At First Experimental High School, things weren’t quite what Tao Zhi had expected. She knew Ji Fan somewhat, at least before he left middle school — he was like a little monster when fighting, easily getting caught up in the heat of the moment.
Tao Zhi couldn’t imagine what it would look like if Jiang Qi Huai got into a fight and rolled around on the ground. He seemed like the type who would feel dirty if someone merely touched him.
Who knew he had such a militant background?
“Are you sure you fought with him?” Tao Zhi asked skeptically.
“How could I forget something like that?” Ji Fan’s eyes widened. “You think the king of Affiliated High School would lose for no reason? I’d remember him even if he turned to ashes.”
Tao Zhi nodded and reminded him: “But it seems he doesn’t remember you.”
Ji Fan choked, frowning unhappily: “What’s wrong with you, Miss Tao Zhi? Whose side are you on?”
“This isn’t about taking sides,” Tao Zhi glanced at him. “You can’t even beat him anyway.”
“Whether I can beat him or not is one thing, but I can’t lose in spirit,” Ji Fan explained with authority. “I hereby declare him my lifelong rival.”
Tao Zhi: “…”
Tao Zhi took him to the library to get new textbooks and school uniforms before returning to the classroom. The young man finally took off his flashy jacket and changed into the Second Year Experimental High uniform, making him look somewhat more well-behaved and easier on the eyes.
When they returned, Li Shuang Jiang was talking to someone at the door. Seeing them, he raised both arms: “Brother—”
Ji Fan walked over to him, also raising his arms: “Brother—”
The two stood at the back door of the classroom and embraced emotionally: “See you in the valley tonight?”
Ji Fan patted his shoulder: “Sure, I’ll play Lee Sin.”
“Let’s make our opponents despair with our jungle duo.” Li Shuang Jiang gripped his hand tightly.
Ji Fan gripped back: “Brother, I understand you.”
“…”
Tao Zhi rolled her eyes, sidestepping these two weirdos to return to her seat, preparing for class while keeping an eye on the two who had fought before.
Ji Fan must have really stayed up too late last night and was extremely tired. He also didn’t have the energy to dwell on past matters with Jiang Qi Huai. Basically, as soon as the class bell rang, he started sleeping and continued sleeping all morning.
During this time, the English teacher stood beside him and gently called his name several times, but couldn’t wake him from his sweet dreams.
Because Fu Xi Ling always brought her own lunch, Tao Zhi usually bought food to eat with her. As soon as the bell rang, Ji Fan, who couldn’t be woken up by several teachers, lifted his head drowsily as if there was an alarm in his brain, calling out: “Zhi Zhi.”
Tao Zhi stacked her books in the upper left corner of her desk and turned around: “What do you want to eat?”
“Anything,” Ji Fan yawned. “Where are you eating? Is there anything good at Experimental?”
“I’m eating in the classroom,” Tao Zhi thought for a moment. “How about Malatang today?”
Ji Fan nodded and stood up: “Then take me there.”
Jiang Qi Huai hadn’t left yet. Tao Zhi hesitated for a moment, turned sideways, and for the first time since school started, asked him: “Do you want to have lunch with us?”
Ji Fan also remembered his new seatmate.
The young man was still yawning sleepily. Hearing this, he turned around, narrowed his eyes, and looked at him. Those black eyes, somewhat similar to Tao Zhi’s, were full of murderous intent.
He conveyed his message through his eyes — just try accepting and see what happens.
Jiang Qi Huai lowered his eyelids, closed his book, and stood up without even looking at him: “No thanks.”
He left through the back door after speaking.
Ji Fan’s murderous intent from a second ago instantly deflated. He turned his head, looked at Tao Zhi, and comforted himself: “Was he intimidated by my aura?”
“Not at all, you were just invisible to him,” Tao Zhi said mercilessly.
“I wanted to ask earlier, but I was too sleepy to remember,” Ji Fan looked at her, confused. “Why do you seem to have such a good relationship with Jiang Qi Huai?”
Fu Xi Ling, who had just opened her lunch box and picked up a piece of beef, choked when she heard this.
Tao Zhi had a look of disbelief: “Which eye of yours saw that we have a good relationship?”
Ji Fan: “He talks to you quite a bit, doesn’t he? During group discussions, I vaguely heard him explaining problems to you?”
Tao Zhi: “…People who sleep in class should just keep sleeping and not worry about group activities.”
“You just invited him to lunch,” Ji Fan said, looking dissatisfied.
Tao Zhi narrowed her eyes: “Are you trying to pick a fight with me? I invited you to lunch too.”
“How can that be compared? Aren’t we close?”
“Did your brain short-circuit from sleeping? When were we ever close?”
Fu Xi Ling ate her beef while enjoying the elementary school-level verbal sparring between the two.
The classroom was mostly empty now, with only a few people besides them. She bit her chopsticks and turned her head, seeing a girl slowly walking over and stopping at a distance in the aisle, seemingly hesitant.
Fu Xi Ling secretly tugged at Tao Zhi’s hand under the table.
Tao Zhi turned around.
Fu Xi Ling raised her chin towards the girl’s direction.
Tao Zhi turned to look. When the young girl’s eyes met hers, her steps that had just started forward stopped again. Her face was red, and she hid something behind her back. After seeming to hesitate for a moment, she turned and ran away.
Ji Fan looked confused: “What’s wrong with her? Need to use the bathroom?”
“Don’t know,” The girl was usually quiet in class without much presence. Tao Zhi couldn’t remember her name for a moment. “What’s her name again? Li something?”
