Upon hearing the truth from Qing Shu, not only did Chu Xin freeze for a moment, but even the girl outside was taken aback and quickly blushed, stumbling into the room. Flustered and embarrassed, she used her hand to cover Qing Shu’s mouth.
“Small Zhen! Didn’t we agree to only use that name in private?”
She then glared at Chu Xin, biting her lip with a mix of anger and frustration.
“You… you heard all that, didn’t you, Chu Xin?”
Chu Xin was bewildered. This was just a friendly nickname, after all.
And who was this girl, anyway? Before he could react, she continued,
“But I guess you’re right. After all, you’re the one who used Qing Shu’s naivety to force her to have dinner with you, you stinky man!”
Although spoken in Chinese, Chu Xin distinctly heard a tone similar to Kansai dialect. The girl reminded him of the delinquent girls he knew from Sakura, her attire a slightly modified version of the Maria School uniform. Her pleated skirt was unusually short, revealing smooth, well-maintained legs. Despite the June weather, she wore thick tights.
Her blouse was rolled up to her waist, tied with a knot, exposing a slightly plump yet perfect midsection. The collar of her shirt, which should have been fastened with a tie, was unbuttoned at the top two buttons. Her small breasts added to her allure.
Maria Academy was a prestigious school, even his mother had struggled to get in. Although its educational style resembled that of Sakura, its strictness regarding etiquette and appearance was comparable to his previous school.
Chu Xin couldn’t fathom why anyone would so openly defy the school rules. Although he didn’t recognize the girl, he felt a surge of anger at her unprovoked attack.
He raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with anger.
“Miss, I have no idea who you are, but if you insist on misinterpreting my actions, I won’t hesitate to respond.”
“I may not be skilled in persuasion, but I do know a thing or two about fighting.”
The girl froze, then looked up, her eyes filled with tears.
“You… you don’t recognize me?!”
Chu Xin frowned and stood up.
“Whether I recognize you or not is irrelevant to what you just said.”
Just then, Bai Liu looked over, a smile playing on her lips, her air of a CEO’s wife suddenly apparent.
“Miss, if you continue to make such a commotion, I won’t hesitate to have you removed.”
The girl flinched, murmuring an apology, and silently took a seat next to Qing Shu, her body trembling.
Chu Xin sat down as well, still unable to place the girl with the dyed hair. He looked at Qing Shu, but she was still eating, oblivious to the tension. She reached out and patted the trembling girl’s head.
“It’s okay, Tian Yi. Chu Xin isn’t a bad person, you know.”
The girl glanced at Qing Shu with a pout.
“Ugh, you promised not to use that name in public!”
She turned to Chu Xin, her eyes questioning, and whispered something in Qing Shu’s ear, loud enough for Chu Xin to overhear. It seemed to be about the situation.
Chu Xin’s gaze was drawn to the girl’s hair, which kept twitching.
The girl’s expression grew more complicated, and her trembling stopped. Suddenly, she knelt on the floor, assuming a ‘seiza’ position, her manicured hands pressed together, bowing her head.
“I’m sorry, Chu Xin. I misjudged you.”
Chu Xin was completely taken aback. He never expected the girl who had just called him a ‘stinky man’ to apologize like this. He looked at her, unsure of how to respond, especially since Bai Liu, despite her usual tidiness, wouldn’t approve of someone kneeling on the floor.
Just then, Qing Shu, with a look of realization, chimed in,
“I knew it! Chu Xin is a good person.”
Chu Xin felt a pang of embarrassment, while Bai Liu watched with amusement. The kneeling girl, not hearing a response, looked up at Chu Xin with a mixture of longing and resentment.
Before Chu Xin could react, the girl, still half-kneeling, spoke in a trembling, embarrassed voice,
“Chu Xin, please forgive me. I’ll do anything… even offer my body.”
With that, she began to unbutton her blouse. In that moment, Chu Xin felt a mix of curiosity and a sense of impending loss. He quickly grabbed her hand.
“No, what are you doing?” he exclaimed in panic.
