Chapter 88: Familiar Faces and Lingering Shadows

As Su Linxi had no bowl, having forgotten to purchase one that morning before school, Zhong Tian, just as he had during the last cultural festival, led her to acquire a fifteen-yuan ‘nutritious meal’ that required bringing one’s own cutlery.

Zhong Tian and Su Linxi selected a window-side table and began their meal, facing each other.

The ‘nutritious meal’ was generously portioned, proving a bit too much for Su Linxi. Thus, as she had done on previous occasions, she shared half of it with Zhong Tian.

Zhong Tian appeared somewhat embarrassed, his reaction mirroring precisely how he had behaved in their previous life, during the period before their relationship was officially defined.

Back then, her exceedingly playful self had found such a reaction from Zhong Tian incredibly endearing and often teased him playfully. While she still found him adorable, she was, after all, much older now and had outgrown that particular mischievous streak.

Moreover, their current relationship seemed not yet to have reached a stage where such playful antics would be appropriate.

Su Linxi used her spoon to cut a small piece of chicken and, along with some rice, brought it to her mouth.

‘Even after being reborn, the cafeteria food remains just as salty, it seems.’

“Zhong Tian!”

Both Su Linxi and Zhong Tian simultaneously lifted their gazes towards the newcomers, who were Bai Ruijin and Zheng Qiao.

“Um… would you mind if we joined you?”

“Just sit.”

Zhong Tian and Su Linxi made room for them at the table.

Bai Ruijin and Zheng Qiao were both familiar faces from her previous life.

She recalled that in her past life, Bai Ruijin had been fond of Li Jianren. At the time, Su Linxi, Zhong Tian, and Zheng Qiao had all dedicated themselves to helping them get together.

It was around the time of the school sports festival, she thought, that Bai Ruijin had confessed her feelings to Li Jianren, and they had become a couple.

They had even made a pact to be bridesmaids and groomsmen for each other’s weddings, and had debated whether Zhong Tian should serve as a bridesmaid or a groomsman.

However…

Everyone had died at her wedding.

This time, she vowed, she would never allow that scene to repeat itself.

****

As Zheng Qiao ate, her mind churned with how she might politely urge Zhong Tian to update his work more frequently.

‘Hello, would it be possible to release more than three chapters daily?’

‘Hello, could you perhaps transform into a tentacle monster? That way, you could produce drafts at superhuman speed.’

‘Hello, would it be possible to draw drafts for thirty hours a day, effortlessly and joyfully?’

Zheng Qiao’s inner thoughts were so demanding they would make a capitalist weep, and even Satan himself would be compelled to tattoo her name on his back.

‘Still, I’m genuinely so invested in what happens next…’

Although she knew she could read the original novel, Zheng Qiao much preferred the manga when it was an option!

Reading the original novel would simply feel like spoiling the manga.

‘Ugh, this is agony.’

‘Damn it, it’s all Zhong Tian’s fault; even my food has lost its flavor.’

Consumed by her indignation, Zheng Qiao was the first among them to finish her lunch.

While her heart yearned to press for more updates, she understood the difficulties faced by manga artists, especially a semi-professional like Zhong Tian. Thus, she managed to suppress her impulse to demand more.

‘Indeed, one must be understanding of manga artists!’

“Zhong Tian, could you possibly update one more chapter this week?”

“…”

For a rare moment, Zhong Tian displayed a look of genuine confusion before Zheng Qiao. However, he quickly recomposed himself, responding earnestly, “That’s not up to me…”

“Ahhh—.” Zheng Qiao lowered her head and pounded the table, looking as though all she lacked was a glass of beer in her hand. “I messed up my English dictation, and I can’t even get more updates. The pain, it’s too much.”

“Cough…”

Bai Ruijin wished to comfort Zheng Qiao, but observing her friend’s expression, she found herself at a loss for words.

“We’ll be going now.”

“Alright.”

Having both finished their meals, Zhong Tian and Su Linxi rose in unison and placed the cutlery provided with their ‘nutritious meals’ into the designated recycling bin.

This was one of the distinct advantages of consuming the ‘nutritious meals’ at Taisugi High School: no dishwashing required.

“Then, Linxi, you should head back to class to rest,” Zhong Tian said, bidding farewell to Su Linxi. “See you this afternoon.”

“Mm, see you this afternoon.

****

As was his custom, Zhong Tian climbed into Li Jianren’s dormitory, opening the balcony door before stepping inside.

Li Jianren lay sprawled on his bed, engrossed in his phone.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“I said I wouldn’t come for lunch, not that I wouldn’t come for a nap.”

“Is that so? Come on, then, come on. Sleep, there’s always room to sleep,” Li Jianren said, shifting further into his bed to make space for Zhong Tian.

“That patron of yours… what was her name again?”

“Su Linxi.”

“Right, Su Linxi. Where is she?” Li Jianren asked, his fingers still busy with his game. “Didn’t she transfer to our class? Aren’t you going to accompany her?”

“…I just finished lunch with her. She said she’d rest in the classroom this afternoon.”

“Hmm, she’s quite considerate of your feelings, isn’t she? Good, she’s worth keeping around.”

“She really is a good person…”

“So, what do you think of her?”

“What do you mean, ‘what do I think’?”

“You two have been living under the same roof for quite some time now, haven’t you?” Li Jianren pressed. “Don’t you have any thoughts?”