“Li Si Jia, the English class representative,” Fu Xi Ling said while stuffing another piece of beef in her mouth, speaking with puffed cheeks. “Last week during self-study, I saw her talking to the top student in the hallway, her face was just as red.”
Ji Fan looked at her in confusion.
“Jiang Qi Huai,” Fu Xi Ling explained.
Ji Fan had a sudden realization: “His girlfriend?”
“She definitely wanted to confess,” Fu Xi Ling said. “Wasn’t she trying to slip a love letter to him just now?”
This time Tao Zhi also turned to look at her, seemingly having difficulty understanding: “Slip what?”
“A love letter,” Fu Xi Ling blinked. “Didn’t you see what she was hiding behind her back? She probably didn’t have the courage to slip it in because we were all watching.”
Tao Zhi felt her understanding of puppy love being challenged.
Do people these days still confess to someone they like by slipping love letters?
After lunch, before the noon break was over, Li Shuang Jiang and Zhao Ming Qi came back arm in arm to get their ball, seeing Ji Fan they called out: “Brother! Come on, let’s play ball!”
Ji Fan, who had been drowsy, immediately perked up at the invitation to play: “Let’s go, I’ll give you a three-point handicap.”
The boys left the classroom noisily. Fu Xi Ling lay on her desk to catch up on sleep, while Tao Zhi slouched in her chair playing with her phone out of boredom.
People came and went in the classroom, but she didn’t pay much attention, focused on playing a round of mahjong where she lost 300,000 happy beans.
The classroom was quiet, and Tao Zhi heard the sound of pages turning from the desk behind her, soft and buried in the laughter coming from the playground outside the window.
She thought Jiang Qi Huai had returned, played another tile, and turned around.
No one was at the back desk, everything on the desk was exactly as it had been when the owner left.
Tao Zhi didn’t think much of it, turned back to continue playing mahjong, lost another round where she gave her opponent five winning hands, losing all her remaining beans. The back door opened, and Jiang Qi Huai returned.
Tao Zhi put her phone away in her desk drawer, turned around, and asked directly: “Your Highness, have you chosen your consort?”
Jiang Qi Huai pulled out his chair, pausing: “What drama are you acting out now?”
“Just curious if the top student has a romantic interest,” Tao Zhi said straightforwardly. Fu Xi Ling was still sleeping beside them, so she spoke more softly than usual to avoid disturbing her. “And whether you plan to choose a consort from our class.”
“No, and no plans to.”
Jiang Qi Huai spoke while pulling out the stack of papers he hadn’t finished before lunch break, opened them, then paused.
There was a pink envelope inserted between the papers.
Tao Zhi whistled.
Jiang Qi Huai: “…”
She turned around to sit backwards, resting her chin on her hand and deliberately dragging out her words: “No— and no plans to—”
The sky was somewhat cloudy today, with thick cloud cover. The sunlight only barely peeked out from behind the clouds at noon, just a thin ray of brightness.
Tao Zhi admiringly sighed: “When did this sister slip it in? I didn’t even notice, she’s quite skilled.”
Jiang Qi Huai listened to her inexplicable admiration without even furrowing his brow, casually put the envelope aside, and continued working on his papers.
Tao Zhi glanced at him: “How can you still focus on studying?”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?” Jiang Qi Huai kept his eyes down, writing out a letter.
Tao Zhi didn’t speak. She rested her head on the edge of his desk, looking at him, then eagerly looking at the pink envelope on his desk, then back at him, then back at the pink envelope.
Her gaze went back and forth like this for five minutes.
Jiang Qi Huai’s pen tip paused, and he finally looked up: “Did you understand the five questions from yesterday’s math quiz?”
Tao Zhi blinked at him and shook her head.
“Have you finished the workbook?”
Tao Zhi shook her head again.
“Then what are you doing here watching me? Will the workbook complete itself?”
“Heartless,” Tao Zhi accused while lying on the desk.
“…”
“Cold.”
“…”
“Inhumane.”
“The young lady’s feelings, you won’t even look at them,” Tao Zhi sighed. “Most heartless is the imperial family. This Lady Li is good in every way, but unfortunately her eyes are blind to have fallen for such a ruthless person.”
“…”
This little lunatic was always making up settings for him. Jiang Qi Huai didn’t even know what this ‘Lady Li’ business was about.
He put down his pen and leaned back: “Are you that curious?”
Tao Zhi: “About what?”
“Your… Lady Li’s writing, if you’re curious, read it yourself.” Jiang Qi Huai paused, following her setting for the first time.
“How could I do that? This is her private letter to you, her heartfelt feelings. You should read it yourself,” Tao Zhi seriously lectured him.
Without thinking much, she quickly continued: “Besides, this palace holds great power but is used to being indifferent to such matters. I have no interest in participating in Your Highness’s harem struggles.”
After she finished speaking, she suddenly realized belatedly that something seemed off about what she said.
Tao Zhi froze.
An awkward silence instantly fell between them, the air filled with embarrassment.
Jiang Qi Huai raised an eyebrow: “Holds great power?”
Tao Zhi opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but her brain seemed to short-circuit from embarrassment and she couldn’t get any words out.
“Not participating in my harem struggles?”
Tao Zhi’s head, which was resting on his desk, shrunk down a bit, her eyes avoiding his gaze, her ear tips turning red.
It was rare to see her at a loss, and Jiang Qi Huai found it quite interesting.
He tapped his fingers on the desk unhurriedly, continuing to torment her: “What’s this, you want to be empress?”
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