Chapter 19: A Visit
Fang Jiayi’s home wasn’t far from their workplace. A four- or five-stop bus ride followed by a kilometer walk, and they arrived. Her home was in a residential complex, and the interior was nicely decorated, though not extravagant.
The apartment was quite spacious, and Yu Linna’s eyes lit up, captivated by the sight. Such a beautiful and large apartment, if only it were hers! It was a stark contrast to her own cheap, small, and run-down single room, without even an air conditioner! There was simply no comparison!
“You seem to like my place.”
Fang Jiayi locked the door and chuckled.
“Rich lady, do you need a kept man? I can warm your bed, please take me in!”
“Ah…”
Yu Linna shamelessly hugged her soft thigh, practically kneeling and calling her “mommy.”
Although Fang Jiayi wasn’t extremely wealthy, she didn’t have to worry about basic necessities. Her family was relatively well-off, and her father had a respectable job. Because Fang Jiayi had a stable monthly income, her parents stopped giving her an allowance long ago. Otherwise, why would she resort to working a part-time job?
“Jiayi, you brought a friend home?”
“Yes, Mom, this is my deskmate, Yu Linna.”
Fang Jiayi’s mother was a woman in her forties. Well-maintained, she didn’t look too old, but the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes revealed her age. She was a school beauty in her youth, and her daughter naturally inherited her good looks. Looking at Fang Jiayi, it was clear they were related.
“Hello, Auntie, I’m Jiayi’s classmate.”
Visiting someone’s home for the first time, Yu Linna still knew proper etiquette and politely greeted her.
“Hello, you’re such a cute girl. Are you mixed-race?”
“Ah… this…”
Yu Linna touched her blonde hair, unsure how to answer.
Speaking of her deceased parents, she didn’t know where she came from, completely clueless about her roots. But her household registration was indeed from China.
“Well, sort of.”
Whether it was true or not, she might as well admit it. After all, she did look mixed-race.
Fang Jiayi’s mother didn’t question it further, simply finding the girl adorable, like a doll. Her own daughter was overshadowed standing next to her, which showed that this Yu Linna had good genes.
Fang Jiayi led her into her room. Whether in her past or present life, Yu Linna rarely had the chance to enter a girl’s room. This was a rare opportunity. She was slightly excited, wondering how to present herself in front of another girl.
However, she clearly forgot how coldly she treated her deskmate at school.
“You seem nervous. What, is this your first time visiting a classmate’s home?”
“Ahem… this… n-no, it’s not the first time…”
“Alright, come in.” (laughs)
Fang Jiayi’s room was decorated in pink. On the dressing table were lotions, toners, and other skincare products, all expensive brands that Yu Linna couldn’t afford. Besides these, Fang Jiayi also had a small bookcase filled with figures, including female characters from popular anime and male characters from mainstream anime. This made Yu Linna, a fellow anime fan, excited.
“Wow, you even have the limited edition Iron Spider figure! This is so expensive! I remember the deposit alone was three thousand yuan!”
Yu Linna admired the Spider-Man figure displayed on the shelf. This limited edition figure, only one thousand made worldwide and distributed from the US, was a true collector’s item. The import tax alone was exorbitant; no one would buy such a luxurious item without spending at least twenty or thirty thousand yuan.
“Yeah, I got lucky this year and managed to snag one. Such a precious figure, I’ll definitely pass it down as a family heirloom!”
“Damn, I’m so jealous! Capitalism is so evil! I want one too!”
As a poor person, Yu Linna couldn’t afford a figure; she couldn’t even afford a bootleg, let alone a collection. But it didn’t matter, looking at other people’s figures was satisfying enough, and with so many figures, if she came here often, she could see them anytime!
“Wow! Isn’t this an authentic One Piece figure? And the Thousand Sunny! So big!”
“I have more~”
“Whoa, the legendary discontinued Goku figure! Damn, how did you get your hands on this?!”
“Hehe, jealous?”
“Ugh, super jealous!”
Fang Jiayi was truly a queen among otaku. So many items, some of which were hard to come by, who knew how she got them? Yu Linna was practically drooling just looking at them. She took out her phone and frantically took pictures. Although she couldn’t own these figures, preserving them as photos was good enough.
“But, I really didn’t expect you to be into anime, Fang Jiayi?”
“Yeah, I like it quite a bit. Although I’ve never mentioned it, I’m a die-hard otaku!”
