Chapter 21 (Part 2)

The majority of people in the corridor who heard the conversation were looking at Zhao Yuan with an odd expression. When a girl from the neighboring Gold Medal Class passed Mingxi by, she gave her a thumbs up. “Sister, I like how direct you were with such a fake b*tch.”

Mingxi’s eyes were clear as she replied to her with a flying kiss.

Nonetheless, there were a few boys who felt as if Zhao Mingxi was being unreasonable.

The guys who came with Li Haiyang just now were all from the Evergreen Class, so they were definitely closer to Zhao Yuan. When they saw what happened before they left, they were all in favor of Zhao Yuan.

One of the boys couldn’t help but to speak out, “I’ve seen something new. Despite her beauty, she sure has a sharp tongue.”

Li Haiyang who was beside him wanted to pull him away, but he continued to speak, “Zhao Mingxi, Zhao Yuan is merely showing her concern for you. Can you not retort her so harshly? Those who don’t know will think that you might be jealous of her! It’s almost her birthday soon, but you have yet to even wish her happy birthday.”

The love of the young was indeed shallow. They all cared only for appearances.

Mingxi didn’t care about these boys, but she didn’t want those who were ignorant of the truth to criticize her like this.

Just as she was about to say something, the windows slammed open with a loud bang. Fu Yangxi appeared with a somber expression. “Jealous of her? Is she jealous that she’s not as pretty as Zhao Mingxi or as sweet-smelling as Zhao Mingxi? Let me get this clear. How could Zhao Mingxi be jealous of others when she has me as her desk mate? That guy called Li Jingyu or whatever, what are you looking at—”

Before Fu Yangxi finished, he was about to jump out from the windows. When everyone in the corridor saw this, they ran away. Even those from the Evergreen Class fled downstairs.

Mingxi: “…”

Sweet-smelling?

Mingxi wondered if Fu Yangxi didn’t learn his vocabulary properly. He couldn’t even differentiate between humans and desserts.

Mingxi returned to class. When she sat down in her seat, she couldn’t help but to say to Fu Yangxi, “His name is Li Haiyang.”

Ke Chengwen snorted in laughter.

However, Fu Yangxi had yet to pull back the scary expression on his face. He didn’t have the mood to care about how Zhao Mingxi actually remembered that guy’s name nor did he care about Ke Chengwen.

He stood there and watched as Zhao Mingxi sat down. He swallowed the lump in his throat, as if he was close to losing it yet he managed to control himself again. There was a fire in his stomach that he had nowhere to vent to.

When he saw how Zhao Mingxi had taken out a draft paper and continued to revise, Fu Yangxi dragged his chair and sat down as well. He observed her for a while.

He pulled a long face, but his voice was soft when he asked, “Is everyone in your family like this?”

Mingxi didn’t want to talk about it. Although Fu Yangxi had helped her once more, and there seemed to be a sort of friendship between a follower and a boss between them, Mingxi still found it hard to talk about what happened for the past two years. She didn’t know where to begin.

She quietly flipped over a page of the Tournament’s questions.

Fu Yangxi scratched his head in slight annoyance.

He couldn’t help but to turn and glare at Ke Chengwen.

Ke Chengwen: “…”

As Fu Yangxi had no experience whatsoever in consoling people, he could only look at Zhao Mingxi’s face, open his mouth, and close it again without saying anything.

Then, he turned to glare at Ke Chengwen once more.

Ke Chengwen: “…”

Ke Chengwen finally understood what he meant. He immediately said to Zhao Mingxi in an impassioned manner, “Transfer student, don’t let it get to you! If you are really unhappy about this, we’ll all go and give them a beating! Our Xi ge has never made any rule that we cannot hit women, so just hit them however you like! Borrow however many of us you want! If that doesn’t work, you can also use money to hit that woman and your family members to death!”

“There is nothing that can’t be solved by a fight. If you feel that it isn’t enough, you can even go for it twice! Use money and piapiapia!”

Fu Yangxi scoffed and said, “That was Ke Chengwen’s suggestion, not mine. But since you call me Xi ge, I guess I have to protect you no matter how unwilling I am. Just tell me, what do you wanna do?”

