Chapter 37: Unexpected Alliances and Hidden Depths

With no classes scheduled, students either diligently caught up on their assignments or engaged in lively chatter, and before they knew it, the morning had swiftly passed.

Soon, it was time for the lunch break.

Zhong Tian pulled out her phone, sending a quick message to Li Jianren, who had yet to return from the school infirmary.

[I need to take care of something. Please bring me a meal later and wait for me at our usual spot. I should be done quickly.]

[Alright!]

‘So, you weren’t merely feigning sleep over there; you actually snuck your phone in, didn’t you?’

Putting her phone away, Zhong Tian followed the information she recalled, heading towards Class 4 of Grade 11.

Zhong Tian recalled that Chu Lenghu was also a student in Class 4.

‘Hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t greet her just yet; I’ll settle the important matter first and then consider it.’

****

‘Ah, she’s here!’

Upon seeing Zhong Tian standing in the hallway just outside the classroom, radiating an icy demeanor, Zheng Qiao instinctively averted her gaze.

‘It wasn’t out of fear, not really… there was no logical reason for her to be afraid.’

Yet, every time Zheng Qiao saw her, the incident in the infirmary flashed vividly in her mind.

Nevertheless, a face-to-face conversation was inevitable.

Steeling herself, she rose from her seat.

Bai Ruijin had already been dispatched to the cafeteria, so there was no need to worr—

The moment Zheng Qiao reached the classroom’s threshold, Bai Ruijin unexpectedly stepped out from the staircase around the corner, positioning herself directly in front of Zhong Tian.

“Xiao Bai, you…”

“I’m sorry, Qiaoqiao, I secretly looked at your phone’s chat history.”

Having said her piece, she turned to fully face Zhong Tian. Being slightly shorter than Zhong Tian, Bai Ruijin had to lift her gaze to meet her eyes. “Hello, I am Bai Ruijin.”

As she spoke, she offered Zhong Tian a deep bow.

“I, I want to apologize to you. Out of my own selfish desires, I spied on your life and caused you inconvenience… I’m sorry.”

“The very fact that you’ve come here to find my friend and me suggests you’re aware of… my affections…” This confession seemed to cause her considerable embarrassment. “…my affections for Li Jianren. I, I am truly sorry; I had no idea that you two were…”

Her words were gently cut short by Zhong Tian’s raised hand.

“No, you can continue to like him.”

“Ah?” “Huh?”

Two distinct sounds of confusion arose simultaneously.

“You’ve misunderstood,” Zhong Tian said calmly and softly, maintaining her persona. “Jianren and I are just childhood friends.”

“Childhood… friends?”

Zhong Tian nodded. “He and I are not, and cannot be, a couple, so please rest assured. In fact, I truly hope he finds a suitable girlfriend.”

“Eh??”

“So that means, that…”

“I’ll help you,” Zhong Tian declared. “Help you win over Li Jianren.”

Both individuals before her were utterly stunned into silence by this unexpected turn of events, particularly Bai Ruijin, who stood rooted to the spot as if her entire system had crashed.

‘So, everything was just a misunderstanding!’

A sudden realization dawned on Zheng Qiao: she had caused a colossal misunderstanding.

“Wait… then the infirmary…”

Zhong Tian’s eyes slowly rotated, settling with an intense gaze upon Zheng Qiao’s face.

“It didn’t develop in the way you’re imagining.”

‘Her gaze is terrifying!’

Even Bai Ruijin, merely an observer, could sense the immense psychological pressure currently weighing on Zheng Qiao. Though ignorant of the specifics, she silently clasped her hands together in a gesture of prayer for the already crimson-faced Zheng Qiao.

Zhong Tian withdrew her gaze.

‘Hmm, this trick was learned from my own sister; it’s surprisingly effective.’

‘High school students with dirty minds need a good scolding!’

“Let’s add each other on WeChat first.”

“O-okay.”

