Lu Chenyu pursed her lips and slowly raised her hand.
When her eyes met Wen Feixi’s gaze, filled with amusement, her heart skipped a beat.
Was Wen Feixi trying to win her over with just one exercise book?
She had almost fallen for Wen Feixi’s soft approach and become one of the countless admirers swooning at her feet!
Lu Chenyu lifted her head, her amber peach-blossom eyes staring straight at Wen Feixi without flinching.
Wen Feixi froze for a moment. The girl, who had seemed so adorably obedient just now, suddenly turned cold, bristling with hostility all over.
But the words that came out of her mouth were still polite: “Thank you…”
Lu Chenyu didn’t want to openly provoke the domineering Wen Feixi, who was like a thug. She clenched her fists, stiffened her neck, lowered her eyes, and murmured softly, “If I take this exercise book, you won’t have one to look at anymore.”
Wen Feixi replied, “It’s fine. I have another…”
Annoying! Couldn’t she see that Lu Chenyu was just making excuses to refuse? Lu Chenyu cut her off: “It wouldn’t be good if it affected your studies, so let’s just forget it!”
Wen Feixi: “…”
She parted her lips as if to say something more, but then she saw Lu Chenyu clutching the book and hurrying out the door.
Wen Feixi watched her retreating back, momentarily stunned.
…
Monday arrived quickly.
Without Song Yuemin’s exercise book—and after that incident with Wen Feixi at the bookstore on Sunday—Lu Chenyu hadn’t slept well all night.
A cool morning breeze brushed against her face as the music for the flag-raising ceremony echoed across the entire field. Lu Chenyu stood in the middle of her line, squinting against the light with huge dark circles under her eyes.
Up on the podium, Wen Feixi was giving a speech.
Unlike the roguish vibe Lu Chenyu had seen at the Wood Window Bookstore yesterday, Wen Feixi now stood in her school uniform, speaking clearly and properly, looking every bit the model student.
Lu Chenyu stared at the figure on stage and couldn’t help grinding her teeth.
Beside her, Liu Jie was scrolling through her phone, chatting and giggling with others.
Lu Chenyu vaguely caught the word “goddess.”
She glanced at Liu Jie’s screen and saw a massive photo.
In the picture, Wen Feixi was rock climbing, her foot planted on a tiny hold.
Wen Feixi’s jet-black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a sports tank top. Sweat had dampened her hair and clothes.
Her skin was fair, her arms slender, yet they formed graceful curves when she exerted force. The form-fitting outfit accentuated her perfect figure.
The photo seemed to be taken from above, capturing the exact moment she powered into a dynamic leap. With one hand gripping the rock, her narrow phoenix eyes were half-raised toward the camera, their brown irises deep and luminous.
“Looks like someone ran into our goddess at the rock climbing gym next door,” Liu Jie said.
“That new place? I heard it’s super pricey.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Check out the goddess’s legs.”
A girl nearby whined, “Ugh, I just want to take a bite.”
Lu Chenyu: ?
Legs?
After listening for a while, Lu Chenyu couldn’t hold back anymore. With a blank expression, she interrupted them. “What’s wrong with her legs?”
Liu Jie jumped, startled by the sudden attention from the class’s famous Ice Beauty.
Even though they were now desk mates, they had never spoken before.
Liu Jie stammered nervously, “No way, Lu Top Student. You see this killer combo of proportions and beauty on a study tyrant and you don’t drool?”
Lu Chenyu couldn’t comprehend it. “Drool over a girl?”
Liu Jie: “You wouldn’t?” She zoomed in on the photo on her phone and held it out.
Lu Chenyu instinctively glanced at the girl’s legs in the picture.
Wen Feixi’s legs were stunning—slim, fair, long, and straight, the full package. Even another girl would envy them.
But to Lu Chenyu, they were just infuriating.
She hated Wen Feixi, and that extended to her flawless appearance.
Ever since she’d decided to view Wen Feixi as her lifelong rival, in the quiet of night, Lu Chenyu sometimes wondered why—both being girls—those legs had to be so perfect, that waist so slim.
–
That afternoon, back in the dorm.
Lu Chenyu stood in the bathroom, gazing at her reflection through the steamy mist.
She probably wasn’t that far behind Wen Feixi…
Her legs could match hers, and her waist was decent enough?
Except…
Lu Chenyu’s face darkened as she looked down at her chest, which was somewhat lacking due to years of poor nutrition.
Whatever.
Some things were just destined to be unequal. She accepted that. As long as she could outperform Wen Feixi in grades, it would be enough.
Emerging from the bathroom, Lu Chenyu walked along while towel-drying her hair.
She wore only a short-sleeved shirt, with wet strands dripping water down her back. Sunlight fell on her pale, cool-toned skin, making her features seem even more refined and ethereal. Those amber peach-blossom eyes gleamed like exquisitely carved gems.
The sunlight outside the window was perfect for air-drying her hair.
Without a hairdryer, Lu Chenyu usually washed her hair right after fourth period in the afternoon, letting it dry naturally.
Jiang Chang sat at her desk playing on her phone. Spotting Lu Chenyu, she stood up. “Let’s go, Little Fish! Time for dinner!”
Lu Chenyu shook her head. “I’m not eating.”
“Huh? Why not?”
Lu Chenyu replied, “I still have vocab to memorize. I need to head back to the classroom early.”
“Oh, alright…” Jiang Chang said goodbye and bolted toward the cafeteria.
–
During evening self-study, Lu Chenyu was in rough shape.
