Chapter 26

Damn, the ball exploded.
And it exploded right in Lu Zhen’s hands.
If it hadn’t burst, it would have been a legendary, picture-perfect three-pointer destined for the history books.
Fragments of the shattered ball drifted down to the ground. No one had expected this, and everyone wore a look of genuine bewilderment.
Lu Zhen: "..."
Strange occurrences just kept piling up.
Tweeeet,
At that moment, the long whistle blew, signaling the end of the game.
People finally snapped out of their daze.
Even though that stunning three-pointer had ended in an explosion, the International Class of Grade 11 had still won the game! They had defeated the powerhouse class of Grade 12! The entire Grade 11 erupted into cheers and excitement.
Chu Yin’s voice had been soft earlier, and with no one else around, only Jiang Yan had heard her praise.
Snapping out of her shock, Jiang Yan turned to Chu Yin while clapping. "W-what do you mean by 'manly'?"
Chu Yin smiled mysteriously. "Blowing up a basketball, how impressive is that?"
Jiang Yan: "?"
Why does it feel like you didn’t mean it that way??
If she remembered correctly, throughout the entire game, while the girls around them were screaming their lungs out, Chu Yin hadn’t made a single sound, seemingly completely unexcited. Only the exploding basketball had caught her attention.
Jiang Yan couldn’t help but feel a pang of shame: she was still too immature. She had also let out a few excited shouts earlier. It seemed there was still a long way to go before she could match Yin Yin’s composure.
Chu Yin was satisfied.
She said to Study System, "See, that dog man isn’t looking at me anymore. If he keeps trying to show off, I’ll knock his head off."
Study System had long grown accustomed to her series of bold moves and even felt this particular touch was brilliant, adding a dramatic flair.
[Host, as expected of you.]
Chu Yin: "Of course."
But even though Lu Zhen had crashed and burned, for Chu Shi, his own crash was… even more spectacular!
He had been feeling overly confident earlier, boasting too much in front of his sister, only to fail to deliver. Now, the embarrassment was real.
Chu Shi wiped the sweat off his face and looked at Gu Qiuzhe with a pained expression.
Gu Qiuzhe, who had also been tormented by Lu Zhen until his liver hurt, patted Chu Shi’s shoulder and scolded him, “Next time you try to show off, don’t drag me into it.”
How embarrassing in front of his sister.
The opposing team’s area was in a frenzy of celebration, while the senior year side remained much calmer. Chu Shi hesitantly walked up to Chu Yin and said, “Brother wasn’t in top form today, so my performance was just average.”
Jiang Yan had noticed earlier that Chu Yin had praised Lu Zhen, and although her tone was a bit strange, she probably still admired the sophomore team more. But to everyone’s surprise, Chu Yin opened her mouth and said, “Not at all, Brother! I think you’re way cooler than the other side!”
Chu Shi was also taken aback. “R-Really?”
Chu Yin looked sincere. “Yeah, that guy on the other side played way too wildly. It wasn’t cool at all. But your dribbling moves were like art.”
Jiang Yan: “!”
She really knows how to give compliments!
Sure enough, Chu Shi was floating on cloud nine again. “W-Well, I also think he’s just average. Next time, when I’m in better form, I can beat him.”
“Brother, you’re being too humble,” Chu Yin shook her head. “I believe that when you’re at your best, you can totally crush him.”
Chu Shi instantly felt like he was ten feet tall, brimming with energy as if he had been injected with adrenaline, as if he could pin that bastard Lu Zhen to the ground and wipe the floor with him in the next second.
Gu Qiuzhe looked at him: “…” Wake up.
Jiang Yan also watched them, thinking: Yin Yin and Senior Chu Shi really have a great relationship!
On the opposing side, the players from the sophomore international class were surrounded by a crowd of people.
Lu Zhen slipped away from the crowd and stood on the bleachers, glancing over at the other side.
Chu Yin was still sitting, surrounded by a group of tall seniors. She was completely hidden from view.
