Chapter 037: Stop Staring—I Don’t Have Money Written on My Face-O nerd por quem eu tinha uma paixão secreta não era doce, então mudei para o bad boy que gosta de mim abertamente(Doce celestial do mundo humano)

My parents paid a sum of money to obtain a settlement letter from Ji Xiangyang, effectively resolving the matter, and then immediately cut off Ji Xingshen’s scholarships and financial aid.

It should have been cut off a long time ago.

Ji Xingshen had applied for the aid back in middle school, and now that he was in his second year of high school, they were no longer even at the same school. Furthermore, under normal circumstances, aid-receiving families are supposed to have their eligibility reviewed every year; however, because his grades were decent and he had connections with Lin Shu, no one had bothered to re-evaluate him.

Now that his grandmother was no longer in critical condition, his father had a job, and the family’s old house—though dilapidated—was still a piece of real estate, he simply didn’t qualify for the money once anyone decided to look into it seriously.

Everything is like that. It can work, or it cannot.

One must be diligent in their actions and kind in their character; otherwise, do you really think everyone else is a fool, just waiting for you and your father to play them for sport? In the past, people had turned a blind eye for the sake of Ji Xingshen, but they hadn't expected the elder to be so cunning and the younger to be so rotten.

Lin Shiheng and Wang Yan only had one daughter, and they couldn’t bear to lay a finger on her themselves, yet he had the audacity to push and pull her around—did he think this was the old society where one could just snatch people away?

...

Lin Shu felt refreshed.

She had long wanted her parents to cut off the funding, but she had never found a suitable excuse, and her foolish older brother had even stood up for Ji Xingshen. But now? Now it was perfect. It was so good that she felt like she wouldn’t have to worry about breast nodules for another ten years.

The only downside was that Xie Buchan kept avoiding her. Even if they bumped into each other during morning exercises, he would pretend not to know her. This guy—she didn't know what he was being difficult about now.

Ji Xingshen never sought out Lin Shu at school. He only returned to class after a week, his nose bridge bruised and his spirit dampened. It seemed he was either wounded by Lin Shu’s heartlessness, or perhaps the punch had brought him to his senses. Lin Shu leaned toward the latter. After all, Ji Xingshen didn't seem to have a heart; hurting his feelings was a difficult task, though that didn't include physical harm. :)

In a way, Xie Buchan had fulfilled Lin Shu’s post-rebirth wish to punch Ji Xingshen.

After the monthly exams, the final exams arrived in the blink of an eye. The weather grew colder. The air conditioning in the classroom ran from morning till night, and once you stepped inside, the air was filled with a mix of scents—truly intoxicating.

When she wasn't studying, Lin Shu always wanted to corner Xie Buchan. The way he had looked at her that night kept surfacing in her mind. Why that specific look from that night, and not at other times? Lin Shu couldn't figure it out. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol that he had looked so alluring?

Sigh, what a little heartthrob.

Zhou Ya placed a test paper on Lin Shu’s desk, scanned the surroundings, and whispered, "I saw Xie Buchan. He’s smoking behind the cafeteria with some boys from his class."

"Really?"

Lin Shu’s eyes lit up instantly, like a predator spotting its prey.

"Why would I lie to you? All the boys who were singing that night are there, and there’s a girl, too—long hair, wearing a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet."

"…Oh, Ya, you even know Van Cleef & Arpels?"

Zhou Ya blushed. She didn't feel like Lin Shu was mocking her, but rather felt a bit guilty. After all, Lin Zhou loved wearing that brand. Zhou Ya usually didn't pay attention to what others wore, and if she occasionally let something slip, Lin Shu would just tease her without calling her out.

"In that case, I’m off!"

If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain. Lin Shu cheered herself on like the protagonist of a shonen manga and rushed out.

Zhou Ya barely managed to grab her. "Are you going now? There are girls over there. What if it’s—"

"Oh, that must be Jiang Xinyi. Xie Buchan doesn't have anything going on with her."

Zhou Ya was shocked. Does she call that "nothing"?

