What are you doing sitting in my seat…
Jing Nian’an lifted her porcelain-like little face to question Lin Jinhuan, but her voice grew increasingly weak toward the end, lacking any hint of intimidation.
Lin Jinhuan curled the corner of her lips and suddenly reached out, gripping Jing Nian’an’s slender wrist.
Caught off guard, Jing Nian’an was pulled to the front of the seat and obediently sat down.
I came to give you my notes.
Lin Jinhuan pushed the notebook with its gilded cover toward her, her voice still cool but slightly softer than usual.
Notes?
Suspicious, Jing Nian’an opened the notebook to find neatly detailed notes inside.
Key points were highlighted with fluorescent markers, and occasionally, two cats tilting their heads were doodled in the corners of the pages.
She secretly glanced at Lin Jinhuan, then quickly averted her gaze, asking, “W-why are you giving this to me…”
Lin Jinhuan lowered her gaze to the girl’s reddened earlobes, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
She placed her hand on the notebook, her slender index finger lightly tapping one of the example problems:
This question will be on the upcoming quiz.
In the days following the last ranking announcement, the girl had been almost constantly thinking about how to teach Sheng Ran a lesson or play tricks on him…
Lin Jinhuan didn’t want history to repeat itself, so she decided to first find a way to improve her grades.
As for Sheng Ran… she would find a way to deal with him too. 🙂
Really?
Hearing this, Jing Nian’an immediately leaned closer to where Lin Jinhuan’s finger pointed, her watery eyes flickering with a mix of belief and doubt.
The tips of her hair brushed against the back of Lin Jinhuan’s hand, tickling slightly.
Lin Jinhuan’s eyes darkened as she softly replied, “Mhm.”
Beside them, Ming Jiahe could no longer sit still. She pursed her lips and spoke in a sarcastic tone:
“My dad can even get his hands on St. Sylan’s exam questions…”
Before she could finish, Lin Jinhuan instantly looked up, her cold gaze piercing straight at her.
“Shut up.”
Ming Jiahe’s face flushed and paled in turn, turning as red as liver in her embarrassment, yet she didn’t dare say another word.
She turned her head and blinked frantically, looking at Jing Nian’an as if pleading for help, her eyes seeming to say:
“Look at her, she’s so mean! Help me get back at her!”
After meeting her gaze, Jing Nian’an’s almond-shaped eyes immediately darted to the side, carrying a barely noticeable hint of evasion and a somewhat timid demeanor.
Watching the two of them exchange glances like this, Lin Jinhuan couldn’t help but frown, about to interrupt.
Just then, the bell outside the classroom suddenly rang.
Immediately after, Song Shishi and Qiu Qing’er walked over together.
Song Shishi wore an expression of utter despair—she really didn’t want to walk with Qiu Qing’er, but this person was just too persistent!
As Qiu Qing’er entered the classroom and saw Lin Jinhuan there, a friendly smile instantly spread across her face, and she proactively gestured toward her.
However, Lin Jinhuan remained expressionless and offered no response.
Qiu Qing’er was momentarily taken aback, quickly masking her embarrassment as she walked straight to Jing Nian’an’s desk. Gently placing an exquisitely wrapped gift box on it, she said:
“An’an, it seemed like you didn’t really like the chocolate I gave you yesterday, so I thought you might like these candies instead.”
Her tone actually sounded more sincere than it had the day before.
Truthfully, Qiu Qing’er was also quite reluctant to endure the young lady’s cold shoulder.
But last night, she had accidentally learned that Song Shishi’s mother had actually become the manager of one of the restaurants under the Jing family!
All it took was Song Shishi delivering a few meals to gain so much!
No wonder Song Shishi wasn’t too keen on letting her get close to Jing Nian’an…Jing Nian’an looked at the gift box beside her notebook. With a soft “thud,” Lin Jinhuan’s slender fingers pressed down on the velvet box.
The sharp lines of her wrist bones appeared especially harsh under the sunlight.
Without even lifting her eyelids, she casually tossed the box onto Ming Jiahe’s desk.
“Are you crazy?!”
Ming Jiahe jumped up as if scalded, a few strands of her carefully styled wavy hair flying loose.
