Chapter 24

To leave the cram school, Jiang Zhiyu had to pass by Shen Xingyi. She only wanted to escape this place of trouble as quickly as possible, so her steps were hurried.

Because she was walking too fast, she nearly bumped into a man. She quickly sidestepped to avoid him, but their eyes met. After a moment, her gaze darted away like she was escaping.

Once she was finally out of the cram school, Jiang Zhiyu felt both physically and mentally relieved. After all these years, she hadn’t expected to run into that eternal runner-up again.

She remembered seeing his younger sister, Shen Yuexi, back then. Shen Yuexi was still in elementary school at the time, but now, everything had changed, and they were now the same age.

“I’m amazing, right, Dad?” Jiang Zhiyu said with a smug expression, patting her dad on the back.

—-

Papa Jiang, who had been immersed in his joy, suddenly snapped back to seriousness. “Daughter, did someone leak the answers? We don’t do things like that.”

Pfft—Jiang Zhiyu nearly laughed out of frustration. She put her hands on her hips, not sure how to explain. “This was a new test made by their teacher, there weren’t any answers to leak. Besides, I only did the multiple-choice and true-or-false questions. I think the teacher just liked me and accepted me.”

Though Papa Jiang’s face was emotionless, inside he was bursting with joy.

When they returned home, Mama Jiang had already prepared a delicious lunch. The aroma filled the air as she brought the food to the table. “Yu’er, even if you don’t make it into Chuying Sunshine, it’s okay. At least we tried. I looked into the Sunflower Cram School. The teachers there are good too, and I’ve already negotiated everything. When should we go?”

Papa Jiang cleared his throat. “Do you not believe in our Yu’er?”

Mama Jiang was confused. It wasn’t a matter of belief—the Chuying Sunshine cram school was really hard to get into.

“Yu’er got accepted into Chuying Sunshine!” Papa Jiang revealed dramatically, excitement barely concealed in his tone.

He never joked around, so Mama Jiang was overjoyed and quickly told Jiang Zhiyu, “Eat more, eat more! Who would’ve thought you’d be so capable!”

After lunch, Mama Jiang brought a pile of snacks into Jiang Zhiyu’s room to celebrate.

Jiang Zhiyu had never received such treatment before. She sprawled out on her bed, crossed her legs, and happily read a romance novel she found locked in the cabinet by the original Jiang Zhiyu.

As a former model student, she had always looked down on romance novels and only read literary classics. But now… she had to admit it—they were addicting. She had grown to love them.

The intense drama, the domineering CEOs, and all those teen-angst plots drew her in completely.

Though, to be fair, the adults and teachers were right—reading too much of this stuff did make people daydream. She even found herself imagining Lin Yeci as the male lead, and herself as the heroine…

Realizing how wrong this was, Jiang Zhiyu quickly put the book away, shivering and rubbing the goosebumps off her arms. She locked it back in the cabinet.

Suddenly, a video call ringtone rang out. She glanced at her phone—Xu Leyun was calling. She had no intention of answering and immediately rejected the call. She didn’t want to deal with that unlucky guy for even a second.

But Xu Leyun was persistent. When the call didn’t go through, he texted:
“Sister Yu, help me! It’s an emergency, please save your little brother!”

Jiang Zhiyu muttered, “Go die somewhere,” and was about to reply when the phone rang again. Her pinky accidentally brushed the green button and the call connected.

“Sister Yu~~ please save me~~ your little brother needs help~~ waaah!”
Xu Leyun was still in the same internet café. Despite his buddies being there for backup, several guys behind them looked threatening, arms around their game companions.

“No.” Jiang Zhiyu didn’t give him the slightest chance. The memory of that day’s chaos still made her uneasy.

Xu Leyun looked like he was about to cry, ready to kneel. “If you help me today, I’ll be your loyal servant forever!”

A loyal servant?
Who could say no to that?

She smirked. An idea formed in her mind.

If she remembered correctly, she’d seen He Shiduo’s username ranked at the top of her friend list that day while gaming.

If He Shiduo came, they might actually have a chance of winning.

Of course, there was no way she was going to ask her directly. But if He Shiduo wanted to repay that bus incident favor, then a little bait should do the trick.

She drafted a post:
“Emergency! Need skilled teammate! Huge reward offered!”
(Only visible to herself.)

Just three minutes after posting it, He Shiduo reached out.

“Think I’m good enough?” Her message was a bit aloof, ending with a smug emoji.

Jiang Zhiyu knew she was tricking her and grinned evilly. “You’re good. Can we meet up? I have a friend too.”

Meet up? He Shiduo hesitated—she didn’t fully trust her. What if Jiang Zhiyu and her “friend” tried to sell her off?

“Mind telling me who your friend is?”

“It’s Xu Leyun. If you’re worried, we can meet in a busy area.” Jiang Zhiyu immediately guessed her thoughts. The moment she mentioned Xu Leyun, she knew He Shiduo would jump at the chance.

He Shiduo giggled like a fangirl, thinking of the boy who gently patted her head that day.
Playing games with your crush? Who would say no?
Letting someone else take this opportunity would be a loss.

“I’m in. Send the location.”

Jiang Zhiyu sent the location—not to the internet café directly, but to the large supermarket next door. She figured He Shiduo might be suspicious if it pointed right to the café.

“Okay, I’ll be there in 30 minutes.”

Jiang Zhiyu didn’t want to step into that café again, but she had to handle the initial setup. It was the weekend—surely Lin Yeci wouldn’t be there, right?

When she arrived at the supermarket entrance, she saw He Shiduo already there, dressed flashy and wearing a thick layer of Barbie-pink lipstick, clearly having waited a while.

“Hey,” Jiang Zhiyu waved awkwardly. “You really dressed up today…”

“Cute, right~?” He Shiduo’s voice was noticeably softer, trying to sound more delicate.

Totally not her usual self. Jiang Zhiyu shivered a little. “Let’s go. Xu Leyun’s been waiting forever.”

To avoid raising He Shiduo’s suspicion, Jiang Zhiyu took the same side road from last time. It wasn’t until they reached the café entrance that He Shiduo’s jaw dropped.

Inside were rows of computers and people furiously gaming. She suddenly felt a little scared.

“Sister Yu! Sister Yu!” Xu Leyun ran out to greet them. “You’re finally here!”

The moment she saw him, all of He Shiduo’s fear and worry vanished like smoke.

Little did she know, she had just walked into Jiang Zhiyu’s trap—hook, line, and sinker.