Chapter 34

While watching the movie, Han Chuying noticed that Chu Yin was in a mysteriously good mood.
This was just how Chu Yin was, she was mature, which made people feel comfortable around her. Of course, Han Chuying would feel comfortable just looking at her face, but Chu Yin wasn't particularly talkative. To those who didn't know her well, she might even come across as somewhat aloof, often expressionless in her daily life.
But Han Chuying loved observing beautiful women. After living together in the dorm for a few days, she had become quite adept at gauging Chu Yin's mood.
For instance, right now, they were watching a not particularly funny art film, yet the corners of Chu Yin's lips were slightly upturned as if holding back a smile, clearly in a good mood.
The light from the big screen cast shadows on her profile, and Han Chuying found herself staring again. After several seconds, she swallowed and leaned closer to whisper, "Yin Yin, what are you smiling about?"
Chu Yin turned her head and smiled faintly. "Nothing, really. It's just been a while since I last watched a movie."
She had just imagined the scene of a romantic encounter and found it quite amusing. She hoped Lu Zhen and Liang Yueqi wouldn't disappoint her well-intentioned efforts.
Moreover, she guessed that the plot must have already started to take effect, otherwise, they wouldn't have wandered around for so long without running into that bastard Lu Zhen.
Han Chuying had no idea what she was thinking, but she seized the opportunity to stealthily suggest:
"Is that so? Then how about we watch more movies together from now on?"
"Sure," Chu Yin agreed casually.
Han Chuying was delighted.
She could invite Chu Yin out many more times! Yay!!!
...
Liang Yueqi had been in a terrible mood all day.
This summer camp didn't care about family background or upbringing, only grades mattered. As a wealthy young lady who had been pampered since childhood, she ended up at the bottom of the rankings in this winter camp!
Especially after seeing Chu Yin ranked third, even beating Lu Zhen by one spot, her mood worsened.
She knew she shouldn't see Chu Yin as a rival, but in this place, she couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't on the same level...
Ever since the horizontal test results came out, Liang Yueqi hadn’t spoken much. She was now extremely grateful that, aside from the contestants, no other classmates were around, otherwise, if word got back to the school, she would be utterly humiliated.
Moreover, Liang Yueqi had come here to build a connection with Lu Zhen, but after so many days, she hadn’t found any opportunity.
Unexpectedly, while taking a break today to clear her mind, she actually ran into Lu Zhen, and not just once, but multiple times!
It felt so coincidental, as if arranged by fate. No girl could resist the allure of that kind of destined romance, and Liang Yueqi’s heart raced wildly.
Could this… be a sign? No matter how many twists and turns, they would always meet at the next crossroads.
Finally, when she saw Lu Zhen in front of the popcorn machine, Liang Yueqi became even more convinced it was fate.
“Of course I’m not a ghost! How can you still joke like that,” Liang Yueqi said, blushing as she lowered her head with a soft smile. “Lu Zhen, don’t you think everything feels like it’s been arranged?”
Lu Zhen did not think so.
But hearing Liang Yueqi’s words, his brow twitched slightly.
Liang Yueqi was certainly not a ghost. But this feeling of being “arranged”…
Lu Zhen vaguely recalled something, but before he could dwell on it, Liang Yueqi’s voice interrupted him.
“Lu Zhen, since we’re already here, do you want to watch a movie together?”
Lu Zhen lifted his gaze, his tone indifferent. “No.”
He had come here merely to stage a chance encounter and then act pitifully alone in front of a certain studious student. Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone as planned.
With a cold expression, Lu Zhen rejected Liang Yueqi’s invitation and turned to leave the mall.
His phone buzzed with several WeChat messages, chiming one after another. The sender exuded an eager, almost foolish enthusiasm.
[Brother Zhen! Brother Zhen, I’m at your winter camp location too! Hahaha, aren’t you surprised? Isn’t it exciting?!]
[My brother found my final exam report card, and now I’ve been kicked out [crying]]
[Where are you? I’m so free!! I’ll come find you to hang out!!]
Lu Zhen: “…”
The young master suppressed the urge to block the contact “Song Zhaolin” for a few seconds.
Just then, his phone rang, it was a call from Old Master Lu.
“Grandfather,” Lu Zhen answered.
“You child, you went out and didn’t even think to call home,” Old Master Lu scolded from the other end. “Your grandfather has been so worried!”
