Xia Yaojin knew she had become somewhat famous at school.
The evidence was everywhere, at the canteen, the server would give her an extra scoop of meat, saying, “Little girl, you’re too thin, eat more.” Walking across campus, strangers often cast complex glances her way followed by hushed whispers. Most obvious of all, her professors looked at her with an added spark of expectation during class, and some would even pull her aside afterward to ask: “Student Xia, have you considered changing your major?”
But what she didn’t know was that the campus forum had already exploded because of her.
[Hot Post] A Joint Statement from the Science Departments: We Beg the Management School to Let Us Go!
LZ (Physics Major Who Doesn’t Want to Fail): As titled. I’m a junior in Physics. I just saw a familiar name on the list for the Physics group finals of the joint competition. Xia Yaojin. Preliminary score: 98, first in the group.
I just want to ask those of you in Management, what on earth did you do to us science students? Why is a liberal arts student (Management counts as liberal arts, right?) able to crush us in a Physics competition?
1L (Chemistry Major Seeking Mercy): OP, you’re not alone. She was also first in the Chemistry preliminary with a 99. Our department professor spent three days studying her paper and finally said: “If this student were in Chemistry, I’d admit her for grad school on the spot.”
2L (Math Major Giving Up): Perfect score in the Math preliminary. Simple as that. Our department hunk hasn’t come to class for three days, word is the blow to his ego was so bad he’s locked himself in his dorm.
3L (Shivering Biology Major): 97 in Biology. The kicker was her experimental design section, she used gene editing principles we don’t even learn until senior year, and her logic was more concise than the textbook.
4L (CS Code Monkey in Training): I’ve seen her code, it’s so elegant it’s scary. Our professor said, “This level could go straight to a Big Tech firm for a 500k annual salary.”
5L (Economics Major Eating Popcorn): Wait, isn’t Xia Yaojin from our Management department? Why is she in a thread for science majors?
6L (OP Physics Major replying to 5L): Because she is currently bloodbathing every single science competition! Management students, please control your peer, okay? Stop letting her come over here to terrorize us!
7L (Innocent Management Student): We’re confused too! Xia Yaojin was always low-key in our department. Good grades, but not a standout, your standard “good student.” Who knew she’d suddenly have an epiphany, and a multi-disciplinary one at that?
8L (History Major Passing By): Am I the only one wondering how many hours she sleeps? Management coursework plus six science competitions… is that even humanly possible?
9L (Anonymous User): Insider info: Xia Yaojin wakes up at 6 AM for a morning run and is asleep by 11 PM. Her schedule is terrifyingly disciplined. Plus, she cancelled all her part-time jobs to focus solely on studies and competitions.
10L (Chemistry Major Seeking Mercy): So is she a genius? Or was she suddenly possessed by an alien?
11L (Math Major Giving Up): Regardless, I just want to know when she’ll stop. Finals start next week, and I get PTSD just seeing her name now.
12L (OP Physics Major): LATEST NEWS! Our department professor personally went to the Management department to poach her. He said if she transfers, she gets a direct track to a PhD, a full scholarship, and her own independent lab!
13L (Chemistry Major Seeking Mercy): Our department head went too! His offer is even better!
14L (Shivering Biology Major): Our Dean is on his way…
15L (Innocent Management Student): Wait! She’s our student! You can’t just snatch people away so blatantly!
16L (Anonymous User): Fight! Fight! I want to see a bloodbath!
Xia Yaojin was blissfully unaware of these discussions.
She had just finished her morning run and was sitting in a corner of the canteen eating breakfast. Her phone buzzed with a bank notification:
“Your account received a deposit of RMB 50,000.00 at 08:15. Balance…”
Xia Yaojin froze. Fifty thousand? Where did that come from?
Immediately after, her counselor called.
“Student Xia, great news!” Her counselor’s voice was so excited it was cracking. “You’ve been awarded a special slot for the ‘Yawen Scholarship.’ Fifty thousand yuan has already been transferred to your card!”
“The Yawen Scholarship?” Xia Yaojin frowned.
She remembered this scholarship. It was established by the Zhu family and awarded annually, but the amount was usually only ten thousand, and the selection happened at the end of the year.
“Yes! This year, Miss Zhu personally named you for a special award, saying you are well-rounded and the pride of the school!” The counselor’s tone was full of envy. “Student Xia, you’ve really brought glory to the Management department!”
Zhu Yawen?
Xia Yaojin’s heart sank. Why would the novel’s female lead notice her? And specifically give her a scholarship?
“Teacher, can I return this scholarship?” she asked.
“Return it? Why would you return it?” The counselor’s voice rose sharply. “Student Xia, this is fifty thousand! Don’t you need the money? Besides, it’s an honor, countless people would die for this!”