Her period had arrived, and with her hair still damp from the wash—possibly catching a chill—her lower abdomen throbbed with dull, heavy pain.
She spent the whole session in a fog.
By the end of class, she felt a bit better. As she bent over her homework, her peripheral vision caught Wen Feixi talking to Tang Yimo up front.
Wen Feixi held the exercise book Lu Chenyu had picked out for her over the weekend. Tang Yimo scribbled notes on scrap paper beside her.
It wasn’t just them—exercise books of every color littered the desks around the room. Class lectures covered only the basics now; to excel, students had to grind through tons of practice problems.
Lu Chenyu glanced once and then dropped her eyes.
Normally, after getting study materials from her cousin, Lu Chenyu would review all weekend. But without the exercise book, she felt lost, her mind wandering as she worked through problems.
She noticed Liu Jie beside her reading a book titled Harvard 4:30 AM.
“Want to see it?” Liu Jie caught her gaze and flashed a smile.
Lu Chenyu scoffed. “What’s the point of chicken-soup books like that? Better to solve a few more problems.”
Liu Jie replied, “Listen to this: ‘Without diligence, even a genius achieves nothing.’ Isn’t that great? Reading it makes me want to study as hard as those Harvard kids!”
Lu Chenyu instinctively glanced toward Wen Feixi.
Wen Feixi had just returned from the office and now stood at the front, passing out test papers. Under the bright fluorescent lights, she called out names casually while weaving through the classroom.
Lu Chenyu couldn’t help recalling the basket of novels and comics in Wen Feixi’s cart at the bookstore over the weekend.
Her irritation spiked. As if that slacker had ever worked hard…
Lu Chenyu said, “I saw a news story debunking that. Harvard students don’t actually get up at 4:30 a.m.”
“…”
Liu Jie fell silent for a moment before murmuring wryly, “Lu Beauty, are you always this no-fun?”
“…”
Liu Jie pressed on: “Study Tyrant, if you don’t like these books, how about you explain some problems to me? I’ve got a bunch I don’t get from the recent lessons!”
She stared anxiously at Lu Chenyu’s aloof face.
After all, Lu Chenyu was the class’s infamous Ice Beauty. Despite her top grades, few dared ask her for help, fearing rejection.
To Liu Jie’s surprise, Lu Chenyu nodded. “Sure.”
Overjoyed, Liu Jie hurriedly handed over her exercise book. Lu Chenyu pored over it eagerly.
“Which ones don’t you get?” Lu Chenyu asked.
“This one, this one, and this!”
Lu Chenyu explained a few problems to Liu Jie while silently categorizing the question types.
Suddenly, a sharp pain twisted in her abdomen.
Unable to bear it—and with class about to start—Lu Chenyu told Liu Jie she was stepping out and stood up to head to the bathroom.
Wen Feixi approached with an armful of papers, her smile bright as a blooming flower. “Classmate Lu, here’s your test~”
Lu Chenyu replied, “…Thanks.”
She took the paper, set it on her desk, and brushed past Wen Feixi without expression.
But after just a few steps, she realized Wen Feixi hadn’t left. Instead, Wen Feixi frowned slightly, propped a hand on Lu Chenyu’s desk, and sat down in her seat.
Lu Chenyu: ?
Like a cat with its fur standing on end, Lu Chenyu whipped around to face Wen Feixi in her chair. Before she could snap out a stiff “What are you doing?”, she saw Wen Feixi shrug off her school uniform jacket.
It was September—still sweltering by day, but evenings brought a chill. Underneath, Wen Feixi wore only a short-sleeved shirt.
With fair-skinned fingers, she reached across the aisle and hooked Lu Chenyu’s waist lightly.
“Come here,” Wen Feixi said.
It was as if she had some magnetic pull. The moment her touch grazed Lu Chenyu’s skin, a jolt of electricity raced up her spine, setting that spot ablaze.
Lu Chenyu’s face flushed crimson. Her legs moved forward two steps of their own accord.
Wen Feixi tugged her closer with a frown, then swiftly knotted the sleeves of her uniform jacket around Lu Chenyu’s waist.
Lu Chenyu stared at her.
Just then, a few rowdy boys nearby shoved each other playfully. Wen Feixi sat unmoved, casually flipping through Lu Chenyu’s test paper with her head bowed.
A bad feeling crept over Lu Chenyu.
In the bathroom, she discovered the issue: stress had made her flow heavier than usual, and it had leaked.
Thunderstruck.
She wetted some tissue and snuck back like a thief.
Wen Feixi glanced at her and shifted slightly aside. Kneeling in front of her, Lu Chenyu confirmed a faint red stain on the chair.
Her heart clenched, her face burning as she wiped it away quickly.
At their age, in the throes of puberty, everyone was hypersensitive about this stuff. Had she stood up earlier, those goofing-off boys might have spotted it and caused a scene.
As she cleaned the chair, Lu Chenyu’s fingertip accidentally brushed Wen Feixi’s thigh—smooth as polished jade.
For some reason, the image from Liu Jie’s phone that morning flashed in her mind: that photo of Wen Feixi.
Those gorgeous legs.
Nervous, Lu Chenyu scrubbed harder at the chair until her wrist was suddenly seized.
Wen Feixi gripped her hand. “Classmate Lu, that’s enough. What are you still wiping?”
Her warm breath tickled Lu Chenyu’s ear, stiffening her entire body.
Wen Feixi smirked and leaned in, whispering, “Trying to cop a feel on my leg?”
