CSGM - Chapter 158
Chapter 158: Extra - Parallel World
It wasn't until Li Hanlin's composure finally broke that she started to wail.
In just a few seconds, her tears burst forth like a broken dam, streaming down her face.
And from the moment Chu Xi had walked over to now, only a minute had passed.
Only then did Chu Xi stop, looking at her menacingly and pointing a finger at her nose.
"During the break after morning self-study, you were the one who stole Ren Zhi's chemistry test paper..."
"Aaaah, I didn't..." Li Hanlin cried, still trying to be stubborn.
"I just came from the security room! Do you think I'm blind?!"
Chu Xi suddenly kicked the desk on the floor again. After a loud clang of her foot hitting the metal, the desk slid two meters away, ending up sideways in the aisle of the first row. The books inside scattered all over the floor.
She turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the aisle and pausing for a little over two seconds. Then she walked toward the pile of haphazardly strewn books.
She kicked aside Li Hanlin's other books, stopped, bent down, and picked up a test paper.
The student in front, who was closest to her, stared over and saw that the title on the paper was "'Xiao Jin Ke' A-Sheet (1)."
—Wow, did Li Hanlin really steal Ren Zhi's test paper?
Chu Xi walked back, pinching the paper where the name was written, and said coldly to Li Hanlin:
"This is Ren Zhi's test paper."
"Wuwuwuwu..."
Li Hanlin hugged her head, curling into a ball and crying as if she were the victim.
"She's my deskmate now, and I've got her back. If I ever find you messing with her again, I guarantee you'll have it worse than you did today."
For some reason, Chu Xi's words were inexplicably frightening.
Li Hanlin and the surrounding students subconsciously thought—She'd do it. This wild horse would actually do it!
The first impression of her being mysterious, menacing, and fierce immediately replaced the "goddess" label everyone had given her that morning.
What fucking goddess? She's more like a gangster girl!
Just as Chu Xi finished dealing with the person, the head teacher arrived.
The head teacher, Teacher Ge, wore a pair of white, rectangular-framed glasses and stared at her sternly. "Chu Xi, what are you doing? Do you want to be expelled on the first day of school?!"
Chu Xi had always been tall, only a little shorter than the head teacher. The whole class watched as she met the teacher's gaze head-on, her presence not the least bit weaker. Then she said something utterly shocking.
"Let's go. To the principal's office. We'll see if he expels me or not."
The entire class: "???! "
Is she a real fucking gangster girl? She's telling Teacher Ge to go to the principal's office!
What truly terrified the classmates was that Chu Xi returned midway through the next class, completely unscathed. Instead, they heard that the head teacher had been kept in the principal's office for a talk.
...?
They heard no news of Chu Xi being punished, and the matter eventually fizzled out.
But Li Hanlin was called to the office to be disciplined—after all, stealing a classmate's test paper and hiding it was wrong.
...??
The new student's connections are a little too strong!
After her trip to the principal's office, Chu Xi looked even more like someone not to be trifled with.
Ren Zhi couldn't help but get distracted in class, staring at her in a daze.
Although the other students were saying she might become the new school bully, Ren Zhi looked at her and thought... How is she fierce? She's clearly so delicate and gentle...
When a classmate described what Chu Xi had done to Li Hanlin during the last break, Ren Zhi couldn't even imagine the scene everyone was calling so fierce.
Because she had gone to buy bread and a drink, she hadn't seen it.
"Teacher Ge didn't scold you, did she?" She couldn't help but worry about Chu Xi, or perhaps, she was also a little curious about her.
"I was upholding justice. Why would she scold me?" Chu Xi chuckled, her eyes curving as she looked at Ren Zhi.
Ren Zhi glanced at the recovered test paper on her desk.
Hmm... I guess so.
She asked doubtfully, "The principal... didn't do anything to you either?"
After asking, she quickly added, "You don't have to say if it's not convenient."
The students in the front row perked up their ears, also wanting to hear just who this new student was.
That's how it was when you were a student. Any classmate who acted fierce and confident in class or at school would be imagined by others to have a powerful background, which naturally made them more feared.
Chu Xi tilted her head, clicked her tongue, and said:
"Of course he has to manage me. He's the one who begged me to transfer here."
The students in the front row: "!!!"
Holy crap, Chu Xi really does have a background!
