Chapter 22: ◎Love Song◎ Part 2

With nothing else pressing, Zhu Lexing added, “I suggest you skip the copying too. Just do it yourself.”

Qiao Qiao had never been one to chase grades, but her family demanded she either live in the dance studio or keep her scores steady. Compared to the former, lounging in a classroom was a breeze.

In the old days, she would have shot Zhu Lexing down without a second thought, maybe tossed in a jab for good measure… or they simply wouldn’t have spoken at all, exchanging eye rolls before swapping seats.

But Zhu Lexing’s transformation had warmed Qiao Qiao to her, and that recent stage play had ignited a spark of interest in acting.

After a moment’s hesitation, Qiao Qiao said, “Fine. I’ll give it a shot.”

No sooner had the first exam ended than Qiao Qiao regretted taking Zhu Lexing’s advice.

She recognized a handful of problems, but that was it. Staring down the rest of the paper, she felt like a total illiterate. Pride had always been her armor, and now reality hit hard, leaving her flustered and adrift.

When the proctor headed to the back row, she propped her chin on her hand and sneaked a sideways glance.

Zhu Lexing in the seat behind gripped her pen and wrote with focused intensity, exuding that same unshakable confidence—a far cry from her former self.

Once the exam wrapped up, Qiao Qiao turned to say something to Zhu Lexing, but the girl strode right out. A quick call earned only a distracted, “We’ll talk later.”

Yan Mian zipped up her bag.

The paper had been middling in difficulty, and she felt good about her steady performance. Her face remained serene.

She grabbed her phone from the lectern, unlocked it, and spotted Li Nian’s message asking what she wanted to eat. Yan Mian fired off a quick reply as she headed out to grab something on the way.

A gaze trailed her from afar, shadow-like. Puzzled, she glanced up and caught sight of a familiar back—eerily like Zhu Lexing’s.

Zhu Lexing’s exam room was on the first floor, steps from anywhere. No reason for her to climb several flights up here.

Yan Mian chalked it up to a trick of the eye, though the resemblance left her briefly stunned.

Li Nian slipped into the classroom a touch later, utterly composed. After every exam, Zhu Lexing made a beeline for the area near Yan Mian’s room. Spotting her emerge, she’d play it cool and saunter back to her own spot.

One answer-peeker got nabbed red-handed and marched straight to the Academic Affairs Office. By evening, most of the room had been summoned there—confessions pulling in the whole vine, melons and all.

Just a handful remained in the classroom. Qiao Qiao leaned against the wall, watching Zhu Lexing pack her things, and let out a sigh. “Without you, I’d be in there too.”

Zhu Lexing didn’t look up. “No problem.”

Qiao Qiao said, “I haven’t even thanked you yet—”

“You two are a riot.” Qiao Qiao snatched the notebook by Zhu Lexing’s hand. “One’s always thanking, the other’s always ‘no problem.'”

By the time Zhu Lexing noticed, Qiao Qiao had glimpsed the name on the cover.

Zhu Lexing held out her hand. “Hand it over.”

Qiao Qiao sighed and passed it back. Zhu Lexing tucked it into her bag and rose to her feet.

Qiao Qiao pressed, “If you really like Yan Mian that much, why not just come out and say it?”

Zhu Lexing heaved a profound sigh. “Qiao Qiao, you wouldn’t get it.”

In Zhu Lexing’s mind, she and Yan Mian shared a bond that could move heaven and earth—a sisterly epic. A while back, one jab from Qiao Qiao would’ve left her dying of embarrassment, wishing for a hole to swallow her whole.

But study had reshaped her. She was no longer that old Zhu Lexing.

Let Qiao Qiao misunderstand all she liked.

After all, being misunderstood was the genius’s curse!

Qiao Qiao stood slack-jawed, floored by the sheer artistry of it.

For once, words failed her. When she spoke again, it was a clumsy pivot. “Wanna hang out after break?”

Zhu Lexing hadn’t gone out with anyone since arriving in this world.

She didn’t turn it down. “Yan Mian’s coming too.”

Qiao Qiao nodded, biting back any quips about their dynamic.

She had zero desire to endure more of those spine-tingling cringefests.

