Chapter 26

Before she could think too much, she felt a pair of large hands press against the back of her neck.

Looking up, she saw Lin Yeci stepping out from behind her.

He wasn’t in the internet café earlier—was he hiding in the bathroom playing with spiders?

“Hey, long time no see…”

“Long time? Didn’t we just see each other at school yesterday?” Lin Yeci’s dark eyes glinted with a chilling aura, like a teacher scolding a student who made a mistake. “I shouldn’t have gone easy on you last time just because you looked pitiful. I should’ve dragged you to the discipline office for a proper lecture.”

He really was like a ghost haunting her…

“Aren’t you here too?” Jiang Zhiyu gritted her teeth, accepting the scolding. “Shouldn’t you be managing your escape room? What, you own this internet café too now? It’s the weekend, I’m just here for some fun, what’s wrong with that?”

She had to admit—this little fox was getting better at talking back. Just as he was about to respond, his phone rang.

His ringtone was a violin piece—Jiang Zhiyu’s favorite symphony from her past life. It was the Rhapsody of Chachermu—a celebration of withered leaves, a cry of despair before death.

“Chachermu Rhapsody… Haven’t heard that in a while…” Jiang Zhiyu murmured. She didn’t like this song anymore, because she was like a new person now.

Lin Yeci glanced at her in disbelief before answering the call. “I’m downstairs. Wait for me a bit, I’m coming up now.”

Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Zhiyu tiptoed away.

Watching her retreating figure, Lin Yeci was stunned—he didn’t expect her to know such a niche piece like the Chachermu Rhapsody.

He went upstairs, holding a thick stack of documents, and walked toward Shen Xingyi…

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiyu pouted in frustration. What a bad day—she’d run into two cold-faced “heroes” at the same place. But what really piqued her curiosity was: what was Lin Yeci doing there?

It was the weekend. Could it be that he came here to hang out with the maid café girls when he was bored? That thought made her angry. She could picture his annoying face and wanted to beat him up!

—-

Later in the evening, Xu Leyun messaged Jiang Zhiyu:

“Sister Yu, guess what—did I win or lose today?”

Jiang Zhiyu thought for a moment, then replied:

“You won. I believe in my classmate’s skills.”

In truth, she figured if Xu Leyun had lost, he wouldn’t be calling He Shiduo “Fairy Duoduo” so sweetly.

“That’s my Sister Yu! You got it right. Fairy Duoduo is the best female gamer I’ve ever met.”

Even through the screen, Jiang Zhiyu could feel his joy. She replied:

“Oh right, I remember you said you’d be my slave if I helped you. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

That was a cold splash of water. Xu Leyun shrank his shoulders. He’d forgotten the price of winning. Acting shameless would be dishonorable.

“Meeting someone as calculating as Sister Yu… I can only admit defeat.”

Now that’s the right attitude. Xu Leyun might love to play, but he had a solid character.

“It’s not a huge favor, honestly. Since you agreed to be my slave, starting Monday you can run errands for me—breakfast, lunch, and dinner queues, and even cleaning duty. Deal?”

“…Deal.”
Even as he agreed, Xu Leyun’s lips were trembling.

Seeing the word “Deal,” Jiang Zhiyu immediately sent him 100 yuan as a living expense. She didn’t want to owe anyone, especially not free meals.

“Sister Yu, this is too polite.”
Xu Leyun felt awkward seeing the red packet.
“It was my own idea to be your servant, why are you giving me a salary?”

“To hell with your salary! That’s food money—for my breakfast and lunch!”

Xu Leyun instantly felt crushed. So it wasn’t a salary after all. For a brief moment, he’d admired Sister Yu’s generosity. Now that he thought about it, she only had cunning, not grandeur or virtue.

—–

It was the first day of official classes at the tutoring center.
The temperature had dropped—it finally felt like autumn.

Jiang Zhiyu stepped on the scale and found she’d lost 5 pounds from exercising. The pimples on her face had flattened out too, probably thanks to the weather and sheet masks. Her skin was starting to peel, revealing fresh new layers.

She wore a white hoodie, white canvas shoes, and carried a white cloth bag—looking quite dainty.

That morning, her mom praised her enthusiastically:

“Wow, girls really do blossom! Look at our Fish-fish, finally learning how to dress up!”

Jiang Zhiyu giggled and headed off to class.

The class only had 15 students—all elites. So it wasn’t hard for them to figure out who scored first on the entrance test. They also knew anyone who finished such difficult math questions early must be something special.

So when Jiang Zhiyu arrived, nearly all her classmates gathered around, eager to make friends.

It was easily the most popular moment of her new life in this body.

“Hey classmate, you finished the test so fast—can you teach me your method?”

“Where did you get those white canvas shoes? They look comfy. Can I get the same pair?”

Just as she was basking in attention, Shen Xingyi walked in with yesterday’s test paper. He coughed into his hand.

The class fell silent. All eyes turned to the test paper in his hand.

“Your scores this time… were terrible!”

His voice was calm and steady, a far cry from the old “forever-second-place” image. She never imagined she’d have such a connection with him. The guy who could never beat her in the past was now her tutor?

For a moment, Jiang Zhiyu flashed back to the past. The image was so absurd she couldn’t help but giggle.

Everyone turned to look at her—even Shen Xingyi glared at her sternly.

“What do you mean by that, Jiang Zhiyu? Was what I said funny to you? You might’ve done well this time, but I’m still your teacher and elder. You think your knowledge surpasses mine?”

Jiang Zhiyu cursed in her heart but smiled on the surface and made up an excuse:

“Sorry, sir. I saw a little bird outside the window dancing…”

“A bird?” Shen Xingyi got even angrier.
“Are you mocking me?!”

Damn it—forever-second really had a vivid imagination. He thought she was sarcastically calling him noisy like a bird.

Maybe that’s why she never liked him much back then.

The classmates, of course, were thrilled to see this drama. They egged them on.

“Teacher, she must think she’s better than you. That’s why she said that!”

“Yeah! Why don’t you two have a showdown, teach her a lesson!”

Jiang Zhiyu knew her classmates meant no harm. They were just curious to see how good this once second-in-the-nation, now Peking University teacher really was.