CSGM - Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Extra - Parallel World

Zhou Yuqi felt like she was going crazy.

She was puzzled. Now that Chu Xi was her deskmate, why did she seem like a completely different person?

Could it be that she couldn't even compare to Ren Zhi? In what way was she inferior to Ren Zhi?

As soon as the break between classes started, Chu Xi went to find Ren Zhi as usual, not even sparing her a glance.

When one of the classes ended, Zhou Yuqi finally mustered the courage to grab Chu Xi's wrist. Chu Xi glanced at her hand, then lifted her eyelids to look at her, her face filled with displeasure.

"What do you want?"

-Forget about Chu Xi being a helpful and cooperative deskmate; she hadn't even given her a single pleasant look!

Zhou Yuqi stiffened her neck and said forcefully:

"Are you going to find Ren Zhi again? Hang out with me instead. She's not your deskmate anymore; we're sitting together now."

Chu Xi's expression was icy.

"None of your business. Let go. I'm not interested."

During this break, Zhou Yuqi was determined to "win over" Chu Xi. She tried both hard and soft tactics. When being forceful didn't work, she resorted to acting cute.

"Hey, hey... I want to go to the tuck shop. Come with me, okay? I'll buy you a drink."

Psycho.

Chu Xi shot her a glance, shook off her hand, and got up to find Ren Zhi.

Zhou Yuqi sat in her seat, watching Chu Xi and Ren Zhi leave through the back door of the classroom, laughing and talking. She felt indignant and slightly embarrassed.

The students in the surrounding seats and in the aisle were all looking at her, discussing it with confusion:

"What's going on? She's still hanging out with Ren Zhi? Zhou Yuqi, isn't she your deskmate now? Are you two not getting along?"

Zhou Yuqi deliberately flipped the pages of her book loudly and said sullenly:

"I don't know!"

Since she was a girl, the grinning classmates next to her immediately stopped and started to comfort her.

"I think it's just because she just switched seats and hasn't adjusted yet. It'll be fine after a few more days."

"Yeah, exactly. It's fine. Hasn't Chu Xi only been here for two days? It's just bad luck that Ren Zhi was the first person she sat next to. Later on, she'll definitely realize you're much better than Ren Zhi."

"Exactly, exactly. Don't be angry, Princess Qiqi."

Then, they started discussing conspiracy theories.

"Do you guys think that before she moved over, Ren Zhi said something bad about Zhou Yuqi to her? That's why she won't hang out with Zhou Yuqi."

"Oh—, right! That's possible!"

"Wow, I think so too. What kind of person is she..."

Later, after observing her, Zhou Yuqi and the students in the back row noticed that as soon as Chu Xi returned to her seat, her expression would turn sour, and she wouldn't interact with them.

It seemed Ren Zhi must have said "bad things" about them.

The girl in the back row had a short mushroom haircut. She poked Chu Xi's back. Chu Xi frowned slightly and turned her head.

The mushroom-haired girl asked in a low voice, "My name is Peng Yuting. Hey, Chu Xi, did Ren Zhi say anything to you before you moved over?"

Chu Xi raised an eyebrow at her. "No, why? What was there to say?"

Mushroom Hair: "Really? She didn't say anything at all?"

Chu Xi's gaze turned cold. "If you're going to doubt me, don't bother asking."

As she was about to turn back, the mushroom-haired girl quickly grabbed her school uniform. "No! Listen to me!"

"You haven't said a word since you came over, so we thought Ren Zhi had turned you against us. She doesn't get along with any of us; she's always by herself."

Chu Xi raised one index finger, then flicked up her middle finger, making a "2" with her hand, and corrected her:

"Now there are two of us. Me and her, together."

The mushroom-haired girl asked curiously, "What's your relationship?"

Chu Xi: "Friends."

Mushroom Hair said, "But you've moved over here now, and your deskmate is Zhou Yuqi. Do you want to hang out with us?"

It seemed this group of people really wanted to win Chu Xi over.

Mainly because Chu Xi was cool and had connections. Middle schoolers all knew the benefit of leaning on a big tree for shade.

