The family shapes the person.
Lu Shinian had always thought this saying held little truth. Lu Zhenghong was a man of unyielding integrity throughout his life, while Chai Ping appeared smooth but was actually stubborn to the core. Her sister, Lu Shiyin, never sought trouble but never shied away from it either. The whole family was made of tough stuff except for her. To put it nicely, she was adaptable; to put it bluntly, she was shameless.
But she didn’t see anything wrong with that. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have thrived so effortlessly in the workplace. If Xu Man hadn’t stabbed her in the back later, she might have climbed even higher.
In any case, revenge is a dish best served cold. When under someone else’s roof, one must learn to bow their head.
Take the current situation, for example. She had no idea how she’d managed to provoke these people, but given how weak she was, there was no way she could take on three at once. Yu He might not even help her most likely, she’d just call the police.
Girls fighting was an ugly sight, scratching and clawing, not just embarrassing but also painful. She didn’t want to end up covered in claw marks.
And if she actually fought back, dealing with the aftermath would be a hassle.
So Lu Shinian made a wise choice: I’ll pay you, so don’t hit me.
It was just that Yu He was giving her a strange look.
Tch. Let her laugh if she wanted.
The blonde girl looked down at her haughtily. “You’ve got money?”
Chai Ping had raised her daughter in comfort strict but never lacking in material things.
Lu Shinian replied modestly, “I do alright.”
“Paying to avoid a beating isn’t impossible, but I am doing a friend a favor. So about the money… you get it, right?” The blonde girl flicked the bills in her hand, her eyes gleaming with greed.
Lu Shinian glanced at the time on the screen by the entrance. Most of the lunch break was already gone, and if this dragged on, she wouldn’t even have time for a nap.
“Do you have a QR code?” Lu Shinian asked. “I’ll scan to pay.”
Yu He: “…”
Going out to buy milk tea and getting robbed.
It sounded like something absurd and unlucky yet here it was, actually happening.
The moment the group turned to leave, Yu He’s icy voice cut through the air, delivering her first words to Lu Shinian in two days: “More money than sense.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the school gate.
Lu Shinian chased after her, laughing. “They were pretty professional, huh? I really didn’t expect them to have a piece of paper with a payment code ready. I thought she’d pull out her phone for me to scan.”
Yu He kept walking, her pace quickening. Soon, there were two steps between them.
“Slow down,” Lu Shinian called, lengthening her stride to catch up. “I bought you milk tea.”
Yu He stopped abruptly and turned around.
Lu Shinian didn’t react in time, crashing straight into Yu He’s gaze.
For a few seconds, they just stared at each other.
“You came out just to buy this?” Yu He asked, expressionless.
Lu Shinian tilted her head and smiled leisurely. “Yeah. Didn’t I promise to buy you milk tea last time? I always keep my word.”
Yu He fell silent for a moment. “Don’t leave campus too often these days. Go home early after school.”
Lu Shinian frowned. “Why?”
Yu He: “If you don’t want to go bankrupt, listen to me.”
If anyone else had said it, Lu Shinian might not have believed them. But coming from Yu He, she only hesitated briefly before agreeing readily. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Yu He remained silent.
Lu Shinian handed over the milk tea in her hand. “Here, take it.”
“I don’t drink it,” Yu He said.
“Classmate Yu, just do me this favor. This isn’t just any ordinary cup of milk tea.”
It carried the weight of her five hundred bucks.
Lu Shinian declared passionately, “It’s filled with my sincere affection and fervor for you.”
Yu He swept a glance over her face.
Lu Shinian paused slightly, instantly lowering her voice. “Friendship, it’s my friendship for you, all hidden in this cup of milk tea.”
Only then did Yu He lower her eyes, reverting to her usual indifferent demeanor.
Lu Shinian licked her lips. So scary. If she had hesitated even a second longer, Yu He might have really killed her with that glare. “So, take a sip. It’s really good.”
Come on, just one sip. Take it and try it.
Lu Shinian stared straight at Yu He, her eyes bright and clear. “If you don’t drink it soon, it’ll really go bad.”
Yu He blinked silently, then parted her lips slightly. “Mm, thanks.”
Seeing Yu He accept the milk tea, Lu Shinian raised an eyebrow. They should be back to their previous relationship now.
Yu He suddenly said, “Don’t look at me like that next time.”
“…”
“It’s weird.”
Lu Shinian opened her mouth, baffled. What was weird about it?
During Chinese class in the afternoon, Liang Hongying lectured on classical Chinese from the podium, her voice practically a lullaby. The students below were nearly all slumped over in drowsiness.
Lu Shinan had only napped for ten minutes at noon, and now her head was nodding precariously. The classroom wasn’t air-conditioned, so she was sweating just sitting there.
Drowsy and overheated, it was unbearable.
Every time she closed her eyes, Yu Jingjing would nudge her awake, and this cycle repeated until the bell rang.
The sound of the dismissal bell was like heavenly music to Lu Shinian’s ears. She immediately dropped her head onto the desk and fell into a deep sleep.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when a few light knocks sounded on the desk beside her.
“Class is starting,” came a cool, detached voice.
Lu Shinian’s temples throbbed painfully, and the voice sounded distant, almost unreal.
Then, a few more soft taps echoed on the desk.
Lu Shinian blindly reached out toward the source of the sound and grabbed hold. “Jingjing, stop knocking. Let me sleep a little longer.”
“…”
‘Yu Jingjing’ pressed her lips together. “Let go.”
