Under the morning sun.
Shu Shu, carrying her backpack, stood on the podium of Class 12, Grade 11. Beside her, the homeroom teacher introduced her:
“This is our new transfer student, Shu Shu. Everyone, please give her a warm welcome.”
In the last row of the classroom, Shu Lingchen bolted upright. He rubbed his eyes vigorously to confirm whether the scene before him was real.
Yesterday, after dropping that bombshell, Shu Shu had sauntered off. It took Shu Lingchen quite a while to snap out of it; by the time he chased her outside, she was long gone.
He had spent most of the night searching the streets without luck, leaving him confused as to whether his mom had truly “transmigrated” back or if it was all just a bizarre dream.
Receiving her son’s shocked gaze, Shu Shu secretly gave him a playful, cheeky wink.
Shu Lingchen: “…” Not a dream.
“Shu Lingchen, what are you doing? Sit down!” the homeroom teacher barked. He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and turned to Shu Shu, his tone softening politely. “Student Shu Shu, find an empty seat and sit down.”
Shu Shu scanned the room with practiced innocence. Then, she raised a slender, pale finger and pointed directly at the empty seat next to Shu Lingchen.
“Teacher, I’d like that seat.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the classroom fell into a dead silence. Surprised looks were shot her way from every corner.
The new girl… actually dared to choose the school bully as her seatmate!
“Uh, Student Shu Shu, maybe you should pick another one?” the teacher advised.
The girl in front of him was pretty and looked well-behaved. If she sat next to a little tyrant like Shu Lingchen, she’d probably be bullied until she cried before the first day was even over.
“No need, teacher. That one is fine.”
Shu Shu walked down the podium, strode through the aisle, ignored all the staring eyes, and set her backpack down. She sat beside Shu Lingchen with complete composure.
Two minutes later, morning study ended. In a quiet spot behind the teaching building.
“You…”
Shu Lingchen looked at Shu Shu, hesitating to speak. He wanted to reach out and confirm she was real but didn’t quite dare to.
Shu Shu: “Don’t doubt it. I’m still your mom.”
“…” Shu Lingchen stammered, “Where did you go yesterday?”
“Found a place to stay.”
“Ah? Do you have money? Besides…” Shu Lingchen looked around warily to ensure no one was watching before whispering, “Besides, you’re technically an undocumented person right now, right? You don’t even have an ID. How did you find a place? And how did you become a transfer student? In my class, no less? What are you planning?”
Shu Shu closed her eyes.
This brat has too many questions.
She gave him the universal answer: “None of your business.”
Then, remembering why she was here, she corrected herself: “Actually, it is your business.”
Shu Lingchen: “…”
Shu Shu: “Finished asking? If you’re done, I’m going back to the classroom. Class starts soon.”
Shu Lingchen: “…” He had asked everything, but the key issue was that he hadn’t received a single actual answer.
Dazed, Shu Lingchen followed Shu Shu back to the classroom.
A boy with a hairstyle identical to Marco Polo pulled Shu Lingchen aside, asking excitedly, “Brother Chen, how’d the lesson go?”
“What lesson?”
“The new student, obviously.”
Everyone knew Shu Lingchen’s heart belonged to the school belle of Class 1, Chu Lian. In the past, other girls had tried to be his seatmate, but before two periods could pass, Shu Lingchen would harass them until they ran to the teacher in tears, begging to move.
Because Shu Lingchen feared Chu Lian would misunderstand, he consciously kept his distance from all girls.
Everyone assumed the transfer student would be no different. Seeing them step outside together earlier, the crowd figured Shu Lingchen had gone to “warn” her.
“Pineapple Boy” looked toward Shu Shu and frowned in confusion.
Huh, why isn’t the new girl crying?
Pineapple Boy chuckled. “Brother Chen, did you go soft because she’s so pretty? Tell you what, leave this to me. I’ll handle it perfectly. I’ll have her crying by the end of the day—”
Before he could finish, he got a sharp smack on the head.
“Who are you going to make cry?”
Shu Lingchen’s voice was icy.
Pineapple Boy clutched his head. “?”
“Nobody touches her. Got it?”
Shu Lingchen swept a sinister gaze over his restless underlings. After delivering the warning, he returned to his seat.
Pineapple Boy and the gang: “???”
Shu Shu adapted to being a student again very quickly.
The first period was Chinese. She took out her textbook and placed her hands neatly on the desk.
Shortly after.
A young female teacher entered the room.
Shu Lingchen hadn’t slept at all last night, so he immediately slumped onto the desk to sleep.
After telling everyone to open their books, the teacher noticed the sleeping Shu Lingchen. Her brow furrowed as she called out sternly, “That student, why are you still sleeping?”
Shu Lingchen didn’t budge, fast asleep.
“The girl next to him, please wake him up.”
The teacher called on Shu Shu.
Instantly, the entire class turned around to watch the show.
Shu Lingchen had a notorious “wake-up temper.” Sleeping in class was a regular occurrence. The teachers knew he was a troublemaker and usually turned a blind eye to avoid a scene.
This Chinese teacher, however, was a recent transfer and didn’t know the deal.
Shu Lingchen was the undisputed school bully. Although many people had flamed him on the forum yesterday, they all used anonymous tags. No one dared use their real name.
Because he really would hit people.
In the tenth grade, a male teacher had woken him up and ended up with a broken arm.
If this equally uninformed transfer student woke him up, the consequences…
The female teacher regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. She suddenly remembered a colleague’s warning to never mess with a delinquent named Shu Lingchen in Class 12. She was about to tell Shu Shu to forget it.
But a slender hand was already on Shu Lingchen’s head. She grabbed a fistful of that “turkey hair,” yanked his head back with force, and then let go.
THUD.
Shu Lingchen’s forehead slammed into the hard desk.
The entire class gasped in unison.
“F*ck!”
Shu Lingchen was jolted awake by the pain. He stood up, face twisted in rage, and roared, “Which grandson did that?! Do you have a death wish?!”
“Student Shu Lingchen, class has started. Stop sleeping.”
Shu Shu had a gentle smile on her face, but in her mind, she was already brandishing a knife.
No wonder this little brat is illiterate. He spends all day at school sleeping!
“…”
Just as everyone expected Shu Shu to face Shu Lingchen’s wrath, they saw the fire in his eyes vanish in an instant.
The arrogant school bully suddenly withered. “Oh.”
Then, he sat back down and actually opened his textbook.
The class: “???”
Wait, that’s it? Just ‘Oh’? It’s over??
Shu Shu reported dutifully: “Teacher, he’s awake.”
The teacher was also a bit stunned by the reversal. “…Oh, alright. Let’s continue with the lesson.”
The Chinese period passed in what felt like a fever dream for the students.
At the snack shop.
“Brother Chen, why didn’t you teach that transfer student a lesson?”
“Yeah, she was straight-up challenging your authority!”
The underlings crowded around Shu Lingchen, munching on snacks while questioning him.
Pineapple Boy suddenly had a brain blast: “Wait, Brother Chen! I remember now! Isn’t that transfer student the same woman who was chasing you and swearing at you yesterday?!”
“What?!”
“Holy crap! Then we definitely need to give her a lesson. Otherwise, she won’t know who’s boss in No. 3 Middle School!”
“Everyone shut up!”
Shu Lingchen snapped. “I said, don’t touch her. I’m telling you this for your own good.”
Underlings: “???”
“Brother Chen, are you joking? She’s just a defenseless weak girl. Why should we be afraid of her?”
“You guys don’t know squat!”
Shu Lingchen paused, his expression turning deadly serious. “She… is incredibly good at fighting.”