Chapter 52: Yu Naixi’s Machinations

Can you understand why I’ve come to you now?

Qin Dong’s expression shifted to one of astonishment, and she instinctively took a step back.

“So…”

“I can help you win over Chen Chenchen, on the condition that you perform on stage in Zhong Tian’s place.”

Qin Dong paused, pondering for a moment, then met Yu Naixi’s gaze. “That might be difficult… Zhong Tian’s name is already on the official list…”

“Don’t worry, it’s a cross-dressing singing contest anyway. Who would recognize you?”

“But…”

“If there are any difficulties, I’ll handle them for you.” Yu Naixi offered a smile.

“Alright, I accept.”

Yu Naixi took a satisfied step back. “A pleasure doing business with you.”

As Yu Naixi turned to leave, a hesitant Qin Dong reached out, calling her to a halt.

“Wait… I have some questions…”

Without turning, Yu Naixi simply said softly, “Ask away.”

“This matter… is it Zhong Tian’s idea?”

“Hmm… fifty-fifty, I suppose,” Yu Naixi replied. “He simply doesn’t want to go on stage, and I, well, I don’t want anyone trying to make a move on him, not even another man.”

“…”

“No other questions then? I’ll be going.”

Qin Dong watched Yu Naixi’s receding figure, still somewhat lost in thought.

This conversation had left her utterly astonished.

‘Yu Naixi and Zhong Tian… are they really lesbians?’

‘When did they get together? In their first year of high school?’

‘That’s unlikely… In their first year, Yu Naixi rarely came to school except for exams. They barely had any contact.’

‘Could they have been middle school classmates?’

‘Both Yu Naixi and Zhong Tian are from Haibin City. Perhaps they did graduate from the same middle school.’

She unconsciously shook her head.

‘I shouldn’t dwell on this. Understanding their relationship won’t change anything. Since she’s made a promise, I should just trust her.’

‘Chen Chenchen… your efforts over the past year have all been wasted on a lesbian.’

‘It’s both ridiculous and pathetic when you think about it.’

Qin Dong leaned gently against the corridor wall, silently listening to the sounds emanating from every corner of the bustling teaching building, slowly redirecting her thoughts back to her class duties.

‘Time to get back to work.’

****

“Zhong Tian, do we need to buy anything else?”

“No, that’s everything.”

Zhong Tian gazed at the towering stacks of cardboard boxes on the ground, a dilemma immediately seizing him.

‘How are we going to get all this back?’

‘There’s far more here than he had anticipated…’

“How are we going to get all this back?” Lin Han voiced the very question on Zhong Tian’s mind. “There’s quite a lot of stuff, isn’t there…?”

“That’s easy. I’ll go find a delivery driver,” Wu Rui declared, already heading towards the market entrance. “Just wait here for a moment.”

A moment later, an old cargo tricycle slowly rumbled into the market, coming to a halt before Zhong Tian and the others.

Wu Rui jogged to catch up, stopping in front of everyone. “The driver charges fifteen yuan for one trip. Since both our classes are using him, we can split it, so each class just pays seven and a half yuan.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Mm.”

Bai Ruijin and Zhong Tian replied in unison.

The boys quickly sprang into action, loading box after box onto the vehicle.

Once they confirmed nothing was left behind, Wu Rui spoke in the local Taisan dialect. “Driver, it’s all loaded.”

The tanned delivery driver nodded, responding in dialect as well. “Taisan High School, right?”

“Yes, driver. Please be careful on the road.”

“Got it!”

With that, the driver turned the tricycle around and drove out of the market at a steady pace, heading towards Taisan High School.

“Let’s just walk back slowly.”

“Mm.”

“Whoa—the mission’s finally complete! I’m exhausted!”

“Ren, you barely did any work, did you…?”

“It’s mental fatigue, you know?”

“Sigh…”

****

Yu Naixi made her way to the fourth floor of the music building.

From several practice rooms on the fourth floor, the sounds of male and female voices harmonizing drifted out, likely students from other classes rehearsing. Following the sounds, she continued down the corridor until she reached a practice room near the very end.

She listened quietly to the singing emanating from within the practice room.

‘That’s Chen Chenchen’s voice.’

She pressed down the doorknob and walked straight into the small practice room.

“Yu Naixi?” Chen Chenchen immediately stopped singing upon seeing her. “Why are you here?”

“I have something to discuss with you.”

“What is it?”

She stopped directly in front of Chen Chenchen, smiling as she looked up into his eyes.

“You…”

Startled by Yu Naixi’s sudden proximity, Chen Chenchen instinctively held his breath and took a step back.

“If you please, could you look into my eyes?”

Yu Naixi’s tone was at once commanding and alluring, filling Chen Chenchen with an inexplicable dread, compelling him to gaze into her eyes.

In that instant, a flicker of golden light flashed within her dark eyes.

Chen Chenchen’s entire body stiffened, and he became rooted to the spot like a statue.

Yu Naixi let out a soft scoff, the golden glow in her eyes intensifying as she observed the motionless Chen Chenchen.

She was altering Chen Chenchen’s memories and perceptions.

[I like Zhong Tian] was changed to [I like Qin Dong].

All memories of [pursuing Zhong Tian] were deleted.

All memories of [seeing Yu Naixi in the music building today] were deleted.