Chu Xi shot a sidelong glance at the mushroom-haired girl behind her.

"You talk too much."

She pulled her school uniform free from the girl's grasp, sat up straight, and scooted her chair forward a bit.

She understood now. So this was how the ostracism in this class worked.

During the English dictation test, Zhou Yuqi's vocabulary wasn't very solid.

When she couldn't write the first word, she closed her eyes, gripped her pen tightly, and thought hard, muttering, "brain, brain, brain..."

What on earth was 'brain'?

Chu Xi wanted to laugh at her foolish appearance.

When she couldn't write the second word, Zhou Yuqi started to scratch her head in frustration.

When the teacher said "sentence," she couldn't remember the Chinese meaning again, feeling as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

If she got more than three words wrong, she'd have to retake the dictation test. Ahhhhhh...

Her mind in a mess, Zhou Yuqi pinned her hopes on her deskmate, Chu Xi.

She saw that Chu Xi had written down every word after the teacher said it. Maybe Chu Xi actually knew them?

She nudged Chu Xi with her elbow, pointed the tip of her pen at her own English notebook, and cast a pleading look.

Chu Xi glanced at her.

Psycho.

Did she really expect me to let her copy? Was she crazy?

That was indeed what Zhou Yuqi was thinking. She whispered, "Do you know them? Let me see."

Chu Xi looked at her, amused. "Why should I?"

Zhou Yuqi said urgently, "We're deskmates, help me out! I'll buy you a snack later!"

As if I'm short on the few yuan it takes to buy a snack from the tuck shop.

Without a word, Chu Xi turned her head away and even moved her notebook to the side farther from Zhou Yuqi, deliberately preventing her from seeing.

Zhou Yuqi stared at her with wide eyes: "..."

It wasn't until the noon break that Zhou Yuqi finally blew up over this matter.

No, it wasn't just this one thing, but everything Chu Xi had done since moving seats.

Four classmates stood beside Zhou Yuqi, all of them from nearby seats, joining her to "denounce" Chu Xi.

"Chu Xi, can you not be so antisocial? If none of us hang out with you later, don't you dare say we're ostracizing you! Ever since you changed seats, we've all wanted to include you, but you've given all of us the cold shoulder. What gives you the right?!"

Chu Xi, holding a white peach-flavored Mizone, stood by her seat and swept a faint glance over the group.

"Who wanted to hang out with you anyway? You're flattering yourselves," she said dismissively.

Who would have thought she could speak so heartlessly, as if she couldn't care less about her relationships with her classmates.

Including Zhou Yuqi, there were five people in the group opposite her, yet their combined presence seemed weaker than her calm aura.

Zhou Yuqi said huffily, "You're my deskmate now. Shouldn't deskmates help each other out? I even offered to buy you snacks and drinks!"

It was as if to say, since she could do that much, Chu Xi should also make the same effort.

Since that's the case.

Chu Xi asked with a half-smile, "If it were Ren Zhi who moved over, would you treat her this way? Would you actively try to hang out with her?"

Zhou Yuqi was stunned, and the four people around her exchanged glances.

After a long moment, Chu Xi sat down. Only then did she hear them say, "We don't want to hang out with her."

Chu Xi said indifferently, "I don't want to hang out with you, either."

Zhou Yuqi's eyes widened. She found what Chu Xi said simply unbelievable.

Just because of that, Chu Xi was excluding all of them?

Next, she uttered a statement so idiotic that even Chu Xi was shocked.

"Why are you still on her side? I'm your deskmate now, shouldn't you be on my side!? Why are you so nice to Ren Zhi, but when you get here, you give me the cold shoulder? Are we not deskmates? This is discrimination!"

Chu Xi sized her up with disgust, as if looking at something filthy, then retracted her gaze and said sharply:

"Psycho! As if you're worthy of being compared to her."

She realized that the people in this class were truly not normal.

After the next monthly exam, she was definitely going to switch her seat back.

Thinking of this, Chu Xi turned her head and looked toward the last row by the window.

Ren Zhi happened to be looking her way. Their eyes met, and Chu Xi immediately broke into a delighted smile, waving at Ren Zhi.