That afternoon, Zhu Xing announced the holiday.

Four days—not long, but better than nothing.

On the walk home, Zhu Lexing stretched lazily, mulling over her plans.

Back then, Zhu Lexing had been run ragged, crashing through every scrap of free time with sleep.

These days, holidays felt optional.

With Zhu Lin and Jiang Yue both at the Zhu Family, school somehow felt freer.

At dinner, Zhu Lin ventured, “In a few days… my film crew starts shooting. Lexing, you—”

Zhu Lexing hadn’t exchanged more than a few words with him lately. He knew where he stood, was game to apologize, but showed no sign of changing.

The news caught her off guard. Zhu Lexing looked up sharply.

Yan Mian mirrored the motion, but no spark of relief lit her face—only blank confusion.

The raw emotion hit Zhu Lexing like a wave, leaving her at a loss. Even her smile dimmed.

“…Oh,” she managed at last. “Good luck.”

To Zhu Lin, those words were gold. He jumped in quick. “Hit me up anytime if you need anything. That goes for you too, Little Mian—”

Zhu Lexing thought that Liu Su probably hadn’t had time to talk to Zhu Lin yet. But that was a matter between the two of them. As long as Liu Su was willing to help her, Zhu Lin’s opinion didn’t matter at all.

What deserved her real attention was Yan Mian’s expression.

Back in her room, Zhu Lexing flipped through a few pages of practice problems but couldn’t resist asking: 【What’s my favorability with Yan Mian…】

The System replied: 【Yan Mian’s current favorability is -960.】

The stage play event had boosted Yan Mian’s favorability by 20 points—a tiny bump. Her current attitude was only natural.

Zhu Lexing sighed, feeling a twinge of regret. But as her gaze fell on the notebook beside her, she suddenly realized this was already a decent start.

Things would only get better from here.

It was just a momentary low—not a big deal.

Zhu Lexing psyched herself up and decided to tackle a few pages of problems. She’d return the notebook to Yan Mian later.

She hadn’t gotten through many when a servant suddenly knocked on her door, announcing that she had a visitor.

Zhu Lexing assumed it was Song Yun coming to collect the survey forms. As she pondered how to respond, the System chimed in: 【It’s not Song Yun.】

In the living room, Qiao Qiao lounged casually on the sofa, chatting with Zhu Lin.

Beside her, Xu He sipped delicately from a teacup.

When Zhu Lexing came downstairs, Qiao Qiao stood up with an easy smile. “Uncle Zhu, we’ll be heading out with Lexing and Mianmian then.”

The bombshell about going out together caught Zhu Lexing off guard. “Where to?”

Zhu Lin chuckled. “Qiao Qiao said your classmates from the stage play are having a get-together and invited you and Little Mian along. Sounds great! You should relax a bit after the exams.”

They were all students and acquaintances, so Zhu Lin didn’t worry about any trouble. He felt completely at ease.

Zhu Lexing: “…”

Talk about efficient! They’d only mentioned it that afternoon, and now they were here to pick her up that evening.

She turned to Qiao Qiao. “Yan Mian—”

She’d barely said the name when Yan Mian pushed open the door. Dressed in a beige long skirt with a coat draped over her shoulders, she paused briefly at the sight of the trio before smiling at Qiao Qiao and Xu He.

Then she turned to Zhu Lin. “Some classmates invited me out.”

She’d only just started when Xu He waved enthusiastically. “Mianmian! Over here!”

Zhu Lexing froze.

Mianmian?

Xu He, oblivious to her stare, grinned and looped her arm through Yan Mian’s.

Knowing Zhu Lexing would be tagging along, Yan Mian hesitated visibly but said nothing more. She left the villa with the group.

Two cars waited outside, both from the Xu Family. Xu He naturally climbed into the car with Yan Mian that Li Nian had arranged. Qiao Qiao glanced at Zhu Lexing, who kept eyeing the lead vehicle, and remarked offhandedly, “Is it really necessary? Staring that hard.”

Zhu Lexing countered with a question of her own. “Where are we headed?”

Qiao Qiao replied, “Centrifugal Force.”

Seeing Zhu Lexing’s blank look, she added, “The bar.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

A bunch of high schoolers hitting up a bar?