Mingxi actually didn’t care about what Zhao Yuan said, but when she saw how Fu Yangxi and Ke Chengwen tried to console her in such a silly manner, she smiled.

The pen in her hand did not stop moving. While she was copying the formula for the important areas, she said jokingly, “You might as well save the money you’re planning to use to hit her and buy me an airplane instead.”

When she finished, she didn’t hear a reply from Fu Yangxi. She instantly looked over and saw how Fu Yangxi seemed to be seriously contemplating this joke of a suggestion.

Mingxi: ???

Do all the young wealthy children of this generation treat their unimportant underlings so magnanimously?

Previously, he would shoo her away and ban her from being his desk mate, but now he was treating her so well. Mingxi was absolutely baffled.

Mingxi was afraid that he would really carry out her wish. She hastily said, “No, stop thinking about it. What am I going to do with an airplane? I don’t even know how to maneuver it nor am I of age yet!”

“Not of age yet?” The topic reminded Fu Yangxi of something, “They were talking about Zhao Yuan’s* birthday just now. So when is your birthday?”

ray’s note: once again, he used 圆 (yuan) which means ‘circle’ instead of Zhao Yuan’s 媛 (yuan)

“…” This was another question that Mingxi did not want to answer.

Her date of birth was around 10 days after Zhao Yuan’s. There was an accident at the hospital’s incubation room back then. But after the Zhao family found her two years ago, aside from changing her address, they changed her date of birth as well so that it was on the same day as Zhao Yuan’s.

They had to do this to avoid the awkward situation of being unable to explain why she and Zhao Yuan were sisters yet their birthdays were on different dates of the same year.

The birthday on her Identity Card did not belong to her. She did not want to celebrate her birthday either.

Mingxi mumbled, “October 24th. Why do you ask?”

Fu Yangxi tried his best to pretend that he was nonchalant about it. “If you don’t want to celebrate your birthday at home, you can come out—”

But before he could finish, Mingxi said, “I already have plans on that day. I have to go back to my old home.”

Fu Yangxi did not know where Zhao Mingxi’s old home was. He widened his eyes and asked subconsciously, “Where is your old home?”

“A small town in the North.”

Fu Yangxi stared at her for two seconds. He was unhappy with how casual she was with her answer. However, he figured that maybe she was in a bad mood, hence he didn’t say anything and thought to ask her about it later.

Ke Chengwen cut in from aside, “Transfer student, although we can’t celebrate your birthday, you can still come and celebrate Xi ge’s birthday. Xi ge, isn’t your birthday coming soon? Just about half a month left—”

“Shut up! Why are you revealing my birthday so casually?!” Fu Yangxi was instantly angered. He stood up and covered Ke Chengwen’s mouth. “What if I end up with a huge mountain of gifts? That’s so annoying!”

However, he subconsciously looked over to see Zhao Mingxi’s reaction.

“November 5th!” Ke Chengwen still managed to yell out.

“November 5th.” As Mingxi was busy thinking about how she had to go back to pay her respects to her grandmother on October 24th, she repeated absent-mindedly, “I’ll remember it.”

She’ll remember it!

The tips of Fu Yangxi’s ears went red. He released Ke Chengwen’s neck and mumbled, “Annoying. Don’t you send me any gifts!”

*

Meanwhile, Shen Liyao was in the middle of training. After today’s class, a few of them went to the nearby bubble tea shop to get some bubble tea.

Kong Jiaze had just finished attending her ballet class nearby. When she caught wind of A High’s representative team current location, she brought her clothes with her and ran there excitedly.

The moment she entered, even the server in the bubble tea shop widened his eyes. The ballet outfit underneath the khaki windbreaker perfectly accentuated Kong Jiaze’s body.

“How was your training?” When Kong Jiaze saw how Shen Liyao was looking at his phone with furrowed brows, she felt a little awkward, hence she could only greet Ye Bai who was beside him.

In the end, Ye Bai was looking at his phone with a shocked expression as well.

