Chapter 8: ◎Song Yun◎

Lin Yang’s little schemes were something Zhu Lexing had no way of knowing.

On the ride home, she asked the driver for the Zhu Family private doctor’s number.

In Zhu Lexing’s eyes, it was perfectly normal for the young miss not to remember the doctor’s phone number—after all, people were always around to handle everything for the original host. She didn’t even need to use her brain.

The driver didn’t suspect a thing and rattled off the number with practiced ease.

Once the call connected, Zhu Lexing stayed in character and immediately started giving orders. Her meaning was crystal clear: no matter what excuse Doctor Song used, Yan Mian had to go to a proper hospital for a checkup within three days.

On the other end of the line, Doctor Song seemed a bit surprised by the sudden call but listened patiently to the demands before replying with a simple “Alright.”

With that settled, Zhu Lexing tossed the book from her lap aside. Bored on all sides, she opened the comment section.

The events of the past two days had already been automatically fleshed out into a story and uploaded to the novel site.

The comments were as explosive as ever. At the top of the hot comments was this one: 【Will Zhu Lexing take the initiative to ask Yan Mian to pin the school badge on her?】 It had broken three thousand likes, posted in the early hours of yesterday morning.

After confirming the system wasn’t scamming her, Zhu Lexing scrolled through the new chapter. The content was just an enriched version of everyday life—nothing particularly fresh. She quit halfway through and switched to the comments.

The new chapter’s plot still lingered on that morning glass of milk and hadn’t reached Lin Yang’s appearance yet. But the readers, who knew all the characters inside out from early on, were letting their imaginations run wild.

【To Count or Not to Count (-20): So many chapters in and it’s just campus pure romance? Where’s Scum A? The steamy scenes? I paid money for this?】

【Oolong Milk Green (2): This blandness is making me want to see the villain instead… From the plot so far, Zhu Lexing’s turned into a loyal dog top. For her to snap back into psycho mode, Yan Mian’s gotta get hurt somehow. So when’s Lin Yang showing up? If she goes off the rails and messes with Yan Mian, Zhu Lexing would probably flip out too lol. Hey, isn’t that kinda true to the original character vibe?】

【Three Waters (-200): LMAO, throw in Shi Ruofeng too and the pure romance turns into an asylum real quick. Downvote to check the author’s sanity.】

【Time is Earth (200): Campus pure romance forever! Campus pure romance forever! Anyone who doesn’t love campus pure romance is doomed!】

The slang everyone was using was way too trendy; it took Zhu Lexing half a day to fully parse it.

If this “Zhu Lexing” was just a story character, she might have gotten it. But now that she had become this Zhu Lexing and was being casually written as a lunatic, all she could do was clasp her hands together and hope it purified everyone’s souls.

She lost interest after flipping through a few pages and went back to suffering through her textbook.

Once home, she sat in one corner of the sofa doing exercises, her gaze drifting unconsciously toward the door as she wondered when Yan Mian would get back.

When Yan Mian approached the entryway, the sight that greeted her was Zhu Lexing idly spinning a pen under the chandelier.

The girl’s fingers were slender, the black pen dancing fluidly between them in a graceful display.

But…

When had Zhu Lexing learned to spin a pen like that?

In Yan Mian’s memory, Zhu Lexing had always been a “flower peacock,” never shy about flaunting her talents in front of the family. She played piano whenever Zhu Lin was home.

In the first few days after arriving at the Zhu Family, Zhu Lexing would even get up early on purpose to play, deliberately waking everyone up just to sabotage Yan Mian.

Zhu Lin had thought she was throwing a tantrum and indulged her a bit. But when Zhu Lexing kept acting out, father and daughter had a big fight, and she smashed the piano, leaving it piled up in the storage room.

Noticing Yan Mian walk in, Zhu Lexing paused her trick, gripped the pen, and stood up.

Her gaze landed calmly on Yan Mian’s face. Yan Mian fought the urge to flinch and started to say, “Then I’ll just—”

“Dinner’s ready,” Zhu Lexing cut her off. “Eat first.”