Why so harsh?
Lu Shinian lifted her head from her arms and, in her dazed state, caught sight of Yu He’s icy expression. A jolt of terror shot through her.
She immediately released her grip.
Yu He’s dark eyes were solemn as she asked, “Awake now?”
“Awake,” Lu Shinian replied, rubbing her face. She was truly awake now, scared awake.
“Mm.”
Yu He mimicked Lu Shinian’s action by rubbing her own ear before walking back to her seat.
Lu Shinian sat up straight, only snapping out of her daze when the second bell officially rang.
Wait.
Had she just held Yu He’s hand?
Yu He must have realized she’d mistaken her for someone else, so she wouldn’t misunderstand, right?
Yu Jingjing returned with her water bottle. “You’re awake. I was going to wake you up again when I got back.”
Lu Shinian suddenly grabbed Yu Jingjing’s hand, staring at her intently.
Yu Jingjing frowned. “What’s wrong? Still half-asleep? Your eyes are so small.”
“…”
Lu Shinian let go and averted her gaze. “Did you think it was weird?”
“Weird how?”
“Me touching your hand and staring at you like that.”
Yu Jingjing shook her head. “Not weird.”
Lu Shinian shrugged, “Right? Not strange at all.”
If it were strange, it would definitely be because of Yu He.
Yu Jingjing remarked, “I think you’re the strange one. This is physics class, and you’re holding a chemistry textbook.”
On Sunday evening, a family friend of the Lu family was celebrating his fiftieth birthday. Chai Ping and Lu Zhenhong brought Lu Shinian along as guests.
In the private dining room of the hotel, the table was filled with industry elites who spoke in nothing but bureaucratic jargon and diplomatic rhetoric. If you asked them a question, they’d give you a long-winded response that ultimately said nothing at all.
Back then, Lu Shinian used to think their words carried deep meaning. Now, she realized it was all just empty promises. Stick around long enough, and you could talk like that too.
One after another, people came to toast Lu Zhenhong and Chai Ping. After a few polite exchanges, the conversation inevitably turned to Lu Shinian, the natural topic of interest.
“Little Shinian, you’ve grown so tall! The last time I saw you, you were still in middle school.”
Chai Ping chimed in, “Yes, she’s all grown up now.”
Lu Shinian forced what she thought was a gracious smile and greeted, “Hello, Uncle.”
“By the way, I heard Shinian is studying at Yan High now. The director there is an old classmate of mine, if you ever need anything, just let me know.”
Lu Shinian smiled. The next step after mentioning school was always…
“Shinian, how are your grades?”
With practiced ease, Lu Shinian replied smoothly, “Thank you for your concern, Uncle. I’m still struggling in some subjects and haven’t reached my ideal level. There’s plenty of room for improvement, so I’m working hard to achieve better results in the future.”
Her response was flawless, a perfect imitation of the corporate-speak she’d heard all night.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Chai Ping’s face, though she maintained her smile.
The man said, “Well, keep working hard. Your sister set a high bar, it’ll take effort to surpass her.”
After the birthday banquet, their driver took them home.
In the car, Chai Ping said, “Next time, let’s not bring Shinian to these social events.”
Lu Zhenhong asked, “Why not?”
Chai Ping glanced at Lu Shinian. “It’s a bad influence on her. Did you hear what she said at the table today? That didn’t sound like something a high schooler should say. Instead of learning the right things, she’s picked up all this nonsense.”
Chai Ping always had the final say in family matters. Lu Zhenhong merely added, “Kids don’t understand these things.”
“Which is why she needs to be corrected,” Chai Ping said.
Leaning against the car window, Lu Shinian stayed silent the entire time.
Truthfully, she still didn’t fully understand Chai Ping’s expectations. Being too polished was bad, being too naive was bad, anything that fell short of her standards was a failure.
If she had bluntly admitted her grades weren’t good, Chai Ping would’ve felt humiliated and mocked her in front of everyone.
This was Chai Ping’s usual approach, what books often referred to as “oppressive parenting.”
It seemed like the only person who ever met Chai Ping’s standards was Lu Shiyin, while Lu Shinian was forever inadequate. As a child, she used to feel hurt and work hard in school, hoping for praise from Chai Ping and Lu Zhenhong.
Later, she realized Lu Shiyin wasn’t just meeting the standard, she was the standard, an impossible benchmark Lu Shinian could never surpass.
She had thought that being reborn would free her from this shadow. But habits were terrifying things her thoughts and actions were already set in stone. Changing them now would be as difficult as a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate.
Faced with Chai Ping’s words, she still had no way to respond. The only thing she could do was remain silent, unlike before when she would protest and argue, exhausting herself internally.
Lu Shinian stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel while picking up her phone from the bed.
A message sent ten minutes ago caught her eye.
[Yu He: Are you free now?]
Lu Shinian paused mid-motion, double-checking the sender’s name before raising an eyebrow slightly.
[A Deer: Student Yu, can I assume you’re asking me out?]
[Yu He: Mm, I have something to discuss.]
[A Deer: Send me the location.]
Moving quietly into the living room, Lu Shinian confirmed that both Chai Ping and Lu Zhenhong had retreated to their rooms. She tossed the damp towel onto the sofa, landing it perfectly over the security camera.
Somewhere in the neighborhood, a dog barked incessantly.
Lu Shinian stealthily wheeled out her electric scooter, hopped on, and sped off into the night.