“Nonsense, an otaku can’t be a pretty girl!”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Fang Jiayi hummed a tune and pulled a few manga volumes from her bookcase, handing them to Yu Linna. She hadn’t expected Yu Linna to be a hidden otaku as well. Based on her behavior at school, she didn’t seem like the type to be into otaku culture at all. A top student in every subject, a hidden otaku, how strange.
Yet, it was true.
“I heard this manga is hard to get. You even have this? I couldn’t find the Chinese translation after the third chapter when I searched online before, and now you have the whole set.”
“I bought it from Taiwan. I was lucky; I happened to find a store that sold it. I heard this manga was published in Taiwan.”
Yu Linna couldn’t put the manga down. She felt like she had entered heaven.
“You’re truly an angel!”
She didn’t hold back her praise.
So many otaku goods, such a rich collection, wasn’t this Yu Linna’s dream? She had also dreamed of having such a collection, filling her room with her favorite figures, creating her own sanctuary.
But Fang Jiayi had made it a reality!
“If you like, I can lend you a few volumes. You can take them home and read them slowly.”
“Ugh, you must be an angel from heaven.”
“It’s not that exaggerated.”
Fang Jiayi laughed cheerfully. She enjoyed being praised, especially by her deskmate.
She remembered the beginning of their third year when they were assigned as deskmates. Initially, Yu Linna was difficult to approach, keeping her distance, always indifferent. She only focused on taking notes during class and completing her tests perfectly.
In their third year, they faced mountains of test papers, often causing Fang Jiayi to frown. Yu Linna, however, was unfazed, finishing her tests quickly and leaving early after submitting them. When it came to studying, Yu Linna was unmatched. Fang Jiayi wanted to befriend her, but she always refused. Until one day, Fang Jiayi offered to treat her to milk tea, and from then on, Yu Linna became much more approachable.
“By the way, Linna, the rankings are out, have you seen them?”
“Not yet, what place am I?”
“Same as before, you’re still first in our class. However… you dropped to third in the grade rankings for liberal arts students.”
“What?!”
Yu Linna dropped the manga, grabbed Fang Jiayi’s collar, and shook her, demanding an explanation.
“Third place? How could I drop?!”
“I don’t know… Maybe because you’ve taken too many days off recently, and you didn’t keep up with the review. The homeroom teacher is very angry, saying that our class lost the top spot to the next class.”
Yu Linna collapsed onto the bed, almost beating her chest. She had been placed in the advanced class with high expectations. Now that she didn’t get first place, wouldn’t the homeroom teacher skin her alive?
It’s over, it’s definitely over. The homeroom teacher wouldn’t let her off the hook.
“Are you okay, Linna?”
“No…”
“Well, just go with the flow.”
What else could Fang Jiayi do? It was Yu Linna’s own fault for slacking off. Unaware of the full situation, she assumed Yu Linna had wasted too much time on part-time jobs, neglecting her studies. She didn’t know why Yu Linna had to work so many jobs.
“By the way, Linna, you originally tested into City Experimental High School, right?”
“Yeah, I met their admission requirements during the high school entrance exam. Getting in wouldn’t have been a problem. But the principal of our school contacted me personally, wanting me to attend their school.”
Speaking of what happened three years ago, Yu Linna still remembered it clearly. With her scores, entering Experimental High School wouldn’t have been difficult. The principal contacted her, wanting her to attend City High School. Initially, she refused, until he offered a condition:
He would waive her tuition for three years, including miscellaneous fees and all other additional charges. She wouldn’t have to pay for any school activities, a privilege not offered to other students. Yu Linna was tempted. Three years of high school, no fees at all, she just had to attend. After much hesitation, she agreed.
And so, Yu Linna became a student at City High School.
“The principal values you so much, what will happen if your grades drop?”
“I don’t know, the principal said as long as I stay in the top three in every major exam, he’ll guarantee me three years of trouble-free schooling. I haven’t broken the agreement yet.”
“So, what are your plans for the future? Which university do you want to attend?”
Yu Linna had pondered this question more than once.
Where would she go in the future? What kind of person would she become? She truly didn’t know. But her recent experiences gave her a hint of what kind of person she should become.
“Maybe… I won’t go to university…?”
She wasn’t lying. She had seriously considered this. In Yu Linna’s current situation, even if she got into a good university, so what? Could she afford the tuition? She would rather start working early and solve her basic needs as soon as possible.
“Are you kidding?”
Fang Jiayi, however, was hearing this for the first time. She was dumbfounded, repeatedly asking for confirmation, hoping she was joking. But Yu Linna showed no signs of jesting.
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