Chapter 10: The Ex-Husband Brother Goes to Prison
What was Xie Buchen thinking? Did he find that passage she sent earlier off-putting? It seemed like boys generally didn’t like girls who were too opinionated or competitive... Ji Xing Shen had explicitly told Lin Shu not to be swayed by the feminist trends online, those voices proclaiming that every family in the world was bound to fall apart.
Did Xie Buchen think the same way?
What did it matter what he thought?
Lin Shu, sulking, deleted their chat history and decided to pretend today’s events never happened. She woke up exhausted, having spent the whole night arguing with someone—she couldn’t even recall who—but her fists were still clenched tight upon waking.
...
“Shu Shu, aren’t you full?” Aunt Zhu asked with concern.
After breakfast, Lin Shu packed sandwiches and barbecue pork buns in wax paper, placed them in an insulated bag, and slipped in a cup of yogurt before heading out.
She said she got hungry after just a couple of classes recently and was too lazy to run to the cafeteria.
Aunt Zhu, hearing this, added two boiled eggs to the bag.
“Eggs keep you full.”
“Alright, I’m off,” Lin Shu said, slinging on her backpack and carrying the bag as she hurried out.
She didn’t see Xie Buchen riding his bike on the way today.
Could it be because of that video? Had he stopped biking because of it?
Tsk.
Lin Shu stared intently out the window.
Zhou Ya had been drowsy the whole way, swaying and nodding off. She’d just remembered last night that she had a test paper unfinished, staying up until dawn to finish it. Lin Shu had even offered to let her copy it to get by, but Zhou Ya refused.
Studying was important, but health was the real foundation.
It was terrifying.
Only high school students had that kind of reckless perseverance.
Lin Shu still hadn’t spotted Xie Buchen, nor did she see him during the morning run. As soon as class ended, she lingered near the classroom door, glancing occasionally at the neighboring class. Ji Xing Shen came over with the English teacher and stopped when he saw her standing there.
Of course, Lin Shu saw him too.
But since they weren’t close, she pretended not to notice.
Ji Xing Shen cast a sideways glance. “...What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Lin Shu replied dismissively.
He noticed the bulging insulated bag in her hand, frowned slightly, and said somewhat helplessly, “Didn’t I tell you not to bring breakfast?”
As he spoke, he naturally reached out to take it.
Lin Shu looked surprised.
Seeing her expression, Ji Xing Shen’s hand froze mid-air.
Blinking, Lin Shu suddenly remembered—the insulated bag was one she had specially bought to pack breakfast for Ji Xing Shen. Back in the first year of high school, for reasons unknown, she had been strangely free and insisted on getting up half an hour early to make breakfast herself, even though Aunt Zhu was willing to do it.
She had been poisoned by romantic dramas, stepping prematurely into the role of the perfect wife and mother.
How unlucky.
Was there not a single screenwriter with mercy, one who could write the male lead making a heartfelt breakfast for the female lead so she could sleep an extra half hour every day?
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Inside, Lin Shu’s mind was in turmoil, but her face remained calm.
“This... it’s not for you.”
Ji Xing Shen straightened up.
His handsome face flushed pink; his usually quiet, studious eyes showed a rare awkwardness only found in youth.
Lin Shu lowered her head.
For some reason, she felt a vague, indescribable bitterness in her heart.
Anyone seeing Ji Xing Shen like this would surely fall for him.
But who could have guessed that years later, he would transform from this blush-prone youth into such a man?
At the time, it all seemed so ordinary...
Ji Xing Shen seemed about to ask who the breakfast was for if not him, but he wasn’t yet the sharp-tongued man he would become years later. Instead, he stood there for a moment, then, as if sulking, walked into the classroom.
Lin Shu exhaled in frustration, trembling slightly.
The warning bell rang.
Only a few people remained in the hallway; the sparse footsteps echoed from the corridor. Lin Shu recognized the sound—it was Xie Buchen.
She jumped out like a bandit blocking the way.
Xie Buchen and a few others were carrying brooms and a folding trash bin, chatting and laughing. Seeing her, they instantly quieted.
