Chapter 15

Chu Ci was a man of his word. Having promised to take Lin Tian to school, he quickly chose a day.
Naturally, taking Lin Tian to class attracted attention. Many had heard about the incident at the school gate. There had been rumors that Chu Ci was the type to abandon wife and children, but seeing this scene, those rumors crumbled. Fortunately, neither cared much for public opinion. Lin Tian earnestly attended a class, reminiscing about her own university days, and then realized that not going to school might actually be better.
After class, it was already lunchtime.
Lin Tian couldn’t go hungry, so Chu Ci took her to the school cafeteria.
On the way, Chu Ci asked, “Do you have any desire to take the university entrance exam?”
He had assumed that after experiencing the class, Lin Tian would feel a newfound thirst for knowledge.
Unfortunately, Lin Tian was destined to disappoint him. With a nonchalant expression, she said, “I think I prefer life as it is now.”
She didn’t want to relive the nightmare of senior year. Hearing this, Chu Ci just smiled, deciding never to bring it up again.
Lin Tian, however, frowned. Suspicious, she asked, “Chu Ci, you don’t also think I’m too uneducated to be with you, do you?”
Faced with such an accusation, Chu Ci was genuinely alarmed. He hurriedly said, “How could I think that? I promise I’ll never bring it up again.”
Lin Tian had long been independent and disliked others arranging things for her. She decided to make her stance clear: “I don’t like being told what to do all the time. I have my own thoughts. You should understand that every person is an individual. Even if we’re married, it doesn’t mean I have to do everything you say.”
Such a mindset was very progressive for this era. Chu Ci, however, seemed intrigued rather than offended, and asked eagerly, “Lin Tian, was it really because I saved you from drowning that I lost my memory?”
Lin Tian didn’t feel guilty. He couldn’t remember anyway, and she got to control the narrative of how the original Lin Tian had been.
“Of course. Before marriage, we hardly interacted at all,” she said honestly.
Chu Ci’s curiosity about recovering his memories returned. He wanted to know how he had interacted with his wife in the past.
Unfortunately, the doctors had already said that current medical technology couldn’t cure him.
Arriving at the cafeteria, Chu Ci found her a seat and helped her sit down before going to get food.
Lin Tian looked around the bustling cafeteria. Indeed, no matter the era, school cafeterias all looked pretty much the same.
She waited at the table for Chu Ci’s return, but of course, uninvited guests showed up.
Three girls approached, and one of them was the same Jiang Shiyi she had seen before.
Lin Tian greeted them with a smile. “Classmate Jiang, do you need something?”
Jiang Shiyi was surprised that Lin Tian could still smile. Before Lin Tian could speak, her roommate Xue Li chimed in: “I heard you’re Chu Ci’s rural wife. You don’t really look it. But since you’ve managed to climb up socially, you should stay home and not embarrass Chu Ci here. Not only do you fail to push him to improve, now you come to school expecting him to take care of you? Isn’t that wasting his precious time?”
Lin Tian’s smile didn’t falter. She scanned the three girls and guessed that they all came from well-off families. They got into Huaqing, so naturally, they thought they were superior.
Still, why did Chu Ci’s admirers always seem to gather together? Usually, rivals get jealous when they meet. But no, they seemed unusually jealous of her.
Lin Tian glanced into their eyes and found herself laughing at her own thoughts.
“What are you laughing at?” Xue Li demanded, displeased.
Lin Tian stayed seated, facing the three standing girls without losing any presence. She lifted her eyes, expressionless, and said, “I’m laughing at someone meddling like a dog chasing mice. Don’t you think it’s funny?”
The three froze. The girl in the middle, Yang Jiajia, stared at Lin Tian and asked, “We’re all classmates of Chu Ci. Asking about his family can’t make you angry, can it, sister-in-law?”
Ah, a classic green tea.
Lin Tian finally gave Yang Jiajia, who had barely been noticed, a proper glance. The three observed Lin Tian’s expression but saw no anger. Calmly, Lin Tian said, “In that case, shouldn’t you introduce yourselves? When Chu Ci returns, I can tell him that you care about him. Classmate Jiang, we know each other, why don’t you introduce these two classmates?”
Under Lin Tian’s half-smile, Jiang Shiyi said, “On the far right is Xue Li from the Foreign Languages Department, in the middle is Yang Jiajia from the Chinese Department.”
After Jiang finished, Lin Tian deliberately spoke loudly: “All of you are students at Huaqing. You should focus on studying and contributing to the country in the future. How do you still have time to worry about my household affairs? Isn’t that wasting your precious time?”
