Chapter 26 Trying to Fool Me With Those Petty Tricks…

Chapter 26: Trying to Fool Me? With Those Petty Tricks...

For Mrs. Yu's birthday, Yu Kui and Mr. Yu decorated their home and prepared a lavish lunch, having bought an abundance of ingredients.

During the meal, Yu Kui presented her gifts: a silk scarf and perfume. "Happy birthday, Mom."

"Thank you, my darling!" Mrs. Yu embraced her daughter. "Give Mom a kiss."

Yu Kui leaned in to kiss her cheek, a hint of shyness in her voice. "Mom, I wish you eternal happiness."

"With you by my side, of course I'm happy," Mrs. Yu ruffled her daughter's hair, then turned to Mr. Yu. "And what gift did you prepare for me?"

Mr. Yu chuckled, producing a piece of gold jewelry he’d prepared earlier. "Want to try it on after we eat?"

"Absolutely," Mrs. Yu happily accepted the gift. "This afternoon, let's go out—watch a movie, sing karaoke."

"Go, go, go!" Mr. Yu readily agreed. "As long as it's legal, anything you want is fine."

Yu Kui: "..."

Days turned into weeks, and the weather grew progressively colder. Yu Kui found herself adding more and more layers of clothing.

She disembarked from the bus and ambled toward the school.

Sun Shuya, panting heavily, caught up to her. "Phew, I'm exhausted from chasing you."

Yu Kui turned. "You could have just called my name."

"Would you have heard me?" Sun Shuya eyed her skeptically. "Bundled up so tightly, are you sure you'd catch my call?"

Yu Kui touched her fluffy pink earmuffs, her eyes curving into a smile. "My mom bought them for me."

"I can tell," Sun Shuya shrugged. "You're clearly the apple of your family's eye—I'm so jealous."

Yu Kui: "..."

The two girls walked leisurely toward the school building. Sun Shuya asked Yu Kui if she'd finished her math homework, hoping to copy it.

"I finished it, but why haven't you done yours again?" Yu Kui frowned. "Didn't I tell you to send me the problems you don't understand so I could explain them?"

"I went out with my cousin yesterday," Sun Shuya rubbed her nose. "By the time I got home, you were already asleep."

"Alright," Yu Kui, whose routine was quite regular, conceded, but added, "Starting today, I won't let you copy homework anymore. You need to do it yourself."

"Huh?" Sun Shuya's face fell. "Do you have to be so ruthless?"

"The college entrance exams are next year," Yu Kui said worriedly. "How will you manage if you keep this up?"

"Sigh..." Sun Shuya let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "I'm only concerned about today's homework."

Yu Kui: "..."

Last week's exam results were posted, and Yu Kui's total score once again topped the class. Her classmates, accustomed to her consistent performance, flocked to her after class with questions about the problems they'd missed.

Yu Kui patiently explained each one, showing no trace of annoyance.

Tao Jiang watched her for a moment, deeply dissatisfied with her own failing math grade. Lately, she'd been video-calling Qin You every night, dumping all her difficult questions on him. Logically, she should have shown some improvement, but her scores remained stubbornly stagnant.

She pursed her lips. Could Qin You's teaching methods be the problem?

After school, she approached Yu Kui's desk. "Can you help me with a few problems?"

Tao Jiang had asked Yu Kui for help before, but Yu Kui had always declined, preferring to minimize their interactions.

Yu Kui shook her head, continuing to pack her backpack without looking up. Tao Jiang gritted her teeth and said, "I know you're upset with me, but I truly have no one else to turn to for academic help. Could you please..."

"I saw it the other day," Yu Kui said. "Li Shuran offered to explain the problems to you, but you refused."

Li Shuran was Tao Jiang's deskmate and ranked among the top three in the class, perfectly capable of helping Tao Jiang.

Tao Jiang's expression flickered, and she offered a weak defense. "Li Shuran is a boy. I'm not comfortable interacting with him."

"What about Huang Li?" Yu Kui pressed. "She also offered to help, but you still weren't willing."

Since the start of senior year, a trend had emerged in the class: high-achieving students helping those who were struggling, fostering mutual support and collective progress.

However, Tao Jiang had used the excuse of having a "tutor" to turn down many classmates who offered their assistance.

"Do you think they're not qualified to teach you?" Yu Kui looked her directly in the eye.

"How could I think that?" Tao Jiang averted her gaze. "I'm just not familiar with them. You know my personality—I haven't really integrated into the class."

"Then why did you sign up for the long-distance run? Why did you participate in the skit?" Weren't those part of the "group" she mentioned?

"I..." Tao Jiang hadn't expected Yu Kui to be so sharp. Her expression darkened slightly as she whispered, "Those were my efforts to fit into the class, but I'm genuinely not close to the others. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you."

Yu Kui remained silent. Tao Jiang continued, "I know you resent me, thinking I didn't treat you as a true friend, but you're the only person I'm familiar with at school. You're the one I trust the most... The college entrance exam is next semester, and my grades haven't improved at all. I truly don't know what the problem is. Could you please..."