Lu Zhen: “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Old Master Lu knew his grandson was outstanding in every way and didn’t really need much concern. His real purpose for calling wasn’t about that: “I just found out that Yueqi is also at that winter camp you’re attending?”
A faint crease appeared between Lu Zhen’s brows. “Who told you that?”
“Linyuan told me. If he hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known!”
Lu Zhen lowered his eyelashes slightly, lost in thought.
Old Master Lu continued, “It’s rare for you two to have a chance to interact like this. Don’t be as cold as usual and hurt the girl’s feelings!”
“…” Lu Zhen answered truthfully, “I probably already have.”
“You foolish child!, ” Old Master Lu stamped his cane in frustration, his tone turning more serious. “Since Yueqi is there too, if only for my sake so I can face Old Liang, you should take better care of her. Do you hear me?”
Lu Zhen hung up the phone, his dark eyes showing no emotion.
In wealthy families, entanglements ran deep, and using emotions and marriage as bargaining chips was all too common.
A long time ago, Lu Zhen hadn’t cared about such things. But now, he was no longer willing to go along with it.
Taking care of someone?
He had even less interest in giving others false hope.
…
After watching the movie, Chu Yin and her friends decided to grab some dessert before heading back to school.
Just as they reached the dessert stand, they ran into a few boys from the winter camp, including the top student who had sat across from her on the first day of class.
As it turned out, the magic square problem from that day had just been a momentary slip-up for him, he still ranked first in the recent proficiency test.
The boys with him were all within the top ten, and from a distance, they exuded a distinctly academic aura.
Han Chuying whispered in Chu Yin’s ear, “Why do these guys make a casual outing feel like an academic forum?”
Chu Yin joked seriously, “When your heart is filled with academics, every place becomes a forum.”
Han Chuying burst into laughter.
They hadn’t planned on greeting the top students, but to their surprise, the top student took the initiative to greet Chu Yin as they passed by.
In their circle, ability was everything. Chu Yin had ranked third in the proficiency test, earning the boys’ respect. Not to mention, she was also incredibly beautiful…
“Congratulations on ranking first,” Chu Yin replied with a friendly smile.
The boys in the competition scene were generally reserved and had little experience interacting with girls. Seeing Chu Yin’s radiant smile up close made their faces flush bright red.
The top student, a bit flustered, cleared his throat and tentatively asked, “Student cards can get you into the library. Everyone goes there to study after school. If you… and your friends are interested, you’re welcome to join us.”
The boys behind him started teasing, “Ooh, Brother Wang, ”
The top student, surnamed Wang, blushed even harder.
Chu Yin smiled and nodded, and the group of boys excitedly walked away.
After they left, Han Chuying asked Chu Yin, “Are you going?”
Chu Yin scanned a code to buy an ice cream and laughed, “Of course not.”
Beautiful, yet utterly heartless.
Han Chuying said, “Even though I’m not interested in guys, that Wang Lei is ranked first! Studying with him could be really helpful.” After all, she knew Chu Yin was serious about the competition.
Chu Yin scooped up a spoonful of ice cream, stuck the spoon in it, and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “But studying together would just distract each other, it’s unnecessary. Besides, girls don’t need to mentally place themselves in a weaker position. Boys do have an advantage in competitions, but believe in yourself, we’re not bad either.”
Han Chuanying held her ice cream, feeling like she was about to be completely swept off her feet by Chu Yin’s charm at that moment.
So beautiful, so strong, so independent.
How could there be such a treasure of a girl?!
She declared that from today onward, Chu Yin was her goddess! Ahhhh!
…
The brief break ended, and the winter camp’s training sessions resumed.
On the second day of class, after Chu Yin arrived in the classroom, she quietly observed Lu Zhen and Liang Yueqi.
The subsequent plot probably wasn’t part of the main storyline in the book, so she couldn’t see it in the script. Although the two of them were sitting far apart now, after experiencing a romantic encounter, their feelings might have changed, right?
After sneaking a few glances, the dog-like guy diagonally in front of her suddenly seemed to sense something and turned to look back.
Chu Yin immediately lowered her eyes, pretending to focus on her problems as if nothing had happened, her acting was flawless.
Lu Zhen glanced at her from afar, then smiled self-deprecatingly.
For a moment, he had thought she was looking at him.
