Chapter 30: I Don’t Like Her
Several classmates seemed to have taken a sudden interest in Fang Jiayi, eager to learn the secret of befriending a certain aloof girl. Although the girl appeared cold and distant, difficult to approach, she was cute, and cuteness equaled justice.
Therefore, as one of the few who managed to befriend Yu Linna, Fang Jiayi earned the respect of many classmates, who flocked to her, seeking her advice. But Fang Jiayi remained mysterious, not revealing her secret. As if I’d share this top-secret information with them. If they knew how easy it was to win over Yu Linna, how could she continue to have her all to herself?
Fang Jiayi was happy, but Yu Linna wasn’t. She had been summoned by the homeroom teacher for a lecture, the reason, of course, being her declining grades. The homeroom teacher also brought up her part-time jobs, scolding her harshly.
“Yu Linna, you’re the most consistent student in our advanced class, but this time, you actually lost your top ranking to the next class. You’ve disappointed me greatly. The principal waived your tuition, not for you to slack off!”
Being reprimanded was only natural. She didn’t perform well, didn’t meet their expectations, and naturally, it resulted in disappointment. Everyone expected her to do well, but she let them down.
Yu Linna remained silent, accepting the criticism. What else could she say? It was the truth; she had disappointed them.
“I won’t say more. I’ll be visiting your home to discuss your situation with your parents. Let’s set the time for Wednesday.”
“…Teacher, can we skip the home visit…?”
“No, it’s necessary. And don’t even think about finding someone to impersonate your parents. That’s all, you can go back now.”
“…”
Yu Linna didn’t know how she left the office.
“Sigh…”
Closing the office door behind her, Yu Linna leaned against the wall and sighed deeply.
Honestly, from elementary school until now, she had never experienced a teacher’s home visit. Her grades had always been good; no teacher would bother with a home visit. Of course, the third-year homeroom teacher was an exception.
Where could she even take her for a home visit? She couldn’t imagine.
Just like her past life, she was a displaced orphan in this life. Where would she find parents? She did have a legal guardian, but they weren’t relatives. It was someone she found when she was living with another family long ago. That person simply completed the guardianship paperwork and then left for the big city to do business, taking all their belongings. Initially, they would send her a small allowance, but after six months, all contact ceased. Afterward, Yu Linna started living on her own, experiencing the harsh realities of the world at a young age.
So, where would she find parents?
This was a real headache. What should she do about the home visit? Yu Linna racked her brains but couldn’t come up with a solution.
“Linna, did the homeroom teacher scold you?”
“…She said she wants to visit my home.”
Scratching her head, the girl looked troubled. Being scolded by the teacher wasn’t the main issue; the biggest problem was that she couldn’t find any parents. How could she deal with this?
She remembered when she was living with a family, their son hired someone to impersonate his parents during a teacher’s home visit, and it actually worked.
Maybe she could try that.
“Fang Jiayi, can you help me find two people to pretend to be my parents?”
“Huh? You want to lie to the homeroom teacher? That’s not good…”
“There’s nothing good or bad about it, it’s decided. I’ll be very grateful if you help me with this.”
Regardless of whether Fang Jiayi agreed or not, she was going to make her agree. This was the only solution she could think of.
Some might ask why she didn’t honestly explain her family situation, but the girl didn’t want others to know that she was a fatherless child. No specific reason, she just didn’t want them to know.
The next day, Yu Linna pulled herself together and focused on her studies. Although she had taken many days off and fallen behind, her foundation was strong, and she quickly caught up. Especially in English class, she never missed a single question, often solving problems that even the teacher struggled with, questions that were key to the college entrance exam.
But Yu Linna’s English scores were always excellent, almost perfect. The teacher could only chuckle, thinking, mixed-race children are different, their foreign language skills are naturally good.
However, in reality, Yu Linna’s excellent English scores were the result of her hard work, having nothing to do with her being mixed-race.
After school, Yu Linna rubbed her hands and yawned. The third-year curriculum was intense, with a heavy workload. Two or three sets of test papers a day were a given. Yu Linna didn’t have evening self-study because she was a day student, and she didn’t want to attend anyway. It was better to use that time for a part-time job. She packed her books and patted Fang Jiayi’s shoulder, signaling her to leave together. She had become accustomed to going home with Fang Jiayi, as they were both day students.
“It’s so nice that Jiayi and Yu are such good friends.”
“Jiayi is so stingy, she won’t tell me how to become friends with Yu, hmph!”
Fang Jiayi secretly chuckled. She wouldn’t tell them how to befriend Yu Linna. Yu Linna was so cute, so soft to the touch; she wouldn’t share her with others.