Lu Zhen took a swig of water and wiped the moisture from his lips. Annoying.
Song Zhaolin squeezed through the sea of people to his side, automatically switching into praise mode. “Brother Zhen, MVP! So cool! I shouted so much my throat went hoarse for you!”
Lu Zhen glanced at him, an idea sparking in his mind. “Where were you sitting earlier?”
Song Zhaolin: “Right behind your team’s bench area!”
Lu Zhen lowered his gaze. “…Oh.”
So he didn’t know her reaction either.
“But Brother Zhen, you actually managed to burst the basketball! That’s so fierce!!”
“…” Lu Zhen fell silent for a moment. “I didn’t mean to.”
He was certain the ball was fine when he released it, but something went wrong just as it was about to go into the hoop.
Over the past few months, inexplicable incidents seemed to be happening more and more frequently. These events seemed to share some hidden commonality, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet.
Song Zhaolin, of course, wouldn’t overthink it. He just thought Lu Zhen was awesome and made a heart shape with his hands above his head. “No matter what, you’re a man who made history!”
“…” Lu Zhen kicked him. “Get lost.”
…
The sophomore international class ultimately won the basketball championship. They already had the five points for being the top team in their grade, and now they earned an additional six points for the championship, completely pulling ahead of Class 5 in the overall standings.
Song Zhaolin wasn’t particularly skilled at anything, but he had an exceptionally good mindset. Once he realized Class 5 couldn’t catch up, no matter how much he had wanted to compete for first place before, he now felt completely unburdened. He spent his days wandering around various competition venues, watching this and that, like he was chasing celebrities.
While studying, Chu Yin occasionally saw his carefree demeanor and felt a little envious.
How nice it would be to be a happy fool! At least you’d be joyful!
She stood up and went out to use the restroom. Song Zhaolin, who had been playing on his phone nearby, immediately and respectfully made way for the queen.
Actually, many people from the class had gone to watch the billiards match last time. Class 5 had just finished a basketball game, and since they lost, they weren’t in the mood to return to the classroom. So, they all crowded into the billiards hall and happened to witness the showdown between the two top girls in the class.
At first, some had bet on Fu Mingxuan, mainly because everyone knew Chu Yin’s heart belonged solely to studying. The boys in Class 5 had placed their bets roughly in a 3:7 ratio.
But after the match, everyone switched sides.
Things like pocketing balls with precision or clearing the table in one turn, feats even the boys couldn’t pull off, Chu Yin executed them all with such effortless coolness!!
From then on, though many didn’t say it out loud, they secretly regarded Chu Yin as their little queen.
Of course, when it came to bootlicking, no one could outdo Song Zhaolin. Just as Chu Yin was about to turn around to grab her water bottle, Song Zhaolin presented it to her with both hands.
Chu Yin couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, Zhaolin.”
Song Zhaolin: “No problem, no problem!”
The boys watching stealthily from the sidelines: …Somehow, they actually felt a little envious.
Chu Yin picked up her bottle, glanced around in all directions, and, detecting no signs of trouble, continued on her way. But as she turned a corner, she ran into another familiar face.
Luckily, this time it wasn’t Lu Zhen, it was Zheng Yu. Well, not that it was much better.
Although Zheng Yu’s team had lost to the seniors, they still placed second. He himself was the second-highest scorer on the team, and even though his contributions were almost negligible compared to Lu Zhen’s brilliance, he had performed quite well. After the game, many girls came to offer him water.
As a result, he had completely shaken off the shadows of being kicked by Lu Zhen and accidentally kneeling in front of Chu Yin.
Looking at his newly regained confidence, Chu Yin thought, Good for him. I don’t want to give anyone PTSD.
“What’s up?”
Zheng Yu gazed at her deeply. “Chu Yin, what did you think of the basketball game the other day?”
The single-syllable address sent shivers down her spine, and she almost turned to leave. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “I didn’t feel anything.”
I was too busy being angry at the time, what could I possibly have felt?
