CH 2

“Let go of me, what the hell… Let go!”

Fan Xiangxiang harshly flung Lu Xing off of her, breaking free from her grip.

Seeing that the car had already entered the gates, Yu Xing released her.

When the two of them were alone in the duty room, Fan Xiangxiang’s anger spiked. "What the hell were you dragging me for? Who told you to cover my mouth!?”

Yu Xing replied, "The security guard said that it was a school car, our seniors were inside."

“So what if they’re our seniors?”

“We can let it pass since they’re our schoolmates.”

"According to school rules, the classes with those who arrive late and leave early will be..."

"You know," Yu Xing interrupted her calmly, "that's all just for show. The true rules here, everyone knows by heart."

Fan Xiangxiang was unwilling to give in. "What ‘true rules’, what ‘know by heart’, just because you’re willing to bow down to those underhanded rules doesn’t mean I want to be like you!"

Yu Xing moved to speak, but one look at her obvious contempt and she suddenly remembered Fan Xiangxiang’s odd expression as she stared at the car before rushing outside. Yu Xing did not want to talk again after that.

The only students who drove to school were seniors.

They were also the most wanton, arrogant, and untouchable people in the school.

How did Fan Xiangxiang not know that?

To be fair, she wasn’t ugly and her family wasn’t bad; outside of Lintian, she would probably be considered well-off. She was likely pampered by her parents at home, but still, she could never be that ignorant of the ways of the world.

Her earlier actions were truly puzzling.

The security guard let the car pass, but she wasn’t willing to let it go, and just a while ago, Yu Xing was almost glared to death for trying to help her.

Yu Xing was silent for a few seconds, then, "Fan Xiangxiang, we are here at Lintian to learn."

Fan Xiangxiang frowned. "...Do I need you to tell me that?" She was still in a bad mood. "I’ll trouble you to mind your own business next time. I don’t need your meddling, okay? I don’t care if you’re cowardly and weak, don’t make me nod alongside you!”

"Bowing properly can’t be considered nodding along." Yu Xing's voice was soft and her tone was not rude, but her words were clear and insistent.

"Why do I have to bow down to the rules here?"

Yu Xing glanced at her from under her black-rimmed glasses. "Because we are here."

“...” Fan Xiangxiang choked on her own words.

After a few seconds, Fan Xiangxiang came back to her senses and glared at Yu Xing. “What do summer insects know of ice, mind your own business next time!”

> idiom from Zhuangzi, meaning that people cannot speak on things they do not know about

> idiom from the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian, meaning that ordinary people can't understand the ambitions of the great

But who knows?

Before seeing the swan, the bird may think that it is the one with high ambitions, but it if it can only offer one or two clumsy ideas, then it is the one with empty hopes.

—

Yu Xing was in class 3 and Fan Xiangxiang was in another class, so they didn’t have many opportunities to meet. While it could be said that friendship between gentlemen was as insipid as water, the relationship between them wasn’t even a puddle.

Their altercation in the duty room was quickly forgotten by the next day.

It was a peaceful, ordinary, and completely normal day, and afternoon came in the blink of an eye.

At the the ringing of the bell, the teacher stepped down from the podium and the atmosphere in the class immediately relaxed.

Yu Xing moved to organize her desk, relaxedly sitting back in her chair.

Qiu Huini looked at the mistakes on her homework. Dissatisfied, she asked Yu Xing, "Why are there mistakes here?"

Yu Xing turned around when she finished neatly stacking her books. "Hm?"

Qiu Huini took a pen and pointed at her paper, eyebrows furrowed. "You were specially admitted, but you aren’t even good at studying– you made mistakes here, can you really be trusted?”

"Oh, that. When I transcribed the answers, I purposely made some of them wrong." Yu Xing said softly. "If you get them all right, the teacher might be suspicious."

Qiu Huini huffed. "You mean I’m not smart enough to get them all correct?”

Yu Xing pursed her lips, still speaking pleasantly. "No, it’s just to be thorough. Better safe than sorry.”

With that, she nodded at Qiu Huini, got up, and left.

It was late afternoon, and most people had already left for dinner.

"You–" She walked so fast that Qiu Huini didn't have time to stop her.

Xia Yuanqing, who was sitting behind her, tsked. “Stupid, rustic, and a coward at that! I really don’t know why she was assigned to our class…”

Qiu Huini was silent.

Xia Yuan Qing suddenly remembered something, tapping Qiu Huini on the back, "Huini!"

Translator's Note:

director zhou was so dramatic about catching yu xing, he really set the entire thing up just to get a dramatic entrance, poor girl didn't even write it and she had to deal with this

also, i think i'll keep the explanatory text for idioms that have no direct translation/sound super awkward otherwise. i'm really not sure how else to translate those parts haha