Zhong Tian understood Li Jianren’s implication, and promptly delivered a punch to his kidney.

“Ow! You haven’t been cross-dressing for so long that you’ve lost interest in girls, have you?”

“?”

Zhong Tian delivered another punch to Li Jianren’s kidney.

“So don’t just keep hitting me! Just tell me if you have any thoughts about her.”

“…”

Zhong Tian remained silent, contemplating his daily life with Su Linxi at home.

“…I don’t know.”

“There’s a saying that goes, ‘If you don’t know, it means yes.'”

Zhong Tian lay still, gazing silently at the ceiling.

‘Are there? It seems there might be… some feelings.’

Yet, more than romantic love, Zhong Tian perceived his feelings for Su Linxi as akin to friendship or familial affection. But ultimately, what exactly constituted love? Zhong Tian was unsure how to define it, and thus he couldn’t say for certain.

“Go to hell.”

“Whoa, that’s a nasty punch! Damn it, your old man’s about to kick the bucket—”

“Finish your game quickly and go to sleep!”

****

In the classroom of Class 14, Senior Three, Lin Yu massaged the somewhat stiff muscles at the back of her neck.

‘I should have just gone home for a proper nap this afternoon…’

‘Class doesn’t start for another half an hour… I should go to the convenience store and grab a drink to perk myself up.’

Lin Yu rose to her feet, stretching languidly.

At this hour, the convenience store was entirely empty of students, and the auntie who ran it was idly scrolling through short videos, clearly bored.

Lin Yu retrieved a bottle of iced coffee from the refrigerator, then began to browse the snack aisles.

She didn’t have any specific craving for a snack; she simply felt the urge to chew on something.

After several turns around the aisles, and much deliberation, Lin Yu settled on a small, one-yuan bag of potato chips and headed to the checkout.

She found a small round table beneath the awning outside the convenience store and sat down, sipping her coffee and crunching on potato chips, allowing time to simply drift by.

Ever since entering Senior Three, even during moments meant for relaxation, Lin Yu would unconsciously find her thoughts drifting to the day’s lesson content, inevitably leading to a surge of anxiety.

Lin Yu’s academic performance was quite commendable; if she could maintain her current grades, gaining admission to a top-tier university would be well within reach. With a bit more effort this academic year, even a prestigious 985 or 211 university could be a possibility.

However, the path to such achievements would be arduous and demanding.

She felt she wouldn’t be able to persevere.

Lin Yu believed that merely maintaining her current grades was already challenging enough, and she would be quite satisfied if she could eventually get into a tier-one university. Yet, the hope of attending an even better university lay before her, a prospect she found difficult to relinquish.

Lin Yu was currently in a state of deep distress, unsure how to make her choice.

Lin Yu tossed her empty coffee bottle and potato chip bag into the convenience store’s trash can, sighed, and headed back to her classroom.

****

Zhong Tian, as usual, woke up twenty minutes before class.

He took a comb from his canvas bag and simply styled his hair in front of the mirror. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out a hair tie and fastened his hair into a high ponytail.

‘Hmm, not bad.’

He climbed back over the balcony, followed the small path, and returned to the second-year teaching building.

Upon re-entering the classroom, Zhong Tian glanced towards Su Linxi’s desk but did not see her.

Zhong Tian did not pay it much mind. He checked the clock on the wall; class would start in about fifteen minutes.

He returned to his seat and began preparing for class.

****

Su Linxi was strolling beneath the shade of the trees on the sports field.

She had not taken a midday nap, choosing instead to spend her lunch break ‘familiarizing’ herself with the campus.

For her in this life, it truly was a matter of ‘familiarizing’ herself with the campus again.

Yet, after a full circuit, she hadn’t noticed any differences between Taisugi High School in this life and the previous one.

Perhaps the main differences lay with the people.

For instance, Bai Ruijin and Zheng Qiao in this life seemed unaware that Zhong Tian was male.

Then there was the girl named Chu Lenghu.

In her previous life, Chu Lenghu had not been invited to the late summer beach party.

Su Linxi and Zhong Tian had only a nodding acquaintance with her; when Su Linxi saw her in this life, she hadn’t even immediately recalled her name.

However, in this life, Chu Lenghu had become Zhong Tian’s student in art.

This surprised her somewhat.

It also instilled in her a sense of impending crisis.

Su Linxi checked her phone to confirm the time, then slowly made her way towards the second-year teaching building.

****

Yu Yinlian revised and re-revised, working from noon until evening, practically rewriting those three chapters until she could no longer find anything to change.

‘Hmm, tomorrow I’ll find that best-selling author next to Zhong Tian, Linxi, and ask her to take another look.’

No sooner had this thought arisen than she immediately felt it was a bad idea.

After all, the other person was a best-selling author; troubling her repeatedly like this, and without compensation…

Besides, the small sum she could offer likely wouldn’t interest her anyway…

…No, that’s not right.

For her, their next meeting would still be their first encounter.

So, it couldn’t be described as ‘repeatedly,’ and there was no need to worry about her mood souring.

…

Now, she felt she didn’t need to care about others’ opinions of her at all. After all, everyone’s impression of her would only last for ten minutes.

Except for Zhong Tian.

This was, perhaps, one of the rare benefits this ability brought.