Zheng Yu looked at her, his hand twitching upward as if he wanted to pull another “wall-slam” move, but the next second, he consciously lowered it back down.
Chu Yin: …Good. Some PTSD is necessary. Better fix that habit of randomly pinning people against walls.
“Is there really no chance for us?”
Chu Yin nodded. “Yes, no chance. Go find someone else.”
With that, she walked away decisively.
Zheng Yu stood alone, lost in his sorrow.
The reason he came this time was because he had heard some news from his parents: the Chu family intended to arrange a marriage alliance with another wealthy family to strengthen their business.
Although Chu Qiuqiu was also decent, Chu Yin was clearly more beautiful. Zheng Yu thought, if Chu Yin was going to marry into another family anyway, why couldn't it be him? He believed it would be hard for Chu Yin to find someone better than him.
As Zheng Yu was lost in his melancholy thoughts, a soft voice suddenly came from behind him: "Senior?"
He turned around and saw Chu Qiuqiu standing there, her eyes gazing at him like a timid deer's. "Did my sister upset you?"
Zheng Yu's wounded male pride, bruised by Chu Yin, was instantly soothed by Chu Qiuqiu. He flashed a dashing smile. "It's nothing, don't worry."
Chu Qiuqiu smiled. "Senior, if you're unhappy, would you like to take a walk with me? Consider it my way of apologizing for my sister."
As a typical straight guy, Zheng Yu was completely won over by this kind of gesture. He immediately felt immensely pleased and thought to himself, if even Chu Qiuqiu treated him this way, what right did Chu Yin have to act so aloof? She came from a small town, how could she compare to Chu Qiuqiu's upbringing? If she missed her chance with him, Chu Yin would surely regret it someday.
Besides, upon closer look, Chu Qiuqiu bore a slight resemblance to Chu Yin and was quite pretty in her own right.
Zheng Yu grinned. "Sure, let's take a walk."
…
That evening, back at the Chu residence.
At the dining table, the Chu parents wore joyful expressions. Looking at their two daughters, one gentle and well-behaved, the other radiantly beautiful, both excelling in their studies, they felt proud of either one.
Mr. Chu said, "Qiuqiu, Xiao Yin, you've really grown up. It feels like just a short while since we last saw you, and now you've both blossomed into such beauties."
Chu Qiuqiu put on an obedient act and sweetly teased her father for a moment.
Chu Yin remained silent, thinking to herself, "A short while" was quite the understatement.
It had been over a decade.
Chu Qiuqiu glanced at her sister's wooden, unresponsive demeanor and felt secretly pleased. With a personality like Chu Yin's, she was completely unfit for a marriage alliance. If she were sent out into society, she would likely embarrass everyone.
Chu Qiuqiu had already eavesdropped on the servants' conversations and learned about her parents' plans for a marriage alliance with another wealthy family. She had never forgotten how shabby her life was before the age of seven, how poor and pathetic her original family had been. From a young age, her goal had been to become outstanding so she could remain in the lap of luxury forever.
A marriage alliance was the perfect path, by solidifying mutual interests through marriage, she could enjoy the wealth and status of an elite family for life.
Chu Qiuqiu was far more pragmatic than people like Fu Mingxuan. She knew she couldn't reach the level of a tycoon family like the Lu family, but as long as she married into a family wealthier than the Chus, she would be a winner in life. Meanwhile, Chu Yin knew nothing about any of this and had no idea what opportunities she was missing.
Mr. Chu watched Chu Yin's expressionless face as she focused solely on her meal and felt a twinge of displeasure.
Their biological daughter had been brought home for months now, yet there was no sign of her warming up to the family. If no one spoke to her, she wouldn't initiate conversation. She wasn't even close to her own mother, spending all her time shut away in her room.
With a personality like this, how could she possibly handle the social demands of high society in the future? It was all because she hadn't been raised in this household that she turned out this way.
Mother Chu tried to bring up a topic with Chu Yin: "I heard from Xiao Shi that Yin Yin is quite good at playing pool? That's great, knowing some sports means you'll have more to talk about with others in the future."