But Bai Liu seemed to have zoned out, showing no reaction. The girl tried to free her hand, and Chu Xin, now truly panicked, blurted out,
“I already forgive you!”
Meanwhile, Qing Shu’s demeanor had changed, her eyes distant as she approached Chu Xin.
What was going on? Seeing the girl’s determined expression, Chu Xin, in a mix of confusion and panic, pressed her down and took a deep breath.
“I know what to do now. Take Qing Shu home safely!”
…
Chu Xin sighed with relief as the two returned to normal, but the made-up girl still looked at him with a mix of longing and resentment, as if he were a lover who had stayed out too long. The atmosphere was awkward and tense.
Chu Xin, unsure of what to say, finally asked Qing Shu in a low voice,
“Class Representative, who is this girl, anyway?”
She was pretty and cute, but her personality was far from endearing, a complete oddball.
Qing Shu, seemingly recovering quickly, replied,
“Oh, that’s Tian Yi! How could you forget your classmate’s name? You two even talked when you first transferred in!”
Chu Xin was taken aback and looked at the girl, finally recalling that his seat was at the back window, known as the ‘king’s domain’ in his past life. He didn’t mind it; it was just easier to slack off.
His classmate, it seemed, was this delinquent-looking girl, Hasegawa Tian Yi.
Why was it ‘seemed’? Because the Tian Yi he remembered was completely different from the girl before him. Her hair, naturally black with red highlights, was now dyed a bright yellow. Her personality and appearance were drastically different.
In Chu Xin’s memory, his classmate was a glasses-wearing girl with a masculine charm, yet a hint of cuteness. She was intelligent and composed. However, after a few weeks, she disappeared. Now, Tian Yi had curly yellow-red hair and subtle makeup, looking like a cute, well-groomed girl. Like Qing Shu, she was from an overseas family, and their families were said to be close.
Chu Xin realized that her anger stemmed from his inability to recognize her. He cleared his throat and asked tentatively,
“Hasegawa?”
The girl’s furrowed brows relaxed, but she maintained a sullen expression.
Chu Xin pretended not to notice and asked,
“Even if you were a bit rude at first, why did you apologize like that?”
Tian Yi hesitated, then looked at Qing Shu, who was shorter, with a soft, sweet voice explaining,
“Tian Yi comes from a traditional family. Although they’ve changed their ways, she was raised around girls and attended all-girls schools, so she gets nervous around boys. That’s why she acted that way.”
But before Qing Shu could finish, Tian Yi interjected,
“Actually, I saw my father apologize to my mother like that last night, so I thought it would be appropriate to do the same with a boy.”
Of course, by ‘boy,’ she meant Chu Xin.
Chu Xin was in disbelief. Couldn’t they at least keep such things private when children were around?
****
Chu Xin’s eyes widened as he realized the truth.
“So, that’s why you were so upset. I never recognized you.”
Hasegawa Tian Yi blushed, her eyes flickering with a mix of embarrassment and relief.
“Yes, I was so embarrassed when you didn’t remember me. I thought you were just being rude.”
Chu Xin sighed, understanding her reaction. He had been so focused on his own concerns that he hadn’t considered how his actions might affect others.
“I apologize, Tian Yi. I should have been more attentive.”
Tian Yi’s eyes brightened, and a small smile played on her lips.
“It’s okay, Chu Xin. I overreacted. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Chu Xin nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. The tension in the room dissipated, replaced by a sense of understanding and camaraderie.
“Let’s start over, shall we? I’m Chu Xin, and it’s nice to meet you, Hasegawa Tian Yi.”
Tian Yi giggled, her previous anger forgotten.
“Nice to meet you too, Chu Xin. And please, call me Tian Yi.”
As they shook hands, Chu Xin couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the unexpected turn of events. In a world where misunderstandings and miscommunications were common, it was moments like these that truly mattered.
The room fell into a comfortable silence, the weight of the earlier tension lifted. Chu Xin and Tian Yi exchanged smiles, the beginning of a new friendship forged in the heat of misunderstanding and resolved in the cool waters of understanding.