“I’ll provide you with information about him,” Zhong Tian said. “For instance, what he likes to eat, what he dislikes, the games he enjoys, and the ones he hates…”

“Oh, and by the way, both your personality and appearance are right in his strike zone,” Zhong Tian added.

“Oh, really?”

‘What a pleasant surprise!’

Having secured Zhong Tian’s promise of assistance, Bai Ruijin suddenly felt her future gleam with boundless potential.

Watching the girl in front of her lost in her romantic fantasies, Zhong Tian couldn’t help but smile faintly.

****

‘She actually smiled… smiled…’

This was Zheng Qiao’s only thought at the moment.

****

As one of only two high schools within Taishen City, Taishen Senior High School’s campus occupied a modest area, arguably even small when compared to the rural high schools situated outside the city proper.

Nevertheless, its facilities stood unrivaled among all high schools in Taishen City and the surrounding smaller towns.

Indeed, it rivaled even some of the best high schools found in larger metropolises.

‘Perhaps this power came from sacrificing the dormitories…’

Zhong Tian thought this as she looked at the small dormitory building next to the cafeteria.

That particular dormitory building was exclusively available for students whose homes were exceptionally distant from the school to apply for residency.

Li Jianren resided there, occupying a small room entirely to himself.

Initially, Zhong Tian had presumed he was a student from outside the city, seeking dormitory accommodation due to a lack of residence in Taishen City. To her surprise, he not only possessed a residence within Taishen City but owned a sprawling villa; he had simply applied for the dorm due to its distance from the city center.

Finding no one else in sight, Zhong Tian approached his dormitory door and gave a soft knock.

“Coming!”

Li Jianren opened the door for her.

On the small table at the center of the dormitory room, two cafeteria lunches were neatly arranged.

“Thanks for getting my meal.”

Zhong Tian and Li Jianren settled onto the edge of the bed, commencing their lunch.

As Zhong Tian disliked physical exertion, she had no desire to cycle home under the scorching midday sun. Whenever she sought respite, she would simply come to Li Jianren’s dorm, commandeering his bed for a brief nap.

Crucially, the air conditioning here remained operational throughout the midday!

While the teaching building’s air conditioning was switched off at noon, and classroom fans continued to whir, it never offered the same level of comfort as the air-conditioned sanctuary of Li Jianren’s room.

Zhong Tian inwardly congratulated herself, believing she had outmaneuvered those who, too lazy to return home, opted to rest in the teaching building during lunch.

Having eaten her fill, Zhong Tian wiped her mouth and went to wash her face.

‘I’ll wait until I’ve digested a bit more before resting on the bed.’

Zhong Tian sat down by Li Jianren’s bed and started playing on her phone.

She had to send a message to Su Linxi first.

****

At Zhong Tian’s home.

Su Linxi was boiling water.

As Zhong Jing would not be returning home for lunch, Su Linxi intended to simply prepare a serving of instant noodles to sate her hunger.

As she waited for the water to boil, her phone vibrated within the pocket of her pajama bottoms.

It was a WeChat message from Zhong Tian.

[Linxi, due to school arrangements, I have evening self-study, so I won’t be back for dinner. I’ll have to trouble you to cook for my sister.]

[There are still ingredients in the fridge. If it’s not enough or if my sister comes back late, just order takeout or eat out. She doesn’t mind.]

[Thanks for the trouble!]

Su Linxi read the message and replied,

[I will make dinner.]

[You can leave all future meals to me.]

Upon sending her reply, she lifted the kettle and carefully poured the boiling water into the bowl containing the instant noodles.

****

After reading Su Linxi’s message, Zhong Tian was momentarily at a loss for how to reply to her.

Su Linxi, as her patron and guest, treating someone as a personal chef… it didn’t seem quite right.

Even though Su Linxi herself had suggested it.

****

‘Hmm, I won’t charge her rent anymore.’

This way, Zhong Tian would feel a little better.

[Okay.]

After replying, she put down her phone.

“Ren, have you… ever thought about getting a girlfriend?”

