do?” Qin Xiaoxiao frowned.

Her struggling wrist was released, but his hands pressed against the tree trunk on either side of her face, trapping her in place.

Knowing the school bully had a bad temper and physical strength far above the average person, Qin Xiaoxiao gave up on the idea of escaping from between him and the tree trunk.

She averted her gaze. “What do you…”

“Break up?”

Qin Xiaoxiao could hear the gritted teeth in his words, and her heart sank halfway. Even so, she tried to lower his anger, saying, “Or you could just dump me instead. After all, you don’t even like me…”

“Heh.” A sound completely devoid of humor.

What does “heh” even mean… Qin Xiaoxiao’s hand at her side curled slightly into a half-fist.

Ji Wenchen’s gaze bore heavily into Qin Xiaoxiao’s face. “Look at me.”

Even though her heart had already begun to tremble, Qin Xiaoxiao maintained a calm expression.

She raised her eyes and met Ji Wenchen’s gaze directly.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes, with irises that lightened at the outer edges and darkened toward the center, now seemed to hold a brewing storm within.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Qin Xiaoxiao’s hand at her side clenched tightly. Forcing herself to speak in a normal tone, she said, “Class is about to start. What do you want to say?”

She managed to hold her composure.

Ji Wenchen’s lips pressed into a straight line as he averted his gaze.

He didn’t know what he wanted to say or what he intended to do.

All he knew was…

Those two words made him feel so stifled, as though he were trapped in an airless, sealed room.

“I don’t agree,” Ji Wenchen heard himself say. “I don’t agree to break up.”

“Why?”

Qin Xiaoxiao stared at him in shock as he turned and walked away.

Dang dang dang dang—

Evening self-study session had started.

Late! There was no time to worry about what he meant now. Qin Xiaoxiao frowned as she ran toward the classroom, praying that the homeroom teacher wouldn’t be so punctual in their rounds.