Chapter 26: Little Bad Girl Floats on Air (Extra Update)
Li Shu ultimately didn’t go to the cafeteria. As soon as class ended, Tang Wan and the others grabbed her.
“Several classes finish PE a few minutes early. The cafeteria is too crowded. Why bother going there? Go back to the dorm.”
Meng Yichu, dressed in simple sportswear, fidgeted like a tomboy.
Qiu Ning pushed up her glasses: “Li Shu, what do you think?”
Li Shu wasn’t very used to group activities, but she didn’t dislike them either.
So, the four girls walked out together.
They tacitly went out through the front entrance, walked along the corridor, and went down the stairs from the back door.
Meng Yichu linked arms with Tang Wan, then turned to Li Shu: “Jiang Yi and his group are troublemakers, but they won’t bully their own classmates. Still, they’re not easy to provoke. We avoid them if we can.”
Li Shu couldn’t deny it.
Meng Yichu continued: “Right, you and Qiu Ning go back to the dorm first. Tang Wan and I will make a quick stop at the convenience store.”
The girls split up.
However, halfway back to the dorm, Li Shu and Qiu Ning were blocked.
The girl in front looked every bit the part of a little bad girl, ready to fight at any moment.
“You’re Li Shu?”
The disdain in her voice made Li Shu’s delicate brows knit slightly: “Who are you?”
The girl stared at Li Shu for a few seconds, then turned to the girls behind her, smiling: “Anqi said Jiang Yi treats her differently. I thought he’d be good-looking, but he’s just… so-so.”
Anqi? The fifth-grade girl who liked Jiang Zhe and had talked badly about her in the hallway last time.
The girl finished her smile, playing with the brick in her hand, and said viciously: “Jiang Yi is mine. If you don’t want me to deal with you, don’t overestimate yourself and stick around.”
If it were someone else, they might have cowered.
But Li Shu wouldn’t be threatened by a few words.
Qiu Ning gently tugged at Li Shu’s clothes, whispering: “Seeing that Jiang Zhe likes you, Anqi sent people to deal with you. Who is she? Li Shu, this is Su Su from Third Middle School. She and Jiang Yi… anyway, not easy to provoke.”
Li Shu understood Qiu Ning’s meaning—just go along and act submissive, and you won’t get into trouble.
The little bad girl came closer and pushed Li Shu, sneering: “Jiang Yi fought with one of my pursuers for me today. Li Shu, you know what I mean, right?”
Qiu Ning didn’t see the point of showing off.
Jiang Yi and Su Su’s relationship was complicated. He had one girlfriend after another, not that Li Shu paid attention.
“I know,” Li Shu’s voice was gentle.
She tilted her head slightly, speaking earnestly: “Your lipstick shade is very pretty. It makes your skin look fair.”
The little bad girl froze. Words full of venom had been brewing in her mouth, but she suddenly got stuck.
Facing Li Shu’s sincere eyes, she instantly lost her momentum.
She lifted her chin: “I’m not telling you what brand I use.”
“Really, your eyebrows are done really well. I wouldn’t know how.”
Being complimented—especially by an imagined rival—made the little bad girl float on air.
Honestly, Li Shu had good taste.
“Really?”
“Where did you get your nails done? Very creative.”
The little bad girl puffed up her chest: “I did them myself. You like them? I’ll paint yours for you.”
Li Shu’s voice was soft and weak in the heat: “I like them, but I can’t have them done. I’d get scolded.”
To the little bad girl, this reaction was an unspeakable envy.
Her nails had been complimented before, but only this time did it feel really good.
She looked at Li Shu’s outfit—the ugly, dreadful school uniform—and thought hard.
Would Jiang Yi like a bookworm?
Damn, Anqi couldn’t be lying, could she?
She was finished!!!
Chapter 27: Two Tigers Cannot Share a Mountain
The little bad girl, thinking she had been played, grabbed the brick in her hand and turned to go confront Anqi.
The people behind her naturally followed, filled with righteous indignation.
A group of people entered with great momentum, and exited with the same force.
Qiu Ning obviously hadn’t recovered from the sudden turn of events: “They… just left like that?”
Li Shu lowered her eyes, her fair little face slightly sunburned. She mumbled, “Maybe something came up.”
However… those who commit many unjust deeds will eventually bring ruin upon themselves.
Only someone had to suffer for it.
The little bad girl smoked in the hallway. Five minutes later, the person she had sent to gather information returned.
“Sis, that woman was treating you like a monkey. She likes a guy in Funan named Jiang Zhe. That Jiang Zhe recently confessed to Li Shu.”
“And Jiang Yi?”
“Never heard that Jiang Yi got close to Li Shu. We asked several people along the way. Whenever they mentioned Li Shu, it was always about Jiang Zhe.”