But how could that be?
The little bookworm only had eyes for studying.
After the proficiency test, the seating arrangement in the class had been adjusted. Except for loners like Lu Zhen, who came and went as they pleased, those who ranked high in the proficiency test were seated in the front rows under the teachers’ arrangements.
Most people assumed the teachers were respecting individual habits, but they didn’t know the teachers were simply aware of the young master’s identity and didn’t dare to interfere.
The first few days were still an adjustment period, but after the proficiency test, the difficulty of the courses truly ramped up.
Thus, the campers experienced firsthand what “crash-course teaching” really meant.
Menelaus’ theorem, Simson’s theorem, Stewart’s theorem, Desargues’ theorem… All sorts of theorems and knowledge surged toward the students like waves, and with an overwhelming intensity.
These concepts were taught once and then immediately applied to the final assessment exam questions, creating an almost unbearable pressure.
Aside from the top students who had self-studied beforehand, nearly everyone else in the camp was completely overwhelmed.
Han Chuanying slumped over her desk, saying with utter despair, “I actually miss home.”
It’s just too terrifying, wuwuwu.
Chu Yin also found it challenging.
And the most terrifying thing in such an environment was that no matter how hard you tried to catch up, there would always be someone performing better than you, and they seemed to do it with far less effort.
Chu Yin pressed her lips together, forcing herself to keep up with the pace. She didn’t dare let her mind wander for even a second during class, staying tense at all times.
Only during breaks would she lean back in her chair, resting by letting her mind go blank.
…If she got the chance next time, she absolutely had to give herself a buff for focus or a super-positive mindset… It was just too necessary (lying flat).
Compared to her, Lu Zhen’s state was much more composed.
He had already studied some of these topics in advance, and even if he hadn’t mastered the new material, he wasn’t anxious because he wasn’t fixated on the competition itself. He was only here for a certain someone.
After class, Lu Zhen stood up from his seat and turned to see Chu Yin alone, slumped over her desk while the others had gone out to relieve their stress.
The university classroom desks were narrow, and the seats were uncomfortable. She hugged her arms, hunched her shoulders, her whole body curled into a small ball.
…It suddenly made him feel a pang of heartache.
His phone buzzed again, with someone wandering far from home wailing loudly:
"[Brother Zhen! When can I come find you and Sister Yin to play?! Wuwuwuwu]"
"[So empty! So lonely! I really want someone to keep me company!]"
Lu Zhen replied with a cold expression: "[You’re not allowed to disturb her.]"
The class bell rang.
The students sighed and headed back to the classroom. Chu Yin rubbed her eyes and sat up from the desk, then suddenly paused.
At the corner of the desk sat a small can of coffee.
Chu Yin glanced at the empty seat beside her, did Han Chuying go buy it?
She pulled open the tab, drank half the can, felt a bit more awake, and then plunged back into her math problems.
...
After a few days of intense studying, Chu Yin could clearly feel herself improving.
Not only in her overall grasp of the Hope Cup competition, but her thinking ability and calculation skills had also improved. It was probably the feeling of the brain getting sharper the more you use it.
The organizers knew they had pushed the kids to the brink these past few days, so they finally gave them half a day off in the afternoon, allowing everyone a brief breather.
Her brother called Chu Yin every day. That day, right around when her class was about to end, Chu Yin received a WeChat message from Chu Shi.
"[Yin Yin, you’ve worked hard!]"
"[Someone is visiting you on my behalf today, they’re already downstairs!]"
"[I asked them to bring you lots of snacks, so keep an eye out!]"
After reading it, Chu Yin sighed, guessing it was probably Gu Qiuzhe.
Earlier, the teacher had mentioned that they would invite outstanding alumni to share their experiences, so Gu Qiuzhe showing up here made sense.
Chu Yin told Han Chuying and went downstairs to find the person.
Stepping out of the teaching building, she scanned the area.
She didn’t see Gu Qiuzhe, but suddenly, right in front of her appeared…a familiar, goofy face.
"Sister Yin!!!"
Song Zhaolin’s eyes brimmed with tears, his shout sincere and moving, enough to make one’s hair stand on end.
"..." Chu Yin felt goosebumps rise from his shout. "Linlin."
Just as Song Zhaolin was about to lunge forward for a hug, someone grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him back. Lu Zhen frowned impatiently, pulling him farther away.
