Xia Yaojin first sensed something was wrong while waiting in the cafeteria line for her meal.
The surrounding students were looking at her with a peculiar gaze, not the usual admiration or envy from before, but a mix of shock, curiosity, and a hint of… flirtatious ambiguity?
She carried her tray to a corner and sat down. Just as she picked up her chopsticks, someone slammed down into the seat opposite her with a loud thud.
It was her roommate, Zhou Xiaoyu, whose eyes were as wide as copper bells.
“Jinjin,” Zhou Xiaoyu whispered, her voice trembling with excitement, “Since when did you and Zhu Yawen get together?!”
Xia Yaojin’s chopsticks clattered onto her tray.
“What?”
“Stop pretending!” Zhou Xiaoyu pulled out her phone, swiped open the campus forum, and shoved it in front of her face. “Look! It’s blowing up!”
The headline on the screen was bolded and highlighted in red, striking the eye:
【SHOCKING TEA!】 Zhu Yawen dumps Gu Mingyuan in public, declares: “All men are the same, they don’t smell as fresh as Scholar Xia.”
OP (Frontline Gossip Reporter): Just now! Downstairs at the Arts Building! OP witnessed an epic scene with their own eyes!
Gu Mingyuan cornered Zhu Yawen, demanding to know why she’d been ignoring him lately and asking what was up with that scholarship.
Zhu Yawen just laughed, the kind of cold laugh that made OP feel a chill from ten meters away.
She said: “Gu Mingyuan, who do you think you are? Since when does Zhu Yawen need your permission to give a scholarship to whoever I want?”
Gu Mingyuan’s face turned green. He said: “Don’t forget, our families have an engagement!”
Then! Here’s the kicker!
Zhu Yawen said: “Engagement? I’ve unilaterally terminated it. Gu Mingyuan, let me tell you, I’ve seen plenty of men, and they’re all the same self-righteous, controlling, and dirty.”
Gu Mingyuan was shaking with rage: “You!”
Zhu Yawen continued: “Unlike Xia Yaojin. She’s clean, and she carries the fresh scent of books. Compared to her, what are you men even worth?”
She turned and walked away, leaving Gu Mingyuan petrified on the spot.
OP almost dropped their phone! So, are Zhu Yawen and Xia Yaojin for real?!!
Selected Comments:
1L (Arts Dept Witness 1): I was there! It’s 100% true! After she said that, the whole place went dead silent! Gu Mingyuan’s lackeys didn’t dare utter a word!
3L (Gu Mingyuan’s Ex-Fangirl): I mean… “The fresh scent of books”? What kind of divine description is that? Why am I low-key shipping this?
10L (OP): LATEST UPDATE! Gu Mingyuan went to find Xia Yaojin! He’s at the Economics and Management Building right now!
11L (Popcorn Eater): !!! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Xia Yaojin stared at the screen, her mind a total blank.
The fresh scent of books? Did Zhu Yawen really say that?
“Jinjin,” Zhou Xiaoyu’s eyes were sparkling. “Hurry up and tell me! Is it true? When did you guys…”
“It’s not,” Xia Yaojin cut her off, her tone firm. “Zhu Yawen and I are just ordinary classmates.”
“Then why did she say that?”
“How should I know?” Xia Yaojin rubbed her temples, nursing a headache. “Maybe… maybe it was just a figure of speech?”
“A figure of speech involving ‘the fresh scent of books’?” Zhou Xiaoyu wasn’t buying it. “That is clearly.”
Before she could finish, a commotion broke out at the cafeteria entrance.
Gu Mingyuan stormed in, followed by several lackeys, looking aggressive. Every eye in the room instantly locked onto them.
Gu Mingyuan scanned the room, spotted Xia Yaojin, and strode over with a dark, menacing expression.
“Xia Yaojin.” He stood before the table, looking down at her. “We need to talk.”
Xia Yaojin set her chopsticks down and looked up calmly. “Classmate Gu, is there something I can help you with?”
“Outside. Now.” Gu Mingyuan’s tone left no room for argument.
“Let’s talk here,” Xia Yaojin didn’t budge. “I haven’t finished my meal.”