At that moment, Zhou Yuqi, who was watching from the side, felt her self-esteem shatter.

This is too much!!!

Chu Xi's discrimination is too much!!!

Fine, fine, fine! She can just be locked together with Ren Zhi forever, the two weirdos!

After that, Zhou Yuqi never said another word to Chu Xi. She even separated their desks, which had been pushed tightly together, drawing a 'three-eight line' between them.

Her childish tricks, and the change in attitude from the surrounding classmates, were completely insignificant to Chu Xi.

Who cared if they were happy or not, anyway.

When the most relaxing class, PE, arrived, all the students of Grade 9, Class 8 gathered on the sports field under the bright sunlight.

The PE teacher led them through warm-up exercises, then ordered the entire class to run one lap around the track.

At times like this, there would always be a few girls clutching their stomachs, frowning as they stepped out of the line. After whispering a few words to the teacher, they could enjoy their "privilege" with a clear conscience.

Together, Chu Xi and Ren Zhi finished the 400-meter lap and returned to the assembly point. The PE teacher had already announced that they were dismissed.

The students of Class 8 immediately split up by gender, forming several small groups here and there.

The boys went to play ball, while the girls gathered to discuss their own little activities. There were also four or five who went off on their own to play badminton.

Usually during PE class, Ren Zhi would always feel awkwardly out of place with all the other students.

She had nowhere to go, so she would just return to the classroom and sit by herself.

But not anymore. Chu Xi stood in front of her, tilted her head, and asked, "What do you want to play?"

The sun was very strong today, its rays dazzling. Chu Xi frowned slightly in the bright light, several drops of sweat trickling down her forehead.

-Ren Zhi had long since discovered that she was the type who was very sensitive to heat.

Ren Zhi took a pack of tissues from her pocket, gave her one, and said with a smile, "You're so hot. Wipe your sweat."

Chu Xi took the tissue and wiped her sweat, then quickly pulled up her collar to sniff it, asking nervously, "Hm? Do I stink?"

She was afraid she smelled of sweat and that it would bother Ren Zhi.

Chu Xi always seemed to care a lot about her image.

Ren Zhi suppressed a laugh. "No, you don't stink."

"Really?" Chu Xi was half-convinced.

"Of course. You're not like those boys. Your clothes still smell nice," Ren Zhi said, her eyes curving into a smile.

Chu Xi sniffed her school uniform. Although she couldn't smell the fragrance Ren Zhi mentioned, she felt a little more at ease.

As long as she wasn't stinky in front of Ren Zhi, it was fine.

Seeing how much Chu Xi was sweating and how hot she looked after just one run, Ren Zhi suggested they borrow a chess set and engage in a quiet recreational activity.

The two borrowed a Chinese chess set from the equipment room and sat cross-legged in the shade of a tree to play.

Chu Xi did her best to keep her skill level at that of an amateur middle school player.

Ren Zhi sat opposite her, occasionally pinching her chin and staring at the board in deep thought.

"Wait a moment, let me think a little more... I'll be ready soon..." Ren Zhi muttered.

Chu Xi gazed at her focused face. Her beautiful and radiant features, not yet fully matured, held a kind of pure childishness.

Chu Xi propped her chin on one hand, resting her elbow on her knee, and smiled. "Take your time thinking. There's no rush."

They sat under a sweet osmanthus tree. The faint, elegant fragrance of the flowers drifted to their noses, making this corner of the sports field a sanctuary for cooling off in the summer.

Time flowed by peacefully. Reflected in Ren Zhi's pair of bright, limpid eyes was Chu Xi's smiling face under the sun.

Ren Zhi: "Are you letting me win?"

Chu Xi: "Hm? No, our skill levels are about the same."

Ren Zhi: "Then why do you always make your moves so quickly?"

Chu Xi: "Oh... I just don't want to keep you waiting."

Ren Zhi: "Then why didn't you take my horse just now?"

Chu Xi: "Uh, I didn't see it... Forget it, forget it, it's fine. Let's continue."