“Fang Jiayi, you keep giggling at me, I’m going to report you.”
“Hehe, let’s go, I’ll treat you to ice cream.”
Fang Jiayi had figured out Yu Linna’s weakness. Pat her head and offer her food. This method never failed. Yu Linna immediately became obedient; she never refused free food.
The little angel bought two ice cream bars from a nearby store, and Yu Linna waited at the school gate. When Fang Jiayi handed her one, she accepted it without hesitation, tearing open the wrapper and taking a lick. The ice cream tasted delicious, especially in the summer, cold and sweet, just the way Yu Linna liked it. An ice cream bar cost at least one yuan, and Yu Linna rarely bought them for herself, but it was a different story when someone else bought it for her.
A car drove by, a gentle breeze rustling Yu Linna’s hair, revealing her smooth forehead. She sucked on her ice cream, looking at the scenery across the street, when a black-haired girl with a bag slung over her shoulder walked over. This girl wore the uniform of City Experimental High School, her long black hair styled in a half-updo, giving off an elegant and dignified aura. She wore a digital camera around her neck, seemingly adjusting the lens, and took a few photos nearby. Suddenly looking up, she saw the blonde girl at the school gate, blankly staring ahead with an ice cream bar in her mouth, and her camera automatically captured the scene.
“Hmm? Yu Linna, it’s you again.”
Ye Zhiyun sighed, her tone exasperated. She didn’t like Yu Linna, but fate seemed determined to make them cross paths.
“What are you doing at the gate of our school?”
With the ice cream in her mouth, Yu Linna’s words were slightly muffled, but still clear.
Imagine a cute blonde girl, looking like a middle school student, talking with an ice cream bar in her mouth, the scene was a bit… suggestive. Ye Zhiyun admitted to having some inappropriate thoughts when she saw this, but she quickly regained her composure.
“I was just taking some photos, passing by.”
Ye Zhiyun said indifferently, then checked the photos she had taken with her digital camera. The latest photo was of Yu Linna blankly looking at her while eating an ice cream bar across the street. Frankly, the photo was quite good, although it looked a bit… meme-worthy.
“Oh, it’s you again, miss. Do you like photography? Can I see your photos?”
Fang Jiayi, acting familiar, stepped forward to look at the photos. Ye Zhiyun quickly scrolled past the latest photo, showing the scenery shots she had taken along the way. From an amateur perspective, her photos were really good, no less than professional photography. Fang Jiayi thanked her and flipped through the photos. Fortunately, she scrolled backward, not forward, which made Ye Zhiyun breathe a sigh of relief. The most important thing was not to let her see that first photo.
“Wow, your photos are so beautiful! Can you take one of me? With my phone, please?”
Seeing her excellent photography skills, even better than her own selfies, Fang Jiayi handed her phone over, wanting a photo taken by her. Girls loved beauty, and Fang Jiayi was no exception. Who didn’t want to look good in photos?
“You’re Yu Linna’s friend, I don’t want to take your picture.”
“Aw, come on, just one photo~”
“…Fine.”
After a moment of thought, although Fang Jiayi was Yu Linna’s friend, she had no conflict with Ye Zhiyun, so she might as well. Besides, it was just a photo, no big deal.
Taking Fang Jiayi’s iPhone, she opened the camera, adjusted the angle, and Fang Jiayi stood at the school gate, making a victory sign, a bright smile on her face. Click! Without much adjustment, the photo was taken quickly.
Fang Jiayi looked beautiful in the photo. Although it was getting late, the summer sun hadn’t set yet, providing ample lighting. Therefore, there were no issues with insufficient light.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful! You’re such a good photographer!”
“…You can call me Ye Zhiyun. Photography is my hobby.”
“I’m Fang Jiayi, we met this morning. Let’s be friends.”
Saying this, Fang Jiayi extended her hand, her attitude friendly. Ye Zhiyun looked at her hand, slightly surprised, but still shook it. After all, good manners dictated that politeness was necessary.
“Oh, your photos are really nice. How about you take one of me too?”
Seeing the photo on Fang Jiayi’s phone, Yu Linna couldn’t help but want to try. After all, being able to be photographed so beautifully, with skills comparable to a professional, was very tempting.
“No way, I’ll take anyone’s photo, but not yours.”
“Stingy.”
“Hmph.”
Ye Zhiyun wouldn’t take photos of people she hated, especially that little brat Yu Linna. She wouldn’t do it even for money. She had said it before, she didn’t like Yu Linna.
Never had, never would.
“Well, since we’ve met, how about we get a drink?”
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