Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 151: Chapter 140: Too Precocious

”Are you sure it’s not menopause?” Xu Tianyi asked Luo Qianqian gently, continuing only after noting her poor complexion, ”Should I protect you?”

The sentence was a question, but the tone was affirmative. Luo Qianqian widened her eyes, and only after half a minute did she respond, ”What do you mean?”

”I mean, I’ll protect you from being bullied and be with you through thick and thin...” Luo Qianqian slapped her hand over Xu Tianyi’s mouth, a bitter smile on her face.

”Look at the environment before you say that, this is school.” Luo Qianqian’s face was full of sorrow. Wasn’t this suggesting early romance?

”It’s exactly at school that I’ll protect you; you don’t need it at home, do you?” Xu Tianyi said, not understanding as he looked at Luo Qianqian.

Luo Qianqian lowered her hand, frowning, ”You mean like a bodyguard?”

Xu Tianyi furrowed his brow; was this how the book described boiling a frog in warm water? Why did it feel all off track?

”Probably ...” Xu Tianyi was also quite uncertain.

—He Wenyu separator line—

Milk tea shop in front of Experimental Middle School.

”I’ll have a strawberry milk tea. Shuxin, what will you have?” He Wenyu softly asked his friend next to him at the counter.

”Vanilla will do.” Wang Shuxin finally spoke after staring at the menu for a long time.

”Alright, one strawberry and also one vanilla.” He Wenyu chuckled as he looked at the cashier.

The cashier looked at He Wenyu with difficulty, ”Just a moment please, little sister, could you wait for this student to finish paying?”

At the counter was a tall young man, with a milk tea already prepared with a straw on it. He looked anxious as he rummaged through his pockets.

”I’ll pay for both.” He Wenyu smiled as she pulled out her wallet. They were all from the same school; she could repay her at school, it seemed like he had either lost his money or forgotten his wallet.

”Hmm? Alright.” The cashier quickly took the money and went to prepare the milk teas. The young man blushed and thanked her.

”Thank you, I’ll give you the money when we get back.” The young man said, lowering his head—Wenyu could just see the flush on his face.

She waved her hand lightly, ”Next time, just treat me back, one turn each.”

”Okay, I am Zhao Wenxuan from Class Eleven, which class are you in?” The young man held the milk tea without drinking, waiting for the two.

”I am Class Three Wang Shuxin, and this is my good friend He Wenyu.” Wang Shuxin looked at Zhao Wenxuan and spoke first.

”Nice to meet you guys, He Wenyu, are you the one who’s exactly ranked 99th?” Zhao Wenxuan regarded He Wenyu, who was not as tall as Wang Shuxin, but was clean and had big eyes, feeling like he was looking at a big doll.

”Yeah, how did you know?” Having said that, He Wenyu wished she could slap herself. The top hundred were all posted on the bulletin board, many knew about it, but those who cared about the 99th and not the Top Scholar were indeed rare.

Seeing He Wenyu’s expression, Zhao Wenxuan scratched his head with amusement, ”I am ranked 100th, just a bit behind you.”

”Wow, both of you have such good grades, that’s great. I am ranked in the three hundreds,” Wang Shuxin interjected with an embarrassed look on her face.

”Your milk teas are ready, shall I start them?” The cashier smiled at the girl who had helped ease the situation, adding a little extra milk tea powder.

”Yes, thank you, sister,” He Wenyu smiled and nodded.

”Do you know Luo Shufan, who’s the top student of the high school division?” Wang Shuxin asked with a look of pride as she looked at Zhao Wenxuan.

”Yes, I heard he’s going to participate in a physics competition next month; he’s a seeded player for our school’s current batch,” Zhao Wenxuan nodded. ”Why? Do you know him?”

”Mm, he’s the brother of my best friend, and he’s my brother too,” He Wenyu said with a shy smile.

Zhao Wenxuan’s eyes widened in surprise, ”Really? That’s great, I saw on the notice board that Luo Shufan was also the top scholar of this session’s middle school exams.”

He Wenyu nodded and smiled without saying anything. In front of unfamiliar people, He Wenyu always appeared gentle and adorable, but at home, in front of Luo Qianqian, she became the protective tomboy, only showing her true nature when provoked.

”Could you get me Luo Shufan’s autograph? I promise to keep it safe and worship it three times a day,” Zhao Wenxuan asked eagerly.

Before He Wenyu could respond, Wang Shuxin spoke up, ”It’s just a photo, Xiao Yu won’t refuse, right, Xiao Yu?”

”No.” He Wenyu shook her head. ”Such matters need to be discussed with my brother and Qianqian before any decision can be made; I can’t decide for others,” she said, glancing reproachfully at Wang Shuxin.

Wang Shuxin was startled, knowing that she had chosen He Wenyu as her desk-mate because of her abundance of pocket money and good grades. If He Wenyu started disliking her just days after the switch, it would be a loss.

She quickly said, ”Yes, yes, you’re right. I didn’t think it through, please don’t be mad at me,” she said, sticking out her tongue and linking her arm with He Wenyu’s.

”Let’s go, we shouldn’t disturb the business here anymore, let’s head back to school,” He Wenyu said, raising her eyebrows before turning to wave at the cashier, ”Bye big sister, the milk tea was delicious, thanks.”

The cashier smiled warmly, ”Take care, and welcome back anytime.”

”How about we go to the lecture hall to study?” Zhao Wenxuan suggested, noticing the two girls seemed ready to head back to the classroom.

Wang Shuxin raised her hand, ”Yes, yes, I agree,” she said.

He Wenyu frowned slightly, seeing that they didn’t have much time before the end of the lunch break, but she nodded in agreement and went back to the classroom to fetch her workbook.

”Xiao Yu, the teacher wants you to stop by the office,” she heard the class president say as soon as she entered the classroom.

”You go ahead, I’ll go to the office first and find you guys later,” He Wenyu said, setting down her milk tea and turning towards the office.

Wang Shuxin’s eyes flickered with shrewdness as she picked up her workbook and headed for the lecture hall.

”Hmm? Where’s Xiao Yu? Why didn’t she come with you?” Zhao Wenxuan, whose class was closer to the lecture hall, arrived early and was surprised to see Wang Shuxin alone; he looked behind her several times before asking.

”Xiao Yu had something to attend to; she’ll be here in a while,” Wang Shuxin said, smiling as she took a seat next to Zhao Wenxuan. ”Can you help me with this problem?” she asked, leaning over and pointing at a problem in the workbook.

”I don’t know this one either, I was hoping Xiao Yu could explain it to me,” Zhao Wenxuan said, increasing the distance between them.

”How could Xiao Yu know? She doesn’t even pay attention in class; who knows how she got her ranking,” Wang Shuxin said, looking wronged. ”I perform better than her in class.”

”How could she?” Could such a girl resort to cheating? He didn’t believe it.

”Her best friend is always among the top few in school; she’s scared of being ridiculed for performing poorly,” Wang Shuxin said mercilessly as she noticed He Wenyu hadn’t arrived yet.

”Let’s head back to the classroom, the bell rings in five minutes,” Zhao Wenxuan said, frowning as he checked his watch, then stood and left with his workbook.

Wang Shuxin stamped her foot and muttered, ”Hmph, just you wait,” and then quickly caught up with Zhao Wenxuan’s pace.

At that moment, if Luo Qianqian were there, she would have certainly stopped He Wenyu from continuing to interact with Zhao Wenxuan, but unfortunately, she wasn’t there, and He Wenyu didn’t give it much thought, failing to tell her about the incidents at school; one mistake led to another, and He Wenyu was once again caught in the vortex she had faced in a previous life.