Ren Zhi's pupils also dilated in shock, and she stared at her, stunned for a moment.
Her expression was so pure and adorably dazed that Chu Xi's heart melted. Baby was so cute when she was young.
—At this moment, she loathed the other idiots in this class even more. Bullying such an adorable classmate, they really deserved to die!
Chu Xi took Ren Zhi's hand, placed it on her own desk, and rested her chin on it.
She looked at her. "Hehe... that's not important. What's important is that I quite like sitting in this class now."
A school was a place with few recreational activities, specializing in spreading gossip.
Within half a day, the rumor had spread throughout Class 8 and the neighboring class: the new transfer student has an incredibly strong family background, so strong that even the principal doesn't dare to touch her!
The head teacher heard it, got a headache, and was speechless. As a teacher, it wasn't her place to get involved in student gossip.
Anyway, if she had to say something... forget it, just let them think it's a slight exaggeration.
In one day, the students of Class 8 had come to respect and fear Chu Xi.
Early Tuesday morning, Chu Xi arrived at the classroom.
It was Ren Zhi's turn to be on duty today. A day on class duty involved tidying the trash corner, emptying the trash can, and cleaning the teacher's podium—small cleaning tasks.
Chu Xi quickly took care of the first two tasks. During this time, some early-arriving students came in, looked in astonishment at the name of the student on duty written on the blackboard, and then at her, who was busy working.
—What kind of model Chinese deskmate is this? The new student's sense of deskmate morality is way too strong!
As Chu Xi was wiping the podium with a rag, Ren Zhi arrived at the classroom with her schoolbag.
Her ponytail today was tied a little higher and tighter than yesterday's, making her look very energetic. Her features were still bright and captivating.
Filled with the happy thought of seeing her new deskmate again today, her steps were lighter than yesterday's.
Chu Xi caught sight of her entering through the front door and immediately turned her head with a smile. "Good morning."
"Morning," Ren Zhi blinked, then suddenly sped up to her seat, dropped her bag, and ran back over to stand by the podium. "It's my turn for duty today, why are you here so early? I'll do it, I'll do it..."
As she spoke, she reached for Chu Xi's rag, her hurried tone filled with embarrassment.
When she put down her bag just now, she noticed Chu Xi had even emptied the trash can.
Chu Xi, of course, didn't let her snatch the rag, dodging with a slip of her hand.
"It's all wiped down. There's nothing left for you to do. Go back and wait for me, I'm going to wash the rag."
How could Ren Zhi feel okay about that? She followed her all the way to the sink.
She thought she hadn't come late, but she didn't expect Chu Xi to be even earlier.
Chu Xi was wearing her short-sleeved school uniform again today. It was clean, and she carried the fresh scent of soap, which was warmed by the morning sun and drifted to Ren Zhi's nose.
Chu Xi scrubbed the rag under the faucet with both hands, turning her head to smile. "I came early and had nothing to do, so I just helped you out."
Ren Zhi immediately said, "Then next time it's your turn, I'll help you."
Chu Xi: "We'll see."
The two returned to the classroom. It wasn't time for morning self-study yet, so Ren Zhi and Chu Xi chatted.
"You're so warm-hearted. Thank you. I've never met anyone as enthusiastic as you."
Chu Xi thought to herself: Me, warm-hearted? Baby, I'm afraid you have some misunderstanding about me.
Chu Xi said, "Not really. It's just because you're my deskmate."
Ren Zhi just kept looking at her and smiling, as if she didn't believe her at all, still firmly convinced in her heart that Chu Xi was a kind and warm-hearted classmate.
Chu Xi: "..." Alright, whatever you think is right.
During morning self-study, Ren Zhi's attitude toward Chu Xi was clearly more proactive than yesterday.
She wasn't an unsociable person by nature. It was just that in this twisted environment, she had developed a fear and lack of confidence in interacting with classmates. The memories of being isolated and bullied remained in her mind, causing her to subconsciously put up her defenses against others as soon as she entered this classroom.
Thankfully, Chu Xi was a new face and had actively extended an olive branch to her. It seemed Ren Zhi was only less afraid of being isolated when she saw her.
Because she had noticed yesterday that the new student seemed to only hang out with her.
—This inexplicably gave her a sense of security.