The temperature today was indeed a bit high. Worried she would end up drenched in stinky sweat, Chu Xi chugged iced water she'd bought from the tuck shop while playing chess to cool down.

She finished a bottle of water in no time. When she reached for the iced water again with her right hand, she realized she was holding a light, empty bottle.

Uh... Did they skimp on this bottle of water? She finished it already?

Ren Zhi saw her surprised expression, smiled lightly, and picked up her own water bottle.

After making this subconscious gesture, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed... What if Chu Xi refused?

So she said cautiously, "I haven't drunk much of this bottle. If you don't mind, you can drink it... Oh! You can pour it into your own cup to drink."

"Hey, thanks." Chu Xi beamed, took it, and deciding not to bother with a cup, twisted off the cap and chugged it down.

Ren Zhi's bottle wasn't iced water; in fact, it had become a little warm under the sun. But Chu Xi had this little quirk...

She just loved drinking water from her baby's bottle.

It was as if the water inside was different from the water in her own bottle. In any case, it felt more satisfying to drink.

Ren Zhi's bright, captivating eyes blinked as she watched her.

Chu Xi closed the cap and wiped her mouth.

"I'll buy you another bottle to replace it when we go back."

Ren Zhi shook her head. "No need to be so polite."

"By the way, uh..." Ren Zhi's voice paused, and she hesitated. "Since you're hanging out with me, the other students don't approach you anymore. Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"Of course not. I wish they'd stop bothering me," Chu Xi scoffed.

"I don't want you to be excluded by everyone too," Ren Zhi said, lowering her head slightly.

Chu Xi took the opportunity to reach out and pat her head.

"Don't overthink it. Even without you, I wouldn't hang out with them. I look down on them. It's more like, thank goodness you're here, so I have at least one friend in class."

Ren Zhi looked up, gazing at her with a mixture of confusion and bewilderment.

"It's just... everyone else in this class is an idiot in my eyes..."

"Shh...!"

Ren Zhi raised a finger and pressed it to her small, cherry-red lips.

The gesture was exactly the same as her future self's. Chu Xi smiled and tilted her head.

At the same time, a classmate ran over to pick up a shuttlecock that had landed near them, then ran back without pausing.

Ren Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest. "That was close. They almost heard you. Keep your voice down."

Chu Xi said fearlessly, "It wouldn't matter if they heard. I don't care if they're happy or not."

"Why do you only hang out with me?" Ren Zhi asked curiously.

The question caught Chu Xi off guard. She thought for a moment and then made something up on the spot.

"Intuition, I guess. Or magnetic fields. Fate... Anyway, it's just a strange feeling. Yep, that's it..."

Ren Zhi nodded as if she half-understood, her expression a mixture of surprise and flattery.

Then her luck was truly too good.

Chu Xi scratched her head. Seeing Ren Zhi's sincere and unwavering gaze, she actually felt a twinge of guilt.

She couldn't very well say it was because she had a System, and that after traversing 99 worlds to complete missions, she had threatened and bribed the System, trading her past merits for this chance to transmigrate here, could she?

That sounded like the plot of a novel made up on the spot.

The two weeks after she and Ren Zhi were separated felt much slower than the two weeks when they were still deskmates.

It must have been because of her new psycho deskmate. Chu Xi felt that every subsequent class dragged on like a year.

Coupled with the fact that these middle school lessons were uninteresting, she felt like she was reflecting on her mistakes while facing a wall in prison.

The National Day holiday was coming up. According to the school's schedule, the grade-wide monthly exam would be held right after the holiday.

On the eve of the holiday, during the last class meeting, the head teacher asked all the students to set a ranking goal for their next monthly exam.

When it was Chu Xi's turn to stand up, she said, "Top fifty in the grade."

Changing seats was her goal.

However, after she said it, everyone around looked at her with expressions of "Wow—."

This student, who was often called out for not paying attention in class and disliked handing in homework, actually said she wanted to rank in the top fifty of the grade?

666, as expected of a transfer student from another school. She knew nothing about this school's exams.

The head teacher's face also turned a little grim. She instantly realized that Chu Xi must have lost her mind. All she thought about all day was changing seats, right?

