Chapter 7: The Cold School Beauty’s Fierce Love
The biggest mystery at Ming Rui High School wasn’t the true identity of campus heartthrob Nangong Yunfei, but rather the lounge of the chairman’s daughter, Tao Ning.
Seeing is believing, and today, Xu Qiuyi finally saw the lounge that her classmates often talked about.
Her first impression was that it was very spacious and the air conditioning was truly powerful.
Miss Tao never let external conditions restrict her actions. If the cafeteria didn’t have food, her lounge had its own supplies.
Presumably, this young miss, who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, didn’t know how to cook. The food in the refrigerator only needed to be microwaved.
Tao Ning moved quickly, preparing portions for both of them in no time, placing them on the table and inviting Xu Qiuyi to eat.
Sleeping also burned calories, so Tao Ning sat down and took a few bites first. She was truly hungry.
Even after sitting down, Xu Qiuyi still felt a sense of unreality.
It was like someone who had endured much hardship suddenly tasting a piece of candy. Her tongue registered the sweetness, but her mind was numb.
That’s how Xu Qiuyi felt right now.
When she first entered this high school, Xu Qiuyi wanted to put her junior high experiences behind her. Even the most mature and prepared person couldn’t help but hold a sliver of hope for a new environment.
Because she had been admitted to Ming Rui High School on the condition of free tuition and meals, the school, fearing she wouldn’t adapt, placed her in Class B. There were a few other students in Class B who had also been recruited by the school with scholarships due to their excellent grades.
Naturally, people with similar experiences gravitated towards each other, forming small groups. It was at least livelier than her current solitary state.
Young and naive, Xu Qiuyi didn’t think too much. She decided to let go of the past and treat her new friends sincerely. However, in every exam, Xu Qiuyi always excelled, surpassing her peers.
There were some students whose excellent junior high grades faltered in high school and were called in by the school for several meetings. There was no shortage of young geniuses, but few could maintain their focus and improve themselves amidst the glitz and glamour.
Ming Rui was both an ivory tower and a miniature fame and fortune arena. One misstep could easily lead to a downfall.
Xu Qiuyi, focused solely on herself, stood out.
At that time, she didn’t notice the change in the way people looked at her, completely immersed in the pressure of getting into Class A, and made a pact with her friends to get into Class A together and enjoy better teaching resources.
The exam held at the end of the first semester of Ming Rui High School wasn’t just a final exam; it also served as a second streaming process.
Three days after the exam, the class placement list was announced. Ming Rui High School didn’t believe in letting students enjoy a peaceful New Year.
The list showed that Xu Qiuyi had made it, but her two friends hadn’t. Not only did they not make it to Class A, they couldn’t even stay in Class B, dropping several classes down.
A week later was Xu Qiuyi’s birthday. Not wanting to bring up the matter, she was invited out by her two friends to celebrate. They prepared a small palm-sized cake for her.
This was the first time Xu Qiuyi had received a birthday cake, so she was naturally very happy and enthusiastically cooperated in recording a video as a memento.
However, after making a wish and taking the first bite of the cake, she felt something was wrong.
The cake was sour. The outer cream was white, sweet, and fresh, but the sponge was stale and had a gritty texture.
The two friends surrounded her, one holding a phone, the other leaning against her affectionately.
The one holding the phone asked Xu Qiuyi, “Is the cake delicious? We two specially learned how to make it.”
Xu Qiuyi assumed it was due to improper storage, so she took another bite and said, “It’s delicious.”
“You really think it’s delicious?”
Not wanting to waste her friends’ efforts, Xu Qiuyi nodded affirmatively, taking a large bite: “The cream isn’t too sweet, it’s very delicious.”
Her answer was met with a moment of silence, followed by an eruption of laughter.
“Hahaha! She’s eating the stale cake with sand in it with such relish!”
“You only deserve to eat this kind of thing, and you think you’re so great, hahaha!”
“Don’t you find it disgusting? You’re the disgusting one.”
“I thought I made a pile of shit.”
The sharp, piercing laughter still echoed in her ears.
Even though those two had transferred because they could no longer afford the tuition due to their grades, Xu Qiuyi still felt a sour taste in her mouth and a chill down her spine whenever someone offered her food.
A cold finger tapped the back of her hand, and Xu Qiuyi snapped back to reality: “What’s wrong?”