Upon hearing this, the little bad girl exploded. She furiously threw the brick in her hand.
“Where’s Anqi?”
“The cafeteria.”
“I got played around by her, and she still has the appetite to eat. Damn it.”
——
Li Shu and Qiu Ning had just returned to the dorm. The air conditioner blew a cool breeze, dispelling the leftover heat.
“Why are you later than us? Come over quickly.”
Meng Yichu and Tang Wan were sitting cross-legged on the clean floor. A pot connected to a long power strip was boiling instant noodles.
When they went to the convenience store, they didn’t forget to specially buy a glass bowl for Li Shu.
The noodles tasted decent, and paired with canned beer, it was a satisfying meal.
Seeing Li Shu eat in small bites, chewing slowly, her baby-faced cheeks puffed out, Meng Yichu couldn’t help but say, “Everyone used to think you were mysterious.”
Tang Wan nodded: “Yeah, you transferred in the second year of high school and didn’t join in at all.”
Every day, either sleeping or staring at your phone, not talking to anyone.
Yet that obedient-looking face always made people overlook the bad-girl tendencies. But wearing that ugly, ill-fitting school uniform added a sense of incongruity and strangeness.
Even though the school uniform was regularly rotated, and some might call her poor, her family was actually donating buildings.
Over these past few days, though, beneath Li Shu’s obedient appearance, she often spoke with surprisingly sharp humor.
Li Shu wanted to say something, but her phone vibrated. She swiped it open.
Li Maoguo had transferred twenty thousand yuan to her via Alipay.
Li Shu remained silent. Li Maoguo must have been affected—he allowed her to live at school, and thoughtfully transferred money.
As for the reason, she didn’t care.
Li Shu put down the phone and continued eating her noodles.
She quietly listened to the two girls talking. When she finished eating, she leisurely opened the WeChat chat window.
Li Shu’s expression was calm, though her heart didn’t quite match: [Thank you, Dad.]
Meng Yichu talked incessantly: “I still don’t know what kind of background this Shen Yan has. He seems extraordinary. Good grades, yet he comes to our class. Li Shu, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Hearing herself called, Li Shu put down her phone. She had been listening all along, and now just tilted her head slightly.
“I don’t know.”
Thinking that this meal was free, Li Shu pursed her lips and added:
“Maybe his family also donates buildings.”
Meng Yichu leaned over, smiling mischievously: “This morning you were staring at him, right…?”
Li Shu languidly: “No.”
Qiu Ning: “We should focus on studying. Li Shu, what you’re doing is right.”
Meng Yichu shrugged: “Come on, don’t speak so strictly. I used to think Jiang Yi was handsome, but now that Shen Yan is here, Jiang Yi isn’t even worth looking at.”
Her interest in Shen Yan?
“No.” Li Shu’s face serious.
“After all, two tigers cannot share a mountain.”
Chapter 28: Another Energetic Day
When lunch break ended, the group returned to the classroom.
After finishing the last sip of water in her cup, Li Shu lowered her eyes and relaxed her brows, walking to the far right aisle on the second floor.
Only a few students came here to get water, speaking quietly in small groups.
“Did you hear? Anqi was warned by someone from San Zhong. I heard she even got beaten.”
“The one connected to Jiang Yi? I heard the school bully at San Zhong liked her, but her heart only belongs to Jiang Yi. This love triangle… I heard they even fought for her earlier.”
“Exciting.”
“But they lost.”
“…”
“But why was Anqi warned?”
“Who knows? She wasn’t a good person to begin with. I’ve never liked her.”
The group finished filling their water and left.
Li Shu quietly opened the tea cap with her fair fingertips, took water calmly, and slowly returned to the classroom.
Because of the heat, the classroom had the air conditioner on. The office was near the back entrance, and the teachers all entered through the back door.
Li Shu pushed the front door—it was locked and wouldn’t budge.
She languidly entered through the back door.
“Li Shu! Today is another energetic day~” Jiang Yi saw her, his eyes bright.
Shen Yan looked obviously sleep-deprived, tired and slumped in his seat. Upon hearing that, he lifted his eyelids to glance at Li Shu.
Clearly, Li Shu’s gaze met his for a moment, then skipped past him, as if he weren’t there, toward Jiang Yi.
Shen Yan silently chuckled.
The little shorty who treated him to pancakes this morning now pretends not to recognize him?
Jiang Yi grinned foolishly, watching Li Shu return to her seat.
“I checked the guides, and it really works. She just looked at me. Online it says, when talking to cute girls, you have to use particles in your speech.”
Shen Yan found him annoying and kicked him.
“Crazy.”
Meanwhile, Li Shu returned to her seat. Qiu Ning leaned over: “Jiang Yi is sick, he grabs every chance to chat with you.”