The cafeteria erupted in a collective gasp. Few people in the school dared to speak to Gu Mingyuan like that.
Gu Mingyuan’s face darkened further. “Are you sure?”
“I am.” Xia Yaojin even picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of potato. “Please, go ahead.”
Gu Mingyuan stared at her for several seconds before letting out a cold, sharp laugh. “Good. Very good. Xia Yaojin, I underestimated you.”
He leaned down, lowering his voice: “You think that by clinging to Zhu Yawen, you can climb the social ladder? Let me tell you, the Zhu family will never accept someone like you.”
Xia Yaojin’s movements paused. She put down her chopsticks and slowly stood up. Although she was half a head shorter than Gu Mingyuan, her presence was not one bit weaker.
“Gu Mingyuan,” she said, enunciating every word. “First, I am not ‘clinging’ to anyone. The scholarship was awarded by the university based on merit. I earned it.”
“Second, Classmate Zhu and I are merely fellow students. Please do not speculate wildly.”
“Finally,” she looked him straight in the eye, “who I am is not for you to define. My value does not require validation from any family.”
The cafeteria became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath.
Gu Mingyuan’s fists clenched, veins popping on his arms. “You…”
“Gu Mingyuan.”
Another voice rang out.
Zhu Yawen had appeared at the cafeteria entrance unnoticed and was now walking toward them. Today, she wore a simple, crisp white shirt with black trousers, minimalist and professional. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she wore no makeup, yet she was breathtakingly beautiful.
She stopped naturally by Xia Yaojin’s side and turned to Gu Mingyuan with an icy gaze. “Did you not hear what I said yesterday, or do you simply lack the capacity to understand?”
Gu Mingyuan hissed, “Yawen, why bother getting involved with someone like this just to spite me?”
“Someone like this?” Zhu Yawen smiled, her voice dripping with irony. “Gu Mingyuan, tell me, what kind of person is Xia Yaojin?”
“She is the top student of the Economics Department, a finalist in seven different national competitions, and a specialized talent the President personally met with.”
“And you? You are the Young Master of the Gu family, riding on your family’s coattails to act like a king on campus. Your grades barely pass. Aside from being born into the right family, what exactly do you have?”
Gu Mingyuan’s face turned deathly pale. Muffled exclamations broke out around them. Zhu Yawen’s words were brutal.
“Zhu Yawen!” Gu Mingyuan growled. “Do you even know what you’re saying?!”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.” Zhu Yawen’s tone was as casual as if she were discussing the weather. “I’m saying I’m done with you. I’m done with your arrogance, your control, and your nauseating face.”
She took a step forward, nearly nose to nose with him, her voice low but loud enough for the onlookers to catch:
“Gu Mingyuan, in our previous life, you destroyed me once. In this life, I won’t give you that chance again.”
Gu Mingyuan’s pupils shrank. “You… what did you say?”
Zhu Yawen didn’t answer. She stepped back and turned to Xia Yaojin, her expression softening instantly. “Sorry for causing you trouble.”
Xia Yaojin looked at her with a complicated heart. When Zhu Yawen mentioned the “previous life” just now, she had heard it clearly.
So, Zhu Yawen really was a transmigrator or rather, she had been reborn.
“It’s okay,” Xia Yaojin said. “But Classmate Zhu, some things… it might be better to clarify them to avoid misunderstandings.”
Zhu Yawen tilted her head. “What misunderstandings?”
“The part about ‘the fresh scent of books’.” Xia Yaojin tried to keep her voice level. “It’s easy for people to misinterpret.”
“Misinterpret what?” Zhu Yawen blinked innocently. “I was telling the truth. You really do have the fresh scent of books it smells lovely. And men really are all the same, none of them are any good.”
Another collective gasp from the crowd. Is this… a public confession?
Xia Yaojin felt her face heating up. “Classmate Zhu, you…”
“Alright, I’m done teasing you.” Zhu Yawen laughed and patted her shoulder. “Go on, finish your lunch before it gets cold.”
