Shadows of Rivalry and Fleeting Whispers

Watching Li Mengying grind away at her desk, Liu Qianxia snuck a peek at the paper.

This…

This was…

If she wasn’t mistaken, the sheet in Li Mengying’s hands had to be one of Ye Hao’s!

[Ye Hao, what kind of girl do you like?]

[I don’t…]

[What if? I’m just saying, what if?]

[No what ifs.]

[…]

[If I had to say… I like someone good at studying…]

Ye Hao liked girls who excelled at school!

Liu Qianxia still remembered that conversation word for word.

Now, eyeing Li Mengying gnawing her pen cap nonstop, she suddenly sensed danger closing in.

Sure, her grades couldn’t touch Li Mengying’s.

But…

She might sneak a win yet.

From what she knew, Ye Hao and Li Mengying had always clashed.

He downright despised her.

As for lunch, she’d overheard Li Mengying’s maid gossiping in the hall.

Li Mengying hadn’t packed anything that day.

So the truth was out.

Ye Hao had just pitied the girl and shared out of kindness.

And that’s when Liu Qianxia had stumbled into that mess.

Gotta hand it to her—Li Mengying played dirty.

Grades?

Fine, she couldn’t beat her there.

But outside of books, could a pampered miss like her match a regular girl like Liu Qianxia?

Come to think of it, she’d slipped up too.

Seeing Li Mengying feed Ye Hao had short-circuited her brain. Big mistake.

Her favor with him was probably tanked now.

Total blunder!

She hadn’t seen Li Mengying’s jab coming.

Her mind had blanked, and she’d basically admitted to having a boyfriend.

This wouldn’t fly.

Li Mengying was sneaky as hell.

So frustrating!

She was pissed.

No chat fodder with Ye Hao anymore, except maybe after school.

Though they never really talked anyway…

Hang on.

She’d hit another blind spot.

What about Ye Hao’s lunch today?

***

Meanwhile, Luo Yao rummaged through Ye Hao’s room like a kid in a candy store.

Spotting a black pair of boxers she’d finally unearthed, her smile twisted into something unprintable.

“Seriously, why hide your undies in a spot like this. Not honest at all.”

Rolling on the bed with the boxers in hand, Luo Yao’s gaze drifted to the neatly folded bedding nearby.

“Hao Hao’s blankets…”

Staring at the pristine white sheets, Luo Yao’s glossy lips parted slightly.

***

“Ye Hao! I’m done!”

After who knew how long, Li Mengying—head high like a proud little peacock—planted herself in front of him.

She slapped the paper onto his desk.

Ye Hao: ???

What now—forgot her meds, or popped too many?

Though…

The paper…

Ye Hao gingerly picked it up from the desk.

“How’d I do? How? How how?”

Well…

Well~

Well!~

After a quick scan, Ye Hao glanced at Li Mengying beside him.

He flashed a thumbs-up.

Seeing the thumbs-up aimed her way, Li Mengying puffed out her chest.

Her afternoon’s grind hadn’t gone to waste!

Worth it!

Totally worth it!

“So? Go on, praise me~ Hm hm!”

“?”

Watching Li Mengying strut with zero self-awareness, Ye Hao blinked.

Praise her? You dreaming or what?

A hundred-fifteen-point test, and this was her afternoon’s work?

Sixty!

Sixty, and she wants praise?

Even Liu Qianxia could hit ninety on this!

And you’re grade two?

Second place like that?

Just ten behind me, and this is it?

Ye Hao felt the world conspiring against him.

Why did someone like her only trail by ten?

No clue.

He got none of it!

“Uh, not sure how to put this…”

As he spoke, Ye Hao fished a red pen from his case.

In three shakes of a lamb’s tail, he marked it up.

“See for yourself. I won’t spell it out. Take your time and savor it.”

Ye Hao was speechless.

Basic math like this, and you flunk?

Your usual scores must be bought.

“Huh?”

Li Mengying rubbed her eyes, staring at her paper.

“Aw?”

She shook her head.

Rubbed her eyes again.

“No way. This can’t be… Ye Hao, tell me it’s fake. Please…”

Sixty.

Word gets out, and folks’ll laugh.

Easy problems, and grade two barely scrapes passing?

“I mean, what can I say? Liu Qianxia did this one before. She nailed ninety. What more is there?”

