Chapter 3

Lin Yeci paused for a moment. He seemed to realize that returning a love letter in the cafeteria might hurt someone’s pride — especially someone as sensitive and fragile as Jiang Zhiyu.

“It was me who gave it to her. And this is my personal matter, I don’t want to say anything more.”

???

That answer was truly shocking. For the past three years, campus belle Ye Muwan and Lin Yeci had consistently ranked among the top three in their year, often giving speeches and receiving awards together.

If anyone were to give out a love letter, people would assume it was to Ye Muwan. So how could it be for a failing student like Jiang Zhiyu, who wasn’t just academically poor but also not exactly pleasing to the eye?

Ye Muwan’s face darkened visibly. She had hinted at her feelings for three years, subtly and not-so-subtly. Yet Lin Yeci had rejected someone as outstanding as her?

“Do you have some kind of secret reason?” she asked again, unwilling to give up.

Lin Yeci didn’t answer. He just shook his head and quickly left the cafeteria.

Watching his back, Ye Muwan felt a strange mix of emotions. Her pride had been shattered — everyone nearby was from their grade, after all.

People had always seen them as a perfect match, but now out of nowhere came this Jiang Zhiyu, who had no outstanding qualities. Though she wore a blank face, Ye Muwan’s heart was already boiling with anger.

She had to put Jiang Zhiyu in her place.

—-

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiyu and Zhang Qiangyi hadn’t eaten much after the cafeteria scene, so they left campus together. Since they were day students, going in and out was easy.

“Zhiyu, you were amazing today! I was worried he’d say something nasty, and I was already prepared to punch Lin Yecí in the face to vent for you—but you handled it all on your own,” Zhang Qiangyi said, puffing up with emotion as she scratched her head.

“Let’s not be too impulsive. Sometimes we need to be smart about things,” Jiang Zhiyu smiled. At first, she had been wary of Zhang Qiangyi because she didn’t know if she was friend or foe—after all, she didn’t inherit the original host’s memories.

She asked curiously, “By the way, none of them want to be my friend. Why do you? You even transferred schools for me.”

Zhang Qiangyi’s face shifted slightly. “I didn’t have friends in my first year either. I was bullied at my previous school. One time, I was locked in a public toilet at a park. You happened to pass by and saved me. You told me not to be afraid.”

The original host had done something so warm… Weak people really do empathize with each other.

“Well, now you dress like a little guy. I bet no one dares to mess with you anymore,” Jiang Zhiyu said with a smirk.

“Let’s see who dares now!” Zhang Qiangyi said confidently.

—-

By noon in September, it was no longer scorching hot; the autumn breeze carried a hint of chill.

All afternoon, Jiang Zhiyu felt the eyes of many classmates on her—but Lin Yeci never showed up to class.

Finally, after evening study, Jiang Zhiyu, lacking the original host’s memories, couldn’t remember where home was.

Luckily, Zhang Qiangyi came to find her.

Still, that didn’t stop a few classmates from gossiping:

“Jiang Zhiyu’s got it good now. Not only does she have a short-haired buddy, but even Lin Yecí gave her a love letter.”

“Yeah, Lin Yeci must’ve gone nuts. He passed over the gorgeous Ye Muwan from Class 6 and picked the broad-shouldered, acne-faced Jiang Zhiyu.”

As she passed by them, Jiang Zhiyu stared them down, even throwing a sarcastic smile their way, calm and direct.

That made He Shiduo and her clique grit their teeth with hatred — they wanted to rip Jiang Zhiyu to pieces.

Before Jiang Zhiyu could even leave the classroom, Ye Muwan arrived alone at the classroom door and gently said, “Hello, I’m looking for Jiang Zhiyu. Which one is she?”

As if Ye Muwan didn’t know what Jiang Zhiyu looked like — she’d already seen her clearly in the cafeteria earlier.

The boys in class practically drooled. Ye Muwan had never visited their class to look for anyone but Lin Yecí before. This was a first.

They hurried to point at Jiang Zhiyu. “She’s over there. Why’s the school beauty looking for her?”

Ye Muwan kept smiling, though it had a hidden edge to it. “Nothing much, I just want to be her friend.”

“Be friends? Are you serious?”
Everyone was shocked. The school beauty wanted to befriend that person?

Jiang Zhiyu’s face was expressionless and she walked out in a hurry. Ye Muwan quickly followed.

“Hi, I’m Ye Muwan. I want to be friends with you,” she said, smiling like a flower as she extended her hand.

To others, she looked like a flower. But to Jiang Zhiyu, she was hiding a knife behind that smile.

Jiang Zhiyu gave her a dismissive glance and scoffed. “Friends? You want to be friends with me, just like that?”

“Yeci and you seem close. He’s my friend. So a friend of a friend is a friend, right?” Ye Muwan explained awkwardly. “Let’s talk outside—it’s crowded here.”

“Oh.” Jiang Zhiyu walked to the door and casually pulled Zhang Qiangyi along. She looked back at Ye Muwan. “This is my friend. You don’t mind, do you?”

Ye Muwan waved her hand, but the slight nod of her head betrayed her. Though her mouth said “I don’t mind,” she was clearly irritated.

Once they left, the class exploded again:

“I bet Ye Muwan is here to claim her territory. Who’d actually want to be friends with that dummy!”

“I’m guessing Jiang Zhiyu’s gonna cry and run home in a bit.”

“Let’s go watch.”

—-

Night had fallen, but Zhang Qiangyi’s heart was cloudier than ever. She wanted to punch Ye Muwan’s fake face into next week. But remembering Jiang Zhiyu’s earlier advice to use wit over force, she forced herself to stay calm.

“Classmate Zhang, could you wait here for us? I have something I want to say to Jiang alone,” Ye Muwan said.

“What? Got something I can’t hear? Just say it if you’ve got gas to let out…” Zhang Qiangyi snapped.

Jiang Zhiyu gently patted her hand to reassure her. “Wait here for me.”

Then she walked with Ye Muwan to a gazebo on campus.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Ye Muwan finally broke the silence.

“Did Lin Yecí give you a love letter at noon, or was he returning one?”

“Does it matter that much to you?” Jiang Zhiyu said casually, playing with her backpack strap.

Ye Muwan looked around and, seeing they were surrounded by trees and likely out of earshot, finally said, “Yes. I like him.”

“Okay. So what? Why are you talking to me?”

“Have you even looked at yourself? Do you think you’re good enough for Lin Yeci? I suggest you stay in your lane,” Ye Muwan said through gritted teeth.

Jiang Zhiyu widened her eyes dramatically and gasped, “Ah!? What’s wrong with me?”