Her tone was harsh and unyielding. With that, she headed straight for the stairs.

Yan Mian hadn’t expected Zhu Lexing to say that. She froze in the living room until the footsteps faded away before slowly taking her seat.

As the servant set down the bowls and chopsticks, Yan Mian turned her face slightly and asked, “Did Lexing eat yet?”

The servant who was asked—a newcomer from yesterday—replied naturally, “The young miss deliberately waited one full mealtime for Miss Yan. When you still hadn’t come back, she ate first.”

Yan Mian thought of the glass of milk in the living room, fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Do you know who made yesterday’s milk?”

The servant looked puzzled. Yan Mian said at the right moment, “Alright, I get it. Go ahead and get back to your work.”

Her gaze returned to the exquisite dishes, and she let out a breath, eating her first truly relaxed meal.

The doorbell rang while Yan Mian was flipping through the stage play script Li Nian had sent her.

When she first heard about the school anniversary event, Yan Mian had been momentarily stunned. But she quickly realized it was Zhu Lin’s arrangement—for their performance together.

She might despise Zhu Lexing, but that didn’t mean she held the same grudge against Zhu Lin. She treated him like an elder and needed his protection.

No matter the reason, she wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.

She had only gone to Zhu Xing to ask if they could collaborate with other classes for the performance.

As expected, Li Nian had also been selected as one of the leads for her class. A quick mention, and the two had hit it off immediately.

“Doctor Song—”

A servant called out eagerly. Yan Mian looked up and saw a woman in a trench coat smiling as she thanked them. Her long hair was neatly pinned up, giving her a capable yet gentle air. Noticing Yan Mian, she curved her lips into a smile. “Miss Yan, I’m the Zhu Family’s private doctor, Song Yun.”

With an outsider present, Yan Mian couldn’t help feeling a bit reserved. “Hello, Doctor Song.”

“I’ve reviewed your medical history with Mr. Zhu,” Song Yun said. “How have you been feeling lately? Any discomfort?”

Her voice was gentle and measured, putting people at ease without them even realizing it.

Yan Mian knew little about the profession of private doctor, so she naturally followed the other woman’s lead, recounting her recent physical condition point by point. Song Yun’s pen glided smoothly across the paper. When she heard Yan Mian candidly mention feeling discomfort in her heart last night, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

Song Yun cut to the chase. “This isn’t something that can be explained in just a few words. You should still go in for a check-up.”

Yan Mian knew that, of course.

Her mother had gotten together with Zhu Lin for two reasons: love, and the fact that the Zhu Family had the connections and resources to arrange the best doctors for her surgery.

If she could, Yan Mian wanted treatment too.

But Zhu Lexing was the biggest obstacle standing right in front of her.

Yan Mian said warmly, “Classes have been busy lately. I’ll think about going to the hospital after the midterm exams are over.”

Song Yun hadn’t forgotten Zhu Lexing’s anxiety on the phone. “Exams are temporary. Your health is what matters most.”

Yan Mian was about to argue back when Zhu Lexing—eavesdropping on their conversation from the third floor via the system—finally couldn’t hold back any longer. She flung open the door.

But she pushed a little too hard, and it slammed back against the wall with a bang.

She stood at the edge of the corridor, looking down at the two of them, her gaze fixed solely on Yan Mian’s face. “If you’re sick, go get it treated. Moping around all sickly like that is just annoying to look at.”

“Go for a check-up tomorrow. Whether you take sick leave or not doesn’t matter—Zhu Xing won’t dare give you any trouble.”

The girl’s voice was icy, her tone brimming with impatience. It fit Zhu Lexing’s usual persona to a tee.

Yet Yan Mian stood frozen in place, dazed for several seconds as an inexplicable illusion rose within her.

It was as if those words hadn’t come from Zhu Lexing at all.

There was no malice in them—just genuine concern.

After a brief moment of absentmindedness, Yan Mian noticed Song Yun watching her reaction.

She composed herself, dismissing her thoughts as utterly ridiculous.

Silent for a few seconds, Yan Mian replied meekly, “I understand.”