Her voice was low, filled with worry, and her fragile demeanor reminded Yu Kui of their very first meeting.

As delicate and fragile as glass.

Yu Kui had genuinely wanted to protect her back then, to be her friend.

She had even dreamed of attending the same university and remaining lifelong friends.

But now, Tao Jiang's tears didn't move Yu Kui. Instead, they felt somewhat disingenuous. "So, you're only approaching me for academic help? If your grades improve, will you still disregard the pain you've caused me?"

Tao Jiang's eyes widened. "I..."

"You came to me because I have something you can exploit."

Yu Kui hit the nail on the head. "You never truly considered me your friend."

Tao Jiang clenched her fists, seemingly taken aback by Yu Kui's perceptiveness. "That's not what I meant."

"But I'm not the same person I used to be," Yu Kui said calmly. "No matter how many times you ask, my answer won't change."

"We stopped being friends a long time ago."

With that, Yu Kui slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked past her.

"I did consider you a friend!" Tao Jiang turned around, her eyes red. "I've always considered you a friend. It's just that I can't give you the clear feedback others can. That's not my fault."

Yu Kui paused.

"It's because of my family background," Tao Jiang said in a voice only the two of them could hear. "I had no choice in how I was born, no way to change my upbringing, and no way to change the personality I've developed. I had no alternatives. I'm sorry."

Yu Kui turned around to see tears streaming down Tao Jiang's face. She gazed quietly at Yu Kui, her typically steady eyes now reflecting something akin to sorrow.

Yu Kui stood frozen, unable to discern whether Tao Jiang's words were genuine or not.

Dysfunctional family? Was Tao Jiang's unhappy family the reason she was this way?

Yu Kui longed to know everything that had happened to her, but she held back her questions, instead saying with deliberate coldness, "Your family situation has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"But I want to get into a good university," Tao Jiang said. "I want to change my fate, but my grades aren't improving. I'm at my wit's end."

Seeing her helpless expression, Yu Kui's gaze softened slightly. She instinctively took two steps toward Tao Jiang when a voice tinged with puzzlement came from behind her, "Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Yu Kui turned around to see Xie Xingzhi striding over to her. He grabbed her backpack strap and said, "Come on, let's go. I'll walk you to the bus stop."

"Huh?" Yu Kui was about to tell him to let go when Xie Xingzhi pulled her out of the classroom. "It's already dark outside. What are you still doing in the classroom? If I hadn't come to check, would you have stayed behind again?"

"No." As she struggled, Yu Kui glanced at Tao Jiang, who was staring intently at her and Xie Xingzhi with a peculiar, almost incongruous look.

Frowning, Yu Kui swallowed the words she had intended to say and fell silent.

After leaving the classroom, Xie Xingzhi released Yu Kui and asked with some irritation, "Why didn't you go home?"

"I…" Thinking of Tao Jiang, Yu Kui hesitated. "It's none of your business."

"How is it none of my business? You're my tutor."

Yu Kui: "…"

"Don't stay so late from now on," Xie Xingzhi reached out and patted her head. "It's not safe."

"But it's still early," Yu Kui argued, checking the time. "I've left later than this before."

"It's winter now, and it gets dark too fast," Xie Xingzhi tugged at her backpack strap again. "Your safety is more important."

Yu Kui puffed her cheeks, unsure how to retort, and could only follow him toward the school gate.

"From now on, I'll come find you after school," Xie Xingzhi said, narrowing his eyes at the deserted bus stop. "Don't let me catch you leaving late again."

Yu Kui: "…" What? Since when did he get to boss her around?

"I'm your 'teacher'!" She lifted her chin, correcting him sternly. "I'm supposed to be managing you, not the other way around."

"Exactly because you're my 'teacher,' I need to make sure you're safe," Xie Xingzhi retorted impatiently. "I wouldn't bother with anyone else."

"You…" Unable to argue, Yu Kui turned away and ignored him.

Xie Xingzhi looked at the top of her head and noticed her ponytail was slightly crooked. "Did you oversleep this morning?"

"No," Yu Kui shook her head.

"Then why is your hair messy?"

Yu Kui glared at him. "Isn't it because of you?"

"What did I do?" Xie Xingzhi looked confused. Yu Kui gritted her teeth secretly. "Don't pat my head anymore." So annoying.

Xie Xingzhi, feeling slightly guilty, offered, "…Want to pat my head back?"

Yu Kui: "…" She clenched her fists.

After watching Yu Kui board the bus, Xie Xingzhi turned to leave when his eyes met a girl emerging from the school gate.

Tao Jiang walked unhurriedly toward him and smiled. "Classmate, are you Yu Kui's friend?"

Xie Xingzhi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Tao Jiang seemed unaffected by his coldness and continued, "I'm Tao Jiang, also a friend of Yu Kui's."

"Friend?" Xie Xingzhi smirked. "The kind of 'friend' who's attached to her at the hip like some childhood sweetheart?"

Tao Jiang's pupils contracted sharply. "What did you say?"

"Don't think I'm stupid," Xie Xingzhi sneered. "You really thought those petty tricks of yours would work on me?"