She turned back to Gu Mingyuan, her expression turning instantly cold again. “Gu Mingyuan, I am officially notifying you, the engagement is off. From today on, we have no relationship whatsoever. If you harass me or the people around me again, I’ll make sure you realize the Zhu family isn’t one to be trifled with.”
She paused, then added, “Also, that recent project of the Gu family? I hear it’s running into some trouble. I suggest you go back and ask your father if he needs any help.”
Gu Mingyuan’s face shifted violently.
Zhu Yawen didn’t give him another look. She nodded to Xia Yaojin and winked. “Eat well. You’ve got studying to do this afternoon.”
Then, she vanished out the door.
The cafeteria was deathly silent for exactly ten seconds. Then, it exploded into a roar of chaos.
“My god…”
“Was Zhu Yawen just… protecting Xia Yaojin?”
“That look! That tone! There is definitely something going on!”
“So it’s true? A GL (Girls’ Love) pairing?”
“Poor Gu Mingyuan…”
“Poor? He deserves it! He’s always been way too arrogant!”
“But Zhu Yawen has changed so much…”
Xia Yaojin stood rooted to the spot, feeling as if she were at the center of a hurricane.
She sat back down and tried to continue eating, but the surrounding stares made her feel like she was sitting on a bed of needles.
“Jinjin…” Zhou Xiaoyu asked cautiously, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Xia Yaojin mechanically stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth, it tasted like wax.
She needed time to digest the information she had just received.
Zhu Yawen was reborn, and she had clearly “blackened” becoming colder and more calculating. She had publicly humiliated Gu Mingyuan, broken the engagement, and… seemingly harbored feelings for Xia?
Xia Yaojin’s headache intensified.
Her phone vibrated. It was a text message from Zhu Yawen:
“Sorry for dragging you into this without your consent. But with a man like Gu Mingyuan, he’ll keep pestering unless there’s a total bridge-burning fallout. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the aftermath. I won’t let him cause you any trouble.”
Xia Yaojin stared at the screen, her fingers hovering over the keyboard, unsure how to respond. Finally, she sent back a single word: “Okay.”
The Library Chaos
That afternoon, the library was more crowded than ever before. Specifically, the corner where Xia Yaojin usually sat was surrounded by students “just passing by.”
Xia Yaojin tried her best to ignore the stares and focus on her literature, but with little success.
“Classmate Xia.”
A timid voice spoke up. Xia Yaojin looked up to see a boy wearing glasses standing by her table, his face as red as a tomato.
“Um… I’m a sophomore in the Math Department,” the boy handed over a delicate paper bag. “Th-these are cookies my mom made. They’re… th-they’re for you…”
After placing the bag on the table, he spun around and bolted.
Xia Yaojin: “…”
She opened the bag to find handmade cookies shaped like… books?
“Wow, Jinjin, someone sent you ‘love cookies’!” Zhou Xiaoyu leaned in from nowhere, her face full of gossip.
“Shut up.” Xia Yaojin pushed the cookies toward her. “You eat them.”
“Don’t be like that, they’re for you!” Zhou Xiaoyu smirked. “Looks like even with Zhu Yawen in the picture, people still haven’t given up hope.”
No sooner had she spoken than another girl walked over, placing a carton of milk on the table. “Classmate Xia, for your nutrition.” She then ran off with a blushing face.
Then came a third person, a fourth…
In less than half an hour, Xia Yaojin’s table was piled high with snacks, drinks, and even a bouquet of flowers. She finally couldn’t take it anymore. She packed her things, stood up, and left the library under the gaze of a thousand eyes.
Walking through campus, she could feel stares coming from every direction. The whispers were incessant.
“…That’s her…” “…The one Zhu Yawen dumped Gu Mingyuan for…” “…I heard she’s a genius…” “…She’s actually quite pretty in an elegant way…”
Xia Yaojin quickened her pace, wanting nothing more than a quiet place to be alone. She ducked into a small garden behind the teaching building. It was usually deserted.
Finally, peace.
She found a bench and sat down. Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard footsteps. She looked up and froze.
Zhu Yawen was standing at the end of the path, holding a book, smiling at her.