Despite the skepticism written all over her face, Zhu Lexing had never been to one herself. Curiosity won out, and she didn’t object.

The car pulled up in front of Centrifugal Force Bar.

Inside, it was just like the movies: people bobbing their heads, strobe lights flashing wildly in every color, eardrum-shattering music blaring from the speakers, and someone belting out rock on the stage.

Zhu Lexing’s first instinct was to check on Yan Mian.

The girl wrinkled her nose, clearly put off by the unfamiliar chaos, but with Xu He’s eyes sparkling like stars, she managed a smile.

Led by a server, they reached the private cabin Qiao Qiao had booked.

The cabin’s lights matched the bar’s psychedelic glow, though the rest resembled a standard karaoke lounge.

As they pushed open the door, the rest of the Must Win Zhou Yang Team huddled around a table, deep in a game of chess.

Zhu Lexing had braced for booze, but the table was loaded with sodas, fruit platters, and even takeout milk tea. It looked downright wholesome, like a casual dinner.

Zhu Lexing: “…”

High schoolers playing chess in a bar.

Who’d believe it?

Yet the relaxed vibe had clearly eased Yan Mian’s tension.

She checked her phone— a message from Li Nian saying traffic had her delayed.

By the end of the chess game, Xu He had grabbed the mic and belted out two songs with gusto. Qiao Qiao, meanwhile, was dozing off, arms folded in mock sleep.

Riding high, Xu He thrust the mic at Zhu Lexing. “Your turn, Lexing! Sing something!”

The songs she’d queued were all unfamiliar to Zhu Lexing, who knew her voice wasn’t great anyway. As she hesitated, someone egged her on: “Give us a song—”

Zhu Lexing took the mic. “Fair warning, I’m nothing special at singing. I don’t know these, so I’ll just do a simple one I do know.”

When she started, Xu He thought it was some quirky melody and leaned in eagerly.

The others reacted similarly, more or less.

But as Zhu Lexing delivered the whole verse deadpan, right before looping back to the chorus, Xu He finally clocked it. “Wait, isn’t this… rap?”

Zhu Lexing: ???

《Listen to Me Say Thank You》! Such a classic tune—how could anyone call it rap?!

Zhu Lexing felt outright insulted.

At the same time, Qiao Qiao jolted awake after thirty seconds of it. Yawning, she blinked in confusion. “Is this bar haunted or something? I swear I just heard chanting.”

Zhu Lexing: “…………”

She could already picture the snarky comments this chapter would rack up—

【Zhu Lexing, total embarrassment.jpg】

Slowly, she set the mic down, vowing to stick to being herself from now on.

In the corner, Yan Mian watched Zhu Lexing—the only one not laughing.

In Yan Mian’s eyes before, Zhu Lexing had been “perfect.”

She seemed to excel at everything, to have experienced it all. Compared to Yan Mian, one soared in the heavens while the other crawled on earth.

Even before arriving at the Zhu Family, Yan Mian had never intended to build a good relationship with Zhu Lexing. Yet from the bottom of her heart, she had genuinely “envied” and “admired” her. Though those two emotions faded after their real interactions began, Zhu Lexing’s image in her mind only grew more blurred—like an insurmountable mountain.

It wasn’t until this moment, hearing Zhu Lexing’s singing, that she realized the other woman had her limits too.

Amid the rowdy background music, Yan Mian suddenly recalled Zhu Lexing’s icy glare at Lin Song back at the police station.

“……”

Zhu Lexing didn’t notice Yan Mian’s gaze, but Xu He, seated right beside her, picked up on it immediately. Always eager to stir the pot, she selected a rare duet love song from the karaoke library.

No one sensed anything off; they kept laughing and playing chess. But when the microphone rotated to Xu He, she calmly excused herself to step out for some air and handed it straight to Yan Mian.

The next second, Qiao Qiao caught the eye signal and shoved another microphone into Zhu Lexing’s hand.

Qiao Qiao said nonchalantly, “Love duet, love duet—as the name implies, it’s for lovers. Who’s in, who’s out?”

The room exploded with shouts of “We’re in!”

Zhu Lexing thought, Screw that.