Chapter 13: You Had Better Have a Realistic Understanding of Your Own Beauty
Wednesday was the hardest day to endure, especially with the National Day holiday just a couple of days away. It wasn’t merely passing time like a year; it felt like every second dragged on endlessly.
Mom and Dad wouldn’t be coming back.
But big brother was coming back.
Lin Zou never cared about her studies. When their parents told him to take her out to play, it was just a pretense. Usually, after leaving, he would hand Lin Shu some money to find classmates to hang out with, then go off and party with his rowdy friends.
Oh, dear—her cash-dispensing brother was coming back!
Lin Zou was four years older than Lin Shu and was currently attending university.
The siblings shared a good bond. If Lin Shu hadn’t married Ji Xing Shen, her brother would have been her lifelong ATM.
Unfortunately, after marriage, Lin Shu became too biased in her affections. Not only did she transfer her shares to Ji Xing Shen, but she allowed him to sell them off, which eventually led to their family business being acquired by a major corporation. Ji Xing Shen then used that money to invest in AI development and swiftly rose to become a new figure in technology.
She longed to help him realize his dreams and was willing to give everything to support him.
But in doing so, she neglected the person who loved her most.
Lin Zou was her biological brother, and the company was the life’s work of their parents. If they had been even slightly partial or favored sons over daughters, refusing to give Lin Shu any shares, none of this would have happened.
In the end, she had betrayed her family.
...
During break, after surviving the chemistry teacher’s torment, Lin Shu pulled out her phone to send a message.
Lin Shu: Bro, did you buy the tickets?
Lin Zou: I’m driving back.
Lin Shu: Hope you don’t get stuck in traffic!
Lin Zou: Focus on class, don’t text me.
Lin Shu: I’m just worried about you. You’re my only brother. If you get stuck on the highway and can’t get home, I’d cry my eyes out.
Lin Zou: No more pocket money, huh? Lin Shu, have you been supporting a man on the side with all your spending?
Lin Shu: ... Goodbye!
...
Right where it hurts.
Lin Shu secretly helped Ji Xing Shen financially. Afraid the family would find out, her own pocket money wasn’t enough, so she often scraped money off her brother.
No wonder when her brother discovered she had secretly registered a marriage with Ji Xing Shen behind the family’s back, he flew into a rage, threatening to kill him.
Put yourself in his shoes: if you found out your only sister had been taken away by a poor student supported by the family, you wouldn’t just want to kill Ji Xing Shen—you might even want to get rid of your own sister too.
Heh.
Lin Shu gave a cold, twitchy smile.
Zhou Ya came over and asked to be excused from evening study because of some family matter. Lin Shu asked what it was, but Zhou Ya didn’t say. Lin Shu looked at her worriedly, and Zhou Ya shrugged, telling her she just liked to worry and that she should be allowed some privacy.
Ridiculous.
They even knew what brand of sanitary pads each other used, and she was talking about privacy?
But Lin Shu did have a secret she couldn’t reveal.
Every day, she sneaked breakfasts to Xie Bu Chen to repay a debt of gratitude!
The two hadn’t exchanged many words.
Lin Shu froze.
Aunt Flo had arrived!
She felt a sudden discomfort beneath her and quietly took out the sanitary pad she always carried, then left the classroom.
The restroom on this floor was under maintenance.
Lin Shu had to run down to the old restroom on the first floor.
Before entering, she smelled smoke at the door. That was the downside of the old restroom—the women’s restroom was hidden away, and to get there, you had to pass by the men’s restroom entrance, where schoolboys liked to gather for a quick smoke.
She pinched her nose and went in, took care of things, then clutched her waist as she came out.
Her face was pale.
Since she had been dieting and messed up her menstrual cycle, she was prone to severe cramps, sometimes so bad she could barely walk.
“Oh, if it isn’t Lin Shu.”
The class bell had already rung, but there were still people near the men’s restroom.
It was Fang Chao.
A mediocre boy crouched behind a wall, smoking. When he saw Lin Shu, he smirked. His lips were crusted with blood scabs, and his eye sockets bruised. The moment he looked at her, his gaze turned unpleasant.