“I just feel…” Xia Yaojin weighed her words, “it’s a bit sudden.”
“Oh, don’t overthink it. Just prepare for your competitions and try to win a few more awards, that’s the best way to repay the scholarship!” The counselor gave a few more instructions and hung up.
Xia Yaojin looked at the balance on her screen with a heavy heart. She needed the money, certainly, but such an ambiguous gift made her uneasy. Especially coming from Zhu Yawen, the female lead who, in the original story, would be tortured emotionally and still choose to forgive the scumbag male lead.
She scanned her memory for the novel’s plot. At this point, Zhu Yawen should be deeply entangled in her drama with Gu Mingyuan. Why would she have the mental energy to notice a background character, let alone set up a scholarship for her?
Unless…
A thought suddenly occurred to Xia Yaojin. Could Zhu Yawen be reborn too?
In the countless “transmigration” novels she had read in her previous life, this wasn’t uncommon. A female lead is reborn, turns “black,” and starts seeking revenge or changing her fate. If that were the case, Zhu Yawen’s motive for giving her the scholarship was worth serious scrutiny.
“Student Xia Yaojin?”
A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.
Xia Yaojin looked up to see a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit standing by the table, smiling.
“I am Professor Chen from the Physics department.” The man handed over a business card. “Can we have a chat?”
Xia Yaojin took the card. It read: Chen Jianhua, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Department of Physics, University A.
“Hello, Professor Chen. How can I help you?”
“I’ll be direct.” Professor Chen sat down, his eyes burning with fervor. “I looked at your Physics preliminary paper, especially your third solution for the final problem, it utilized cutting edge concepts from quantum mechanics, and the logic was incredibly unique. I wanted to ask, are you interested in transferring to the Physics department?”
Before Xia Yaojin could answer, another voice cut in.
“Old Chen, that’s not fair. How can you try to intercept her like this?”
An elegant man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked over and nodded to Xia Yaojin. “Hello, Student Xia. I am Director Wang from the Chemistry department. We can provide the best experimental conditions and research resources. If you transfer to Chemistry, we offer a direct track PhD and an additional annual stipend of 100,000 yuan.”
“Old Wang, don’t interfere!” Professor Chen snapped. “Student Xia clearly has more talent in Physics!”
“Nonsense! Her Chemistry paper was perfect! Even I couldn’t have designed such an ingenious synthesis route!”
The two men actually began bickering right there in the canteen.
More and more professors arrived as word spread. Dean Li from Math, Director Zhang from Biology, Professor Zhao from CS… The small corner of the canteen instantly turned into a high-stakes talent scouting war.
“Student Xia, our Math department can offer…”
“Our Biology department has a national level lab…”
“Computer Science can offer guaranteed grad school admission and a recommendation to a top tech firm upon graduation!”
Xia Yaojin sat in the middle of it all, feeling stuck between laughter and tears. She hadn’t expected her participation in the competitions to cause such a massive stir.
“Teachers,” she raised her voice, and the surrounding area fell silent instantly. “I am very grateful for your kindness, but I have no plans to change my major for the time being.”
“Why?” the professors asked in unison.
“Because…” Xia Yaojin thought for a moment, “I like Economic Management. Besides, learning shouldn’t be limited by a major. I can continue studying other disciplines while pursuing my own degree.”
Professor Chen’s eyes lit up. “Well said! Learning shouldn’t be limited! How about this, you don’t have to transfer, but come be my graduate student? Interdisciplinary training, you choose the research direction!”
“Old Chen, you…!”
“Student Xia, consider our Chemistry department!”
The scene devolved into chaos again.
Just then, a clear, pleasant voice rang out: “Teachers, could you give me a few moments alone with Student Xia?”
Everyone turned to see Zhu Yawen standing nearby, looking at them with a smile. She wore a light blue dress today, her long hair slightly curled, her makeup exquisite, showing no trace of the tears shed on the terrace that day.
The surrounding students stared and whispered. The professors clearly recognized Zhu Yawen or rather, the Zhu family behind her. Exchanging glances, they reluctantly dispersed.
Zhu Yawen sat across from Xia Yaojin, her smile gentle. “I’m sorry to interrupt your breakfast.”
“It’s fine,” Xia Yaojin looked at her calmly. “Is there something you need, Student Zhu?”
“First, congratulations on winning the ‘Yawen Scholarship.'” Zhu Yawen took an elegant envelope from her handbag. “This is the formal award certificate. I brought it to you personally.”
Xia Yaojin opened the envelope. The certificate was beautifully designed, bearing her name and the award amount.
“Thank you,” she said briefly. “But I don’t quite understand. Why me?”
