Chapter 3 — A True Academic Ace Has No Time for Love

The next day, while Chen was as usual hiding in the gym equipment room to smoke, I took out my phone and, recording a video, "accidentally" appeared on the scene. Everyone, look, this is where our school stores athletic equipment... oh? Our lovely Miss Chen is here too. Chen holding a cigarette in a daze was clearly visible right there in the lens. Reacting with great speed, she instantly stubbed out the cigarette under her foot. I stopped recording, pretending I had just stumbled upon her by pure coincidence. The vice principal asked me—the recent first-place winner of the provincial math competition—to document my daily study life, and I honestly had no idea why you were even here. What is this? The pure, virtuous Miss Chen smokes?

Chen’s face turned from pale to green. Hiding here to smoke was a habit I had accidentally discovered previously. Given the pure, lofty persona she had painstakingly crafted, this smoking habit was something that absolutely could not come to light. Sell this video to me, name your price. I smiled. I quoted a sum that happened to equal the exact price of the Louis Vuitton jacket she had bought recently. Chen immediately understood that this was my open retaliation, making her expression turn even more unsightly, but in the end, she obediently transferred the money. I deleted the video right in front of her eyes. Chen stared hard at me, then suddenly laughed. You and Jiang Tu have been awfully close lately, zoning out during every class; looks like romance is a lot more fun than studying. I wish you two all the best. Her expression was full of eager anticipation for Jiang Tu's honey trap. Naturally, I could not let her down.

Very soon, the midterm exam results were announced. Everyone stared in utter shock at the ranking board—Shen Zhaozhao, who had always firmly held the top spot in the entire grade, had suddenly plummeted all the way to fourth place. Without me blocking her path, Chen, the girl forever doomed to second place, finally got to taste first place for once. Chen stood in front of the notice board, the corners of her mouth curled all the way up to the sky. As for me, I was immediately summoned by the head teacher for a talk. No sooner had the head teacher finished than the vice principal took his turn. The topic was always the same: Do not let blind romance ruin your studies at such a crucial stage; if you keep sliding downward like this, you will live to regret it. I bit my lower lip and resolutely declared, This time was merely an accident, and next time I will definitely not get results like this again. But as for these feelings, I am determined to see them through to the very end.

Indeed, next time the results would not look like this... They would be even lower. This time I had deliberately controlled my scores, letting them drop just slightly so that Chen would not grow suspicious. Chen was quite pleased, quickly transferring thirty thousand to Jiang Tu. She even instructed him to be dead serious about dating me, ensuring I would have zero mental capacity left for studying. Jiang Tu and I went on a date in the small grove behind the school. Looking at the hundred and fifty thousand deposited into each of our accounts, I sincerely grasped his hand. Jiang Tu's eyes turned red with deep emotion, This money is enough to put me through college. I was just as moved, giving him a hug, We truly must love each other deeply and never, ever part ways. Just as I finished speaking, out of the corner of my eye I caught someone standing not far away, their face as dark as charcoal—it was none other than Pei Shuo.

Pei Shuo was so furious he was practically ready to spew smoke. At first, he had assumed Shen Zhaozhao was merely using Jiang Tu to provoke him, but the longer he watched, the more something felt off. The two of them openly held hands while strolling around the school grounds, exchanging longing glances during physical education class. Shen Zhaozhao handed him water, bought him breakfast, and helped organize his notes. When it rained, they shared a single umbrella, talking and laughing, leaning closely against each other. After school, they would eat ice cream together at the dessert shop near the school gates. Those things were supposed to belong to him. How long had Shen Zhaozhao been acting like his little tail, bringing him water, buying him breakfast, doing whatever he asked, coming whenever he wanted and leaving whenever he pleased? And yet now, she had run off to follow someone else? Did he give her permission?

Thinking back to midday when, through the glass window of the dessert shop, he had seen those two being intimately sweet together, Pei Shuo felt a persistent, deeply uncomfortable churn in his chest. Initially, he had been waiting for Shen Zhaozhao to humble herself and come begging because of the compensation money, but after waiting and waiting, he heard that she had paid it off long ago. Worried that she might have borrowed from loan sharks, he had anxiously rushed off to find her. Who would have guessed that the moment he reached the grove, he would see her hugging Jiang Tu, even saying things like, We have to be together forever. She had dropped from first place in the entire grade all the way to fourth. She had once claimed she wanted to rely on her education to change her destiny, yet now she was drowning herself in romance. Had she lost her mind?