Was there nothing else in her brain besides that?

The head teacher reprimanded, "Set a proper goal! Why don't you just say you want to be first in the grade?"

Aiming for the top fifty right off the bat, she thought Chu Xi was just talking nonsense.

Who knew that after hearing this, Chu Xi would lazily lift her eyelids and say in a faint tone:

"Alright, first in the grade then."

The surrounding students again went: Wow~

They found it amusing to listen to Chu Xi's bragging.

The head teacher's face stiffened. She couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on her. In her eyes, Chu Xi was the type of student who was uncontrollable, unteachable, and hopeless.

On the Excel spreadsheet on her computer, she entered the number "1" in the row for Chu Xi. The number immediately appeared on the projector screen, and the students below all wore half-smiles, thinking Chu Xi had made a huge joke.

The head teacher: "Fine, if you say first, then first it is. In any case, anyone who doesn't reach their goal will have to copy the exam paper."

Chu Xi sat down and continued to draw in her notebook.

Her deskmate, Zhou Yuqi, glanced at her. Tch, what's she so smug about... Ah, her drawing is actually so good!

Ren Zhi also set a goal of getting into the top fifty of the grade. Her usual scores were between seventieth and one-hundredth place. It seemed she was serious and wanted to challenge herself this time.

Before the class meeting ended, the head teacher concluded.

"In our class, five students have set a goal of being in the top fifty of the grade this time, and one has even aimed for first..." As she spoke, her tone became a bit sarcastic. "I see our class is becoming more and more impressive. I hope your results will be as good as the goals you've set."

You should know, usually in their Class 8, the number of students who could get into the top fifty of the grade was around two or three.

If five of them really made it this time, that would be a huge success.

The scorching heat gradually faded at the beginning of October.

Golden ginkgo leaves fell from the branches, a cool breeze blew through the streets, and the mannequins in the shopping malls were dressed in autumn and winter styles. Finally, one could feel the arrival of autumn.

During the National Day holiday, Ren Zhi spent every day soaking in this faint autumn atmosphere at the library.

The air conditioning was still on in the library. It seemed there were still people sensitive to heat who couldn't stand the weather outside.

Listening to the sound from her earphones and watching a TV show on her phone, Ren Zhi propped up her chin and thought:

Chu Xi probably can't stand it either, right? She must be at home with the air conditioning on.

Ren Zhi was different. She was used to spending holidays outside. It was better than being a superfluous child at her aunt's house.

It wasn't that her aunt was bad to her, but she knew her aunt had her own child. It wouldn't be right for her to interfere with her younger cousin and aunt's parent-child time.

If she stayed at the library, her aunt could take her cousin to the amusement park alone.

Ren Zhi didn't think there was anything wrong with it. The atmosphere in a place like this was much freer than at school.

It's just... it got a little boring being alone for so long.

After finishing the episode, she turned off her phone, did a set of eye exercises, and then took an exam paper out of her schoolbag to work on.

She finished the paper, and it was only 11:30 in the morning.

Ren Zhi thought for a moment. She would rest for half an hour before going to eat.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

Luckily, she was wearing earphones. She quickly picked up the vibrating phone and ran out to the hallway to answer Chu Xi's call.

"Hello, Chu Xi."

Chu Xi's voice was drowsy; you could tell she had just woken up.

"Mmm~ What are you doing?"

"I'm at the library reading today. Did you just wake up? Don't you eat breakfast?" Ren Zhi asked in surprise.

Chu Xi paused, let out an "uh," and felt inexplicably guilty. "Well, it's a holiday today... so I slept in a little. You're at the library? Can I come find you later?"

Ren Zhi: "Oh, okay, but there's nothing fun to do at the library. Do you want to read with me?"

Chu Xi thought about reading-

"..."

That activity sounded so quiet.

"Let's not read. We get tired of it at school every day," she said. "I'll come find you and take you somewhere else to have fun. Wait for me, okay? It's settled!"

She was afraid Ren Zhi would get into study-maniac mode and refuse, so she spoke with particular determination.

But Ren Zhi, holding her phone, was smiling happily. "Oh, okay."

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