"Lin Shu, you’re too brave..."

"It's alright, I guess."

Her soul was just a bit older, and with age comes thick skin. It wasn’t a trait worth boasting about, but it was nice to avoid the trouble of overthinking.

Behind the cafeteria.

Hidden behind a row of trash cans, students gathered in twos and threes to smoke—some boys, some girls, mostly boys. They weren't all poor students; some were mid-to-top performers. Some were addicted, others were just relieving stress. As long as they didn't smoke in the restrooms, Lin Shu didn't care how they lived their lives.

As soon as Lin Shu arrived, Zhang Bing saw her and immediately signaled to Xie Buchan, who had his back turned. Jiang Xinyi, holding a cigarette, glanced at her, curled her lips, and sneered.

Lin Shu walked over. Xie Buchan turned his body and switched the cigarette to his other hand so the smoke wouldn't reach her. "...What do you want?"

Lin Shu cleared her throat. "Do you want to talk about it here?"

Xie Buchan exhaled a cloud of smoke, his brows furrowed, and he gave a cold laugh. "We don't have any secrets, do we? Just say it."

"Last time, I shouldn't have done that to you at the KTV..."

...

Xie Buchan pressed a hand onto Lin Shu’s head as if hitting a pause button. "Alright, let's go over there to talk."

Lin Shu gave an enchanting smile, her eyebrows arched high.

Jiang Xinyi held her cigarette, staring fixedly at Xie Buchan, and scoffed, "What kind of dirt does she have on you? Are you her dog, Xie Buchan? You just leave whenever she says so?!"

WOW.

The people around them chuckled. Those smoking and chatting further away also looked over. Xie Buchan ignored them; he waited a moment, then walked into the back of the cafeteria, keeping a distance between himself and Lin Shu.

The lunch rush was already over. It was sparse and empty inside.

As soon as the two entered, Ah Hui and the others were about to sneak over to eavesdrop, but Zhang Bing, having a conscience, stopped them. "So, who actually bought that game? Is it fun? Is ninety-eight a good deal?"

"...It's okay to play. I bought it for fifty-eight."

"Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier? I bought it last night—forty bucks! Do you know how long I have to save for that?!"

...

Xie Buchan sat down. Lin Shu stood. Xie Buchan told her to sit, but she refused. She braced one hand on the dining table and put the other on her hip, standing there like a tough girl, staring fixedly at him.

Xie Buchan tilted his head. "Stop looking. There’s no money on my face."

Damn it. She’d gotten lost in his eyes again. Why couldn't he just be a toad?

Lin Shu asked him why he had been avoiding her.

Xie Buchan replied, "The matter with Ji Xingshen isn't resolved yet. I’m going to be expelled sooner or later. Stay away from me so you don't get dragged into it."

"..."

Ah, so he knew.

Usually, when students have conflicts, schools just slap both sides on the wrist and call it a day after a lecture. But Ji Xingshen was a prize recruit for the school and a future top-scorer candidate for the next year—countless schools were watching him. As long as Ji Xingshen insisted on pinning it on him, Xie Buchan’s fate would be expulsion.

Lin Shu stammered, "You knew you’d be expelled, and you still threw a punch?"

Xie Buchan looked away and clicked his tongue. He said that whether it’s school or society, it’s just a massive game of obedience. People only avoid being destroyed by following the rules, but are the rules always right? Ji Xingshen used his academic success as a shield, acting as if no one dared to touch him while he harassed Lin Shu time and time again. He hadn't just wanted to beat him up for a single day; if it hadn't erupted that day, it would have erupted eventually.

"Everyone used to say that you were the one... obsessively chasing after him, but seeing it with my own eyes, that’s not the case at all."

Xie Buchan turned to look at her. "It must have been really hard for you before, right? Everyone only believed what Ji Xingshen said, and no one ever listened to your side."

Lin Shu felt tears welling up. She had an impulse to want Xie Buchan to be her son in the next life. But she didn't dare say it out loud... for fear that he might hit her.