Chapter 54: The Tang Family’s Shadow and a New Friendship

Upon returning to the classroom, Bai YuYang resumed his classes, though his thoughts were undeniably far from the lesson’s content.

He repeatedly replayed the recent events in his mind, meticulously analyzing the possibility of Tang Qihuang’s rebirth.

His ultimate conclusion was that he would certainly need to find more time to speak with her. Otherwise, this matter would leave him with no peace of mind.

What truly fueled Bai YuYang’s suspicion was his action the previous night. After arriving home, he had searched for the parent company of the restaurant where he worked.

The result had been quite astonishing: it was an enterprise under the Tang family’s banner.

***

In Class Three of the first year of high school.

Bai YuXi was in good spirits today, having, in a sense, made a new friend in class.

The girl sitting behind her was Su Xiaomeng. In her previous life, Su Xiaomeng had not been in this class. However, due to Tang Qihuang’s subtle machinations, Su Xiaomeng’s excellent grades had landed her in Bai YuXi’s class this time around.

Bai YuXi found her personality quite intriguing and refreshingly unassuming.

Su Xiaomeng wasn’t like other classmates who constantly approached Bai YuXi to discuss topics laced with subtle boasts, such as cosmetics or their family’s housing conditions.

Of course, Bai YuXi understood why they engaged her in such conversations. It was likely because her appearance led them to believe she was the pampered young lady of a wealthy family.

Alas, she wasn’t rich, but she did have a brother. Thinking of it this way, Bai YuXi genuinely felt quite ‘wealthy’!

“Oh… YuXi, you have a brother? That’s wonderful… I wish I had a brother too…”

“It’s alright, Xiaomeng. Everyone’s happiness is different,” Bai YuXi said with a smile. “Besides, every family has its own set of troubles… each with their own worries.”

During the break, Bai YuXi had turned around to chat with Su Xiaomeng, who was seated behind her.

She truly believed her brother was the most responsible person in the world. Yet, their parents had burdened him with so much responsibility so early on. Bai YuXi, at her current stage, couldn’t help him alleviate his worries, and in her self-reproach, she could only lament her family’s own difficult circumstances.

Su Xiaomeng paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, after hearing Bai YuXi’s words.

For some unknown reason, upon hearing the topic of ‘family,’ her two brown pigtails drooped, and she suddenly appeared quite dispirited.

“Xiaomeng? What’s wrong? Did what I just said… upset you?”

“No, no! YuXi, please don’t overthink it! I’m already so happy that you’re talking to someone like me! How could I be upset?”

“What kind of talk is that? We’re classmates. There’s no ‘someone like you’ or ‘someone like me’ among us.”

“Waaah, YuXi, you’re so kind.”

Su Xiaomeng was deeply touched. Due to her introverted nature, she had been virtually invisible in class since the start of the semester. Everyone else had quickly formed their own circles, and she hadn’t managed to make friends in time.

In contrast, Bai YuXi was the most popular girl in class; she had become the center of attention almost immediately after school began. Everyone wanted to be her friend, but Bai YuXi had merely given them perfunctory replies and hadn’t truly engaged in conversation.

Yet, she had already spoken so much with Su Xiaomeng!

Su Xiaomeng, somewhat moved, eagerly swayed her pigtails. “Uhm… YuXi, can we consider ourselves friends?”

“Friends?” Bai YuXi paused, then chuckled softly. “Why wouldn’t we be? Xiaomeng, you’re really interesting. We’re going to be classmates for three years, and perhaps even seatmates for three years. It would be far too strange if we weren’t even friends.”

“Yay! I’ve made my first friend!”

‘Her first friend?’

Bai YuXi surmised she must be referring to her first high school friend, right?

The same could be said for Bai YuXi herself. Since she had been reborn, Su Xiaomeng truly counted as her first friend in high school.

This particular break was rather long, and the two continued to chat and laugh.

Suddenly, a girl walked over and playfully placed a letter between them.

“Impressive, Classmate YuXi! This is the third one today. I’ve truly never seen anyone so popular; it’s quite an eye-opener!”

“Haha… it’s just a coincidence, really. I’m not that popular.”

After the girl returned to her seat, Bai YuXi looked at the letter on the desk, a slight frown creasing her brow.

Just like in her previous life, the love letters had never ceased, arriving one after another, an incessant annoyance.

Neither Bai YuXi nor Bai YuYang knew it, but they, as siblings, were astonishingly similar in this regard, even receiving roughly the same total number of love letters each day.

“Wow… is this what a legendary love letter looks like?”

Su Xiaomeng didn’t even dare to touch the letter on the desk, merely blinking her large eyes as she curiously observed it. “Huh… speaking of which, school only started yesterday, and today you’ve already received a love letter, YuXi? And more than one? This… this is truly incredible…”

Su Xiaomeng was utterly astonished. She knew nothing about love letters, but from listening to her classmates discuss them, she understood that receiving one signified immense popularity!

However, she merely watched as Bai YuXi sighed deeply, then picked up the envelope before her. Without even glancing at it, she tore it into shreds, then walked to the wastebasket at the front and discarded the paper scraps.

Su Xiaomeng was shocked once again!

She tilted her head, asking curiously, “Ah… YuXi, you don’t even read them? Were the previous ones also…?”

“Mm, I tore them all up.”

“In-incredible… But why? I heard everyone say that receiving such letters makes them very happy.”

Bai YuXi smiled, her response simple: “Because I already have someone I like. Of course, I don’t want to read these letters.”

“EHHHHH!!!”

Su Xiaomeng was shocked for the third time! At this moment, she was nothing short of an emotionless, astonished maiden!

No, no, no… actually, when she thought about it, it wasn’t strange at all. After all, Bai YuXi was so beautiful, so kind, and had such a cheerful personality. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for her to have someone she liked?

However, Su Xiaomeng was also a young girl, and the flame of her gossiping heart still burned brightly.

“This… that… hehe, YuXi, could you perhaps hint a little? Is the person you like also at our school?”

“Yes, they’re in the second year.”

“Second year! They’re actually an upperclassman at our school!”

Bai YuXi looked at Su Xiaomeng’s eyes, brimming with anticipation, and couldn’t help but sigh with a wry smile.

She certainly couldn’t tell Su Xiaomeng the specifics. ‘Yes, the person I like is not only in the second year, but also the campus heartthrob. And wouldn’t you know it, he’s also my brother!’

Hmph, if she told Su Xiaomeng that, she would surely be utterly flabbergasted.

Recalling that her brother was taking classes in the adjacent teaching building filled Bai YuXi with happiness.

Su Xiaomeng’s emotional intelligence was clearly quite high; she didn’t ask for specific details. Her curiosity about gossip had reached its limit.

The two continued chatting for a while until their homeroom teacher entered the classroom. Bai YuXi nodded to Su Xiaomeng, ending their conversation, then turned back around.

The homeroom teacher, a woman who had recently graduated from graduate school, held up a document and tapped the blackboard, announcing,

“Classmates, the school has issued a temporary notice. After school this afternoon, the first-year students need to attend a collective meeting. The meeting isn’t terribly long or short, but if day students don’t have urgent matters, I suggest you eat lunch at the school cafeteria today to avoid rushing back and forth, as there might not be enough time.”

No sooner had her words fallen than a chorus of complaints erupted in the classroom.

Bai YuXi, of course, had no complaints. She was very pragmatic; if there was a meeting, so be it. Her first thought was to quickly pull out her phone and send a message to her brother, reporting the situation.

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