It was as if they didn’t come back to their senses at all. They completely took no notice of her.

The same went for the other boys from A High’s representative team.

“What are you guys looking at?” Kong Jiaze said with a slight tone of dissatisfaction before she tugged on her windbreaker and walked toward them.

“She’s so pretty—” Ye Bai turned to look at Shen Liyao in shock. “God Yao, have you known this since the beginning?”

Shen Liyao merely furrowed his brows. There was no shock in his face. It was clear that he knew from the start.

Ye Bai regretted calling Zhao Mingxi a little follower back then. If he knew that she was this pretty, he would have pursued her. After all, she had a pretty good personality too.

“What pretty?” Kong Jiaze thought that he was talking about her. So, she subconsciously lowered her head, pulled on her dress and smiled.

However, it was only then that Ye Bai noticed her. He raised his head and saw how she was in her ballet outfit. “What? Were you having class nearby?”

But before Kong Jiaze could reply, Ye Bai focused his attention on his phone again.

Kong Jiaze: “…”

What in the world are these people looking at?!

Kong Jiaze took out her phone and opened the page they were looking at – A High’s forum. In the end, she saw how Zhao Mingxi whom both she and E Xiaoxia had voted to second place was now already in first place with more than 3,500 votes.

“…”

Kong Jiaze was confused as she looked at the girl in the new picture. It was obviously taken this morning.

If someone were to say that this was a fan taken picture of a celebrity, she would have believed them.

Kong Jiaze was quick on her feet. She instantly understood the situation— No wonder Zhao Mingxi had the courage to go after Shen Liyao. It was because she was this pretty.

Looks like she just shot herself in the foot.

Kong Jiaze pulled a long face. She stared at this group of boys for a while. She tried her best to speak in a soft, casual and teasing tone, “I have some information about the incoming Hundred School Tournament, are you guys interested? If you only care about pretty girls, I’ll be leaving then.”

Only then did she manage to attract the attention of the guys. Some of them raised their heads and asked, “What information?”

“Inside information. I’ll tell you guys for the sake of God Yao.” Kong Jiaze purposely kept them guessing. She took a glimpse at Shen Liyao, but Shen Liyao still wasn’t looking at her.

“Just tell us.” Ye Bai also looked up from his phone. “What insider information? It can’t be that the Tournament has been cancelled, right?”

Everyone knew that Kong Jiaze had a relative working in the Department of Education. Thus, there was a high chance that her insider information was true.

Kong Jiaze stared at Shen Liyao. Still he hadn’t made any response. She could only bite her bottom lip and say, “It is something related to your school. I heard that Professor Gao from your school— aka the ex-homeroom teacher of the Gold Medal Class went to register another student for the Tournament. Could it be that he had his eyes on someone from your school and decided to give them another chance? By the way, remember that this is insider information. It’s not very reliable so don’t tell anyone else.”

“How is that possible?” Ye Bai exclaimed. “How can it be that we have not heard even a peep of such a huge matter?”

One guy said, “What exactly is the background of this Professor Gao? I only know that he is really good at teaching and setting questions, and that his name always appears in the National Journal. Aside from the fact that our dean and headmaster would always bow to him in respect, why do various competition organizers recognize him as well?”

Kong Jiaze rolled her eyes at that guy as she despised that guy’s ignorance. She said, “The famous national trainer of the country retires after decades of service. What do you think?”

As Ye Bai was quite familiar with Professor Gao, he added, “But that is impossible. Professor Gao never accepts gifts nor does he have any relatives in our school. So what’s the point in him registering for another student from our school?”

“Beats me.” Kong Jiaze pulled a chair over to her and sat down beside Shen Liyao. She said, “Just remember not to tell anyone about this.”

After Kong Jiaze shared this information, a bunch of guys from the school representative team shifted their attention to her.

A guy who had a crush on her saw how she kept on glancing at Shen Liyao. Seeing as how Shen Liyao was still looking at the picture on his phone, her mood turned sour and it was reflected in her expression. That guy could easily read her thoughts.

