Chapter 33: Value Part 1

It was a rare occurrence for the two of them to sit in the same car again.

But compared to before, this short trip to school didn’t feel unbearable to Zhu Lexing at all. After understanding Yan Mian’s intentions, she felt as if a clear path had opened up ahead. The role of being used was far preferable to being the one doing the using, and Zhu Lexing was more than willing to serve as that stepping stone.

So… getting a little closer like this was perfectly understandable.

Zhu Lexing’s gaze wasn’t subtle in the slightest.

Or rather, Zhu Lexing had never been one to hide her stares.

That lingering look forced Yan Mian to respond. She turned her face toward Zhu Lexing, only to find the girl’s hand extended toward her.

Yan Mian blinked in confusion. “…What?”

Zhu Lexing’s expression was deadpan. “Give it to me.”

Yan Mian: “…”

Give it to her? Her pheromones?

She glanced instinctively at the rearview mirror and realized the partition had been lowered at some point.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Yan Mian extended her hand.

She fell silent for several more seconds before actually handing it over.

Zhu Lexing: ?

“I mean,” Zhu Lexing said, her ears turning instantly red. But she didn’t pull her hand back. Instead, she said gravely, “Give me your backpack. Isn’t it heavy?”

Only then did Yan Mian realize her mistake. Yet as she noticed the flush creeping up the girl’s ears, any trace of embarrassment faded away. “We’re in the car,” she said warmly. “It’s not heavy.”

Zhu Lexing didn’t reply. She simply stared.

After several seconds of deadlock, Yan Mian set her backpack down beside Zhu Lexing and stopped carrying it herself.

The rest of the drive passed in silence. They had arrived early, so the school gate wasn’t too crowded. Even so, the sight of Zhu Lexing shouldering two backpacks left the onlookers stunned.

The two of them were assigned to the same exam room. Strangely enough, their seats were right next to each other, separated by just a few dozen centimeters.

They had to turn in their bags, so after pulling out pencil cases and other essentials, Yan Mian hesitated before saying, “If there’s a question you don’t know…”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

Was Yan Mian seriously suggesting she cheat?

But Yan Mian continued, “Just think it through again. Try applying the most common formulas…”

With that, she began jotting down reminders of typical problems on the scrap paper, right there on the spot. Her pen scratched across the page as her expression grew intensely focused. At first, Zhu Lexing watched Yan Mian more than the notes. Eventually, she bowed her head and mumbled after a long pause, “I get it.”

Just before the bell rang, Yan Mian gave Zhu Lexing a small smile.

“Do your best.”

It felt like a surge of adrenaline, leaving Zhu Lexing suddenly at ease.

When she thought about it, she’d survived so many over-the-top plot twists already. What was a simple exam compared to that? With a calm mindset, it’d be a breeze.

Her relaxed attitude made her unusually diligent across every subject.

Only occasionally did her attention wander, stealing a quick glance at Yan Mian.

They hadn’t been deskmates in class before—separated by several seats—so Zhu Lexing couldn’t very well keep twisting around to stare. That would have been disrespectful to the teacher.

Truth be told, this was the first time she’d observed Yan Mian tackling problems from such close range.

She handled it with effortless poise, filling in answers without a second’s hesitation. When dealing with familiar material, a quiet confidence radiated from her.

Zhu Lexing suddenly got why campus romance stories always featured a straight-A genius. Some people could make your heart flutter just by solving equations.

…Not that she was falling for Yan Mian, of course!

Having a live benchmark right there spurred her on. Zhu Lexing poured herself into every exam.

Snapping herself out of it, she forced her eyes back to her paper. Whenever her mind started to drift, she’d berate herself inwardly like a whip cracking: High schooler— what else are you going to do if you don’t study? Date someone? Then catch some bizarre disease where you die without constant contact.

The one silver lining was that her affliction wasn’t the flower-vomiting syndrome, where you’d puke petals after just one day apart from Yan Mian.

The image made Zhu Lexing’s pen-holding hand tremble faintly.

Time slipped away unnoticed amid the scratch of pens on paper.

For the final subject, Zhu Lexing let out a deep breath the instant she set her pen down for good.

Yan Mian was reviewing her own paper but caught the motion. Their eyes met.

Zhu Lexing hesitated for a few seconds, then flashed her a smile.

Yan Mian was still caught off guard when the proctor announced, “Fifteen minutes remaining.”

She lowered her gaze.

Once the exam ended, Zhu Lexing helped Yan Mian retrieve her bag.

“I’ll get it,” Yan Mian said.

Her bag was stuffed with books—heavy stuff.

Zhu Lexing started to protest, but Yan Mian was standing right there, her clear eyes fixed on her.

In the end, Zhu Lexing handed it over.

Outside the classroom, Zhu Lexing checked the time. Zhu Xing had announced that morning they could head straight home after exams—vacation lasted a month and a half.

She was debating whether to go directly back when a familiar figure appeared in the distance. Li Nian waved casually at Yan Mian and hurried over. Spotting Zhu Lexing, she seemed to swallow some emotion before saying, “You… differentiated? Congratulations.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

Live long enough, and you’d witness every possible scenario.

Back when she’d first transmigrated, the only way she’d hear “congratulations” from Li Nian was if she died first—with Li Nian offering it to Yan Mian at her coffin.

“You two chat,” Zhu Lexing said. She couldn’t wedge herself into their conversation anyway and knew better than to intrude. Before leaving, though, she reminded Yan Mian, “School gate before six.”

