Chapter 1 A Revelation

Chapter 1 A Revelation

In Jincheng in March, the spring air was still biting.

Lin Yao sat by the window, her hand supporting her cheek, her fine eyebrows raised as she stared absentmindedly at the drizzling rain outside.

After a long while, she lowered her head and sighed softly, beginning to gather the books on her desk.

"Lin Yao, come on, let's go to the canteen for some snacks. We don't have to do exercises during the break anyway."

Qiu Xueer, sitting in front, leaned back on her chair and draped her arm over Lin Yao's desk.

"No, you know I never eat junk food."

Lin Yao shook her head, her eyes filled with an apologetic smile.

Actually, she was even more worried inside.

She hated rainy days; her new shoes and socks easily got stained with mud.

She didn't want to run to the canteen now, just for those unhealthy snacks.

"C'mon, Lin Yao, the canteen owner just got in a new kind of spicy strip that's really delicious... You're the best, please come with me."

Qiu Xueer walked around to the back seat and tugged at Lin Yao's arm.

"I want to go with you, but..." Lin Yao bit her lip, placing her left hand on her abdomen, speaking softly, "I'm not feeling well today."

"You... not feeling well? Is it because of that time?"

"Mmm." Lin Yao bit her lip tighter, looking troubled, and nodded slightly.

"Then you stay here and rest." Qiu Xueer didn't doubt her for a moment, patting her shoulder.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared at the front door of the classroom.

"Oh, Shi Nian is back."

Seeing the tall girl carrying a stack of exercise books into the classroom, Qiu Xueer's eyes sparkled with admiration, "She'll definitely go with me."

Hearing this, the feigned discomfort on Lin Yao's face instantly turned real.

She looked up.

Not far away, the ponytailed girl had a slender and tall figure, with a cool demeanor. She was currently distributing the homework without a smile, yet she seemed to glow with radiance.

This was Shi Nian.

They were the class president of Class 1, Grade 11.

The acknowledged school beauty of No. 3 Middle School.

And before Shi Nian transferred here, all these titles belonged to Lin Yao.

As if sensing Lin Yao's resentful gaze, the cold and composed girl with her black ponytail turned to look over.

Shi Nian nodded at her and smiled, her lips curling.

Lin Yao quickly lowered her head.

Annoying.

She hated how Shi Nian could be dazzling even without smiling, and when she did smile, it was enough to easily captivate anyone.

The Shi siblings were like this—hypocritical and skilled at winning people over.

She hated it.

"Lin Yao, you rest for now; I'll have Shi Nian accompany me."

"Wait a moment." Lin Yao took a deep breath and gently held back Qiu Xueer, who was about to leave. "I'll go with you; I suddenly don't feel as uncomfortable."

Qiu Xueer tilted her head, looking at her suspiciously. "Really? Don't force yourself."

"I'm not forcing myself." Lin Yao stood up, adding a bit more sweetness to her voice, afraid that Qiu Xueer wouldn't believe her.

"I really don't hurt anymore; I'll go with you."

Qiu Xueer scrutinized her face and nodded. "Okay, then hurry up. If we're late, I'm afraid all the new spicy chips will be gone."

*

Qiu Xueer pulled Lin Yao and took a shortcut.

Their Class 1, Grade 11 classroom was at the far east end of the school, while the canteen was in the southwest corner, making it the furthest diagonal distance.

To take a shortcut, they had to pass through the small woods and the basketball court next to the canteen.

"We're quite lucky; the rain stopped just as we came out..."

Qiu Xueer linked arms with Lin Yao, looking up and sighing.

"Yes, we're lucky..." Lin Yao echoed softly, but if one observed closely, they would notice that her slightly pursed lips were suppressing a hidden frustration.

Of course, she was frustrated.

Her new shoes and socks, which she had been carefully stepping around mud puddles to protect, finally got splattered with mud on the third one.

Now those muddy spots marred her pristine white shoes, and they looked increasingly unpleasant to her.

It's so itchy, as if ants are crawling all over her body.

She wishes she could stop right now, shake off Qiu Xueer, grab some tissues to wipe away the mud spots, and then turn back to the classroom.

But Lin Yao knows she can't.