So, during morning self-study, Ren Zhi also took the initiative to ask:
"Chu Xi, I saw you didn't take notes yesterday. Do you need to catch up? I have mine here, you can copy them."
Chu Xi shook her head. "No, thanks."
"Oh..." Ren Zhi seemed a little disappointed that she couldn't help her with anything.
Chu Xi said, "I don't need to take notes. By the way, what's your usual rank in the grade on exams?"
Ren Zhi answered, "Somewhere between seventieth and one-hundredth place."
There were over seven hundred students in the entire grade. Chu Xi felt there were definitely not many who were smarter than Ren Zhi and also willing to work hard, yet her academic rank didn't match her aptitude.
It must be the environment's influence.
A repressive learning environment really does affect a student's grades.
Thinking of this, Chu Xi gave a scornful laugh, her eyes filled with contempt.
She thought of the head teacher, Teacher Ge—that old-fashioned teacher who claimed her only focus was improving students' academic performance. She cared about nothing but grades. She had never even considered or tried to help a good student like Ren Zhi figure out the root cause of why her results didn't match her intelligence and effort.
All she knew was grades, grades. It was stupid and infuriating.
Chu Xi started to loathe this head teacher as well.
Ren Zhi saw her expression and thought she was looking down on her.
"Uh... sorry, my grades aren't that good..."
Chu Xi quickly grabbed her hand, snapped back to reality, and said sincerely:
"I was just thinking about something else. It's okay, grades aren't the most important thing. Top one hundred is already amazing. And you'll definitely be the one with the best future development in the whole class. Maybe this school won't even be worthy of you then. Your future is limitless, hehe..."
"But we still have to get into high school, so grades are still useful..."
"Relax, just let fate decide. Whatever school you get into, you get into." Chu Xi smiled and gently patted the back of her hand.
Usually, students who spoke so casually about grades were the poor-performing ones ranked at the bottom. The real top students were the ones who competed more fiercely the higher their rank.
The students in front and to the side overheard their conversation and thought: Looks like the new student's grades aren't very good. How boring.
—After all, Chu Xi's face looked like that of an honor student, so it was inevitable that people had some illusions about her.
Ren Zhi also felt like she understood Chu Xi a little better now.
But she didn't care if Chu Xi's grades were good or not. She just thought Chu Xi was a very good person.
Ever since Chu Xi transferred, Ren Zhi's feeling of isolation wasn't as strong.
During breaks, she had someone to walk with her in the hallways and someone to go to the restroom with.
—In middle school, going to the restroom alone was considered strange.
Of course, this phenomenon itself was also strange. Everyone had to go to the restroom with two or three close friends, as if it were some kind of group activity.
Ren Zhi had found it strange for two years, but now she didn't.
However...
Ren Zhi now felt that Chu Xi was a little strange...
During class, Chu Xi didn't look at the blackboard or her book. Instead, she would turn her head and just look at her.
She could stare for a long time; her head was basically always turned in her direction.
When their eyes met, she would smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
It was as if she had transferred to this school just to look at her.
Ren Zhi couldn't help but ask her why she was always looking at her.
Chu Xi said matter-of-factly, "After I got here, I noticed people were bullying you. Of course I have to watch you closely, to make sure no one tries to mess with you again."
At this age, Ren Zhi was actually moved by her words.
"Ah, thank you... thank you so much..."
Ren Zhi lowered her eyes meekly, the sunlight dappling her eyelashes. She looked so obedient and gentle that Chu Xi's heart melted. She really wanted to pull her into her arms.
—Of course, she couldn't. It would scare the fourteen-year-old Xiao Ren Zhi.
She gave a casual laugh, her tone full of nonchalance. "I'll protect you from now on. Don't be afraid."
The break between classes was only ten minutes, which was very tight.
During class, since they sat in the back row anyway, Chu Xi would continue the conversation with Ren Zhi that they hadn't finished during the break.
"Besides Li Hanlin, who else likes to mess with you?"
When Chu Xi asked this, her tone was just like a big boss from a TV drama, giving off an inexplicably ruthless vibe. The two students in front of them broke into a cold sweat just listening.
This gangster girl isn't planning to deal with other people the same way she dealt with Li Hanlin, is she?
Scawy.
Chu Xi's rumored background still had the whole class intimidated.