Zhong Tian’s abrupt question prompted Li Jianren to tilt his head, casting a quizzical glance at her from their adjacent seats.

“When did you get the impression that I don’t want a girlfriend?”

“Then why don’t you look for one?”

“Perhaps fate hasn’t brought her to me yet.”

“Huh?” Zhong Tian retorted with a deadpan stare. “Don’t tell me you’re the type who just waits for girls to chase after you all day.”

“Of course not,” Li Jianren refuted, sprawling directly onto the bed. “It’s just that I haven’t found anyone I’m interested in.”

“Then what if,” Zhong Tian asked, also lying down and staring at the ceiling with him, “a girl secretly likes you? What would you do?”

Li Jianren was silent for a moment. “Well, first, I’d definitely look at her appearance, and then her personality, hobbies, and so on.”

“I’m quite picky, so even if a girl were to pursue me, I might not say yes. At least not now; after all, I’m still a high school student. What’s the point of dating? I should study hard and get into a good university.”

“…I’m genuinely surprised to hear such words coming from your mouth…” Zhong Tian felt a slight shock but turned her head to give him a disdainful look. “Someone who was gaming all night the day before school started suddenly has such a strong sense of purpose?”

“Gaming all night and studying seriously aren’t mutually exclusive!”

“Well, dating and studying aren’t mutually exclusive either, are they?”

Li Jianren felt cornered by Zhong Tian’s logic, so he looked away and lightly coughed. “That’s different.”

“How is it different?”

“Ah, you just don’t understand,” Li Jianren said, waving his index finger at her. “We operate on different intellectual planes.”

“I’ll break your fingers, you know,” Zhong Tian retorted, laughing.

“Enough talk, I’m going to sleep now.”

“Alright.”

Zhong Tian quietly watched as Li Jianren turned onto his side, his back to her, and began his midday nap.

‘You’ve been sleeping all morning; how can you still sleep?’

‘Something is off with Li Jianren.’

As a mind reader, Zhong Tian could discern subtle psychological activities even without actively using her ability.

Clearly, both his feigned nonchalance and his act of ‘napping’ with his back to her were designed to conceal something.

Based on her past experiences with mind-reading and her understanding of Li Jianren, Zhong Tian made an initial assessment: Li Jianren’s so-called ‘reason’ was deeply hidden within his heart, and ordinary conversations would hardly bring it to the surface of his mind. Therefore, a simple mind-read would likely not uncover it.

It would require prolonged eye contact, carrying significant risk, to unearth the thought buried deep in Li Jianren’s heart and understand why he didn’t want to date.

Alternatively, she could forgo mind-reading and instead try to uncover the truth through practical means.

If this problem couldn’t be resolved, Bai Ruijin’s direct approach might lead to nothing. If there truly was no solution, perhaps it would be better for her to wait until university. Zhong Tian wondered if their academic paths would align.

What was Li Jianren’s score last semester? She remembered it being quite high.

His rank was supposedly in the top fifty of his entire grade.

Based on Bai Ruijin’s appearance and personality, she certainly seemed like a good student, so her grades shouldn’t be too bad either.

‘Hmm, I’ll just ask her directly.’

****

[Ruijin, what was your score last semester?]

[What was your rank?]

For a fleeting moment, Bai Ruijin thought a relative was asking about her grades, almost triggering her PTSD, but a glance at the contact name revealed it was Zhong Tian, and she instantly relaxed.

Although she didn’t know why Zhong Tian was asking, since they were classmates, there was no harm in answering.

[I scored 426 points.]

[My rank was around 400-something, I think.]

‘Oh, this…’

‘Seriously, what’s going on with you two?’

‘One seemingly carefree person is in the top fifty of the entire grade, while another who looks like a ‘good student’ is ranked in the 400s…’

‘Doesn’t this just directly negate the ultimate solution!’

‘This means Bai Ruijin’s plan to win over Li Jianren still has a little over a year left to go…’