If she doesn't maintain her image as a gentle and well-behaved student at school, even the little bit of popularity she has left will be snatched away by Shi Nian.

Qiu Xueer: "In the afternoon, Old Yang is going to call people up to recite the latest three classical texts. Have you memorized them?"

Lin Yao: "Mm."

Qiu Xueer: "My mom signed me up for two more tutoring classes recently. I feel like I'll go bald before senior year..."

Lin Yao: "Yeah."

Distracted, Lin Yao didn't really pay attention to what Qiu Xueer was saying and just mechanically agreed.

"By the way..."

As they approached the snack shop, Qiu Xueer suddenly tightened her grip on Lin Yao's arm, wearing a mysterious expression.

"Have you heard about Class 13 downstairs?"

Lin Yao turned to look at Qiu Xueer, her dazed eyes showing that she hadn't fully registered the question.

"What about Class 13?"

Her mind was still preoccupied with her dirty shoes, not noticing the group of people coming out of the basketball court behind them.

"I'm talking about Shi Yu from Class 13, Shi Nian's brother."

Qiu Xueer was eager to share the latest gossip, her voice rising slightly with excitement.

"Do you know that both siblings transferred from No. 5 Middle School?"

Lin Yao nodded; she certainly knew.

She paid close attention to everything about Shi Nian.

"I heard during winter break, the school flower from No. 5 Middle School posted on our school forum asking about Shi Yu. This semester, she followed him here from No. 5 Middle School."

"Followed him here?" Lin Yao couldn't help but be surprised. "Are you saying she transferred just for Shi Yu?"

"That's right. Our school and No. 5 Middle School have been rivals for years. This time, we're definitely going to outshine them."

The two schools were separated by a major road, and due to historical reasons, there had never been a stop to the competition between students and faculty.

The last time Shi Nian and Shi Yu transferred, it caused quite a stir.

Qiu Xueer wore a proud expression. "Shi Nian and Shi Yu really brought honor to our school. They have great grades and are good-looking..."

"Being good-looking is useless. It just attracts weirdos to our school, making it chaotic."

After saying this, Lin Yao still felt unsatisfied.

Biting her lip, her porcelain-like face fell, and she added,

"...ruining the school atmosphere."

Just as she finished speaking, Qiu Xueer tugged on her arm hard and winked at her.

Lin Yao: ?

"Wasn't I right?"

Lin Yao didn't think much of it. Shi Nian was a good student and a girl, so she couldn't say much.

But Shi Yu was different.

He hadn't even cracked the top 200 in the exams since transferring.

He always had a group of people around him. Every time she saw him, he was either playing basketball or being cornered by girls who were slipping him love letters.

"The person I despise the most is someone like him." The girl's soft voice was unusually emotional.

"Haha, Brother Yu, someone is talking bad about you behind your back..."

A sudden jeer came from behind.

"That little girl blames you for making the school chaotic and ruining its atmosphere..."

"She's a top student from Class 1. No wonder she looks down on us in Class 13..."

The boys laughed together, their words filled with sarcasm.

Qiu Xueer looked utterly defeated, tightening her grip on Lin Yao's arm and hiding behind her.

Lin Yao was stunned for a moment, frowning as she turned around.

Seven or eight boys from Class 13, surrounding one person, walked towards them from behind.

Perhaps because they had just finished playing basketball, the boys were sweating profusely, their school jackets loosely tied around their waists, looking carefree and unruly.

Only Shi Yu, whom they surrounded, held a bottle of water loosely in his left hand. His eyelashes lowered, and his dark eyes slowly lifted when he heard these words, glancing at her indifferently.

Lin Yao's gaze collided with a coldness.

She belatedly realized that Shi Yu didn't even have a drop of sweat on his forehead.

The black school uniform jacket was only unbuttoned at the top, and his broad shoulders filled out the suit-like jacket, exuding an indescribable sense of restrained wildness and contradictory tension.

Lin Yao pursed her lips and turned her face away.

"Hey, model student, why aren't you talking now? You were quite chatty just a moment ago," teased Shi Yu's companions.

"Lin Yao, how about we... apologize to him?"

Behind her, Qiu Xueer was already regretting everything. If she had known better, she wouldn't have gossiped behind his back. She gently nudged Lin Yao.

"Apologize for what?"

