This was something Xia Shuyue had always wanted to explain to He Ying. Several misunderstandings had arisen between them before because of Shangguan Mingyu, and she never had the chance to clarify things properly. She never expected she’d be able to say it now, of all times.
He Ying also hadn’t expected Xia Shuyue to not only be bold but also capable of speaking up. There was none of the foolishness often seen in angsty youth literature, where a single misunderstanding could drag on for years, tormenting everyone involved. This Xia Shuyue seemed different from the one in the original worldline.
He Ying thought for a moment but still didn’t agree. “No need. If others found out, they’d think I was bullying you again.”
Hearing this, Xia Shuyue grew flustered and quickly waved her hands. “No, I know the young lady has never bullied me. You wouldn’t stoop to such things.”
He Ying’s face nearly flushed from Xia Shuyue’s sincere, admiring praise.
She could handle hypocrisy with ease, but she had always been weak against sincerity.
With Xia Shuyue’s genuine emotions behind it, even the term “young lady,” which He Ying had always found awkward, now sounded much more pleasant.
“Enough, cut the flattery,” He Ying said, pretending not to believe Xia Shuyue and stopping her from continuing with what seemed like more heartfelt words.
He Ying’s own status was even more conspicuous than that of F4, and becoming too familiar with Xia Shuyue too quickly wouldn’t be a good thing.
“What were you trying to say earlier?” He Ying changed the topic directly.
Seeing that He Ying didn’t seem to believe her, Xia Shuyue felt a pang of sadness, but she quickly adjusted her emotions and spoke again. “Whether it was this morning or just now, I’m truly grateful to you.”
This time, He Ying didn’t show any dismissive attitude and said straightforwardly, “No need to thank me. I’m just acting according to my principles. You should just be yourself.”
Thinking of the girl who had been holding her phone earlier, her face full of hope for the future, He Ying added, a rare occurrence, “You’re… quite good.”
Hearing this, Xia Shuyue’s eyes instantly lit up. She was about to say more, but He Ying no longer wanted to continue the conversation.
“Shangguan Mingyu is coming over. I don’t want him to see you.”
Xia Shuyue understood He Ying’s meaning. Though saddened, she accepted it calmly. “Then… I’ll go. Goodbye, young lady.”
He Ying gave a slight nod, her mind already turning to how she would “be nice” to Shangguan Mingyu and Chi Jingsheng later.
And it had to be the kind of “niceness” that many people could see.
……
The fact that Xia Shuyue and He Ying were paired together wasn’t a secret. Many in the class envied her, as He Ying was usually difficult to approach. Deliberately trying to curry favor with her often backfired, so classroom interactions like this were a safe way for them to get closer to He Ying.
But no one expected such a rare opportunity to be snatched away by Xia Shuyue.
After Xia Shuyue and He Ying left the room earlier, many saw them talking for a while, and the atmosphere between them even seemed quite amicable. This only fueled everyone’s jealousy.
She was the young lady they usually admired from afar but could never approach. How could Xia Shuyue, a Special Admission Student, get so close to her?
And so, that day, as Xia Shuyue walked through the halls, she heard more gossip and whispers than usual.
“That Xia Shuyue—first she gets involved with Shangguan Mingyu, and now she’s trying to climb up to the young lady.”
“Is that true? She’s crazy? She stole the childhood sweetheart of the young lady and is still trying to ingratiate herself?”
“Maybe she’s scared. She’s just a Special Admission Student. If she offends the young lady, how can she survive? Although the Shangguan family isn’t bad either, but the young lady’s father, you know.”
“Shameless. Can the young lady tolerate her?”
“Today she got lucky and was grouped with the young lady, so maybe she’s delusional.”
“What does the young lady say? Does she really not mess with Xia Shuyue? If it were me, I definitely couldn’t stand this humiliation.”
Xia Shuyue listened to the conversations deliberately meant for her to hear. Although she still felt aggrieved, she also gained a new understanding.