Tao Ning swallowed the last bit of food in her mouth before speaking: “Why are you staring blankly? The air conditioning is strong, it’ll get cold soon, hurry up and eat.”
Xu Qiuyi touched the spoon with her fingertips.
Tao Ning didn’t know what Xu Qiuyi was thinking during that minute of spacing out, but she clearly saw her resistant attitude and said, “I made the same thing for convenience. If you’re not used to fried rice, there’s yogurt and bread in the refrigerator, should I get you some?”
“No, I’m used to it.” Xu Qiuyi quickly stopped Tao Ning from getting up. “This is fine.”
“Okay.” Tao Ning didn’t sit down immediately, taking off her jacket before returning to her seat. She didn’t realize she had created a gentle breeze.
Xu Qiuyi picked up the spoon and took a bite of the still-warm fried rice. The normal and delicious taste made her shoulders relax.
The bruised back of Xu Qiuyi’s hand kept catching Tao Ning’s eye, making her feel a bit annoyed. She had almost dropped her off at her doorstep, and her right hand was still injured.
Fortunately, it wasn’t an open wound that needed stitches, and it didn’t affect normal activities.
It shouldn’t affect her scholarship, so there wouldn’t be a need for her to be tricked into a part-time job and trigger the hero-saving-the-beauty plot, right…?
520: [I thought so too, but now I’m not so sure.]
That was precisely what Tao Ning was annoyed about: “I think so too.” She could probably get the scholarship, but the rest was uncertain.
520 offered enthusiastic encouragement: [Host, you can do it!!!]
Xu Qiuyi initially wanted to ignore it, but Tao Ning’s gaze was too intense, making it difficult to ignore.
She had never noticed Tao Ning being so persistent and curious before.
Xu Qiuyi couldn’t help but glance back at Tao Ning.
As expected, Tao Ning couldn’t resist asking, “What happened to your hand? It’s only been one night, how did it get so serious?”
Xu Qiuyi instinctively used the same excuse she gave Doctor Liu: “Last night, we were cleaning the house…”
Tao Ning casually finished her sentence: “…and you accidentally injured yourself. Right?”
Xu Qiuyi: “…” Now that it was put that way, she felt embarrassed to admit it.
Tao Ning finished eating, placed her plate aside, and started staring at her.
Xu Qiuyi sighed, “You heard everything?”
Tao Ning casually made something up: “I can’t help it, I’m a light sleeper, very sensitive to light and sound.”
“…” Xu Qiuyi thought, No, you’re not sensitive to light at all, and you’re not a light sleeper either.
This was a conclusion she had reached through personal experience.
Tao Ning said, “If you don’t want to say it, I won’t ask.”
At the same time, Xu Qiuyi said, “It was when my dad was smashing things at home.”
Both fell silent after speaking at the same time.
Tao Ning thought: How could I forget about that idiot Xu Zhihong? I should have asked Uncle Liu to take a detour, find an excuse to have dinner, and send her home at eight or nine.
Xu Qiuyi turned slightly, asking in the most neutral tone, “Why are you so concerned about this?”
As expected, she was suspicious.
520 was a bit nervous about Tao Ning’s answer, worried it might backfire.
Protagonists were the most difficult to deal with. They couldn’t be killed, only made stronger, naturally sharp and with a strong sense of danger.
Tao Ning’s voice suddenly rose: “Good, that’s a good question. I’ve been waiting for you to ask this.”
Xu Qiuyi was taken aback, blinking: “Why?”
“It’s a long story,” Tao Ning moved her chair closer, lowering her voice even though there were only two of them in the lounge. “Let me tell you the truth, it has to do with my second aunt’s grandmother.”
Caught off guard and having her personal space invaded, Xu Qiuyi was even more confused: “Second aunt’s grandmother? What does that have to do with anything?”
Tao Ning said, “Because my second aunt’s grandmother’s daughter’s grandmother, she was my nanny before, a wonderful cook, and very kind to me. However, she resigned last year, which I found very difficult to adjust to. When I went to see her again this year, she told me the reason she resigned was because she was sick and couldn’t continue working. She needs surgery soon, and I went to the temple to draw a fortune stick. The fortune said the surgery would be successful, but I need to do more good deeds and accumulate good karma, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Xu Qiuyi: “…”
Tao Ning sighed deeply: “Doing good deeds can’t just be superficial, I have to start with small things around me. Donating and taking action will definitely double the effect. I hope my nanny recovers soon.”