Chu Yin wiped her mouth: "Mm, I know a little."
And then the conversation fell flat again.
It wasn’t intentional on her part; it was just that she had been too disappointed in her past life, and in this life, she really had nothing to say to them.
Moreover, from the tone of Father and Mother Chu’s words, combined with memories from her past life, Chu Yin sensed a hidden subtext.
These two were probably thinking about an arranged marriage again.
In her past life, when the Chu family was seeking a marriage alliance, Chu Yin was still underage. She never understood what kind of operation it was to encourage someone to date so early, but Chu Qiuqiu was clearly very willing. In her past life, Chu Yin had no interest in this marriage alliance, and besides... that dog of a man, Lu Zhen, wouldn’t have sparked her interest either.
In this life, although that dog Lu Zhen couldn’t control her, Chu Yin herself had no such plans. The Chu family would eventually go bankrupt, so any marriage alliance now wouldn’t last long.
Seeing how eager Chu Qiuqiu was, it was actually quite pitiful.
Mother Chu looked awkward, and Father Chu’s face turned cold: "Your mother just wants to get to know you better. Child, are you this quiet outside too?"
Chu Yin had just finished her meal and put down her utensils: "Not necessarily. It mostly depends on my mood."
Father Chu grew even angrier. What did that mean? Was she in no mood to talk to her parents?!
Chu Shi glanced up at his father, frowned, then patted Chu Yin’s arm gently and said, "Go back and play."
Chu Yin nodded, turned, and left.
Father Chu: "You!"
Chu Qiuqiu, seeing Father Chu’s expression, felt pleased and quickly comforted him: "Dad, don’t be angry. That’s just how Sister is."
Father Chu sighed: "Qiuqiu is still the sensible one."
But no matter how bad-tempered his biological daughter was, she was still his own flesh and blood, and her status was more legitimate. When a suitable marriage candidate came along, they would still have to consider Chu Yin.
"In a while, we’ll take you both to some banquets to meet more people," Father Chu said. "Qiuqiu won’t give us any trouble, right?"
Chu Qiuqiu knew the purpose and significance of such banquets and immediately smiled brightly.
"Of course not, don’t worry, Mom and Dad!"
…
The sports meet lasted for several weeks and finally came to a close.
Class 5 of Grade 11 placed second overall, with three individual champions: Song Zhaolin, Zhao Yuxiong, and Chu Yin, each winning one event. The second-place prize money was fifty thousand yuan, and the class monitor said it would be used as class funds for everyone to share in the future.
The top scorer in Grade 11 was still the International Class, with Lu Zhen alone contributing 21 points, more than the total scores of some classes behind them.
Song Zhaolin chattered in Chu Yin’s ear for a long time about Lu Zhen’s impressive achievements. Chu Yin muttered under her breath, "Hmph, what a beast."
Song Zhaolin: "Huh? What did you say?"
Chu Yin said, "I'm telling you, he's really fierce."
Song Zhaolin laughed heartily, "Haha, right? Brother Zhen is really fierce!"
Looking at his naive and innocent expression, Chu Yin smiled and reminded him, "Zhaolin, you need to be more careful. Final exams are coming up soon."
The Song family actually had quite high expectations for their children's academic performance, especially since Song Zhaolin had an outstanding older brother. Last time, after midterms, when his brother saw Song Zhaolin's colorful report card, he personally disciplined him thoroughly.
After that, Song Zhaolin studied diligently for a few days, but it didn't take long before his heart drifted away again once activities came up.
Reminded by Chu Yin, Song Zhaolin was startled at first, but after checking his phone's calendar, he relaxed again.
"It's fine, there's still some time," Song Zhaolin made a peace sign. "Besides, there's another event before finals!"
Chu Yin asked, "What event?"
"Christmas!" Song Zhaolin exclaimed. "What a romantic Christmas Eve, and there's the annual gift exchange!!"
Chu Yin raised an eyebrow slightly, she had some recollection of this.