It was the first time he’d heard Chu Yin call Song Zhaolin by that nickname, and it annoyed him.
Forced to keep his distance, Song Zhaolin passionately expressed his longing: "Sister Yin, do you miss me?! I actually came a long time ago! But Brother Zhen said you were super busy with studying! I didn’t dare disturb you! You finally have a break today, wuwuwuwu!"
Chu Yin glanced at Lu Zhen, thinking that this bastard had actually done something decent for once.
If Song Zhaolin had come to bother her earlier, she might have personally packed him up and shipped him back home.
But since the holiday started, she hadn't seen her happy-go-lucky deskmate. Seeing him now, Chu Yin actually felt a bit nostalgic.
Lu Zhen stood silently nearby, listening to their conversation, growing more and more displeased.
Just then, another voice chimed in from the side: "Xiao Yin?"
Chu Yin turned around and saw Gu Qiuzhe carrying a large bag, smiling warmly: "I'm here."
Lu Zhen's expression darkened further.
Chu Yin inexplicably felt the tension in the situation.
In her past life, Lu Zhen and Gu Qiuzhe had been rivals, later becoming outright adversaries. This was the first time in this life that all three of them were together at the same time.
Although the complicated grudges from later hadn't developed yet, Chu Yin could still sense sparks flying in the air. She just wanted to get her things and leave as quickly as possible.
Lu Zhen turned sideways, bringing the two men face to face.
One icy and aloof, the other clear and gentle, their auras clashed intensely.
Song Zhaolin instinctively shrank behind Chu Yin.
Lu Zhen looked at Gu Qiuzhe: "What are you doing here?"
Gu Qiuzhe lifted the bag in his hand: "Bringing some things for my little sister."
Chu Yin quickly said, "My brother told me. Sorry for the trouble, thank you."
Gu Qiuzhe smiled at her: "No trouble at all. I'll be helping tutor you all tomorrow."
Lu Zhen let out a cold laugh, the smile not reaching his eyes.
The two most outstanding young men of the Lu and Gu families stood together, naturally incompatible in aura.
Chu Yin felt utterly helpless, she genuinely wanted nothing to do with the rivalry between these two men.
Song Zhaolin, hiding behind Chu Yin, whispered very quietly, "Sister Yin, do you know what this scene reminds me of?"
Chu Yin: "What?"
Song Zhaolin shivered: "A... a battlefield of love..."
Chu Yin: "..."
Battlefield my ass!!
...
As soon as Song Zhaolin the chatterbox appeared, he naturally started stirring up trouble.
After failing to hide his final exam results and suffering a scolding from his older brother, he had taken some money and run away from home. He'd been lurking around the city for days with no one to play with. Finally catching them on break, he immediately started causing drama.
First step: he created a WeChat group.
As the common contact for all Quiwen students in the province, he voluntarily took on the role of bridge.
Chu Yin, Lu Zhen, Gu Qiuzhe, and Liang Yueqi were all added to the group. When Chu Yin saw the notification, she nearly wanted to kill him.
Soon after, Song Zhaolin miraculously managed to get Han Chuying's WeChat and added her too, completing the six-person group.
[My people!!!]
[We Quiwen students must unite in foreign lands!!!]
After a moment, Liang Yueqi replied: [Hello everyone [shy]]
Chu Yin, Han Chuying, and Liang Yueqi were all in the dorm, but only Liang Yueqi wasn't studying and was on her phone.
A while later, Gu Qiuzhe also replied: [Hello juniors, you've worked hard]
Liang Yueqi: [Thank you for your concern, senior [happy]!]
Han Chuying secretly messaged Chu Yin privately: [Oh my god, I don't even want to talk in the group]
Chu Yin: [Then don't]
Meanwhile, in a hotel room, Lu Zhen was also looking at his phone. Song Zhaolin was right there in his room, and Lu Zhen watched as he added Chu Yin to the group.
Lu Zhen opened the group members list, his gaze lingering on the avatar named "ndcy," his fingertips warming against the phone screen.
Her profile picture was a laughing dog, which didn't match her usual quiet and reserved demeanor. Lu Zhen stared at it for a long time.
After a moment of thought, he finally clicked to accept the friend request.
Meanwhile, in the dormitory, Han Chuying let out a puzzled "Huh?" and asked, "Lu Zhen added me?"