Xu Qiuyi tried to follow the logic in her words: “Because… so… fortune stick?”
Tao Ning nodded seriously: “Yes.”
Bluffing, continuing to bluff.
520, which had expected a clever answer from the host, fell silent. No one had told it before the binding that Tao Ning was a master of improvisation.
However, turning to see Tao Ning’s earnest expression, realizing she was genuinely trying to convince her, Xu Qiuyi suddenly found it funny: “Pfft, hahaha, what is this nonsense…”
Tao Ning remained serious: “It sounds fake, but it’s true.”
Xu Qiuyi: “Mm… hahaha…”
It was said that Ming Rui had two beauties, one was the wealthy and arrogant Tao Ning, the other was the cold and quiet Xu Qiuyi.
Xu Qiuyi was perfect in every way, except she didn’t smile often. Her occasional smiles were out of politeness, and almost no one had seen a genuine smile from her.
Some said she was pretending, others said she was naturally unsmiling.
A sight no one had seen before was now witnessed by Tao Ning alone, like a gentle breeze over water, the sunrise dispelling the fog.
Realizing something was amiss, Xu Qiuyi’s face flushed slightly, and she covered her mouth with her hand: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Even without removing her hand, it was clear that it would be difficult for Xu Qiuyi to suppress her laughter for a while.
Tao Ning rested her chin on her hand, waving her other hand and smiling gently: “It’s alright.”
After finishing their meal, the two returned to the classroom during the break between the third and fourth periods.
The classroom hadn’t changed much during their three-class absence. Those who attended class did, and those who skipped class did.
Tao Ning glanced around. Nangong Yunfei and the seats around him were empty.
520 clicked its tongue: [You two aren’t the only ones skipping class.]
Tao Ning parted ways with Xu Qiuyi at the classroom door and walked back to her seat: “Zero Zero, that’s not right. Is this skipping class? This is me kindly escorting a classmate to the infirmary for treatment, unlike Nangong, who stormed off after losing an argument.”
[…] 520 said, [How do you know Nangong lost the argument?]
“The class monitor still looks upset. She’s very competitive, that expression looks like she hasn’t had enough.” Tao Ning said, “Actually, I’ve studied Nangong Yunfei. Let me ask you, what’s Nangong’s personality like in the worldline?”
520, having naturally read the information, answered quickly: [Um, cold, domineering, handsome, and compelling. Although a bit tsundere, he’s deeply affectionate and persistent, devoted to the female lead?]
Tao Ning said, “Seems positive, but what I see is someone who likes to make a big entrance but never wins an argument, easily gets offended and storms off, leaving the other party with nowhere to vent their anger. A self-centered person.”
520 paused: [That seems to be the case.]
Tao Ning took out her textbook according to the class schedule: “As for the ‘devoted’ conclusion, it’s based on him marrying the female lead in the worldline and rejecting all other romantic interests. But the original owner was also briefly Nangong’s fiancée in the original worldline, helping him secure his position as heir.”
“If the worldline hadn’t suddenly collapsed and he hadn’t been flushed down the drain like kitchen waste by the female lead, according to the original development, the female lead would have experienced being dumped, having a miscarriage, and leaving the country heartbroken, only to see the news of his engagement to another suitable heiress from a wealthy family as soon as she got off the plane.”
“All signs indicate that his devotion is to his own desires. I don’t agree that his breaking off the engagement and marrying another was an act of enduring humiliation for a better future for both of them.”
520, hearing this for the first time, found it novel: [You’re really different from the others in the Matchmaking Department.]
Tao Ning smiled: “Of course I’m different. I was transferred here because my scores weren’t high enough for other departments.”
520: […] A very down-to-earth reason.
Xu Qiuyi also noticed the empty seats, but now in a much better mood, she returned to her seat without much thought.
Classmates: “?” Hmm??? Wait, did something just go past?
Looking up, they suddenly realized. Oh, it’s Xu Qiuyi.
Lowering their heads, as if suddenly remembering something, they abruptly looked up again.
Wait, Xu Qiuyi is finally back?!
The girl sitting next to Xu Qiuyi turned around, seeing her moving her hands freely, and exclaimed in surprise, “Class representative, you’re finally back! I heard you fractured your hand, are you alright? Do you need a cast?”
Xu Qiuyi, who was about to sit down for class: “???”
She had only been gone for a morning, and it had become a fracture?
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