Up until now, Pei Shuo had only ever regarded Shen Zhaozhao as an annoying stalker. But now he suddenly realized that his feelings toward her seemed to have shifted slightly. Perhaps it was because he had grown accustomed to her trailing after him, or perhaps due to some other reason. In short, Pei Shuo was certain of one thing: he could not accept the fact that Shen Zhaozhao was doing all those things for someone else. Even just seeing her smile at Jiang Tu filled him with immense irritation.

The money from selling the old Louis Vuitton jacket was treated as extra income. After school, I invited Jiang Tu out for dinner. Two impoverished souls suddenly flush with cash could never change their true nature, heading straight for the street-side fried noodle stall. The small roadside eatery offered rich, bold flavors and generous portions. The elderly lady running the stall recognized us as regulars and even tossed in an extra egg, Studying hard and burning all those brain cells is exhausting, you need to nourish yourselves. Thank you, auntie. As I turned around holding the steaming box of noodles, I ran right into Pei Shuo. He glared coldly at Jiang Tu, who was slurping his noodles, full of mockery, Dating him and you end up eating this kind of garbage?

I frowned, Do you need something? He took a deep breath, his expression looking rather strange, That day in the restaurant, I didn't help you out, and that was my fault. Thinking about how busy you've been waiting on me all this time, I'll treat you to a meal. Western or Japanese, take your pick. I'm already eating, save it. I bypassed him and started to walk away. Who would have guessed that the very next second, without any warning, Pei Shuo violently knocked the box of noodles right out of my hand. Utter disgust written all over his face, Eating this kind of filthy rubbish is just asking to get sick. Jiang Tu and a few friends eating nearby stared in blank bewilderment. The old lady at the stall panicked, rushing over to explain anxiously, My ingredients are all clean, fresh, and completely clean, truly not dirty at all...

Pei Shuo curled his lips into a smile, Well, now you don't have a dinner anymore. What? Have you thought it over, want to go eat— Whack— The second half of his sentence was intercepted right back into his mouth by a hard slap from me. The air instantly fell dead silent. Everyone stopped, turning their heads to look in our direction. I shook my wrist, Eat anything with you? I'd find it filthy too. What terrible luck. The good mood brought by earning a huge sum of money had been completely ruined by him. Not bothering to spare him another glance, I intended to bid Jiang Tu farewell and leave. But then I figured, Jiang Tu and I were still supposed to be putting on a sweet romance act. So I intentionally put on a coquettish tone, Ah Tu, I'm heading off first then, make sure you think of me while you eat~ Love you, smooch~ The gag reflex Jiang Tu tried to swallow down was almost triggered by my gaze.

With me gone, the first person to react was Chen Ze, who always trailed after Pei Shuo, Ah Shuo, are you... alright? That little brat really doesn't know what's good for her, aren't you going to teach her a lesson? But the moment he looked at Pei Shuo's face, he sensed something was wrong. He just got slapped and... he's smiling? Pei Shuo touched his cheek, the spot where he was struck still burning with heat. And for some inexplicable reason, the tips of his ears were slightly red. This seemed to be the very first time the two of them had engaged in physical contact. In that exact moment, it felt as though his entire body had been jolted by electricity, evoking a very strange sensation. Shen Zhaozhao was the very first girl who dared to treat him like this. If this was also just another tactic to capture his attention... Then she had succeeded.

To play our parts convincingly, Jiang Tu and I shamelessly acted out youth romance tropes all over the school. He would brave the rain to bring me an umbrella, and I would play the gentle girl wiping his face with a tissue, claiming my heart ached for him. In the cafeteria, he would feed me a bite, and I would feed him a bite. The surrounding students were so disgusted by us that no one dared to come close. By the weekend, we would turn up at movie theaters and amusement parks, while frantically flaunting our affection online.

The vice principal finally reached his limit, ordering us to stand before the entire school during Monday morning assembly for a disciplinary self-criticism. Jiang Tu recited a love poem. I stood below shedding tearful drops. Jiang Tu was promptly chased off the stage. The second time, during weekly exams, I dropped to 38th place in the grade. The third time, during monthly exams, I fell to 20th. I secretly adjusted my scores, dropping naturally all the way down to 40th without leaving a single trace. Just as I thought the road ahead was wide open, disaster struck once more.

Woah, roses! The moment early class let out, the hallway erupted in murmurs. I poked my head out to look, only to see countless red roses arranged into a gigantic heart shape in the courtyard between the two academic buildings. Right in the very center stood Pei Shuo, looking every bit like the wealthy male lead from a drama series. He caught my gaze. Sporting an arrogant, fiercely confident smile, Shen Zhaozhao, I am officially announcing this to you. I am going to start pursuing you. In that exact instant, the air seemed to freeze over. The entire student building completely exploded.