A girl came running from afar, her loose bun bouncing with each step, strands of hair swaying gently, revealing a smooth forehead and a fresh, strikingly beautiful face.
She ran straight up to Lin Zhao, panting as she said, “So you’re here! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
Lin Zhao looked at the girl in front of her and felt puzzled. This person clearly knew her, yet the system had never mentioned anyone like this in the original character’s social circle.
Could this be someone the original Lin Zhao had offended, come to cause trouble? She called out to the system in her mind: “101, who is this person?”
All she got in response was the faint crackle of static.
“101?” Lin Zhao urgently called in her mind, but the mental space remained silent—no trace of the system’s voice.
“What’s going on? Did it fall asleep?” she muttered to herself, but kept her face calm as she looked at the girl. “Who are you?”
The smile on the girl’s face froze instantly. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, “You don’t remember me? I’m Pei Lezhi!”
“Pei Lezhi…” Lin Zhao muttered the name to herself. She scoured all the original content 101 had provided, but found no mention of this name.
101 had never mentioned this person—where had she come from?
Suppressing her doubts, Lin Zhao arched an eyebrow and asked, “You know me?”
“Of course!” Pei Lezhi rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know you, why would I be looking for you? I specifically transferred to this school just to find you, and you’ve completely forgotten who I am!”
“What’s our relationship?” Lin Zhao pressed on.
If this was an old acquaintance of the original Lin Zhao, she needed to figure out the situation quickly.
Pei Lezhi exaggeratedly clutched her chest, feigning heartbreak. “Lin Zhao, are you stupid? We’ve known each other since we were kids! How could you forget me? It breaks my heart!”
“Since childhood?” Lin Zhao feigned confusion.
“Exactly!” Pei Lezhi nodded. “We grew up together, always stuck to each other. Later, my parents had to go abroad for work, and I went with them. I just got back a few days ago. As soon as I returned, I searched everywhere to find out where you were studying. It took so much effort to persuade my parents to transfer me here, and now you’ve completely forgotten me. All that effort for nothing!”
Listening to Pei Lezhi’s vivid recounting, Lin Zhao gradually understood—this girl really was a friend of the original Lin Zhao. Since she seemed harmless, Lin Zhao decided to play along.
“I see… I’m sorry, I’ve had so much on my mind recently, I didn’t recognize you at first,” Lin Zhao said with a contrite tone.
“What?!” Pei Lezhi pouted and poked Lin Zhao’s arm. “I thought you’d be surprised to see me, but your reaction is so flat! That’s too cold-hearted!”
Lin Zhao didn’t know how to respond and just gave a dry laugh, attempting to change the topic. “You just transferred? Which class are you in?”
“Class Two!” Pei Lezhi replied cheerfully. Then her eyes caught Xu Ning sitting beside Lin Zhao. Curiously, she asked, “And this? Your friend?”
Xu Ning raised her head slightly but said nothing, feeling tense. Lin Zhao, afraid Pei Lezhi might say something inappropriate, quickly introduced her.
“This is… my deskmate, Xu Ning.”
“Xu Ning, this is my friend, Pei Lezhi. She just transferred here.”
“Hello, hello!” Pei Lezhi beamed at Xu Ning. “We’ll be classmates now, take care of me!”
Xu Ning pursed her lips, softly saying, “Hello,” then lowered her head again.
Pei Lezhi didn’t mind and turned back to Lin Zhao, tugging her arm and leaning close to whisper, “I heard you’ve been chasing Gu Zhuoxiao. How’s that going? Have you caught him yet?”
At the mention of Gu Zhuoxiao, Lin Zhao’s expression instantly darkened, a flash of disgust crossing her eyes.
The original Lin Zhao’s infatuation with him was something she could never comprehend.
Before Lin Zhao could respond, Pei Lezhi continued on her own: “Let me tell you, Gu Zhuoxiao isn’t as good as he seems. His reputation in the circle is well known—I heard about it abroad. He flaunts his family influence, flirts everywhere, and girls around him come and go. I don’t understand what you saw in him!”
Pei Lezhi’s blunt evaluation surprised Lin Zhao. In the original circle, Gu Zhuoxiao was worshipped, and even if someone privately disliked him, they wouldn’t dare speak out.
