Chapter 32
Besides the main exhibition on national achievements, the National Museum had smaller galleries with permanent displays of ancient artifacts. Chi Lin meticulously examined every item and description, careful not to miss any details.
She could spend an hour in a gallery the size of a small room.
She took countless pictures of ancient coins that looked identical to Lou Mi.
Lou Mi’s legs ached. She regretted bringing Chi Lin here.
Who knew someone could be so obsessed with a museum?
Chi Lin, however, felt a deep sense of satisfaction, her phone filled with pictures of ancient artifacts.
Noticing Lou Mi shifting impatiently, she realized she had been lost in her own world.
“Are you tired? Should we leave?”
“I’m fine,” Lou Mi said, trying to sound energetic. “We’re athletes. We have stamina.”
“Good,” Chi Lin said. “Let’s explore a few more galleries.”
Lou Mi: “…”
Chi Lin chuckled. “Just kidding. I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”
Lou Mi flicked her bun. “Don’t tease me, you little brat.”
The bun, however, was surprisingly solid, unmoved by her flick.
Is there a rock hidden in there?
Chi Lin turned, her expression serious. “Don’t touch my hair.”
Her tone was so stern that Lou Mi almost apologized.
She stopped herself just in time. An apology would ruin her authority.
“Hair… have you been possessed by the museum?” Lou Mi teased, deciding to assert her dominance by choosing the restaurant. “I’m taking you somewhere special. You’ll love it.”
She took Chi Lin to a Western restaurant.
“They have excellent steak. Try it,” she said.
Steak? Chi Lin was wary.
When the steak arrived, Chi Lin observed Lou Mi’s technique before attempting to eat it herself.
Lou Mi cut the steak into small pieces with her knife and fork.
Simple enough. Chi Lin tried to cut her own steak, but the knife wouldn’t budge.
Is this knife dull?
She glanced at Lou Mi, who was effortlessly cutting her steak.
They had the same cutlery. Was she not using enough force?
Chi Lin, having regained some of her strength in this new body, was not one to be defeated by a piece of meat.
She focused her energy and sliced down. A loud crack echoed through the restaurant. She had not only cut through the steak but also cracked the plate in half.
Chi Lin: “…”
Lou Mi: “??”
How did that even happen…?
“I’m so sorry,” Chi Lin mumbled.
The manager rushed over to replace the plate.
“I’ll pay for it,” Chi Lin said.
The manager, having never encountered such a situation, was stunned. This small, delicate girl had superhuman strength?
“Would you like me to cut it for you?” he asked.
Chi Lin was about to agree when Lou Mi said, “I’ll do it. Give it to me.”
The manager placed Chi Lin’s steak in front of Lou Mi and left. Lou Mi cut the steak into small pieces, thinking, That little brat is strong… I still don’t believe she doesn’t have a secret manual. Good thing she’s normal now. Otherwise, we’d all be in danger.
They drove home in silence. Only Tiger greeted them enthusiastically, wagging its fluffy butt. Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan were nowhere to be seen.
Chi Lin took Tiger for a walk in the designated dog park within the community.
Though they had a yard, the park offered more space for Tiger to run freely.
With Chi Lin and Tiger gone, Lou Mi messaged Lou Lixing.
“Dear Dad, where are you? Not checking up on you, just wondering if you’ll be home tonight. I’ll leave the door unlocked if you are.”
Five minutes later, Lou Lixing replied: “We’re not coming home tonight. Sleep well.”
Lou Mi’s heart sank.
Another all-nighter?
The house is big enough. Why can’t they just… stay home? What are they so embarrassed about?
Then she remembered. When Peng Ziyuan and Chi Lin had first moved in, Chi Lin had been a terror, banging on their door and throwing tantrums whenever they tried to be alone.
Now, though still somewhat unusual, Chi Lin’s behavior was less extreme. But her parents had apparently developed a habit of staying out overnight.
Lou Mi wasn’t upset about being left alone with Chi Lin. She was annoyed that her forty-something-year-old father had an active nightlife, while she, at 25, was stuck at home.
And her only “date” today had been a tedious museum trip that almost broke her legs.
Chi Lin returned from the park, wiped Tiger’s paws, and went to her room to organize the pictures she had taken at the museum.
Lou Mi, passing by her room, saw her printing the pictures and covering her walls with them, like a detective analyzing crime scene photos.
“Here,” Lou Mi said, handing her a cup of calming tea.