Yan Mian’s eyes tracked Zhu Lexing the whole way, lingering until she vanished from sight. Only then did she turn back to Li Nian. “What’s wrong?”

Li Nian noticed the detail and hesitated for a few seconds. “Why does she want to meet at six? Aren’t you two…”

Not riding in the same car, yet choosing the same time.

Yan Mian stared straight ahead, her thoughts still drifting, and only replied to Li Nian, “Isn’t this fine too?”

She lived with the Zhu Family, cared for and supported by people who might not adore her, but who did love her in their own way.

Zhu Lexing’s personality remained moody, her occasional coldness like a kid relapsing into that edgy middle-school phase, but most of the time she stayed emotionally even-keeled—warm yet quiet.

Aside from the inexplicable blushing and the sneaky glances she thought went unnoticed, only to repeat the cycle until their eyes met, Yan Mian couldn’t name any real flaws in Zhu Lexing right now.

This life was peaceful and ordinary, and Yan Mian knew it full well. Compared to her past, though, it was utterly unimaginable.

At least for now, she was content with it.

So unless something unexpected happened, Yan Mian had no desire to change it on her own.

Over the next few days, Zhu Lexing and Yan Mian stuck close together. Suddenly finding herself alone amid the crowd as she walked, Zhu Lexing felt an odd pang of loneliness.

She headed straight out of No. 1 High School without rushing back to the car. Instead, she wandered around the shops by the school gate before stopping in front of an ice cream stand.

Warm sunlight spilled golden across the ground, making the shop’s logo gleam. While she waited in line, she glanced up to see student couples strolling hand in hand along the roadside.

Wicked as it was, Zhu Lexing couldn’t help hoping the pair in their No. 1 High School uniforms would run smack into the Dean of Students halfway.

When her turn came, Zhu Lexing ordered a cup of ice cream. She hesitated for a few seconds, then added, “Make it four scoops.”

A gaggle of elementary school kids waited behind her, and they all shot stunned looks her way at the sheer quantity.

Zhu Lexing could already feel herself becoming the subject of their excited whispers—

She wasn’t in any rush to dig in. Clutching the ice cream, she plopped down on a nearby bench.

In truth, points weren’t just earned from tasks. Every time the story progressed to a key point, or whenever she had some interaction with Yan Mian, she racked up more. After covering her daily living expenses, she’d managed to save up around a hundred points over the past few months.

Zhu Lexing had always figured that if she just didn’t dwell on it, the past would fade away. But those steadily accumulating points served as a constant reminder: no matter how good or peaceful or perfect this life seemed, it wasn’t truly hers.

She found herself brooding over the future, falling silent for several seconds. Just as she steeled herself to shake it off and take a bite, the bench creaked softly—someone had sat down beside her.

Zhu Lexing glanced over on instinct. There sat Xu He, holding a cup of ice cream with just a single scoop and a big spoon in her other hand. Eyeing Zhu Lexing’s generous serving, Xu He said bluntly, “Give me one.”

Zhu Lexing watched as Xu He scooped up a full scoop and claimed it.

A dozen seconds ticked by with Zhu Lexing biting her tongue, but she finally blurted out, “Why are you here? Where’s Qiao Qiao?”

Xu He replied, “She said you looked kinda down and told me to come bug you. Also, I’m the one sitting next to you—why ask about Qiao Qiao? Got a crush on her now?”

Zhu Lexing: “…………”

What did this have to do with crushes?

But… her?

“Who do you mean?” Zhu Lexing asked, black lines practically forming on her forehead. “Qiao Qiao? Are you two mind readers or something, spotting my melancholy from a mile away—”

Xu He cut in. “Yan Mian, obviously. She’s been watching you from over there for ages but hasn’t come closer. Normal, though.”

Who’d want to deal with someone getting all wistful over a cup of ice cream, after all?

Zhu Lexing’s mind filled in the blanks on its own. She whipped around to look.

Sure enough, there was Yan Mian, standing quietly in front of a shop not far off. Zhu Lexing had no idea how long she’d been there, but her mere presence was enough to draw lingering glances from passersby for several seconds.

Yan Mian seemed to notice Zhu Lexing’s stare.

She lowered her eyes, and the next instant, Zhu Lexing’s phone buzzed.

“-Auntie Liu says Uncle Zhu will be back tonight. The driver’s already waiting. You head out first?”

Once they were in the car, Yan Mian’s gaze flicked to the ice cream for a moment.

Zhu Lexing hesitated. “…Want some? I haven’t…”

The words were out before she recalled Yan Mian’s condition. She was scrambling for a way to backpedal when Yan Mian spoke up. “I’ve been watching you the whole time. I know you haven’t touched it.”

“…The whole time?” Zhu Lexing echoed. “How long is that, exactly?”

Yan Mian said, “Probably starting from when you asked for four scoops.”

Zhu Lexing: “…”

That meant Yan Mian must have trailed her since just after leaving the school gate.

“What about Li Nian?” Zhu Lexing asked, bewildered. “Weren’t you two supposed to chat?”

Yan Mian replied, “We’ve talked plenty already.”

The implication was clear: they didn’t lack for this one conversation.

For some inexplicable reason, though, the words warmed Zhu Lexing’s heart.

It felt like… compared to Li Nian, Yan Mian would rather stay by her side. But a second later, thoughts of her own illness—and Yan Mian’s intentions—flooded back. Zhu Lexing stared at the ice cream in her hand, went quiet for a beat, then thrust it toward Yan Mian.

“…Never mind.” She sighed. “Xu He already swiped a scoop anyway. If you don’t want it, toss it for me later.”