Quiwen Private High School really had a lot of events, celebrating both major and minor holidays, Chinese and Western alike. The Christmas event involved placing a massive Christmas tree in the atrium of the teaching building, where everyone would leave a gift underneath. After all the gifts were collected, everyone would draw one.
Inside the box, besides the gift, you had to include your name and a blessing. The person who drew your gift was usually considered to share some kind of fate with you.
The reason Chu Yin remembered this was that she hadn't placed or drawn a gift at all. Lu Zhen had forcibly exchanged gifts with her.
In the end, she traded a small jar of homemade cookies for an 800,000-yuan women's watch.
When she opened the box, she was so shocked she nearly dropped the watch. At the time, Chu Yin thought Lu Zhen was a bit crazy and not right in the head. When she tried to return it, he refused, and eventually, the watch ended up collecting dust somewhere in her possession.
Song Zhaolin gave a greasy wink and said, "Sister Yin, you better prepare well. With our special kind of fate, we might just draw each other's gifts!!"
Chu Yin: "..."
She could slap him right now, and she was ready to do it.
But out of a fatherly concern, Chu Yin still urged Song Zhaolin a few more times to focus a bit more on his studies.
Besides her, the teachers shared the same sentiment. Quiwen's sports festival was indeed well-organized, but it took up too much time. The students had something to watch and discuss every day, and they had long lost interest in studying.
So that day, the grade-level committee held a meeting and decided to have the top three students in the grade visit each class to share their learning experiences, hoping to reignite the academic atmosphere in the grade.
When the news broke, Fu Mingxuan was the most upset. She was ranked fourth in the grade, just one spot away!
If Chu Yin hadn't transferred in, she would have been the one giving the talks!
Chu Yin glanced at Fu Mingxuan's visibly displeased face and, for once, took the initiative to speak to her in a relatively gentle tone: "Do you want to go in my place?”
Fu Mingxuan widened her eyes, "Are you provoking me?"!"
"..." Chu Yin said, "Never mind."
She really didn't want to go, especially since this talk would require her to visit the international class.
Just as Chu Yin was thinking of an excuse to decline the teacher's request, she saw the homeroom teacher stride energetically into the classroom, placing a hand on her shoulder: "Let's go, our grade's top student! The teacher from Class 1 has already had the students sit down and is waiting for you!"
"..." Chu Yin fell silent for two seconds, then replied, "Okay, teacher."
The second and third place students who went to give the lecture series together were from other classes, one boy and one girl. None of the three talked much, and they didn’t communicate with each other on their way to Classroom 1.
However, the girl in third place kept secretly glancing at Chu Yin. Whenever Chu Yin noticed and looked back, the girl would quickly avert her gaze, her face slightly flushed.
How could someone be so good at studying and so good-looking at the same time?
Up close, she was even more beautiful than from afar!
When they entered Classroom 1, the students were already seated obediently. As soon as they appeared, enthusiastic applause broke out.
Most eyes were fixed on the first-place student, and their reactions were similar to the girl’s.
"Oh my god, I feel like I could listen to her even if she were reciting scriptures in front of me..."
"Same here, she could use me as a wooden fish and I wouldn’t mind!"
Chu Yin remained very calm. She briefly introduced her daily schedule and study habits, then stepped aside to let the second and third place students speak.
...
There was only one class left. Lu Zhen glanced at his phone and stood up directly from his chair.
Tan Ke immediately knew he was leaving. "Got something to do, Brother Zhen?"
"Yeah."
Just as Lu Zhen stepped out of the classroom, he suddenly saw Chu Yin walking with a boy not far away.
The boy wasn’t tall, wore thick glasses, and looked like the bookish type.
Chu Yin tilted her head and said something to him, and the boy quickly nodded.
Lu Zhen’s eyes darkened gradually.
An indescribable irritation tightened around his heart like a string, and his fingertips tensed. He stood there, watching her approach step by step.
What would she do when she saw him? Avoid him? Or pretend not to see him?