Lin Yao lifted her gaze, and her slightly round deer-like eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion.

"I didn't hide behind him to say bad things."

A ripple of fear flashed in the girl's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by more stubbornness.

She looked over, her voice calm. "I would say the same thing even if I were right in front of him."

The boys immediately burst into excitement.

"Alright, little girl, don't you dare leave after school."

Lin Jingtao, who usually got along best with Shi Yu, smiled. He found the girl's pouting lips both obedient and stubborn, making her somewhat interesting.

He intended to tease her and reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.

"Why wait until after school? Come with me now; let's go sit in our class."

Misinterpreting his intention as a threat, Lin Yao's heart tightened.

Suddenly, another slender and pale hand intercepted Lin Jingtao.

"Yu... what's wrong?"

Lin Jingtao was taken aback and looked at Shi Yu, who had grabbed his arm.

His buddy never bothered with such trivial matters, especially not when this model student had just embarrassed him in public.

Shi Yu's expression was indifferent.

He glanced at Lin Jingtao without looking at Lin Yao and said two words.

"Boring."

His cold and casual voice.

Seeing Shi Yu walk away, the others hurriedly followed, no longer caring about Lin Yao.

"Yu, why did you let her off so easily..."

"Yeah, she looked like she was about to cry; that would've been fun..."

The boys' voices gradually faded away. Lin Yao, whose hands had been clenched inside her school uniform sleeves, slowly relaxed them.

"Lin Yao, are you okay?" Qiu Xueer noticed her pale face and blamed herself. "It's all my fault; I shouldn't have brought up this topic..."

"I'm fine."

Lin Yao took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Really?" Qiu Xueer asked skeptically. "But your face looks pale..."

"Aren't you going to buy spicy chips?" Lin Yao deliberately changed the subject. "If you're late, they'll be gone again."

"Oh right! Let's go, hurry up."

*

Because of the incident outside the canteen earlier that day, Qiu Xueer insisted on giving Lin Yao two packets of spicy chips as 'emotional compensation' when school ended.

"No, I really don't eat this kind of stuff..."

"It's okay, just try them. If you don't like them, throw them away. They're really good; I swear!"

"But..."

"Come on, I know you never eat junk food, but you can do whatever you want with them. My bus is here; see you tomorrow!"

Qiu Xueer jumped onto the bus before Lin Yao could refuse.

Looking at the two packets of spicy chips still in her hand, Lin Yao hesitated for a moment before deciding not to throw them directly into the nearby trash bin.

She stuffed the spicy chips into the bottom of her backpack.

With many people around during dismissal time, Lin Yao walked with the crowd, carrying her backpack.

After passing through several bustling commercial streets outside the school, the number of students wearing school uniforms around her visibly decreased.

Ten minutes later, she was the only one left wearing the No. 3 Middle School uniform.

Lin Yao lifted her gaze and looked towards the towering building that stood out prominently in the old neighborhood ahead.

That was the Jin Yue Hui residential complex.

Two years ago, her father, Lin Xiong, spent a large sum of money to purchase a new apartment in this old school district through a lottery system.

Lin Yao looked around, saw no familiar faces, and slipped into an alley, carefully opening her backpack.

Two snack bags labeled ‘YX Old-Style Spicy Flakes’ were held in her hand.

The girl's slender, pale fingers hesitated for just a second before tearing open the packaging.

A long-missed spicy aroma wafted up to her nose.

Her hand holding the bag even trembled slightly.

Bending down, she took a small bite, and the red oil-soaked spiciness mixed with cumin and bean fragrance spread across her lips and teeth.

It was the full flavor of her childhood memories.

Lin Yao squinted in satisfaction and took a few more bites.

Her soft, deer-like eyes misted over from the spiciness.

"Aren't you supposed to hate this kind of junk food?"

Suddenly, a familiar cold and casual voice came from behind.

Lin Yao stiffened.

Was... he talking to her?

No, it couldn't be, it was just a coincidence.

That person must be talking to someone else.

The girl bent her waist lower, burying her head, trying to hide herself like an ostrich in the corner.

The footsteps grew clearer.

The next moment, Shi Yu's voice sounded above her head.

"Does your mom know you're secretly hiding here to eat spicy strips?"