Li Shu agreed with that statement.
That sentence, “Today is another energetic day~” made her shiver.
How ridiculously flamboyant Jiang Yi is.
——
It was Li Shu’s first time attending evening self-study on her first day of living at school.
Aunt Xu worried about her, constantly asking if she could handle the school meals, and even said she would bring sweet and sour ribs tomorrow.
Li Shu replied to the message, putting an end to that idea.
Not many students attended evening study; at least the group of second-generation rich kids wasn’t there.
Shen Yan treated them to a meal, drinking mixed beer, red wine, and white wine.
His stomach wasn’t comfortable, but he could tolerate it.
Jiang Yi: “That idiot from San Zhong, he likes Su Su, let him like her, I won’t stop him, yet he comes here to cause trouble.”
Wu Zexi laughed: “Shut up. Su Su is different from others. Don’t forget, you have a childhood engagement with her.”
“I made a deal with her when I was five. Let her find the five-year-old me then.”
Shen Yan threw the cigarette box in front of him, hitting Jiang Yi on the head.
“Trash.”
Earlier he was obsessed with our Su Su, and now he’s thinking about the little shorty.
After Shen Yan spoke, Jiang Yi dared not cause trouble, quietly drinking and still pouring for Shen Yan.
Shen Yan glanced at him, and Liu Dafei immediately came close.
“Grandpa!”
“Scram.”
Once everyone was almost done eating, Shen Yan lazily stood up.
Wu Zexi: “Where are you going?”
Shen Yan dragged out his tone, hooking his jacket with his fingers, and slowly smiled: “I, a model student, have to go back to study.”
Liu Dafei: “Grandpa is so hardworking.”
Jiang Yi punched him: “Pfft, you actually believe that?”
Wu Zexi got up: “Aren’t you going to sing later?”
Shen Yan yawned, pressing the tip of his tongue to his teeth: “You guys go play, I’ll cover it.”
Jiang Yi: “Long live Dad.”
Chapter 29: Spare Your Brain
When Zheng Hong announced that the grades were out, his face was dark.
“Our class came last again! Class Eight’s average score is 0.3 higher than ours! Are we worse than them?!”
“This is the third time we’ve come last, right? Can’t you at least turn it around and let me be happy for once?”
With Shen Yan present, Jiang Yi had been unusually well-behaved these past few days. At least he wasn’t causing trouble or talking nonsense.
Before class, Zheng Hong stood on the podium, looking around the classroom, taking in everyone’s expressions.
Exhausted and frustrated, he had someone post the grade sheets and then returned to his office, head heavy and steps unsteady.
Meanwhile, individual subject scores were also distributed.
“Qiu Ning.” At the call, the exam paper was placed on Qiu Ning’s desk.
Li Shu glanced over.
She was stunned.
A total of 150 points for Chinese, and a top student like Qiu Ning scored only 67—far from even passing.
Li Shu’s eyes wandered over the multiple-choice questions that Qiu Ning had gotten wrong, shock evident on her face.
Finally, she understood why Tang Wan and the others had reacted so strongly before the exam regarding Qiu Ning’s ambitious attitude. That odd feeling she had ignored before now made sense.
No way!
So… Qiu Ning must only be weak in Chinese.
Qiu Ning, holding her paper, reviewed it, satisfied, and pushed her dark eye circles slightly, sharing her joy with Li Shu:
“Five points higher than last time! I improved. Great, effort really does pay off.”
Li Shu: If you’re happy, that’s fine.
Listening to this story of diligence, Li Shu didn’t understand why Qiu Ning had been so confident when handing her the answers earlier.
Soon, Li Shu received her own paper, where she had only answered the multiple-choice questions.
A long line of red Xs was the result of her deliberately changing several answers.
Even several correct answers were altered due to her adjustments.
Bright red: 6 points.
“Wow, Li Shu, even your random guessing in English is one point higher than mine,” Qiu Ning said, holding her 35-point paper.
Looking at the score on the paper, Li Shu remained silent.
Qiu Ning! Just one! Working so hard, yet still a student with scores nowhere near passing in each subject!
What a sad story—indescribable.
She’s just a child; why does she have to endure so much!
Of course, the child was happy, eagerly shaking the sleepy Li Shu:
“Li Shu, my class rank went up by three places!”
Hearing this, Li Shu finally understood how helpless Zheng Hong must have felt.
Under Qiu Ning’s anticipation, she strained her mind and opened her lips:
“Keep it up?”
“Good!!!”
…
Meanwhile, Jiang Yi saw Li Shu lying down and gave up on the idea of trying to get close to her. He tore off the ranking sheet he had just posted and returned to his seat.