Watching Pei Lezhi’s righteous indignation, Lin Zhao’s lips twitched into a wry, self-mocking smile. “Who told you I liked him?”
“Huh?” Pei Lezhi froze, seemingly unable to process it. “You don’t like him? Then why did you always trail behind him before? Everyone knew—Miss Lin threw herself at Gu Zhuoxiao, and he didn’t even care. And you still ran after him!”
“I felt embarrassed for you when I heard about it! Lin Zhao, your family is respectable—why demean yourself for a man?!”
Her words were harsh but truthful.
The original Lin Zhao had indeed humiliated herself for Gu Zhuoxiao.
Lin Zhao’s fingers clenched slightly. Coldly, she said, “I was blind before. Now I’ve recovered.”
“Recovered?” Pei Lezhi blinked, then her eyes lit up. She patted Lin Zhao’s shoulder excitedly. “So you don’t like Gu Zhuoxiao anymore? That’s great! I knew your taste couldn’t be that bad!”
Lin Zhao gritted her teeth. “It was bad. That guy… he probably had pigshit in his head back then.”
Pei Lezhi froze, then burst out laughing. “Your description… is savage! But honestly, aside from a good family, Gu Zhuoxiao is worthless.”
Lin Zhao’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t laugh.
She wasn’t talking about the original Lin Zhao—she was talking about the author of the book.
The self-important fool thought all exceptional girls should kneel beneath the male lead, humbling themselves for someone unworthy, abandoning everything to serve as a prop to the male lead’s “charm.”
This wasn’t storytelling—it was satisfying some twisted desire, trampling the dignity of girls to elevate the male lead. Ridiculous.
Pei Lezhi’s laughter subsided, tilting her head to Lin Zhao. “Why aren’t you laughing? Did I say something wrong?”
Lin Zhao shook herself from her thoughts and waved a hand. “It’s fine. You’re right.”
Pei Lezhi glanced at her wristwatch, gasped, and smacked her forehead. “Shoot! I told the teacher I needed to familiarize myself with the school first. I have to go back now—today’s my first class here. If I get caught slacking, my mom will send me abroad again.”
She grabbed her backpack, waved at Lin Zhao, and ran toward the school building.
Lin Zhao shook her head helplessly, her emotions unsettled.
Xu Ning.
She had been so focused on talking to Pei Lezhi that she had forgotten about Xu Ning.
She quickly turned to the seat beside her—it was empty.
Her heart jumped. Xu Ning had just been there—where did she go? Had she left on her own?
Without thinking, Lin Zhao dashed toward the classroom.
The wind in the corridor tossed her loose hair, her heartbeat pounding so loudly it seemed like it would burst from her chest.
She reached the classroom door in one breath, pushing it open, and scanned the room urgently. Her eyes landed on Xu Ning in the corner by the window.
Xu Ning was sitting there, back to her, head slightly tilted, looking out the window.
Sunlight streamed through, casting over her fragile figure, as if a gentle breeze could topple her.
Her long, black hair fell over much of her face, hiding her expression.
In the original book, Xu Ning was described as gloomy, speaking softly, minimizing her presence, afraid of annoying anyone. Yet even so, she was the center of attention—because she was the story’s heroine.
Was that what Xu Ning wanted?
Probably not…
Seeing her safe, Lin Zhao’s tense heart slowly relaxed. She slowed her steps and reached her side, breathing softly. “What are you looking at?”
Xu Ning stiffened, then slowly turned her head, her face expressionless. “Nothing.”
Lin Zhao watched her calm profile, pulled a chair beside her, and sat down. “I thought…”
She stopped mid-sentence and changed topic. “Never mind. Why are you sitting here alone?”
Xu Ning didn’t answer, turning back to the window.
Outside, the ginkgo tree was golden. Sunlight shimmered on the leaves, and as the autumn breeze stirred, they drifted down like dancing golden butterflies.
The classroom felt oddly stifling.
Lin Zhao didn’t rush. She quietly sat with her, letting time pass. Finally, Xu Ning spoke softly: “Lin Zhao… why?”
Lin Zhao paused, startled. “Why what?”