What was this about?
Oh, right—it was their turn as class monitors this week.
Their eyes met as Lin Shu handed over the insulated bag.
Xie Buchen raised an eyebrow. “What’s this for?”
Lin Shu raised hers in return. “You said it yourself, remember?”
“…Oh.”
He took the bag, lowered his gaze, and after a moment’s silence, chuckled. “You actually took it seriously?”
Lin Shu really wanted to become Godzilla and just swallow him whole.
Bastard!
He was the one who made her apologize for bringing breakfast.
He was the one who forgot all about it.
Was he suffering from teenage amnesia?
“Hold on to it. I keep my promises,” Lin Shu said, turning away.
Before she had gone far, several boys began teasing excitedly. She didn’t catch what Xie Buchen said, but soon the crowd fell silent, shifting and exchanging glances.
So annoying.
Lin Shu slipped back into the classroom and immediately bumped into Ji Xing Shen, who was handing out test papers.
He turned his head away.
Lin Shu took her seat just as the class bell rang.
The English teacher swiftly wrote notes on the board. Today was grammar practice. After explaining the sample questions, students would spend half an hour on a test paper, leaving fifteen minutes for review. Simple questions would just have answers checked; difficult ones would be explained in detail.
The first row was the best place—everyone clearly understood the lecture.
Lin Shu finished writing, then copied notes. The English teacher stood nearby watching for several minutes, smiling broadly.
“It seems everyone has grasped the usage of these phrases quite well~”
The students all muttered softly.
Who was the reckless one sitting in the front row to impress the teacher again?
The planned half-hour practice ended ten minutes early. The English teacher called on class representative Huang Pingting to explain. Huang stumbled through five questions, missing three. The teacher waved her down and called on Lin Shu.
Lin Shu answered five questions correctly.
Her explanation differed slightly from the teacher’s but was clearly insightful.
The teacher didn’t interrupt, letting her continue, a mysterious smile on her face.
“Very good. Are you in a special translation class?”
“…Just watched some online courses.”
That was what she’d studied in her previous life.
The teacher’s smile grew even warmer, nodding repeatedly, encouraging everyone to expand their learning beyond class like Lin Shu.
Huang Pingting’s face flushed bright red.
Not because Lin Shu had stolen the spotlight as English class rep, but because after the bell rang, someone quietly remarked—
“Since Lin Shu left Ji Xing Shen behind, she’s improved so much... Now it’s Huang Pingting falling behind. No man in her heart, so naturally she studies better.”
“Yeah, it’s like that~”
Last week, Huang Pingting had been Ji Xing Shen’s deskmate, clinging to him after class for help, but while her progress was invisible, her decline was immediate. No wonder everyone said that.
Zhou Ya was still drowsy.
Lin Shu grabbed a bottle of black coffee, queued for hot water, then returned to Zhou Ya’s seat.
Zhou Ya weakly said, “Thanks...”
Lin Shu squeezed into the chair beside her. “I told you not to stay up late; it affects your state the next day.”
“Who knew I’d miss a test paper?”
Rubbing her eyes, Zhou Ya asked if Lin Shu had been secretly studying at home instead of attending weekend tutoring.
Lin Shu shrugged. “Of course! I’m secretly working hard to amaze everyone!”
“I’m doomed.”
Zhou Ya laughed and nudged her.
They playfully tussled like kittens.
The boys at the back watched quietly, then turned their heads.
“Did Lin Shu bring breakfast for Ji Xing Shen again today?”
“Not for him.”
“You saw that?”
“Yeah... Lin Shu went out to deliver it, Ji Xing Shen came in empty-handed. Not sure who it was for.”
“Does she really not like Ji Xing Shen? Or is she just trying to annoy him?”
“No idea.”
“...Ji Xing Shen hasn’t left his seat since coming back.”
They glanced over at Ji Xing Shen.
The boy sat upright, seemingly working on problems, but something about it felt forced. During this precious ten minutes between classes, who doesn’t stand up to stretch, get some water, move around a bit? Even the most diligent students wouldn’t study this intensely—it was almost like he was imprisoned.
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