She impatiently picked up the box with two fingers. “Qiu Qing’er! Take your stuff away!”
Qiu Qing’er’s slender brows furrowed slightly, a shadow flickering in her eyes, but she quickly replaced it with a gentle smile:
“Miss Lin, this is for An’an. If you’d like some too, I can…”
“Are you close with her?”
Lin Jinhuan cut her off directly, the black uniform cuff revealing a forearm with faintly visible veins as she moved. “An’an?”
The two words ground out from between her teeth, carrying a clear warning.
Jing Nian’an, sitting at her desk and utterly confused, instinctively shrank her neck…
Qiu Qing’er’s long eyelashes trembled slightly, her fingers holding the gift box turning pale:
“I just wanted to be friends with Jing…”
She gently placed the box back in its original spot, her nails lightly scratching the velvet surface. “Miss Lin, why must you…”
“She doesn’t need it.” Lin Jinhuan snatched up the gift box and flung it straight out the door.
The box traced a parabola through the air before landing with a “thud” in the hallway trash can.
A perfect shot.
The air instantly froze.
Qiu Qing’er’s meticulously made-up face finally cracked, her blush unable to conceal her ashen complexion. “Does Jing need you to make decisions for her?”
Only now did Qiu Qing’er understand.
Even if she offended other wealthy heirs, as long as she befriended Jing Nian’an, no one would truly dare to touch her…
Song Shishi was a perfect example!
She only hoped it wasn’t too late for her to realize this.
The next second, Lin Jinhuan took a step forward, one hand in her pocket, her 178cm frame casting a shadow that completely enveloped the other girl:
“I’ll say this one last time—”
Jing Nian’an froze completely in her seat, her mouth slightly agape, even forgetting to breathe.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened, like a startled Ragdoll cat, glancing left at Lin Jinhuan’s stern profile, then right at Qiu Qing’er’s twisted smile.
Her curled lashes fluttered, casting delicate shadows across her porcelain cheeks.
Her brain had completely short-circuited.
So this was Qiu Qing’er!
But… weren’t the female lead and the supporting female character supposed to be good friends?
What about the promised vicious cannon fodder?
How had she inexplicably become a bystander?!
“Bang!”
Ming Jiahe, too engrossed in watching the drama, accidentally knocked over an ink bottle with her elbow.
With a splash, it spilled all over Jing Nian’an’s clothes, instantly staining the expensive custom-made school uniform with a blotch of blue-black.
……
The air suddenly fell silent.
The girl instinctively looked down, staring blankly at her ruined clothes, then at the two tense figures before her.
Her eyes instantly reddened, and with a loud “wah,” she began to cry pitifully.
Her tear ducts were so active that it was the kind of crying that came with both thunder and rain.
Oh no, oh no, oh no…
These words flashed frantically through Ming Jiahe’s mind.
She never imagined that as a mere spectator, she had, in the blink of an eye, become the culprit behind this chaos.
Hearing the sound, Lin Jinhuan’s brows instantly furrowed, and she rushed to Jing Nian’an’s side in a few quick steps.
Her gaze turned icy as she glared at Ming Jiahe and snapped, “Can’t you do anything right?”As she spoke, she gently yet urgently helped Jing Nian’an remove the soiled school uniform.
Then, she quickly wrapped her own coat tightly around her.
At that moment, by the classroom’s back door, Chen Yang held a handful of sunflower seeds, munching away with great relish.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold in the classroom, he nudged the blond boy beside him with his elbow and said with a playful grin:
“Ran-ge, looks like you’ve got quite a few competitors.”
Sheng Ran was still holding the coat he had just taken off, intending to drape it over Jing Nian’an.
He had planned to step forward, but Lin Jinhuan had already beaten him to it.
His expression instantly darkened as he glared coldly at Chen Yang and demanded, “What competitors?”
Chen Yang, frightened, quickly raised both hands holding the sunflower seeds above his head in a surrendering gesture and explained:
“Ran-ge, don’t get me wrong. I was talking about the St. Sylan popularity ranking among girls.”
“The current ‘Flirting King’ is none other than Miss Jing herself!”
Sheng Ran: “…”