“Pfft~”

Liu Qianxia, eavesdropping nearby, couldn’t hold back her snort.

“Tch!”

For the first time, Li Mengying felt truly humiliated by Liu Qianxia’s giggle.

“So, anything else? If not~

Could you just… Stay outta my space?”

Truth be told, Ye Hao was beyond annoyed.

Majorly ticked.

This your reason for derailing my flow?

Thought you had chops.

Turns out, total lightweight. Wasted my time.

He’d never wanted to chat with Li Mengying anyway.

She grated on him.

Yet here she was, bugging him for no reason.

It sucked.

Ye Hao couldn’t fathom why she kept at him.

He had no cash, no pull.

Headache city.

Or…

Bad.

A nightmare flashed in Ye Hao’s mind.

Pure horror, bro!

His grades tanking from the harassment.

Li Mengying lording over him, foot on his neck.

No!

That couldn’t happen!

Her rep was shady enough.

Approaching out of nowhere?

Besides tanking his scores, what else?

Tsk.

Scheming witch.

Pity. Pity you crossed me, Ye Hao!

I’d sniffed out your plot ages ago. Give it up!

“Uh…”

What?

“Gotta grind. You hovering here’s a distraction. So do your thing. Somewhere else.”

Ye Hao tucked the red pen away.

He met Li Mengying’s eyes, calm as still water.

“Fine. Afternoon, we head home together still…”

Even unwilling, Li Mengying eyed Ye Hao—nose back in his grind.

Like a dumped kitten, she slunk to her seat.

“Aw, look~ It’s Li Mengying~”

Tch.

Already sour, Li Mengying flared at Liu Qianxia’s voice.

“Yeah, it’s me. What’s it to you?”

“Not off with your boyfriend?”

She bit down hard on “boyfriend.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Snag one meal and feel superior? Don’t think I don’t know…”

Snag a meal?

Did she figure it out?

“Yeah. Lunch with Ye Hao. Your boyfriend ditching your sloppy seconds got you jealous?”

Li Mengying laced that line with a word trap.

But Liu Qianxia—clear-headed now—caught the hook.

Think you can word-trap me?

Liu Qianxia smiled faintly.

“Nah. Sloppy as they come, but why jealous, Li Mengying~? Look at you.”

“Turns out Liu Qianxia’s not jealous at all.”

“Big of you~ Whoever marries you could open a clothing shop. Sell hats for days.(TN: I think this refers to capping, or maybe some other idiom) Right, Liu Qianxia?”

Overhearing from the back, Ye Hao frowned slightly.

Clothing shop?

These two starting a boutique?

Huh?

Smart call, pairing them up.

Shared goals breed shared hustle. But him?

Ye Hao had zilch but the cash in his account.

Broke otherwise.

“Sigh… Studying’s king. Knowledge in the head’s the real treasure.”

Sometimes Ye Hao got lost in thought.

Especially post-uni life. What then?

Plus, back when Dad was around, he’d always say…

Find a girlfriend in college…

Girlfriend, huh~

Why mull that now?

Girlfriends were fate’s call.

When it hit, snag one that fit.

Ride it out for life.

Yeah.

Just make it work.

No point in flashy what-ifs. A plain girlfriend would do.

College?

Waiting on me…

With that, Ye Hao’s pen lightened like it held magic.

He blazed through the last sheet.

Leaned back in his chair.

Girlfriend…

Li Mengying?

Liu Qianxia?

Everyone scatters after uni.

Romance?

Still kid stuff.

Not that Ye Hao was wise beyond years.

He’d just seen too much.

Like why no one messed with him now, despite his mess.

Even street punks swerved him.

‘Cause no one dared.

Lost in it, Ye Hao fished in his pocket. Then it hit—how long since tobacco?

“Yeah. I’m not that guy anymore.”

Ye Hao chuckled bitterly.

Then a primal urge slammed his meridians again.

Held it all afternoon.

Keep clenching, and boom—disaster.

Once Ye Hao drained the tank and returned, he eyed his drawer to tweak some scores.

Huh?

Something new in there.

What’s this?

Eyeing the envelope, Ye Hao gnawed his nail.

Covered in scrawled “Help me”s.

Head instantly throbbed. Some twisted prank?

Ye Hao scratched his head.

Crumpled the envelope.

Tossed it in the trash.

Back to his seat.

“Boring.”