Chaptеr 18: Сhi Yu and Lin Kuizhi YYDS
Тhe weаthеr grеw соldеr, and thе wind in thе hаllwaу stung their fаces.
Еntеring the сlassrооm, thе warmth frоm thе heаtеr grаduаllу thаwеd their сhilled сhеeks.
Chi Yu pickеd up his thiсk cоаt, turnеd bаck, draрed it ovеr Lin Кuizhi, аnd thеn returnеd to thе classrооm.
Тimе tiсked bу, but the praсtiсе tеst оn Chi Yu’s desk remаinеd blаnk.
Thоugh he wаs back аt his sеаt, his mind wаs still fixatеd оn those twо.
He wаs рlаguеd by аnхiety. Even though he knew Lin Кuizhi was аlrеаdу аwarе of his identity, sеeing hеr standing with Gu Сhen mаde him unable to stop wondering what they were talking about.
Were they discussing how he had ruined someone else’s family and urging Lin Kuizhi to stay away from him?
Would she agree?
If Gu Chen convinced her, what should he do?
A jumble of thoughts crowded his mind. He frowned and clicked his tongue impatiently.
Ji Yan began gloating again, turning to chat with Yue Xin.
“Gu Chen and Kuizhi have been out for so long. What are they talking about?”
“Yeah, the long break is almost over, and they still haven’t come back,” Yue Xin replied, equally puzzled.
[Affection points decreased by ten.]
Ji Yan smiled even more gleefully.
Deduct away, keep deducting. It was already negative anyway—she loved seeing men suffer.
The System, witnessing this, was speechless.
[Host, your mission is to win over the antagonist.]
[Do I look like someone who can win him over? You’d be better off switching my target to someone else.] Ji Yan had long abandoned her goddess persona, lazily leaning back in her chair and rolling her eyes.
[Agreed.]
[Huh?] Ji Yan abruptly sat up, her eyes wide as saucers.
[Now switching to a new target for you…] The System emotionlessly proceeded with the process.
[Wait, hold on!] She wasn’t mentally prepared yet!
In less than thirty seconds, the progress bar was already full.
[Switch successful. Your new target is Jin Zhou from Class 5, Grade 12.]
Ji Yan: ?
The class bell rang, and Lin Kuizhi finally arrived, fashionably late.
“What did Gu Chen want with you?” Yue Xin leaned in, brimming with curiosity.
Lin Kuizhi leaned close to Yue Xin’s ear, speaking softly at first. “He told me to stay away from Chi Yu. What a jerk! Who does he think he is?”
By the end, her voice had grown louder, and she angrily slapped the desk twice for good measure.
Chi Yu’s lips curved into a faint smile. That was his Kuizhi, alright.
Thwack! A piece of chalk flew over, hitting Lin Kuizhi squarely on the forehead.
“Lin Kuizhi, do you have a problem with what I’m teaching?”
The girl’s survival instincts kicked in instantly. She straightened up immediately. “No, teacher! It’s just that Gu Chen from Class 5 said your class’s grades can’t compare to Class 5’s homeroom teacher. I couldn’t help getting angry.”
What?
Hearing this, the previously silent classroom erupted into chaos.
“What does Gu Chen mean by that? Looking down on us?”
“Seriously, our class monitor is the top scorer in the grade. What’s he so proud of?”
“I can’t take this. I really can’t. Starting now, I’m going to study like crazy! I won’t drag down the class average!”
“Let’s grind! Grind till we drop!”
“Quiet, quiet!” The homeroom teacher slapped the lectern and snorted heavily.
“Lin Kuizhi, if you drop to second place in the next monthly exam, I’m holding you responsible.”
Lin Kuizhi shot to her feet, pushing her desk forward. “Understood!”
“Cough, cough…” Chi Yu, who was drinking water, choked several times from the impact.
Just then, Gu Chen suddenly walked in.”Report, sorry to interrupt. Hello, Teacher Xiao, our class has run out of chalk and we’d like to borrow some.”
The voice was gentle and polite, and the classroom fell silent.
In fact, the class had quickly quieted down the moment Gu Chen walked in.
The homeroom teacher didn’t even glance at him.
“Our class needs it too. Go borrow some from the academic affairs office yourself.”
“Ah, I…”
“Alright, let’s start class.” The homeroom teacher cut him off mercilessly.
“Stand up!”
The sound of chairs scraping.
“Good morning, teacher!”
Gu Chen had no choice but to silently retreat. He scratched his head in confusion, feeling utterly bewildered.
What’s going on today? Is Teacher Xiao in a bad mood?
The students from Class Two are acting strange too—why are they all staring at me like that?
Maybe they just got scolded by Teacher Xiao. Thinking this, he nodded to himself, convinced his reasoning was sound.
In the classroom, Lin Kuizhi was struggling to hold back her laughter, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Yue Xin beside her was in the same state.
“Little Zhizhi, you really are something. You know how to shift conflicts.”
After school, Lin Kuizhi suddenly grabbed Chi Yu, looking serious.
“Chi Yuyu, are you confident about the next monthly exam?”
Chi Yu raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Last time, Gu Chen came in second, and his name was right next to mine,” the girl said angrily. “It’s so annoying.”
“Oh—” Chi Yu drew out the syllable, smiling meaningfully. “So Zhizhi wants her name next to mine.”
“No… I, ugh!” Lin Kuizhi couldn’t argue with him. Why did something so normal sound so… strange when he said it?
Why does it feel like the big villain has been acting so weird since he came back from abroad? It’s like he’s always deliberately teasing her.
Lin Kuizhi stole a glance at the person beside her. The smile at the corner of the young man’s lips hadn’t faded yet, and his eyes were filled with a warm glow. The darkness that had always lingered deep in his pupils, no matter the situation, had completely disappeared.
Whatever had caused this change, it was a good thing.
Soon, it was time for the results of the second monthly exam to be announced.
The photos of the first and second place students in the grade were posted side by side on the bulletin board.
To Lin Kuizhi’s surprise, Gu Chen’s photo as the third-place student in the grade was also posted right beside them.
“The young lady has both left and right in her arms.”
“Golden Branch and Chi Yu forever! Who understands meeting at the peak?”
“Under the Skirt, Branch and Chen is the hottest pairing—the official couple acknowledged by the leads themselves!”
“Under the Skirt, Branch and Chen has long since ended. The late-arriving male lead has already taken his place!”
“Stop arguing. Only children make choices—our young lady wants them all!”
“Little Zhizhi!” Yue Xin ran over, looking worried.
The previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
Turning around, they saw a familiar handsome boy and pretty girl standing behind them.
The girl looked embarrassed, while the boy’s expression was unreadable, though he didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
Everyone exchanged glances.
“Uh, I just remembered I still have homework to do. Gotta go.”
“I need to help the homeroom teacher carry test papers. Bye!”
Lin Kuizhi was speechless. Did these people have no taste at all? How could they ship her with Gu Chen? It felt like an insult to her character!
Chi Yu gently tugged at the girl’s hair ends. “The late-arriving male lead who has taken his place…” Not bad—he liked that.
“Yue Xin, what’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”
She anxiously took out her phone. “Haven’t you seen the school forum? Someone reported that Chi Yu cheated!”
“What?!”
Lin Kuizhi quickly grabbed the phone.A bold red headline suddenly appeared before his eyes, with the number of clicks skyrocketing.
【Grade Second Exam Hall Cheating Scandal.】
Clicking in, he saw several photos of Chi Yu sitting in the exam hall.