Chapter 30

The next day, on her way to school, Chu Yin ran into Jiang Yan.
After chatting for a bit about yesterday’s exam papers, Jiang Yan whispered gossip to Chu Yin: “Yin Yin, have you heard?”
Chu Yin asked: “Heard what?”
“I heard that,” Jiang Yan half-covered her mouth and quietly said, “our school’s heartthrob shattered a door with one hand yesterday!”
Chu Yin blinked: “This... I actually haven’t heard about it.”
Innocent and pure.jpg
Jiang Yan: “Ah, I know you don’t like checking the forums or group chats. So many people were talking about this yesterday. Song Zhaolin was there at the scene, he said Lu Zhen just lightly pushed the door, and it went crash, ”
Chu Yin shook her head and applauded: “Born with divine strength, manly on top of manly!”
Jiang Yan: Huh? This familiar vibe?
But her mind was relatively simple, and she didn’t overthink Chu Yin’s attitude toward Lu Zhen. She just said, “The school took it very seriously. They replaced all the doors last night and even reinforced them.”
Chu Yin continued shaking her head, speaking with feigned seriousness and zero guilt as she slandered Lu Zhen: “It’s useless. Doors like these can’t withstand one punch from him.”
Jiang Yan was taken in by her: “R-really?”
Oh my god, how terrifying.
Chu Yin said with a serious expression, "He can burst a basketball and shatter a glass door, of course it's true. You’d better stay away from him from now on; that guy is dangerous."
Jiang Yan quickly nodded. "Got it."
As they were talking, they saw the Lu family's car stop at the school gate in the distance, and Lu Zhen stepped out. Jiang Yan instinctively hid behind Chu Yin.
Chu Yin patted her arm reassuringly and whispered, "Let’s go quickly."
Jiang Yan replied, "Mm!"
As soon as Lu Zhen steadied himself, Chu Yin had already scurried away. He sighed helplessly and withdrew his gaze.
Then, he noticed that the looks from the surrounding classmates seemed to carry a hint of...
Unfathomable awe.
Lu Zhen: "..."
No, that door…
Really wasn’t broken by him.
Lu Zhen took a deep breath and calmly walked into the school.
Song Zhaolin spotted him from behind and caught up. "Morning, Brother Zhen!"
Lu Zhen replied, "Morning."
The moment the chatterbox Song Zhaolin met someone, he immediately started blabbering, "Damn, you have no idea, so many people are talking about what happened yesterday, but they don’t dare mention your name directly. Everyone’s being really subtle about it."
Lu Zhen raised his hand and rubbed his temples. "This matter is a bit strange."
But this time, compared to the last similar incident, the location, the people present, and even his own actions were completely different, making it hard to find any clues.
Song Zhaolin nodded but completely missed his point. "It’s fine, Brother Zhen. That ability is so awesome, I wish I had it!"
"..." Lu Zhen fell silent for a moment. "I had a physical check-up yesterday. Nothing unusual."
Song Zhaolin looked innocent and naive. "But a lot of girls are saying they find you super reassuring now!"
Lu Zhen: "..."
Forget it.
His reputation was completely ruined.
Amid all the rumors, final exams were approaching day by day.
After this week, there would be a three-day New Year’s holiday, and right after that would be the final exams.
Even though they were facing the most important exams of the semester, the upcoming short break had everyone incredibly excited.
"Don’t let your minds wander off. You still need to study at home," Sister Wang reminded from the podium. "The practice papers I’ve assigned are divided by day. Remember to complete the tasks according to the schedule, I don’t need to tell you how important the math final is, do I?"
"Got it, " the crowd replied in a drawn-out chorus.
Song Zhaolin counted the test papers and nearly cried. "Two sets a day?? What kind of devilish workload is this! I'm only a sophomore, I'm still a baby!"
"Exactly, so you get two sets a day," Chu Yin said calmly beside him. "Adults like me do four sets a day."
Song Zhaolin was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to complain about her wanting to be his dad or about her claiming to be an adult.
"You're only seventeen, Sister Yin! You're still a minor too!"