Previously, she always wondered what she had done wrong to be treated this way. Could it be that just because she was a Special Admission Student, she had to endure all this?
But now she understood: she was actually the watch on the psychologist’s hand from the earlier class.
The psychologist used the watch to showcase his economic strength and status. The people in the school also tried to display their superiority by belittling and suppressing her.
From their perspective, they might think He Ying also needed such a watch to enhance herself. But in reality, He Ying didn’t need it, and she wasn’t a watch.
She was Xia Shuyue. She didn’t need to feel embarrassed, nor did she need to learn knowledge about watches. She was herself.
Her performance in today’s experimental class was poor. Honestly speaking, leadership was indeed her weakness. She had to think carefully and write an excellent report to pull her evaluation back up.
He Ying waited over ten minutes before Shangguan Mingyu arrived.
Originally intending to mock him a few times, but seeing Shangguan Mingyu, despite his reluctant expression, still brought along Chi Jingsheng who maintained his fake smile, He Ying wanted to laugh.
Seeing them approach, she deliberately acted happy: “Let’s go. Next time you should come to pick me up earlier.”
Shangguan Mingyu swallowed his anger.
Chi Jingsheng couldn’t hold back and spoke up: “Do I have to come too?”
He Ying replied matter-of-factly: “Because I like you.”
Chi Jingsheng paused, preparing to repeat what he said that day so this young lady would stop bothering him.
“But I…”
“I don’t care if you like me or not, but I like you, so you have to accompany me.” He Ying interrupted Chi Jingsheng’s words, smiling as she spoke words that allowed no refusal.
Chi Jingsheng sighed: “I understand.”
Chi Jingsheng was defeated, but Shangguan Mingyu suddenly became arrogant: “Don’t think you can use him to provoke me.”
He Ying: ?
“Shangguan Mingyu.” He Ying said seriously: “Sometimes I envy you. You deceive yourself so convincingly.”
“You!”
Shangguan Mingyu was so provoked his face flushed red, and even more miraculously, his eyes soon turned red too.
He Ying looked at him, expression unchanged, and gave Shangguan Mingyu a nickname: “Red-Eyes Brother.”
This nickname made Chi Jingsheng’s fake smile become a bit more genuine.
But adhering to the spirit of treating everyone equally, He Ying immediately gave Chi Jingsheng a nickname too.
“Fake-Smile Brother.”
“Hahahahahahahaha, Fake-Smile Brother!!” Hearing Chi Jingsheng’s nickname, Shangguan Mingyu burst into laughter, forgetting his own embarrassment, and openly mocked others.
Chi Jingsheng’s smile almost couldn’t hold, so he also retaliated with He Ying’s nickname: “Red-Eyes Brother, what are you laughing at?”
To outsiders, this scene appeared as if He Ying had not only reconciled with Shangguan Mingyu but also balanced her relationship with Chi Jingsheng, with the three of them chatting happily together!
At the restaurant, He Ying looked at the fried chicken Shangguan Mingyu had ordered and thought of something. She took out her phone and sent a message to her cheap dad.
[I was originally Ultraman from a prestigious family, but I was harmed by a cunning monster! The Ultraman family abandoned me! Father of Ultra banished me! They even cut off my Gamma Ray! Reborn in this life, today is KFC Crazy Thursday! V me 50!]
After sending it, He Ying felt completely relieved.
She had been fighting desperately for a top-ten ranking at this damn school every day, and it was driving her crazy.
Rather than tormenting herself, it was better to go crazy and torment the one responsible!
Meanwhile, after reading the crazy message from his daughter, a certain dad suddenly covered his mouth, looking utterly shocked.
He stopped eating immediately, quickly took a screenshot of the chat, and sent it to his wife. Then, a video call flashed through.
“Honey! Look at this!! Yingying says she’s Ultraman!! Oh my god, how can she be so adorable? I’m going to die from cuteness overload!!”
“………” There was a two-second silence on the other end of the video. “Honey, calm down.”