The students in front couldn't help but wonder nosily: Between the new student and the class bully, Mingzhi, who's more badass?
Mingzhi was the recognized bully of Class 8. He cursed constantly, was well-connected at school, and also seemed to have a strong background. His family was rich, and he supposedly knew some hooligans outside of school. He was not to be messed with.
Plus, Mingzhi was a boy, and subconsciously, everyone felt he would be more ruthless than a girl.
Ren Zhi shook her head, glanced at the backs of the two students' heads in front of her, then looked back at Chu Xi. There was a hint of fear in her beautiful eyes, as if to say: It's hard to say.
At this, Chu Xi finally couldn't resist. She reached out, patted her on the head, and then immediately pulled her hand back.
"Got it. Anyway, from now on, I'll deal with anyone who dares to mess with you."
The two heads in front: "!!!"
Gangster. A true gangster.
Just then, the physics teacher's chalk made a sharp "screech" on the blackboard, a sound of warning.
The middle-aged man with a square face and a buzz cut turned around, his stern gaze fixed on the group near the trash corner.
The classroom fell instantly silent. The students were all frightened by his glare.
As expected, the next step would probably be calling someone out...
The heads in the classroom were like carrots in a field, trembling.
Carrots: Don't pull me, don't pull me.
Students: Don't call on me, don't call on me.
The physics teacher stared at the students in the trash corner area and asked pointedly, "Who was just talking?"
Anyway, the sound had come from that vicinity. He had heard it.
"Did you all understand what I just taught? If you understand, then come up and solve a problem!"
Ren Zhi buried her head, shooting a look at Chu Xi, warning her not to say a word.
Okay, then Chu Xi won't say anything.
The surrounding students also kept quiet, afraid of becoming collateral damage.
After a brief moment of chicken-like silence, the physics teacher knew he had intimidated them. His anger subsided, and he gave a final warning: "Whoever talks again can come up here and teach the class for me!" With that, he turned back to the blackboard and continued writing.
Chu Xi whispered to Ren Zhi, "Do you want to hear me teach the class?"
Ren Zhi shook her head repeatedly, like a rattle drum, telling her not to court death. The physics teacher was not good-tempered!
Chu Xi was a little disappointed. "Oh, okay..."
She didn't think that guy was a very good teacher anyway.
But she still subconsciously listened to Ren Zhi's opinion.
It's over. It's really become a habit.
Chu Xi tugged at her hair and chuckled to herself.
At noon, Chu Xi and Ren Zhi went to the cafeteria to eat.
The last class for the ninth graders ended five minutes early to ensure they could get their meals as quickly as possible.
It was no exaggeration to say that when class let out for lunch, it was like a zombie siege. A huge crowd of people would rush toward the various cafeteria windows and line up for food.
Chu Xi had just arrived and hadn't gotten a meal card yet. Although you could pay with cash at the windows, Ren Zhi saw this as an opportunity and proactively told her:
"I'll treat you to lunch! Don't be polite!"
Chu Xi remembered that young Ren Zhi lived with her aunt. She had inherited money from her parents who died in a car accident, so she had living expenses.
So Chu Xi gladly accepted. "Okay, which window has the best food? Give me a recommendation."
Ren Zhi pointed to a window with a medium-sized line. "That one. Do you like rice bowls? The braised pork with preserved vegetables and the shredded pork with green peppers are both delicious."
Compared to the usual big-pot dishes and fried rice windows, the rice bowls were more expensive. Even though the students loved the taste, they couldn't eat them often; their wallets couldn't handle it.
Ren Zhi was very generous.
Chu Xi lined up with her at this window. When they got to the middle of the line, she discovered they even had braised pork rice bowls.
Oh, nice.
Chu Xi was enthusiastic, smiling as she said, "I'll have the braised pork rice bowl."
Ren Zhi held her meal card, her smile bright. "Okay."
For the first time, she felt that this little magnetic card in her hand had great meaning.
Chu Xi got the braised pork rice bowl, and Ren Zhi got the minced beef with pickled chili rice bowl. They found a corner seat in the packed cafeteria and sat opposite each other at a long table with a white top and blue frame.
After putting down her tray, Ren Zhi hadn't even sat down yet when she said:
"I'll go get soup. I'll get some for you too. Wait for me, okay?"
"Okay, be careful."