Chu Yin raised an eyebrow, she had almost forgotten. Though she was currently a seventeen-year-old girl, her inner soul was already in her twenties. But honestly, after spending so much time in school, she felt her mindset had grown much younger, and she got along quite happily with her high school friends.
In the international class, the math teacher was discussing the same matter.
"Although many of you will choose to study abroad in the future, participating in domestic competitions and winning awards will also help your applications," the elderly teacher said, his gaze sweeping expectantly over a few students in the class. "The Hope Cup is a very important domestic math competition with high prestige. In previous years, the highest achievement our school has attained is the silver award, won by that senior surnamed Gu in your third year."
The girls in the class immediately chorused, "Wow, "
Senior Qiuzhe was truly outstanding. Though he might be slightly less handsome than Lu Zhen, the Gu family was also very wealthy, and the senior was an academic genius!
Lu Zhen leaned back in his chair, completely uninterested.
The teacher continued, "I heard from the Class 5 teacher that besides the top student, many others in their class are interested in participating in the competition. I know there are many capable students among you as well, and I hope those students will give it some serious thought."
After listening, Tan Ke clicked his tongue. "Is the old man just dangling a carrot in front of us? There are only three spots. If the top student is already participating and so many other top students want to go, even if we had the heart for it, we don’t have the luck!"
As he finished speaking, he turned and saw Lu Zhen narrowing his eyes, lost in thought.
"The top student is participating?" Lu Zhen asked.
Tan Ke replied, "Yeah."
"And then what after participating?"
Tan Ke hadn’t expected Lu Zhen to be interested and scratched the back of his head. "Seems like they’ll attend some winter camp or something before the competition, I’m not really sure."
Lu Zhen nodded and looked away.
It took Tan Ke a long moment to process.
Wait, why would Brother Zhen be interested in something like this??
...
By New Year’s Day, the weather had turned bitterly cold.
When Chu Yin woke up in the morning, she lingered under the covers for a while before getting up to wash up.
Since it was New Year’s Day holiday, the Chu parents were also at home and, as usual, expressed great concern about the upcoming final exams.
During the last midterms, they had worried about whether Chu Yin could pass all her subjects at Quiwen. This time, their worry had shifted to whether she could maintain her position as the top student in the grade.
And because Chu Yin’s results were better, they now paid almost no attention to Chu Qiuqiu’s performance. Chu Yin glanced at Chu Qiuqiu’s subtly resentful face and thought to herself, these wealthy parents were truly pragmatic.
"Uncle Chen didn't want to affect your exams, so his visit with his son will be scheduled after your finals," Father Chu looked at his two daughters. "Uncle Chen has heard that both of you have excellent academic records and admires you greatly. You mustn't let him down in these final exams!"
Chu Qiuqiu immediately responded, "I will definitely work hard!"
Chu Yin, as usual, showed no reaction.
She just silently thought, this young master Chen... she vaguely had some impression of him, but couldn't recall anything specific.
But it didn't matter anyway, it had nothing to do with her.
After breakfast, Chu Yin returned to her room and began her study tasks for the day.
To select suitable students for the winter camp, the difficulty of this final exam would definitely be increased. To adapt to the exam, Chu Yin had intensified her own training. In addition to the test papers provided by the school, she had also sought out more challenging college entrance exam papers and self-designed test papers from a prestigious school.
Once Chu Yin started solving problems, she immersed herself in the sea of questions. It wasn't until she had completed 16 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions in one go that she finally lifted her head to stretch her neck and shoulders. Only then did she notice that snowflakes had begun to drift down outside the window at some point.
It was the first snow of the year.
Chu Yin leaned back in her chair and watched for a while, then stood up and pushed open the window. She reached out her hand, her warm palm catching a few snowflakes that quickly melted from her body heat.
If the snow gets heavier, we could build snowmen and have snowball fights, Chu Yin thought.
After watching the snow to her heart's content, she tightened her clothes, withdrew her hand, and slightly tucked in her neck.
Then, as her gaze swept casually, she suddenly noticed Lu Zhen passing by the Chu family villa below the window, and he happened to look up at that moment.