Zhu Yawen tilted her head slightly, her eyes clear. “Because I think you’re special. For a Management student to achieve such results in six science competitions… that takes incredible perseverance and talent.”
Her tone was sincere, but Xia Yaojin caught something unusual, a look of scrutiny. It wasn’t the look of a typical college student toward a peer; it was more like… an evaluation.
“I just like learning,” Xia Yaojin answered cautiously.
“Liking to learn is a good thing.” Zhu Yawen smiled. “Actually, there’s another reason I sought you out. I’ve started a study group made up of top students from various departments. We’ll have experts from different fields give lectures and work on practical projects. I’d like to invite you to join.”
A study group?
Alarm bells rang in Xia Yaojin’s head. The novel never mentioned Zhu Yawen having a study group. According to the plot, Zhu Yawen should be obsessed with Gu Mingyuan right now. Where would she find the time for this?
“Thank you for the invitation, but I’m preparing for the competition finals and might not have the time,” she declined politely.
“It’s okay. The group activities are flexible; just come when you’re free.” Zhu Yawen handed over a business card. “This is my contact info. You’re welcome anytime.”
Xia Yaojin took the card. It was pure black with gold lettering, just a name and a number. No titles, yet it screamed luxury.
“I won’t bother you further then.” Zhu Yawen stood up, then suddenly turned back after a few steps. “By the way, good luck with the finals. I’m looking forward to your performance.”
As she watched Zhu Yawen walk away, Xia Yaojin frowned. This Zhu Yawen was completely different from the “love brained” female lead described in the novel.
Inside the Physics Building
In an office on the top floor of the Physics experimental building, Professor Chen was speaking excitedly into the phone. “Old Li, you’ve never seen a student like this! Her physical intuition is terrifying! Do you know how she solved that problem? She used a logic I hadn’t even considered!”
The person on the other end was an old classmate at the National Academy of Sciences. “Really? A Management student?”
“Absolutely! And it’s not just Physics, she’s freakishly strong in every subject!” Professor Chen lowered his voice. “I suspect she might be a ‘Super Learner’ someone with a learning efficiency dozens of times higher than average.”
“Interesting. When are the finals? I want to see for myself.”
“Next week. However…” Professor Chen hesitated. “The Zhu girl seems to have her eye on her too.”
“Zhu Yawen? Isn’t she in the Arts department? I heard she spends all day chasing after the Gu boy.”
“That was before. Lately, she’s changed a lot. She came to see me a few days ago, offering to sponsor several research projects for the Physics department, five million yuan right off the bat.”
There was silence on the other end. “Is the Zhu family pivoting? Or is this her personal move?”
“Unclear. But I have a feeling,” Professor Chen looked out the window, “the winds are changing at this school.”
The Library
Xia Yaojin had returned to the library, but she found it hard to concentrate. Zhu Yawen’s eyes that probing, evaluative gaze, lingered in her mind. And that 50,000 yuan scholarship. Money that came too easily made her uneasy.
She opened the campus forum to check for scholarship news but saw a new trending post:
[Title: Did anyone see Zhu Yawen and Xia Yaojin talking in the canteen?]
[Content: The Arts department beauty and the Management department study king? What kind of magical crossover is this?]
1L: Saw it! Zhu Yawen gave her something!
2L: Do they know each other?
3L: Heard Xia Yaojin got the Yawen Scholarship, 50k!
4L: So it’s a “Benefactor vs. Top Student” relationship?
5L: Isn’t Zhu Yawen with Gu Mingyuan?
6L: Does 5L live under a rock? Gu Mingyuan was photographed with the Foreign Languages department beauty last week.
Xia Yaojin closed the page. She disliked the attention. In her original world, she was low-key despite her brilliance. She had hoped to continue that quiet life here, but it seemed impossible now.
“Whatever,” she muttered to herself. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
She dove back into her books. Strength was the best weapon against uncertainty.
The Departure
Meanwhile, Zhu Yawen sat in a luxury sedan, watching a surveillance feed of Xia Yaojin studying in the library on her tablet.
“She rejected the invitation to the study group,” she whispered, her finger tracing Xia Yaojin’s focused profile on the screen. “Such high defenses… she definitely isn’t the original Xia Yaojin.”
The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror. “Miss, where to next?”
“Back to the Gu residence.” Zhu Yawen put away the tablet, her smile vanishing into cold indifference. “It’s time to see my ‘fiancé.'”
In the library, Xia Yaojin suddenly felt a shiver. She looked around, students were studying quietly, and the sun was shining through the windows. Everything seemed normal. But that feeling of being watched was back.
She shook it off and went back to work.
The finals would begin in three days. And certain plans were already quietly unfolding.