Lin Shu ignored him and walked along the wall.
Fang Chao reached out to grab her.
Lin Shu tightened her loose school uniform and asked what he wanted.
Fang Chao spat, “What do you think? What could I do? Xie Bu Chen treasures you so much, I wouldn’t dare do anything. Damn it!”
“Let go!”
Lin Shu lowered her voice as much as possible.
Like a cat pretending to be a tiger—easy to bully just by hearing her voice.
Fang Chao chuckled, turned his head to glance at the door, and said, “I won’t let go. What are you gonna do about it?”
Lin Shu took out her phone and quickly typed.
...
Next door, in Class 2 on the general corridor, someone’s phone vibrated. They glanced at it and raised a hand. “Teacher, I need to go to the bathroom.”
The teacher looked at him and asked why he didn’t go during the break.
Xie Bu Chen didn’t bother to answer, pushed back his chair, and walked out.
The classmates glanced sideways.
This guy had behaved for a while, and they thought maybe he had straightened out. But it turned out he was just too lazy to argue with the teacher. Now he was back to being a headache.
Looking at his scruffy appearance, no one thought he would comply with discipline. Even if the king himself appeared, they probably couldn’t stop him.
The teacher threw a piece of chalk.
It hit Xie Bu Chen squarely.
He glanced at it but kept walking.
The boys who always sat together at the back whistled. They said Xie Bu Chen must have a girlfriend now because he was always looking at his phone and no longer walked with them after evening study.
Nearby, a long-haired girl listened quietly. She twirled a strand of hair and looked toward the back door where Xie Bu Chen had gone.
...
Lin Shu crouched in a corner, her school uniform slipping off her shoulder. Her eyes were red as she brewed a plan that might blow up in her face, afraid that if she pushed too hard, it would cause a scene.
At the same time, she was furious.
“What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Why are you always pestering me?”
She challenged Fang Chao.
Fang Chao laughed, staring at her stubborn face, and blew out a breath. “Then tell me, why is Xie Bu Chen always hanging around you?”
“I’m the one pestering Xie Bu Chen. Don’t twist things.”
“Is that so?”
Fang Chao sneered, spat out smoke, and exhaled toward Lin Shu.
She got goosebumps.
Secretly, she aimed a kick at his crotch.
Someone was coming.
Lin Shu heard footsteps and thought it was a teacher from Class 2, but it turned out to be Xie Bu Chen. The boy entered, took the cigarette from Fang Chao, and straightened Lin Shu’s uniform. His clear eyes flickered, signaling her.
Lin Shu muttered, “I told you to call the teacher, not to come yourself...”
Xie Bu Chen said, “Get out.”
Lin Shu fixed her clothes, clutched her waist, and left. Afraid of trouble, she didn’t go far but squatted by the old quartz sand wall.
...
At the men’s restroom entrance.
Knowing Lin Shu hadn’t left, Xie Bu Chen covered Fang Chao’s mouth and pushed him into the restroom.
A few minutes later, Fang Chao emerged pale-faced and staggering, but with no visible injuries. He glanced at Lin Shu once and walked off without looking back.
Xie Bu Chen squatted beside Lin Shu.
“Stomachache?”
Lin Shu nodded, clutching her waist, then added, “For this kind of thing, you should call the teacher. Why did you come yourself...”
“Do you think the teacher would listen to you?” Xie Bu Chen seemed experienced and said lazily, “After dealing with Fang Chao, they’ll just ask why you went to the restroom during class. It takes two to tango. Girls have to respect themselves.”
Lin Shu was silent for a moment, then lowered her head. “That’s not possible, right?”
Xie Bu Chen tapped her head. “You’re such a rookie. Let’s go. If people see you with me, you won’t be able to clear your name.”
Lin Shu leaned against the wall and stood up.
From this angle, looking down at Xie Bu Chen, his eyelashes were long and didn’t look mischievous at all. Instead, he appeared very well-behaved.
Lin Shu pursed her lips and asked, “Why does Fang Chao keep pestering me? Even after getting beaten, he doesn’t learn?”