Chu Yin: ...Isn't this a bit too coincidental?
She quietly placed her hand on the window handle, about to stealthily close it and pretend nothing had happened, when the young man downstairs smiled and said, "I see you."
The villa area was very quiet. His voice wasn't too loud or too soft, but Chu Yin couldn't completely pretend she hadn't heard.
"Oh, hello," Chu Yin said stiffly from inside the window. "Heh, what a coincidence."
Lu Zhen's deep, dark gaze rested on her.
Not a coincidence.
He had been waiting for a long time.
"Come out for a moment?" Lu Zhen asked.
"?" Chu Yin: "I'm working on problems; it's not very convenient."
Lu Zhen curled his lips into a smile: "Then should I pay a visit instead?"
Chu Yin: ...
This damn scoundrel!!
If her parents found out she knew Lu Zhen, they would probably try every means to encourage their relationship, and might even hope to use her to latch onto the Lu family's influential tree.
Endless troubles.
A few minutes later, Chu Yin walked out bundled in a thick coat.
Lu Zhen rarely saw her out of her school uniform. Her thick coat was fluffy, making the girl look like a round, adorable ball, though her expression clearly showed reluctance.
Lu Zhen might have been a little sick in the head, he inexplicably felt like laughing as he looked at her.
Only when Chu Yin walked up to him did she notice that the top of Lu Zhen’s hair was slightly damp. His coat was black, but the shoulders were an even deeper shade of black.
Is this dog man just bored??
On such a cold day, why isn’t he staying home properly instead of running outside to stir up trouble?
“What’s the matter?”
Lu Zhen exhaled a puff of white air, looked at her, and asked, “Chu Yin, are you good at math?”
Chu Yin was a little surprised. “Not bad.”
Lu Zhen’s lips curved. “A perfect score is just ‘not bad’?”
Chu Yin was even more surprised.
? You knew and still asked!!!
Lu Zhen could probably read her expression now. Although the little bookworm didn’t like to speak directly and was a bit fake, her eyes were too clear and bright. Some fleeting emotions, if he looked closely, he could understand.
Lu Zhen lowered his head, a smile in his voice, and asked softly, “So, will you be participating in the competition?”
Chu Yin couldn’t quite figure out what he meant and answered cautiously, “Well, that depends on my final exam results.”
Lu Zhen nodded. So, she was going.
On this snowy day, the young heir of a wealthy family had wandered around like a homeless person just to ask a question.
Lu Zhen himself thought he was sick.
But he had waited, and he had asked. He couldn’t find a trace of regret in his heart.
Only an itch in his chest when he looked at her.
Chu Yin was utterly baffled by his question. “Is that all you wanted to ask? If there’s nothing else, then I…”
Lu Zhen stopped her. “Chu Yin, give me your hand.”
Chu Yin: “Huh?”
Lu Zhen smiled. “I won’t harm you.”
Chu Yin’s face showed refusal. “No… thanks.”
Lu Zhen lowered his eyes, seemed to take a breath, and suddenly grabbed her hand, turned it palm up, and placed something cold in it.
Chu Yin’s ears tingled.
Ahhh! This dog man actually dared to touch her!!!
But before she could pull her hand back, Lu Zhen had already restrainedly let go.
The boy put his hands behind his back, his fingertips rubbing together, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, “I happened to run into you, so I’m giving you a thank-you gift.”
Chu Yin, suppressing the storm in her head, glanced at what he had placed in her palm.
It was an intricately carved ironwood fountain pen.
“Thank you for the cookies,” the boy’s voice was soft as fine snowflakes drifted down, “Go study hard.”
As if afraid she wouldn’t accept it, this time, Lu Zhen was the one to leave first, walking away quickly with long strides.
Chu Yin lowered her head, looked at the pen, and fell into thought.
Compared to the forcibly exchanged 800,000-yuan watch from her previous life, this Lu Zhen, who properly gave her a pen in this life, seemed much more normal.
What was the meaning behind giving a pen? Did he finally acknowledge her studious persona and hope she would study hard?