“What a coincidence.” Zhu Yawen walked over and sat beside her. “Are you here to hide from the chaos too?”
Xia Yaojin remained silent for a moment. “Thanks to you.”
“Are you angry?” Zhu Yawen tilted her head to look at her.
“No,” Xia Yaojin said truthfully. “I’m just not used to being the center of attention.”
“I’m sorry.” Zhu Yawen’s tone was uncharacteristically serious. “But I had to do it. If I didn’t make a clean break with Gu Mingyuan, he would have kept pestering me. And…” She paused. “I didn’t want to see you bullied by him.”
Xia Yaojin turned to face her. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you being so good to me?” Xia Yaojin asked. “Giving me the scholarship, helping me out of that jam, and now this…”
Zhu Yawen didn’t answer immediately. She watched the distant sunset, the golden halo of light casting a warm glow over her exquisite profile.
“Because,” she said softly, “you showed me another possibility.”
“Another possibility?”
“A possibility of not being bound by emotions, not being controlled by fate, and living only for oneself.” Zhu Yawen turned back to look at Xia Yaojin. “Do you know? I envy you.”
Xia Yaojin was stunned.
“There is a light in your eyes,” Zhu Yawen continued. “A pure love for knowledge, a simple satisfaction with life. You live with such clarity, you know what you want, and you work for it.” She smiled, though there was a hint of bitterness in it. “I used to be like that, but then… I lost myself.”
Xia Yaojin didn’t know what to say.
“So,” Zhu Yawen took a deep breath, “I want to protect you. I want to protect that light in you so that it isn’t extinguished by people like me.”
She stood up. “Don’t feel pressured. I’m not doing this because I want anything in return. I just want to… make up for some regrets.” She paused. “As for the rumors, I’ll handle them. If they bother you, I can issue a public clarification.”
“No need,” Xia Yaojin said suddenly.
Zhu Yawen blinked in surprise.
“The innocent stay innocent.” Xia Yaojin stood up as well. “Besides, if you clarify it publicly, it might just make things more complicated.” She looked at Zhu Yawen. “However, I hope we can be more honest with each other.”
“Honest?”
“For instance,” Xia Yaojin looked her straight in the eye, “what did you mean when you mentioned a ‘previous life’?”
Zhu Yawen’s pupils contracted slightly. The two women locked eyes for a full ten seconds.
“You heard that,” Zhu Yawen whispered.
“Yes.”
Zhu Yawen laughed, a genuine laugh this time, carrying a sense of profound relief. “As I thought. You aren’t the original Xia Yaojin either, are you?”
This time, it was Xia Yaojin’s turn to be stunned.
“I don’t know who you are,” Zhu Yawen said, “but I know you aren’t her. The original Xia Yaojin wouldn’t have eyes like yours, abilities like yours, or… courage like yours.”
Xia Yaojin remained silent.
“But it doesn’t matter,” Zhu Yawen said. “Who you are isn’t important. What matters is that the you of right now is living well.”
She reached out her hand. “Shall we introduce ourselves properly? I’m Zhu Yawen. A reborn soul. In my previous life, I was a ‘love brain’ who was tormented to death by Gu Mingyuan and still forgave him. In this life, I’ve decided to live differently.”
Xia Yaojin looked at her for a long time before reaching out and shaking her hand.
“Xia Yaojin. A transmigrator. In my previous world, I was a ‘King of Overwork’ who died from exhaustion. In this life, I’ve decided to study hard and live well.”
The two of them smiled at each other.
“A happy partnership?” Zhu Yawen arched an eyebrow.
“A happy partnership,” Xia Yaojin nodded.
In the distance, the sun dipped below the horizon, staining the clouds a brilliant orange-red. A new chapter had begun.
Meanwhile, on the campus forum, a new post was rapidly gaining heat:
【CONCRETE PROOF!】 Someone photographed Zhu Yawen and Xia Yaojin holding hands in the small garden! [PICTURE]
The photo was a bit blurry, but it clearly showed the two of them holding hands and smiling at each other.
Below the post, the hearts of countless young men were officially shattered.