Unexpected Rejections and Hidden Motivations

“Oh, I see. Well, alright then.”

Jiang Li’s refusal was utterly cold, leaving the girl feeling somewhat awkward as she departed, her shoulders slumped in disappointment.

Before leaving, she couldn’t help but cast a glance at Xi Yao, her face clearly conveying, ‘This girl has really big breasts.’

Jiang Li’s expression remained entirely placid, as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired.

“You just rejected her like that?” Xi Yao whispered, “Won’t people gossip about you behind your back?”

‘It was mainly because she was too cold,’ Xi Yao thought, ‘giving her absolutely no face.’

Jiang Li dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “It doesn’t matter. There was no need in the first place. Even if we take a step back, she wasn’t truly sincere.”

Xi Yao blinked, “What?”

“If she truly had a question, asking in class or consulting a teacher would have been far superior options. What good does adding a friend on QQ serve?” Jiang Li scoffed, her lips twisting. “Will she be asking online in the middle of the night?”

“Hmm, that’s true…”

“It’s nothing more than vanity. Once she adds me, she can tell her roommates and friends, ‘I’m friends with so-and-so, isn’t that awesome?’”

Jiang Li understood this perfectly well; it was a common psychological phenomenon, precisely why she detested interpersonal relationships.

‘It’s simply too troublesome,’ she thought. ‘Thankfully, I was clever enough to turn my seemingly easygoing roommate into my deskmate, making everything twice as efficient.’

“But if you act like this, aren’t you worried about not fitting in with your classmates?” Xi Yao asked softly.

Jiang Li let out a soft huff. “It makes no difference to me. I never intended to ‘fit in’ with them anyway.”

“Eh?”

“Exceptional individuals are always solitary, for they possess no superfluous energy to expend on emotional attachments, much like the legendary senior from the university department, Xi Ruo.”

Hearing her mention her sister’s name—no, rather, her fiancée’s name—Xi Yao froze for a moment.

“Xi Ruo… what about her?”

“She simply dedicates herself wholeheartedly, channeling all her energy into self-improvement, which is why she’s so outstanding,” Jiang Li stated matter-of-factly. “Over more than four years of schooling, there has never been a single rumor about her, and that speaks volumes.”

A corner of Xi Yao’s mouth twitched. “Is… is that so?”

“Indeed. That’s why I aspire to become a person like her,” Jiang Li affirmed earnestly.

“A person like her?”

Xi Yao’s emotions swirled within her. She wanted to speak, then hesitated, then wanted to speak again, ultimately unable to hold back. “Jiang Li, I think… it might be better if you *don’t* become a person like her.”

‘She has a fiancée, and that fiancée cheated on her,’ Xi Yao thought. ‘If you were to become a person like her, and your psychological resilience wasn’t up to par, you might not be able to handle it.’

“Why do you say that?” Jiang Li asked, utterly bewildered by the unexpected declaration.

“Because, I believe, everyone’s experiences are unique,” Xi Yao replied with a sweet smile. “You will forge your own future; there’s no need to follow precisely in another’s footsteps.”

“…Is that so?”

Jiang Li appeared lost in thought.

Xi Yao covertly wiped away a bead of cold sweat, relieved that she had managed to muddle through the conversation.

‘Honestly, this child,’ she mused, ‘why does she always want to be like Xi Ruo? That’s so green (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘lǜ’, meaning to be cheated on by one’s partner)… ah, no, that’s so inauspicious!’

After a short while, a hush fell over the classroom as the homeroom teacher arrived.

“Everyone, take your seats properly. No whispering. The sooner I finish speaking, the sooner you can all go back to rest.”

The old teacher, whose surname was Zou, was an elderly woman with an imposing demeanor. Upon hearing her words, the entire class dutifully quieted down, listening attentively to her address.

In truth, there was nothing particularly urgent to discuss; she merely went over some important points and school regulations that needed to be avoided.

Xi Yao listened casually for a bit, and frankly, the rules seemed considerably more lenient than those of her previous life’s high school.

Her deskmate, Jiang Li, sat rigidly upright throughout, regardless of whether she was paying attention, unlike Xi Yao, who soon placed Tuan Tuan on the desk.

‘This is what I call reducing academic stress,’ she thought.

“…And so, that concludes our discussion for today. It’s getting late, so I hope everyone returns to their dorms to rest after school and doesn’t linger outside for too long, lest you miss dorm check-in.”

Jiang Li gathered her belongings, then stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

Xi Yao blinked, instinctively asking, “Where are we going?”

“Back to the dorm to sleep. Where else would we go?”

“…Oh.”

While her words made perfect sense, Xi Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

‘In any case, let’s just head back for now,’ she decided.

****

Xi Ruo’s interpersonal relationships at school were not as cold and detached as Jiang Li had imagined.

The absence of rumors merely indicated a lack of intimate partners; she still maintained a circle of good friends.

University enrollment procedures were not laden with numerous regulations, making the physical examination the first order of business after admission.

That afternoon, immediately after the physical examination concluded, the girls were changing clothes in the female locker room.

“Sister Xi Ruo, your figure is still so stunning! Didn’t you relax at all during the summer?”

Clad in a sports vest and form-fitting shorts, Xi Ruo’s perfect figure was accentuated by the light, her flat stomach devoid of even a hint of excess flesh, making it utterly impossible to tell that she had just returned from vacation.

“It’s merely a matter of daily exercise,” Xi Ruo replied with an air of nonchalance. “Besides, what’s there to relax about during summer break?”

“Eating, playing, and…” a girl said mysteriously, “falling in love!”

Another girl, having finished changing, walked over. “Forget about it. Sister Xi Ruo never gets involved in those romantic entanglements; you know that.”

Ordinarily, Xi Ruo would have remained silent at such a remark, yet today, for reasons unknown even to herself, she instinctively retorted, “How do you know I haven’t?”

The moment these words left her lips, several people around them turned to stare in astonishment.

“Sister Xi Ruo, could it be that you…?”

“Tell us, tell us! Who is it?”

“Which boy, or… which girl?”

Xi Ruo cleared her throat and said with an air of composure, “Don’t ask any more questions for now. I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

‘She hasn’t fully secured her yet; they’ve only just held hands,’ Xi Ruo mused internally.

“Oh, Sister Xi Ruo,” the girl who had finished changing inquired, “are you interested in participating in the school’s ball game tomorrow afternoon? It’s the sophomores against the juniors, and our team is a bit weaker in terms of lineup strength. However, with you on our side, those juniors wouldn’t stand a chance against us.”

“Exactly!” another girl chimed in. “The entire school will be there to watch, and students from the high school division will also attend.”

“No interest.”

Xi Ruo instinctively rejected the idea, given the vast disparity in strength. But then, she paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. “Wait a moment, what did you just say?”

“I said, if you were there…”

“No, not you.”

The second girl pointed to herself in confusion. Seeing Xi Ruo nod, she bewilderedly repeated, “The entire school will be there to watch, and students from the high school division will also attend.”

“Alright,” Xi Ruo declared, her expression unwavering, though her words shifted. “I’ll participate. Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll thrash… no, we’ll have a bloody battle against the juniors.”

The other girls exchanged glances, a dawning realization spreading among them.

Sister Xi Ruo’s sudden departure from her usual demeanor, agreeing to participate in the game and even getting so excited that she nearly blurted out “thrash,” seemed utterly uncharacteristic.

However, when coupled with her earlier comments about romance, everything suddenly became clear.

‘From the high school division, then. A junior student, boy or girl? Which one?’