Could it be that, thanks to her relentless efforts, the dog male lead was showing signs of changing for the better?
No, no, she still needed to check the script frequently to monitor his situation!
Lost in thought, Chu Yin returned to her room and casually looked up the logo of the pen.
Then, staring at the six-figure price: “…”
The dog man is still the same kind of sick!!
Donate it! Donate all of it!!
…
The three-day break ended, and final exams arrived.
The exam seating arrangement was once again based on previous results. Last time, since Chu Yin had no prior scores, she was assigned to the last exam hall. But this time, her name tag was placed on the first seat in the first exam hall.
She was probably the candidate with the largest rank leap in Quiwen's history.
Fu Mingxuan arrived relatively early. As she entered the first exam hall, her eyes immediately landed on the name tag on the first desk by the door, and she felt a pang of displeasure.
Her own seat was the fourth in the first row, several positions behind Chu Yin.
However, when Fu Mingxuan glanced further and saw Chu Qiuqiu sitting in the seventh seat, the last one in the same row, she instantly felt better. Feeling smug, she became energized.
Fu Mingxuan placed her backpack on her seat and then walked over to Chu Qiuqiu's desk with a bright smile. "Babe! You're here so early!"
Given their years of superficial friendship, Chu Qiuqiu knew exactly why she had come over. She responded with a perfectly polite smile. "Not really, Mingxuan, you’re not late either!"
Fu Mingxuan plopped down on the seat in front of her and sighed dramatically. "You know, I think your spot is better than mine. You can just look up and see the clock, but from where I sit, I have to crane my neck."
Chu Qiuqiu felt a surge of irritation at her hypocritical remark but held it back, replying with a sweet smile, "It’s fine, really. The seating changes every time anyway. Next time, you might not even be sitting there."
Fu Mingxuan: "..."
The two of them exchanged subtle jabs, neither gaining the upper hand.
By then, almost everyone had arrived. The first exam hall was filled with the top students of their grade. Having taken exams together for over a year, most of them were familiar faces. They chattered animatedly about the difficulty of the upcoming test and the Winter Camp spots for the Hope Cup, creating a buzz no less lively than the last exam hall.
Just then, a figure drifted lightly into the classroom.
The chatter came to an abrupt halt.
She was the only unfamiliar face in the exam hall, and she was sitting in the very first seat.
Fu Mingxuan and Chu Qiuqiu both stared at Chu Yin’s distant back, suddenly finding themselves unable to muster any more snide remarks.
Chu Yin smiled and greeted Jiang Yan in the second row before taking her seat. She pulled out her pencil case from her backpack, arranged her exam pens, 2B pencils, and eraser neatly, and casually flipped through a notebook.
Behind her sat Han Chuying, the second-ranked student from Class 1, whom she had studied with during a review session before.
Han Chuying had been feeling excited ever since Chu Yin walked in.
Last time during the review session, she had been close to Chu Yin, but this time, the distance was even closer, way, way closer!
Han Chuying’s desk was right next to the back of Chu Yin’s chair. She felt so close that she could almost touch the tips of Chu Yin’s ponytail. And from behind, Chu Yin’s hair looked so smooth, her skin so fair, and her neck so elegant, just her silhouette alone was breathtakingly beautiful.
How could there be such a visually pleasing presence?!
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, because Chu Yin seemed to notice and turned slightly to ask, “Is something wrong?”
Han Chuying was suddenly met with an up-close, ultra-high-definition, flawless, stunning face and nearly fainted on the spot.
At that moment, she had only one thought: she hoped Chu Yin would always rank first, and she would always rank second, so she could forever sit behind her during exams. Wuwuwu...
“N-nothing,” Han Chuying held back for a moment but couldn’t resist adding, “You’re so beautiful!”
Chu Yin was taken aback by her directness. “Thank you?”
Seeing that Chu Yin wasn’t as aloof as she’d imagined, Han Chuying couldn’t help but pile on more compliments: “I wanted to say this during the last review session, but there were others around, and I was too shy, you’re really, really, really beautiful!”
Chu Yin couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. “You’re beautiful too.”