“Thank you,” Chi Lin said, finally taking down her bun, her hair slightly damp from a recent wash.
She looked tired, forcing herself to stay awake.
“Good grades don’t happen overnight,” Lou Mi said. “Get some sleep. You’ll be more focused and productive tomorrow.”
Chi Lin took a sip of tea. “You go to bed later than I do.”
“I can’t sleep. If I could, I’d sleep for a whole day. Can you?” Lou Mi said seriously. “Don’t compare yourself to me in that regard. Focus on the positive.”
“Are you still having trouble sleeping?”
“Occasionally. And headaches.”
“Headaches?” Chi Lin asked. “Related to the neural stimulants?”
Lou Mi was surprised she remembered.
“It’s called Esports Syndrome. It’s a common side effect of playing holographic games for extended periods. It’s not serious. Like getting sore eyes from staring at a screen too long.”
Chi Lin nodded slowly.
“Is that English teacher still giving you trouble?”
“No.”
“How are your English scores?”
“I got a 92 on the last quiz.”
“Wow, a passing grade! How about the other subjects?”
“Still struggling, except for Chinese.”
“We’ll continue tutoring tomorrow night. Don’t worry about it tonight.” Lou Mi reached out and quickly ruffled Chi Lin’s hair. “Go to bed. No staying up late.”
“Okay,” Chi Lin said, feeling a wave of exhaustion. She had barely slept last night, her mind racing with thoughts of the library incident and her search for the Empress.
Her voice, soft with fatigue, said, “Good night, Sister.”
Lou Mi, without responding, closed the door, her face flushed.
As the door clicked shut, her heart pounded.
I want a cute girlfriend… like Chi Lin, soft and sweet, like a marshmallow.
.
Whether due to the calming tea or Lou Mi’s comforting words, Chi Lin slept soundly and almost overslept. She skipped her morning exercises, rushing through her hair and makeup, then realized she couldn’t find her uniform!
She searched frantically, finally finding it in the courtyard. Tiger, having chewed a hole in her pants, was lying on top of the uniform, looking up at her with a mischievous grin.
“Get off!” Chi Lin scolded, and Tiger scampered away.
She retrieved the uniform and examined the damage. The hole in her pants was… significant.
“This is outrageous.”
She had two sets of uniforms, but the other one was dirty.
Thankfully, Tiger had only chewed a hole, not… peed on it. She could sew it up.
Frugality was ingrained in her, a virtue befitting an Empress.
She asked the system for a sewing kit.
“The sewing kit is missing,” the system replied. “But you can use the automatic sewing machine.”
“Automatic sewing machine?”
It sounded incredibly convenient, and it was.
She placed the damaged pants on the scanner, and the machine, with a whirring sound, sewed up the hole in seconds.
A faint seam remained, but it was barely noticeable.
Chi Lin put on her uniform and rushed out, skipping her usual morning greeting with Lou Mi, who was still asleep.
She grabbed a pancake from a street vendor and took a taxi to school.
Fifteen seconds left!
“Hurry!”
Students sprinted towards the closing gates.
The security guard shouted, “Ten seconds!”
Wei Zhuoning, having stayed up late, struggled to keep up.
The gates were almost closed. She was so close!
“Don’t rush! You’ll get caught!” the guard warned.
But the students, fueled by adrenaline, ignored him, squeezing through the narrowing gap.
Wei Zhuoning, about to be shut out and marked late, felt a surge of despair.
A hand reached out from inside and pulled her through.
The gates slammed shut, leaving several students stranded outside.
Wei Zhuoning, gasping for breath, looked at Chi Lin. “Thanks…”
Chi Lin had also been running, but she had adapted to this body, her speed and strength returning. And after a good night’s sleep, she felt energized. The sprint had been effortless.
“Don’t rush the gates,” she said. “It’s dangerous. You almost got caught.”
I would have stopped if you hadn’t pulled me, Wei Zhuoning thought, but she couldn’t very well say that.
“I know…” she mumbled.
As they took the elevator, Chi Lin asked, “Where did you go yesterday?”
It was a casual question. They weren’t close friends, but trapped in a confined space, small talk was inevitable.
And yesterday’s encounter was a natural topic.
Chi Lin’s casual question, however, triggered a panicked reaction in Wei Zhuoning. Her face flushed.
“Nowhere… just… wandered around the museum,” she stammered.
Chi Lin, looking at her phone, said, “Really? We were there too. Didn’t see you.”
Wei Zhuoning felt like she was being interrogated.