Now, everyone nearby noticed the commotion and naturally looked over.
Yang Jiajia realized this was not the outcome she wanted. Jiang Shiyi had thought that calling Lin Tian a rural girl would shame her, but somehow, they had become the target instead.
Xue Li was furious, staring daggers at Lin Tian, wishing she could drill a hole into her. As for Jiang Shiyi, she already regretted coming with her roommates. Usually, they didn’t cooperate, and their relationship wasn’t great. But now, with a common “enemy,” they just wanted to see Lin Tian embarrassed.
Slightly smarter than the others, Yang Jiajia tried to justify herself: “Sister-in-law, what we said was out of concern. Chu Ci is a celebrity at our school. Professors often encourage us to see him as a model. We were just a bit anxious, hoping he would do better. Like you said, he has to contribute to the country one day.”
Lin Tian snickered inwardly and replied, “Yes, you use ‘concern’ as an excuse to belittle the wife who bears his children. You say I hold him back, but isn’t it natural for a husband to care for his pregnant wife? Or does your school only value grades and never a student’s character? I cannot agree with that. A person’s most important quality is character. I hope you three can reflect on whether your actions are right.”
Her voice rang clear and strong. People nearby shot disapproving glances at the three girls. By questioning the school, Lin Tian had indirectly challenged their core values.
Finally, an impatient female student couldn’t hold back: “I think you’re just hiding behind the flag of virtue to do something dirty. Would you say these things in front of Chu Ci, or bully his family when he’s not around? How can you even do such things?”
The moment she spoke, the others joined in, vocally condemning the three girls. Lin Tian watched coldly; she was a master of public opinion battles. Trying to fight her was laughable.
These self-inflicted troubles didn’t require her to show any mercy.
Jiang Shiyi wanted to bury her head in shame, Xue Li’s face turned a deep purple-red with anger, and Yang Jiajia looked pale and tearful, saying, “Sister-in-law, you don’t need to pin this on us. We only meant well. If you’re unhappy, just scold us a little, why blame the school?”
Her words completely misrepresented Lin Tian’s intent. Many around prided themselves on being Huaqing students; hearing Yang’s statement made them feel that Lin Tian was overreacting, leaving some on the fence again.
Lin Tian let out a cold laugh, about to retort.
Then Chu Ci’s calm voice rang out: “Since you think my wife is in the wrong, why don’t we all go to the principal’s office? I’d like to ask how the school views behavior that unfairly targets someone else’s family. I don’t believe any of you and I have ever met before.”
Chu Ci had been in line getting food when someone told him that his wife was being troubled. After hearing it, he saw only two people left ahead of him. He didn’t leave immediately, he finished getting his food before heading over with Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan was puzzled. “Chu Ci, you’re not seriously going to confront them yourself, are you? You know the people at our school aren’t easy to deal with. Judging by your wife’s words alone, she’s definitely no match for them.”
Chu Ci wasn’t like that. He just didn’t want Lin Tian to be hungry. Besides, with his experience, it wasn’t certain who would really lose out.
When he arrived, he heard Yang Jiajia trying to twist the story to her advantage.
No matter how good your mental prep was, seeing it in person made Chu Ci angry. He spoke, and Lin Tian noticed him. She deliberately used a coquettish tone: “Chu Ci, why are you so slow? I’m starving. And these classmates of yours, blaming me for making you serve me. In their eyes, I should stand in line with a big belly while you sit comfortably here.”
Lin Tian complained without any burden, curious to see how the three girls would react in front of Chu Ci.
Chu Ci, used to her antics, placed the food in front of her and spoke softly: “Then you eat first.”
Lin Tian happily ate while watching the drama unfold, accepting his suggestion.
Jiang Shiyi finally burst into tears, ashamed. “Chu Ci, I’m sorry.”
Chu Ci, however, looked cold: “This student, you should apologize to my wife, not me.”
Jiang Shiyi paused, then turned to Lin Tian: “I’m sorry, Comrade Lin Tian.”
Chu Ci didn’t look at her again but turned to the other two, silently signaling it was their turn.
Xue Li, embarrassed, was reluctant to admit her fault. She had acted for Chu Ci’s good but ended up humiliated. With so many people watching, she had no choice but to lower her head and mutter stiffly, “Sorry.”
Yang Jiajia, more sensible, stopped crying and said sincerely to Lin Tian, “Comrade Lin Tian, sorry. We were too impulsive. Please forgive us. After all, we are Chu Ci’s classmates.”