Han Chuying’s heart melted instantly.
Whenever there was a forum post mentioning Chu Yin, she was always the one jumping in to shout, “Sister, I’m yours!”
Really, she was so ready! Ahhh!
Chu Yin found it amusing.
Setting aside the people from her past life, the individuals she had encountered in this life, those who had barely any presence or almost didn’t exist in the original script, were all exceptionally endearing.
Free from the illogical, brain-dead plot, these people retained their naturally charming personalities, like Jiang Yan, like Song Zhaolin, and like the enthusiastic second-ranked student in front of her.
They were all such lovely people.
Interacting with them lifted her mood as well.
Soon, however, the proctor entered carrying the sealed exam papers, and everyone quieted down.
When the papers were handed out, Chu Yin turned to pass them back, and Han Chuying whispered, “Good luck!”
Chu Yin smiled. “You too!”
The first exam was Chinese. After glancing over the essay prompts and literary knowledge questions, the students had a general idea of what to expect. Although Chu Yin wasn’t as strong in Chinese as Jiang Yan, she was still quite capable. Yet, she sensed a certain level of difficulty in this paper.
It felt like a signal, hinting that the following subjects wouldn’t be easy either.
Chu Yin steadied her mind and worked through the paper diligently.
Two and a half hours later, when the papers were collected, the classroom erupted in groans.
Jiang Yan rushed over and grabbed Chu Yin’s arm. “That was so hard! I’d never even seen two of the classical Chinese words they tested.”
Han Chuying eagerly joined them. “I didn’t know them either!”
Top students naturally understood and appreciated each other, and the girls quickly fell into conversation.
Because the morning Chinese exam had been so difficult, by the time they returned to the exam hall for the afternoon math test, no one in the first exam room was chattering anymore. Everyone sat at their desks, reviewing their practice books.
It wasn’t just the first exam room, the same scene played out in the top few exam rooms.
Meanwhile, the last exam room suddenly erupted in excitement,
Lu Zhen! He came to take the exam!, and he brought a pen!
The girls in that exam room were thrilled once again.
Lu Zhen found his seat, sat down, and glanced at the spot in front of him.
Remembering how Chu Yin had sat there last time, focused and serious as she worked on her exam, Lu Zhen’s lips curved into a slight smile.
If he were to take things seriously for once, would she be surprised?
...
Two days passed, and the final exams finally came to an end.
The period between finishing exams and getting the results was the happiest. After bidding farewell to Jiang Yan and Han Chuying, Chu Yin was walking toward the school gate when she saw Song Zhaolin bolting out of the campus like a wild horse with no restraint.
She watched the spectacle with amusement, and her mood remained cheerful even as she rode home.
Regardless of the outcome, at least the exams were over!
But as soon as she got home, she discovered that the father-son duo from the Chen family, who had been hyped up for a long time, had finally graced the Chu residence with their presence. Chu Qiuqiu had returned earlier and was already in the living room making small talk.
Chu Yin was quite pleased with her proactive spirit and planned to sneak back to her room unnoticed.
Just then, she suddenly heard her father’s enthusiastic voice: “Here, Xuanyuan, have some of this!”
...Xuanyuan?
Those two characters, which had long held the top spot on the list of “domineering male names,” suddenly reminded Chu Yin of this old acquaintance.
Chen Xuanyuan, a character with a name and a role in the script. He could be considered a minor antagonist in the book. His exaggerated, pretentious style was so distinctive that Chu Yin could still recall it vividly.
Thinking back, his over-the-top, old-school vibe of “Woman, you’ve caught my attention” was likely deliberately crafted by the trashy script to dumb things down. Strangely enough, there were still people who bought into his act.
In her previous life, Chen Xuanyuan had shown an intense interest in Chu Yin, subjecting her to severe mental distress. Even after Chu Yin was trapped by Lu Zhen, this guy continued with his antics, repeatedly provoking trouble until Lu Zhen crushed him so thoroughly he had nothing left.
...In short, he was someone Chu Yin had absolutely no desire to interact with again.
Without hesitation, Chu Yin quietly slipped past the living room and retreated to her room.