Thankfully, the elevator reached their floor. She bolted out.
The elevator, however, wasn’t properly aligned with the floor. Wei Zhuoning tripped and almost fell.
Lin Xiaozhi caught her just in time.
Wei Zhuoning, drenched in sweat, was about to thank her when Lin Xiaozhi whispered in her ear, “Not enough cuddling last night? Throwing yourself into my arms this morning?”
Wei Zhuoning pushed her away and ran to the classroom.
Chi Lin, watching her flee, asked, “What’s wrong with her?”
Lin Xiaozhi grinned. “She’s rushing to contribute to the socialist modernization of our country.”
When Chi Lin reached her desk, Lin Xiaozhi’s seat was empty. She had joined Wei Zhuoning in the back corner, their heads together, whispering.
As Chi Lin opened her tablet to check the schedule, Xu Yifang, sitting diagonally in front of her, turned around, a smug smile on her face.
Chi Lin: “?”
Xu Yifang held up her phone, displaying a close-up picture of the seam on Chi Lin’s pants.
“Frugality is a virtue,” she said sweetly. “I thought such traditional values were extinct. But I see someone is keeping them alive.”
Jiao Minxuan, her deskmate, sneered. “Just admit you’re poor. No need for excuses. Even my grandma doesn’t wear patched-up clothes.”
Their words elicited laughter from the surrounding students, who all stared at Chi Lin’s pants.
“She actually sewed them up!”
“Chi Lin is so beautiful, kind, and… frugal.”
Xu Yifang and Jiao Minxuan promptly posted the picture on the school forum.
They had been waiting for this opportunity.
Over the weekend, they had met up with Liu Huixin, concerned about her recent behavior and seat change.
“What’s going on? We can never reach you.”
“Are you sick? You’ve lost so much weight.”
Liu Huixin, her eyes welling up, started to cry.
“Is it because of Chi Lin?” Xu Yifang asked.
Liu Huixin burst into tears. “That bitch! She’s so ungrateful!”
Jiao Minxuan handed her a tissue. “Tell us what happened! We’ll help you get revenge!”
Liu Huixin, wiping away her tears, recounted the recent events, accusing Chi Lin of stealing Teng Jiang’s affections, despite knowing about Liu Huixin’s feelings for him.
“Of all people, why him?!” She had repeated her fabricated story so many times that she now believed it.
Xu Yifang grimaced. “That Chi Lin is such a snake.”
“A total ingrate!”
“Calling her an ingrate is too kind. She’s a two-faced, manipulative bitch.”
“Exactly!” Liu Huixin exclaimed. “Look at those idiots in our class, falling for her innocent act! They’re all so pathetic! It’s embarrassing!”
Xu Yifang said, “I actually liked Tan Luo, but even she’s obsessed with Chi Lin now. Is there anyone in this school who isn’t fooled by her?”
Jiao Minxuan sneered. “Just us. We tried to expose her on the forum, but look at those replies.”
“They’re all idiots!” Xu Yifang exclaimed.
“Don’t worry,” Jiao Minxuan said, comforting Liu Huixin. “We have proof now.”
“Proof? What proof?”
“Proof of her sworn sister.”
“You got pictures?!”
“Of course. But we’re giving her one last chance. If she doesn’t back down, we’ll expose her.”
…
The picture of Chi Lin’s patched-up pants was their final warning.
Jiao Minxuan confronted Chi Lin. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Remember who you are. Don’t push your luck.”
She felt a sense of satisfaction, a righteous anger fueling her words.
She thought she had been assertive yet restrained, avoiding unnecessary cruelty.
Chi Lin, however, simply sneered.
“You have skin, but no manners. Don’t provoke me again. You won’t like the consequences.”
Xu Yifang was confused. “What does that even mean?”
Jiao Minxuan didn’t understand either, but she knew it wasn’t a compliment.
As she was about to retort, she met Chi Lin’s icy gaze.
It sent a chill down her spine.
The words caught in her throat.
“Can you speak normally?!” Xu Yifang exclaimed.
Lin Xiaozhi, returning to her desk, translated, “She said you’re worse than rats. Rats have skin, but you have no shame.”
The surrounding students laughed. “They got insulted and didn’t even realize it! How pathetic!”
“What the f*ck! You…” Xu Yifang began to yell.
The history teacher entered the classroom, and the bell rang.
Xu Yifang and Jiao Minxuan glared at Chi Lin throughout the morning, but Chi Lin ignored them.
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