Ren Zhi went to the soup station. There was a large insulated barrel with stainless steel bowls next to it. Students would take a bowl from the table and then use a large ladle to scoop out a serving of thin, watery soup.
Today's soup was seaweed soup. The thick-skinned students would stir the bottom of the barrel with the ladle to scoop up a lot of seaweed.
Ren Zhi was very thin-skinned and didn't want to hold up the students behind her, so the two bowls she got were really just flavored hot water.
Back at the seat, Chu Xi eagerly tried a bite of the braised pork. It tasted pretty good; at least for school cafeteria food, its color, aroma, and flavor were above average.
She picked out two lean pieces and put them on Ren Zhi's tray, then watched Ren Zhi without blinking.
Carrying two bowls of soup, she was very careful, holding one in each hand. The watery soup sloshed gently, a bit of oil sheen floating on top.
Ren Zhi had only filled both bowls about eighty percent full so they wouldn't spill easily while walking. Even so, her eyes were still cautiously fixed on the two bowls.
In the line for another window, a boy from the next class with round eyes and thick eyebrows, but a cunning expression, was watching Ren Zhi walk past his line with shifty eyes.
His gaze was lewd and malicious, full of ill intent. He looked like a typical troublemaker. He patted the arm of the buddy behind him, telling him to look at Ren Zhi with him.
Seeing this, Chu Xi frowned. A bad premonition suddenly arose. Just as she was about to get up to help Ren Zhi, it was too late.
She watched with her own eyes as this idiot stuck out his leg and deliberately tripped Ren Zhi as she walked by.
Ren Zhi's attention was focused on the soup bowls, and sure enough, she was tripped in a moment of carelessness.
Her body pitched forward with gravity. Completely unstable, she stumbled a few steps. Fortunately, she didn't fall down messily, but half the soup from both bowls spilled.
The soup splashed on the floor, splattering onto the shoes and pants of some nearby students.
Someone immediately started cursing, "How do you walk?!"
The boy who had deliberately tripped Ren Zhi had already cleverly pulled his leg back. With his hands in his pockets, he hid in the line and whistled.
"Sorry, sorry." Ren Zhi quickly apologized to the students who had been accidentally splashed. But she knew someone had just tripped her. She didn't know if it was intentional or not. She looked back, but everyone looked at her innocently.
The buddy of the boy who tripped her was covering his mouth, snickering, finding it hilarious.
When he met Ren Zhi's gaze, he waved his hand without a shred of guilt. "Don't look at me, I wasn't the one who tripped you. What the hell are you looking at?"
Chu Xi hadn't expected people in this middle school to hold such malice toward Ren Zhi.
Was this just a joke in their eyes? Was it fun?
Chu Xi's knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists. Ren Zhi stood there awkwardly while they continued to laugh.
If she hadn't witnessed it herself, someone who hadn't experienced it would find it hard to imagine what Ren Zhi's school life was really like.
How bleak must her mood have been back then for her to never mention her school memories as an adult.
Chu Xi walked over. The tips of Ren Zhi's ears were red as she looked at her. Chu Xi took the two bowls, which still had a little soup left, from her hands without a word.
She poured the soup from both bowls into one, slowly raised her head, and asked the person who had been laughing and dared to curse at Ren Zhi.
"Is it funny?"
"Hahaha, it wasn't me who tripped..."
With a "splat," the oily seaweed soup was thrown in his face. The ugly, obnoxious laughter came to an abrupt halt.
"Ah! You..."
Chu Xi slammed a stainless steel bowl into his face, hitting him right on the mouth. While his face was covered in soup and he couldn't open his eyes, a sharp pain shot through his mouth. With a powerful "thud," the boy's mouth instantly swelled up, and it felt as if his teeth were about to be knocked loose!
The boy in front of him got angry. "Holy shit," he cursed, reaching out to push Chu Xi, but she was faster.
A fierce light flashed in Chu Xi's eyes. She backhanded the other stainless steel bowl onto this idiot's head. A second "bang" left him dazed and his head ringing.
The next second, she launched a flying kick, striking the stomach of the person who had deliberately tripped Ren Zhi. Her martial arts lessons from Three Kingdoms had not been in vain.
Amid a scream of pain, this idiot was sent flying half a meter by Chu Xi's kick, landing on the ground and clutching his stomach with a contorted expression.
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