Thus, he tried to ingratiate himself with her, “I think outer appearances are less important than wits. No matter how beautiful she is, she will never be able to qualify for the Hundred School Tournament.”

Kong Jiaze felt better upon hearing this. She gave that guy a smile.

It was rather surprising to her that her appearance was truly inferior to that of Zhao Mingxi’s.

But what was the point in just being pretty? In terms of results, intelligence and being an all-rounder, it was obvious that she was the better option.

For example, she was able to participate in this year’s Tournament, yet Zhao Mingxi would not be able to do so no matter how hard she tries.

“Are you guys done with your drinks? If you’re done, then stop talking and head back to school.”

Shen Liyao tucked his phone away before standing up with a stony expression.

He walked to the counter and raised his head to look at the menu. Then, he ordered a cup of Supreme Strawberry Cheese.

“I almost forgot to order something.” Kong Jiaze looked around. When she saw how everyone save for herself had ordered a drink, she thought that he was ordering the drink for her. She walked over and said in surprise, “Thanks.”

Shen Liyao gave her a glance. “It’s not for you. Order your own drink.”

Kong Jiaze: “…”

Kong Jiaze looked back awkwardly. Thank goodness, the guys were all discussing the information she had shared just now and paid no attention to her.

On the other hand, Ye Bai was able to guess the reason behind Shen Liyao’s actions. He stood beside Shen Liyao and whispered, “Has it been almost half a month since Zhao Mingxi last came to find us?”

Not only did she stop meeting them, she didn’t even text or call them.

Ye Bai didn’t know if Shen Liyao had initiated a call with Zhao Mingxi before, but seeing as how Shen Liyao had no choice but to go to the library in order to look for Zhao Mingxi that day, he knew that he had probably called her. However, Zhao Mingxi had changed her number— and she didn’t even tell him.

Someone who used to appear in his life frequently had suddenly disappeared.

Setting aside how Shen Liyao felt about this, even Ye Bai himself was unused to it.

Furthermore, was A High that big? They were in the same school, studying in the same building, eating in the same cafeteria, and their classes were right next to each other, yet they had not seen her at all.

They didn’t know if Zhao Mingxi was purposely ignoring Shen Liyao or… Then again, how could there be so many coincidences? Back then, it was always Zhao Mingxi who treated Shen Liyao well.

Shen Liyao had a cold expression on his face. He remained silent.

Ye Bai watched as the server handed him the Supreme Strawberry Cheese drink. He spoke to him softly with the intention of consoling him, “God Yao, don’t overthink it. I think she’s just playing hard to get. She might be trying to get your attention this way.”

“See, hasn’t she attracted your attention already? I remember that the drink, Supreme Strawberry Cheese, was Zhao Mingxi’s favorite. If you buy this for her, then it means you’re admitting defeat first.”

Shen Liyao glared at him. Then, he turned to stare at the drink in his hands.

He hesitated for five seconds before tossing it in the trash.

He never lost.

And this time was no exception.

*

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhanhuai was developing a headache as the date for the birthday banquet was approaching. If he is still unable to coax Mingxi home before their mother’s birthday, the truth will out.

Zhao Yuning had failed to meet Zhao Mingxi in school for two consecutive days already. Thus, he could only get two of his friends to help him send the gift that he had specially brought to the ground floor of Zhao Mingxi’s dorm.

Before he sent the gift, Zhao Yuning initially planned to write an apology note. But with his terrible vocabulary skills, he was definitely unable to write something good, and if he asked his friends to write it for him, it would be too corny. He had never apologized like this before. Therefore, Zhao Yuning scrunched up the paper and threw it away in annoyance.

He felt as if he had lost two kilos ever since Zhao Mingxi left home.

Although Zhao Yuning felt unsettled, as if he was about to lose something, he was still certain that Zhao Mingxi would return before the birthday banquet— This year was their mother’s 50th birthday, it was impossible for her to not return, right?

However on the next day, when he went to wait for Zhao Mingxi at the ground floor of her dorm again, he realized that the gift that he had given the lady in charge of the dorms was in the trash that was filled with dirt, its packaging unopened.