Downstairs, Chu Qiuqiu was seated next to Chen Xuanyuan. He handed her a glass of juice, his magnetic voice murmuring beside her ear, “Would you like a drink, miss?”
Chu Qiuqiu blushed as she accepted it. “Thank you, Brother Xuanyuan.”
Chen Xuanyuan smiled suavely. “The pleasure is mine.”
This daughter of the Chu family, though somewhat plain in appearance, had a delicate charm that was uniquely appealing. If she was to become his fiancée, she had to be presentable and worthy of being seen with him!
The elders of both families watched the scene with benevolent smiles.
A perfect match! The young man was exceptionally handsome, and the girl was sweet and charming, what a well-suited pair!
Chu Qiuqiu had conducted herself appropriately earlier, and Father Chen was relatively satisfied with her. Chu Qiuqiu glanced at her parents’ expressions and, for the moment, didn’t even think of the other daughter. A sense of relief and self-satisfaction washed over her.
She had already seized this opportunity.
Chu Qiuqiu couldn't resist stealing another glance at Chen Xuanyuan, who immediately shot back an electrifying look.
Her cheeks flushed with heat as she thought, if all went well, this would be her... fiancé...
Father Chu praised, "I haven't seen Xuanyuan in years, I never expected him to grow into such an impressive young man!"
Chen Xuanyuan curled one corner of his lips and flicked his meticulously styled hair. Compliments about his appearance were always welcome.
Father Chen, equally confident in his son's looks, nodded. "Xuanyuan is indeed exceptionally handsome."
Upstairs, Chu Yin had been working on practice problems for over an hour and was starting to feel unbearably hungry.
Beep, Task completed . [Single-word modification] permission has been granted!
Chu Yin set down her pen, quietly opened the door, and slipped downstairs to find something to eat. The conversation in the living room was still ongoing, so she hugged the wall and stealthily made her way into the kitchen.
The Chu family didn’t encourage snacking, and there wasn’t even a ready-made snack in sight. After a quick scan, Chu Yin had no choice but to grab a steamed bun from the fridge.
Just then, a mocking, arrogant voice rang out: "You, are you the maid here?"
Chu Yin turned around and was caught off guard by the sight of Chen Xuanyuan’s long-unseen, obnoxious face. "..."
Chen Xuanyuan, however, froze in surprise upon seeing her.
This woman was damnably beautiful!
Chu Yin expressionlessly closed the refrigerator door and nodded. "Yes."
Chen Xuanyuan stared intently at her, suddenly recalling that Uncle Chu had mentioned he had two daughters, this must be the other one!
A roguish smile spread across Chen Xuanyuan’s face. "No, you’re not."
An overwhelming aura of arrogance radiated from him.
Chen Xuanyuan strode over, looking down at Chu Yin from his superior height. "You, will be my fiancée, my woman."
Chu Yin: "...Pfft."
No particular reason.
She’d just suddenly remembered how this guy had once begged Lu Zhen to spare him, tears streaming down his face, and found the contrast a bit jarring.
Chen Xuanyuan smirked devilishly. "What, are you scared?"
He had been gone for a while, so Father Chen came looking for him, followed by the others, who also headed toward the kitchen.
"Xuanyuan? What are you doing in the kitchen?"
Chu Yin didn’t answer Chen Xuanyuan’s question. Instead, she chose to open the script:
[Chen Xuanyuan: "What am I doing? Do you understand my heart?"]
[His unruly hairstyle and disdainful gaze revealed his absolute confidence in winning over the person before him.]
[This man, in every gesture and movement, carried himself like a noble king.]
Even the Study System felt too ashamed to comment on this description.
Chu Yin: ...My eyes! My eyes!!
Trash script, give me back my eyes!
You disgusted me in my past life, and now you’re disgusting me again in this one!
Everyone had gathered in the kitchen, and Chen Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow with a smug smirk, clearly about to spout another shocking line.
Expressionlessly, Chu Yin grabbed the light pen and added a single character to the script.
The number eight.
[This man, in every gesture and movement, carried himself like a noble turtle.]