Liang Yueqi suddenly lifted her head from her bed.
Hearing this, Chu Yin felt a wave of relief. She had just seen the friend request sent by that dog-like guy and was a little worried he had ulterior motives, but it seemed he had added others too.
Han Chuying craned her neck to look over. "I don't know him. Yin Yin, are you close to him? Should I add him?"
Liang Yueqi immediately pricked up her ears.
Chu Yin replied coldly, "Not close. Don't add him."
Liang Yueqi smiled upon hearing this.
Based on her observations over the past few days, this Chu Yin was nothing but a bookworm who only cared about studying. She couldn't help but wonder if her earlier suspicions were even valid.
Would Lu Zhen really be interested in a girl like that?
"Lu Zhen doesn't usually add people," Liang Yueqi said in a familiar tone. "This time, it's probably because we're all in another province, so he added you guys! No need to feel pressured."
Chu Yin was quite pleased with this subtle show-off.
Keep it up, keep developing, don't stop!
In the group chat, Song Zhaolin was still blabbering.
[You finally have the afternoon off today, and I've already done the research for you. Three kilometers from here, Chunhai Park has a circular aerial bicycle ride! Two people per bike, and we happen to have three pairs!]
Liang Yueqi: [That sounds really fun!]
Gu Qiuzhe: [I can go with you guys [laughing emoji]]
Song Zhaolin looked up and asked Lu Zhen, "Bro Zhen, wanna come hang out?"
Lu Zhen was still waiting for the verification message and replied indifferently, "Whatever."
Song Zhaolin got excited and @'ed Chu Yin and Han Chuying: [Sisters, are you coming or not?]
Han Chuying wasn't very interested, but she would follow Chu Yin's lead.
"Yin Yin, do you want to go?"
Chu Yin glanced back at the other corner of the dormitory, where the top student was focused on her homework, completely unfazed by the holiday.
Look at her! What's the point of playing around?
Just as Chu Yin was about to coldly reject the offer in the group chat, Gu Qiuzhe suddenly @'ed her: [Xiao Yin, wanna come? I'll pair up with you.]
Chu Yin: "..."
Lu Zhen saw the message: "..."
Song Zhaolin panicked too,
He had planned the perfect setup with three guys and three girls! Brother Zhen and Miss Liang, being from families with long-standing ties, would definitely pair up, then Gu Qiuzhe and Han Chuying would form the top student pair, leaving him and Sister Yin as the perfect match! Flawless!
What’s up with this Gu Qiuzhe?!
Chu Yin fell silent.
She could easily turn down that silly boy Song Zhaolin, but Gu Qiuzhe had gone out of his way to deliver something, so she couldn’t just casually refuse him.
But Chu Yin really, really wanted to stay and work on problems.
After agonizing for a long time, the result was… Chu Yin silently pulled out the script.
Since she couldn’t outright refuse, she’d just create some other conditions :)
Over ten minutes later, Chu Yin finally replied in the group chat: [The weather doesn’t seem good today.]
By this time, Song Zhaolin had already dragged Lu Zhen out of the hotel. He looked up at the bright sun in the sky and scratched his head.
“How is it not good?? My Sister Yin is so careless with her excuses!”
Song Zhaolin hopped around under the sunlight: “The weather is clearly great!”
Lu Zhen stood just outside the hotel entrance, frowning at the message Chu Yin had sent in the group chat.
…She’d looked at her phone, but hadn’t accepted his friend request.
Lu Zhen laughed in frustration.
He locked his screen, looked up, and suddenly saw a line of moisture slowly trickling down Song Zhaolin’s face.
Lu Zhen: “?”
Song Zhaolin: “?”
“…” Lu Zhen paused for a moment, “Are you really that eager to go?”
Is he crying already?
And then, another line of moisture appeared on Song Zhaolin’s face, as if tears were streaming down.
Lu Zhen: “…?”
Song Zhaolin wiped his face and said, “No, I think it’s raining.”
In the dorm room.
Chu Yin put away the script that had changed “sunny weather” to “heavy rain mixed with snow,” reassured, and pulled out her math test papers.
A qualified script artist doesn’t just make it rain blades from the sky!
She can also control the weather! Command the wind and summon the rain!
Tremble, world!
Burn, chuunibyou soul!
This is the power of me, Chu Yin!!
Study System: “…Damn.”