19 – The Mysterious Jin Zhi
With the matter concerning Jin Zhi resolved, it was time to get down to business.
Yao Lu posted the exam seating chart on the door and said:
“Tomorrow morning is the start-of-term exam. At this stage, there won’t be any more rolling adjustments. Most of the classmates you have now will likely stay with you until the end.”
“The start-of-term exam is mainly to check whether anyone slacked off during the holiday. It’s the final year now—everyone, hang in there a little longer and push yourselves. Your future is something you carve out for yourselves.”
“Next, I’ll call out your names. Later, check your exam seating yourselves. Don’t be late tomorrow morning. Study well and do your best on the exam.”
…
After giving a few routine reminders, the teacher left.
Everyone quietly settled down in the classroom to review, picking up their books to read or working on practice problems, preparing for the next day’s exam.
After all, the students in Class A were among the top tier of the school. No one wanted to let their grades slip over the holiday.
During the afternoon, Fu Yao was kindly helped by Teacher Yao Lu to retrieve her school uniform. The afternoon passed quickly, calm and uneventful as usual.
After class, Qin Ke invited Fu Yao to eat together. Fu Yao wanted to go back to the dormitory first to put away her clothes before eating. Qin Ke, however, was a true food enthusiast at heart—nothing could stand between her and a meal. She clung to Fu Yao and put on a melodramatic act:
“Wahhh, this is my last chance to hang out with a beauty this afternoon. Go put your clothes away. My stomach is already empty—I’m so hungry I could eat the whole world. I’ll go ahead first, boohoo.”
Fu Yao patted her on the back. “Alright, alright, go on then.”
As soon as she let go, Qin Ke started chanting, “Hehehe, food, food!” and skipped away happily.
Fu Yao watched the girl and smiled helplessly.
Such a lively, adorable girl—how nice.
She felt a pang of envy again.
Her gaze drifted to Jin Zhi’s seat. The wolf cub either stayed motionless at his desk after class or vanished without a trace—no one ever knew where he went.
Carrying her clothes, she walked back at a leisurely pace.
Many people around her were watching, curious about how someone could be so gentle and poised, exuding elegance and grace in every way. While she seemed out of place among them, she was also deeply admired.
Like a noble white swan on stage, a natural-born protagonist—admired from afar but out of reach. They were all just spectators below, ordinary yet yearning.
“Speaking of which, isn’t the school beauty poll about to heat up again? Isn’t it time for our school’s beauty queen to change?”
Hearing this, everyone grew interested.
Every year when new students arrived, a group of bored and idle people would organize polls for the school’s most beautiful girl and most handsome boy, ranking the high-quality male and female students of the entire school.
Each year, it was a war without smoke—everyone argued fiercely.
Last year’s school beauty was Xu Jing’en, who had transferred in the previous semester—though she was rather blunt and straightforward, she was undeniably pretty.
Of course, there were also peaceful outcomes.
Like Jin Zhi two years ago, who won the title of school heartthrob with an overwhelming lead.
A pity, though—that title didn’t last long.
While everyone cared about looks, the school beauty and heartthrob titles were more about likability. As for Jin Zhi… could anyone really like him just for his looks, ignoring everything else?
Back then, Su Hangyi refused to accept that Jin Zhi was the school heartthrob and challenged him to a one-on-one. But the moment he touched Jin Zhi, Jin Zhi viciously bit his hand, refusing to let anyone get close—like a rabid dog.
It left Su Hangyi with quite a psychological scar.
At the mention of the “school belle” post, Xu Jing’en tensed up, pursing her lips as a sense of crisis shot up her spine.
She didn’t want to lose the title of school belle.
But she also wouldn’t forget what kind of person Fu Yao truly was.
She didn’t dare act recklessly.
Why did it have to be Fu Yao!
This woman… was simply not normal!
…
Humming a tune, Fu Yao carried her clothes back to the dormitory and then headed leisurely toward the cafeteria.
Not many people liked wearing the school uniform, and she was no exception.
She didn’t deny that she was vain and narcissistic, enjoying others’ praise and recognition.
So, the fewer days she had to wear the uniform, the better.
Besides, washing clothes in this weather was freezing, and without a washing machine or special circumstances, she’d never change clothes twice in one day.
Just as she reached the small grove not far from the dormitory, she spotted a familiar figure standing with two strangers.
She paused and looked more closely… It was Jin Zhi.
And the two people beside Jin Zhi, Fu Yao happened to recognize them as well.
They were Chen Chang and Shen Yao, the two legendary top-tier geniuses in their respective fields.
Jin Zhi pulled two stacks of homework from his woven plastic bag and handed them over.
In return, each of them gave Jin Zhi two red bills.
If nothing went wrong, Jin Zhi’s little notebook would soon record another +400.
With the transaction complete, Chen Chang and Shen Yao both wore expressions of joy and satisfaction.
They were clearly experienced, likely long-term collaborators.
They instinctively reached out to pat Jin Zhi’s shoulder, but Jin Zhi flinched backward, avoiding their touch. His previously calm expression instantly turned wary, his eyes coldly glaring at the two.
Slightly embarrassed, they rubbed the backs of their heads and said something to soothe Jin Zhi, calming him down a little.
Once the transaction was done, Jin Zhi picked up his woven plastic bag and prepared to leave.
Chen Chang and Shen Yao acted as if they were seeing off a revered figure—their attitude could be summed up in one word: respect!
Fu Yao found the scene both amusing and exasperating. Even though she couldn’t hear them, she could roughly guess what was happening.
The little wolf cub’s money-making methods were quite unconventional.
Doing homework for others—not bad at all.
Fu Yao initially intended to leave, but after a moment’s thought, she decided to follow Jin Zhi and try to interact with him more.
To her surprise, Jin Zhi moved with startling speed, eventually sneaking into a small, hidden corner.
He took out a well-sealed metal lunchbox from his bag. Inside, besides plain white rice, there were only shredded potatoes and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, accompanied by two pieces of cabbage.
Not a single speck of meat was in sight.
Fu Yao thought Jin Zhi was about to start eating, but instead, he placed the lunchbox on the ground.
She didn’t understand at first, but it soon became clear.
From the opposite bushes, several tiny kittens emerged one after another—five in total.
Two black cats, two black-and-white cats, and one white cat. They looked about one or two months old, so thin their bones were visible. Clearly, their mother hadn’t been feeding them properly.
The kittens gathered around Jin Zhi’s lunchbox and began eating slowly. Their familiarity and lack of hesitation showed this wasn’t their first time.
The handsome youth crouched there, his long black hair slightly disheveled, his gaze calm and content. In the woods, under the twilight, alongside the kittens, he made the whole world seem more beautiful.
Fu Yao couldn’t help but secretly capture this scene with her phone. Looking at her masterpiece, a great sense of satisfaction welled up inside her.
But with one small movement, she stepped on a fallen branch on the ground.
Crack—
The crisp sound startled the wolf cub over there.
Fu Yao: “…”
——Author’s Note——
Fu Yao is a bad woman, but also a mom fan of the wolf cub (For now, there’s no romance between them. Fu Yao helps the wolf cub purely out of guilt and empathy, but that doesn’t stop us from shipping them.)