“This time the experimental class is showing off again. This top scorer Wang Yu… honestly, if Yan Ge took the exam, what would it have to do with him?”
Shen Yan didn’t bother replying.
Jiang Yi looked at the ranking sheet, stopping at one place:
“Damn, Li Shu did really well this time. She must have improved the most in our class.”
Shen Yan glanced at the paper Jiang Yi handed him.
Out of 46 students in the class, ranking 41st—this counts as doing well?
Even without counting absentees or Jiang Yi’s careless group, Li Shu was still last.
Amused for no reason.
He raised an eyebrow and snorted: “That’s it?”
“Yan Ge, don’t underestimate people.”
After all, Li Shu had previously left her exam blank, consistently ranking at the bottom.
Jiang Yi was second to last this time. Calculating the points between him and Li Shu, it felt like a galaxy apart. He sighed:
“I feel a sense of crisis. Should I try harder?”
Shen Yan lightly chuckled, coldly:
“Spare your brain.”
Shen Yan: “Just don’t humiliate yourself.”
Chapter 30: Quite Impressive
Li Shu didn’t care about grades. During the long break, she leisurely went to the school store.
She topped up 500 yuan in her card in one go. Thinking of the glass bowl in the dorm and the noodles she had yesterday, Li Shu discreetly bought a few extra bottles of yogurt.
She didn’t like owing anyone anything.
Since she bought a lot, she had a large bag filled with various snacks.
Li Shu wasn’t used to exercise, and carrying the bag was a bit of a struggle. Walking half a lap around the playground, she switched hands several times.
Plus, the hot weather made her mood somewhat irritable.
She pursed her lips, looked down, and kicked small stones on the ground. Sighing softly.
Annoying.
—
After a few brief insults directed at Jiang Yi, Shen Yan was called to the office by Zheng Hong.
The teachers of the experimental class were discussing the math paper of the top student in the grade.
“The last question was beyond the syllabus, but Wang Yu’s foundation is solid, so he only lost points on that question. He didn’t lose a single point on the earlier ones.”
“How could a top student in the experimental class do poorly? Especially Wang Yu, who consistently gets first place.”
Although factual, these words still felt uncomfortable to hear.
Zheng Hong didn’t think his class’s kids were any worse.
Look!
At least they were lively!
Just a bit spoiled, heirs to positions at home; few thought studying was important.
Zheng Hong invited Shen Yan in, gesturing for him to sit across.
This time, with the class performing poorly, Zheng Hong looked very displeased. He exhaled heavily:
“Shen Yan, the school has approved your cross-campus arrangement. You don’t need to attend evening study, but don’t forget the promises you made.”
Hearing a satisfactory answer, Shen Yan hooked his fingers on the hot-water cup Zheng Hong had prepared and smiled.
“Good.”
Whether approved or not, he had already skipped evening study yesterday anyway.
At the mention of Shen Yan’s name, the experimental class teachers immediately stopped their conversation, their eyes sharp and focused on him.
Zheng Hong didn’t let him leave. Shen Yan casually rotated the tea cup, giving them plenty of time to observe him.
Zheng Hong asked about his seat. Shen Yan didn’t bother changing it, said nothing more, and, in his observation, Jiang Yi’s group seemed to actually listen to him.
This was unusual. Very unusual.
Zheng Hong quickly realized the answer: Shen Yan had used the charm of his knowledge and intellect to influence Jiang Yi!!!
He felt gratified!
Shen Yan’s long, curled eyelashes fluttered. He answered each question lazily, the impatience rising in his heart never showing on his face.
Finally, seeing Zheng Hong stop talking, he exhaled sincerely.
But Zheng Hong had no intention of letting him off:
“Shen Yan, you didn’t take the exam and aren’t in class now. How about taking a look at the last math question?”
This drew the attention of several other teachers.
“Teacher Zheng, Shen Yan’s grades are good, but this question is beyond the syllabus. Don’t make it hard for him.”
“I explained the solution to Wang Yu twice before he fully understood it.”
Shen Yan lifted an eyelid, glancing at the experimental class teachers.
Amused.
Well, for the sake of the cross-campus approval, it’s fine to give Zheng Hong some face.
He yawned lazily, tone unhurried, lightly said:
“Alright.”
Zheng Hong smiled, took an exam paper from the drawer, careful not to give Shen Yan pressure.
“Take a look at the question. It’s fine if you can’t do it—no one at school managed it anyway.”
Actually, Zheng Hong didn’t have high hopes. He wasn’t deliberately trying to provoke; he just knew Shen Yan was excellent at math and wanted to test his level.
He didn’t expect Shen Yan to be quite impressive.
After quickly scanning the question, Shen Yan lazily twirled the black pen in his hand.
Then he began writing.
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