Lu Zhen stared unblinkingly, only to watch her walk into her own classroom.
...?
The international class was the last stop for the lecture series. Chu Yin had returned to her classroom midway to drink a glass of water before continuing.
The atmosphere in each class had been good, with no one causing trouble. But Chu Yin knew this last class was the key, as several people in this class were notable troublemakers in the script.
After entering the international class, Chu Yin scanned the room and was pleasantly surprised not to see Lu Zhen.
What luck, had that jerk left early?
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a familiar figure strolled in from outside the classroom.
Chu Yin: "..." Fine.
Tan Ke asked in surprise, "Brother Zhen, why are you back?"
Lu Zhen sat down, tilting his head to look at the podium. "Something new came up."
So she was here to give a lecture.
Liang Yueqi discreetly glanced back to observe Lu Zhen’s expression. He didn’t seem particularly happy and looked somewhat indifferent, just his usual self. This observation brought her a sense of delight.
Chu Qiuqiu sat in the middle of the third row, a prime spot near the front. Seeing Chu Yin walk in first annoyed her.
What a terrible idea the school had, what could they possibly learn from inviting them here?
Wasn’t Chu Yin just a study machine? Fu Mingxuan said she spent all day sitting at her desk studying. With that kind of approach, even an idiot could score high, right?
Chu Yin glanced at her fake sister and thought, If you don’t mess with me, I won’t mess with you.
Then we can have peace and love.
But shortly after she began speaking, she faced her first question.
Chu Qiuqiu smiled and asked, “Sis, isn’t your time management plan too rigid? We all have our own preferred ways of allocating time. We don’t need to be so strict to achieve the same results.”
Chu Yin replied expressionlessly, “Oh, that’s good.”
She continued explaining her time management plan and then moved on to her study habits, such as jotting down questions during class, communicating with teachers after class, and promptly organizing and reviewing notes.
To be honest, these were all pretty standard methods, but very few people could actually stick to them consistently.
Chu Qiuqiu asked again, “Sis, don’t mind me asking so much, but the methods you mentioned seem quite ordinary. As a humanities student, how do you memorize things?”
Lu Zhen frowned and glanced in their direction.
Chu Qiuqiu was still using the same old tactics to irritate people. Chu Yin felt like stuffing something into her mouth.
The sky isn’t clear, the rain hasn’t stopped, and you’re acting up again?
Wasn’t the last time enough to wake you up???
But with so many people around, Chu Yin couldn’t exactly say she had a buff. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “You can refer to the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve and observe your own memory patterns.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Qiuqiu’s face lit up with eagerness.
Her real intention was to show the class that Chu Yin wasn’t all that impressive.
This time, Chu Yin saw through her plan and gave up entirely. She directly called up the system: “Bring up the script.”
[Location: International Class. Characters: Chu Yin, Chu Qiuqiu, Lu Zhen, etc.]
[…
After Chu Yin finished speaking, Chu Qiuqiu smiled confidently and said, “Sis, that’s not right.”
Chu Qiuqiu then delivered a long speech. Using scientific evidence, she refuted Chu Yin and fully showcased her knowledge, depth, and talent, earning a round of applause.]
…Talent, my foot.
Fine, you want to talk?
Chu Yin moved the light pen, crossed out “speech,” and replaced it with “silence.”
I won’t let you speak.
On stage, Chu Qiuqiu shook her head confidently and smiled. “Sis, that’s not right.”
Chu Yin gave her an expression that said, I’m all ears.
The entire class was captivated, eagerly awaiting her next words.
One second passed, nothing.
A minute passed, still nothing.
Chu Qiuqiu smiled, remaining silent. The classroom fell into an eerie stillness.
So what’s not right about it???
Why aren’t you saying anything??
Chu Qiuqiu: I want to speak!!!
Why?? Why is my mouth not obeying me again??
She strained with all her might to open her mouth.
So hard she nearly let out a fart.
After a long silence…
On the podium, Chu Yin clapped her hands: "What an impressive speech!"