Shu Yu’s expression instantly crumbled.
She remembered Shen Qinghan’s threat—he’d said he would tell Si Yiheng that she’d skipped class.
She’d been in the middle of adopting Little Orange when she saw Shen Qinghan’s message, and hadn’t paid it any mind back then.
She’d never thought he’d actually be bored enough to go tattle to Si Yiheng about her skipping.
Shu Yu pulled up her chat with Shen Qinghan.
A Little Fish Swimming: Why did you tell Si Yiheng I didn’t go to class?
Shen Qinghan had never expected her to message him first.
He raised an eyebrow.
Shen Qinghan: I didn’t snitch. Si Yiheng came looking for you yesterday.
Shen Qinghan: He didn’t tell you he came by and couldn’t find you?
Reading that, Shu Yu’s palms turned cold.
She’d briefly considered that Si Yiheng might come looking for her, but she’d already told him she had no classes yesterday. So she’d let herself hope.
What if he’d just been at the teaching building for something else?
What if he had his own class there?
Besides, he didn’t even have her schedule—he had no idea which building she had class in.
After walking right past him without him noticing, she’d completely ruled out the possibility that he’d been there for her.
Iron Egg: [Don’t panic, Yu Bao, keep your cool.]
Shu Yu steadied herself, then saw Shen Qinghan’s new message.
Shen Qinghan: Si Yiheng’s got a devious mind. Watch out, he might be messing with you.
Shu Yu: “……”
She truly had no idea why Si Yiheng was pretending to be clueless.
ATM: Red envelope.
Shu Yu closed her eyes and tapped it open. She decided to be honest—lying to him again would probably only make things worse.
A Little Fish Swimming: Fine, I admit I left early yesterday.
ATM: Oh?
A Little Fish Swimming: I really did go to class, I just left a bit early.
She sent him a screenshot of her class check-in to prove she’d actually been there.
ATM: Why leave early?
Her feelings grew even more tangled. His tone felt so heavy, like a parent catching a child playing hooky.
A Little Fish Swimming: I already knew everything the teacher was saying, so I didn’t feel like staying.
ATM: ?
Staring at that question mark, Shu Yu buried her face in her pillow, ready to scream. She wished he’d just say what he meant instead of sending question marks all the time. She wasn’t a worm living in his stomach—she had no clue what he wanted to hear.
Shu Yu: “Iron Egg, what does the question mark mean? Does he still not believe me?”
Iron Egg: [Maybe. Give me a second, I’ll analyze it based on past cases.]
A moment later, it replied.
Iron Egg: [Yu Bao, Si Yiheng is extremely strict with himself. He’s gradually taking over the Si family’s business, but he never slacks off on his studies or his lab work.]
Shu Yu covered her face. “Get to the point.”
Iron Egg: [People like that hold everyone around them to the same high standards! He must have come looking for you yesterday, found you skipping, and decided you’re not hardworking enough—so not good enough to be his girlfriend.]
Iron Egg: [He probably isn’t trying to trick you. He just wants to check on your studies.]
It sounded so logical that Shu Yu almost believed it… though something still felt off.
Shu Yu: “So what should I do now?”
Iron Egg: [Go get your study notes and send them to him! Prove you’re actually keeping up with your classes. Then act a little pitiful—he’ll probably let it slide.]
Shu Yu got up from the sofa, walked to her study, and pulled her notes out of the drawer.
She hadn’t been idle since arriving in this world. Between drawing and designing, she’d always made time to keep up with her coursework. She planned to stay here for the long run—she might not need her degree, but she couldn’t afford not to have it.
She snapped photos of all her notes for that class and sent them over.
A Little Fish Swimming: Brother, I really do study hard.
Si Yiheng fell silent. He’d never meant to grill her about her grades.
But as he looked through her neat, detailed notes—complete with little diagrams to clarify tricky concepts, and tiny doodles of animals in the corners—he found himself lingering on them.
Before he could reply, another message popped up.
A Little Fish Swimming: Fine then, go ahead and scold me?
A Little Fish Swimming: Kitten wiping tears.jpg
The sharp lines of Si Yiheng’s face softened.
Afraid of being scolded?
Like a little kid just starting school, terrified of getting in trouble for breaking the rules.
The thought stirred something strange in his chest.
Did she really see him as some kind of authority figure?
ATM: Why would I scold you?
A Little Fish Swimming: Because I skipped class.
ATM: That was very naughty. What should your punishment be?
Shu Yu stared at the screen, stunned. “He called me naughty? And he wants to punish me?”
Iron Egg’s whole system glitched. That tone… oh my god, he was going to corrupt its host!
A Little Fish Swimming: Lock me in the house for a month, then.
Iron Egg: [……Yu Bao, you’re treating that like a reward!]
Shu Yu held a finger to her lips. “What reward? This is definitely punishment! I’m not allowed to go outside at all. Don’t twist my words, Iron Egg.”
ATM: …So a month indoors means you can skip all your classes for a month, is that it?
A Little Fish Swimming: Kitten peeking around the corner.jpg
ATM: Skipping one class isn’t that serious.
ATM: Have you thought about getting recommended for postgraduate study?
A Little Fish Swimming: No.
ATM: Do you want to apply for a scholarship?
A Little Fish Swimming: Not really.
Si Yiheng: Are you okay with just passing?
A Little Fish Swimming: Totally!!!
Are you kidding? It’s university! As long as I pass, that’s all that matters!
A Little Fish Swimming: Brother, can’t you just tell my teacher to give me a perfect sixty?
ATM: ?
A Little Fish Swimming: Aren’t you the all-powerful young master of A City? (★ ω ★)
She typed eagerly, her eyes sparkling like stars, looking at him with nothing but adoration.
Iron Egg: [Yu Bao, stop! You’re getting carried away with your fantasies!]
ATM: No.
Shu Yu had already pictured herself gliding through college without lifting a finger—only to be doused by that flat refusal.
She looked at Iron Egg, crestfallen. “Egg, is this really the male lead? In every other novel, the young master of A City can do anything! He could even have me thrown to the wolves. Surely he can’t just make sure I pass every single class?”
Iron Egg: [Well… the book never said he’d pull strings for you like that.]
Shu Yu slumped. Lame book.
Couldn’t it at least help the cannon-fodder graduate without stress?
Iron Egg: [Babe, remember—you’re just the side character.]
Shu Yu waved her hand. “Don’t call me that. I’m not even worthy of being side character material.”
Iron Egg went dead silent. She actually had a point.
A Little Fish Swimming: You won’t even help me pass? Then why ask if I’m okay with just scraping by?
A Little Fish Swimming: Are you messing with me on purpose?
ATM: ……
ATM: What I meant was—skip the daily participation marks. If you get full marks on your final exam, you’ll pass easily.
Shu Yu: “……”
What a brilliant solution.
She stared at the screen in disbelief. “Iron Egg, is he human? Does that sound like something a normal person would say?”
“I swear this male lead is not right in the head.”
Iron Egg: “No kidding. Who talks like that?”
Getting full marks would keep her from failing—she could work with that.
She did have another option, though… the kind that fell into the gray area. Like paying someone to clock in for her. That way, even an 80 or 90 on the final would be more than enough to pass.
ATM: When you left the classroom early… was it really not to avoid me?