Xie Bu Chen looked up, smiling at her eyes that shone like stars. Hesitating for a moment, he turned his face and teased, “...Don’t you know?”
“What?”
Lin Shu sounded a bit annoyed.
She hated teasing.
“You’re very beautiful, Lin Shu.” Xie Bu Chen’s expression grew serious, almost cruelly so. “The world is cruel to pretty girls. You’d better be aware of that. Don’t let men deceive or harm you.”
Lin Shu’s eyes widened.
Xie Bu Chen scolded her again: “Rookie.”
...
Lin Shu returned to the classroom, her face as red as if she had just attended a Children’s Day celebration.
It happened to be Chinese class.
The teacher saw her flushed face and asked why she was only just returning.
Lin Shu replied dreamily and casually, “Teacher, it’s my period.”
The boys in class visibly stiffened; even the drowsy ones woke up, though their expressions were dazed. The girls looked at Lin Shu with slight horror. How could she say anything so openly? Was she cursed?
The Chinese teacher, a woman, nodded and said no more, letting Lin Shu return to her seat.
Lin Shu’s face remained red for three whole classes.
Ji Xing Shen passed by her three times. His seat wasn’t in the same row, and there was a closer exit, but he deliberately took the longer route past her.
After school, Zhou Ya came to greet her. Lin Shu’s face was still embarrassingly flushed.
“Are you running a fever?” Zhou Ya asked worriedly.
Lin Shu shook her head, saying she had taken painkillers given by the Chinese teacher. She felt much better now.
Zhou Ya frowned. “Then why is your face as red as a boiling kettle?”
Not wanting Zhou Ya to worry, Lin Shu didn’t mention the unpleasant incident in the old restroom. After a moment of silence, she asked with a hint of grievance, “Zhou Ya, am I pretty?”
Zhou Ya gave a cold look.
Lin Shu suddenly slammed the desk, thinking: I knew it was Xie Bu Chen lying!
“Of course! Isn’t it common knowledge? They even made a fan thread for you on the forum and check in every day.”
“Isn’t that making fun of me?”
“Why would you think everyone’s mocking you?” Zhou Ya was shocked.
Why?
Uh...
Of course, because the rival forums for Third Middle School and Seventh Middle School also had similar “school beauty” and “school heartthrob” threads. But the nominees there were either popular muscular guys or the school’s bald teachers. Even stray cats and dogs made the list with overwhelming votes.
If calling her the school beauty isn’t mocking her, then what is?
“What school beauty? Everyone’s just calling me a lovesick fool. Ji Xing Shen is a hopeless simp... Ah, Xiao Ya, why are you laughing?!”
Zhou Ya couldn’t hold it in.
How could anyone twist words like that?
“The school beauty thread was created when you enrolled. The reason people say Ji Xing Shen is the school heartthrob is because he’s riding your coattails. Who else would he get noticed by if not for you? He got exposed because of your crush.”
“You’re just trying to cheer me up!”
Lin Shu looked utterly unconvinced.
Zhou Ya pinched her face and teased her like a puppy. “Oh, so cute. The cutest thing about Lin Shu is that she has no idea how cute she is.”
“No yuri stuff allowed...”
“You stubborn girl.” Zhou Ya spat. “As long as you keep your elegant and aloof charm, you’ll hold onto that school beauty title until graduation—undisputed!”
“Really?”
Lin Shu blinked, starting to believe it.
Zhou Ya laughed so hard she felt like dying and asked why she suddenly asked that.
Lin Shu pressed her lips tightly.
Zhou Ya leaned in.
Lin Shu looked away.
Zhou Ya crossed her arms and squinted. “Don’t tell me some clueless guy confessed to you. Lin Shu, I’m telling you, no guy is trustworthy. Use that energy to study hard, don’t cause trouble.”
Lin Shu gave an “oh” sound.
Zhou Ya sighed, swung her backpack, and waved goodbye. “Be careful going home after evening study.”
“Okay, Xiao Ya, if you need anything, tell me.”
“Got it, naggy.”
Zhou Ya left with flair.
She was gone, but her jinxing words lingered. Why did she have to mention being careful after evening study!