After completing these major modifications, Yu Naixi made a few minor adjustments, and once she confirmed everything was in order, she performed one final cognitive alteration.

The initial modification of [I cannot control my body] was reverted to [I can control my body], restoring Chen Chenchen’s physical mobility.

Having completed everything, she turned and swiftly exited the small practice room.

Inside the practice room, Chen Chenchen’s body trembled slightly, then, as if nothing had happened, he looked at his phone and resumed his practice.

As Yu Naixi walked out of the music building, she began to cough uncontrollably, and her body started to feel feverish, as if she had suddenly fallen ill.

Yet, she seemed unfazed, merely muttering to herself,

“Next, the student council…”

****

Zhong Tian and the others were walking back to school.

It was almost ten in the morning now; by the time they moved everything back to the classroom and did a quick setup, it would be lunchtime, and the entire morning would have passed.

As they approached the school gate, they saw numerous first and second-year students busily carrying various sized boxes in and out, creating a lively, bustling scene.

The delivery driver was waiting for them at the school gate. Wu Rui and Long Tao went ahead to greet him, then began unloading the boxes from the cargo tricycle.

“Let’s put everything on the ground first, and once we’ve sorted out the two classes, we can start moving them upstairs.”

“Got it,” Long Tao replied, swiftly unloading the boxes one by one.

Several boys stepped forward to help, and within a few minutes, the items were divided into two large piles.

“This pile is for Class Three, and that one’s for Class Four,” Wu Rui explained clearly. After shaking his hands and flexing his wrists, he joined Long Tao and Li Jianren in carrying their class’s items, heading into the school.

Zhong Tian and Lin Han didn’t just stand by; they picked out two lighter-looking boxes and followed the others, carrying them towards their classroom.

Upon reaching the corridor in front of the classroom, the vice class monitor, Qin Dong, approached them and instructed, “Put them here, but be careful, there’s water.”

Qin Dong watched as they set down the various-sized boxes, then asked Zhong Tian, “How much more is there? Do we need to arrange more people to help?”

“Quite a lot,” Zhong Tian replied. “Please send two or three more people to help.”

Qin Dong nodded, went into the classroom, and found a few boys, directing them to join Wu Rui and the others in retrieving the remaining items from outside the school gate.

Zhong Tian and Lin Han, on the other hand, were instructed to return to their seats in the classroom and rest.

At times like these, Zhong Tian couldn’t help but marvel at the convenience of being a girl.

The classroom floor was still damp and a bit slippery, so Zhong Tian carefully made his way back to his seat, flipped over the chair that had been inverted on the desk, and sat down.

The classroom had been cleaned exceptionally well; not only the floor and windows, but even the air conditioner and rostrum had been thoroughly tidied.

Zhong Tian felt quite pleased with the spotless classroom, leaning back in his chair and allowing the gentle, cool breeze from the air conditioner to carry away the lingering heat from his body.

Approximately ten minutes later, Vice Class Monitor Qin Dong pushed open the door, stepped onto the rostrum, and announced loudly, “Students who were assigned tasks earlier should stay in the classroom to arrange the desks and chairs. Once you’re done, you can go to the cafeteria for lunch. Students without tasks, please do not remain in the classroom.”

“Okay!”

“Understood!”

Although Zhong Tian was reluctant to leave the classroom’s air conditioning, he dutifully followed the students who had no assigned tasks out of the classroom.

‘Hmm… it’s almost lunchtime anyway. I might as well just go to Li Jianren’s dorm and hang out.’

Zhong Tian stealthily approached Li Jianren, poked him with an elbow, and whispered, “Let’s head back to the dorm first.”

“Huh? Bailing already?” Li Jianren whispered back. “Hmm… you go ahead then. I’ll be back a bit later.”

“Alright.”

Having said his piece, Zhong Tian descended the stairs, leaving the still bustling second-year teaching building, and made his way along the small path leading to the dorm balcony.

He was only halfway there when a figure emerged from the main entrance of the third-year teaching building, appearing just in Zhong Tian’s peripheral vision.

Zhong Tian glanced over, recognizing the girl named Yu Naixi.

‘Why is she coming out of the third-year teaching building?’

Yu Naixi also noticed Zhong Tian and waved from a distance.

Zhong Tian turned slightly, merely giving her a subtle nod in acknowledgment.

She walked up to Zhong Tian, offering her characteristic half-smile. “Long time no see.”

‘Didn’t we just part ways an hour or two ago…?’

“Hello.”

“Mm-hmm, Zhong Tian, you can start preparing your male attire now.”

‘Huh?’

“It’s settled?”

Zhong Tian asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

‘That quickly?’

“Yep, Qin Dong will be performing in your place. I’ve already sorted everything out with them and the student council.”

‘Oh, no wonder she came out of the third-year teaching building. So she was at the student council office.’

Although Zhong Tian was curious about how she managed it, Yu Naixi, whether intentionally or not, avoided eye contact with him, preventing him from using his mind-reading ability. He had no choice but to let it go.

“Alright, I’ll be going then.”

“Remember to prepare your male attire, Zhong Tian!”

“…Mm.”

Listening to her lighthearted and cheerful words, an inexplicable unease settled in Zhong Tian’s heart. He felt that Yu Naixi’s attitude and behavior towards him were exceedingly strange.

‘I need to find a chance to figure this out.’